Five Boys, One Girl

 It was only Christmas Eve and Namhyo Kim had already received five love confessions.

 Namhyo Kim, age 21, attended college learning in the department of animation. She usually had to sleep in her studio since she needed to stay up to finish her projects and the college she attended did not provide dormitory rooms. Across the girls' studio where she worked was the studio specifically for boys. In there were her five good friends.

 Jungmin Son was her best friend. They had met each other at high school. They thought the love they felt for each other was a romantic sort, and they started to date. They stayed that way until the end of November when they decided to try out their first night and that their love was merely for friends. They put their clothes back on then watched a comedy movie together and returned to the state of friends. However, Jungmin wasn't her childhood friend, as many would assume.

 Jaehee Lee was the childhood friend. They'd been friends since kindergarten, then graduated the same elementary and middle school. But they went to different high schools, and even though they messaged each other every now and then, they grew further and further. However, they attended the same college to achieve the same goal- an animator. Namhyo decided to give their friendship a chance one more time.

 Minwoo Kim. They first met at college, and when Namhyo first saw him, she thought he was going to be tiresome. However, they became close friends in a week since they both liked watching the same anime. He was also her idea bank, for all the best plotlines and characters came from him. They meet up every Wednesday at 11:00 p.m. to watch the new anime episode, then hold a debate about the plotline, then create their own storyboards for what they could've changed. When finished, the duo shares each other their finished sketches and criticize them.

 Jihoon Seo was the awkward friend. He was Jaehee's best friend, and he'd been introduced to Namhyo so that they could all hang out together. Whenever Jaehee visits the restroom, Jihoon and Namhyo always got awkward around each other. She didn't know much about him except for the fact that they went to the same high school.

 And finally, Minjun Ko. The youngest out of all five of them. He was the attention seeker. He used to be labeled as 'The Naive One' until he made a sex joke during a romance movie. From then on, nobody dared to call him naive. Surprisingly, he could drink three full bottles of soju on his own and still not be drunk, when the rest of his friends couldn't even drink two bottles as a group. Namhyo couldn't chug down four cups of soju without throwing up, and the cups weren't even big like normal cups. They were tiny, yet she couldn't survive the alcohol.

 It struck midnight. After making sure she saved it and had three backups ready five times, Namhyo turned the computer to sleep mode. She checked the clock, then slumped in her chair. Everyone else in the studio except for her had finished their graduation projects and had left for the holidays. The last person left about an hour ago.

 "Bye, Namhyo! Merry Christmas, and don't stay up too late!"

 Sighing, she grabbed two bottles of soju from the mini-fridge and walked over to the boys' studio.

 "Boys, wake up," Namhyo boomed into the dark room where only a few computer screens lit the studio as she turned on the lights. There were a few hisses here and there as crouched bodies covered with blankets curled up even more. She could see piles of instant noodle cups next to each table and pyramids of empty cans that once held coffee. The only thing moving was hands holding pens skidding quickly over tablets.

 Jungmin appeared out of a pink blanket. "God, Namhyo, did you really have to turn on the lights?" he moaned as he, too, turned the computer to sleep mode. He noticed the bottle of soju she was holding in her hand and brightened. "Your refrigerator never seems to run out of alcohol, does it?"

 "Did someone say alcohol?" Jaehee asked as he came out of the bathroom. "Ooh, someone DID say alcohol! Just wait, I have some snacks..."

 Jihoon shook his head. "Do you NEED snacks while you drink?"

 Minjun, who was sitting next to him, smacked Jihoon's head lightly. "You uncultured brat! You always need snacks with alcohol!" He stood up and strode over to the mini-fridge next to Namhyo. "I think I have two more bottles of soju-"

 "No, we're not going full-party mode tonight, we're just going to drink a little bit and be done. It's not like our graduation projects are done anyway." Namhyo closed the fridge.

 Minwoo emerged from the couch. "But then when ARE we going to go full-party mode? It's Christmas Eve, and here we are working on school projects, not drinking hard!"

 Jungmin tsked knowingly. "You idiots, some of don't celebrate Christmas. We're going to drink like the world ends tomorrow when it's New Year!" He looked back at Namhyo. "I got that one right, didn't I?"

 Namhyo smiled. Her best friend seemed to know everything about her, even more than her childhood friend. "Of course you got that right. I only brought two bottles, so don't go crazy about it."

 Three hours later, everyone except for Minjun was drunk. Namhyo was busy throwing up in the restroom, and Jungmin was helping her. Jihoon was singing 'My True Love Gave To Me' with the numbers and presents wrong every time he sang it. Minwoo was lying on the floor facedown, sleeping, while Jaehee was excitedly playing the tambourine he found somewhere along to Jihoon's tunes. All the while, Minjun was making sure he photographed every moment of the mess to upload on the internet later on.

