“Are you sure nothing’s left behind?” asked Changjo with the most stable voice he could make at the airport in the next morning.

Jiyoon shook her head. “Nope, everything’s already packed.” She smiled as she twined his arm, signaling him to keep walking with her.

“Uhm… I’m sorry that I haven’t decided on when to go home,” he regretfully said.

“It’s okay, take your time. Well, time heals. Who knows if soon your heart moved you,” replied her, still smiling warmly at him.

He mentally scoffed at her words since he knew that wouldn’t happen. “I wish.” He shrugged. “We have to keep contacting each other, okay? Promise?” he stretched his pinky finger out.

“Promise.” She twined her finger with his. “I’ll contact you right away when I arrive at the airport and gonna keep contacting you after.”

Changjo stopped walking and turned her to look at him. “Keep contacting me no matter what happens, okay?” he demanded, half begged.

Jiyoon vigorously nodded. “I promise. Don’t worry.” She kissed his cheek.

“Isn’t it time for you to go? You shouldn’t be late,” warned him as he had a look at his watch.

“You’re shooing me now?” she pretended to sulk. “No, I was just kidding.” She poked him playfully when his face tautened before taking her backpack which had been on his back.

“If I could keep you here, I would’ve done it just so you know,” he muttered as he half heartedly passed her the belongings. “Everything’s on you already?” he made sure for the umpteenth time.

She scanned her own body, checking her things. “Yup, I got them all with me,” she stated. “Oh wait! There’s one thing I forgot!” she palmed her forehead.

“Ya, you’re so sloppy! What is it? Haish! I’m gonna keep it for you later then,” he nagged.

But instead of panicking more, Jiyoon smirked. “Yeah, please keep it as well as you can because I really don’t want it to lose nor to break.”

Changjo frowned. “Why do you keep being skeptical on me? Of course I’m gonna take care of it!” he argued.

“Really? You promise to take care of it?” she pretended to doubt his words.

“I promise.” He rolled his eyes, irritated. “What is it? Just tell me where you might leave it so I can get it for you.”

Jiyoon meaningfully smiled as she stared into his eyes. “It’s you I left,” answered her. “You’ve just promised me to take care of yourself and you got to keep your promise. I don’t want to see you broken when we meet later. I don’t want to lose you either. Please keep Changjo for me, only for me.”

His throat went dry in a sudden. He just promised her things he couldn’t promise. He looked down for a moment before he got back on staring at her, with his teary eyes then. “I’ll try my best.” He tried to stretch out his face muscles to form a proper smile.

“No, you have to. It’s a must. You’ve promised me,” replied her.

Changjo cupped her cheek as he it gently. Both of them were smiling all along at each other. “Okay, I’m gonna do it. I’ve promised you.” He locked his lips with her, drowning into their last deep and affectionate kiss.

“I’ll go now,” she reminded him half heartedly. “Take care,” she whispered as she barged into his tight hug.

He kissed her head before she started walking away. “You too, don’t forget to contact me 24/7. You’ve promised!” shouted him, teasing her back with her phrase.

She stopped to turn at him, grinning. “I’m going now! Bye, Changjo!”

“Bye,” he weakly replied.

But none of them had moved from their current place. Changjo raised his eyebrow, confused. Jiyoon suddenly ran back towards him and crashed her lips on his as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Okay, I really am going now. Bye!” she stole a peck on his lips before she ran away without looking back at him nor just to wait for his answer.

Changjo smiled bitterly while he watched her back fading away from his sight. I’m sorry, Jiyoon-ah, but I’m the one going now.

******

Changjo was wandering aimlessly, going wherever his feet took him to. He wasn’t ready to spend his time alone at the hotel without her, even not seeing her stuffs piling up on every corner of the room would undoubtedly make him anxious. The horror thoughts came back in his mind. Her departure meant real separation of them. He got to face the real truth anytime soon. He got to do what he got to do. But above it all, he had promised Jiyoon the things he should haven’t promised, messing himself up more.

His phone rang on his way back to the hotel after lunch. Thank God it was Jiyoon who called. Smiling, he picked it up right away. “Let me call you instead.” He hung up for the sake of her phone bills before she could respond. “Hi, you’ve arrived?” he greeted her on his new call.

