Warm, large hands grabbed her in the dark as she walked inside her room. Immediately, she was pulled into a tight embrace, his lips mashed down against hers. Her hands immediately snaked around his neck, her fingers gripped at his hair, her body pressed tightly against his, her lips parted to grant him access. Words were hardly needed. It was a routine that they both knew well enough.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” his smooth, eloquent voice, thickly laced with arousal, broke the silence. Yet, his nimble fingers continued to unbutton her shirt, throwing it at one side; his lips continued to savor every bit of bare skin he could find.

“I know,” she replied, but it didn’t stop her from unbuckling his belt.

“He’s my best friend,” he added. Whether to convince himself to stop, or to convince her into stopping, he wasn’t so sure. Yet, his hands seemingly pulled her closer. His mouth searched hers in the dark.

“I know,” she whispered, but she pushed herself closer to him, drawing a desperate groan out from him as he forced himself to undo the button of her jeans faster.

“You’re marrying him in two days,” Yet, he had managed to wrench her jeans off her and then his hands were everywhere all at once.

“I know.” Her voice came out in a hurried breath. “But you still came.”

His lust-clouded eyes grazed over her body for a moment. Then he carried her to the bed. No more words were spoken.

******

“Does it bother you?” she asked as she lay in his arms in the aftermath. She was absentmindedly raking her fingers in his fine baby soft hair, the delicate tresses that framed his handsome features. “Me marrying Woo Bin, I mean.”

“Should it?” His eyes were closed and he showed no signs of emotion. Not a twitch of the eye.

“I don’t know. You tell me.” When he didn’t reply, she asked, “What are we, Yi Jeong?”

This time, his body tensed and stiffened at her enquiry. “What do you want us to be? You tell me.”

She snuggled up closer to him and his body relaxed. He pulled her closer to him, relishing in the warmth she radiated. For a moment or two, the both of them just laid there in silence.

“Have you…” she trailed off, shutting her eyes.

“Have I…?” he prompted.

“Have you ever loved me?” She had meant for her words to sound nonchalant, but instead it came out as a broken whisper, a desperate need to know.

“Would it change anything? Does it even matter?” She kept silent. “DOES IT?” He roared. Pulling himself away from her, he sat up. She had crossed the line.

“It matters…to me.”

“But it wouldn’t change anything?”

Her head hung down, “No.”

“We’ve been through this right at the beginning. We agreed that there wouldn’t be any strings attached. You knew I wouldn’t be able to give you love. You knew and you didn’t leave. You could have left anytime. You could have left when Woo Bin came into the picture. You knew that it was impossible for me to love you, but you still stayed. So pray tell, Ga Eul, why the hell are you asking me this now?” His whole body was shaking, yet he still didn’t look at her. If he did, he was afraid that he would lose control.

“I… I just wanted to know. I just… I thought…” A solitary tear trailed a path down her cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.

“You thought what? That I love you?” He turned back and looked straight into her eyes. “I am a man not capable of loving, Ga Eul. You know that since we started this damn relationship. Falling in love was never part of the deal.” He spat.

She turned to look at her own palms and kept silent, the cream colored bed sheet sliding slowly down her upper body.

He ruffled his hair with hand and stood up to start dressing himself.

She didn’t stop him.

His hand was already on the door knob when he turned back to her, his eyes cold and hard, “I guess this goes without saying that the answer is no.”

Ga Eul just nodded. “Will you be back tomorrow?” her voice cracked but has a hopeful tone.

No. He sighed before answering. “Do you want me to?”

She bit her lip. Then she nodded hesitantly.

He gave her a curt nod, “I’ll be here.” He turned to leave.

That night, neither of them slept a wink. Ga Eul, because the truth haunted her; Yi Jeong, because his lie haunted him.

*****

She sat on her bed, cross-legged, waiting for him. Asking him if he loved her was a mistake. She had thought that he might actually feel something for her. When he asked her if she loved him, she wanted to tell him that she did. But she couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t make it so difficult for the both of them.

Because he was right. She had known, right from the start that it was impossible for anything to blossom out of their unorthodox relationship —if it were even called one—, but she had grown to enjoy her time spent with him. She had grown to hope that she would grow on him. She had grown to hope that he would one day love her.

Then Woo Bin came into the picture, charming, persistent and determined to win her heart. Yi Jeong and Woo Bin were both so different, yet so alike. She was hesitant at first but eventually allowed herself to be courted by him. She was tired of loving someone that couldn’t reciprocate her feelings. She wanted somebody to love her. Because it was clear by then that…

That So Yi Jeong couldn’t.

