“Suho hyung? Is that you?” Baekhyun cried in disbelief, mouth widely agape in shock.

“Oh my God, what happened?!” Chanyeol asked. Almost at the time same time, Sehun demanded to know what had happened to his clothes.

“What are you? An alien rock star?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened.

“Did something happen to all of your old ones?” he asked, his face looking astonished. “Did someone brainwash you?” This time, it was Sehun.

Suho smiled. He sat down at the table, pulling Eunmi into the seat next to him. He laughed quietly at their bombardment of questions.  Eunmi stared at him with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the change she saw in him.

“It’s just me,” he said. “I just needed a few days to decide some things. Part of that was the decision to try out a new look.” He flashed Eunmi a grin as he casually tightened his grip around her hand before letting it go. She could only sit beside in shock. What had happened to him? Hope flared in her chest, but she refused to acknowledge it. What if this had nothing to do with her?                                                        

“No I wasn’t brainwashed Sehun,” Suho continued calmly. “And I wasn’t kidnapped by rock star aliens either.” He glanced down at Eunmi’s hands as they rested on the table. As he continued to answer his friends’ storm of questions, he moved his hand so he could gently her arm. When she started, he only smiled and gave her a reassuring pat.

Eunmi felt heat rising to her cheeks. Why is he doing this? She wondered. He had been so angry with her before. What had changed? Suho’s casual skinship did not go unnoticed. The others at the table watched as his arm remained on Eunmi’s.  Jongin began to scowl slightly as Suho tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. Eunmi didn’t see him. Her eyes were fixated on Suho. He smiled at her, and then turned to the rest of the table.

“Okay, everyone!” Suho said loudly, ending the stream of questions. He turned to Eunmi, taking her hand in his. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it like this, but I realized maybe this is better. First of all, I’m sorry for the sudden disappearance, I’m back anyway so screw that.”

Suho paused, clearing his throat before he continued.

“Second, I wanted all of you guys to be a witness to this moment between Eunmi and me.” His smile grew wider.

What does he mean?! Eunmi thought, her mind reeling.

“Jung Eunmi, will you be my girlfriend?”

Immediately Eunmi began to smile. Suho had asked her to date him! All of her hopes had come true. She was so happy all thoughts of the Rapunzel girl vanished from her mind. All she could think about was how Suho was looking at her now, the way he held her hand and smiled at her in love.

“Of course....I –I will!” she said; both excitedly and nervously.

 

Eunmi giggled quietly to herself. She sat crossed-legged on her bed, her wet hair falling over her shoulder as she brushed it. She had just stepped out of the shower and changed into her pyjamas. Her heart kept pounding in excitement. Eunmi could feel her pulse thrumming. Her smile grew wider.

‘Suho asked me out!’ She thought. 'I can’t believe it, I thought he hated me...He said so many harsh words, but I suppose I won him over in the end.'

Eunmi laughed and threw herself down on her back. The bed bounced beneath her. This was the best day of her life. Surely nothing could make her happier than this. Everything had been worth it.  Eunmi sighed and closed her eyes. Perfect, she thought. Suho either came to his senses or realized how harsh he had been. She hoped that was the case. Eunmi had taken his offer so quickly she hadn’t thought it through. But did it matter in the end? Suho had confessed, or at least given her hope that he would confess he loved her. Eunmii sighed in relief. Then, something came to her mind. Yoonmi hadn’t said much after Eunmi had told her to the good news. She flicked open her eyes and frowned. Hanging around the edges of her happiness was the blackened stain of regret. Eunmi sighed.

She had behaved horribly to her dear sister. For a long time, Yoonmi had devoted a lot of her time to taking care of Eunmi. Eunmi had taken her love and flung it back into her face. Now she felt guilty. She had acted like she had not cared about her sister. Eunmi sat up, the smile returning to her face. Now that Suho had confessed, there wasn’t any excuse for her to not apologize for her rude behaviour. Eunmi leapt off the bed and went to her bedroom door. She’d make this right.

