https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ACJNxAbNuQ

JB: Forever Love

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‘JB, I have something to tell you. I know you don’t want me to go over there, so I won’t. I also know you’re really busy. Just let me know when you have time, and we can meet up. I’ll be waiting for you.’

Yoonjung sent the message and looked out the window of her dormitory with a sigh.

This was the last step she would have to go through before she moved on with her life.

She felt guilty, but she knew this was ultimately the best choice for both of them.

One day passed.

Then three.

Now five.

JB didn’t contact her until almost a week later.

‘I have time tonight. I’ll come to your dorm tonight at seven. We can meet in the back where we talked last time.’

Yoonjung squeezed her phone as her stomach churned with uneasiness. She wasn’t looking forward to it, to be honest. She dreaded his reaction.

Would he be angry at her? Would he be disappointed in her?

Would they lose their friendship?

The thought of losing JB as a friend made her world turn black. She couldn’t imagine life without JB.

As selfish as she was, she needed him in her life, even as just a friend and nothing more.

At seven o’clock, Yoonjung left her dorm and headed to the designated place. She decided to be on time even if he might be late. Heck, he might not even come, she thought. Being the coward she was, she secretly hoping that was the case.

To her surprise, JB was already there.

He saw her and slowly stood up. His expression was soft and repentful. “Hey…”

“Hi,” Yoonjung whispered a greeting.

Awkward tension stopped them from hugging each other.

“Why don’t you sit?” JB motioned to the space beside him.

Yoonjung nodded, and they both sat down. There was nothing but uncomfortable silence.

She hated it. He grew saddened by it.

Since when had their relationship changed so much?

JB started, “I know you have something to tell me, but I’ll go first.”

Yoonjung nodded. She was glad he had taken the initiative. She was still trying to piece the words together in her mind.

“For the past few days…I thought a lot about…us. That’s why I didn’t message you right away,” JB admitted. “I’m going to be honest. At first, I was pissed off at you.”

Yoonjung flinched just a little. She wasn’t surprised.

“I knew what you were going to tell me…and I thought you had no right to say it. Then…I became scared. I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want to wound my own pride. I purposely avoided you. I pretended that everything was okay and focused on my training. But I kept making mistake after mistake, and I knew I had to solve this before I moved on with our life. Before…the both of us move on with our lives.” JB took a deep breath and looked at her face. “…I love you, Yoonjung.”

Yoonjung jerked her head up and looked at him with wide eyes.

“I love you so, so much,” JB whispered.

Yoonjung opened to speak, but he cut her off with unexpected words. “And I realized…my love won’t be enough to keep this relationship going on.”

“JB…” He gazed sadly at her as his eyes filled with tears.

“I can’t make the effort to be with you anymore. I should’ve been honest with you in the beginning but I had the confidence back then to protect us. Now…I woke up and I realize that can’t happen. As long as I pursue this dream, I won’t be able to love you in the same way I did before. It’ll get even worse after I debut. Our relationship will only go from bad to worse. And I…I’d rather have you in my life as a friend than not have you in my life at all,” JB choked on his heart-wrenching words.

Yoonjung started to cry, “I…I feel the same way, too.” She reached out and took his hands. She looked sincerely into his eyes and confessed, “I love you, too, JB, but…I can’t continue with this relationship. I’m tired of fighting with you, and I don’t want this to end so badly to the point where we end up not being friends anymore. That was my greatest fear all along.”

“I know,” JB whispered. “I’m sorry. I gave you the guilt trip. I tried to blame everything on you and Mark when I know I’m the one who let go of you first.”

“I should’ve made more of an effort, too,” Yoonjung admitted.

“No, you did enough. This is all on me. Not you.” JB reached out and wiped her tears away. “Seo Yoonjung…” He tilted her face upwards and looked into her eyes. “I will never ever regret going out with you. The memory of our relationship, both the good and the bad, will remain imprinted in my mind forever. You’re my first love, and I’ll cherish you in my heart forever. The only thing I ever regret about us…is that we didn’t start dating sooner. Then maybe…we could have had more time to be a normal couple.”

Tears slipped down her face. “I hate good-byes…”

“This isn’t a good-bye,” JB assured. “You and I…will never ever say good-bye. We’re bestest friends forever, remember?” He smiled tearfully, and her own lips perked upwards as well.

JB hugged her as his tears fell down his face. “Even if we can’t be together in the end, I’m glad that you’re a part of my life.”

