I went to work as usual today, but despite wanting to leave, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I want to be professional and not let personal problems affect my work. Besides, Jana recommended me, and I don't want to make her look bad. It could reflect poorly on her. After all, she's still my friend... or is she? The uncertainty saddened me.

Jana and I haven't talked since the incident, and I haven't seen her around the apartment building. Occasionally, Bambi comes by my place, wondering why we haven't been hanging out. I just mention that work has been keeping me busy. But truth is, every day after work, I head straight home, have dinner, and sometimes watch TV before bed. It's pretty much my routine. Bambi seemed a bit disappointed that day. He even brought up his upcoming birthday and hopes we can celebrate together. I assured him not to worry, promising that I'll make time for it.

After the event, Mino disappeared for a while, busy with work I suppose, as I sometimes saw him on TV doing interviews. We didn't keep in touch much, just chatting when we bumped into each other. So, when his secretary contacted me about meeting for lunch, I was surprised. I didn't expect it. Still, I agreed to meet up.

"It was nice to see you again, Cali. Sorry, I had been busy lately." Mino said as we started eating. We are at the same restaurant where we usually eat.

"Yeah, I thought so. I saw you on TV the other day," I replied between bites of ramen.

"Has it been better?" Mino asked.

"Yeah! Better than before, you don't seem to stutter anymore," I teased.

"Good to hear. And what about you? How's life? How's work?"

"Well, I'm stuck in the same old routine. Patching up employees and if there's no one in need, I'm just passing time in the office," I answered.

"Must be relaxing when you're just passing time," he joked.

"Not really," I replied, giggling a bit.

We sat in silence for a while until he spoke again. "So, um, there's this girl that I really like, but she doesn't seem to like me," he said out of the blue.

"How could she not like you?" I asked, surprised.

"I don't know, I just get the feeling she doesn't," he replied.

"Is she successful as successful as you?"

"I think so. She seemed pretty humble, keeping a low profile."

"And have you told her that you like her?"

"We've never talked about it but I assumed she knew," he said.

"Hmm, well, if she isn't aware and you're just assuming that she is, that's crucial. It could be that she's just not into you, or maybe you're out of her league. I mean, look at you – handsome, rich, young CEO, practically a celebrity," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "But really, it's not best to assume. Just ask her."

"So, which one is it? Do you think I'm out of your league, or you're just not into me?" Mino's question caught me off guard.

I almost spilled what I was eating. "H-huh?" I stammered, unsure if I heard him correctly.

He chuckled softly, his eyes sincere as he continued, "Cali, I tried to make it obvious, but you seem to have not noticed. I have really taken a liking to you. Ever since that day at the aquarium, you've been on my mind and meeting you again felt like fate was giving me a second chance." His words hung in the air, leaving me utterly speechless.

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about Mino. He's a great friend, kind and caring, and I appreciate that about him. But whenever I look at him, I can't help but see Dom. It feels a bit awkward, to be honest.

"From the look on your face, it seems like it's the other way, huh," he said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "You don't have to give me an answer now, Cali. But I hope you'll consider giving me a chance," he added, finishing his food.

Thinking about it, should I give Mino a chance, though? But then again, having Nick and Jana around at the same time would be awkward. That means seeing them more often. Ah, I can't shake off these thoughts.

"By the way, I'd like to invite you again this weekend," Mino said. "We have a company outing, and I would like you to come."

I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn't resist Mino. "Sure," I agreed, unable to say no.

"Great! See you then," he said, smiling at me.

***

As the sunny Saturday arrived, I packed my things and headed out. There was Mino, waiting patiently outside.

"Hi," I greeted him as he rolled down the car window. He was the one driving his car.

"Hey," he replied and got out of the car to open the door for me. Such a gentleman.

"Thanks!" I said appreciatively as I got in.

We headed straight to the resort where their company outing was taking place. There, as expected, I saw Jana with Nick. It felt a bit awkward, but strangely, I wasn't happy or sad to see them together anymore. It was as if I was slowly accepting the fact that this is how things were now.

"Hello, Sir Mino!" everyone greeted as we arrived. Since I was with Mino, they turned their attention to me. Mino noticed and introduced me, "Hey everyone, this is my friend, Cali," he said.

"Hello, Miss Cali!" they greeted.

"Hello, everyone," I replied.

"Just friends?" they teased, causing an awkward moment. I could hear gossiping all around, with some asking who I really was and if Mino and I were dating. But I shrugged it off.

"We're really just friends for now," Mino emphasized, "So please don't make things awkward." He added. Some of them seemed disappointed, saying that we could make a good couple.

The conversation swiftly shifted when someone stepped in and suggested taking a group photo first. Everyone there posed as the camera clicked, "Say cheese!"

After the group photo, we headed to our cottage. While some went swimming, Mino and I stayed back to prepare food. As we worked, I noticed Jana and Nick playing in the water. Nick didn't have his face mask on, which made me wonder about his skin allergy.

