The Beginning of Their End
Among Yellow Roses [EDITING]
THE SIXTH PETAL
The Beginning of Their End
Chapter Content Warning: Hint at , though no actual is depicted in this chapter.
NOVEMBER 2012
For the past two days all he could seem to think about was Aerin and her confession. It was shocking to think that the obstinate older sister he’d grown up with would have deeper feelings for him than that of siblings. He’d never even thought of it as a possibility. He’d considered the possibility that he was just some sort of comfortable rebound for her to fall back on. However, Minhyuk knew that Aerin isn’t the type of person to use him as a rebound. He’d even tried to reason that it was the change of intimacy in their relationship—that she’d been mistaken by what she was feeling. Though he ultimately came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter why or when she started liking him. She liked him and that was all there was to it.
Then the question was: Could Minhyuk ever feel the same about her? In the past he would have been able to firmly say that he’d never feel that way about her. They grew up like siblings and siblings just didn’t think of each other that way. However, after what transpired between them in Busan, and over the subsequent years since, he wasn’t so sure. Although he’d been thinking about Seolhyun—and had the dozens of times they’d done anything after that—he still knew that it was Aerin’s body in his arms, reacting to each touch and kiss. However, the fact that he’d started feeling awkward around her and couldn’t bring himself to even look at her most of the time was that because he’d stopped thinking of her as just an older sister?
Sitting in a pub with his university friends, he participated minimally in the conversation going on around him—his mind continually being drawn back to Aerin. Early that morning she’d sent him a text telling him that she knew he had plans that day and that she would wait at the train station until midnight. If he was willing to give her a chance and to forget Seolhyun, then he could meet her there. If he wasn’t there by midnight she would take that as him rejecting her.
He looked at his phone. 22:31. He swirled the soju around in his shot glass and stared at the screen of his phone. He’d gone to Seolhyun’s instagram, which was nothing but pictures of herself, food, and pictures of her with Jooheon. He opened a recent picture of her and stared at it for a few moments, at least until Kihyun interrupted him.
“Who’s that?” he asked, being nosy. Minhyuk quickly hit the button on the side of his phone to lock it and smiled awkwardly.
“Just a friend from middle school,” he answered.
“Oh that reminds me,” Kihyun said suddenly, pulling out his phone. After a moment of fidgeting with it, he held it up for the others to see. Minhyuk also craned his head so he could see what was on the screen.
Lights flashed and all that could be heard was the thumping base of music as a video played. What appeared to be a mass of bodies dancing played on the small screen. It was hard to see what the point of the video was until the person recording—Kihyun—pushed through the crowd and stopped at a couple on the dance floor. Minhyuk immediately knew what he’d recorded as he watched himself, dressed as a woman, engaged in a fierce lip lock with his childhood friend.
“Woah, did you seriously catch two girls making out in a club?” the first of his friends, Kangjoon, asked with his honey colored eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. Kihyun laughed and shook his head.
“Not exactly, I caught Minhyuk making out with his ‘friend’ on Halloween,” Kihyun said, doing air quotes around the word friend. Minhyuk leaned back when he felt four pairs of eyes on him. He glanced between the faces of his friends and felt his face heat up.
“We need an explanation,” one of his friends, Hongbin, said.
“Yeah,” another, Taemin, agreed.
Minhyuk swallowed thickly and awkwardly smiled. “Um… it was in the heat of the moment?” he said, obviously unsure if they would accept that answer.
“Don’t lie,” Kihyun said, nudging him in the side. “It’s obvious that there’s something there,” he said, with a deviously cheeky smile. “Her friend told me that she’s definitely into you,” the cinnamon haired man said.
Minhyuk let out a nervous laugh and pushed Kihyun’s shoulder lightly. “What are you talking about? It’s not like that,” he said. However, despite the words that came out of his mouth, he knew the truth. Aerin was “into him”, as Kihyun had put it.
“Why not? It looks like you two have chemistry,” Hongbin said.
Minhyuk mulled Hongbin’s words over in his head. The way he felt when he was touching and kissing Aerin—or being touched and kissed by her—was exhilarating, however he’d always thought of Seolhyun. Was it because he thought of Seolhyun that it felt so good, or was it because his body was compatible with Aerin’s? And even if they were compatible, did that mean that he should—or even could—be attracted to Aerin?
“If there isn’t anything there now, then I think you should give it a shot,” Taemin piped in.
“And It’s not like you’re dating anyone right now,” Kangjoon added.