And, she thought, once she apologizes, there’s no reason why she can’t share the rest of her feelings with her. Xiumin’s gone so she doesn’t have to be so shy with them anymore! Eunmi walked over to the door of Yoonmi’s room. She paused before it, listening. She heard nothing from inside. She frowned. She knew Yoonmi was inside. They had both entered their house and hadn’t left it since. A quick look around showed her that Yoonmi wasn’t elsewhere. The other rooms were empty. Taking a deep breath, Eunmi knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

No answer. Eunmi sighed and opened the door. Although some might consider it bad manners to just walk in like that, Eunmi did not feel that way. Yoonmi had always told her that she was welcome any time. Her sister had insisted that Eunmi come in whenever she needed to. Eunmi might not need to come in, but she felt it was important. She had been rash and accused Yoonmi of having something to do with Suho. Now she saw it was nothing. Yoonmi deserved an apology.

Eunmi entered the room. She saw that Yoonmi was standing next to her window. It was on the far side of the room, overlooking the snowy street below. Yoonmi seemed deep in thought. Her head was bowed and her back was to the door. In her hands was a notebook. Eunmi studied it. It seemed familiar to her. Was that Yoonmi’s diary?

Eunmi swallowed. Guilt still gripped her heart, tainting the happiness of earlier. She took a cautious step forward. Yoonmi had always been quick to forgive her. Sometimes she was too quick. Eunmi held her head high and braced herself for her apology. If Yoonmi truly was angry with her, then Eunmi would handle it.

“Yoonmi?” she spoke.

Her sister snapped her diary shut and whirled around. Yoonmi’s eyes were wide for a moment. Then she smiled and threw her book aside. The look on Yoonmi’s face gave Eunmi a lot of confidence. It made her feel like this would go smoothly.

“I wanted to apologize,” Eunmi humbly began. She twisted her fingers together, rubbing them nervously. “I accused you of being more than friends with Suho. It was rude of me and it was wrong. I treated you coldly even when you were trying to cheer me up.” She smiled, holding out her hand. “Will you forgive me?”

Yoonmi laughed, stepping forward to grasp Eunmi’s hand in hers. She squeezed it tightly. A smile lit up her pretty face. “Of course I forgive you!” she said. “And please, don’t feel too badly about it. I feel like it was all just...a misunderstanding.” her voice grew quieter at the end. Eunmi did not seem to notice. Her sister rushed straight into talking about how happy she was. As Eunmi chattered on, Yoonmi could not help the joy in her heart. Her happy, bubbly sister was coming back to her.

‘I knew this was the right decision,’  she told herself.  ‘I broke up with suho, and now Eunmi is finally happy. I-‘  she ignored the twinge of pain in her chest.  ‘I can do this.’

“I wasn’t sure about accepting Suho,” Eunmi said. Her words roughly jerked Yoonmi away from her thoughts. Her sister kept going though. “I was so caught up in the moment I just said yes. I wanted it so badly…” Eunmi smiled ruefully, looking at the floor. “I was thinking maybe I rushed into it. Suho wants me to be his girlfriend, but I don’t think he’s fully in love with me.”

Warning bells went off in Yoonmi’s head. A cold sensation began spreading through her veins. Suho had made her sister feel that way? She almost felt sick. Eunmi began speaking again, her hands gasping hers firmly. She held onto Yoonmi as if she was a lifeline. Like she was the only thing keeping her from being swept away.  Yoonmi held onto Eunmi just as tightly. As if she was afraid letting go would mean losing Eunmi forever. And a world without Eunmi is unimaginable.

“We had an argument,” Eunmi said in a small voice. Her hair hung down over her face. “It was after we all met at the cafe that day. He-he said maybe I was the one who was holding you back. He said I was the one hurting you. That’s not true is it, Yoonmi?”

Yoonmi wanted to throw up. How could Suho say such a thing? Eunmi wasn’t holding her back; Eunmi was her reason for living! She could only shake her head. Yoonmi was afraid that if she opened something awful would come tumbling out.

