-Baekhyun’s POV-

“What are you doing here and why do you look like you’re choking on something sour?” I asked Aerin without pause when she suddenly entered the room, holding a pillow and a blanket. Upon closer inspection, I saw that she looked torn between crying and laughing. Pure hysteria was written in every move she did, even with the way she held onto the door. I watched as she took several steps in a hurry then began crawling halfway towards me and Suho hyung, burying her head between the pillow and the blanket and settled right in between us, looking crazy in every sense of the word.

Suho hyung sighed. “Did something happen again?”

She didn’t move and just lay on her stomach like she was dead or something.

“Aerin-ah!” Suho hyung called.

She stirred a bit and we saw her gesticulating with her shoulders, her head still buried under the covers.

I gave her a gentle shove. “Yah! Get a hold of yourself.”

To our surprise, she removed the blanket, kicking it harshly away and shrugged, looking dejected. Suho hyung eyed her with concern as her eyes filled with tears.

“You’re not fine,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “That’s like the understatement of the year. She’s a complete mess.”

Hyung slid across, sitting beside her. He then tucked away some stray hair from her face. “What is it, love?” he asked her gently.

She tried to smile. “I need a hug.”

“Hug?” I repeated with inflection. What did she need a hug for?

“Yeah,” she answered, her voice cracking. “I need a hug.”

Without any moment’s hesitation, Suho hyung and I rushed to her side and gave her what she wanted. Well, it wasn’t really a hug since I just wrapped my arms around her right arm while she leaned her head on Suho hyung’s shoulder as he tapped hers.

“What happened?” hyung asked her.

She began sniffing then and just like that, the tears she had been keeping in fell down her face.

“Aigoo, the princess is crying. What’s wrong?” I cooed, helping her wipe her face.

She shook her head. “Nothing. I just feel happy.”

“Happy?” Suho hyung arched a brow at her. “Then why are you crying like this?”

“I don’t know. I don’t deserve this, but I’m really lucky,” she said in between sobs.

“What?”

“Whatever it is, you’ve been a good person as far as we’re all concerned. Stop being so hard on yourself,” I told her.

“No, I don’t.” She smiled bitterly then.

I sighed. “What happened?”

“S-sehun and Chan Yeol…”

I narrowed my eyes at her “Did those two try to do something again?” I demanded. I’m aching to pummel them both on the head.

She shook her head. “No. It’s not like that. I…I just happened to hear…” her voice trailed off.

“Hear what?” Suho hyung prompted her, looking pained. I’m sure I looked the same. No one of us could stand Aerin when she was being like that.

“They were both talking about how they felt about me while I pretended to be asleep…”

“And?”

“It makes me feel guilty.”

I frowned. “Guilty? I’m sure they said they both loved you. They wouldn’t really go to the extent of breaking their friendship if it’s otherwise.”

She broke free from us. “That’s exactly what makes it so hard. I don’t know what to do. When Chan Yeol asked me to choose a roommate last night, it almost tore on my guts and after knowing the extent of it for myself, it’s just impossible for me to hurt any one of them by choosing. Sometimes, I wish I haven’t met them.”

Suho hyung gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re naturally smart. You’ll know what to do.”

Aerin shook her head. “On the contrary.”

“You shouldn’t make this so hard for the three of you. You’d better choose one or make this carry on longer. Either way, you’ll hurt one of them, but that’s just the way things are. It’s not like it’s the first time it’s ever happening in the human existence. Some situations are worse, mind you, love.”

“Oppa~!” she whined more.

Suddenly, an idea hatched itself in my mind. “What if you don’t choose?”

Suho hyung made a face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Keep no one.” I received a smack on the forehead right after I said that, courtesy of Suho hyung. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Are you mad?” hyung chastised me. “That’s impossible!”

Aerin stayed quiet.

“For sure she has a choice in mind.” He shifted his attention to her. “Right, Aerin?”

She grimaced.

“Come to think of it, who is it that you favor more?” I asked. We didn’t know that for sure. It was true that she lived with Sehun, but she had this rather hostile relationship with him at times, but nevertheless, he still showed his affection to her with the zeal of a Visigoth. Chan Yeol had been quite persistent and as far as we were concerned, their relationship was quite good. Hyung and I looked at her and her eyes began to water again.

“Mollayo!” she sulked.

I panicked when she took the pillow again and began whining. “Uljima,” I cooed, taking her hands and squeezing them lightly.

“Kwon Aerin,” Suho hyung said.

“Mm?”

“Sit down properly and stop griping. That won’t solve anything. I reckon you came here to ask for advice,” he told her sternly.

I swatted his hand in her defense. “You’re too harsh on her!”

“I’m not. I’m merely stating fact,” he told me then looked at Aerin. “Aerin!”

She straightened up slowly, hugging her knees while keeping the pillow in her hands. “What?”

“How does Chan Yeol make you feel?” he asked without preamble, making my jaw drop literally.

Aerin frowned. “Chan Yeol?” she said thoughtfully. “Happy.”

Suho hyung snorted then made a face. “Care to explain more elaborately?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. He never fails to make me laugh.”

“I don’t