 Minjun sighed. "Idiots. You guys all need hangover relieving drinks. I'll go grab some from the convenience store." He looked at Namhyo. "You wanna come with?"

 "Surewhynot," Namhyo drunkenly replied in one breath. "Don't wait for me, boys!"

 They were walking towards the GS25 on the first floor. Namhyo was almost leaning onto Minjun as he tried to support her up. He groaned as he tried to lift her up, arm in arm. "Gosh, you sure are heavy," he huffed. "Actually, heavier than I imagined, really."

 Namhyo glared at Minjun. "You brat, just because I'm drunk doesn't mean you can talk crap about me."

 At that moment, they saw their professor. "Tut tut. Namhyo, did you drink again?" The students nodded in return. "I know it's Christmas Eve, but keep it low, okay?" The professor looked at Minjun. "Minjun, take care of your lover." Their supervisor then walked past them.

 The duo froze, silent. The silence was broken by Namhyo, who was laughing maniacally and wiping tears from her eyes.

 "Bahahahaha, I can't believe our professor mistook us for a couple!" She laughed as she walked towards the convenience store. When she realized she couldn't hear Minjun's steps, Namhyo turned to see Minjun frozen to the spot with his face bright red. "Minjun? Why're you still standing there, come on!"

 Minjun hesitated, then opened his mouth to talk. "Namhyo. There's something I need to tell you." He fidgeted around with his hands.

 His friend gaped at him. "You idiot, don't tell me you forgot the money again." She exhaled and started to pull her purse out of her jacket pocket. "Fine, I'll pay for it this time. You've done a lot of things for me so think of this as a thank you-"

 "I really like you."

 Namhyo stopped, the looked up. She met Minjun's eyes and smiled. "I like you too. I mean, you're a close friend, right? You're our friend!"

 "No, I don't mean as a friend."

 "A close family member?"

 He violently shook his head and dug his face into his hands. "No, Namhyo! I like you as a lover!"

 It felt like time stopped in its tracks. Nothing came into her mind except Minjun, who had just confessed his love. Her heart was thumping, and her mind was racing. Did she like him? Should she accept it? What was she supposed to do now? If she rejected it, would they stop being friends?

 "I..." She started. Minjun quickly looked up, still blushing. "...I don't know. I... guess I'll text you later on?" Namhyo tried to smile, but she couldn't. It wasn't joy, it was more like... confusion. Was everything he did to make her happy done because he liked her as a lover? Would he stop being kind if she said no? It was scary, really. She thought she would be so happy and so joyful and so excited... but she was merely just surprised.

 How pathetic it was, really.

 "Oh." He drooped. Namhyo wanted to comfort him that this didn't mean that she was rejecting him, that she liked him too as a friend, and that she wanted to stay as friends even if it didn't work out in the end. But she couldn't. "You should go back up, I'll meet you there. I'm sure you can safely return, right?"

 Namhyo nodded, then ran past him.

 When she got to the studio, she immediately started to regret not saying anything. How embarrassing he would feel. She felt so much guilt and was near crying as she walked to the studio. In front of the door stood Jihoon, who looked up from his smartphone as he heard footsteps.

 "You guys weren't coming up for longer than I imagined, so I was going to try and call you, but here you are now!" Jihoon awkwardly smiled, replying to a sentence no one asked. He tilted his head. "But where's Minjun?"

 'God, think of something,' Namhyo thought to herself. 'Think of an excuse for why he isn't here. You can't tell him it's because of a love confession!' Finally, she got an excuse. "Oh, um, he told me he was going to visit the restroom on his way!"

 Jihoon stared. "But there's a restroom in the studio. Why would he need to go to the lobby restroom?"

 "I don't know, why would I know his restroom reasons?"

 "True. Actually," he looked away into the end of the corridor. "I had to tell you something."

 'Oh no. Please don't tell me it's a love confession.'

 "I like you, Namhyo, and I hope we can become more than friends." Before Namhyo could think of something that fit in the label 'more than friends', Jihoon interrupted her thoughts. "And not best friends. I mean as lovers." He sighed and looked back at Namhyo.

 "You wouldn't know, but I was in the classroom next to yours. There was a friend of mine in your class, and this one time I went over to ask him to lend me his textbook. Of course, it wasn't the first time I visited a friend's classroom, but it was the first time I saw you and fell in love. You were talking with your friends with them surrounding you, and you looked so happy. I wanted to see you more and more, so I had to make up excuses to visit your class." Jihoon then stared at his shoes. "I know it sounds creepy and it makes me look like a sort of stalker. But I just want you to know that I did it because I liked you. I still like you, and it goes beyond that. It's not just 'like', it's 'adore' and 'admire' and 'respect'. I know we've been awkward with each other, but..." He finally looked up to see Namhyo.

