.

‘So far I know isn’t she Eun Jiho’s first love? I never saw Eun Jiho acting like that or talking about someone else in front of others,’ thinking further to that point, Kwon Hye Young gave a warm glance at Eun Jiho.

It will be great if we can choose a person we like, following our head. The moment we realize that we can’t is when our first love begins at last.

Those that Eun Jiho lost as he grew up or through the flow of time such as impulsiveness or emotions… Kwon Hye Young didn’t hate to see those things returning to Eun Jiho by the girl, Ham Donnie. Although those who admired his rational side would take it differently.

Kwon Hye Young then suddenly tilted her head sideways as there was something weighing on her mind.

What Eun Jiho said just now,

“We’ll never gonna be here together again.”

What would that mean too? Kwon Hye Young’s brows met in the middle, but when Ham Donnie turned her head to look at this side, she bent her steps quickly to usher the girl to the hairstyling booth.

* * *

The moment Ham Donnie opened the thick pink curtain by pulling it to the side and stepped out of the fitting room with her dark brown eyes meeting his eyes, Eun Jiho wanted to say how beautiful she looked. He, however, barely added just a few words to Kwon Hye Young sitting next to him.

“Yeah, it sure is. Pretty, Ham Donnie.”

Eun Jiho continuously disheveled his hair. He later realized that his response to her, saying, ‘pretty’ and the random things he rambled after to hide his embarrassment were all from his true heart.

Perhaps, I’m not such a sophisticated person that I think.

Eun Jiho smiled bitterly. Well, he knew very well how reluctant he was when it came to giving up things. That was what he had been the most scolded for under his father’s strict discipline and education.

If asking him, didn’t he have any plot in mind at all when Ham Donnie volunteered to follow him, the answer would be, of course, yes. Eun Jiho, however, decided to give up his feelings toward her and just threw the suggestion like a joke, regarding it as the last. He never thought Ham Donnie would accept it right away.

‘Or else, did I look too desperate?’ having that thought, Eun Jiho touched his face, but he would hardly grasp what he had looked like to her at that time. Eun Jiho shook his head with a sigh.

Never mind since this will be the last anyway.

‘Once this is all over, I’ll treat Ham Donnie only as a friend. This will be my last time to reveal my true feelings.’ Before coming to this place, he already made his decision like that.

Despite Ham Donnie and Kwon Hye Young suggesting him to go wait somewhere else, Eun Jiho sat down on the sofa with his chin resting on his palm and watched the whole process. Ham Donnie was now near the end of getting dressed up; All that remained was wearing accessories.

When Ham Donnie, at last, turned around to look at him, Eun Jiho blurted out his response.

“It’s really pretty.”

He tried to put those words out as casually yet sincerely as possible, thinking himself having a talent of praising others. Ham Donnie’s reactions were, however, always the same.

“Liar.”

Replying to him curtly, Ham Donnie then suddenly closed her mouth into a tight line, which made Eun Jiho almost burst into laughter.

It looked as though Ham Donnie had reached a compromise on his proposal to pretend today as his birthday. Although she decided to accept his request, she responded bluntly like a habit then quickly put on a look of a mistake on her face.

‘Anyway, I’ve seen a new face like that after a long time.’

Since they got along with each other for over three years not only at the school but also in the house, it wasn’t easy to see each other making a new face. In this regard, it was quite an intangible benefit for Eun Jiho.

‘I’m glad that I suggested this,’ narrowing his eyes with a smile, Eun Jiho got up from the seat when Ham Donnie stood up.

Ham Donnie’s shoulders flinched once every step Eun Jiho took, walking toward her through the marble floor. Other female employees cast a blank stare at Ham Donnie and Eun Jiho, then when their eyes met, they blushed in silence.

Eun Jiho thought about what Ham Donnie bewailed earlier about soap opera and stuff when stepping into this salon. Honestly, in Ham Donnie’s point of view, this situation would resemble something like that in the TV drama. Especially, when a boy, who aroused all kinds of praises from others just by looking at them, was now walking side by side with her, putting his arm around her back affectionately.

However, Ham Donnie still looked sullen without any sign of admiration or excitement. Eun Jiho then smiled, realizing how hilarious this situation was. ‘Wouldn’t a boy, who has been a friend for over three years, suddenly acting like this make her flutter? Even a little bit? I wished it could…’ muttering naughtily to himself, Eun Jiho placed his hand on Ham Donnie’s back. She then flinched and turned around to look at him with her brown eyes growing bigger.

“What if we skip the party and just go grab some dinner?” said Eun Jiho with a grin.

“…”

“I’m afraid you look too pretty today… attracting some crazy dudes.”

“You…”

You?

Eun Jiho paused then lowered his head. Even before he heard it all, Eun Jiho felt that he already knew her answer. And at her following words, he swallowed a smile.

Oh, indeed.

“You’re insane…”

I knew it, geez.

Eun Jiho kept lowering his head quietly so that he wouldn’t be caught laughing. It was quite difficult to suppress twitching his lips even when using all his years of acting skills. A moment after, he looked up and found out Ham Donnie putting a sad face again.

So, she’s aware that the conversation just now doesn’t belong to a couple though…

Eun Jiho waited silently, wondering how she would react. Before he sensed what was happening, something gently poked his cheek.

“Um… stop being angry.”

Jabbing his cheek nonchalantly with her finger, Ham Donnie, again, was in a dither when she received his gaze. She then ran out, yelling, ‘Yes!’ as Kwon Hye Young called her name.

When the two left the space, the room turned quiet immediately. In the sudden silence, Eun Jiho raised his hand and rubbed his cheek where Ham Donnie poked him just now. Before he got to know what had happened, Eun Jiho let out a giggle. He then murmured as he bent over the chair.

“Was she… acting cute just now?”

If it wasn’t, then would it call Ham Donnie just being herself? If it was Ham Donnie showing off her cute side, that was still horrible. Reaching to that point, Eun Jiho buried his face into his palms and took a deep breath. It was unbearable anyway. Although he knew it would be a continuously big excuse for her future, Eun Jiho couldn’t stand it without spitting his thoughts out.

Bursting out laughing, at last, Eun Jiho said to himself almost like a scream.

“Geez, how is she gonna date with someone later?”

A burst of giggle didn’t go away easily. Heaving his shoulders with laughter, Eun Jiho found out that the rest of the employees left around the space turned stiff, looking at him. He then immediately straightened himself. From the moment he lifted his hand, adjusted his disheveled hair, and greeted others with a nod, Eun Jiho could feel a stinging look behind his back the whole time.

‘Whatever…’ mumbling in a low voice, Eun Jiho shoved both hands into his pocket.

Eun Jiho clearly knew that no one would believe him laughing out loud alone in an empty space except for a very few people who have known him very well. In other words, the small group of people wouldn’t get surprised even if Eun Jiho was dancing alone on top of the table. Thus, there was nothing to worry about at all.

Rearranging his disheveled hair again, Eun Jiho muttered, “… Geez, what are we gonna do with our love life…’

The words scattered to the air as soon as he had uttered them. His quick footsteps gradually slowed down as he crossed the corridor.

In the middle of the hallway, in the middle of nowhere, he finally paused his steps and suddenly disheveled his hair. It messed up his carefully groomed hairstyle. ‘Never mind, it can be fixed anyway,’ he thought.

He would tousle his hair as many times as he could if that helped him to get rid of the terrible feelings slipping him into a pit of despair. Still, it wasn’t a good resolution for him anyway, so Eun Jiho just covered his eyes with his hand and remained silent.