“Yeah, you should give it a go. I think you two would make a good couple,” Kihyun said with an encouraging smile—being the only person among his friends that had actually met the girl in question.
Minhyuk sat silently for a minute before looking back down at his phone. 22:38. The sudden realization that they were right hitting him. He didn’t have anything to lose by accepting Aerin. Downing the shot of soju in front of him, he stood abruptly and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair where he’d draped it a couple of hours earlier.
“I have to go,” he said hurriedly, clutching his phone in his hand. “I’ll see you guys on Monday.” He shrugged his coat on and practically ran out of the small shop. The four remaining men looked between each other with looks of mild surprise before shrugging and moving on to the next topic.
As he sat on the bus he stared out the window, trying to think about what to say to Aerin when he got to the station. His phone buzzing in his hand caught his attention and his heart flipped excitedly in his chest. Seolhyun’s picture and name popped up on the caller ID. Quickly he answered the phone.
“Hello?” he asked, pressing the device to his ear.
“Oppa…” Seolhyun said, her voice rough and wavering. It was obvious that she’d been crying. She sniffled and hiccupped around a sob. “Jooheon…. Jooheon… broke up with me,” she blubbered.
“What? Calm down,” he said. “What happened?”
Seolhyun took a deep breath before she spoke, trying to calm herself down, “W-we had a… fight and he… said that he was tired of me and he didn’t… want to… be with me anymore.” She managed to get that out around shuddering breaths and staggered sobs. “Oppa… Can you... come see me?” she hiccupped out.
“I…” He paused, thinking about what he should do.
“Please, oppa. I don’t want to be alone right now,” she said, calmer than she was a few moments before. Though she still sniffled and let out small whimpers every few seconds.
“Do you have any other friends to call?” he asked, knowing that Seolhyun didn’t have a whole lot of friends.
“They’re all studying for exams,” she said, whimpering.
He let out a heavy sigh and told her that he would be there in a while. He hung up and Seolhyun texted him an address. Looking at the time he calculated how long he thought it might take to deal with her and then get to the station. Quickly he sent a message to Aerin.
Then the question was: Could Minhyuk ever feel the same about her? In the past he would have been able to firmly say that he’d never feel that way about her. They grew up like siblings and siblings just didn’t think of each other that way. However, after what transpired between them in Busan, and over the subsequent years since, he wasn’t so sure. Although he’d been thinking about Seolhyun—and had the dozens of times they’d done anything after that—he still knew that it was Aerin’s body in his arms, reacting to each touch and kiss. However, the fact that he’d started feeling awkward around her and couldn’t bring himself to even look at her most of the time was that because he’d stopped thinking of her as just an older sister?
Sitting in a pub with his university friends, he participated minimally in the conversation going on around him—his mind continually being drawn back to Aerin. Early that morning she’d sent him a text telling him that she knew he had plans that day and that she would wait at the train station until midnight. If he was willing to give her a chance and to forget Seolhyun, then he could meet her there. If he wasn’t there by midnight she would take that as him rejecting her.
He looked at his phone. 22:31. He swirled the soju around in his shot glass and stared at the screen of his phone. He’d gone to Seolhyun’s instagram, which was nothing but pictures of herself, food, and pictures of her with Jooheon. He opened a recent picture of her and stared at it for a few moments, at least until Kihyun interrupted him.
“Who’s that?” he asked, being nosy. Minhyuk quickly hit the button on the side of his phone to lock it and smiled awkwardly.
“Just a friend from middle school,” he answered.
“Oh that reminds me,” Kihyun said suddenly, pulling out his phone. After a moment of fidgeting with it, he held it up for the others to see. Minhyuk also craned his head so he could see what was on the screen.
Lights flashed and all that could be heard was the thumping base of music as a video played. What appeared to be a mass of bodies dancing played on the small screen. It was hard to see what the point of the video was until the person recording—Kihyun—pushed through the crowd and stopped at a couple on the dance floor. Minhyuk immediately knew what he’d recorded as he watched himself, dressed as a woman, engaged in a fierce lip lock with his childhood friend.
“Woah, did you seriously catch two girls making out in a club?” the first of his friends, Kangjoon, asked with his honey colored eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. Kihyun laughed and shook his head.
“Not exactly, I caught Minhyuk making out with his ‘friend’ on Halloween,” Kihyun said, doing air quotes around the word friend. Minhyuk leaned back when he felt four pairs of eyes on him. He glanced between the faces of his friends and felt his face heat up.
