Zelo's POV

I'm such an idiot. Pathetic. Why? Well, look at what I've become, I'm not sure whether to run away from her or run towards her anymore.

I completely forgot about how bullheaded she can be sometimes and that's why she caught me off-guard when she tried to steal back the thumb drive. My mind recognized that moment of weakness and told my body to flee, like every time I let my guard down. That is important when you're standing in front of Untouchables, but not so useful when it comes to the person you're interested in. And that reflex is the reason why I was now on the bus back to Yongguk-hyung.

I slammed the door shut and Hyung almost dropped his plate at the noise, staring at me with big eyes. He relaxed when he saw that it's just me. “Have you finally talked to her?”, he wanted to know and I off my shoes.

“Yes, well...”, replied I, my hand fiddling with the thumb drive in my left pocket as I sat down on the sofa next to him. “Actually, I don't know.”

Yongguk raised an eyebrow. “That doesn't sound as if anything was cleared up.”

“Not...not really, no.” I sighed in frustration and lay my feet on the small table in front of me. She had taken a photo of Sleepy? I really wanted to know how she'd done that. When imagining a surprised Sleepy, I couldn't help smiling. “But she is just so stupid.”

“Lovefool”, I could hear Yongguk whisper from next to me as he took a spoonful of his stew to avoid my glare. “If she's stupid, that's not very funny, you know?”

“But it's so ridiculous, look.” I showed him the USB and he frowned, waiting for me to explain it. “She seems to have taken a picture of Sleepy and wanted to run to the police to sue him. The way she explained it, it actually sounded like a good plan, but...” I snorted again, unable to really believe it. “It's just plain stupid of her to think that would stop them, you know?”

“Wait, let me get this straight”, Hyung mumbled between to bites, rearranging himself on the sofa. “You're telling me she managed to take a picture of him? That guy? How'd she do that? And why do you have the thumb drive now?”

I shrugged and pulled my notebook on my lap to have a look at the picture. “Don't know, she didn't tell me, but she said it was a lot of work.” A blush crept up my skin as I recalled how close I had been standing to her to snatch away the USB. It was just to confuse her, there were no other thoughts in my head! Okay, maybe there were some... Maybe many of them. “I took it away from her so that she wouldn't do anything this stupid. She's pig-headed, words wouldn't have helped.”

I leaned back, unable to suppress another smile and Yongguk raised an eyebrow at my behavior. “There's more to that, you're behaving weird.”

I turned to glance at him while plugging in the USB. “She said that she's been worrying about me, hyung. She said that she missed me, can you believe that?”

He let out a sound of pretended disgust. “Look at you, I can almost see the rose-colored glasses on your nose. Don't you have anything else to worry about?” Yongguk chuckled before frowning. “What about that other guy? Did she talk about him?”

I stiffened, my good mood turning bad on the spot. Daehyun. “I completely forgot about him... She- Well, at least she didn't say anything to underline my guess...”, I said evasively, but my opponent got the point.

“So you still don't know if they're actually a couple?” I shook my head, feeling depressed all of a sudden. My emotional rollercoaster was worse than a pregnant woman's, what the hell. “Junhong-”, Yongguk started to say, but I raised my hand to interrupt him.

“I know, okay? I know.” Yongguk stood up, getting me some stew to eat while I was deep in thoughts and clicked on a certain data file. Soora was right. It was a perfectly shot picture of Sleepy, and he really looked kind of surprised in this shot. She was still thinking everything in the world was fair. As if that would have been good enough for the police to find, let alone capture, him, but... She had gone this far for me? Well and Jongup told me that he couldn't contact you. She had actually been worrying this much? Guess he lied to both of us, Soora's words echoed in my mind and I frowned. Was there more the grapes had hidden from me for the past two weeks? Something I actually needed to know? “I'll go see Jongup tomorrow”, I mumbled absentmindedly.

Yongguk turned to look at me irritatedly. “Again? You've already been there yesterday, why-” When he saw my troubled expression, he calmed down with a sigh. “Fine, do as you wish. Speaking of wishes, you know what day today is, right?”

I glanced at my phone. “October 15^th, why-...ah, yes... My birthday.” I sighed. “Why are you bringing it up now? We didn't celebrate yours either.” Why did everybody remember my birthday this year?!

“Well, I just thought you might need your birthday wish for once”, Hyung replied casually and I snorted.

“It's the same wish every year...What the hell is this?”, I had to suppress the urge to laugh during my last words, because Yongguk gave me my part of the stew he had cooked with a tiny striped candle on top of it. A...birthday stew?

