Distance(d) | Sung Hanbin ZB1

Ch.18 What is Love

"Noona, it's time for dinner." Gunwook popped his head around Eunbyeol's door. Seeing Eunbyeol in a zoned out state, he entered the room to get closer to her. "Noona? Noona!"

"Oh yes, Gunwook?"

"I said it's time for dinner. Are you okay, Noona?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Let's go down for dinner."

"Are you sure?" Gunwook was not convinced by Eunbyeol's response.

"Yes, I'm fine, Gunwook." She just didn't know how to react to the fact that Jiwoong liked her.

*Flashback to a few hours ago*

"I like you, Eunbyeol, a lot." Jiwoong took a deep breath before continuing. "I know you don't see me that way, but I still want to give it a try."

Her brain froze the moment she heard Jiwoong say, 'I like you'. She just stared at him blankly. Not a single word was able to come out of her mouth.

"Eunbyeol?"

"Uh..Uh.. Sorry, I think my brain is malfunctioning."

"Hahahaha." Jiwoong couldn't help but find Eunbyeol cute. "I'm sorry, I confessed a bit out of the blue. You must be in shock right now."

"Sorry, I just don't know how to react. I've never received a confession, so I'm not too sure what you're supposed to do in these situations."

"Maybe start with what you think about me."

"Erm..." Eunbyeol quickly tried to organise her thoughts. "You're a really nice friend. Someone I feel comfortable with, which I would say is quite unusual, especially when you're completely out of my regular social circle. But... I haven't considered you in a romantic way."

"That's okay. I would be quite surprised if you had. The last thing I want to do is scare you away and make things awkward between us, but I also don't think I can give up easily without trying. Would you give me a chance to bring you out on a few dates? Take it as an opportunity to get to know me a bit more before you give me your final answer."

"Can I have some time to think about it before I come back to you?"

"Of course, take as long as you need. And it's okay even if you don't want to. I completely understand."

"Thank you. I'll promise you now though, that we can stay as friends without becoming awkward, even if things don't work out that way. Of course, only if you feel comfortable too."

"That is very reassuring to hear."

*End of flashback*

What exactly should she be thinking about though? Eunbyeol's brain was still in a malfunctioning state, so she figured she should get advice from someone. It felt a bit weird to talk to Hanbin about it. It wasn't like she didn't want to tell him, but more like she didn't know how to. Somehow, bringing Hanbin into this situation was making her thoughts more tangled, so she decided to call Yuna and Chaeyeon instead.

"Hey girls, are you free to talk for a while?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Um... so basically something happened, and I don't necessarily know what I should do..." Eunbyeol spoke hesitatingly.

"And what exactly is that something?" Yuna was losing her patience.

"I still can't believe I'm saying this, but Jiwoong confessed to me."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" The two screamed at the top of their lungs simultaneously.

"Okay you two, please calm down."