It was the weekend and normally Lila liked sleeping in on a weekend, since that’s what normal college kids do. It had been a week since she was home from the hospital and life was slowly starting to get back to normal. A new person had moved next door in what was Eunji’s old apartment and Lila kind of wondered what happened to Eunji. It was like she left without a trace and normally those people would be back after a while.

            However, a loud knocking on her door woke Lila up and slightly angry, but keeping her nice face on, Lila went to the door to answer it. “It’s the weekend and you’re banging on my door?” Lila angrily asked as she quickly opened the door, to find a bright Sandeul smiling back at her.

            “Well…you look different than what I remember,” Sandeul said as he looked at Lila’s morning appearance. He used to always visit her home before in the morning on weekends when they were dating and she was always dressed in cute pajamas with her hair tied up and a cute sleepy face on, but the image in front of him wasn’t anything like what he remembered.

            The person in front of Sandeul was dressed in short shorts with a t-shirt on and hair that was all messed up. It wasn’t anything like the Lila that he used to know, but he guessed that times had changed and Lila had changed.

            “Why are you here?” Lila asked as she stared at Sandeul. “It’s a weekend. Don’t you have a schedule or something?”

            “Nope, I said that I didn’t want anything today,” Sandeul said as he came into her apartment uninvited. “Did you forget?”

            “Forget about what?”

            “That you promised to go with me to the wrap-up party as my friend.”

            “Oh…that,” Lila mumbled as she shut the door and plopped down on the couch next to Sandeul. “I didn’t forget…”

            “Then you remembered that it’s tomorrow, right?”

            “What does that have to do to explain why you’re over here?”

            “We’re going to go shopping, obviously.”

            “No we’re not,” Lila said shaking her head as she attempted to push Sandeul off the couch. “I’m sleepy and you can go do your idol things. Goodbye.”

            “Lila, how could you think that you could use strength against me?” Sandeul asked as he just stood up, causing Lila to sprawl out on the couch. In the end, out of having no effort left over, Lila just stayed like that while Sandeul just stared at her. “Look, we’re just going to go out and get you a pretty dress for tomorrow.”

            “I have dresses,” Lila sighed, completely not amused by the conversation that they were currently having.

            For the past week that Lila was home, Jinyoung had taken it upon himself to stay with Lila whenever he was free from his schedule to make sure that she was adjusting nicely to life back at home. He would always cook, clean, and do the errands for her so she wouldn’t have to. Of course, Lila tagged along with him, but even then, Jinyoung was very protective of her when they went out in public making sure that she was doing everything that the doctor told her to do.

            “Yeah, but you probably don’t have any dresses for this event,” Sandeul attempted to reason.

            “I’ve seen wrap-up parties on TV, what’s going to be the difference?” Lila wondered.

            “It’s a special wrap-up party,” Sandeul said. “It’s not just going to be a normal one.”

            “I don’t see why not,” Lila sighed. She was starting to get tired of the conversation.

            “Look, the quicker you come with me to pick out a dress, the quicker it’s over and you can go back to bed,” Sandeul attempted to reason. “How about that? Will you just go with me?”

            “Hmm, whatever,” Lila said as she pulled herself off of the couch. “I’ll go get ready.”

            “Good,” Sandeul said with a bright smile. “I’ll be waiting.”

            After about fifteen minutes, Lila was back out in the living room looking like her usual self. “Okay, so I don’t understand how this is a special wrap-up party,” Lila said as she saw Sandeul flipping through the television channels.

            “It just is, I don’t know why. I just got this formal invitation and then I asked you.”

            “Okay then,” Lila said as they both made their way to the door. “But are you sure that this is okay?”

            “What?”

            “Me going out with you.”

            “Why wouldn’t it be?” Sandeul asked not understanding what Lila meant.

            “I mean, you and me going out in public together. Aren’t people going to talk about us?”

            “I don’t know,” Sandeul said shrugging his shoulders. “But frankly I don’t care. As long as we know that we’re friends, then nothing else matters, right?”

            “I guess, but what if people try to say something?”

            “Do you want to be in a scandal with me?” Sandeul jokingly asked.

            “No, be in a scandal with you? I already was,” Lila huffed. “So, how are we getting there?”

            “Subway,” Sandeul calmly said as he began to walk in the direction of the subway station.

            “Idols are allowed to take the subway?”

            “Why aren’t they? I mean, we’re people, too.”

            “I know you are, but aren’t people going to see you?”

