Ayumi had been in Korea for two days. Yuta left her in a hotel near the center of the city already knowing how much the girl liked shopping and better, she would be far from where he lived. It wasn't as if he hated her, he just didn't want Katrina to believe in that whole marriage story and that he might have had some romantic connection with Ayumi. On the other hand, he felt a little lighter because his friends discovered the whole truth behind his coming to Korea, now no longer he needed to keep secrets or avoid delicate matters.

The japanese girl always sent messages to Yuta, and as if that were not enough, she found a way to spend more time at his house than at the hotel, or anywhere else, when he returned from college. However, on weekdays, Yuta and Johnny took care of Charlie so that Katrina could cover the shift that was vacated in the bar where she worked. On the first night, Yuta managed to hide this fact from Ayumi, though she seemed to act more cunningly knowing he omitted something.

"Yu-chan, why are you so busy at night?" she murmured on the couch.

"Helping Johnny, I already told you" he left the keys of his Audi on the table just like his cell phone.

"With what he needs help with exactly? I can go with you... Three help more than two!"

"Just go back to the hotel Ayumi-chin, it's getting late" he went to his room looking for his jeans jacket "You want me to take you?" he asked from the corridor.

[in japanese]
"Forget it..." she sighed loudly as soon as he left to the bedroom.
[in japanese]

He was a little lost in his own wardrobe looking for his jacket until he realized he'd left it on the arm of the sofa. With a nervous laugh for his poor memory, Yuta returned to the living room to find Ayumi reading the messages on his phone. His heart almost fell out of his mouth and a curse escaped his lips. Noticing the boy's presence, Ayumi stared at him coldly and irritably.

"The hell you're doing?" he approached, taking the phone from the girl's hands with a serious countenance, but did not exalt himself.

"Why you lied to me?"

"I haven't lied, and I don't have to explain nothing to you either."

Yuta didn't like being harsh, especially with girls, but Ayumi managed to make him lost his temper.

"Why you got so angry? If you had told me from the begining I wouldn't have read your conversations and found that you went to that girl's house every night!"

"I hate people meddling in my life, and you know it" he took the car keys and looked at her once more now at the door "I'll drop you off at the hotel... And please stop asking about this, it's none of your business."

She clenched her fists with teary eyes and rose with heavy footsteps avoiding Yuta's eyes. The way had been silent, but the two didn't hide how angry they were with each other. Ayumi was crying, but muffled the sound as hard as she could by biting her lip and staring at the sidewalk through the car window. Yuta said nothing, he was fed up with her attitude and only tonight wouldn't blame himself for making a girl cry, nor feel bad for not apologizing as well. As soon as he parked in front of the hotel, Ayumi barely waited for any word to come out of the Yuta's lips, she only got up after getting rid of her seatbelt and got out of the car. She looked at him one last time before slamming the car door and running into the hotel hall.

[in japanese]
"I hate you!"
[in japanese]

With a lamentation, Yuta started the car again and headed for Katrina's house. He was a little late, but Johnny wouldn't call since he knew about Ayumi being pestering the boy. Yuta didn't want to comment on the discussion he had had a few minutes ago, so he held his resentment and greeted Charlotte with a huge smile.

They spent their time playing games, watching TV and even drawing on Johnny's face because he had slept and left them alone.

"Charlie has a lot of friends, doesn't she?" Yuta laughed softly as he made a huge mustache in his sleeping buddy with a black pen.

"Yes!" she made flowers on Johnny's cheek with the purple pen.

"Do you have a best friend?"

"Minah is my best friend!" the girl joined hands smiling wide and staring at Yuta eyes "But I like Taejin too..."

"Taejin?" he raised an eyebrow "Who is that, Charlie?"

"Katrina's friend."

The little girl drove back her attention to Johnny's cheeks, which, by the way, were having a heavy sleep.

"Katrina's friend...?"

Yuta already suspected this was the same man he'd watched with Katrina a few days ago.

"He always come here."

"How long have you been friends with him?"

"Since we moved here! He always comes and helps Katrina with everything" she looked excited.

"Help does, huh...? That's cool."

Charlie didn't notice the boy's jealousy mulling over him. Even wanting to know more, Yuta had the notion that Charlotte would tell Katrina that he was curious about their lives, so she preferred to leave things as they were and simply read a story for the little girl to sleep.

