-Sehun’s POV-

Monday. It’s the beginning of yet another week of coping.

It had been such a burdensome weekend and the fact that it had been the celebration of my birthday made no difference. Everything went to a dismal turn from that fateful night. The others didn’t fail to notice how off the dinner was, especially Suho hyung. Aerin had been acting casually. I couldn’t blame her. She knew nothing, but all the thoughts that I have been concentrating on since I’ve heard her talking to Hee Jin changed when we couldn’t find her the next morning. We were all just preparing for breakfast, packing our stuff for our trip back to Seoul when D.O. hyung noticed that she was missing. The part of me that wanted to go looking for her dominated, of course, and Chan Yeol hyung was just as frantic, but then, Suho hyung informed us that she went ahead at dawn, claiming to have a ton of homework to do.

I had every reason to believe that Suho hyung knew something about it, but I didn’t have the guts to ask him, dreading the thought of having yet another friend in bad terms with me. Still, I couldn’t get the thought off my head that there was something more to what we’ve heard than what she really let on. When they all came back from the spring Saturday night, I’ve noticed that she had been crying again. She went to sleep in the room the three of us shared or so I thought. I then saw her sitting at the far corner, sobbing quietly when she thought Chan Yeol and I were sleeping.  I didn’t know what he thought of it, but I knew he was just wallowing in the pain that she had caused both of us. I wanted to ask Hee Jin, but she had always been sticking to Kai and I never got the chance.

I got up and heard the sound of clattering from underneath the room and I figured that Aerin was already awake, probably preparing for school. I went to shower, thinking of what to say to her. We’ve never spoken since I’ve gotten home as she wasn’t at the house when I arrived. I went out to check on Chan Yeol hyung after arriving and when I came back home, she was already asleep. She never answered any of the calls we’ve made the previous day and simply sent a message to Suho hyung that she got safely home. That was the last of it. While I showered, I heard the door to the bedroom open. Footsteps followed that and then the door slammed close again.

I quickly changed into my uniform and hurriedly went downstairs while she was still home, but when I got there, I saw ahjumma in the kitchen while she sat by the counter, about to take a bite form her toast. She looked haggard as if she hadn’t been sleeping at all.

“Are you sick?” her mother asked her and she shook her head.

“Aniyo. I’m perfectly fine,” she answered, sounding lifeless.

Ahjumma frowned. “Are you sure? Don’t you hurt anywhere?”

She exhaled in exasperation. “Umma, I said I’m fine.”

Just then, ahjumma turned around and saw me, her expressions turning from that of concern to surprise. “Oh, good morning Sehun. How was your night?”

I bowed slightly as I entered the kitchen, setting my backpack on the counter in front of Aerin. I eyed her briefly then, but she refused to meet my gaze, staring at the counter top as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Her hands were clenched into fists, but she was quick to withdraw them, grabbing her own bag as she stood up.

“I slept well, thank you. When did you arrive?” I asked ahjumma, trying to make the mood lighter.

She smiled at me. “Just last night.” She glanced at Aerin and I knew immediately what she meant and I shook my head.

“Umma,” she said, interrupting our conversation, standing by the counter as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“Yes, honey?”

“I’m going ahead,” she said flatly then nodded briefly at me, about to turn around.

“Uh-uh! Where do you think you’re going? It’s not even seven,” ahjumma said and Aerin stopped dead on her tracks, slowly turning around.

“I need to meet some group mates for my first class since I wasn’t able to do that last Saturday,” she countered.

“Oh.”

“Can I go now?” she asked a bit too harshly so her mother just nodded and she was off. I heard the door slam loudly and ahjumma just shook her head, picking up her coffee mug as she sat down.

“Uh, ahjumma, just wait,” I told her then followed Aerin out. When I got there, she was already at the end of the driveway, hastening her pace when she heard the door open.

“Aerin!” I called, but she pretended not to hear anything and continued walking in her rather agitated pace towards the corner street. Seeing no point in chasing after her, I went back into the house, startled when I met ahjumma in the foyer.

She eyed me seriously. “Did something happen in Uijeongbu?”

I shook my head. She wasn’t in any position to be acting all miserable when she should be the one being jovial for making me and Chan Yeol hyung suffer. If she was truly toying with us then I should be the one in such a foul mood, not her. “I don’t think so.”

Ahjumma smiled hopelessly. “She had been behaving oddly since she woke up this morning.”

I glanced at the direction of the door. “She must still be tired from the trip.”

“Probably.”

I patted ahjumma’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll look after her. She’ll come around later.”

She just nodded and went back to the