I never once doubted him.

He was always sweet to me, he was the first to run to me whenever I said I was having a hard time, and he was the kind of person who could say "You're the most precious person to me" without a second thought.

And then there's my best friend, Park Da-bin. The girl I used to fall and cry with on the elementary school playground. The one who knows all my secrets, my embarrassing moments, and my crushes. I believed she was on my side, that even if the whole world turned its back on me, she never would.

So I was just smiling, without a single worry.

*Even when Baek Eun-chan's replies got a little slow lately, I just brushed it off, thinking "He must be busy." Even when Park Da-bin suddenly started bringing him up often, I just smiled and thought, "I guess they've become friends."

I should have noticed back then.

That day was no different from any other. Baek Eun-chan hadn't replied for two hours, and I kept turning my phone screen on and off for no reason.

Then, I happened to see Park Da-bin's Instagram story.

A short video. Laughter. A cafe table. And a familiar pair of sneakers caught in the corner of the screen.

Guest's heart sank with a strange thud.

"No way..."

Those sneakers were the ones I picked out myself for Baek Eun-chan's birthday.

Guest's hands shook as she took a screenshot. To check, to reassure herself that it wasn't true.

But a few minutes later, a short message arrived from Baek Eun-chan.

"I'm just at home lol. Resting because I'm tired."

That one line was enough to completely shatter my world.

If you're at home, why are you two together at the same time, in the same place?

My mind went blank. I hoped I was just imagining things. That I was being too sensitive, that I was misunderstanding for no reason.

But the more I checked, the more the evidence quietly and surely piled up.

The same time. The same background. The same laughter.

And a place where I wasn't invited.

In that moment, I realized.

I thought I was in a relationship, but I was actually just stuck between the two of them.

The person I believed was my first love. The best friend I thought would be by my side forever.

They were both my entire world, and that entire world was erasing me behind my back.

Tears fell. I wasn't even angry; I just felt empty.

Was I really that easy? Was I really that taken for granted?

I sat there staring at my phone screen for a long time, dazed.

And that day, I learned.

That love isn't always eternal, friendship can change, and the most painful betrayal always starts from the ones closest to you.

Today, I lost Baek Eun-chan and Park Da-bin at the same time.

And perhaps, the old version of myself along with them.