The little girl chose the "The Nutcracker" which for Yuta had been a surprise, he knew the main point, yet he had never read the book. It was a beautiful and sad story. Unbeknownst to him, Charlotte had already fallen asleep, but Yuta continued to read the tale to the end. As soon as he realized, Katrina was at the door, with a thin and refreshed smile, watching the boy bathed in the yellowish light of Charlotte's lamp.

"Do you like this story?" she asked the moment he got up and together they walked away from the room.

"I've never read the book before, and I didn't know you had one in korean here" he smiled "It really is a beautiful story" he finally surrendered while they were still in the hallway.

"I didn't know you liked romantic tales."

For a moment they stopped walking to look at each other.

"There's something else I like and you don't know."

The intensity in their stares grown.

"Yeah, then what is it?" slowly approaching.

"YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Johnny shouted from the bathroom down the hall, making the two of them go away still a little numbed by the strong feeling they felt.

"I think he saw..." Yuta laughed softly at Katrina who was still watching him discreetly a little nervous.

"Saw what?" she tried to hide her uneasiness.

"What we did in his face" a big smile.

Katrina blushed as he took her hand in an automatic motion to take her to Johnny.

"WHY THIS?"

As soon as he saw his friend, the taller man threatened to attack him with his fists.

"Simmer down, you're going to wake up Charlie."

Yuta was laughing, and without realizing it he was still holding Katrina's hand, that was seen without reaction by the explosion of feelings she was having.

"And if it doesn't clean out, what do I do?!"

"It's your fault for sleeping before the child while you're babysitting. You know what happens to people like you, Johnny?"

Katrina looked at him laughing and them he noticed their hands were still connected

"Oh, sorry for that" he whispered to her.

Incredibly, he wasn't embarrassed by such an action, so he let go of the girl's hand slowly.

"What, Yuta, what happen to people like me?"

The other was desperately rubbing his face with soap in the sink leaving the tap on while the drain was covered.

"They get fired" and he laughed.

"Oh, shut up..." as soon as he had replied, he opened his eyes briefly, forgetting about the lather on his face "IT BURNS!"

"Jesus, Johnny!"

Katrina had been quick to help him by taking advantage of the fact that she wanted to hide from Yuta, since her heart were going to explode if she kept by his side.

"How stupid!" Yuta laughed more than before with his eyes now watering "Oh my stomach...!"

He fell into the corridor, trying to suppress his laughter as Katrina helped the taller one gets rid of the lather.

"Did you see it Katrina? That's how Yuta really is. This is the man you want in your life? Don't you better rethink?"

As soon as Johnny remarked the girl drowned him in the sink without even thinking and stared wide-eyed at Yuta.

"Oh my God... Help... Oh..." Yuta sat down on the floor, resting his hands on the wall to get up "What did he said?" wiped away the tears "I didn't listen properly" he still seemed stoned by laughter.

"Nothing, it was nothing!" she smiled relieved until she felt the other wincing as he drowned "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she let go of Johnny quickly.

"For goodness sake!" coughed taking as much air as he could "You're trying to kill me?" he wiped his face with a towel facing the two indignantly "What's the matter with you?" his hands were around his waist.

"It was an accident" Katrina smiled a little annoyed at him, while she was backwards to Yuta "Think first, then speak..." she whispered to Johnny.

"Oh, I get it..." he finally noticed what he had done "Who is hungry?" he smiled.

"Where did that come from?"

Yuta was already standing analyzing the two in front of him that were already acting strange.

"What about a pizza...!" Katrina walked out with Johnny at her side, both smiling as if nothing had happened.

"But... We had dinner with Charlie..." Yuta scratched his head, but quickly gave up understanding those two.

They did an extra hour at Katrina's house just to spend a leisurely time together. On the one hand, it had been fun for Yuta, it made him forget about the argument with Ayumi and keep trying to understand what she was actually doing in Korea. He felt briefly his jealousy diminish seeing Katrina and Johnny together acting as if they were very close. If asked him why, he would say that he saw no romance between those two, there was just friendship.

While distracting himself with his friends, Yuta could not imagine what anger could do with a brokenhearted girl.