After leaving the café, Ye-rin went to meet Si-hyun immediately.

Given his indifferent reaction this morning, he surely knew something about what had happened.

'I'll question him thoroughly the moment we meet.'

As she headed toward the fountain, she saw Si-hyun sitting on a bench. As Ye-rin stomped closer, Si-hyun noticed her and greeted her with a gentle smile.

"Welcome. Did things go smoothly with the talk?"

Ye-rin nodded but narrowed her eyes sharply.

"More importantly, Si-hyun, is there something you need to tell me?"

"Of course..."

Si-hyun gave a wry smile, as if he had anticipated this question. Then he began to reveal everything that had happened yesterday.

He had run into Chae-yeon by chance while shopping at the Mart.

Since her bags were too heavy to carry, he helped her home, during which she asked him to be friends again.

Ye-rin listened silently but then clenched her fist belatedly.

"If something like that happened, you should have told me. You idiot!"

"I thought it would be better for you to hear it directly from her..."

"I don't need that kind of consideration!"

Feeling irritated with Si-hyun, Ye-rin turned her head away abruptly. Meeting his ex-girlfriend without telling her was practically treacherous behavior in her eyes.

'I don't even talk to other guys. He's really too much.'

Si-hyun felt a chill run down his spine under Ye-rin's discontented gaze. As he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, she asked the most critical question about the whole situation.

"So, what did you say to her after you listened? You didn't say 'okay,' did you?"

"Of course not… I told her if she wants to be friends, she should get your permission first. I also told her to move on from any feelings she has for me."

Ye-rin was quite satisfied with this response. Drawing a line with Chae-yeon while also seeking her opinion made sense.

Ye-rin nodded slightly, releasing the tension in her eyes.

"It seems we both answered similarly. I also told her I'd discuss it with you before deciding."

As she tucked her hair behind her ear, she continued speaking.

"Si-hyun, do you want to be friends with her?"

"I'll go with whatever you decide, so it doesn't matter to me. If you're against it, we can just leave things as they are."

"Really?"

Ye-rin sat down next to Si-hyun. The sun-warmed bench heated her seat, but she was too lost in thought, gently stroking her chin, to notice.

'On the surface, refusing makes sense, but it's better to accept this request to prevent Lim Chae-yeon from acting unpredictably.'

It's better to keep a fierce beast in a cage under watchful eyes than let it roam the plains, worrying.

Having reached this conclusion, Ye-rin nodded seriously with a determined expression.

"I'll accept Lim Chae-yeon's request."

Si-hyun's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected Ye-rin to refuse, knowing her, but she agreed unexpectedly.

Tok. Todok.

Si-hyun wiped the sweat off Ye-rin's forehead with a handkerchief and asked.

"I know it might be odd for me to say, but are you really okay with keeping Chae-yeon around?"

"I don't mind, as long as you don't foolishly fall for her."

Even if she kept Chae-yeon close, it wasn't easy to take Si-hyun away; and even if it did happen, Ye-rin had a safeguard in her personal gallery.

‘If she ever tries to take Si-hyun away, I’d even go to jail to ensure she’s socially ruined.’

While Ye-rin was steeling herself with resolve, Si-hyun felt touched. Allowing his ex-girlfriend Chae-yeon to stay near him indicated that Ye-rin trusted him deeply.

"Thank you for trusting me."

Si-hyun smiled, then gently hugged Ye-rin and whispered in her ear.

"Ye-rin, you’re the only one for me. No matter what Chae-yeon does, I won't be swayed, so don’t worry too much. Alright?"

"You really do know how to say the right things."

Though she grumbled, the corners of Ye-rin's mouth twitched upwards. Her face flushed, she cleared her throat and led Si-hyun by the hand.

"I'm hungry. Let's hold off on discussing our decision a bit longer and eat first."

"Sounds good."

After finishing their meal, Ye-rin called Chae-yeon to a Bingsu Shop near the university. As she tapped her fingers on the table, she spoke to a visibly anxious Chae-yeon.

"After discussing with Si-hyun, we decided to accept your request."

"Really? So, it's okay for me to stay around Si-hyun!?"

Chae-yeon's eyes were brimming with excitement. Intimidated by her suddenly bright eyes, Ye-rin subtly turned her head and responded.

"Yes. But make sure not to cross any lines and just stay friends."

