At that very moment when she saw him, her thoughts became vividly clear, she had to confess to him that she liked him, that was the only way she could move on from him and actually look at Hyuk Jae with a smile and not feel guilty. It's time to move on from her one-sided love and pursue one that was real.
Mi Jin sat on the swing next to Chang Wook and that was when she noticed his face. The darkness had made it difficult to see him properly "What happened?!" she asked worried, but she had a guess as to what. Chang Wook isn't the type to get into fights, everyone at school likes him and it's the middle of the night. It must have been his father. She knew Han Soo was mean but she never thought he would hit his own son. She reached her hand out and placed it on Chang Wook's cheek.
"Don't worry about it" he told her as he took her hand and moved it to the side. She felt that was inappropriate, touching another guy that isn't her boyfriend, even if it just happened naturally between them, she had to control herself.
"Want to talk about it?" she asked him. He smiled at her.
"I should go" Chang Wook said. Mi Jin held him back. Its been a while since both of them had a chance to talk alone and, he was suddenly leaving?
"Why?" she asked him.
"Because I'm in a bad mood" he told her "When I'm like this, I become the most heartless person you will ever see" he couldn't bring himself to look at her "I don't want you to see me like this. Anyone is fine, except you" Mi Jin felt her heart skip a beat.
"I know everything about you Wook" she said "I'm the one that hates to be seen by people when she's in a bad mood, and if I had to choose the person I least wanted to show that side of me to, it would also be you" she added.
Chang Wook looked at her. His heart was beating uncontrollably fast. Mi Jin saw a glimmer in his eyes, one that she wanted to see since the moment she first laid eyes on him, the glimmer that showed he liked her. The glimmer that showed she didn't have to give up on him, but why? Why did she have to see it now?
Mi Jin at that moment said something she wasn't planning on saying, something she said to Chang Wook before she said yes to Hyuk Jae "I've been in love with someone that didn't love me and I've been loved by someone that I didn't love, but I think that maybe, the one I loved, always loved me back but I was too blind not to see it or maybe he was too good at hiding it"
Chang Wook thought that she was talking about him and Hyuk Jae. Did she find out he likes her? If she did, this was the perfect time to tell her how he felt, he could tell her everything but, he couldn't or maybe, he wouldn't. How could he say 'I love you' if it would mean nothing to the girl that meant everything?
Mi Jin got up from the swing and stood right in front of Chang Wook. Why isn't he saying anything? Did she see wrong? She started to wonder if the glimmer she saw was just the reflection of the lamp post.
Chang Wook looked straight into Mi Jin's eyes "Do you believe a guy and a girl can be just friends?" he asked her.
Mi Jin looked down. Was he referring to both of them? "Yes" she answered. He looked away.
"I don't" he said, as he slowly turned his head back towards her, he said "I believe that at one point one would fall for the other, maybe just for a moment, maybe too late or maybe, just maybe…forever" he and Mi Jin looked into each other's eyes.
Without thinking, both of them started to close the space between them. Mi Jin reached for Chang Wook's hand and they intertwined their fingers together. Suddenly, they both heard someone call out their names.
"Mi Jin? Chang Wook?" Both of them turned their heads to see none other than Hyuk Jae. Did he see? How where they going to explain themselves? Chang Wook in embarrassment ran away.
"Chang Wook!" Hyuk Jae yelled. Chang Wook ran as fast as he could, as long as he could, but Hyuk Jae caught up to him. It was obvious that he would, he's the fastest runner in Gym class. They were at a country road that no cars went through. Each standing on both sides of the road.
Chang Wook couldn't bear to look at Hyuk Jae.
"I…I don't know what to say" Chang Wook said "I feel horrible. I shouldn't be your friend" then Chang Wook heard words he never expected to hear come from Hyuk Jae's mouth.
"I always kind of knew" he said. Chang Wook turned to look at him surprised "I always suspected that she might have liked you too" Hyuk Jae passed his hands through his hair. He didn't seem at all bothered by what just happened, just mildly annoyed.
"If anyone is the bad guy here, it's me" Hyuk Jae continued "I even purposely kissed her in front of you and held her hand when I knew you were looking" Hyuk Jae, as he said those words out loud, he hated himself and started to think he was such a petty person.
