“Myungsoo oppa, actually…”

“Yes? What do you have to say, yeon?”

“Oppa…”

“Eo?”

“Actually… I like you a lot. As a woman to a man, not as dongsaeng to an oppa.”

Myungsoo widened his eyes and looked at the girl intensely, “Are you serious?” Myungsoo was surprised. He thought she had always seen him as an older brother figure.

Maybe not.

“Yes. I don’t know when it happened but it just came.” Jiyeon explained, “I don’t know. Maybe when we’re young? Maybe when we’re in middle school or high school? Maybe when we stay next to each other before we moved to our new apartments? Maybe because we’re always neighbors? I don’t know but I really like you, oppa.”

“Jiyeon-ah…”

“Oppa. It’s okay not to reply me. I’m fine with it!” Jiyeon smiled, but of course, as her childhood friend, Myungsoo knew what she was thinking.

She was upset.

But this girl was his childhood friend. They’re neighbor since young back in their hometown. And now too, when they moved to Seoul for further studies.

They’re still neighbors now, living in the same apartment building. They will see each other each day and Myungsoo couldn’t afford to make her sad. He promised her parents to take care of her too.

“Okay!”

Jiyeon widened her eyes and looked straight into his, “Okay?”

“Okay! I like you too, yeon. Let’s go out!”

Jiyeon couldn’t hide her smile any longer. Her grin grew wider as she took a step nearer to Myungsoo, “REALLY?”

“Yes.” This time, Myungsoo took her into his arms and patted her back gently, “Yes, babo.”

“Thank you, oppa.” Jiyeon cooed before wrapping her arms around her too. “Thank you for returning my feelings.”

~~~~~

Myungsoo smiled as he waved for his girlfriend over brightly, “Over here! Jiyeon-ah, come over!”

Jiyeon ran over to his side and hooked her arms around his brightly too, “Oppa~ Are you excited for tomorrow’s graduation?”

“Of course!”

It’s been a month since she confessed and it’s been a month since they’re together.

Myungsoo ruffled her hair as they walked towards their apartment building. “You have to be there.”

“Of course I will be! It’s my oppa’s graduation!”

They walked into the lift and Jiyeon pressed the button. “Oppa.”

“Hmm?”

“I bet you’ll be so handsome tomorrow.”

“So you’re saying I’m not handsome now?” Myungsoo raised a brow playfully, but she thought he was serious and went into panic mode. “No! NO! Of course not! My oppa is handsome every day! I mean you’ll be much more handsome than usual when you take your certificate tomorrow! I-“

Myungsoo smiled as he cut her off with a peck on her cheek. “I know, babo. I’m just playing with you.”

Jiyeon smacked his chest, which wasn’t hard at all, and showed her famous cute pout, “Oppa~”

“I know, I know. I’ll make you awesome dinner.”

“You promised!”

“Come over after you’d shower.”

“Okay! See you later, oppa!”

With that, they went into their own apartment, and Jiyeon took a quick shower before hurrying over to his.

They had dinner together, and that was another day.

Myungsoo’s graduation was awesome indeed. Jiyeon made sure to take lots of photos when he went up to stage, and even after he came down.

With that, Myungsoo graduated and went into a university majoring in music.

Jiyeon entered her senior year, and worked hard to achieve good results so she could enter the same university as Myungsoo too.

~~~~~

However, things started changing after a month he began school.

He started to return home late.

Jiyeon was worried sick almost every night, and she waited in his house for him, almost every night. “Oppa! You’re back!”

Myungsoo showed a tired smile and sat down on the couch, beside her. “Yup, I’m back.”

“Projects again?”

“Yup. University is really no joke.”

Jiyeon pouted sadly and gave him massage at once, “You’re working so hard, oppa. Fighting! You can do it!”

“Thank you, yeon-ah.” Myungsoo rested a while before standing up, “I’ll go take a shower now.”

“Okay!”

Jiyeon sat on the couch and waited for him patiently, but all of the sudden, his phone rang.

And a message notification popped up.

Jiyeon took his phone over with a curiosity raising in her mind, “Who could it be?”

But to her horror, it was a girl’s name. “Park Yoonhee?” Jiyeon frowned and opened the message unknowingly.

“Myungsoo-ah! Hope you had fun at my party tonight! We should go to clubs often after our lessons since we always end early!”

That surprised her, totally.

“But oppa said he was late for projects…”

“Yeon-ah?!”

Jiyeon jumped a little and answered quickly, “EO?”

“Can you help me get my towel?”

“OKAY!” Jiyeon pressed the ‘unread button’ and placed his phone back onto the table before rushing over to his aid.

That message never once left her mind that night, but she let it go the next day. “It’s fine. Oppa must not want me to worry. It’s okay.”

~~~~~

But.

His often lateness increased every week.

Months passed, and soon, Myungsoo changed.

He changed into a new person, into a new man.

Jiyeon blinked as Myungsoo entered his apartment that night. “Oppa! You’re home!”

However, Myungsoo’s reaction was different as compared to months ago, “Why are you here again?”

“Oppa…”

“Don’t come over so often. You have your house.”

“But oppa… I always wait for you at your house.”

“Don’t have to.”

Jiyeon pouted sadly as she walked up to him, “Oppa… Are you stressed about your studies?”

“No.”

“Then what’s wrong? Why are you so cold to me nowadays?”

“I did not.” Myungsoo pushed her aside, walked into his room and slammed his door shut loudly. Jiyeon flinched, of course.

“Oppa… You must be really stressed… It’s fine!” Jiyeon smiled, to comfort herself, and walked towards the main door, “I’m sure you’ll return to yourself soon.”

~~~~~

But no.

