Eunhee’s heart thudded. Somehow, Byunghun’s hug was soothing. She felt safe in his arms. Part of her was happy that she found someone who understood her, and the other part of her felt like she was cheating on Myungsoo.

            Stop it Eunhee. He broke up with you.

            Shaking her head, she slowly pushed Byunghun away. Assuring Byunghun she was alright, he let her go. An awkward silence settled between them.

             “I want to forget about him,” Eunhee said softly, “I want to get rid of this pain.” Byunghun nodded approvingly.

            “I know, it must’ve hurt a lot. You know, I’m glad I saved you. Committing suicide isn’t the solution,” he said.

            “I hate him,” she spat, disdain thick in her voice.

            “You can never forget the person you hate. Hating him would do you no good.”

            “Then how do I deal with this pain? It hurts, Byunghun. It hurts so much.”

            “Let the pain be your teacher. But don’t let it destroy you.”

            “Let the pain be your teacher…” she repeated word by word, but she never caught the meaning. “Hey, you seem to know so much about this thing. Have you gone through it before?” she added. A shadow crossed his face. Was she seeing pain behind his eyes?

            “No, I have never been through this before,” his voice came out weak and distant. What are you hiding, Byunghun? What are you hiding from me? Byunghun suddenly cleared his throat and a smile formed on his face.

            “You know what? I have a terrific plan. I know it’s going to work and the most awesome thing about this idea is it’ll make you forget about Myungsoo completely,” he clapped his hands joyfully. Eunhee giggled shyly, an amused expression on her face. “We’re going to burn stuffs that will only remind you of Myungsoo.”

 A nice breeze passed by them as they left the place. She looked at her watch and it read 18:11. “We’ll have to go to your house,” Byunghun said awkwardly. Inviting a stranger to my house? That’s insane, and besides, I don’t really know him. Eunhee thought. Then again, he seems nice. I don’t think he’d do anything harmful to me. Eunhee agreed to his suggestion.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She knew how to think of sad things when she didn’t want to laugh, but what must she think about when she wanted to stop herself from crying? She didn’t have any recent happy memories.

“Are you alright?” Byunghun asked, interrupting her thoughts. Eunhee gave him a watery smile. After a comfortable, silent ten-minute walk, they finally arrived at Eunhee’s house. She signaled him to stay outside while she rummaged into her pocket to find her house keys. Fishing it out, she pushed the key in and twisted the doorknob. Standing near the huge portrait of her late father was her mum.

“Eunhee-“she ignored her mother because her mind was all tangled up about Myungsoo and Byunghun. She rushed to her room and stared at the mess. Shaking her head, she picked up the random pieces of cloth and books and stacked them on her study table. Eunhee started searching for the presents and random gifts Myungsoo had bought for her. She collected them and then threw them into a box recklessly.

Finished and satisfied, she walked downstairs with the huge box tucked under her right arm. “Mum, I’ll be at the park near our house. Just give me a few minutes,” she said firmly. Closing the house door, she looked at him. “I’m back!” she exclaimed.

Byunghun beamed.

“Let’s go to the park,” Eunhee pointed at the sight in front of her. Byunghun offered to carry the box. They walked to the park and soon find a spot near a couple of bushes. Perfect, she mouthed. He put the box on the ground, took a lighter out and flicked it open. Eunhee breathed in the fresh, cold air. This is it.

The orange flame lit up and they both backed away, watching the tiny light as it became bigger. The fire illuminated the sheer darkness in a flaming crimson. The fire reflected her feelings then. Her emotions raged and struggled inside her.

She watched as the scarlet flames consume her memories with Myungsoo. She wanted to run to it and wipe away the fire. She wanted to pick the things up and cradle them close to her heart. She wanted every memory left of Myungsoo not to be forgotten.

Stop it Eunhee. He hated you. He only caused you pain.

But she could not and would not deny it. Despite the pain he had afflicted on her, she still loved him. She still loved him with all her heart.

And that hurt her more. She wanted to scream her lungs out; she wanted to be burned away by the flames; she wanted to let her tears drown her. But what she wanted most was just to curl up in the corner and find her solace. A single tear escaped her eyelid. She was clearly tired; tired of everything.

Byunghun looked at a depressed Eunhee. He let out a huge sigh, walked towards her and hugged her. Eunhee didn’t care that it was a hug from a stranger who she had met an hour ago. She sobbed, making Byunghun’s shirt a little wet. He hushed her and then he surprised her by his sudden rap.

“I will always give you my smile, more than anyone else.

I’ll make you the happiest person.” [Teen Top’s ‘Angel’]

Eunhee gasped.

“That was beautiful,” she breathed. It was short, but sweet. Byunghun felt like that wasn’t enough. “I’ll bring you to this cool place where they sell tasty waffles!” Eunhee’s mouth formed an ‘o’, and then leaving the flame to die, they ditched the place.

Entering a wonderfully decorated place, she gaped at the cute furniture and the bright colors of the walls. Byunghun looked at an overjoyed Eunhee. His heart fluttered. They made their way to the counter and ordered two plates of chocolate waffles. Eunhee took her wallet out but Byunghun stopped her.

“Never mind, I’ll pay for it,” he winked. After a few minutes, their waffles finally arrived and the waiter placed it on the table. As soon as she took a bite, the warmth swept in and the food exploded with sweetness. Eunhee held up a thumbs-up sign, indirectly saying the waffle was good. Byunghun chortled. They spent a pleasant half hour at the shop before Eunhee decided to go home. He sent her to her doorstep, and then he gave her his number. She saved it in her contacts and grinned. “Goodnight Byunghun. Thanks for the awesome day. And I will surely text you!” She waved him goodbye.

In her room, she remembered about her moments with Byunghun. Her lips formed a crook as she reminisce Byunghun’s reckless smile and his dark orbs that twinkled mysteriously when he did. It was scary, but adorable at the same time. Abruptly, something shiny caught her eye. It was a pendant Myungsoo gave her for her sixteenth birthday. The pendant was a simple star, twinkling in the darkness. She recalled what Myungsoo had said to her.

“Every time I see a star I was reminded of you. Because like a star, you light up my world when there was only darkness.”

Were those words all lies? Had he truly not loved her all these while? Tears stung her eyes and she found herself crumbling into pieces. Let the pain be your teacher. What does it even mean? She clutched her head that was throbbing and fumbled desperately for her phone. She searched the list for Byunghun’s number. He was the only one she had right now.

Help me Byunghun. Help me fix this broken heart.

She sent the message to the man she had found comfort in. A minute later, her phone beeped.

A broken heart is like a broken glass. It’s better to leave it broken than hurt yourself trying to fix it. Move on Eunhee, leave it all behind. His words replayed in her mind. “Let the pain be your teacher…” she said.

A few seconds later, she received another text.

Let the pain teach you to be strong, Eunhee.

Author’s note:

How was it guys? I hope it’s alright! I’m sorry its not a long update :( Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! (•ˆ⌣ˆ‎​•)