“We need an explanation,” one of his friends, Hongbin, said.
“Yeah,” another, Taemin, agreed.
Minhyuk swallowed thickly and awkwardly smiled. “Um… it was in the heat of the moment?” he said, obviously unsure if they would accept that answer.
“Don’t lie,” Kihyun said, nudging him in the side. “It’s obvious that there’s something there,” he said, with a deviously cheeky smile. “Her friend told me that she’s definitely into you,” the cinnamon haired man said.
Minhyuk let out a nervous laugh and pushed Kihyun’s shoulder lightly. “What are you talking about? It’s not like that,” he said. However, despite the words that came out of his mouth, he knew the truth. Aerin was “into him”, as Kihyun had put it.
“Why not? It looks like you two have chemistry,” Hongbin said.
Minhyuk mulled Hongbin’s words over in his head. The way he felt when he was touching and kissing Aerin—or being touched and kissed by her—was exhilarating, however he’d always thought of Seolhyun. Was it because he thought of Seolhyun that it felt so good, or was it because his body was compatible with Aerin’s? And even if they were compatible, did that mean that he should—or even could—be attracted to Aerin?
“If there isn’t anything there now, then I think you should give it a shot,” Taemin piped in.
“And It’s not like you’re dating anyone right now,” Kangjoon added.
“Yeah, you should give it a go. I think you two would make a good couple,” Kihyun said with an encouraging smile—being the only person among his friends that had actually met the girl in question.
Minhyuk sat silently for a minute before looking back down at his phone. 22:38. The sudden realization that they were right hitting him. He didn’t have anything to lose by accepting Aerin. Downing the shot of soju in front of him, he stood abruptly and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair where he’d draped it a couple of hours earlier.
“I have to go,” he said hurriedly, clutching his phone in his hand. “I’ll see you guys on Monday.” He shrugged his coat on and practically ran out of the small shop. The four remaining men looked between each other with looks of mild surprise before shrugging and moving on to the next topic.
As he sat on the bus he stared out the window, trying to think about what to say to Aerin when he got to the station. His phone buzzing in his hand caught his attention and his heart flipped excitedly in his chest. Seolhyun’s picture and name popped up on the caller ID. Quickly he answered the phone.
“Hello?” he asked, pressing the device to his ear.
“Oppa…” Seolhyun said, her voice rough and wavering. It was obvious that she’d been crying. She sniffled and hiccupped around a sob. “Jooheon…. Jooheon… broke up with me,” she blubbered.
“What? Calm down,” he said. “What happened?”
Seolhyun took a deep breath before she spoke, trying to calm herself down, “W-we had a… fight and he… said that he was tired of me and he didn’t… want to… be with me anymore.” She managed to get that out around shuddering breaths and staggered sobs. “Oppa… Can you... come see me?” she hiccupped out.
“I…” He paused, thinking about what he should do.
“Please, oppa. I don’t want to be alone right now,” she said, calmer than she was a few moments before. Though she still sniffled and let out small whimpers every few seconds.
“Do you have any other friends to call?” he asked, knowing that Seolhyun didn’t have a whole lot of friends.
“They’re all studying for exams,” she said, whimpering.
He let out a heavy sigh and told her that he would be there in a while. He hung up and Seolhyun texted him an address. Looking at the time he calculated how long he thought it might take to deal with her and then get to the station. Quickly he sent a message to Aerin.
M: Something came up. Can you wait one more hour? I’ll definitely be there by 1.
A: You’re definitely going to be here?
M: I’ll definitely be there.
A: I’ll wait for you then.
Aerin couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her lips as she looked at the last message Minhyuk sent. He was going to meet her. She put her phone in her back pack and sat down on the nearest bench. Hugging her bag to her chest, she spent the following hours thinking about the trip she’d planned. Though she didn’t have anything extravagant in mind, she wanted a re-do of her time with Minhyuk in Busan. The entire trip two years before had mostly revolved around Seolhyun and Jooheon, so much so that—when someone even mentioned Busan—all she could think about was how miserable Minhyuk had been. This time she wanted to make nothing but good memories with him.
She’d planned on going to Busan whether Minhyuk showed up or not. If he showed up then they would make new, better memories, there. If he didn’t, then she would take the chance to try and forget her feelings for him by going back to the place where it all started.