"I promise I will. Ye-rin, thank you so much."

Chae-yeon expressed her gratitude several times while clasping Ye-rin's hands. Then, she naturally turned her attention to Si-hyun, who was beside them.

"Si-hyun..."

Chae-yeon interlocked her fingers with Si-hyun's hands. It had been a long time since she held these hands, and she felt so overwhelmingly happy that her heart could burst.

In contrast, Si-hyun felt nothing and spoke in a flat voice.

"If you show any suspicious signs, consider our friendship over, and don't expect to ever see my face again."

"Yes. I'll be careful."

Chae-yeon suppressed her urge to kiss him right there. Instead, she gently stroked the back of Si-hyun's hand, savoring the small moment of happiness while Ye-rin watched with disapproval.

'I need to set clear boundaries for what's acceptable with friends.'

To prevent Chae-yeon from using their friendship as an excuse for physical contact or closeness, Ye-rin considered what she could allow within those limits.

As a result:

Affectionate acts like kissing were strictly prohibited, though holding hands was allowed.

Conversations with Si-hyun were limited to 15 minutes a day, and she could send a total of five messages.

Ye-rin presented these conditions to Chae-yeon and made sure she understood and accepted them.

'Honestly, I'm already being pretty accommodating with this.'

Ye-rin hoped that Chae-yeon would be content with these terms and wouldn't try to cross the line into something more than just friendship.

And with a determination not to lower her guard, Ye-rin glared at Chae-yeon with a frosty gaze.

That same evening.

Perhaps due to accumulated fatigue, Si-hyun found himself sleepy in the early evening and lay down on his bed.

He began recalling the day's events one by one, just as he was about to close his eyes.

KakaoTalk!

A notification sounded from the phone by his ear. Surprised, he opened his eyes to check, expecting it to be from Ye-rin, but he was completely wrong.

[Chae-yeon: Si-hyun, thank you so much for accepting someone like me as a friend. I will make sure not to trouble you anymore, and I will think carefully about even the smallest words or actions. I swear I won't do anything you don't want me to do, and I'll do anything you ask of me. I'll keep trying to be a good friend to you. Please take care of me from now on.]

Chae-yeon could send up to five messages a day. Therefore, she compacted everything she wanted to say into each message.

As he read Chae-yeon's message, cold sweat trickled down Si-hyun's back.

"What is this long message..."

It wasn't just the number of words, but the content that seemed off. A simple 'thank you' and 'please take care of me' would have sufficed, so why extend it this much?

"Sigh..."

Letting out a deep sigh, Si-hyun typed back, intending to send at least a formal reply.

[Me: Alright. I also look forward to getting along well with you.]

Compared to Chae-yeon's lengthy message, his reply was exceptionally simple. However, for Chae-yeon, just receiving a response from him brought indescribable joy.

Shortly after, a fast reply came.

[Chae-yeon: Yes! And Si-hyun, have you seen the new Marvel movie that came out recently? You used to talk about wanting to see the next series a lot. If you haven't seen it, how about the three of us—Ye-rin, you, and I—go watch it together? I'll cover the tickets and popcorn, so you guys just need to show up!]

[Me: Sorry. I already watched that movie with Ye-rin.]

[Chae-yeon: I see.. Then, instead of a movie, how about we all go to an indoor fishing place? You like fishing, so I bet it'll be fun! I've been studying a lot by watching Mutube, so you'll probably be surprised to see my skills too!]

[Me: I went to the fishing spot with Ye-rin during the break.]

As his childhood friend, Ye-rin wouldn't miss anything Si-hyun likes. Thus, no matter how hard Chae-yeon tried to suggest new ideas, most of them were things already included in Ye-rin's date plans.

With all her options exhausted, Chae-yeon finally sent her fifth message.

[Chae-yeon: You really went to a lot of places with Ye-rin. It must have been fun, haha.]

A short message sounding like resignation.

However, the laughter embedded in that message carried a multitude of emotions.

"Anyway, this marks the end."

Having sent the fifth message, there would be no more messages to expect. If Chae-yeon ignores the rule and sends more, the penalty would result in the break of their friendship.

Click.

Si-hyun plugged his phone into the charger and lay back on the bed to ease his tired body.

As his consciousness started to blur and he was about to drift off to sleep, suddenly—

Ring~!

This time, a loud ringtone harshly pierced his ear.