More Than Friends

Chapter 1

He wouldn't deny that he's been crushing on his best friend for so many years. It sounds ridiculous that even his best friends wanted him to just steal her away from her boyfriend and be happy.

But he just can't even though he wants to. If he somehow did confess his growing feelings, would she even give the reaction he's expecting? It might not go well, and it could ruin their relationship as best friends.

He knows exactly how Da-Eun sees him, and it is nothing more than that. He stood by her side as a brother but deep inside, he wanted more. And every time his eyes landed on her with a smile on her face caused by her boyfriend, his heart clenched.

How long will he keep pretending that he's fine when he's dying inside?

Min-Gyu sat beside him when he noticed him in a deep thought and whispered something that made him come back to reality. "Steal her away. We got your back." He rolled his eyes.

"That's not gonna happen. Not in a million years would I do that." He said.

"Mmm, sure. Whatever you say."

The girls joined them on, and thank god, not with her boyfriend this time. He's like superman against kryptonite. Da-Eun took the empty spot beside Ji-Hoon while he's busy on his phone and poked his face with her finger to get his attention.

She finally got his attention and smiled when he put his phone down and smiled back at her. "How come you didn't notice me right away?" Da-Eun asked, then grabbed the iced coffee he had ordered for her.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm just nervous with the exam results coming this week." She huffed.

"Such a lame excuse." His jaw dropped dramatically, and he reached out his arm to ruffle her hair, smiling while listening to her whining to stop. A cute deadly glare lasers him when he pulls back his hand and whacks him on the arm.

Oh, she wasn't done there by just whacking him. She pulled his shirt toward her before wrapping her arm around his next and vigorously messing his flawless hair, and she loved it; her laughs spread across the room.

"Just date." Soo-Ho blurted which caused the whole atmosphere to become awkward. Da-Eun and Ji-Hoon quickly pulled away, and their eyes rolled around the place. He knew he was dead meat when Ji-Hoon looked at him, solemn and badass.

Min-Gyu snatched the phone from his hand and laughed. "It's not meant for you two. It is actually for his friend." He lied just to make them comfortable again. However, Hee-Jin and Ae-Cha are still dumbfounded about it.

"Um, yeah, apart from that, I just want to say that I exist in this room and—" Hee-Jin speak as no one even talks to her as if she doesn't exist, but that's fine; she just wants to ride on them.

Soo-Ho snorted. "Does being dramatic already part of a woman thing? Because someone right here, which I prefer not to name, is being so dramatic in the group chat that she trips over, crying and spamming the group with pictures of her leg with a small scratch."

"I mean, if you're going to dream of becoming a doctor and perhaps working on it right now, I don't think it suits you if you cry over a single scratch." He added, making Hee-Jin's eyebrow furrow as she put her coffee on the table.

"Excuse me? Are you referring to me?" Hee-Jin asked but certainly not in a nice way.

He glanced at her and shrugged his shoulder like he didn't actually do anything. "Referring to you what? Did you even hear me mention your name?"

She scoffed. "You did not, but with the group chat, scratch, crying, and trips over. It is clear that you're talking about me."

"Good job, you figured it out very quickly," Soo-Ho said sarcastically while holding up a thumbs up for her with a teasing smile that Hee-Jin could not resist but hit him with her bag for irritating her.

"I wasn't expecting that! It's not that serious, anyway. I'll probably let it pass if you were severely injured, but you were not and acting like you were. Rather than pursuing to be a doctor, just pursue becoming an actor. You're way too good at it." He groaned.

"You're seriously annoying. This is why I can't be in the same place as you! You always ruin the fun, the everything." He chuckled as he got up to use the restroom when Hee-Jin tripped him over, making him roll over the floor, groaning in pain.

She gasped teasingly. "Oh, please, stop it. It's not that painful. You can take it like a pro." He swore as he pulled himself up and glared at her. "This is too much. What if I break my legs, chest, or even my gorgeous face?"

"Are you okay? How come that face of yours hooks so many girls when you're scared to talk to them!" They had enough fun, and it has to stop now before it becomes serious. Da-Eun had to come out to take a call; of course, it was her boyfriend.

Min-Gyu and Soo-Ho slowly pan their head towards Ji-Hoon who lowers his head after noticing that they have been looking at him and clears his throat, cleaning everything on the table before grabbing his bag.

He stepped out of the shop and stood next to her, waiting for her to hang up the phone. Da-Eun turned to face him and breathed. She seemingly not cannot make it to the party. "Listen, I don't think I can't join you—" He smiled and nodded, understanding her.

"Let me guess. You're going somewhere with him, aren't you?" But upon receiving no response for him, he once again understood her, and he hoped it was not something he was thinking about. "I get it. But just be careful."

She chuckled softly. "We're just going on a date. It's not that thing in your head. We have to get married first before that." He better takes care of her right if he doesn't want to see himself lying underground.

Ji-Hoon longed to be the one by her side, the person who would love her unconditionally and supports her in every step she took, but he couldn't put himself to tell her how much he loved her, how much he was crazy about her.

Instead, he endured those pain for years and supported her through all her relationships. He was always there to pick up the pieces when things fell apart.

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A/N — OMG, hi! Wow, it's been so long since I last updated my story. I received some messages about updating, and yes, I badly wanted to but been very busy. However, I sometimes get caught up on Twitter because that's where I get the news anyway, I can't promise to update regularly like I used to, but I will do my best to serve you. Also, aside from my hectic schedule, I lost my draft papers I hid somewhere in my room. And without it, the story would not continue, and I found it now, lmao. I made many changes in the story, basically the whole thing, but I still hope you will like it. (It's short, though? Yes. I plan it to be that way.