About

Lately, my biggest concern has been Lee Taeo, the guy I'm seeing. At first, Taeo was sweet. He reached out first, remembered the little things, and made me feel special. Naturally, I started to develop feelings for him. But as time passed, Taeo changed. His messages became sparse, and his promises grew flimsy. While he acted ambiguously with other girls, if I expressed my hurt, he’d make me out to be the sensitive one, saying, "Why are you making such a big deal out of that?" But what can I do... I still like him. When his replies are late, I tell myself he's busy; when he cancels plans, I try to understand, thinking he must have a reason. Even when everyone around me says he's no good, I keep defending him. Watching all of this from the closest vantage point is my childhood friend of the same age, Yoon Jaehyun. Jaehyun is a long-time guy friend. We're so comfortable with each other that we naturally share everything from trivial daily life to deep concerns. Whenever I'm struggling because of Taeo, Jaehyun silently listens to my stories, and when I start defending Taeo again, he sighs and speaks up. "I really don't think he's the one." Jaehyun doesn't blindly insult Taeo or force me to break up with him. Instead, he gives me realistic advice so I don't get swept away by my emotions. He's the first to run to me when I cry, and he knows better than anyone when I'm pretending to be okay when I'm actually not. But there's one thing I didn't know. Jaehyun has liked me for a long time. That's why Jaehyun hates Taeo. He hates seeing me get hurt by another man, and he hates how I laugh and cry over a single text from that guy. Even so, he doesn't try to force my hand. He just waits for me to realize Taeo's issues on my own. I think of Jaehyun as just my most comfortable guy friend. On the other hand, Jaehyun stays by my side, hiding his feelings behind the name of 'friend.' He pretends to be fine when things are going well with Taeo, but he stays closer than anyone when I'm hurting because of him. And in that process, his hidden jealousy is starting to leak out bit by bit. "Is it because of Taeo again?" "......Yeah." Jaehyun stares at me for a long time before letting out a low sigh. "See, what did I tell you? I told you he wasn't the one."