“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, Taemin’s not acting right… You know, he’s actually starting to scare me!...” Krystal exclaimed in a worried tone. Right now, she was sitting on top of Ji eun’s bed, with Ji eun at the other end of the bed, and Yoona on the floor facing them.

 “… Sometimes he’d talk in his sleep, he’d start to get all sweaty and toss and turn in panic… He’d scream for help, and when I try to calm him down he starts to scream ‘he’s gonna kill me… I’m sorry… please don’t let him get me’ just like that…” Krystal threw her arms and acted in front of the two girls like she was freaking out, mimicking Taemin’s actions. Ji eun and Yoona stared at her, not really knowing what to say, but it was Yoona who first broke the silence.

“Is he on drugs?” Krystal glared at Yoona in disbelief, she thought she might be making a bad joke, but Yoona was totally serious.

“You’re kidding…” Krystal scoffed, but when Yoona kept her face all serious, Krystal’s face feel and she looked away from both girls, actually considering such possibility.

“I need to break up with him, don’t I?” She let her face fall, her eyes on her lap, and spoke with the most melancholic voice she could speak in. Ji eun’s eyes softened, she moved to sit by the latter and hugged her tight.

“I think it’s better that way, we really don’t know what he’ll do when he’s… you know… high…” Yoona’s voice fell as well; she felt a little heart broken by how her friend looked. Krystal pulled herself from Ji eun’s embrace and looked at her with tears evident in her eyes.

“Can you do me a favor?” She asked, and Ji eun just nodded.

“Could you ask Chanyeol, if… if Taemin’s really taking drugs… ask him if he’s okay, I just wanna make sure…” Ji eun’s eyes fell to her lap, she couldn’t promise Krystal to ask that. It’s been 3 weeks since she last saw Chanyeol, 3 weeks since she last saw him smile, or heard his deep beautiful voice. She didn’t know anything other than what her cousin would tell her about him, she’d come every two days and tell her how he’s been doing. Even though he wasn’t sleeping around or hooking up with anyone, she wasn’t sure if he’d wait any longer for her.

“Why don’t you…” Ji eun started with a voice that sounded a little broken, but soon was cut off by Krystal.

“I can’t… I mean, he won’t tell me anything, but he’ll tell you … I’m sure!” She blurted out, eyes blinking in a pleading manner.

“Then you’ll have to wait… I’m not sure when my parents would let me get out of here…”

“Fine!” She exclaimed all of a sudden. “I’ll wait… Just promise me you’ll ask!” Krystal pleaded again and Ji eun just nodded, adding a reassuring smile.

“Umm... I think you should get going now… dad invited someone over dinner and he asked me to get ready.” Ji eun began with a hesitant voice. Krystal and Yoona looked at each other in disbelief, and then went back to look at her.

“He’s letting you meet people?”  Yoona raised and eye brow in question. Ji eun gave a small chuckle and a nod in response.

“They’ve been coming here once every week in the past 3 weeks… I think daddy’s gonna sigh a contract with them or something… something about the telecom branch, that’s all I know… He says they’re good people, and wants me to meet them tonight…” Krystal and Yoona’s faces brightened at that.

“OMG! You’re totally gonna meet them like normal people would!!” Krystal exclaimed as she jumped in her place, something that made Yoona throw a pillow at her.

“Hey!” She glared at the said girl.

“Stop hurting her feelings…” She stared uninterestedly back at her. Krystal rolled her eyes and face Ji eun once more.

“Want us to help you get ready?” Krystal blinked cutely at her, and Ji eun just nodded.

It’s been 3 weeks, 3 weeks since Chanyeol saw Ji eun. He’s always find his mind drifting towards thoughts about her whenever he was free, or whenever he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. He was back at working in the club again, helping out at the bar and performing alongside with Taemin sometimes. He’s been sp busy, because as soon as the word got out about him being back, the club was full of people, and the number would increase every day.

He’d get a lot of offers from a lot of beautiful girls, which he’d politely decline and move on with his work. He promised he’d wait for her, and he kept his word. No matter how strong the temptation was, to keep his hands off other girls, to decline their offers, he’d do it, because his heart is somewhere far away now.

Taemin every now and then about that, the latter didn’t understand the sudden change in Chanyeol’s character, and honestly, nor did Chanyeol understand why he was doing this. He never cared about one girl and one girl only, he never cared about feeling, and never actually believed in love, but now, he was lie what Taemin would say ‘Helplessly in love’ or ‘Whipped’.

Chanyeol was now putting everything into place, taking out the hot glasses from the dish washer. He placed the newly cut limes and cherries in the fridge under the counter, and put some dark blue bottles into place.