And the saddest thing was that she wanted him to.

So she stayed. Even though she had Woo Bin by her side, she stayed with Yi Jeong. Not because Woo Bin wasn’t good enough, no, but because Yi Jeong made it so difficult for her to stay faithful to Woo Bin.

Without even noticing herself, the tears she had tried so hard to avoid came welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t stop it, so she cried. She cried for all those times she thought he might love her, she cried for yesterday night where he crushed her hopes, she cried for the first time she realized that she still loves him, she cried for being foolish enough to fall for him in the first place and continue loving him for that matter. She cried until everything in front of her became blur, became numb.

Then she felt arms —his arms— rocking her gently in his embrace, hands —his hands— rubbing her back slowly. She heard his voice whispering soothing words to her. She felt him press his lips against her forehead chastely.

“Tell me what to do. Let me make you feel better.”

It was at times like that in which she thought that he could possibly love her.

“Love me, please, just love me.”

He answered by capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

*****

If anyone had asked him why he had lied to her that night —that is if anyone even knew— he would have said that it was for the best. Because truly, it was. Woo Bin is his best friend. Woo Bin would treat her well, because Woo Bin loves her.

A nagging voice at the back of his head told him that he loved her too. More than Woo Bin did, even.

But it didn’t matter. She was going to marry Woo Bin and live happily ever after.

It doesn’t have to be that way…

He had contemplated not going back the next day and just leave the country. But who was he kidding? He would give anything to see her again. He knew he had hurt her deeply. He couldn’t leave her like that. He had to make it right.

But he couldn’t give her what she wanted most. He couldn’t love her. Not at the expense of Woo Bin. He couldn’t —he wouldn’t— do that to Woo Bin.

But when he saw her crying there, all thoughts of Woo Bin evaporated into thin air. He wouldn’t make her suffer for Woo Bin. And if Woo Bin truly loved her too, he would understand.

*****

 “Leave with me,” he had asked. His hands rubbed soothing circles on her back. He frowned slightly as he thought of the consequences of them doing so, but he shook it off quickly.

Her eyes snapped to his, “But…Woo Bin?”

“He’ll understand.”

She didn’t reply. Her eyebrows were furrowed together.

“Leave with me. We’ll leave this place together and go somewhere where nobody knows us, somewhere nobody will judge us. Please Ga Eul, leave with me.” He pulled her close to him, unwilling to let go.

“Yi Jeong?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you love me?” Her eyes locked onto his.

“Will it change anything?”

“Yes.” She smiled at the similarities of this conversation and the one that had just taken place yesterday.

He nodded in answer to her question, never having said that out loud to anyone before. But she cocked her head slightly as a mischievous grin tug at her face, “Say it.”

“I love you.” His voice was soft but unwavering.

“How much?” she teased.

“More than you could possibly count.” His thumb grazed her cheek and then he leaned in to kiss her. “I love you.”

“Then yes,” she said as he released her from the kiss.

“Say it.” A familiar smirk crept onto his face as he echoed her words.

She laughed, her eyes twinkling in joy, “Yes, I’ll leave with you.”

He kissed her again, and this time, she felt him smile into the kiss.

*****

Woo Bin is already dressed up and ready to go when he received a note handed by his butler. A sad smile graced his handsome face even before he read the note.

The note was short, consisted of only two sentences.

‘It was for the best’, while ‘Please understand’, was written underneath it. The note wasn’t signed. It didn’t need to be.

He sighed resignedly. “Saw it coming…” he mumbled to himself.

It has always been Yi Jeong and Ga Eul. He doesn’t know what came over him why he pursued Ga Eul when he knows that her heart has always belonged to him. But somehow he convinced himself that he can always change her mind. After all, Yi Jeong doesn’t seem to give a damn about her –or he assumed he doesn’t. Yi Jeong had scowled the first time he had told him about his intentions, but Woo Bin had shrugged it off. He thought he could make her happy, but she was happier with Yi Jeong.

They were right. Their leaving was for the best.

Despite himself, he chuckled at the irony as he headed to the church. He was informed that it was already packed with their guests, family and friends. How was he going to tell those people that his bride ran off with his best man?

*****

It was later on observed when asked why it happened, Yi Jeong, Ga Eul and Woo Bin’s answers were all alike: a wry smile paired with, “It was for the best.”