“Yup, I safely arrived here, Sir!” she reported. “I’m on my way home now,” she sighed.

“Why you sounded disappointed? You must be happy to see your dad again,” convinced him.

“Because I have to adapt myself without you around me here.”

Her words jabbed him right away. No matter how difficult it would be for her, he knew she really had to do it since she might live without him around her for the rest of her life.

“Don’t be so sad. I’m here talking to you still,” told him. Yeah, still.

“What are you up to right now? I miss you already,” she asked.

Changjo faked a laugh. “We’ve just separated for less than 10 hours! I’m on my way back to the hotel. I went downtown from the airport.”

“Trying to catch some girls up, eh?” she joked. “I’m just gonna do the same here then.”

“Ya! I’m not that kind of guy! Don’t you dare to do that! Even just to think of it!” he nagged right away.

Jiyoon’s chuckles could be heard from the line across. “Teasing you is fun, Changjo, really.”

“Unfortunately I couldn’t tease you back in my own way,” he muttered, reflexively rolled his eyes although she couldn’t see it.

“Ya, we should just chat instead. You’re breaking your bills by calling me through international call,” warned her.

“Yup, talk to you in a bit. I suddenly forgot where I put the room card. There’s no way for it to be accidentally brought by you, isn’t it?” he nervously let out a stupid laugh.

She hissed. “You should take a look at yourself before calling me sloppy. And no, I don’t have it with me.”

“Let me search for it first then. Just send your message right away, I’ll reply it soon. Love you.”

Changjo was busy grasping all of his pockets to feel the card’s shape in panic before he finally remembered that he had put it inside his wallet when Jiyoon gave it to him earlier. Chuckling at his own stupid self, he went into the room and threw himself on the bed right away. He started chatting with her to distract his mind from the quiet and dull surroundings.

An hour had passed and he was still busy virtually chatting with her when the bell rang along with knocks on his room door. He checked his watch as he got up while cursing on his own, thinking that it was Hiroshi come visiting.

But he later found himself standing frozen behind the door seeing the person who had been standing outside his room.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned the guy in a defensive mode, somehow not surprised with his appearance in front of his door. “You’re just wasting your time on me.”

The guy maintained to stay calm as he smiled at Changjo instead. “I was sent to pick you up.”

Changjo sighed, “I’ve told you you’re just uselessly wasting your time here. I don’t want to go home, Hyung. I don’t want to do it. You know it already.”

“Won’t you even let me in first before we talk about everything? I didn’t even have enough sleep in the past few days and Appa ordered me to come here this morning,” said Minhyuk.

The younger rolled his eyes and opened the door wider for him to come in. He climbed back onto the bed—back on chatting with Jiyoon—while Minhyuk dropped his bag and lay himself down on the couch. Silence wrapped them up as they were busy on their own for a moment.

“What do you want actually, Jonghyun?” Minhyuk called him by his real name.

“Marry my girlfriend,” he answered shortly with his gaze was still down on his phone while his thumbs literally danced on the screen, typing. “And Appa won’t let me.”

Minhyuk snorted. “You have a girlfriend? Since when?”

“Since I made a runaway here and I met her and I fell for her, as simple as that. Why do you seem to be so surprised?” he replied, not yet making an eye contact with the older. “Oh, and she’s Korean for your info.”

“No, I’m just amazed.” He made an excuse. “Why did you choose to date her although you’ve known that your marriage is already arranged?”

“I thought Appa just simply want me to get married early. That’s why I thought he would let me marry her instead of anyone whom he has chosen for me.” He shrugged. “Your marriage is coming next month, huh?”

Minhyuk shook his head although Changjo wasn’t paying attention at him. “It’s delayed until the following month since I have a business trip.”

Changjo put his phone down to finally look at him. “Which means mine will be delayed by a month as well?” his hopes were hanging up high.

“Or our marriage day will actually be switched,” Minhyuk casually spoke his thought which got Changjo in horror right away. “Well, I’m not so sure about that. He didn’t tell me anything. I don’t even know whom I’m marrying either.”

Changjo’s eyes widened at the words he just heard. “But how could you agree on it when you have no idea whom you’re marrying, Hyung?” he asked in disbelief.

“I trust Appa. He knows best. That’s why I don’t really mind it.” Minhyuk shrugged.