 "I would be honored if you saw me as someone more than a friend, too."

 Namhyo's heart started to race again. Another love confession? What was she supposed to do now, choose between two good friends? She didn't want to lose another friend. She didn't want to be loved. Sure, she wanted to be loved by her friends and family, but not in the sense that they loved her as a lover. Could someone do both roles? The friendliness and comfort a friend gives, but at the same time the love and affection she desires from a lover?

 She looked away. "I'm sorry that I can't give you an answer right away. Can you give me some time? I'll text you... is that okay with you?"

 Jihoon nodded. "Of course. You can feel confused. I admire you, so I'll give you the time you want. If you need it, I can give it to you. Don't be pressured, okay?" He grinned and walked past her. "I'll go breathe some fresh air, you go inside first. See you later."

 When she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, she ran inside the studio. Everything was changing by a few words two people told her. When Namhyo opened the door and stepped inside, the semi-party was still going on.

 'Let's try not to ruin the mood,' she thought to herself as she slouched on the couch next to Minwoo, who apparently woke up and decided to resume sleeping on the couch instead of the cold floor. He was half-asleep, staring off to the distance. When Namhyo sat down, Minwoo turned towards her.

 "Where's Minjun and Jihoon?"

 "I don't know," Namhyo lied as she grabbed the cup of water she'd poured in an hour back. She drank it in one big gulp, trying to push down the confusing emotions.

 Suddenly, Jaehee stood on the coffee table in the middle of the studio.

 "Oh my god, what are you doing! You must be drunk!" Namhyo yelled, rising up from the couch. "Get down, it's dangerous!"

 Jaehee shook his head. "I'm not drunk!"

 "Drunk people always say that you idiot!"

 Her friend didn't listen. "I'd like to make a grand announcement!" He turned to Namhyo and held out his hand. "I would like to confess my love to Namhyo Kim!"

 The others laughed except for Namhyo. She was trying to figure out if he was joking because he was drunk or he was being serious. Judging by his tone and face, she could tell it was real.

 Jaehee Lee was the third friend to tell her he liked her in one day.

 "What are you talking about!" Jungmin laughed. "You're too drunk!"

 "I am NOT drunk," Jaehee shot back, his face dead serious.

 Minwoo stood up and climbed on top of the table as well. "I, too, would like to confess my love to my friend and long crush, Namhyo Kim!" he shouted, his face full of truth and determination.

 At this point, Namhyo was getting tired of it. 'God, I know this makes me look like a spoiled brat, but this is becoming a mess and is making me lose my sanity.' Minwoo and Jaehee were now starting to fight about how much they liked Namhyo.

 "I like how she laughs at things I like as well!"

 "I liked her since elementary school!"

 "Well, I liked her since the day we met!"

 These were a few of the petty words thrown at each other. Jungmin and Namhyo were blankly staring at them fight until they both turned to face her.

 "Namhyo! Which one of us do you like more!"

 It all seemed like a teenage romance drama, how two people were fighting over her and two other people liked her. And it all seemed so unreal. Everything felt like a lie.

 'So this is what it feels like,' she thought. 'I never understood it when the main character felt uncomfortable with a love confession. I always thought I'd be overflowing with joy... but no.'

 She stood up. "I'm not going to give you guys a response right now. Give me some time." Namhyo put on her coat. "For now, I'm going home. Bye."

 "Let me go with you," Jungmin said, turning his computer off and covering himself with his coat.

 "Hey, hey, wait!" Minwoo yelled. "How do we know you aren't going to try and confess your love to her as well?"

 Jungmin swiveled around and glared at him. "You idiot, you're talking to a person who semi-slept with your crush and decided that they didn't love them as a lover and broke up with them."

 Jaehee nodded in agreement. "True. You guys go, we'll clean up." He waved at Namhyo. "See you tomorrow!"

 Namhyo half-heartedly waved back and tiredly walked over to her house, Jungmin beside her. She tried to be optimistic and smiled at her best friend. "At least you won't be asking me out, right?"

 Jungmin stared at the sky, hesitating. "About that..."

 "Please don't tell me that it's..."

 "A love confession. God, I know this sounds awkward, but we had our first night when we were in high school and didn't know any better. Now that I look back at it, I made a mistake. So... text me back when you have an answer?" He waved goodbye and didn't wait for Namhyo to react as he ran around the next corner, leaving Namhyo alone at the bus station where her house was near. She stood as if she was a statue until her phone rang, her mother asking where she is this late.

 "Mom, I'm going, just wait," Namhyo replied. "I have so many things to tell you when I get home."