“It made me so sad, Yoonmi. I thought maybe something was wrong with me. I thought Suho hated me,” Eunmi said. “Especially after he vanished for a few days. But then he appeared in the cafeteria today with a whole new look. Yoonmi, he’s so dreamy now.”

Eunmi smiled foolishly, a dazed look in her eyes. Yoonmi’s heart clenched. She understands Eunmi’s attraction to Suho better than anyone. Who wouldn’t love him?

“He asked me to be his girlfriend in front of all his friends. I was so shocked and so happy I said yes right away!” Eunmi sighed. “I don’t think he fully loves me. I’m sure of it. The children at the orphanage were talking about a Rapunzel girl...someone really pretty who Suho brought there earlier. I’m so curious about her. Do you think Suho likes her more than me?”

Yoonmi felt like bursting into tears. Her breakup with Suho had smashed her heart into a hundred pieces. Having Eunmi being hurt because of her and Suho was worse. It felt like her heart was being crushed into a thousand pieces. Was this her lot in life? Was she always to hurt the ones she loved the most? To have her actions hurt them so much? Yoonmi could not take it. It was too much for her. Yet, for Eunmi, Yoonmi forced a smile to her face.

“Please forget about it all,” she said. “If Suho asked you to be his girlfriend, than she must not matter to him at all.” Yoonmi patted Eunmi’s arm comfortingly. “Don’t worry about it. The important thing is your new relationship with Suho. Focus on that.”

Eunmi’s smile made her entire face shine. It made her look even more beautiful to Yoonmi. She hoped Eunmi could always smile like that.

“Of course,” she said. Her voice held no trace of any insecurities or fears now. Instead she sounded cheerful and confident; so much more like the Eunmi Yoonmi knew and loved.

“Thank you Yoonmi! I’ll make sure that Suho loves me as much as I love him. All it will take is some effort on my part, won’t it?”

Yoonmi forced a laugh. “Of course it will.” She glanced at the ground to hide the pain in her eyes. Surely she made the right decision. She broke up with Suho. Now he was dating Eunmi. Wasn’t this how this was supposed to be? Even though it broke her heart, at least they could be happy together. She took a moment to compose herself while Eunmi chattered on.

‘I’m sorry, Eunmi. I’m sorry I cannot be sincere in everything I say. Right now it hurts too much...but someday I will mean it with all my heart.’

“By the way,” Eunmi said, stopping for a breath. “Is that your diary?”

Yoonmi’s heart stopped.

“Y-yes,” she stammered.

Eunmi shrugged her shoulders, her long and wet hair flicking back over them. “I didn’t know you found it. It’s lucky you did, I didn’t think you would get it back! Where did you find it?”

Yoonmi’s chest felt as if someone was squeezing it with all their might. Her lungs were cold and hurt, feeling as if they were bruised. She fought for a breath, trying to get oxygen back inside of her. Yoonmi did not want to lie. She wanted to tell Eunmi the truth, but she was too far into this now. She couldn’t ruin everything now. If Eunmi finds out, she thought, then this will be even worse….

 And yet, Yoonmi still opened and lied.

“Oh,” she said. “I just found it. I must have left it in my room and forgot where I put it.”

Yoonmi forced a smile and forced herself not to think of Suho running after her with that book. She cursed it. She should never have written it. If Yoonmi hadn’t, then none of this would be happening. Suho would not have found it. He would never have read it and fallen in love with her. They would have never dated and Eunmi would never have gotten hurt. Yoonmi resolved to burn her diary later. It’s worthless now, she thought bitterly.

“Eunmi,” she said, a thought forming in her mind. “You know that semester break is only a week away. Why don’t we use this time to visit our relatives? It’s been so long since we’ve seen them.”

Yoonmi was able to feel a little bit happy at the thought of their extended family. Their aunts, uncles, and cousins had wonderful since the death of their parents. Yoonmi had no idea where they would be without them. Most likely out on the streets, freezing to death in the cold winter. She shivered at the thought. No, it was time to go back to their hometown. A visit was long overdue and it would give the sisters some time to themselves.

‘And I can be away from this for a while,’ she thought.