"Hey Mino, can I ask you something?" I said as I wiped the plates we were going to use for eating.

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" he replied, arranging the utensils.

"Did Nick really have skin allergies?" I asked, curious.

"Yeah, he did. That's why we developed a biotechnology cosmetic that could improve his condition, and fortunately, it worked for him."

"Really? I didn't know such product exist."

"It hasn't been released for sale yet and you're one of the first few people who knew so let's keep it a secret for now." he told me with a wink.

I nodded in agreement, "Sure! Anyway, what about his scar? Where did he get it?"

Mino looked surprised by my question. "From the accident a year ago," he replied. Now I was even more curious. Nick had mentioned the accident before, but he was vague about it.

"Can you tell me more about it?"

Mino seemed hesitant for a moment, then he smiled at me. "I'm not comfortable talking about it, Cali. Sorry," he said gently.

"Oh, no, I was just curious. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked," I replied, feeling embarrassed.

"It's okay. Let's just enjoy the day, shall we?" he suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," I replied, and we went back to what we were doing.

Seeing Jana from afar, I realize how much I miss her. Although her words about not trusting me hurt, she's still my best friend.

Once we finished preparing the food, we called the others to eat. After our meal together, Mino and I decided to join the others for a swim. We even played volleyball. Just as we were enjoying ourselves, someone rushed towards us, looking terrified.

"Help, Jana got stung by a jellyfish!" he screamed.

We rushed to where Jana was, and I could see it was somewhat serious. Quickly, I went back to the cottage and grabbed the bottle of vinegar. When I returned, Jana seemed to be in a lot of pain so I poured the vinegar onto the area where the jellyfish had stung her and tried to remove as many tentacles as possible.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I exclaimed, panic rising in my voice. "Come on, let's get Jana to the shower," I urged. We needed to soak her stung skin in hot water.

Once in the shower, I turned on the heater and soaked her skin in the running water. After 20 long minutes, the ambulance still hadn't arrived – turns out, it had flat tires. So Mino volunteered to drive Jana to the hospital. Quickly, we helped Jana into the car, with Nick by her side, looking worried.

"She's going to be okay," I assured him. He looked at me, his expression filled with genuine concern. It was then that I realized he truly loved my best friend.

When we reached the hospital, Jana was immediately taken to the emergency room. Only one person was allowed inside, and Nick insisted that I accompany Jana. The doctor examined her and informed me that the sting had subsided, and Jana just needed some rest. Thankfully, cleaning and soaking the area in hot water had helped.

"The doctor said she's fine. She just needs to apply this to the affected area," I told him, handing him the cream once I got out and just as I was about to leave, Nick stopped me.

"Thanks for saving Jana," he said, then continued, "And I'm sorry for being rude. Just like you thought of me, I believed you had betrayed me too."

Confused, I asked, "What?"

He looked sad, "A year ago, I met someone who looked like you and thought you lied about who you were. But I was wrong. I realize I was mistaken about her. She was a different person after all."

"What? I don't understand," I asked, really confused. But before he could explain further, Mino arrived.

"Cali?" he said, interrupting our conversation. We both turned to look at him. "Shall we go?" he asked.

I wanted to know more about what Nick said, but he left before I could ask.

Mino drove me home. In the car, I couldn't stop thinking about it. What happened a year ago? I glanced at Mino, remembering his reaction when I asked him about it earlier. Did he know something?

That night, as I sifted through my emails for updates on my agency, I couldn't shake my curiosity about what Nick had said. At the same time, I was chatting with pride_Chicken, asking about Dom and what happened a year ago, but he said he didn't know anything much about it aside from the accident.

I searched for the article about the accident again. As I read through it, the details remained the same. Four passengers were involved, resulting in two tragic deaths. Mino mentioned in interviews that he was in the accident, along with Nick who got his scar from it, indicating they were together. Now, I wondered about the two passengers who had died. Upon reading other articles, I discovered that one of them was the driver, while the identity of the other remained undisclosed. Who could it be?

I was surprised by a knock on my door. Quickly closing my laptop, I headed straight to the door and opened it, finding Jana standing there. Had she been released from the hospital already?

"Um, yes?" I asked awkwardly, unsure how to approach her. I wanted to ask her how is she but seeing her standing at my front door made me think she was okay.

She handed me an invitation for Bambi's birthday, "Bambi wants you to be there." I took the invitation as she continued, "You can also bring someone if you like."

Looking at the invitation, I noticed a picture of Bambi on the front. He looked really cute.

"Thank you," I replied. There was a moment of silence, and I assumed she wouldn't say anything else. But just as I was about to close the door, she blocked it.

"By the way, thank you for today," she said, sounding shy, and then quickly left.

I couldn't help but smile. I looked at the invitation again. Could this mean we're somehow okay?