"Crap, why did he come here? Was he suspicious too? Right, let's just go down and make something up."

Da In went downstairs and saw Dong Hyun standing in front of his car.

- Hey, why did you come all the way here?

- Huh? You don't look drunk at all, did you end up not drinking?

- Well... Ha Neul got knocked out fast for some reason and I still can't drink a lot cause I'm taking some medication...

Dong Hyun looked at her carefully for a while and then exhaled.

- So she is asleep?

- Yeah...

- Okay. I should have probably called you first, I feel stupid now.

He laughed awkwardly and turned his eyes away.

- Dong Hyun...

- Da In, you would tell me if something was wrong, right? If Ha Neul had any troubles or something.

- ... Of course.

- That's all I needed to hear. Alright, have a good night. Oh, and Merry Christmas.

Da In watched Dong Hyun driving away, she felt extremely guilty for lying and angry for being lied to. She looked at her phone, the time was 2 AM.

"I guess you're not going to sleep at home tonight, huh? There is no turning back now, Ha Neul. You've done it."

She did not sleep a wink that night. The stream of memories running through her head was too rapid and strong to stop. Da In recalled the first time Ha Neul met Dong Hyun - her parents set her up on a blind date with what they described as "a perfect guy to take care of her". She was very skeptical and asked Da In to tag along in case something went wrong or he turned out to be a creep. But she was satisfied to the extent that they decided to date right there on the spot. Ha Neul never really complained about Dong Hyun. He was much older but he was fun to be around. He was attentive, caring, kind, and generous. He would do whatever she wanted, no matter how crazy her demands were. It almost felt as if she got herself a servant instead of a boyfriend but it looked like both of them were fine with that kind of relationship. Was she not happy with all of that in the end?

When Da In finally came to her senses, it was already 10 AM.

"Okay, it's time for some serious talk, Kim Ha Neul."

She took her phone and called her friend.

- Da In, good morning!

- You sound very energetic.

- And you sound grumpy. Did something happen last night?

- I don't know, you tell me.

- What?

- Let's meet.

- Da In, I just woke up!

- Kim Ha Neul! I'll be waiting for you at our cafe, if you don't come in an hour, I'm going to your place.

Da In threw her phone on the bed and groaned.

"Why the hell am I so angry right now? Ugh, let's just go, I can't stand this anymore."

She waited for Ha Neul for about 40 minutes before she finally arrived.

- What's up with you all of a sudden? You know how much I hate to be rushed in the morning.

- Did you have fun last night?

- Well, you know, the usual. It's a night at a hotel after all.

- Uh-uh. Which hotel was it?

- K&D Hotel, I thought I told you.

- And who was there with you?

- What do you mean? I was with Dong Hyun!

- Yeah. The only problem is, that Dong Hyun came to see me last night and asked about you.

Ha Neul flinched and looked down at her hands. She sat quietly for a while and then lifted her head again. She looked scared.

- W-what did you tell him?

- Don't worry, I covered your butt. Now tell me, who was that guy with you at the restaurant?

- You saw me?

- Me, Seong Woo, Ji Hoon, we all saw you. Who was that? And why did you lie to me?

Ha Neul hesitated.

- Da In... I do not know how it turned out like this. We started just flirting innocently but then I ended up seeing him after work. It's that guy who gave me the album set.

Da In sighed loudly and covered her eyes.

- Did you think what could have happened if I played dumb and did not cover for you to Dong Hyun? Why didn't you tell me? And what exactly were you thinking seeing that guy behind everybody's back?!

She caught herself raising her voice, Ha Neul was not looking at her. There was complete silence between them for solid 5 minutes.

- Da In. Who do you think you are, scolding me for my actions? Who gave you the right to judge or lecture me?

- What?

- Of all people... I hoped you would understand me, but I was wrong. And that's why I took precautions and didn't tell you anything.

Da In was dumbfounded. Ha Neul was still looking away.

- Have I ever told you how I got my name?

She looked at Da In once again.

- My parents had a son before I was born. When my mother was pregnant with me, he was 5 years old. His name was Ha Neul. One day they went to the beach, Ha Neul insisted that he wanted to swim. My father was watching him when my mother suddenly fainted. He ran towards her, forgetting all about his son. When father called him to get back so they can go to the hospital, Ha Neul was nowhere to be found. That day my mother had an emergency cesarian and I was born. The next day they had a funeral. I became another Ha Neul for them. Ever since I can remember, my parents were sheltering me however they could, as if to atone for that grave sin. I could have anything I wanted as long as I was obedient and safe. I thought it was normal to live like that. I never dated anyone unless they were willing to shelter me and give me anything I wanted. Dong Hyun is no different. He was picked by my parents anyway.

- Ha Neul... I didn't know...

- You know, when I first met you at that festival, you looked so rebellious to me. When I got to know you, I realized that you were completely opposite from me. Your parents never loved you, you achieved everything on your own, and all you wanted from others was mere respect for your hard work. And unlike other "friends" that I had who would only kiss my ass all the time, you were the only one who would always tell me if I did something wrong or if I was greedy or unreasonable. I lived real life through you. Therefore, when I started seeing Min Ki, I thought you would understand, cause he is a real person. He doesn't sugarcoat things for me, he says no if he doesn't like something, he is just like you, Da In. He is his own man who wants someone to be his partner, not his master.

Da In grabbed Ha Neul's hands and squeezed them.

- Ha Neul, why did not you tell me this earlier? I still can't understand everything, but I was mad not because you did something, but because you thought you had to lie and hide it from me. I am your friend, Ha Neul and I would do everything to try and understand you, but you need to tell me what I need to understand, okay?

- I'm sorry, Da in, I really am. I was just afraid. Everything happened so fast and I was happy for once in my life, really happy, happy to be treated like I was a live human being and not a fragile porcelain doll.

- Are you really happy, Ha Neul?

Ha Neul looked her in the eyes and smiled.

- I think I am. He is a really good guy, Da In, I swear!

Da In smiled back at her.

- That's all that matters then.

They hugged each other for a while but Da In suddenly pushed her away.

- Wait, so what happened yesterday? Did you really sleep with him?

Ha Neul giggled.

- No, we spent the night together, but we didn't actually sleep together. He said he would wait until I'm ready. I'm telling you, he is a really nice guy.

- Ugh, well, regardless, we still need to deal with Dong Hyun. What are you going to do?

- I'm going to tell him the truth today. There's no other way, I need to give him at least that.

- Gosh, and I thought you would end up getting married... Well, nothing we can do. Okay, you go to Dong Hyun and call me after you talk, alright?

- Yeah, sure...

- Ha Neul! No matter what happens today, I'm here for you, okay?

Ha Neul smiled, relieved.

- Okay!

When Da In got home, she could finally feel at ease. The talk with her friend was intense but she was glad she got to know how Ha Neul felt so she only hoped that her talk with Dong Hyun would not hurt her too much.

She flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes, she could finally get some rest.