A pleasant goodbye
ultimately there can be no such thing

(The Story Only I Didn't Know - IU)

"I miss you."

The words echoed through his mind waking him up again from the dream. Sitting up, he looked around and found the room still, dark and quite with only his breathing and the sound of his heart beat ringing in his ear. He looked at the clock and saw that it was only three in the morning, which meant three more hours to go before the sun begins to rise.

What's the point anyway? He thought to himself getting up and heading to the bathroom. After washing his face, he looked at the mirror and could definitely see the diifference in his features.

Unlike a month ago, his face, which used to be fuller had thinned out a little. His cheeks and eyes sunked a little. There are dark circles and bugs under his eyes. What used to be a five o'clock shadow became a full beard. And his hair that used to be easily styled and cut grew significantly longer making it look shaggy and unruly. No longer did he look like the man who relied partly on his physical features for his career or the man who fell hard in love with his wife.

walking straight to the bar, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey poured some on an empty glass and gulped it down in one go. He was about to get his second when a hand took it from him.

"It's too early for this." Sungkyu said drinking the golden liquid and capping the bottle before placing it back on the shelf.

"It helps me sleep." Kyujong answered quietly.

Sungkyu sighed patting his young son in the shoulders leading him to the kitchen. "Take a seat. You look starved."

"I'm not-" He didn't even finish his sentence seeing how his father made a point of no arguement.

"Did you call her yet?" His father asked while chopping some kimchi and he didn't answer. "We talk alot you know. Byulyi and me, I mean."

Again, he said nothing as he stared at the empty space.

For the most part, Sungkyu understood what his son is going through and had let him handle it on his own but after watching his act and drinking for the past two weeks, he's had enough and no longer is he going to tolerate this. He'd thought at first that by staying quiet, Kyujong would come to him and would voluntarily talk about it but seeing as that won't be happening any time soon, he'd rather take the first step than let him sink further.

"When she calls," Sungkyu paused to sigh. "When she calls, her voice says it all. She'd always beat me to asking how her day's been and after our talks, I'd always tell her how you're doing before we hang up." He placed the knife down and looked at his soon who seemed to be waiting for what he has to say next. "Bottom line is, you're not the only one who's hurting, son. She may not be doing the same thing that you are but how you feel, she's just the same. Byul-"

"Dad." Kyujong stopped him. "She's the one who left. If anything, she deserves whatever it is that she's going through."

"No, she doesn't and you know that." His father strongly disagreed.

"Yes, she does dad. Why do you even care? You barely know the woman. Why do you even bother taking her side?" Kyujong said raising his voice.

Putting the knife down and taking the chair opposite his son, Sungkyu held his son's hand and gave him a weary smile. "I care because you do. Because even though you feel angry at her right now, that's not what you really feel about her. Look, I'm tired of the both of you acting like two teenage idiots instead of married adults so I might just as well intervene."

Kyujong raised a brow at the meaningful tone of his dad. "What are you trying to say, dad?"

"What I'm trying to say is, Byul didn't leave because of what you told her but because if she didn't another girl would've gone through the same things she had, except, she might not have been as lucky as Byul has." Sungkyu saw the quick change of expressions in his son's face.

"Dad. Please. Stop covering for her. You don't have to make up a story-"

"Don't you want to know who she went home for?" The old man baited and by the looks of it, Kyujong is hooked.

"Fine. Who did she go home for?" Kyujong asked leaning back.

"She went home for Seulgi, her sister.

"Unnie. Unnie. Wake up, unnie." It was already pass nine and Seulgi didn't want her sister to sleep through the day like she's been doing for the past few days since she's stayed over. "Unnie, I have a schedule in the next hour and I'm not leaving until you get up and eat breakfast."

She kept shaking her older sister gently until she finally got up.

"Morning. You cooked?" Byul asked heading to the bathroom to wash up.

