-Chunji-

I stared at the bouquet of red roses sitting on the coffee table. Mung Ri had given them to Eun Mi and then left with her. Now all I was left with was a bouquet of red roses from someone I hated.

She doesn’t even like roses.

10 years earlier

“Oppa lets buy flowers for my mommy~” Eun Mi squealed as we stopped in front of a flower shop.

“You sure?” I didn’t like the idea of her visiting her mom in that place. It didn’t seem right for 8 year olds to be there. Eun Mi nodded her head and skipped happily into the store. She wandered around and picked a combination of red and yellow roses.

“Let’s go~” I followed her to where her mom was. We walked in together. The place was clean and homey. But the people there didn’t look cheerful. They looked lost, trapped in some faraway world. Eun Mi seemed to sense it too. She grabbed my hand. I squeezed it reassuringly.

“Mommy look I brought you roses.” She placed them on her mom’s lap. Eun Mi’s mom looked up at her.

“Honey…why did you bring these? Did you bring me something else?” she looked desperate.

“N-no mama…”

“WHY NOT?! I DON’T WANT FLOWERS! I DON’T WANT YOU! I JUST WANT ONE THING!” She roared, a crazed look coming over her face.

Eun Mi was terrified. She had never seen her mom that way before. Neither had I.

“Mom-“

“NO! DON’T CALL ME THAT! YOU ARENT MY DAUGHTER IF YOU DON’T HELP ME!”

She had grabbed Eun Mi’s hands and was shaking her. Eun Mi was crying now. I couldn’t just sit there and watch. I grabbed Eun Mi and did the only thing I could to protect her. I pulled her out of the room and then out of the building with me. A few blocks away we sat down on the sidewalk.

“Oppa.” She cried into my chest. I had never seen her cry like this before. It broke my heart.

“It’s okay Eunnie. I’ll protect you always. I’m here.” I held her as she cried.

When she finally calmed down a bit she only had one thing to say.

“I don’t like roses oppa.”

Present

Of course Mung Ri wouldn’t know that. How could he? No one knew Eun Mi like I did. No one could understand her like I did.

No one can love her like I do.

Yet for some reason Mung Ri showed up after a week of being ignored my Eun Mi and she not only gratefully accepted his flowers, but walked away with him.

I couldn’t believe she loved him. It was too painful.

I loved Eun Mi more than I was willing to admit even to myself. She wasn’t just a girl I met and fell in love with. She was my everything. I protected her when no one else was there for her. I held her hand through the scary moments, hugged her when she cried, laughed with her when she was happy.

I was in love with Eun Mi.

I sighed and leaned back against the couch. I couldn’t look at those flowers anymore. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.

An hour earlier

“You…you love Mung Ri?” I asked incredulously looking down at Eun Mi. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. She couldn’t really be in love with him could she?

Eun Mi, please tell me it’s not true. Please…

It felt like someone had punched me in the chest. I had been in love with Eun Mi for so long and never even realized it. I never had a reason to question my feelings for her until Mung Ri showed up. Now she was in love with him instead of me and it was too late. No one else had mattered like Eun Mi. Was I really just supposed to accept that she loved someone else?

“Eunnie?” I whispered, asking her again, begging her to say it wasn’t true.

She didn’t look at me. Instead she flipped her legs over the couch and walked toward the door, never looking away from the window.

“Kim Eun Mi!” I yelled looking after her. I glanced at the window to see what she was looking at so intently.

“Mung Ri.” I breathed. He was standing outside the window holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand.

What is he doing here? I haven’t seen him in weeks…

I got off the couch and ran over to Eun Mi just as she reached for the door knob. I grabbed her arm and turned her around.

“Eun Mi.”

She looked back but didn’t say anything, just waited.

“What just happened Eun Mi?”

She looked around slightly confused.

“What Chunji?”

“I asked you a question, now I need to know if your answer was true or not.”

She sighed and pulled her arm away.

“I have to go Chunji.” She turned the doorknob and started to pull it open.

“What are you doing Eun Mi?” I was desperately trying to understand what was going on and calm the chaos inside me.

Eun Mi looked down. She glanced up at me again, looking into my eyes. For a second I thought she would stay. For a second I had hope. Something in her eyes said that. But I must have imagined it because she pulled away and walked out the door.  

Present

Why did she have to leave with him? It didn’t make sense. She was the one who chose to ignore him. What happened to “you’re the most important person in my life”?

I felt like punching something, I felt like curling up and crying I felt like chasing after her and pulling her away from Mung Ri. Yet somehow all I could manage was to sit there and wish things were different. Wish that she would love me.

There was the sound of keys outside suddenly. My head snapped up, thinking maybe Eun Mi had come back. Instead L.Joe, CAP and Niel walked in.

“Hey Hyung!” Niel smiled joyfully.

“Woah, what happened?” CAP asked noticing me sitting on the couch. “Where’s Eun Mi?”

“She…she left with Mung Ri.”

“What?” L.Joe asked confused. I nodded.

“She said she loved him and then walked away with him.” My voice shook slightly as that sentence came out.

The 3 of them looked at each other confused. L.Joe sat himself next to me.

“You okay?”

I looked up at the ceiling.

“How can I be? Knowing that the girl I love is with someone who doesn’t deserve her kills me. Why him?”

“Hyung.” Niel sat on the other side.

“Why? I’ve been there always. Why not me?” My voice broke and I could feel tears starting to roll down my cheeks.

L.Joe put a hand on my shoulder.

“She doesn’t know. How can she?”

“He’s right, if you didn’t know until recently, how should she?” CAP added.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear this. But I knew they were right. I just couldn’t tell her.

“I can’t. It hurts so much.”

The 3 of them just looked at me as I did my best to hold back tears. I put a hand to my aching heart.

I love you so much Eun Mi. Why can’t I tell you that?

Author's Note: I almost cried writing this ;_; poor Chunji! btw i'm sorry if the story seems all over the place, I don't really have a plot I just write ^^ please comment~