In this last week and a half, many things changed for me. I was somewhere I hadn't thought I would ever be again. Not after what had happened the last time I fell for someone.

As I glanced at Jiwoong, sitting across from me at the Korean BBQ place, who was telling me an elaborate story about his early trainee days at his previous firm, I enjoyed watching how he told me things. The way he used his hands and the way his eyes sparkled. Silly butterflies danced around my stomach whenever I was near him, and I almost forgot my train of thought whenever we were together. Almost.

We were in a competition and it made things ten times harder.

He also saw me as his friend and I wasn't getting out of this friend zone anytime soon.

He continued to serve me food as he placed pieces of meat on my plate. Served me rice and made sure my glass was filled.

"You alright?" He asked suddenly. His eyes trailed to mine, searching for answers.

I nodded, swallowed a piece of steak, and wiped my mouth with a red napkin.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask me that suddenly?" I laughed and reached for my glass of soju. I was slightly feeling the buzz.

"You seem a little off tonight. Is it the competition?"

"No, it isn't the competition," I said honestly.

"Is it me?" Jiwoong asked after another beat of silence. Something unspoken slithered through his beautiful eyes, as I saw a worry set itself over his brow.

I must have hesitated too long because he said, "It's me, isn't it?"

He sighed and sat back in his chair. Now fully worried, his face had pulled taut.

"No, it isn't you!" I quickly added and reached over the table to grab his hand. I squeezed it, and he didn't pull it back. In fact, he opened his palm and laced his fingers through mine. We sat like that for a good minute, staring at each other. His eyes darted over mine, staring from one eye to the other. I couldn't read him right now, and mostly he was an open book to me.

"We can't, jagiya," he whispered softly while gently squeezing my hand. I felt the need to pull it back, and tears started prickling behind my eyes suddenly. It was stupid. He didn't let me at first, but then I managed to pull my hand back.

I mumbled, "Let's not talk about that here."

My eyes stared at the barbecue plate and I suddenly felt full, when we had so much meat left.

"I want to talk about it again," Jiwoong said as he leaned over the table, searching for my eyes, but I kept them glued somewhere else. "Allison, look at me, please."

My eyes flashed up and it was then I noticed four people walking in behind my dinner date.

It was Lux, Hanbin, Zhang Hao, and Gyuvin, and they were asking the waiter for a table.

Zhang Hao instantly found me and waved. He tapped Hanbin on the shoulder, and the latter's neck snapped to the side so hard he could have whiplash from it. He saw me and gave me one of his full-on smiles. Lux was already making her way over to us.

"Look who it is!" She said as she hugged me to her.

"Are we interrupting?" Gyuvin asked but sat himself down next to Jiwoong anyway. They clearly were, but I wasn't about to say no. I was relieved I wasn't able to further the conversation.

"Wow, look at all that meat! The big man likes to spend, huh?" Zhang Hao said as he sat down on Jiwoong's other side and patted him on the shoulder. My 'friend' gave him a laugh that didn't reach his eyes.

"No, by all means. Dig in," Jiwoong said without merit. Anyone who knew him could have seen he wasn't happy, but the others had no clue. He was a good actor, after all.

Hanbin sat himself down next to me, his signature clover scent reaching me, and I felt a surge of relief go through me. He was somehow a safe haven. I gave Jiwoong an apologetic smile, and he gave me a soft one back, his eyes telling me we weren't done with the conversation at all.

After about half an hour, everyone was deep in conversation, Gyuvin's goofiness upping our moods. Jiwoong and Lux were in some kind of discussion about concepts, and I felt myself drifting off. Hanbin had seen it. He leaned in and whispered, "What's gotten into him?" he pointed at Jiwoong. "He seems off. Did you guys fight or something?"

I once more hesitated a second too long.

"You did?" Hanbin said a little bit too loud, getting Jiwoong's attention now. He was giving us a look from across the table.

"Well, you call me next time. I will come and save you." Hanbin winked and sipped from his Soju glass. He reached for mine next and gave it to me. "Cheers, babe. To another week and another first place for us!"

I took it and clanged it to his. The alcohol was reaching me full-on now. The others had ordered four more bottles, and it shouldn't have been that kind of night, but I guess it was turning out like one.

"I think that's about enough, jagiya," Jiwoong's voice suddenly sounded too loud, as all conversation dropped, and everyone stared at him simultaneously. I put my soju glass down and gave him a sad scowl.

He wasn't going to tell me what I was going to do.

The others all froze a little, as this was not something a friend would do. This was boyfriend shit, and he had made it very clear it wasn't like that. He couldn't have it both ways!

I deliberately reached for the glass and took another sip. Jiwoong's nostrils flared. He was pissed as hell.

Hanbin's hand drifted to my leg and squeezed in reassurance as he spoke up for me. "I think Alli can decide for herself what is or isn't enough, Jiwoong."

Jiwoong had his ice-cold serial killer look painted on right now. His cold eyes drifted from his hand on my leg to Hanbin's face before he scraped his chair back with a sudden bang and rose. Gyuvin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he leaned into Lux, trying to hide behind her mane of hair.

Zhang Hao eyed the stand-off with glee, liking the drama a little too much.

"Allison, let's go back," Jiwoong said as he discarded Hanbin with cold disdain as only he could. With that stare, nobody in their right mind would refuse. I quickly rose, dropped my napkin on the table, and with my heart in my throat, walked after him as Jiwoong breezed out of the restaurant toward the street.

I could barely keep up, and my legs weren't short at all.

"Ji, talk to me, please!" I said as I hurried after him. We would be getting a taxi at the roundabout one street over.

He kept ignoring me before suddenly he froze in his tracks.

"He was here for you," he said with his back to me, but I had heard the words. "You know that, right?"

"Who was here for who?" I said, confused as all hell.

"Hanbin," Jiwoong whispered, and it made the hairs on my neck stand up because his voice had dropped a few degrees. He was still standing with his back to me as I approached, and when I was near his front, he moved.

He turned around so quickly, it could have been a dance move. He dragged me to the little alley with a feverish need for something. It quickly became apparent as he pulled me to a wall, and finally, his lips were on me.

His lips, his hands, his entire being. I had never been kissed like this before, and I couldn't help but release a pathetic little whimper as he pawned all over me. The passion consumed us for a moment in time.

As if snapped out of a trance, he took three giant steps back, his chest heaving and his face flushed—those lips, red and bruised.

"I-I'm s-sorry," he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair and kicked at invisible stones. I felt like throwing up and dancing in the rain simultaneously, ecstatic and panicked.

I touched my lips, still in shock.

"Ji, what-" but he was already walking again, and my anger rose with every step he took away from me.

"Kim Jiwoong, don't you dare walk away from me right now!" I growled as I ran after him. My heels clacked away on the pavement, but the man was damn fast in evading me.

He was already at the roundabout, stopping a taxi.

Out of breath, I approached and gave him a dark scowl which said: 'we'll talk about this at the academy,"

He didn't make eye contact as he opened the car door, and I slid in.

He closed the door and tapped the roof two times. The taxi sped away with me, and I watched him disappear in the rearview mirror.