            “Are you this worried about doing things with Jinyoung-hyung?” Sandeul asked.

            “Um…no,” Lila hesitantly admitted. “But that’s because we don’t really go out that often, we mostly stay in my apartment or around the apartment building, we never go far.”

            “Well then just imagine that you’re with him, but you’re obviously not with him since I’m Sandeul and not Jinyoung-hyung. If that makes sense…”

            “Okay,” Lila hesitantly said as she looked at Sandeul. “Can we please just get this shopping over with?”

            “Got it,” Sandeul said with a nod of his head and Lila and he continued walking.

            Lila had no idea why she was acting that way with Sandeul. Surely, maybe, it had something to do with the fact that Sandeul woke her up from her sleeping, but it could also be the fact that Lila felt kind of nervous around Sandeul. The two never really hung out with only the two of them after Sandeul found out that Lila lied about remembering him. Lila only spent time with Jinyoung alone, so she was completely comfortable with him, but with Sandeul, that wasn’t really the case.

            Silently, the two got on the subway together and Lila could see that some people had noticed Sandeul. “Here,” she said as she pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her bag for him to put on.

            “How is that going to do anything?” Sandeul whispered.

            “I don’t know,” Lila said shrugging her shoulders, “but maybe it’ll stop everyone from staring at you.”

            “Alright,” Sandeul said as he took the sunglasses. “Thank you.”

            “So,” Lila sighed as they were finally at Coex and walking around, “what exactly are we looking at to get me? And why in the world does this thing require formal dress?”

            “I have no idea,” Sandeul said shrugging his shoulders. “They just said to come formally dressed and that they would like if we could bring a date. It’s the wrap-up party, I have no idea what they’re thinking of. Those people are probably going to make a big deal out of it.”

            “I guess,” Lila sighed. “But I don’t really like wearing fancy dresses.”

            “I remember,” Sandeul said with a chuckle as Lila looked at him strangely. “Sorry. Anyway, let’s go over there. I asked my noona for some good dress shopping advice and she gave me some.”

            “You asked your sister?”

            “Is there a problem with that?” Sandeul wondered.

            “No, just…slightly surprised,” Lila honestly admitted. “The last thing I remember was you and your sister always arguing with each other over something.”

            “Hey, that was years ago,” Sandeul said as he attempted to defend himself. “A lot has changed since then.”

            “Alright, alright,” Lila chuckled. “Let’s just pick out this dress and go home.”

            “Okay,” Sandeul said as he began leading the way again.

            Lila sighed as they began picking out dresses. None of them were really her style, not that she necessarily had a set type of style, but she didn’t like the formal types of dresses. However, if she were the Lila of before, she would’ve jumped on getting some of those dresses for events that she wasn’t even invited to yet, but times had changed and so had she. “So is this party is formal or semi-formal?” Lila asked as they were browsing through dresses yet again.

            “Is there a different?”

            “There is totally a difference,” Lila said.

            “I think semi?” Sandeul said completely unsure about whether that was right or not. “I’ll call one of my hyungs right now.”

            “Alright, I’m just going to continue looking,” Lila said as she pointed over in a direction and Sandeul nodded his head as he went towards the entrance to make the call.

            As Lila was browsing through some other dresses that were closer to a style that she at least liked, her phone rang. “Hello?” Lila asked picking up while she continued looking at the dresses.

            “Lila? Where are you?” Jinyoung asked.

            “Ah, I’m shopping with Sandeul-oppa,” Lila said as she looked towards the entrance. “He didn’t tell you where he was going today?”

            “Ah, I think I forgot,” Jinyoung chuckled. “How’s it going?”

            “Alright, I guess,” Lila sighed. “I can’t find a dress, but you know…it’s whatever.”

            “Well once you get the dress, you should let me see you in it first,” Jinyoung chuckled.

            “Yah! What are you thinking of?” Lila yelled into the phone. “Sandeul-oppa is coming this way, we should finish shopping. Are you doing anything later?”

            “Hmm, I don’t think so,” Jinyoung hummed. “Do you want to meet up?”

            “Sure, meet at my apartment?” Lila asked.

            “Nah,” Jinyoung said, “let’s meet at ours.”

            “Your dorm?”

            “Yeah, what’s so wrong with that? Just head back with Sandeul when he comes.”

            “Oh…okay,” Lila said. “I guess I’ll see you then.”

            “Yup, I’ll see you then,” Jinyoung said before he hung up the phone.