As the minutes ticked closer and closer to 1 AM, she stood up and started pacing. Every footstep or slight noise she heard had her head jerking in the direction of the entrance to see if it was Minhyuk. However, it never was. At ten minutes past one o’clock she told herself that he was just running a little late—maybe the buses stopped running or he couldn’t catch a taxi. Aerin told herself that he would be there—because he said that he would be there. However, when thirty minutes passed and then another hour, she could feel the doubt creeping in. She’d tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. At one point she’d even fallen asleep on the bench and, when she opened her eyes it was a little before five in the morning.
She looked at her phone and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach when she saw that there weren’t any missed calls or texts from Minhyuk. Biting the inside of her lip, fighting back the tears, she shouldered her bag and made her way over to the teller to buy a ticket. The girl behind the counter gave her a pitying look as she handed her the ticket and her card back. Once she sat down in her seat on the train, she looked at the last message from Minhyuk again.
“I’ll definitely be there,” she said, swallowing thickly. Quickly she typed one final message to Minhyuk.
She’d planned on going to Busan whether Minhyuk showed up or not. If he showed up then they would make new, better memories, there. If he didn’t, then she would take the chance to try and forget her feelings for him by going back to the place where it all started.
As the minutes ticked closer and closer to 1 AM, she stood up and started pacing. Every footstep or slight noise she heard had her head jerking in the direction of the entrance to see if it was Minhyuk. However, it never was. At ten minutes past one o’clock she told herself that he was just running a little late—maybe the buses stopped running or he couldn’t catch a taxi. Aerin told herself that he would be there—because he said that he would be there. However, when thirty minutes passed and then another hour, she could feel the doubt creeping in. She’d tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. At one point she’d even fallen asleep on the bench and, when she opened her eyes it was a little before five in the morning.
She looked at her phone and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach when she saw that there weren’t any missed calls or texts from Minhyuk. Biting the inside of her lip, fighting back the tears, she shouldered her bag and made her way over to the teller to buy a ticket. The girl behind the counter gave her a pitying look as she handed her the ticket and her card back. Once she sat down in her seat on the train, she looked at the last message from Minhyuk again.
“I’ll definitely be there,” she said, swallowing thickly. Quickly she typed one final message to Minhyuk.
This is your answer then.
Minhyuk groaned as the sleep ebbed away from his mind. Slowly he opened his eyes, squinting as he looked around an unfamiliar bedroom. Then his eyes landed on a smooth back and a mass of black hair belonging to the woman next to him and all the memories from the previous night flooded back.
He’d gotten off at the next stop, once he ended the call with Seolhyun, and took a bus going in the opposite direction he’d originally been travelling. Once he reached Seolhyun’s neighborhood he followed the GPS to a park and immediately recognized the lone figure sitting on a swing. Minhyuk approached Seolhyun and sat on the other swing. For the following thirty minutes Seolhyun went over the entire situation with Jooheon, breaking out into fits of sobs and hiccups every few minutes. The ultimate conclusion that Minhyuk and Seolhyun came to was that things were over between her and Jooheon. For another twenty minutes after that he’d done his best to comfort her. When it seemed he’d managed to calm her down he offered to walk her home.
Though he was expecting to just drop her off at home and then leave, she’d grabbed his arm and asked him to stay with her until she fell asleep. Although he initially intended to decline, when she looked at him with her eyes full of tears and pleading with him, he didn’t have the heart to refuse her.
He followed her to her room and waited for her as she showered—using the time to message his friends to let them know he was going to meet Aerin. He even joked about how he’ll probably be a taken man the next time they saw him. However, when Seolhyun entered the room, Minhyuk’s jaw practically hit the floor. Clad in nothing but a towel, she stalked toward him. The young man couldn’t seem to get his body to make any sort of move until she was on his lap and staring into his eyes.
“Oppa, stay with me tonight…” she said, barely above a whisper as she closed the distance between their lips. The rest of the night they spent wrapped in each other’s embrace.
A wide smile slithered across his face as he rolled onto his back, staring up the ceiling. He looked around her room, which was decorated in pastel shades of pink, blue, and turquoise. Faintly he heard a buzzing sound and sat up, looking around until his eyes landed on his jacket—which had been abandoned on the floor the previous night. Being as quiet as possible, he slid out of bed. Putting his underwear and pants back on before he grabbed his jacket, he fished his phone out of the pocket and saw that he had fifteen missed calls and six unread messages. Five of the messages were from Kihyun, Taemin, Kangjoon, and Hongbin in the group chat.
