He’s not the one…

how many times do I have to tell you?

Minseok always told this to her, but he only managed to do it as a joke, or when he teases her. But jokes are half-meant as we speak, and for him, he means it. That bastard of a guitarist, Sung Joon, wasn’t the person he wanted his friend to date. She deserved someone who would take care of her, not someone who’d neglect her and treat her as if she was nothing.

“Are you even happy for me, Minseok? She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It always seemed like you hate Sung Joon oppa. He’s really kind, you know. Just get to know him.”

Get to know him my , he thought. “I’ll think about it, Heeyeol.”

“He’s really friendly I swear!” She insisted. “You’re the captain of our football team and he’s the lead guitarist of the school’s band. That’s pretty nice, okay?”

“Fine, fine I’ll really think about it.” This time, he really meant it.

Their conversation ends when he spots Sung Joon approaching her. Heeyeol smiles and bids him a good afternoon then she strolls off to where he was. Minseok briefly looks at Sung Joon and nods at him. In return, he gets a signature smirk from the guitarist and walks away. He looks at them until they become a faint image in the distance.

(He’s so one-sided) One-sided

He may not say what he truly feels for Heeyeol and his annoyance for Sung Joon, but he always let it out during football practice.

Why can’t you leave him?

Am I not enough for you? He thought as he sprinted to the opposite side of the field.

Don’t you realize I’ve been here all this time?

I can make you a lot happier, can’t you see?

“Hey!” Someone approached Minseok and apparently, it was Luhan, the baby-faced star player of their team. He had the ball in his hand and the other over the back of his head.

“Something wrong, Luhan?” Minseok asked, still out of focus.

“Yes, there’s something wrong. I was just warming up here and all of a sudden, a ball came flying and hit my head.”

It took him a few seconds before he understood everything. “Oh my god I’m so sorry, Luhan! I didn’t really mean it, okay? I was just—“

“Frustrated thinking about how much you hate Bang Sung Joon for taking Heeyeol, right?”

Minseok puffed his cheeks and jogged away from him. But Luhan knew that he was right and quickly followed their captain.

“I’m right, am I?” Luhan teased, making faces at him. “I’m right, I’m right, I’m right, right?”

It was somewhere between Luhan’s facial expressions and his use of words that made him burst in laughter. Even if he wanted to punch his friend in the face for being damn smart, Luhan was right.

“Cut it out with the funny faces, it doesn’t look good on you.” He said.

“And you’re right.” Minseok replied, walking over to his bag to get a towel.

“Ha, I knew it!” Luhan followed. “But seriously, Baozi, I think that she’s better off with someone else. Everybody can see that.”

“But the fact is...” He trailed off.

“She can’t see that.” Luhan finished for him and he nodded. He clapped his hands and told everyone to assemble.

“Please stop calling me Baozi, okay?” Minseok said. “It sounds really weird.”

You’re pretty enough;
you’re too beautiful to be getting hurt and crying because of that kind of guy.

It wasn’t long before Minseok receives a phone call from Heeyeol.

“Hey, we’re neighbors, okay?” He said, glancing outside the window. “You can just, throw a rock over my window or something.”

He heard her laugh, and it feels so relieving to her that again. “I think your mom might get mad at me if I break your window.”

“So why did you call?” He asks.

“Nothing really.” She replied. “How was football practice? I heard you hit Luhan in the head.” She peeks at her window and finds him there playing with a toy football.

“Ah yes that one,” he laughed. “Well you know Luhan. Not only is he a chick-magnet, but he’s also some kind of a ball-magnet.”

He goes on telling about what happened during their practice, the upcoming match with their neighboring school three weeks from now and how he was mobbed with Luhan’s fangirls and fanboys on his way home. Because they are comfortable with each other, they talk for hours without being bored. Although Minseok was strained from practice, he’ll never grow tired of talking with Heeyeol. With her, he can just go on talking about anything without being judged, and the same thing goes for her. Everything was going smoothly until Heeyeol asks him if everything was worth it.

“What’s worth it?” He asked. But he knew what it is.

“Sung Joon. Sometimes I feel stupid because of him.” He stays silent and allows her to continue.

“Maybe I’m not good enough for him, or I’m not putting much effort in my feelings. Am I not that expressive? Am I…” Through the phone, he can sense that she was almost in tears. He tells her to stop because she might break down but it was too late. She was unable to speak because her feelings overwhelmed her, and him.

I don’t understand,
how can you not leave that person?

Much effort? Minseok thinks about this carefully, listening to her muffled cries. Is showing up at your gigs until 10 in the evening and cooking for you not enough? What the hell does this guy want her to do to say that it was enough?

Even though you’re hurting,
you keep going back to the first place.

When she got her composure back, she asks him if he was still there.

I am. I’ve always been here, you just don’t see it. “Yes I am. Are you… okay now?”

She sniffs before answering. “I can say I am.”

“I can’t really say much about it since, you know it already, but I guess you just hang on. I’m sure it will be well in the next few days.” Hearing himself say this, Minseok feels as if he was the worst person to have ever walked over South Korea. It was like telling her to continue suffering for Sung Joon. It wasn’t something a friend should do to another friend. But no matter how much he wanted to take it back, he couldn’t because he doesn’t want to come off as an antagonist to their relationship, and because he didn’t want his emotions to clash with this head.

But sooner or later, he has to snap out of it. Just a little longer.

If he makes you cry one more time,
I don’t know what I will do.
I won’t hold back.