3 months passed, and he was still the same.

No.

He got worse.

Jiyeon almost couldn’t understand him anymore.

Every night he came home late, shoved her out of his apartment, and went out early in the morning. He ignored her. He treated her as an invisible object.

Jiyeon smiled it through every day.

She smiled – thinking he must be tired due to university work. She heard it from others too. University works are tough, she knew it.

“Must be… Maybe oppa will return to normal when holiday comes!”

Jiyeon woke up the next day, checked up on him, only to find his house empty again – as usual. She left for school with a huge sigh indeed.

“Noona!”

Jiyeon smiled brightly when she saw her only friend in school – Oh Sehun. Why is Oh Sehun her only friend?

She had no girlfriends since they all hated her for snatching their prince charming – Kim Myungsoo – away.

She had no boyfriends too, since they never bothered to get near her as she’s attached. Realistic, yes.

But only Oh Sehun approached her. Only he did.

Why?

Jiyeon doesn’t know too. Whenever she asked him why, he would just say he liked her as a friend – that’s all.

“Sehun-ah!”

Sehun plopped down by her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, in a friendly way, “How’s your morning, noona?”

A pout was formed on at once, and he knew why.

“He wasn’t at home again?”

She nodded her head, and he grew mad.

“What the hell?! Shouldn’t he care for you at least?! I don’t believe he’s working for his studies every day till late night!”

“Sehun-ah, don’t be like this! I’m fine! I can wait for him to look at me again.”

“Noona, you’re always saying this.”

“What?”

“You’re always saying you’re okay, you’re fine. But I know you’re not.”

“I really am fine, Sehun-ah.”

“Noona, you can’t lie to me, okay?” Sehun grunted.

“Sehun…”

“Fine, fine. I’ll let it go this time.” Sehun smiled again, just to make her feel better, “Jja-jjan! Kimbap for lunch today!”

“WOW!” Jiyeon couldn’t stop her drool, “You made this?!”

“Of course! I’m the awesome chef Oh Sehun!”

That made her laugh – genuinely – and they had fun in school again that day.

Although she had fun in school with Sehun, she was upset right when she stepped into her apartment building.

Jiyeon did her homework, showered, ate dinner, and went over to his apartment again.

But that night was different.

Myungsoo was home late – as usual – but he didn’t come home alone.

He came home with a girl in his arms.

Jiyeon was in utter shock. “O-Oppa…”

“Why are you here again?” Myungsoo growled lowly as he walked in with the girl.

“O-Oppa… W-Who’s this…?”

“My one night stand, who else?”

“O-Oppa… W-Why…?”

“Why?” Myungsoo smirked as he pushed her forehead hardly, which actually hurt, “Why, you’re asking me?”

“W-Why… did you change… so much…?”

“Because you’re boring!” Myungsoo laughed madly, “You’re okay with anything! You have no opinions! You don’t even let me kiss you!”

“B-But… I… I thought… we could go slowly… in our relationship…”

“Slowly?! How slow do you want to go? Huh? I don’t have the patience waiting for you all day long!” Myungsoo cooed, in a rather insulting way, as he pulled the girl into his arms, “I met her tonight and she want to do it with me!”

And he began laughing while Jiyeon started sobbing. “Oppa…” She walked over to Myungsoo and grabbed his arm, “O-oppa… Don’t do this to me… I… I can do better! I promise I’ll change! I promise!”

Myungsoo shoved her away, rather harshly, and she fell onto the ground after knocking her legs onto the coffee table.

“Just go. We’re over.” And he walked into his room with the stranger.

Jiyeon cried badly.

When she could hear the in the room, she couldn’t take it any longer. She ran over to her apartment and cried the whole night.

The next day, she continued schooling since she never once skipped school.

And Sehun saw it through her at once. Her eyes were puffy. Her eyes were red. She cried. “Noona! Why did you cry? Huh?!”

“Sehun-ah, I didn’t cry! Who said I cried?”

“Park Jiyeon.” Sehun grabbed her arms and looked right into her eyes, “You know you can’t lie to me.”

“Sehun-ah~ I’m fine, really!”

Sehun sighed and pulled his iPod out. “I know you. Cry if you want to, noona. I promise I won’t listen. But after you cry, talk to me.” He plucked the earpiece into his ears and pulled her into his arms tightly.

Jiyeon couldn’t take it anymore.

She broke down.

She cried in his arms as she held him tightly.

Sehun her hair and sighed sadly. “Noona… My poor noona…” Yes, he had his earpiece plucked in, but he didn’t on the music.

And each cry of hers broke his heart.

“Noona, tell me everything.”

“Se-”

“And I mean everything.”

Jiyeon spilled everything out. She let her heart out and showed it to Sehun. She finally opened up.

Sehun was glad she did, but he was also mad at Myungsoo – that jerk. Jiyeon told her not to look for him, and he obeyed.

He didn’t want to get on her bad side, not at all – although she was a real angel who always said okay to everything.

~~~~~

Days passed.

Jiyeon became worse as Sehun could see. She seldom eats and seldom moves. She stared into the air blankly the whole day and did nothing.

This can’t do.

Sehun pulled her into his arms as they were back at their usual spot – the garden. “Noona.”

Silence.

But he continued, “Want to take a break?”

That caught her attention. “Break?”

“You know English well, don’t you?”

Jiyeon nodded her head against his chest as he could feel it. “Should we go to UK? I know there’s opening spaces at a Newcastle university. Let’s go study there for 2 years.”

“Sehun-ah…”

“I’ll go with you and you have to take care of me!”

“Sehun…”

Sehun smiled as he her hair, “Let’s get out of here. I’ll protect you, noona.”

“Why…”

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