He’d gotten off at the next stop, once he ended the call with Seolhyun, and took a bus going in the opposite direction he’d originally been travelling. Once he reached Seolhyun’s neighborhood he followed the GPS to a park and immediately recognized the lone figure sitting on a swing. Minhyuk approached Seolhyun and sat on the other swing. For the following thirty minutes Seolhyun went over the entire situation with Jooheon, breaking out into fits of sobs and hiccups every few minutes. The ultimate conclusion that Minhyuk and Seolhyun came to was that things were over between her and Jooheon. For another twenty minutes after that he’d done his best to comfort her. When it seemed he’d managed to calm her down he offered to walk her home.
Though he was expecting to just drop her off at home and then leave, she’d grabbed his arm and asked him to stay with her until she fell asleep. Although he initially intended to decline, when she looked at him with her eyes full of tears and pleading with him, he didn’t have the heart to refuse her.
He followed her to her room and waited for her as she showered—using the time to message his friends to let them know he was going to meet Aerin. He even joked about how he’ll probably be a taken man the next time they saw him. However, when Seolhyun entered the room, Minhyuk’s jaw practically hit the floor. Clad in nothing but a towel, she stalked toward him. The young man couldn’t seem to get his body to make any sort of move until she was on his lap and staring into his eyes.
“Oppa, stay with me tonight…” she said, barely above a whisper as she closed the distance between their lips. The rest of the night they spent wrapped in each other’s embrace.
A wide smile slithered across his face as he rolled onto his back, staring up the ceiling. He looked around her room, which was decorated in pastel shades of pink, blue, and turquoise. Faintly he heard a buzzing sound and sat up, looking around until his eyes landed on his jacket—which had been abandoned on the floor the previous night. Being as quiet as possible, he slid out of bed. Putting his underwear and pants back on before he grabbed his jacket, he fished his phone out of the pocket and saw that he had fifteen missed calls and six unread messages. Five of the messages were from Kihyun, Taemin, Kangjoon, and Hongbin in the group chat.
KH: Did you meet?
TM: You’re not replying. Are you doing something dirty?
HB: You’re the dirty one, Tae.
KJ: kkkk
TM: lol
TM: You’re not replying. Are you doing something dirty?
HB: You’re the dirty one, Tae.
KJ: kkkk
TM: lol
That’s when it dawned on him. He’d been on his way to meet Aerin before Seolhyun called him. His heart hammered in his chest as he went to his private chat with Aerin and saw the last unread message.
This is your answer then.
He looked at his missed calls and they were all from Aerin, scattered in two to three minute intervals starting after 1:30 am. Guilt fell on him like a ton of bricks as he scrambled to find his shirt—which had been tossed haphazardly onto Seolhyun’s desk chair. Using a notepad on her desk, and a pen, he scribbled a note for Seolhyun saying that something came up and he had to leave first.
Running as fast as he could, he made his way to the nearest main road and caught a taxi. Anxiously he bounced his leg and squeezed his phone between his hands. He’d tried calling Aerin, but it immediately went to voicemail. Sprinting up the stairs of Aerin’s apartment complex, completely out of breath when he reached her door, he rang the bell and pounded on the metal barricade. When there was no answer after a good minute of waiting, he punched in the code to her door only to find that she wasn’t there. He tried calling her again, which warranted the same results as before. He flopped down on the couch and he pressed the fleshy part of his palms to his eyes, trying to figure out where she could be.
In the midst of his pondering his phone rang. He jumped, almost expecting it to be Aerin. It was his mother. With a sigh he answered the call with, “Yeah, mom?”
“Hyuk-ah, I heard that you and Aerin-ah broke up! What happened?” his mother asked, disappointment in her voice.
“What?” Minhyuk asked.
“I just got off the phone with Aerin’s mom and she said that Aerin told her you two broke up,” she said.
Minhyuk stood up, “Is she at home?” he asked quickly.
“I don’t think so. Aerin’s mom said that Rin told her over the phone. She also said she was crying a lot. What did you do?” his mother asked, a scolding tone to her voice.
His entire body felt like it’d been doused in cold water and his heart felt tight in his chest. Tears even burned the back of his eyes as he sat back on the couch. “I messed up…” he said, his voice cracking.
“Son, what happened?” his mother asked, concern in her voice this time.
“It doesn’t matter…” he said, sighing. “If you hear anything about where she is, let me know.”
“Alright,” his mother said, a little confused but hung up.
He paced around her apartment trying to think of where she could have gone. In truth he hoped that she was just out shopping, but he knew that was unlikely when four hours passed and there was still no sign of her. Instead he got a text from Seolhyun.