Eunmi paused, hesitating for only a moment. Then she nodded enthusiastically. “Of course we should go!” she said. “We should bring Suho with us; it would be great if he could meet everyone.”

Yoonmi’s eyes flew open. “But-” she started.

Eunmi did not realize Yoonmi was speaking. She rushed ahead, caught up in excitement. “I’d have to ask him first though. It would be so rude of me to decide something like that without telling him! I’ll ask as soon as possible. Oh Yoonmi, I hope he says yes!”

Yoonmi felt close to bursting into tears. Her heart pounded wildly at the very idea of going home with Suho. However, she couldn’t tell Eunmi this without risking her sister wanting to know why. Yoonmi would have to grin and bear this. Please, she prayed. Please don’t let Suho come. Please let him refuse this! How was Yoonmi to survive if he chose to come with them? Would her heart not give up beating altogether?

“Suho might be busy,” she said gently.

Eunmi opened to reply, but was cut off by the sound of her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket. Eunmi mouthed the words as she read it. A broad smile lit up her face. Excited, she handed the phone to Yoonmi. Yoonmi’s breath hitched as she saw who it was from.

Suho.

“Do you see?” Eunmi asked, a blush rising to her face. “He wants to take me to a movie tomorrow!”

She tugged her phone away from Yoonmi’s hands. Yoonmi let it go with reluctance, it was as if her fingers refused to let go. They felt cold and useless. Yoonmi herself felt numb. Eunmi hastily began texting. Yoonmi knew she was accepting. Why wouldn’t she? If they were dating it would be natural to go on dates. In fact, it would be strange if they didn’t. Yet somehow this felt like the final nail in Yoonmi’s coffin. They are dating.

“Yoonmi?” Eunmi asked, taking her eyes off her phone. She looked at her sister with concern. “Are you okay?”

Yoonmi only smiled. To Eunmi, it was a happy smile. But it truly hid Yoonmi’s hopelessness and bitterness.

‘I hate winter.’

 

 

 

‘Where is she?’ Suho thought.

He stood in the school’s cafeteria. Classes were over for the day and people were beginning to head home or off to work. Few people were hanging around. Those that were he suspected of waiting for the same thing he was. They were mostly in pairs of one or two, sitting at random tables. Their eyes kept glancing to the doors, waiting for someone to arrive. Suho sighed. He hoped she didn’t bail on him. He stopped that train of thought. Yoonmi (oh how that name hurt him!) would never tell her sister about the two of them. No, she loved Eunmi too much to do that.

‘Isn’t that what got us into this mess?’ He thought. ‘Isn’t that what drove me to this? Yoonmi loves Eunmi way too much.’

“Suho-oppa?” a quiet voice behind him asked.

‘Oppa?’

Suho furrowed her eyebrows, who would call him that other than Jihye...and Yoonmi? Yeah, right! Jung Eunmi. Recognizing Eunmi’s voice, Suho made sure to smile widely before turning around. He bowed his head, taking Eunmi’s hand in his. He made careful note of how she blushed. His smile grew a little wider, a little more malicious. Eunmi was too trusting it seemed. His revenge would go smoothly.

 A small voice whispered in his mind. Don’t do this Suho, it said. She has no part in this. Why hurt her? Suho tossed the voice aside and hardened his heart. Eunmi was part of the problem. Why shouldn’t she suffer as well? He was suffering.

“You look beautiful today Eunmi,” he said. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned a bright red. She bowed her head, a smile spreading across her face.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered. Eunmi tightened her hold on Suho’s hand. She glanced down at it, almost as if she didn’t believe it was real. Suho led her out the door. He made sure to hold it open for her, smirking when he saw how shyly she reacted to it. As soon as they were outside, he caught ahold of her hand once more. He pulled her closer to him. Eunmi’s heart fluttered. Yoonmi had been so worried about this date. All for nothing, she supposed. Suho….she thought, must really like her.

