[CONTENTID1] CHAPTER FORTY - CHANGE OF PLANS[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]

Updates are gonna be really slow because I have basically zero little time to write - what with my exams, my theory test (for driving), school work, my driving lessons, my job....it's a hard-knock life being a student. No joke T_T

I’m shaken awake. A bright light breaches my eyelids and I flutter them open. I sit up in my bed and yawn, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. When they focus, I can fully make out Hyoyeon standing above me.

“Rise and shine, achos!” she beams and I groan, flopping back down on the pillow. She rolls her eyes and grabs my arm, yanking me back up. “Time to get up.”

“I don’t wanna,” I whine but she’s ignoring me and dragging me out of bed. The warmth I’m feeling is replaced with a slight breeze that brushes my bare legs. I look to my right and see that the curtains have been pulled back and the blinds rolled up. The window is open and gives a clear view of the city of Andong. It’s in ruins but it has a particular beauty to it.

Cars are toppled over and colliding with each other, the streets are crawling with Infected and blanketed by trash. The buildings have vines and other plants growing through their cracks as Nature reclaims her homeland. There are a few animals here and there but they don’t wander around for long before they’re spotted and chased down by Infected.

“It’s scary, right?” Hyoyeon asks from behind me. I nod absentmindedly and she takes my hand, dragging me to the bathroom door. She’s about to open it when Julien comes out, wet and . Both our sets of eyes widen and we go red in the face. “I—uh, um— well. Okay.”

“Sweet Jesus,” I mutter under my breath as my eyes betray me and wander down the length of his tattooed body. His shoulders are ridiculously broad and his chest unnecessarily wide. His pecs are defined and his abs are…monumentally chiseled. I feel like I’m in high school and I’ve just walked in on a shirtless football player in the bleachers. That's what Americans called them, right?

“Like what you see, commander?” he asks flirtatiously. His words snap me out of my daze and I blink rapidly, then look away. My cheeks are burning. Hyoyeon clears and walks past him, being careful not to touch any part of him as she yanks me into the bathroom. As she closes the door behind us, Julien’s chuckle can be heard.

“Oh my God,” she gasps as she leans against the door with her eyes closed. She opens them again and gives me a look that I’ve never seen but I can easily read. “I think I just lost my ity again.” I burst out laughing and start undressing. She walks over and also takes her t-shirt off. “No, seriously. My ovaries just exploded!”

“I have to admit…he’s really attractive,” I sigh and she snorts.

“Attractive? Hyerim, that man is on legs,” she states and I laugh, shaking my head at her. She’s a blunt one and I love her for it. “I swear if I didn’t like Daehyun, I’d be all over Julien.” I smirk and raise a brow at her. She looks at me. “Okay, it doesn’t even matter if I like Daehyun. I still want a piece of Julien.”

“You just willingly admitted to liking Daehyun,” I tell her and she sighs, shrugging one shoulder.

“It’s easier to admit you like someone than to pretend the feelings aren’t there,” she replies and the words hit home. I grimace and try to think of how they could apply to me. I already acknowledge my feelings for Jackson. Who else could there be? “Oh my God.”

“What?” I ask, shaking the weird thoughts from my head. Hyoyeon grabs her hair and lifts it as she rushes over to the mirror. “What’s wrong?” 

“Is that a grey hair!?” she gasps and I walk over to her. I grab her head and peer at her scalp. There is indeed a grey hair there but it’s not the only one. Luckily, her blonde hair makes it hard to spot them unless you look as closely as we currently are. “I’m getting grey hair!!”

“Calm down, it’s alright,” I say and she scoffs. “My hair’s going limp. Feel it.” She grabs a lock of it and rubs it between her fingers. She gasps a little. “See? I think it’s lack of proper nutrition, sleep and just stress in general.”

“And ual frustration!” she adds. I make a face at her and she rolls her eyes. “Come on. Remember that time I slept with that cute chef guy at the military base in Beijing? What was his name again...” I roll my eyes. “Whatever! Wasn’t my skin glowing afterwards?”

“Come to think of it…yeah,” I mumble, frowning. It’s true. Every time she’s returned home after her ual escapades, she’s looked revived. Is there a science behind that? I’m not sure but I know if Youngjae was here, he’d be able to answer that question and more. 

“And you looked like an angel after Kyuhyun,” she says and I blush hard. She laughs and bumps shoulders with me. “Don’t be embarrassed. As ing annoying as Kyu-oppa is, he’s really good in bed.” 

“Yah! Quit being weird,” I mumble, removing the boxers I’m wearing. We wash our faces, underarms and private areas before getting dressed in our newly washed military clothing. “But…are our bodies really suffering from lack of ual intimacy?”

She nods. “Uh-huh. I read this book ages ago about how is really good for the body. It helps your immune system and bladder control, it boosts your libido, lowers your chances of having a heart attack…a bunch of stuff. And guess what? It blocks pain.”

“Huh?”

“Like if you broke your leg or something. Having an would block that pain,” she explains and my eyes widen in surprise. Who knew had so many benefits? Obviously Hyoyeon. “Let’s not forget that it improves sleep and reduces your stress levels.”

“Wow,” I whistle and she nods proudly. “All that just from having ?”

“Yep,” she replies as she ties her hair up in a ponytail. I do the same with mine and play with the ends. I tilt my head from side to side as I watch myself in the mirror. Interesting… “It’s a shame Jackson isn’t here, huh?” My eyes widen and I gulp. She hands me a toothbrush from under the sink and takes one for herself, putting toothpaste on both of them. 

“Yeah…” I mutter. I scratch the back of my neck and put my toothbrush under the tap. Hyoyeon starts brushing her teeth. I act as nonchalant as possible as I say my next words. “But…I mean, we’re not…official or anything.” She stops brushing her teeth and looks at me.

“Mwo?”

“I just mean…like…well, Jackson hasn’t exactly been…doing it for me,” I mumble and her jaw drops, her toothbrush falling into the sink. She quickly picks it up and spits out, then turns to me. “I mean…oh, .”

“You don’t like Jackson anymore?” She asks and I shrug awkwardly. 

“I like him. I love him,” I correct myself. “But I don’t know if I’m in love with him anymore. I don't know, we’ve been growing distant and now that we’re completely apart…I find that I only miss him as much as I miss the others when I should be missing him more.”

“Huh,” she snorts, pursing her lips. “Well, that’s understandable.”

“M-mwo?” I stutter.

She shrugs. “I mean, you guys have known each other for a while, right? And you’ve dated for a while. The kind of love shared between couples can sometimes fade, you can’t blame yourself for that. It’s natural.”

“It is?” I ask and she nods.

“It is. Humans aren’t monogamous creatures, Hyerim. We’ve just fooled ourselves into believing we are because we think it’s the right of way,” she tells me. “Of course, we can still settle for one person if the affection is strong enough. But don’t feel guilty if it’s not.”

“Huh. You know, Hyoyeon, you’re a lot smarter than people give you credit for,” I tell her and she smi