"I'm a horrible person" Hyuk Jae forced a chuckle as tears slid down his cheeks "I'm a horrible friend"
Chang Wook was shocked but ended up crying with him "Don't say that!" Chang Wook yelled "I'm worse. I was about to…to my best friends girlfriend. I was in an emotional state and I couldn't control myself. I'm a horrible friend"
"No, you're not!" Hyuk Jae yelled "You held back, for so many years. You kept your feelings a secret because you didn't want to hurt me. You became more open with people and made more friends just so you could leave Mi Jin and me alone together. You did everything to keep yourself busy and acted like it didn't bother you. I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you!" Hyuk Jae yelled.
"But I hurt you!" Chang Wook yelled back. Hyuk Jae walked towards him and grabbed his face so he could look at him straight in the eyes.
"You didn't hurt me! If anything, the one that's hurting the most right now is you" Hyuk Jae said "You're my best friend. I'm planning on growing old together, with you and with Mi Jin, so you better not keep saying that we shouldn't be friends"
Chang Wook felt like he didn't deserve Hyuk Jae as a friend, more than before. He knew that Hyuk Jae was in pain, his best friend was holding hands with his girlfriend. If he didn't show up, who knew what would have happened? How could he not be hurt? He's just putting up a front.
"Besides, knowing you, nothing would have happened" Hyuk Jae said "You would have run off just like you did right now" Hyuk Jae chuckled. Chang Wook thought that maybe his friend wasn't putting up a front at all.
"If there's one thing you shouldn't apologize for, its your feelings" Hyuk Jae said "And when you get yourself a girlfriend, you better introduce her to me first, got it?!" he pointed at Wook "Come on, I'll take you home"
"Pfft..,what are you, my boyfriend?" Chang Wook asked with a chuckle "I can walk myself home"
Hyuk Jae looked at him angrily "Hey, I'm trying to be a cool friend here, but you just ruined the atmosphere" Chang Wook laughed.
"Ok, ok. I get it" Chang Wook said. Both of them laughed together.
Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, Hyuk Jae was no longer in front of Chang Wook, pointing at him and laughing. He was in the ground and he wasn't moving.
"Hyuk Jae?" Chang Wook asked. His brain couldn't process what had just happened. He looked at the car that had kept on driving, then looked back at his friend "Hyuk Jae?" He got down on the ground next to him.
"Stop joking around" Chang Wook said forcing a laugh "It isn't funny" as the seconds passed by he started to panic, tears flowing down his eyes "Hyuk Jae?"
"Hyuk Jae!" he yelled. He pulled his friend up and started to wiggle him so he could wake up, but when he placed his hand on the back of Hyuk Jae's head, it felt slimy. Looking at his hand he saw red "Hyuk...Hyuk Jae!"
A few days later the funeral was held.
Hyuk Jae's mother couldn't keep herself on her feet and his father couldn't look anyone in the eye, he was too caught up in grief to even greet anyone. Hyuk Jae had a younger brother who was still in diapers. He most likely won't remember his brother, even if he does, it will just be vague images. Chang Wook felt pity for Hyuk Jae's brother. He would never know how awesome his brother truly was. He'll never know how…he'll never know…
Chang Wook couldn't stay in that room any longer and ran outside to try and calm himself. Everyone from school showed up. Mi Jin on the other hand couldn't make herself go inside the building. She couldn't deal with how things ended. She'll always remember his pained expression when he saw the two of them. Although nothing happened, and nothing was going to happen, she never got the chance to apologize to him. She'll never get the chance to say hello to him or to say goodbye.
"The only time a goodbye is painful is when you know you'll never say hello again" Mi Jin turned her head and saw Soo Ryun smiling at her "You liked him a lot, didn't you?" she asked her.
At that moment, Mi Jin's feelings became immensely clear. She liked Chang Wook, she can even say with certainty that she loved him, but she no longer did. All her love was moved to the boy who confessed to her in the back of the gym. All her love was moved to the boy that walked her home from school, who would share his umbrella with her, who would wait for her after school even though his club activities were over before hers. Who wrote her love letters every day.
"I loved him so much" Mi Jin said, placing her hands over her face, trying to hold back her tears.
"Then go tell him" Soo Ryun told her as she pushed her forward. At the top of the stairs was Chang Wook, also trying to hold onto his tears. She walked towards him and gave him a saddened grin. He replied with a grin as well.
With that, both of them agreed with whatever happened that night, was to remain there. They hugged each other. A tear going down each other their eyes.