Running as fast as he could, he made his way to the nearest main road and caught a taxi. Anxiously he bounced his leg and squeezed his phone between his hands. He’d tried calling Aerin, but it immediately went to voicemail. Sprinting up the stairs of Aerin’s apartment complex, completely out of breath when he reached her door, he rang the bell and pounded on the metal barricade. When there was no answer after a good minute of waiting, he punched in the code to her door only to find that she wasn’t there. He tried calling her again, which warranted the same results as before. He flopped down on the couch and he pressed the fleshy part of his palms to his eyes, trying to figure out where she could be.
In the midst of his pondering his phone rang. He jumped, almost expecting it to be Aerin. It was his mother. With a sigh he answered the call with, “Yeah, mom?”
“Hyuk-ah, I heard that you and Aerin-ah broke up! What happened?” his mother asked, disappointment in her voice.
“What?” Minhyuk asked.
“I just got off the phone with Aerin’s mom and she said that Aerin told her you two broke up,” she said.
Minhyuk stood up, “Is she at home?” he asked quickly.
“I don’t think so. Aerin’s mom said that Rin told her over the phone. She also said she was crying a lot. What did you do?” his mother asked, a scolding tone to her voice.
His entire body felt like it’d been doused in cold water and his heart felt tight in his chest. Tears even burned the back of his eyes as he sat back on the couch. “I messed up…” he said, his voice cracking.
“Son, what happened?” his mother asked, concern in her voice this time.
“It doesn’t matter…” he said, sighing. “If you hear anything about where she is, let me know.”
“Alright,” his mother said, a little confused but hung up.
He paced around her apartment trying to think of where she could have gone. In truth he hoped that she was just out shopping, but he knew that was unlikely when four hours passed and there was still no sign of her. Instead he got a text from Seolhyun.
S: Oppa… about last night...
Can we forget anything ever happened?
I was emotional
I wasn’t thinking clearly
Can we forget anything ever happened?
I was emotional
I wasn’t thinking clearly
He stared at the screen in disbelief, angry and hurt. his bottom lip, he tossed his phone to the side and hung his head over the back of the couch as he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose and then let it out slowly. Taking his phone in hand again, he quickly replied to the younger girl.
M: I was drunk so I don’t even really remember clearly
S: I’m glad. Still friends?
He would have scoffed at the girl’s audacity, but honestly he expected it from her. After all, she was the girl who—after he’d just confessed his feelings to her—asked him to help her get together with his friend.
M: Of course
He set his phone on the coffee table, causing it to clatter against the surface noisily. Laying across the cushions, he draped his arm over his eyes, feeling exhausted both physically and emotionally. Before he knew it he’d fallen asleep.
Aerin sighed as she stepped out of the elevator in her apartment complex. After walking along the beach and the markets in Busan—even stopping at the ice cream shop she and Minhyuk frequented during the Busan Sea Festival two years earlier—and then having to take a three hour train ride back to Seoul, she just wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep until Christmas. Ever since she’d talked to her mother earlier that morning, and sobbed as she told her that she and Minhyuk were over, she’d felt as though she was on the verge of tears all day. Though could she even say they were “over” when they’d never even really started in the first place?
Entering her apartment she slipped her shoes off and dropped her backpack on the floor next to the door. Noisily she dropped her keys onto the side table by the door and pushed the frosted glass slider to the side. She stopped in her tracks when she met eyes with none other than the person she wanted to see the least in that moment. Lee Minhyuk. Quickly she averted her eyes and made a beeline for her room, however Minhyuk cut her off. His hand was warm against her chilled skin.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, not looking at him.
“I was worried,” he replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you. Something came up and—” Minhyuk said, scrambling to explain, but Aerin pulled her wrist out of his grasp.
“You don’t have to explain or give me some excuse,” she said simply. “I get it, so you don’t need to say anything.”
“What exactly is it that you ‘get’?” he asked, following her as she walked into her room.
“You aren’t interested and you changed your mind,” she opened her dresser, having to put extra effort into her actions to not slam them open or closed as she grabbed more comfortable clothes to change into.
She moved to walk past him, but Minhyuk grabbed her arm. “That isn’t what happened,” he said.
“Okay, then why didn’t you meet me at the station?” she asked, lifting her head to look at him.
As he looked into her eyes, saw the glassy sheen of unshed tears in her eyes, guilt stabbed him in the gut. Now it was his turn to avoid her gaze as he thought of what he should say next. However, when he looked into her eyes again, he knew that no matter what he said there was no way of alleviating the pain she was going to feel.
