“Is… is there something going on, Eunji?” I ask. She fiddles with the chain of her music-note necklace and avoids my eye. Her elegant collarbone seems even more pronounced than I remember. Has she lost weight? “Look,” I say leaning back in my seat, “I know we haven’t always been the best of friends, but I’m asking because I feel like you’ve been kind of off lately, and… well, I’m worried about you.”

She glances at me, then looks away again, this time blinking back rapid tears.

“Eunji?” I say, softer now.

She presses her lips together, tears filling her eyes despite her efforts to stop them. She glances around to make sure no one’s listening and lowers her voice. I lean in to hear her. “It’s Song Geonwu,” she says. “We’re… dating.”

Oh. Didn’t see that coming. I think back to all those times Mina bragged about her role on When I Loved You and Eunji would grow tense. She wasn’t jealous about the acting opportunity—she was jealous about the time spent with her boyfriend. I’m not sure the best way to comfort her… not sure how much I want to reveal about my own dating life.

“Oh wow, Eunji,” I say, patting her back lightly, “that has to be really hard. When did you guys start dating?” I ask, trying to think of when their paths might have crossed before. “And how do you ever get to see each other?” I add. She and Geonwu might have the benefit of living in the same city, but he’s way more recognizable than Alex. If I can’t even figure out a safe way for Alex and I to meet up when he’s here, I have no idea how they’ve managed to stay under the radar so far.

“Oh, who cares,” Eunji says, dabbing the corners of her eyes with the heel of her hand. “It’s pointless now anyway. I’m ending it.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Come on,” she says, her voice thick. “Did you see the way he was looking at you? And how he kept putting his hand on your back? He’s obviously into you.” She presses the heels of her hands against her eyes, her shoulders slumping. “I should’ve known he was a player.”

Oh Eunji. I pull her into a hug, squeezing tight. “Hey, hey. You’ve got it wrong. He is not into me. It was literally just a photo op because we were wearing matching outfits. And besides…”

I let go of Eunji, my hands still on her shoulders. She was honest with me. The least I can do is be honest with her, too, especially if it will help clear up this misunderstanding and reaffirm her faith in her relationship. I hate seeing her so broken.