            “My hyung said that it was semi-formal,” Sandeul said with a smile as he went back to Lila.

            “Good, because I think I found a nice dress,” Lila said as she pointed over towards a short hot pink dress that was slightly frilly at both the top and the bottom with a ribbon in the middle that was held together with a medium size pink octagon pendant.

            “That looks like your style,” Sandeul said as he flagged down a person that was working. “She’d like to try on a dress like that.”

            “Of course,” the worker said with a smile as she took Lila with her.

            Lila was taken to the dressing room as Sandeul was taken to the seating area. “Alright, I’m out here for when you’re finished,” Sandeul said.

            “Okay,” Lila yelled from inside the dressing room. “Just give me one more moment. Ta-dah!” Lila said as the curtain was opened and she was revealed in the dress standing there.

            “Wah…” Sandeul said as he admired Lila in the dress.

            “It’s good, isn’t it?” Lila asked as she gently spun around. “I like it.”

            “It reminds me of the past,” Sandeul said as he looked at her. “You look…really pretty.”

            “So then I should get this one, right?”

            “Yeah, get it, I’m sure everything would think that you look incredible,” Sandeul said as he imagined everyone’s reaction to seeing Lila. “You really do look incredible, Lila.”

            “Um…I should get changed,” Lila said quickly closing the curtains to change back into her regular clothes. Somehow she thought that things were starting to get awkward between her and Sandeul as she changed into the dress. “Snap out of it,” she whispered to herself as she shook her head.

            “Listen, Lila,” Sandeul began as they were going back to the dorm. Sandeul was having the dress shipped to the salon where he scheduled an appointment for Lila to have her hair and makeup done for the event, “you really did look amazing in that dress.”

            “Thanks,” Lila shyly said. She wanted to change the subject, but she didn’t know what to change the subject to and there was no way to discretely do it.

            “Kind of reminded me of the past,” Sandeul continued, “when you and I would get dressed up or when you wore dresses regularly. I don’t know why you don’t do it now.”

            “Do what?”

            “Wear dresses,” Sandeul said as he looked at Lila’s currently attire that consisted of jeans and a brand-name t-shirt. “You never do it anymore.”

            “Oh…well, that was Lila in the past,” Lila said with a nervous chuckle. There was an actual reason for Lila not wearing dresses anymore and it was correlated to her disease. While she was in America getting treatment, the treatment would leave her weak and she would lose weight easily causing her to be super skinny, but that wasn’t the only reason. The other reason was because of the easy bruising of her skin. As Lila grew weaker with the previous treatment that she experienced, her skin was easier to bruise, and since it bruised whenever she simply knocked into something, she lost the confidence in wearing dresses and just stopped wearing them altogether.

            “Why did you change?” Sandeul asked. He was truly interested. He honestly wanted to know how Lila changed and why.

            “It’s…complicated and nothing you should be worried about,” Lila said as she attempted to quicken her pace, but Sandeul reached out to stop her.

            “Well I still care about you,” Sandeul said as he looked in Lila’s eyes. “I really do care about you. I came back and looked for you once I left, but you were nowhere to be found. No one knew where you went so I couldn’t track you down.”

            “Like you would care anyway,” Lila scoffed. “You were the one that broke up with me in the first place. Why would you care about me?”

            “You heard the story,” Sandeul attempted to reason, “I was told I wasn’t allowed to be in a relationship.”

            “So you chose your career over me? That’s nice to know,” Lila said as she attempted to get past Sandeul who stuck his arm out to block her.

            “It wasn’t like that,” Sandeul said as he let out a sigh. “So can’t you just tell me why you changed? Was it because of me?”

            “It was because of myself,” Lila slowly started as she turned to look at Sandeul. “I was sick.”

            “Sick?” Sandeul asked, not fully sure at what Lila was trying to get at.

            “I had leukemia and I had a relapse, that’s why I was in the hospital. Don’t you understand now?” Lila asked as she positioned herself so she was face to face with Sandeul.

            “Lila…”

            “Like I thought, you don’t understand,” Lila said as she began to walk away.

            “I do understand, though!” Sandeul called out after her causing Lila to stop in her tracks, but she didn’t turn around to face him. “I understand that I like you! I still like you…a lot.”

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What will happen with Sandeul's confession? What will Lila say? Will Jinyoung find out about it? What will happen at the event that Sandeul and Lila are going to?

Here's Chapter 25. Hope you enjoyed the story :D