Tiffany was halfway through lunch with Sooyoung when an unexpected visitor dropped by, abruptly stopping their conversation.
"Hi!" Jessica greeted her two friends cheerfully. "I have an hour to kill before I have to meet Oppa so I thought I'd stop by and visit you. Where's Yul?" she asked, pulling up a chair.
"Um... not sure. Maybe having lunch with the boys or Yoong," said Sooyoung.
Tiffany kept shifting her glance between the quiet Sooyoung and the oblivious Jessica, who had called a waiter over to ask for the menu. She was unsure what to do.
It wasn't until after Jessica had placed her order that she realized the awkwardness that surrounded the table.
"Um... am I interrupting something?" she asked meekly.
"Not really," replied Tiffany carefully, measuring Sooyoung's reaction. "We just... weren't expecting you."
Jessica looked at Sooyoung and finally understood what was going on when her tall friend couldn't seem to avert her eyes from her plate, looking solemn. "Ah. You're having a one-on-one, huh? About Haejoon oppa?"
"N-no!" Sooyoung quickly said, lifting her head to meet Jessica's eyes and saw the understanding smile. She instantly felt guilty for lying and for being so unwelcoming towards her good friend.
"It's okay. I can take my lunch to go." Jessica raised her hand to call a waiter over but Sooyoung pulled the hand down, surprising the woman. "It's really okay, Sooyoung-ah. I can kill time somewhere else, I don't mind."
"No no. Don't do that. I'm sorry," Sooyoung said, letting go of Jessica's arm. "It's just... well... awkward and kinda embarrassing."
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about," said Tiffany. She was relieved that Sooyoung herself had managed to resolve the small tension between them.
"So it's really about Haejoon oppa?" Jessica asked and got a nod from Sooyoung in reply. "Are you considering getting back together with him?"
"I... don't know."
"But at least they're talking again. Kinda," remarked Tiffany.
"That's good. I've always found it such a waste that things between you two ended the way they did." Jessica paused to thank the waiter who had placed her drink on the table before continuing, "Because I actually think that you two are perfect for each other. Reminds me of Taeng and Tiff somehow. Strangely."
"We were never as gross as her and Taeng," argued Sooyoung, pointing her fork at Tiffany who stuck her tongue at her.
"That's true but the way you ended it kinda reminded me of how they started." Jessica gestured towards Tiffany.
"See? Told ya," Tiffany said, happy for her friend's support. "Now it's up to you, really. Do you still want another chance with him or do you prefer moving on?"
"I can't do what you did," Sooyoung told Tiffany. "I can't handle cold treatments or having to deal with someone who kept distancing himself from me. I want a relationship that comes from both sides, equal interest, equal effort."
"It started out that way, didn't it? He was equally interested and exerted equal effort, if not more. Maybe what happened was just a phase in his life. A rough patch that he had to go through," Jessica spoke again.
"I agree with Jess yet again," Tiffany said. "Let's face it. You gave up. You both gave up. Hate to break it to you, Syoung-ah, but this won't be the first or the last rough patch you'll go through especially if you decide to get married."