"Yeah. Eggs and spam." Seulgi answered waiting for her by the door. Minutes later, Byul came out and they went straight to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, Byul shooed her sister away not wanting her to be late for her schedule while she took care of the dishes and the left overs. The girl had only been gone for five minutes when Seulgi called Byul to remmind her not to stay in bed all day and that the younger sibling scheduled her to go to meet up with her friends in her own establishment in the next hour.

"Seul! I'm not-" Byul wanted to protest but the younger cut her off. "Yes, you are. Either you go there willingly or they come to you, force you in some clothes you don't want to wear and drag you out of that house. Love you! Bye!"

"Seul!" The other line cut off before she could even protest.

Annoyed she finished what she was doing and tried to get back to bed when her phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Morning, sunshine." The other line greeted and she groaned. "I take it you're ready for our little outing?"

"Hyejin, I'm going somewhere today. Don't waste gas cpming here. Go drag unnie or Wheein out." She lied.

"Aw~. But I already have everything planned. Where are you going anyway?" Hyejin whined as she asked.

"Just... Just somewhere." Lying to your friends. You're really something. She thought to herself.

"Is it going to take long? Maybe we could meet up right after?" Hyejin insisted and she just really felt guilty lying to her friend. "It's going to be all day, Hyejin."

"Then I guess you're busy getting ready now?" 

Something in the maknae's voice tipped Byul off. "Why do you sound like that?"

"Sound like what? I don't sound like anything." Hyejin mocked and Byul could really hear a giggle right after. "Ahn Hyejin, don't even think about coming into the house. I'm serious I'm going somewhere today and-"

"No, you're not. Otherwise, Seul-unnie would've told us about it. Hey, unnie? Want to play hide and seek?"

"You're kidding me, right? How are we-" Byul's eyes grew wide as saucers and immediiately, she made her way to the door opened it and noone was there. She took a step out the door and looked around but there was noone in her front yard. 

"You still there, unnie?" 

"Uh- yeah. Where are you?" She asked placing the key on another pot and went back in to lock the door. "Somewhere??"

The teasing note in her voice started to annoy her. "I asked you where."

"And so did I but did you answer? Nope. Maybe if you stop being so secretive then I'll stop as well."  Hyejin answered. "But if you are that insistent in wanting to know where I am... Have you tried the kitchen?"

"The kitchen? What-" She didn't finish and just ran to the kitchen only to find it empty but the glass on the sink didn't escape her notice.  "Where-"

"Oops. Did I say the kitchen? I meant your bedroom."

"Seriously? Stop playing around, I am not in a good mood, Hyejinnie. Where are you?" Byul warned.

"Oh, just humor me, why don't'cha?"

Groaning, she stared at the phone wanting to toss it in the trash but then again, the girl would simply find another way to annoy her. "Fine. But don't even think about scaring me because I will hurt you. And I mean it." She hanged up and begrudgingly headed straight back to her bedroom. She walked quietly wanting to take the upper hand incase the girl went nuts and decided to scare her despite her clear warning.

When she opened the door, she looked around and sighed in annoyance. "Come out, Ahn Hyejin. I'm not in the mood to play." She called out walking towards her bathroom, opened the door but the girl wasn't there.

"Oops. Wrong door."

Next thing she knew, she screamed her lungs out, flailing her arms around and then stopped. 

"What the hell?!" Byul yelled through heavy breathing as the girl in front of her started laughing. Then to her right, she saw two figures walking in. "Yongsun unnie? Wheein? What are you doing here?"

"You two take care of the packing. I'll have her ready." Yongsun said pulling Byul to the bathroom. 

"Can you atleast tell me where we're going?!" Byul frustratingly yelled over the loud music booming from the speaker.

That surprised the girls who earlier simply deflected her questions by blasting the volume up and she found it amusing for the first few times but it's been over an hour already and their antics hit her last nerve.

"Woah. Angry much?" Hyejin commented.

"Don't. Just don't." Byul said sternly, glaring at the youngest who seemed to backed down with arms raised in a surrunder. She turned her eyes to Wheein who did the same without a word.

