Sun Mi pondered over her thoughts with eyes that vigilantly studied me like I was a peculiar animal eating a bowl of ramen. She had been suspecting that a problem aroused from the moment I texted her if I could stay at her place over the night. But I refused to talk for the sole reason that I found no sense in talking about it. I was angry, misunderstood and somewhat embarrassed and was no mood to talk about Kris or anything related to that matter.

However, Sun Mi refused to go back to bed and stayed with me on the couch, mindlessly looking at the early morning news break.

When I couldn’t take her staring any longer, I looked up from my noodles and faced her. “Aren’t you sleepy?”

“My boss yelled at me, there was a problem at the office and I still have an important meeting in,” she glanced at the wall clock “five hours but I look like I’m in a much happier land than you are,”

I contorted my face to show off a much joyful expression on which I failed badly. No matter how good I was in pretending, I couldn’t hide how much I was affected with what Kris thought of my “concern”. Pity, he said. If I wasn’t having feelings for Kris, that wouldn’t have affected me at all. I wouldn’t care if people misjudge me or misunderstands my intentions of kindness for shallow and heartless ones but with Kris, it was different.

Kris’ mind was corrupted by alcohol. He drank so much—too much. And I didn’t want to start a quarrel with him so leaving him in my house was the only thing I could think of. I could imagine him, probably passed out on the couch and he’d be like a lost child when he wakes up—confused and could hardly remember anything.

But even though I was aware that he was drunk, still, I felt cross.

“By the way, aren’t you going to see Tao off? Isn’t he leaving today?” Sun Mi brought up.

I placed the bowl down, startled at the fact that I almost forgot and at the reality which was my life would be missing one piece of it starting today.

“I am. How did you know?” I asked. I thought I was the only one who knew aside from Baekhyun.

“Tao might have slipped while talking to Chanyeol,” she explained. “They’ve grown quite close,”

“Speaking of Chanyeol, can I borrow your phone?”

Sun Mi hesitantly passed it on to me. “Why?”

“Um…mine’s dead,” I scratched the nape of my neck.

When Sun Mi left to wash up, I immediately called Chanyeol’s number and he answered with much enthusiasm thinking it was Sun Mi at the other end of the line. He only laughed in embarrassment once I replied an innocent “Huh” to his cheerful “Good morning babe”.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure. Anything,” he replied.

I asked him to come by my house and when he asked why, I tried different excuses to slip from the question. Those excuses worked and he promised to drop by as soon as possible with enthusiasm. 

As much as I was irritated with Kris, still I couldn’t deny the worry I’ve been feeling the moment I left the house. It had only grown bigger as time passed by.

Remembering that Kris would be in hangover the moment he woke up, I sent a quick text to Chanyeol to buy coffee for Kris and promising I’d pay him when I get the chance.

I finished my bowl of ramen before deciding to wash up and wait till Kris and Chanyeol left my house so I could take a bath and change from my almost day old clothes. I still had enough time to do all those stuff and even drop by the coffee shop to lend Kai some help before I head to the airport.

Kris’ POV

Crying; I remember crying…and shouting. But everything else seemed like a dream that was too horrifying to be true. I recalled talking without thinking of what I was saying and a disheartened girl trying to fight back tears. But she couldn’t keep them back; she was so hurt so she left. And when I was left in silence, it was only then that I realized I’ve wounded her. But it was too late to change everything and too impossible to reverse time.

Was it just a dream?

I couldn’t remember.

Every time I tried to, a shot of pain crawled all over my head.

The knocking sounds weren’t helping either.

It took me a while to realize that the knocking was not part of my dream but was actually happening in reality. And I found myself lying down on the floor, sore all over.

I opened my eyes, carefully, and propped myself using my elbows. I waited for my vision to clear as it adjusted to the bright light that seeped through the open blinds of the window and the fluorescent lamp that was lit above me.

When I did get my vision back, I couldn’t recognize where I was. I looked around, slowly, and tried to take in everything that surrounded me. They were not Chanyeol’s couches, not Chanyeol’s red wall clock and definitely not his condominium.

Still trying to regain memories of last night, I stood up, wobbling and needed to lean on anything stable for support while I walked to the door.

I was startled to see Chanyeol’s face when I opened the door.

“Chanyeol,”

“Woah. What happened to your face?” Chanyeol asked.

“I…don’t know,” I admitted.

He stepped inside, scanning the house quickly. “Where’s Bo Mi?” Chanyeol’s hair bounced as he made a turn.

Bo Mi.

"This is the thank you I get for running three hours straight looking for you nearly freezing in the cold,”

I could only stare with my mouth open as everything flooded back in like the tide. Every word I said, every action I made and every tear that fell from Bo Mi’s eyes last night.

I would blame it on the alcohol that pulsed in my veins last night for making me someone I fear I would never become in front of her, my alter ego whom I tried to keep for all these years but I couldn’t. Half of it was my fault. I wasn’t the nice person everyone thought I really was. I’m not Kris when I’m drunk. That’s why I haven’t been drinking…until last night.

Chanyeol snapped his fingers. “Hey. You okay?”

“Where’s Bo Mi?” I asked.

“Wasn’t I asking the same thing?” He chuckled. “Aren’t you with her?”

I shook my head.

He pouted his lips. “Well, she told me to pick you up and…give you this,” Chanyeol took out a paper cup from a paper bag.

The warmness of the cup and the familiar aroma could only be coffee’s. People drink coffee after drinking to lessen the hangover that would quickly follow the moment they become sober and after everything I did and said to her last night, she still thought about me. She was still worried about me. While me being the jerk I really am didn’t even follow her out the door.

I furiously messed my hair causing alarm in Chanyeol. “What’s wrong? Did…something happen?”

Sitting down, I told Chanyeol everything—at least those I recalled. I hesitated once I arrived at the part where I began talking garbage at her that weren’t even supported by facts. I accused her of pitying me and faking getting worried without being sure if I was right. But I defended myself in front of Chanyeol, reminding him of my drunken state last night.

“You messed up,” Chanyeol concluded.

“I was just so…miserable that night,” I ran my hands through my hair, grasping a bundle of my brown locks. “It was just so hard for me to accept that I lost the only girl whom I think I have ever loved seriously,”

Suddenly, Chanyeol spoke again. “Wait let me rephrase,” I looked up. “You messed up…big time,”

“Huh?”

He started chuckling, shaking his head and making tsk sounds that only disheartened me more. What more could I have done? How much damage have I created by being irrational and drunk?

Chanyeol leaned forward, large eyes staring directly to mine. “I talked to Tao yesterday night when I visited Baekhyun. The poor boy was staring at space even if Baekhyun was nagging him to fix his luggage,”

The mention of Tao’s name made me wince. “And I need to know this because?”

Again, Chanyeol shook his head mumbling how unbelievable I was to him.

He leaned back on the couch this time with a more serious expression. “Bo Mi dumped him…for you,”

i promise to make the last chapter long c: