Chapter 21. Sacrifices

Yesterday is a lucky day for Nichkhun because he got a time to be with Yuri alone but it somehow hurt him to see her being sad so he called the person who makes her cry, Krystal. She asked her to meet up with him. He wants to know why she is doing that to Yuri.

Nichkhun arrived there first before Krystal. She entered the said place with a good mood.

“Khun, what are we going to talk?” Krystal asked while taking her seat. “Do we have to do another project? Is there another photoshoot?” She asked excitedly.

“Ahmm, Krys, I did not call you to talk about work.”

She showed him a curious expression. “What? Then what are we going to talk then?”

“It’s about Yuri.” Krystal’s happy face changed into a serious one like she’s very annoyed hearing that name.

“What about her? Am I required to hear that name always?” She released a deep sigh and rolled her eyes.

“Why are you doing this to her? Why do you hate her so much?” Nichkhun controlled his temper and asked her nicely.

“Do I need to answer that? Well, if you want to know... I really hate her--- very much, because everyone loves her especially Minho. I want him back… And I can’t do that with her by his side… Look, I’m not just doing this for myself but it’s for you too. You love her, right? Why don’t you just thank me rather than questioning me?" She stood up from her seat. "I’ll go now Khun, see you at Sica’s party and don’t forget to bring her with you.” Krystal left him dumbfounded. He knows that it’s all wrong but a half of him tells that Krystal’s right. All he knew is he loves her and willing to sacrifice everything, including his friendship with Minho, just to make her happy.

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Minho is super upset on what’s happening now. He always goes to a bar to drink and to somehow forget the pain that he’s feeling right now. He was already used to situation like this that someone always leaving him but it’s the most painful one for him. Maybe because Yuri was the one who puts color into his colorless world and the one who gave meaning to his life but now it is slowly fading and slowly going back to a meaningless world. He goes back to his old routine. Lately, he always gets angry in his employees, making mistakes in his report, and drowns himself with liquor afterwards.

“What did I do for you to stay away from me, Yuri?” Minho keeps on talking to himself. “Tell me, Hickk.” He keeps on hiccupping because he is so drunk; his head falls on the table that made a loud bang. The bartender tried to wake him up but he is not responding.

~At Yuri’s home

Yuri had fallen asleep on the table while making some reports. She is awakened by the ring of her phone. She grabbed it and answered it without looking who is calling.

“Yoboseyo?” She asked.

“Hello? Yuri—ssi?” The guy asked on the other line.

“Ne. Who’s this calling?”

“I’m Jonghyun, the bartender in SHINee Bar. Do you know the guy who owns this phone? He’s really drunk right now.” Yuri looked at the caller ID, its Minho’s number. “He keeps on saying your name and you’re number 1 in his speed dial so you’re the one I contacted.” He explained.

“Yeah. I know him… I’ll be there any minute.” Yuri really felt worried after that call and immediately headed to that place without asking what happended.

~At Shinee Bar

Yuri saw Minho sleeping helplessly on the table. His face looks haggard. She walks towards the guy whom she guessed the one who called her earlier.

“Excuse me.” She approached the bartender.

“Oh, you must be Yuri. You look like the girl on his phone screensaver.”

“Ne, I’m Yuri. Could you tell me what happened?” She’s surprised to hear that but she casually answered him and asked him to tell the story.

“He’s been here already 7:00 in the evening.” Yuri looked at her watch. It’s already 9:30 pm, so he’s been drinking for more than two hours. She looked at him worriedly. “Actually, these past few days he’s been our regular customer but he’s not as drown as this time. He can manage to walk by himself. I think he has a big problem right now.” She felt guilty for what happened; she knows it’s her fault.

‘Please don’t do this to yourself, Minho. Don’t waste your life because of me.’ She said in her thoughts while looking at him. “Thanks to your help. I’ll take care of him.” She thanked the guy. “Minho? Minho, wake up!” She tapped his arm trying to wake him up. He groans, and slowly opened his eyes, half asleep.

“Yuri!” He mumbled softly just enough to be heard by her but he closed his eyes and goes back to sleep after that, like nothing happened. She doesn’t know what to do with him anymore. She doesn’t know how to drive and he’s heavy for her to carry him going to his car. She bits her lower lip while thinking some ideas, she first think to call Nichkhun, but she remembered they’re not in good condition right now. Sooyoung’s name then flashed, she knows how to drive but she’s going to throw her a lot of questions. Then, Donghae’s name appeared on her mind.

“Right! Donghae!” She called him to ask some help. After a few minutes Donghae arrived on the said bar.

“Yul. What happened to him?” Referring to Minho. “Why did he drink like this?”

“Please ask me after helping me to get him in his car.” Donghae just nodded and put Minho’s arm on his shoulder while the other one is on Yuri’s. As they reached the car, he repeated his question.

"Now tell me, what happened to him? Why did he drunk so much?" Yuri doesn’t want to talk about this anymore but Donghae is her good friend and maybe it's alright if she would share a little to him.

"Ahmm. Hae, promise me not to tell anyone." she asked a favor before she starts to share and he promised. "I like him, I really do but..." she paused for a moment while Donghae is patiently waiting. "But... But there are more important things rather than what I feel. We just can't be together.” This statement of her made him more puzzled. He wants to throw another question regarding this but he can feel that she's struggling right now so he thinks it’s better for him not to know much.

"Where am I going to take him?" He asked.

"Oppa. Can you take him with you?" His eyes widened to what she asked.

"What?! Yul, you know we're just staying in our shop and its--" He haven't finish talking when Yuri talks again.

"Please, oppa." She's very special to him so he can't say no to her.

"Okay fine. You know I really can't say no to you. If you're just not my friend, I will not do this." Yuri gave him a big smile and a hug like she’s very thankful for having a friend like him.

"What am I going to say if he woke up?" Yuri paused for a while to think.

"Just make an alibi just don't tell him that I've been here."

"Yul, you know that I'm not good at it... But I'll try."

"Thanks again, oppa."

Donghae send Yuri home with the use of Minho’s car, then brought him on his shop and let him slept on their couch.

~The Next day

Minho feels a little bit dizzy. He holds his head and opened his eyes slowly. As his eyes are fully opened, he wonders where he is, this place is so unfamiliar to him, and it’s so small but very tidy. He heard a giggle, so he looked to where it is coming from. He saw a little boy who keeps laughing at him; he’s about 5-6 years old. He stared at him intensely like he’s going to eat him. The boy got scared and runs to call Donghae.

“Hyunggg!” Shouted by the child while running outside the door. He didn’t intended to scare the child, he is just surprised to be in a place that he doesn’t know and trying to remember how did he gets here. After a few minutes the child came back with a guy, and it’s Donghae. Minho is surprised to see him.

“Look hyung, the guy is already awake and he is so scary.” The boy keeps on dragging his long sleeve and hid behind him. Donghae kneeled and looked at him.

“Don’t be scared, Taemin-ah. He’s not a bad guy. He’s a friend of Yuri noona, remember her?” He tries to convince Taemin, his 6-year-old nephew, his elder sister’s son, Boa. He is used to call him hyung because Donghae said he’s too young to be an uncle. Boa left Taemin to him 2 years ago to work abroad, to provide their needs.

“Yuri noona? The beautiful friend of yours? The one who came here the other day and gave me chocolate?” Taemin asked innocently.

“Ne… Now go, take a bath and I will send you to your school.” Taemin nodded and follows his order. He then faced Minho as Taemin lost from his sight. “How are you?”

“How did I get here?” Minho asked him confusingly. Donghae recalled what Yuri had told him last night. ‘Just make an alibi.’

“Ahmm. I saw you at the bar last night. The bartender doesn’t know where to take you and since you’re Yuri’s friend, I volunteered to help you.” He tried to speak naturally but Minho is too clever to be fooled like that. The workers don’t let their customers to entrust to someone that had just said that he knows you without any proof especially when he’s fully drunk, so he’s not convinced to him at all.

“Thanks for helping me but…” He looked at him suspiciously which made him uncomfortable. “…but try to make a convincing alibi next time. Did Yuri call you to help me?” Donghae laughed to himself ‘cause he’s not good at making alibis at all. Minho is too smart for this so he doesn’t have any choice but to tell him.

“Okay, you got me. I’ll tell you the truth and what I know… The bartender called Yuri last night using your phone and she came. She doesn’t know how to drive a car, so she called me for help and asked me to bring you with me.” Donghae explained to him.

“And ask you not to tell me?” He nodded to his question. “Why does she want to hide it? Why does she keep on avoiding me?”

“Don’t ask me that, I don’t know either, maybe it’s better you asked her yourself… I know she cares for you even she didn’t tell me, maybe there’s a deep reason behind why she’s doing it. But I’ll tell you, Minho, don’t make it hard for her and for yourself… Just give her time to think… You need to sacrifice.” Minho laughed sarcastically to the last word he said, ‘Sacrifice’.

