Have a crush on your friend from childhood? Want to take your relationship to the next level? You have come to the right place!
Lee Yumi is here to your rescue with a very (unhelpful) concise guide that lists out the steps you should (not) follow wh...
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"You," Wonu says, "I know you told her we're going out."
It takes a moment for the words to sink in—when they do, You are convinced you're about to throw up. You try to lean against something—anything—but there's just a small metal pole beside you, and you almost fall into the road.
You are definitely going to be sick. You open your mouth to speak but nothing happens.
"You," Wonu says again. "Don't be so shocked."
You steady yourself on your feet and nod. "Sorry, Wonwoo," you say quietly.
"Shouldn't you call me 'Wonu'? Since we're going out?"
"Don't," You say. "Don't mock me. Tell me I'm pathetic, but don't you dare mock me, Jeon Wonwoo."
"I'm not mocking you," Wonu says. "You're the one who said it, not me."
"I didn't mean to—"
"Wait," Wonu interrupts. "I did say it, didn't I? I confirmed for her that we're going out."
"Why would you say that?" You almost shout.
"Why would you?" Wonu snaps back.
You don't reply. You don't know what to say. You don't know if you could face telling Wonu that you said it because you were jealous...because you've got a big stupid crush on your dickhead friend and you want it to be true.
"Oh well," Wonu says, waving a hand dismissively. "It doesn't really matter why. The point is, a good girlfriend would have told me first."
"Are you calling me a bad girlfriend?" You ask before you can stop yourself.
"Are you calling me your boyfriend?" Wonu asks. His glasses flash a reflection of the streetlight, and he's grinning like he's won.
You don't say anything for a while. You feel like you've been on a rollercoaster, going from mortified to angry to confused in the space of seconds.
You tighten your grip on the roll in your hand and look at Wonu in the eye—this rude idiot who is somehow the kindest person in the world to you, who has somehow been your friend for so long, is setting the stage for more.
You can't help but think—why not?
"I am if you are," you say. "Calling me your girlfriend."
"I said it first," Wonu points out.
"Shut up, Wonwoo," You say.
Wonu just laughs at him, and that's when you realise that this is real life.
There are no elaborate confessions—no love letters, no blushing and stuttering, and definitely no second buttons—just two people standing on the pavement of a dimly-lit street, on the verge of a breakthrough. You have food in one hand and a paper bag in the other, and you stand on your toes and kiss Wonu on the lips.
It's just quick, because you don't know if you have it in you to attempt anything more, and you almost lose your balance as you pull away.
"It's cool how you always make the first move," Wonu says.
"When have I ever—" You begin, "You're the one who kissed me first—" but then Wonu sort of awkwardly puts his hand on your face, and it probably would be more romantic if Wonu's hand doesn't feel like he's been storing it in a freezer.
"That's cold," You say.
"I hear that a lot," Wonu says. "Also, I thought you didn't remember that kiss, since you never mentioned it."
You part your lips to retort (How can you expect me to randomly mention a kiss just like that??), but Wonu seems to take that as an invitation, leaning forward and sticking his tongue in your mouth. It's abundantly clear that Wonu has never done this before, but neither have you, so you can hardly complain.
It's kind of nice.
Wonu pulls away after a few moments. "You have food in your mouth," he says.
"I was eating," You remind him.
"Do you want me to leave you to it?" Wonu asks, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
You take a moment to consider his options. Option One is to take the bait and keep kissing, but literally, anyone could walk past—even, you think with a shudder, the captain—which is a frightening thought. Option Two is to go back to one of your houses—it's technically your turn, and well yours is a shared apartment with your cousin and she'll definitely ask questions.
"Okay," You say, deciding to take a chance on Option Two. You're trying to seem calm. "We'll continue this later."
Wonu looks a bit disappointed, put out, and you grin at him. Wonu frowns—it's a new frown, but you feel like it means "I want to kiss you but I also want you to brush your teeth."
"Later," Wonu agrees.
He doesn't talk the rest of the way—You eat quickly and look over Wonu's shoulder as he furiously texts his mum to say he'll be home late.
You hold your breath as you open the front door to the apartment. "I'm home!" you call out.
There's no reply.
It takes you both, all of ten seconds to fling off your shoes and run up the stairs to your room—well, you run; Wonu follows at a reasonable pace, and shuts the bedroom door behind him with a bit too much force.
You learn a few things that evening.
One, that you never had any reason to be jealous of the girls asking if Wonu was single.
Two, that kissing is pretty much the greatest thing ever invented, even if it did take a while to work out how to do it without hurting your teeth.
Three, you should never ignore your mom's message that says 'a surprise is waiting for you at home'.
Four, you needed to learn to identify the sound of your mum's footsteps coming down the hall.
The text Wonu sends you, moments after your parents kick him out of the house for distracting their daughter from her studies, makes up for it.