“There's no cake, so be satisfied with this. Eat well.” He grinned back at me. “And I thought this year there is more for you to wish for than just world peace, Junhong. Shut up, be a good boy and blow out the stupid candle before it melts into your food. Idiot.” More to wish for than just world peace? He was right. My mind was filled with something else these days.

I closed my eyes in resignation, took a deep breath and blew out the candle. With the smoke, my wish was rising into the sky and it was one of my first wishes that could actually come true if only I believed in it this time. I took a deep breath, raising my face towards the sky that was hidden behind the flat's gray ceiling.

Let Kim Soora be by my side forever, please.

Soora's POV

All of this didn't make sense. It just didn't. I looked at the sky as I slowly walked home. “Mom, are you there?”, I whispered silently, only for me to hear. The stars appeared one by one, all shining as if nothing could stop them. Another thing that only I could hear (at least I hoped so) was my heartbeat and I swallowed before talking to the sky again. “I think my heart is broken. Not in a sad way though! Broken in the meaning of defective!”, I corrected myself on the spot. “It's just not working the way it should and I don't know what do do anymore. C-Can stuff like that happen...sometimes?”

Of course I didn't get an answer and I buried my hands in my jacket's pockets, kicking a can of beer that was standing next to a trash bin. I had remained in front of the police station for five more minutes after Junhong had left until I finally decided that going to the police probably wasn't a good idea without the picture anymore. If it was a good idea before, that is.

I couldn't get rid of all these thoughts about Zelo. The way he had looked at me with those dark eyes. So soft, yet so full of fear and worry. I had really missed him a lot, but when I had the chance to get him back, I got shy around him? There was no need to, it didn't make sense. And what was even more confusing was that he got shy too and I didn't know why. We weren't like this before he had left, were we? I was feeling just like when Daehyun had kissed me out of the blue the other day. Insecure, unsure, even a bit helpless.

There were many times I thought of my Mom, but it was rare for me to miss her to the extent that I tried to talk to her via Sky-phone as if I was in some kind of clichéd drama, talking to the stars. I heard that Moms always knew what to do and from what I remembered, that had actually been the case. And now I can't even hug you to find consolation, I thought, eyes glued to the dark plane above again. Dad wouldn't understand and Himchan wasn't there. God, how much I missed my brother, it was crazy. He wanted to come home this week, but there were only Saturday and Sunday left, would he really be able to make it? I hadn't heard of him in a while...

Before I knew it, I reached my home and Hye-sun smiled at me in relief when I opened the door. “Thank god, Soora, I thought you got lost or something like that. Tell me the next time you decide to go out for a bit longer, will you?” I nodded with a half-hearted smile and sat down at the table in the living room since she had already cooked dinner for me. “Darling?” I glanced at her who sat down in front of me. “Are you okay? I can see that something's bothering you.”

“I'm fine, I guess”, replied I, not very convincing.

“You guess?”

“I just don't know”, I explained with a shrug, poking the meat on my plate. I wasn't very hungry. “I feel like there's a decision I have to make, but I don't know why.”

“A decision?” Hye-sun raised an eyebrow and I held my breath, checking if my heartbeat was changing when I thought about the two of them. There was a difference. It was somewhat different, but how should I find out why?

“Le-Let's assume there are two different kinds of food I like in front of me, okay?” The maid was confused, but did her best to follow my train of thoughts and nodded. “If I could only eat one, how would I choose? For example, I like chocolate, but I also like apples. I don't know how to decide on one of them.”

A moment of silence emitted and I bit my lower lip. It sounded stupid, didn't it? I don't know, but let me tell you the reason for this question: if I was told that I have to give up one of them, Daehyun or Junhong, I wouldn't be able to choose. I had thought about this on my whole way back to the house. My heartbeat had quickened so much when Junhong stood there, right in front of me. You could assume it was my anger, but I knew that wasn't the actual reason. It was because I had missed him so much.

There were different aspects about the two of them that made me enjoy their presence. If I chose Daehyun, I'd have to be indifferent concerning Zelo. But choosing the latter would mean that I abandoned my boyfriend, which is just impossible. Right? Right?!

“It...It depends on what you're looking for, I guess?”, Hye-sun replied carefully, her head resting on her chin. She had understood me? “If you are craving for chocolate at that moment, the apple won't be a good choice. Of course, you can choose it and think: 'this is better, it is healthy and good for me' over and over again, reasoning with your heart. Both might fill your stomach, but still, you'd be happier if you ate the unhealthy chocolate. I mean... Aish, I hate it when you use metaphors I don't understand, Soora”, she concluded, throwing her hands in the air.