“Sacrifice? Huh, what do you know about sacrifice?!” Minho stood from his seat and louden his voice a little bit. Donghae looked at the floor and begun to talk again.

“I did know about sacrifice because I did that before. I sacrificed love over friendship.” He looked at Minho, who took a seat like he’s willing to hear it before he continued his story. “Yuri didn’t know about it until now… I was once fall in love with her but all she knew I was in love with her sister, Yoona. Yeah, I did fall in love with her, but it’s too late, she died early. Yuri just treated me as her best friend or a brother and I don’t want to lose her, and our relation to be changed so I sacrificed… Since then, I already accepted the fact that she can’t give me the same love that I gave to her and now I learned to look to others too… and maybe you can also do that. And as what others said, ‘Wait for the right time’.” Minho just smirked to the last phrase he had said.

“We’re different. At least, you knew the reason why you need to sacrifice, but me? I knew nothing… And I also believe, as what others said--‘Time is gold’.” Donghae just kept silent. Yeah, Minho does have a point, time is very important so we should used it before it's too late.

~ At Minho’s Place

Minho went home already. He lied down on his bed after taking a bath, having a thought of what Donghae said earlier.

“Sacrifice? Give her time? What if I do that found out that it’s too late?” He covered his face with his hands. “Why are you doing this to me, Yuri?” After a few minutes, he heard the doorbell. He got up from his bed to see who it is. He saw Krystal’s face on the screen and pressed the talk button.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just want to give you something.” He opened the door but he did not let her in, he goes out instead.

“What are you going to give me?”

“Are you not going to let me in first?” Krystal uttered. Minho just looked at him, didn’t said anything. “Okay, if you don’t want to. I just want to give this invitation for Jessica unnie’s party. It’s this coming Sunday. I hope you’ll come.”

“Why would I go, if I could only see you?” Minho said harshly.

“Ouch! Your words always hurt me… By the way Nichkhun will be there.” Minho shows no interest to hear about it. “…with Yuri.” She added. As he heard her name, it seems like he heard a bang in his ear that made him look at her. “Now, you’re interested… Just go to the party if you want.” She handed him the invitation. “But I suggest you should come… Bye Minho, see you there.” She then left after that.

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Nichkhun sent Yuri home after asking her out and have a dinner together. It’s been two days since he found out that the girl from the past is the same girl standing in front of her. The only problem is that she’s still the same from the past few days, she laughs less, she smiles less and talks less, a really different Yuri for what he have known but he’s feelings towards her doesn’t changed at all. They talked first before saying goodbyes to each other.

“Sica’s party is this coming Sunday, right? Are you coming?”

“Ahm. I don’t know but I guess not.” She said softly.

“Why not? You should come. Come with me please. I know you don’t want to see her…” referring to Krystal. “… but don’t worry I will not let her to hurt you. Will you go with me?” Yuri looked unto his eyes; she remembered he has done a lot for her, so maybe it’s time for her to give back.

“Okay.” He smiled widely as she said yes while she forced to smile. He looked at her a few seconds before he speaks again.

“You know what, Yul, I’m happy to know that it was you all along.” He’s referring to the girl in his past. Yuri looked to the ground when she heard about it. “Are you not happy to know that it was me?” Nichkhun blurted out.

“H-huh? Of course I’m happy. It’s just that I’m thinking other things lately. I’m sorry for making you feel that way.” She tried to explain it to him.

“No, it’s okay. I understand. I’m sorry too for asking you like that.” He stared at her deeply then hugs her. She just let them stay like that and closed her eyes. She’s very thankful that there’s someone who comforts her in her tough times besides Donghae, someone like Nichkhun, who’s been true to her all this time.

‘I’m sorry, Yul… I’m sorry for lying to you. I know it’s so wrong but I just love you. I know I’m becoming selfish but I’m willing to sacrifice my friendship with Minho over my love to you. I hope you’ll forgive me for what I did and love me back the way I love you. ' Nichkhun said in his thoughts.

to be continued...

End of Chapter 21. I know it’s been a long time since I last updated, but here it is now. This chapter is all about sacrifices. It’s a big revelation from Donghae, who sacrifices his love towards Yuri over friendship while Minho still wants an answer and Nichkun’s willingness to sacrifice his friendship just to get Yuri’s love. What will happen to them? Find out in the next chapters.

Note: MinYul moments comes nearer so just wait for it.. ^__^

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