“Are you cold?” Suho asked. Eumi shook her head. The afternoon air was chilled. Snow lay over the ground, but the sidewalks and streets had been cleared of it. Still, Suho was careful to help Eunmi over any ice. Revenge date or not, it would be horrifying for her to go to the hospital. Luckily, the movie theatre was near their school. Eunmi gasped when its bright lights came into view. Her feet moved hurriedly over the ground, her hand tugging on Suho.

“Oppa!” she said. Her finger was raised and pointed. “Aren’t the lights so pretty? The sun has almost set and the darkness makes them shine so. Wouldn’t that make a great photo?”

Suho laughed at her cute expression. Eunmi seemed to earnest in her excitement. He agreed with her. “It would make a great photo,” he said. Eunmi smiled at that, but her attention was still on the theatre. They joined the crowd that was clustered around the front. Suho glanced around. There were mostly couples there. Girls tugged on their boyfriends’ arms, the boys smiling down at them. Suho guided Eunmi through the crowd and into the ticket line. He had chosen a perfect first date. He did not know too much about Eunmi, aside from her enthusiasm and relation to Yoonmi, but he had guessed that anyone would like the movies. Judging from Eunmi’s happy face, he had guessed right.

The line moved fairly quickly. Soon Suho and Eunmi were at the front.

“Which movie would you like to see?” he asked.

“Oh!” Eunmi started. Her gaze flickered over the list of movies. She pointed at a comedy. “How about this one?”

He nodded. “That sounds great,” he said. “Two tickets please.”

Suho paid for them, and then steered Eunmi away from the crowd and inside the theatre. A blast of warm air greeted them as they went inside. Eunmi squealed in surprise, her grip on Suho’s arm tightening. She froze for a second as she realized what she had done. Suho only placed his hand over hers. He patted it reassuringly. Eunmi grinned. Gaining confidence from this, she used her free hand to pull her cellphone out of her pocket.

“Oppa,” she said, somewhat timidly. “Would you take some photos with me? This is our first date…”

Suho blinked in surprise. Then he smiled. “Of course!” he said. “It’s only natural that we would want to remember this right?”

He took Eunmi’s phone and held it up. She took a step closer to him, holding her hand in a “v” sign near her face. Suho laughed and imitated it. It made Eunmi giggle as the shutter went click!

Realizing how happy it made Eunmi, Suho quickly struck another pose. Euni joined in. Click! Eunmi held up on half a heart and shot him a questioning look. Without hesitation Suho completed it and snapped the shot. Click! They continued this for several minutes, each pose growing more loving. Soon enough Suho had Eunmi tucked under his shoulder and close to his chest. She blushed like crazy, her heart pounded so hard she knew that Suho must feel it. On his part, Suho felt like this could be a real date.

Suho began to check the photos. He scrolled through them as Eunmi giggled over them. “This is a good one, Yoonmi,” he said without thinking.

Yoonmi!

Suho’s heart froze. She’s not Yoonmi, obviously! A frigid, sinking feeling gripped his mind. It tangled up his thoughts, making even the simple act of breathing hard and painful. He gaped at the photo in front of him. Suddenly nothing felt right to him. Wrong! He screamed internally. This is all wrong! This date is wrong!

Suho, as if possessed, looked around in horror. He remembered coming to this very theatre with Yoonmi. He remembered buying the tickets, Yoonmi’s unsure walk, the way she smiled in her shy, beautiful way. He remembered sitting down beside her, his eyes on her instead of the movie. Yoonmi had liked this hadn’t she? Hadn’t this made her happy? A spike of anger rose in his chest. Yoonmi had even ruined this place for him! All the bright lights seemed to dim in his eyes. The theatre looked less magical and now cold to him. He glanced over at Eunmi. He felt like an idiot for being worried about her feelings. All that mattered was his revenge now.

“Suho oppa, let’s buy snacks!” Eunmi exclaimed. He let out a long sigh of relief. She hadn’t caught his mistake. Suho let her pull him over the snack bar. She ‘ooed’ and ‘awwed’ over the many choices. There were all kinds of candies and treats. Eunmi quickly asked the worker for some popcorn and candies. The man filled a bag and handed it over. Suho silently paid and began walking towards the theatre. He almost felt sick now, his stomach tight. His hands clenched at the food he held. Eunmi scurried to keep up with him.

