Chapter 24: Discord

When Eunji and Hoya fight (something that normally occurs)... they fight.

As if a storm had wrecked their relationship, it was because of a single fight that everything erupted into a billion pieces.

This time it was different.

They weren’t friends anymore, and their first fight proved to be the largest hurdle that both had to overcome with ample strength and unquestionable faith to each other. But alas, not everyone is strong enough to endure, and not even the purest of hearts could win the battle alone. When the storm hit, it had hit hard and Myungsoo and Naeun were at the forefront, like mediators to warring countries, but even with their patience, for once they questioned if it was the end of the happy couple.

“For goodness sake Howon! Why are you like this?! If you’re jealous then just say so!” Eunji slammed the door, making the room vibrate slightly and Naeun’s head whipped towards the living room but she didn’t dare move from her spot. She had been comfortably passing time at the balcony with a mug of lavender tea and a fashion magazine, hearing the edge in Eunji’s voice made her freeze. There was an uncharacteristically coldness to it.

“Why are you mad? I’m the one that should be mad after what happened! Do you even think of how I would feel Eunji?! Am I so meaningless to you?!” Hoya barked and Naeun flinched inwardly, she had never heard him so harsh. His usual demeanor was one of a dopey puppy that needed to be occasionally petted.

“How could you say that when you know perfectly well how much I love you?!”

“It doesn’t feel like that now.”

“You embarrassed me in front of my friend! The whole university saw! My god! Have you any thought for me?! How I would feel?”

“He was all over you! You let him hug you Eunji!”

“Don’t act like you’ve never hugged other girls before! Since when were you so possessive?! I don’t need a man to control me Howon, excuse me if you think I’m some kind of flirtatious wanton who flirts with other men and is unfaithful to you!”

“You don’t understand!”

“What is it that I don’t understand?! Why won’t you just tell me?”

He suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes.

“He loves you.”

“How would you know!?” She looked back to those stormy eyes that mirror hers so perfectly, both so destructive, so prideful.

“Because he looks at you with the same eyes I do, with such adoration that he would jump in front of a bus if it means protecting you. I expected you to have at least some understanding of how I felt for you; Eunji I’ve loved you since we were children. I expected you to actually care about how I would feel in this relationship. But it looks like I was wrong. Why would he look at you with those eyes if you haven’t given him reason to?” He turned away dejectedly, his shoulders dropping and his eyes cannot bear the weight of her sad beauty.

“Are you insinuating that I’ve been cheating on you? I love you! Why can’t you see that and trust me?”

“You haven’t given me reason to! You didn’t even push him away! How about how I feel Eunji?”

“Hoya I wasn’t- I would’nt-“

“How about all the times before? You knew how I felt about you-“

“You what?! Longed for me? Thirsted for my love? You yourself have made no attempt to prove to me and then suddenly I’m private property of Lee Howon?”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“Then what did you mean?! Are you still gonna paint me as the flirtatious wanton of a girlfriend I am?!”

“Eunji…”

“Don’t. Just don’t answer that. I don’t want to hear it! You obviously don’t believe in anything I say!”

He flinched and took a cautious step back, suddenly afraid of what other words they would hurl at each other, like darts to a board.

“I should leave. Before we say anything worse to each other, before I regret even opening my mouth infront of you.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Her voice was barely a whisper and her expression changed to guilt and anguish.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you either. I’m going now, let’s just take some time to cool off and breathe.” He suggested before stepping backwards until his feet reached the welcome mat, and with quick swift movements he was gone from the room, as if he was never there in the first place.

Naeun heard the door of Eunji’s bedroom slam and she also heard the guilty shuffling of Hoya leaving the premises. She knew better than to meddle in the couples affairs but deep down she knew it was different, something was strangely wrong and she couldn’t help but feel something gnawing at her mind.

This wasn’t just their average fight and she knew that.

Eunji didn’t come out for tea and dinner and her housemate became increasingly worried. At around 9.00pm she knocked on the elder’s bedroom door, a tray of food in her hand, stacked with Eunji’s favourites.

“Can I come in?” She pleaded, after several failed attempts of getting even the smallest reaction from Eunji. “Eunji , please.”  Naeun called out softly, hoping that she would at least be moved a little bit, that is, enough to open the bloody door.

There was silence, no answer before she heard the lock unlatch and she came face to face with a wild-haired, wrinkled-shirted Eunji with the tearstains still so visible, and the puffiness too obvious.

“Oh Eunji.” Her words came out more motherly than she expected because when Naeun set the tray down by the bedside the elder sat her on the bed and curled into her lap like a small child before the floodgates burst and she continued to cry.

“Shhhhh… it’s okay. I’m here.”

“I lost him again. How could I be so foolish… but Naeun, what he said hurt. I’m not his possession, I am me!”

“I know that. He knows that. He loves you so much that it kills him every time he sees you with another. He’s loved you since the dawn of time Eunji. Since you were born, until the stage where you have become the lady you are now.”

“I pushed him away because I was so mad. I love him back too.” She sniffled, tugging at Naeun’s cuffs.

“I know.” She hushed her friend until the elder fell asleep, she tucked her carefully into her bed like child. Finding a moments peace at the balcony she sighed before grabbing her phone and dialing a well-remembered number .

“Hello?” A voice she knew too well answered, the sleepiness from his voice made her smile, but that smile quickly dropped when she remembered what had happened.

This time they had everything to lose.

“Myungsoo, we have a problem.”

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” 
- C. G Jung

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A/n: I know ... its been awhile.... 

but ive been soo busy with competitions so forgive me !!!!

/ HIDES IN CORNER/