Changjo mockingly laughed as he was busy typing again. “Knows best? Really? After all those girls he introduced to us you can still trust him? You’re getting married, Hyung! We’re getting married! It’s not a joke anymore!”

“That’s why. Since he wants us to marry whoever she is, it means he must have already considered everything for us as well. He wouldn’t just randomly pick his friends’ daughters for us like he did back then,” he said. “Think about it, Jonghyun. You should overlook this matter maturely. You’re not a child anymore. This matter isn’t just about your will. They want the best for us and you should at least respect their efforts.” Without his knowing, the younger had already got back on his phone since he started his lectures on him.

Minhyuk hissed when he realized Changjo wasn’t paying attention again. He got up to approach him and snatch his phone away.

“The heck, Hyung!” he reflexively sat up to snap at his brother. “Don’t you dare to dig through my phone,” he threatened while glaring at the older.

“No, I won’t.” He showed the screen towards Changjo before he pressed the lock button, shutting the screen off in one push. “Were you even listening to me? Don’t play around with me, Choi Jonghyun. We’re talking about serious matter here.”

Changjo clicked his tongue as he looked away from him. “I’m tired with all of this, Hyung.”

“You’re the one who make it difficult for you. If you go along with his plan from the start you wouldn’t have to bother yourself running away like this,” replied Minhyuk.

“Stop blaming me. Everything’s happened. I’ve run away and I’ve fallen for my girl. Nothing could undo those things. You cannot blame me for those anymore,” he defended.

Minhyuk sighed, “Look at me.” He sat beside him on the bed. Changjo hesitantly turned at him. “I’m asking you once again. What do you want now? What do you exactly want? You know what you can do and what you can’t.”

“But nothing’s impossible, Hyung.” He once again disproved.

“I know. I know it well that nothing’s impossible, but the hopes are hanging too high. It’s not impossible, but it’s so damn difficult. For you, for our family, for everyone. I’ve told you not to make it difficult. Let’s just face the reality and see what we can do best at. If you keep hoping and wishing, you won’t go anywhere, Jonghyun. You’re just making it more difficult and you’re not gonna solve this. Trust me,” told him half frustrated on his stubborn brother.

With much difficulty, Changjo swallowed his lectures that time, admitting the bitterness and the rightness of his words.

“Does she know about this?” asked Minhyuk. Changjo weakly shook his head.

“Do you love her?” Minhyuk continued questioning him. The younger just stared bluntly at him before gave him a sure nod. “Then leave her,” he added.

“That doesn’t make sense! You know I love her, but how could you ask me to leave her!”

“Choi Jonghyun, stop being so shallow,” he calmly replied. “With all the truth you’re facing right now, you’re just hurting her by whatever you’ve been doing to her. You make her love you more from time to time, but in the end you leave her. You’re just playing her all along! Don’t you think about how she might feel when she found out about this later? You shouldn’t just think about your feelings, think about hers too! You should stop this all, stop hurting her, Jonghyun-ah.”

Once again, it amazed Minhyuk when he realized Changjo was silently crying. The last time he witnessed him crying was probably when he teased the 5 years old Changjo. He was crying in front of him then, crying on a girl.

“Just so you know, I don’t like to see our family scattered like this. I want us to gather again, as one whole family. Don’t you miss appa and eomma?” he kept trying to convince him. “I trust you, Jonghyun-ah. You can get through this all. I’m not telling you not to love your girl, but for her good, please leave her. You should realize that what you’ve been doing all along isn’t more than hurting her.”

Minhyuk wrapped his arm around his shoulder as he patted him slowly. “You must prove your love by leaving her. I know this must be hard for you, but I really want you to prove it to me. You’ve indirectly hurt her much all this time. Stop hurting her more,” he said.

Changjo was lack of words to argue. “B-but Chanhee loves her too. I don’t want to see him with her, Hyung. I can’t.” He had already continued before Minhyuk could question him. “We’ve been secretly dating all along. None of Teen Top hyungs know about us,” he confessed.

Minhyuk sighed, “There’s another difficult thing you should have now.” Changjo looked at him, anticipating. “It’s the willingness to wholly let her go.”

A/N:

Seems a bit quiet here lately! :(