“Last night, Seolhyun—“ the moment her name passed his lips realization filled her eyes. He didn’t need to say anymore, he knew it. She probably already had a very good idea what happened. “She called me because she broke up with Jooheon. I was just trying to comfort her, but…” he trailed off, not sure what else he could or should say.
“You slept together, right?” she asked. When he didn’t confirm or deny it and, instead, just stared at her with a guilty puppy dog look she had her answer. Ignoring the aching inside of her chest, she gave him her best smile—though she knew he wasn’t fooled in the least by her bravado. “Congratulations. Looks like your one-sided love won’t be one-sided anymore,” Aerin said.
“It didn’t mean anything,” he said. “I was drunk.”
“How can you say it didn’t mean anything? She’s the person you’ve loved for the last four years. I know it meant something to you,” she said, trying to twist her arm out of his grasp, but he held onto her firmly. As the elder struggled to get free, he jerked her to face him fully and took hold of her other arm—causing her to drop the clothes she’d had tucked against her chest.
“I’m telling you that it didn’t mean anything,” he insisted.
She let out a sigh before looking up at him. “Do you really expect me to believe that?” she asked. “I know you. Even if it didn’t mean anything to her it definitely meant something to you,” Aerin said.
“You’re right. It did mean something to me, but I’m tired of it,” he said. His vision blurred. “I should have ignored her and just gone to you. I was being stupid. I know that now. So help me,” the younger said, pleading with the elder. “Noona, help me.”
“If you seriously want to get over her, then I’ll help you,” she said, lifting her hand to push his fringe away from his forehead.
His bottom lip trembled as he pulled her into a tight hug, tears making hot tracks down his pale cheeks.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you, noona,” he said.
Aerin patted him on the back comfortingly. “It’s okay now,” she said softly. Though, after a couple of moments, she pulled back and looked up at him with pursed lips, “If we’re going to do this for real then can you call me by my name instead of ‘noona’?” she asked.
Minhyuk blinked at her, a little surprised. He could distinctly remember her telling him to call her ‘noona’ anytime he would call her by her name when they were growing up. He saw her cheeks begin to turn pink as she looked away from him awkwardly. He smiled and wiped his face before pulling her back into a tight hug.
“Sure thing, noona,” he said teasingly. She smacked him on the back, pouting.
“Aerin-ah,” she corrected.
“Noona,” Minhyuk said defiantly.
“Minhyuk-ah,” she said, whining.
“Aerin,” he said and she excitedly looked up at him, until the next word that came out of his mouth. “Noona.”
The woman gave the man a deadpan look and groaned, giving up. The younger smiled and took her face between his hands. “I’ll be in your care, Aerin-ah,” he said. The cheesiest smile spread across Aerin’s face as she flung herself against his chest.
“I’ll do my best!” she chirped.
With her face pressed against his chest, she couldn’t see the look of uncertainty on Minhyuk’s face, nor the doubt shining in his eyes.
Entering her apartment she slipped her shoes off and dropped her backpack on the floor next to the door. Noisily she dropped her keys onto the side table by the door and pushed the frosted glass slider to the side. She stopped in her tracks when she met eyes with none other than the person she wanted to see the least in that moment. Lee Minhyuk. Quickly she averted her eyes and made a beeline for her room, however Minhyuk cut her off. His hand was warm against her chilled skin.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, not looking at him.
“I was worried,” he replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you. Something came up and—” Minhyuk said, scrambling to explain, but Aerin pulled her wrist out of his grasp.
“You don’t have to explain or give me some excuse,” she said simply. “I get it, so you don’t need to say anything.”
“What exactly is it that you ‘get’?” he asked, following her as she walked into her room.
“You aren’t interested and you changed your mind,” she opened her dresser, having to put extra effort into her actions to not slam them open or closed as she grabbed more comfortable clothes to change into.
She moved to walk past him, but Minhyuk grabbed her arm. “That isn’t what happened,” he said.
“Okay, then why didn’t you meet me at the station?” she asked, lifting her head to look at him.
As he looked into her eyes, saw the glassy sheen of unshed tears in her eyes, guilt stabbed him in the gut. Now it was his turn to avoid her gaze as he thought of what he should say next. However, when he looked into her eyes again, he knew that no matter what he said there was no way of alleviating the pain she was going to feel.