"Okay. That's enough." Yongsun said easing the tension.  "Just so you know, we are going to the beach. If-"

Byul didn't bother to know anything else plugging the earbuds on her ears and blasting her phone volume to block other noises. 

The beach. Ha.  It just had to be the beach.

Pulling the jacket over herself, Byul closed her eyes and leaned her head back wanting to sleep. She felt the backrest move lower and opened her eyes to  see Yongsun's hand reaching for the adjuster while mouting for her to sleep. She didn't say anything and closed her eyes falling back to sleep.

"Come on, unnie. You could atleast try and have fun." Byul turned to see Wheein taking the empty space next to her and trying to hand her a glass of something.

"Thanks." She said taking the beverage and placing it on a smooth surface in the sand. "Mind telling me what we're doing here?"

Wheein sighed, took a sip of her drink and looked at her. "Well, like what unnie told you earlier, we are here to unwind from all the stress. But for the most of it, we are here because we want to know what is going on with you." Byul raised a brow at her and Wheein raised a hand to tell her to wait. "Don't be mad. We're just really worried about you, unnie. You were gone for a good month and for the whole month since you came back and after you've dealt with that problem, you've been acting so strange."

"Strange, huh? Since when have I not been strange?"  Byul's joking facade didn't get to her.

"You're deflecting, unnie. You've been deflecting our questions and being so secretive. What happened to you there unnie? What is it that you're not telling us?" She looked at the younger girl and could see the worry in her eyes.

For a while now, she wanted to tell them what had happened to her but because she knew how busy their lives are,  she couldn't possibly add more to the stress. She's more than satisfied to keep it on her own. At least, that's what she thought.

Unable to give her a proper answer, she got on her feet and walked away leaving a very worried Wheein behind.

Stepping into the hotel lobby, she checked the time then went straight to the suite she shared with the girls and grabbed her phone before heading out to an isolated area in the poolside. Dialing a number, she smiled when the person picked up.

"I was beginning to think you've forgotten about me." Kim Sungkyu greeted from the other line and her smile broadened. "How's my favorite girl?"

"Hi, dad. How's your day? I hope you didn't forget to take your meds again." Byul's felt calmer hearing the older man's voice.

"Sweetheart, that was one time." Byul could say otherwise. "Okay. One time you forgot to take them and the other times, you just ignored because you thought the pain would go away if you just lie down." She said repeating to him his own words.

"But I do feel better after lying down. And besides, the ginsengs you sent me are a lot of help." Her father-in-law answered. "Anyway, nevermind about me. What about you? What have you been doing lately?"

"Not much lately. Checked the cafe like usual. Write some lyrics. Actually, right now, I'm at the beach with my friends." Technically, she didn't lie. She just decided to omit a few details here and there.

"That sounds fun. If you're at the beach why are you calling a boring old man like me? You should be with your friends having fun." Sungkyu said almost iike scolding her for calling him.

"Dad, I-"

"Go. Have fun with your friends and don't forget to greet the girls for me. Especially Hyejinnie." The old man insisted.

"Hyejinnie? Woah. Should I be jealous?" She said wanting to hear more of the old man's voice. "Jealous? You're my favorite daughter in law, why should you be?"

"Uh... Dad, I'm your only daughter-in-law." Byul retorted playfully.

"Speaking of which, your husband just came back. You should talk to him. Hold on."

"No. Dad, it's-"

"Hello?" Byul tensed up hearing his voice. "Byulyi-ah, I-" She ended the call before she could hear what he has to say. With her heart racing, she got on her feet, took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She decided not to think about it now so she turned around to go back to the suite when she's surprised to see Yongsun standing in front of her.

"Unnie." She gasped seeing the girl infront of her. "Did you come to pick me up for dinner?"

Yongsun nodded and she smiled.

"Let's go then." Byul said taking a step ahead of the older girl.

"Hye, Byul?" She stopped and turned to face Yongsun. "When were you planning on telling us that you got married?"

*N: Yep.

I love the classic cliff hangers. I don't know if I managed to embody it on this one but hope I did. :D

Thank you and Enjoy!