Pre-Dawn Latte

2012

Author's note: This is a work of fiction.

A man and a woman can't have a pure friendship with each other. In the end, one of them will want to have the other.

Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun would beg to differ, though.

Their friendship had lasted for seven years, and it was very, very pure.

Let's go back to the start.

**************************

Autumn, 2012

Go Eun had been invited to some celebrity parties before, but she kept dodging them. She was still busy with college after releasing Eungyo, and had no intention to claim "the new it girl" status that she could have claimed.

The glitz and glam of Korean entertainment world still pretty much scared her. She wasn't sure she'd want any of those.

However, earlier that month, she met Go Ara and Nam Ji Hyun at Buil Festival. Go Ara knew Kim Hee Chul, the flamboyant and hilarious member of Super Junior. He liked to throw parties to meet people from different parts of the entertainment world, and he invited Go Ara, and also asked her to invite Go Eun and Nam Ji Hyun as well.

"Let's go together!" Ara said. "Hee Chul sunbae's parties are always fun and very clean. You wouldn't be offered candies that are actually narcotic pills, definitely. Everyone who is invited is someone he invites himself, so it's safe. If there are people who do crazy stuffs, like making out on a couch in front of everyone, he'll tell them to get a room outside."

"The food is great. He has non-alcoholic drinks for people who don't want to get tipsy, and if you find no one nice to talk to, I promise to sit with you."

With such encouraging promises, Go Eun finally decided to attend. It was at his fancy apartment, started at 10 p.m, and ended at dawn. Ara said the party would be in full swing by midnight, so she chose that exact time to appear.

She's actually very nervous, yet she's also someone who liked trying new things. Who knew, it might be fun. If she didn't enjoy it, she could always leave after an hour or two.

It wasn't often for her to go to extremely luxurious apartments. She stayed at luxurious hotels with her family and friends sometimes, but visiting that kind of apartment was definitely a first.

Apparently, the receptionist at the lobby was aware of the party. There was even a name list. Go Eun had to show her ID card before she was given the access card.

Checking the floor and suite number again, she went to the elevators.

After pushing the floor number on the keypad, she waited for a minute before one of the six elevators opened.

There was only one man who stepped out, and Go Eun wasn't really looking at him. She was just waiting for the man to step out, but the man exclaimed, "Oh, it's Eun Gyo!"

Go Eun looked up at the man's face, and her eyes widened, her hand gripped the sling of her bag tightly.

She was face to face with Lee Min Ho.

She was frozen on her spot and was unable to say anything.

He pressed the lift's button to hold it there.

"Wow, it's really Eun Gyo. I mean, I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Kim Go Eun-ssi, right?"

"Ye, annyeonghaseyo, Sunbaenim."

"Are you going to Kim Hee Chul's party?"

"Ne, that's right."

"I'll go back with you."