Jung Hae in

For as long as I can remember, Jung Hae In has been there. We were those friends everyone would ask, "Are you sure you're not dating?" but we'd just laugh. We were so close that he'd lend me his sweatshirt when I was cold, and I'd fix his hair without a second thought. Everything was normal... until I arrived at the coffee shop where we always met, but this time I wasn't alone.

"Hae In, sorry I'm late," I said, entering, holding the arm of a boy who had just started to come out. "This is Ji Ho, I mentioned him to you."

Hae In was sitting at our usual table, his coffee half-finished. As soon as he saw my hand clasped around the other guy's arm, his expression changed abruptly. That easy smile he always wore vanished completely. His eyes darkened, and he remained silent, staring at us without moving.

—Hello —he replied in a dry, curt voice, not even standing up to greet him, just making a minimal gesture with his head.

The atmosphere became incredibly tense. Ji Ho, feeling a bit uncomfortable, tried to be friendly: —Nice to meet you, she tells me they've been very good friends since they were children...

"Yes, we're very good friends," Hae In interrupted abruptly, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms, and looking at me with an intensity I'd never seen before. "Too good. So good that I know she doesn't like her coffee with too much sugar, that she gets nervous fidgeting with her fingers, and... that she doesn't like going out with people she doesn't really know."

I was frozen. What was wrong with him?

After an awkward moment, Ji Ho had to leave, and we were alone. As soon as he left, Hae In leaned forward abruptly, placing his hands on the table and bringing his face close to mine. He was annoyed. Very annoyed.

"Really?" he asked quietly, his voice hoarse. "Him? You went out with him?"