The next days became busy for Minseok and he had to stay at school for a couple more hours due to football practice so he goes home at around 8 in the evening instead of the usual 6. As for Heeyeol, he told himself that she will be okay, noticing that in their previous phone calls, she’s doing well. The happy tone in her voice was back, and at school she was more cheerful and lively. However, Luhan, being the best friend, argues that sooner or later, something was going to happen again.

“Calm down, Luhan. I just talked to her two nights ago and she said she’s okay now. Didn’t you see earlier that she was more beautiful?”

Luhan scoffs and rolls his eyes. “She has always been beautiful in your eyes, Minseok.” Minseok punches Luhan’s arm and looks away.

A moment of silence fills the both of them until Minseok speaks. “Honestly, I don’t really know how long I can stand this. It’s always the same routine over and over again: they fight and she cries while that bastard doesn’t even do anything. Then after that, they’re okay now and she assures that they’re doing well…”

It was heartbreaking for Minseok to say this. One, because Heeyeol was his friend and it was agonizing for him to see her crying, breaking down or just being hurt. Two, because the cycle keeps on repeating.

And three, because there was nothing he could do to help her. In fact, he’s the one who keeps on goading her to go back.

“If only she could notice me, look at me not just as her friend. This is so screwed up.” He sighs and looks up while Luhan stares at his friend and hands him a handkerchief.

“I’m not going to cry you dummy.” Minseok replies, but takes the handkerchief nonetheless. “Is this mine?”

Luhan nods and smiles. “You might need it sooner or later.”

They part ways at the bus stop and as Minseok passed by the park on the way home, he hears a familiar voice sobbing. His heartbeat increases as he walks closer to the place. He hides behind a bush and carefully listens. This wasn’t a matter of privacy for them, he thinks. It’s now or never.

You’re too good for a guy like that.
You need to be loved, you have that right.

“I’m sorry, okay? Please it wasn’t—“

“How many times have I told you not to visit me at the studio?” He recognizes the voice and he immediately felt dizzy, furious and nervous all at the same time. What was he going to do? Wait for them to finish or barge in?

“I was just going to drop by and give you dinner…” He sees Heeyeol come close to Sung Joon and gives him a lunchbox. Sung Joon takes it and looks at it before looking back at his teary-eyed “girlfriend”.

“This?” He lifts the box. “You came all the way to the studio to give me this?” His voice becomes louder and Minseok closes his eyes, shaking off the image of his friend in this situation. A part of him wanted to come out of the bush and give Sung Joon one hell of a beating, but what was going to happen after that? What if he fights back and he loses? What if Heeyeol doesn’t leave Sung Joon?

The last thing on his mind was his mother’s words, “Why not’s instead of what if’s” and he hears the lunchbox fall in the ground.

“Don’t leave me, Sung Joon!” Heeyeol cries out. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. Please… don’t leave me.”

After Sung Joon has left, Heeyeol tries to pick up the lunchbox and clean up the mess but she remembers what just happened and she ends up crying, her knees giving up on her. By this time, Minseok was already holding back his tears and he stands up, going to where Heeyeol was and helps her pick up the rolls of kimbap on the ground.

Heeyeol gasps when she realized who was helping her. “Minseok—“

“Shh.” He holds up his finger and flashes out his smile. “Let me help you to clean this up.”

They clean up things in silence, and right after, Minseok takes her hand and hands her over the handkerchief Luhan gave him before pulling her into his arms.

“I’m sorry for letting you be like this. You must have suffered a lot.” Hearing him say this, Heeyeol cries and murmurs, “I’m sorry” over and over again.

I’ll help you escape from him,
I’ll make those tears dry from your beautiful eyes.

“I-I’m such a fool, Minseok…” She whispers, her frail body shaking from the overflowing emotions. “I’m so foolish, so immature so blinded!” She breaks down and cries some more while Minseok rubs her back gently, trying to calm her down.

“You’re not a fool, Heeyeol.” He replies, tightening his grip on her shoulders. “You’re not foolish, immature… but you were blinded.”

She pulls away and looks at the teary-eyed Minseok. “Haven’t you noticed that I’ve been here all this time?”

“You don’t need that kind of guy, Heeyeol. You don’t need someone who can’t see how special you are. You deserve better. Have you realized that it hurts me because I see you hurt and there was nothing I could do because I wanted you to be happy? Have you realized that he won’t ever treat you… the way I do?”

You need to be loved, you have that right.
A guy who’ll treat you special, he’s here right now.

Heeyeol stood there, speechless. Did he just confess to her? Or was all this just happening because he just felt sorry for her? Her instincts kicked in and using the handkerchief Minseok gave her, she reached out and gently wiped his tear-stained face. The frown in her face was soon replaced by a genuine smile when she realized that Minseok had matured, physically and emotionally.

Minseok pouts. “You’re supposed to use that, not me.”

“It’s okay, it’s my fault anyway.” She replies, a hint of guilt in her tone. “I’m sorry, Minseok. I never knew… “

“I should be the one apologizing. Sorry.” He murmured and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She hugs him back, feeling safe around him. It was strange because despite the many embraces they shared, this was different. It was calming and right in many ways.

“I was really blinded, was I?” Heeyeol asked.

Minseok smiles. “I guess you were, but not anymore. From now on, I won’t let anyone hurt you… I’ll make you see how beautiful you really are.”

You’re pretty enough, you deserve better love.
I’ll make you happy, baby girl, if you come to me.