“Hey. (Y/N). You still feeling upset?” Eric asks you, clearly concerned. You’d spent the past hour in the washroom sobbing, and after you ran out of tears, you finally mustered the courage to move to the games room and mope. But you’re too afraid to open your mouth. Your friend did not need to see you in even worse shape than you already were.

              “I’m fine now, okay?” you hiss. Then you realize, oh no, that came out wrong.

              “You’re not fine, (Y/N). Tell me what’s wrong. Is it because of the broken plate? You know, this isn’t the first time it’s happened – “

              You sigh before speaking. “Yeah, it is because of the broken plate, but it’s also because of a lot of other things.

              “In general, I mess a lot of things up, especially around my parents. I’ve broken a lot of things in their house, I always forget to text them, and I always just want to do my own thing. And I can’t seem to learn from my mistakes. That’s why my mom is always so disappointed in me. I’m older than you, but I’m sorry I can’t show you a good example…” Tears have started streaming out of your eyes again, just as you thought you’d run out of them.

              “Hey, don’t cry.” Eric places his hand on your back to console you.

              “Look who’s talking,” you grumble. “You’re tearing up too!”

              “Oh!” Eric notices that he’s crying too, and wipes a lone tear off his cheek. “Well, (Y/N), you’re my friend. And it always breaks my heart to see any of my friends suffer like this. I can’t help but feel how you feel.

              “You’re really not the only one who screws up. My parents expect a lot from me, and sure I have all these accomplishments, but that doesn’t make me a perfect human being either. So many times, I’ve wanted to give up when things got too overwhelming…” He looks down to let a few more tears drop. This time, you offer a hand to comfort him.

              “It takes a lot of hard work to realize a dream. Maybe your dream right now is to be a better daughter and learn things quicker. Actually, you remember Haknyeon, right?” You nod slowly. “He’s a slow learner, and everyone knows it, including him. A lot of his fans him because of that. Plus, his father passed away a while back. Despite that, he tries to stay positive and work as hard as he can.” Wow, behind that smiling face you saw at the park that day, Haknyeon had gone through so much. You had so much more respect for him now.

              “I have one more story for you to encourage you,” Eric continues. “On Produce 101, I met this guy named Jisung. He’d been trying to realize his dreams for over five years, but with no success. And he was getting older. Jisung-hyung knew that if he didn’t debut now, he’d have to go to the military, and who knew if he still wanted to be an idol after that or if all those years of training would go to waste. With patience and hard work, he was able to debut in the show’s final group. He’s ten years older than me.” This shocked you as well. That made this Jisung, what, 26 when he debuted?

              “As you can see, it’s okay to be a late bloomer. It’s okay to be a slower learner. It’s okay to feel like you’re overwhelmed and give yourself a break once in a while. All you have to do is keep trying. Try your hardest, and it will come with time. And just be patient with your parents too.” He gives you a wide smile, and offers you a hug. “I know you can do it one day, (Y/N).”

              “Thank you so much, Euiwoong,” you call him by his Korean name for the first time, having finally mastered pronouncing it, and hug him back. “So, you wanna play some Wii now?”

(This was my favourite chapter to write because it was based off of my personal experiences. Also, who wouldn't want a friend who you can have fun with but at the same time is willing to listen to you and cry with you?

P.S. I threw Jisung's story in there just because he's also considered a late bloomer of sorts, only debuting this year at age 26. Also because he's my bias too. The more I think about him, the more he inspires me.)