“Thank you!” she chattered. Suho could not muster the energy to respond to her. Undaunted, Eunmi began talking about the movie they had chosen to go see. Her voice was warm and lovely. However, it sounded too much like Yoonmi’s for Suho to be comforted. Her voice seemed to overtake Eunmi’s. It swallowed the girl’s voice whole, leaving Suho short of breath. He should have just filled his lungs with broken glass, it would have hurt less.

Suho realized his mistake. He had thought of Yoonmi. Now he was to suffer through this entire date. As the two of them sat down in the theatre, Suho glanced over at her. He had not said a word to her after the pictures. Suho had barely even looked at her. Still, Eunmi seemed determined to keep away the awkward silence. When he decided to get his revenge, he had no idea it was going to be this hard. His heart was broken and staying around Eunmi just aggravated his wounds. To his relief, the move began to play and cut off any conversation between them.  

Throughout the movie, Suho sat stiffly in his chair. His gaze was fixed on the movie screen, but he saw nothing.  The only thing he could think of was his own pain.

Eunmi walked out of the movie theatre. An uneasy feeling had settled upon the pair. She glanced at the ground, unsure of what to do. Suho asked her if she wanted something to eat. He did not want to spend any more time with Eunmi, but he realized he had to put some more effort into this date. Eunmi seized the chance to prolong the time spent together. Suho silently guided her towards a nearby restaurant. Suho felt dizzy and unconcerned. He barely noticed it when they sat down. He mumbled his order and kept his eyes on the table in front of him.

Eunmi frowned, but only slightly. Suho had gone from being sweet and flirty to cold. Had she done something wrong? Was he thinking of his rapunzel girl? She shuddered, shoving away her ill thoughts. This was only their first date! Suho did not seem to be the kind of person to just bare his soul to just anyone. Things would take time. It might not have been her plan, but how else was she to proceed? A relationship took two people’s efforts, not just one. Eunmi ignored her hurt feelings. This will just take time! She smiled again. She just needed to bring her sweet Suho back.

Taking a leap of faith, Eunmi summoned her courage to lean forward and kiss Suho’s cheek. It was quickly done. It was only the faintest press of her lips and then it was over. Suho startled, jerking his head up. Eunmi leaned back in her seat and blushed.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I like you Suho oppa...I want you to know that.”

He smiled at her, but the food arrived before he could think of what to say.

‘She’s so blunt, he thought. I wonder...did Yoonmi ever want to do that?’

 The rest of the date was nothing to talk about. Suho sat trapped in his own thoughts. Eunmi talked enough for the both of them, but in the darkest part of her heart she feared the change in him.

Suho took no notice of this.

“Suho oppa?” Eunmi cautiously asked. He looked up from his empty plate.

“Yes?”

“I-” she hesitated, the words just on the tip of her tongue. Eunmi pushed on before she could change her mind. “I want to invite you to visit my hometown with me, over the semester break. I know we only just began dating, but-”

A thought struck Suho. “Is Yoonmi coming?” he asked the wheels in his mind turning. Eunmi opened to answer, but Suho already knew what she was going say. Yoonmi was too protective of Eunmi to let her go anywhere without her. They were going together. Suho tried to make his smile seem genuine.

“Of course I’ll come, Eunmi! I would love to spend more time with you.” He reached out for her hand. Eunmi’s eyes brightened as he did. “What kind of a boyfriend would I be otherwise?”

The chance has come, the chance for Suho to make Yoonmi see how happy he is now. The chance for Suho to make Yoonmi regrets for not fighting for their love, for not holding onto him and for throwing him away as if he’s completely worthless. Suho laughed at how excited and pleased Eunmi was. She really had no idea what she was doing.

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story will reach its end soon. Maybe a few more chapters? Yes, maybe.  I really hope I can update this story weekly, without any delays. I'm working hard for that, right now. Anyway, thank you so much for your support and comments! Please stick around until the very end of this story. :)