While Mi Jin and Chang Wook were having a hard time that night, Hyuk Jae in the meantime worried about what he would talk about with Mi Jin the next day. He knew she didn't love him like he loved her so he needed a game plan, ways he could woo her. He could pick her up to go to school, but he always walks with Chang Wook to school. Maybe give her flowers but she might feel he's throwing his feelings at her.
"Ugh! Why is life so difficult?!" he yelled. As he laid on the bed he thought he could write her love letters. He got up from the bed "A love letter, every day. It won't be a nuisance since it will be for her eyes only!" but then came the realization that he didn't know how to be romantic. He's not good at writing either.
"Chang Wook!" he said through the phone excitedly. Chang Wook was already sleeping.
"You have 30 seconds or I'm hanging up" he said.
"Don't be like that" Hyuk Jae laughed.
"29, 28, 27, 26…"
"Ok, ok. I got it. Wait, start over!" Hyuk Jae told him about his plan to write love letters to Mi Jin and wanted his help. Chang Wook found this funny. His friend Hyuk Jae wanted him to write Mi Jin, the girl they both like, love letters.
"God just doesn't like me, does he?" Chang Wook whispered. Hyuk Jae didn't understand what he said but, he took that as Chang Wook agreeing to help him.
The next morning Chang Wook gave Hyuk Jae a love letter which he read in amazement "Wow, Chang Wook. You're awesome. She'll love it!" Hyuk Jae read it over one more time. The words that stood out to him the most were "Loving you is worth everything to me"
The first time Mi Jin got a love letter she wished so much it was from Chang Wook. When she opened it, the words were so romantic, her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest expecting to see Chang Wook's name written on it, but it was from Hyuk Jae.
She looked around and saw Hyuk Jae waving at her, Chang Wook was with him, but he was leaning on the wall reading one of his books. Mi Jin grinned at him and waved.
As the days went on, Hyuk Jae would stop by Chang Wook's house, they would work on a love letter and Hyuk Jae would put it in Mi Jin's shoe locker early in the morning. Mi Jin got used to receiving these letters and always wondered what else Hyuk Jae would write her. She had to admit, he was kind of a romantic.
One day walking towards the shoe lockers, after school, Mi Jin saw Chang Wook in the library alone. She decided to give him some company. She hasn't gotten the chance to talk to him, alone.
"Hey" she said. Chang Wook jumped in surprise which made Mi Jin jump as well. She noticed he wasn't only reading but also writing something in a little notebook "What are you writing?" she asked him. Chang Wook hid the notebook and looked down in embarrassment.
Mi Jin decided not to dig in any deeper. She didn't want him to get angry with her. She could deal with anyone being angry with her except him. Anyone but him.
"What are you reading?" Mi Jin asked Chang Wook.
"It's a story about love" he said. Mi Jin was quickly interested, she's a hopeless romantic so she wanted him to tell her more about the story "It's a story about these two friends who like the same girl. She's a really nice and pretty girl, the two friends are good people too, they are basically like brother's, they look after each other"
"Sounds like a sad story" Mi Jin said. Chang Wook nods "So, who does she end up with?" Chang Wook's expression changes to one of sadness. Mi Jin wonders if she said something out of line.
"Haven't gotten to that part yet" he told her with a smile.
Mi Jin thought back to Hyuk Jae and decided to ask Chang Wook something, hoping that maybe, just maybe he'll catch up to her feelings "Wook, what do you think is worse?" she paused. Chang Wook looked at her with her head down "Loving someone that doesn't love you back or being loved by someone that you don't love back?"
Chang Wook thought about it. Being broken or breaking someone? Before he could answer Hyuk Jae walked in.
"What's up with this atmosphere? You two look all depressed" Hyuk Jae smiled. Mi Jin got up from her seat, excused herself and ran out. The two guys looked at each other, not quite sure of the reason why she ran off. She felt embarrassed, she was about to tell Chang Wook about her feelings but Hyuk Jae walked in.
She put her shoes away and when she was heading out, a hand took her bag from her. She turned to see Hyuk Jae, staring at her with a serious expression on his face.
"Hyuk Jae, what are you doing?" she asked him.
"I'm taking you home"
"What about Wook?" she asked him. Hyuk Jae shook his head. He'll be staying back for a while. He told me to go after you, but he didn't have to, I was already planning to" Mi Jin tried to get her school bag back but Hyuk Jae didn't let her "I'll carry it for you" he told her.
The walk back home was silent. Mi Jin remembered how the three of them always found something to talk about but now, she can't think of anything.
Hyuk Jae remembered the times when all three of them walked in silence like it was natural, but he was feeling akward, he didn't know what to talk about.
"You know what I'm most scared of?" Hyuk Jae asked Mi Jin. She shook her head, the Hyuk Jae she knew wasn't scared of anything. He even jumped off a roof to prove a point "Regretting" it was one simple word. Mi Jin thought he would say something along the lines of a horrible way to die.
"After we graduate, I don't know what's going to happen to us but, I do know that I don't want to leave high school without having told you my feelings. I don't want to grow old with a wife and kids and always wonder, what could have happened if I told the girl I liked I was in love with her"
Mi Jin didn't know how to answer.
"Mi Jin. I like you, a lot. You make me happy, you're the funniest person I know, apart from me. You are like super smart and when you get awkward when you feel you're in an uncomfortable situation; I think you look really cute" Hyuk Jae chuckles, remembering when he confessed to her. She got all red, looking down and playing with her fingers. He found that adorable.
"On the days I'm sad because of my family or because we lost a game against a rival school, your smile alone can make me forget all of that. You're everything I want, all your cracks and imperfections. I love all of them, I love all of you…"
Hyuk Jae didn't know how to continue. He didn't know how he was going to end this conversation which made him feel uncomfortable "Um…I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I want to know your answer, but I already told you that I would wait so forget what I said…um…come on, it's getting dark…"
Mi Jin grabbed Hyuk Jae's shirt and stopped him. She only said one word, but that word meant everything to Hyuk Jae. She said "Okay"
"Really?!" he turned around, but Mi Jin wasn't looking at him. She was looking at the ground. His excitement subsided. If a girl really liked a guy, wouldn't she be looking at him with loving eyes "Are you sure?" he asked her.
"I can't guarantee, I'll be a good girlfriend, but if you'll have me, I guess I'll be okay with it" Mi Jin said. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him. Hyuk Jae at this moment thought she was just being shy.
"You really mean it?" he asked her.
"What? You don't want to now?" she looked up at him. He smiled and shook his head.
"Promise?" he asked her.
Mi Jin scoffed "I Promise"
Back at school Chang Wook was writing another love letter for Mi Jin, but this time, it was from him to her.
"Mi Jin. I don't believe in fate or destiny, but I do believe that the choices we make have tremendous impact in our future. I'm writing this to you because I chose to fall in love with you. Love is not something you just fall into, it's a door that you can either choose to open or keep locked. I chose to open that door and right behind that door, was you. So, no matter where you go or who you're with. In this little world, across this vast Universe, in hundreds of thousands of realities. In all of them I will always choose you. I will always, love you"
Chang Wook finished his letter. He worried about what Mi Jin's reaction would be once she read it, but most importantly, he worried about what Hyuk Jae's reaction will be once he finds out that his best friend also liked the same girl. Will they stop being friends? He was taking a huge risk by writing this letter but if their friendship is strong enough, he believed that they will find a way over this mess.