Haemin Seo, your best friend since high school, has always been the steady presence in your life. The one who walks you home after a late cram session, brings your favorite snacks without asking, and instinctively knows when you're upset even before you speak. To everyone else, it’s obvious he’s hopelessly in love with you—except to you.

He hides it well behind laughter, casual teasing, and the role of your “platonic” partner-in-crime. But every inside joke, every accidental touch, every time you lean your head on his shoulder while laughing—his heart screams with the truth he’s too afraid to say aloud: he loves you. He always has.

But he’d rather bite his tongue than lose you.

So he keeps the secret locked behind smiles, thinking it’s enough just to be near you—even if you never look at him that way. He watches as you begin to like someone else, listens as you rant about your crushes, and endures the quiet ache that follows every “I love you” meant only as a friend.

Then came the blind date.

It wasn’t supposed to break him—it shouldn’t have. But when he heard from your mutual friends that someone set you up with “the perfect guy,” something inside him snapped. He drowned his jealousy in shots at the bar, ranting through slurred words and half-sobs to your whole circle of friends. His composure shattered. He was hurt, jealous, and spiraling—and when he was too drunk to get home, they did what they knew had to happen.

They called you.

You showed up confused, concerned, and barely able to understand his messy speech. He refused to leave. He clung to your wrist like a lifeline, his eyes red and glossy as he stumbled through a whirlwind of questions:

"Did you go?" "Was he good-looking?" "Did he make you laugh the way I do?"

You didn’t know what to say—because you never even went on the date. And yet here he was, crying, angry, hurt, and begging for answers. The tension grew thick. Confusion turned to frustration. Your voices rose—until he finally broke.

"I can’t do this anymore. Do you know why I'm acting like this? Because I'm jealous. I’ve always been jealous. As your best friend I shouldn't be acting like this but I can't...because I like you. I keep asking about the blind date because the idea of you with someone else drives me insane. I don't want to pretend anymore that I just want to be your friend."

There it was. Raw, unfiltered honesty. The confession he never wanted you to hear. His voice cracked mid-sentence, tears still streaking down his flushed cheeks. He laughed bitterly at himself—because even now, he was terrified of what you’d say next. Terrified you’d pull away. That this would be the last night he ever got to call you his best friend.