“Last night, Seolhyun—“ the moment her name passed his lips realization filled her eyes. He didn’t need to say anymore, he knew it. She probably already had a very good idea what happened. “She called me because she broke up with Jooheon. I was just trying to comfort her, but…” he trailed off, not sure what else he could or should say.
“You slept together, right?” she asked. When he didn’t confirm or deny it and, instead, just stared at her with a guilty puppy dog look she had her answer. Ignoring the aching inside of her chest, she gave him her best smile—though she knew he wasn’t fooled in the least by her bravado. “Congratulations. Looks like your one-sided love won’t be one-sided anymore,” Aerin said.
“It didn’t mean anything,” he said. “I was drunk.”
“How can you say it didn’t mean anything? She’s the person you’ve loved for the last four years. I know it meant something to you,” she said, trying to twist her arm out of his grasp, but he held onto her firmly. As the elder struggled to get free, he jerked her to face him fully and took hold of her other arm—causing her to drop the clothes she’d had tucked against her chest.
“I’m telling you that it didn’t mean anything,” he insisted.
She let out a sigh before looking up at him. “Do you really expect me to believe that?” she asked. “I know you. Even if it didn’t mean anything to her it definitely meant something to you,” Aerin said.
“You’re right. It did mean something to me, but I’m tired of it,” he said. His vision blurred. “I should have ignored her and just gone to you. I was being stupid. I know that now. So help me,” the younger said, pleading with the elder. “Noona, help me.”
“If you seriously want to get over her, then I’ll help you,” she said, lifting her hand to push his fringe away from his forehead.
His bottom lip trembled as he pulled her into a tight hug, tears making hot tracks down his pale cheeks.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you, noona,” he said.
Aerin patted him on the back comfortingly. “It’s okay now,” she said softly. Though, after a couple of moments, she pulled back and looked up at him with pursed lips, “If we’re going to do this for real then can you call me by my name instead of ‘noona’?” she asked.
Minhyuk blinked at her, a little surprised. He could distinctly remember her telling him to call her ‘noona’ anytime he would call her by her name when they were growing up. He saw her cheeks begin to turn pink as she looked away from him awkwardly. He smiled and wiped his face before pulling her back into a tight hug.
“Sure thing, noona,” he said teasingly. She smacked him on the back, pouting.
“Aerin-ah,” she corrected.
“Noona,” Minhyuk said defiantly.
“Minhyuk-ah,” she said, whining.
“Aerin,” he said and she excitedly looked up at him, until the next word that came out of his mouth. “Noona.”
The woman gave the man a deadpan look and groaned, giving up. The younger smiled and took her face between his hands. “I’ll be in your care, Aerin-ah,” he said. The cheesiest smile spread across Aerin’s face as she flung herself against his chest.
“I’ll do my best!” she chirped.
With her face pressed against his chest, she couldn’t see the look of uncertainty on Minhyuk’s face, nor the doubt shining in his eyes.
AUTHOR'S WORDS
Chapter Six! I wrote this all yesterday, but my internet was being stupid, so I wasn't able to upload it when I finished. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Also, I want to make note of something that I forgot to do in the last chapter.
The legal drinking age in Korea is 19 (internationally) or 20 (Korean Age). To my understanding, the year that a Korean person turns 19 (internationally) they are able to drink and buy cigarettes, even if it's before the actual date of their birthday (if this is wrong, then please correct me ^^. This is just how I understand it from what I've seen and read in articles). So, Minhyuk drinking in the previous chapter, even though he was still technically 18, wouldn't actually have been illegal (because by Korean Age, he is 20 years old). Hope that clears up any confusion ^^.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did I hope you will consider supporting me through AFF's crowdfunding feature (which you can join by clicking the green button that says 'Join BloodyRavens's Crowdfund' at the top of this chapter).
Thank you for reading!
The legal drinking age in Korea is 19 (internationally) or 20 (Korean Age). To my understanding, the year that a Korean person turns 19 (internationally) they are able to drink and buy cigarettes, even if it's before the actual date of their birthday (if this is wrong, then please correct me ^^. This is just how I understand it from what I've seen and read in articles). So, Minhyuk drinking in the previous chapter, even though he was still technically 18, wouldn't actually have been illegal (because by Korean Age, he is 20 years old). Hope that clears up any confusion ^^.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did I hope you will consider supporting me through AFF's crowdfunding feature (which you can join by clicking the green button that says 'Join BloodyRavens's Crowdfund' at the top of this chapter).
Thank you for reading!
Mood : Sleepy▪ Eargasm : James Lee - The Light ▪ Eyecandy : Minhyuk
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