“No, wait, that might be true”, I mumbled, repeating what she had said in my mind again. “So, you mean that sometimes you should choose something bad instead of something healthy, because it makes you happier?”

Hye-sun shrugged hesitantly. “I...think? It's like having to choose a husband.” I flinched, staring at her with wide eyes. Had she caught on already? But judging by the way she looked out of the window, she thought about something else. “If one is well-educated and rich while the other one is good-looking, but doesn't have as much money as the other, of course you should choose the first one, right? There are more options that way.” I nodded and she smiled. “But those are just trivial thoughts. What if you fell in love with the latter? You can't betray your own heart, can you?” I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. She was right, that's just like what you could see in dramas on television, when the female lead had to choose one of the two guys. I nodded to show her that I understood.

“You're right...That really is true”, I whispered before frowning at her. “That husband-metaphor, where'd you get that from? I've got to remember it next time.” She cleared with a blush and my jaw dropped open. “Wait. Did you have to choose once?”

She bit her lower lip. “Well, it was not actually that serious... There was just someone my parents introduced me to when I was younger. He was kind of wealthy...It's been a long time since that happened, though.”

“So you said 'no' and opposed your parents' plans? Courageous, Hye-sun. Very courageous indeed!”, I admitted with a slow clap while munching my meat.

“It's n-nothing to boast about!”, she exclaimed with wide eyes. “I just loved the man I call my husband today, that's all. And didn't you tell me that Himchan-sshi has kind of a similar problem? It happens more often than you might think.”

“Ah yes, I wonder how my father's going to react.... Life is tough sometimes, huh?”

My maid nodded with a smirk. “It is. But it will always work out somehow, no matter which decision you make. There is no 'wrong' when it comes to them, only 'not as good as the other option'. Is your question answered?”

I grinned back at her. “I think so. Time will tell. Thank you Hye-a-achoo!” I was interrupted by a loud sneeze and she chuckled at my baffled expression.

“Bless you! If you sneeze, that means someone's talking about you. Did you know that? If you can't sleep today, they're still thinking about you”, she stated with a wink and I rolled with my eyes, desperately trying not to think of anyone in particular. Though I would probably have seen Daehyun's face. I guess... I hope. Well, great, I didn't even know what I was thinking anymore.

“They better not be making fun of me”, muttered I and glanced up to find Hye-sun still looking at me. We both smiled again. Maybe my mother did hear me and sent Hye-sun to my rescue. Whenever I was worried about something, she would notice and ask me about it. She would never be a substitute for her, but she was a big sister to me. Thanks, Mom.

I then placed my palms on the table to stand up. “Well, thank you again, I'll go upstairs if you don't mind, there's some homework for me to do...”

“Sure, go ahead. What subject?”, she asked casually, collecting my plate to bring it into the kitchen.

I grimaced. “Math.”

“Ooohh, good luck. You'll be on your own since Daehyun is gone for the week-end, right?” I nodded and she patted my back as if to cheer me up. “Soora, fighting!”, she exclaimed before starting to clean up. “Oh and Soora? Don't forget that I won't be coming tomorrow. I've got an appointment at the doctor.”

“I really would have forgotten about it, thanks”, I admitted, walking up the stairs.

I had already given up on doing my homework when I sat down at my desk, deciding to do something else instead. I took out a blank sheet of paper and wrote two names on them. What were their character traits? How did we meet? I wrote it down and, after a few minutes, I was frowning at what I read.

I was hesitating.

I couldn't write “I take care of him” on Daehyun's side. I couldn't, because I noticed that whenever we were together, I only took the warmth he was offering me. I didn't really give anything in return; he was already happy with me just being with him. But was that enough?

“Aish!”, I exclaimed, burying my face in my hands in helplessness. “What is wrong with me?” I wasn't supposed to even think about this. I should just be happy with Daehyun! I was already, no kidding! But would I be on a long-term basis?

My hand was trembling as I took the pen once more to add something.

Yoooo, new chapter for you guys <3 Aww, did Soora finally realize something? She's so confused, right? Hahaha, I can't wait for your reactions concerning the next chapter, the grand finale is about to begin :D

Btw, I started studying at university last week and I will only be able to update on week-ends, because I don't have an internet connection in my new appartment yet (No, it's not Zelo's flat xD). That means I'll write more (because of boredom), but I'll only be able to update on Saturday or Sunday...Please be patient with me...again xD

Well, love you all and welcome to the new readers! :D

Kirin~