Good Morning, Park Ji Min!

3

"Yun Ki, I appreciate your concern, but nothing is going on." Ho Seok said sternly.

"How do you know? You should see them together. It's like they're so deep in love that they forget the world around them. Yesterday at lunch they were planning a sleepover so they could cuddle."

"I know. My baby has been having a really hard time sleeping lately and Jeong Guk is the only one who can put him to sleep. Somehow, I'm okay with it." Ho Seok shrugged even though Yun Ki could not see him through the phone.

"Why? It's not normal to be okay with another man taking care of your boyfriend like Ji Min belongs to him or something."

"You remember me telling you about Nam Jun?"

"Your friend from Ilsan who moved to the US?"

"Yes. He and I were inseparable for eight years. We were exactly like Ji Min and Jeong Guk. We slept together, ate together, went out together, we even bathed together sometimes. However, neither of us had romantic feelings for the other. I understand the two of them so it doesn't bother me. Plus, you know I'm not really the jealous type."

"It still seems a little different, Hope. I don't know if they do it with you around, but the way they look at each other isn't normal friend level. You shouldn't be fine with that."

"Yeah, I've seen it. I guess I'm also okay with it because I secretly know that Ji Min will never love me as much as he loves Jeong Guk. I just don't know what kind of love. Part of me would be heartbroken if he left me for Jeong Guk, but the other part of me kind of feels like it's supposed to happen. In a way, I guess I ship them."

        Yun Ki could hear Ho Seok's sad smile through the phone. "Hope, you're not supposed to ship your boyfriend with another man."

"I know, but I can't help it. Jeong Guk is the boyfriend I wish I could be. Yesterday, he sent me a text about Ji Min being upset at work. He told me that my worry level should be a 5 out of 10. He also told sent me a list of Ji Min's favorite candies, links to his favorite drama, and a step-by-step guide on how to make his second favorite dinner."

"Second favorite?"

"Yeah. Apparently, only Ji Min's mom and Jeong Guk know the secret ingredients to his actual favorite. That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is I don't know if anyone is capable of treating Ji Min as good as Jeong Guk treats him. I mean, the only reason Ji Min was smiling last night was because of everything Jeong Guk had me do. Even if neither of them have romantic feelings for each other, you can tell they love each other so much. If it is romantic love, I could never get in the way of something like that."

"You're so soft, Hope." Yun Ki teased.

"I care about him because he's such a good person."

"You mean you actually love him?"

"I don't know. Maybe? I definitely feel something towards him past lust. I mean, we've been together for six months already. We've only had sex three times, yet I'm still here. As far as my normal track record goes, that's love right? I'm mostly joking, but you know how big of a deal having sex is for me. I really do think he's an amazing person and I want nothing but good things for him. He's just this precious thing that needs to be protected from the world. I feel like I could possibly the be one to do it."

"From what I've heard, Jeong Guk does a good job of it." Yun Ki's bitterness seeped through his statement.

"As much as I hate it sometimes, Jeong Guk does a great job of protecting my baby. It's another reason why I can't be mad about the way they are. Plus, Jeong Guk has been around a lot longer than I have. If I asked Ji Min to choose between us, I already know Jeong Guk would win. It's really conflicting."