1.5

It had been three days since she last saw Wonwoo. Three long, agonizing days where every corner of her world seemed to remind her of him. She'd skipped school today so she wouldn't see him. She had text messages from him that she couldn't answer. Every time his name popped up, a rush of guilt and confusion overwhelmed her, and she would swipe it away without reading it.

She couldn't face him—not yet.

Could she be in love with him? Could she risk everything they had for something that might not work? What if they couldn't make it work? She had always relied on their friendship. It was safe. It was easy. But this—this was new.

Her phone buzzed again as she sat on a bench in the park, staring at the empty space in front of her. She didn't bother checking it this time. She knew it was Wonwoo. Every time she saw him name pop up, it felt like she was running away from him. From herself.

That was when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Turning around, she was met with the familiar grin of Seungkwan.

"Are you avoiding us, Areum?" He asked, amusement filling his eyes. "You've barely said a word in our group chat, and you skipped school today."

She stiffened. "I've been busy." She forced a smile. "I've been doing a lot of studying lately."

Seungkwan raised his eyebrow, his expression becoming more serious. "But that's not what's going on, is it?"

Her stomach stopped. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about this.

But Seungkwan wasn't one to back off easily. He knew Wonwoo was in love with Areum, and he was sure Areum felt the same way, she just needed a push. She needed something, anything, to make her realize how she really felt towards Wonwoo.

He plopped down beside her on the bench, crossing his arms and looking at her with a knowing gaze. "You've been avoiding Wonwoo, haven't you?"

Areum's heart skipped a beat. "I'm not avoiding him," she answered quickly, but even she could hear the lie in her voice.

"You are," he said, his tone gently but firm. "He's worried about you. I've never seen him like this before. I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty, but you've got to stop running from it, Areum."

She swallowed hard, her throat tight. "I don't know what you're talking about." She laughed nervously, her voice shaky. "I'm just... I need space."

Seungkwan sighed, and for a moment, there was a silence between them.

"Areum, I'm your friend, okay? I know you're struggling, I get it. You've been through a lot with Hajoon, and you're scared of letting someone in again. But this isn't like that."

Areum looked at him, finally meeting his eyes, her expression a mixture of frustration and confusion. "What do you mean? How is it not the same? He's my best friend. I can't just... throw that away."

Seungkwan nodded. "I know you're scared, but this isn't about throwing anything away. It's about realizing that you're already in love with him." He paused. "You just haven't been willing to admit it."

Her breath hitched. "What? No, I—"

"Listen to me," Seungkwan interrupted. "I've seen how you look at him. The way you always run to him when you need someone to lean on. You've never looked at anyone like that before, not even us! We're your best friends too!"

For a moment, Areum stayed quiet, her mind racing. She didn't know how to process this, how to accept this. She couldn't let herself be hurt again, after what happened with Hajoon.

But this was Wonwoo.

With Wonwoo, everything was different. She felt safe. And that scared her more than anything.

Seungkwan gave her a small, knowing smile. "You don't have to figure it all out right now, but you need to stop avoiding him. You need to be honest with him."

Areum was silent, her thoughts a tangled mess. She wanted to push it all away, to avoid the truth for a little longer. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe Seungkwan was right.

Maybe she had always known. Maybe she had been in love with him for a lot longer than she was willing to admit. But how could she say that to him?

Seungkwan stood up, giving her a quick hug. "Just think about it, okay? Don't shut him out. You're stronger than that, Areum."

As he walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts, Areum sat there in the quiet, her heart heavy with the weight of what Seungkwan had said.

She didn't have all the answers. But for the first time in days, she felt like she was starting to understand something. Maybe she wasn't just running away from her feelings.

Maybe, just maybe, she was finally ready to face them.