Yoonjung wrapped her arms around him. “Me, too, JB. You’ll always…be my bestest friend. That’ll never change. Forever.”

They pulled apart, and he started to laugh.

“Your nose is pink, you weirdo.”

Yoonjung chuckled, “So is yours.”

“Hey, don’t tell the guys I told you, okay? When they ask, say it was a manly break-up,” JB teased.

Yoonjung laughed. This was how things should be between them: light, loving, and comfortable.

“You should go now,” JB said.

“Go where?” Yoonjung looked confused.

“Go to him,” JB said.

“…Him?” Yoonjung whispered.

JB smiled warmly. “You know who I’m talking about. You’re just itching to go to him, aren’t you? Don’t try to deny. I know you better than anyone, even more than the one in your heart right now.”

Yoonjung flushed and looked at the ground. “Later…”

“No, now,” JB urged. “Don’t wait…like we did.”

Yoonjung looked up at him. “JB…”

“Go,” he whispered. “Do it. Be happy. You deserve to be with the man that loves you wholeheartedly.”

She squeezed his hand with a tearful look. “Thank you,” she whispered.

JB leaned in and softly kissed her forehead. “No problem. I’ll always be here for you.” He got up and walked away.

She wiped her tears away and took out her phone. She was about to call Mark but thought twice and decided to show up on his campus as a surprise. Eagerly, she went to grab a cab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=659bDGmxLw0

K.Will: Come to me

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Mark was miserable. It was simple as that.

Not having seen Yoonjung fore more a week was driving him insane.

He couldn’t do anything.

He was pretty sure he was going to fail his finals at this point.

Yup.

He was going to fail.

He was going to leave school.

He was going to become a bum.

He was going to DIE.

Die without her.

Mark got up from his desk.

“Where are you going?” His roommate asked.

“I need some fresh air,” Mark left. He went outside, and right away, the warm air stifled him. He wasn’t refreshed at all. He saw the fountain and wondered if going in there would wake him up.

“Hey,” a voice called behind him.

Mark jerked around in surprise. His surprised expression grew blank when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”

Byul smiled as she came closer to him. “I was taking a walk when, lucky me, I saw you out here.”

Mark looked back as if he wanted to go back inside right that moment.

“Why do you always try to escape me? It’s not like I’ll bite or anything,” Byul teased.

Mark tried to deny it. “I’m not-“

“Yeah, you are. It’s obvious. Can’t we even be friends?” Byul asked. Mark was quiet.

“You know…” Byul started to frown. “It’s not healthy to focus on only one girl in your life. It’s all right to have female friends, you know.”

“I gotta go.” Mark turned around.

“What’s so good about her anyways?” Byul demanded.

Mark paused. “I never met the girl, so I don’t know what she’s like, but is she that special? Special enough for you to keep your distance from other girls and become miserable for her?” Byul questioned. “Does she…reciprocate your feelings at all? Does she…love you the way you love her?”

Mark slowly turned back around and was mildly surprised that Byul was right in front of him.

Byul studied his face. “Are you absolutely sure you’re not willing to…give anyone else a try? Someone who might deserve the love you have for a woman?”

Mark placed his hands gently on her shoulders. Byul turned rigid with anticipation. To her shock, he pushed her back so she wasn’t so close to him anymore. “It doesn’t matter if she loves me back or not. I never fell in love with her so she can reciprocate her feelings for me. I fell in love with her…simply because she’s who she is. Right now…and probably for the rest of my life…I will love no other girl the way I love Seo Yoonjung,” Mark confessed.

They intensely had a staring showdown that was broken by the sound of a third party.

“Mark?”

Mark jerked his head to the right. His eyes grew wide as his heart started to beat wildly for her. “Y-Yoonjung-ah…”

Yoonjung glanced between Mark and the pretty but unrecognizable girl standing in front of him. She started to grow uneasy.

Perhaps she was late. Perhaps Mark liked this girl instead.

Perhaps…she had made a big, big mistake.

“Am I…interrupting something?”

“No,” Mark quickly said. He walked towards her. “What are you doing on my campus?”

“I…I wanted to tell you something.” Yoonjung’s eyes flitted to Byul.

Yoonjung bowed polietly. Byul returned the polite gesture.

“Come on. There’s a café nearby.” Mark grasped Yoonjung’s arm and started to lead her away.

Yoonjung looked back. It was evident that the girl back there was disappointed. When they were a good distance away from her, Yoonjung worriedly asked, “Are you sure I wasn’t interrupting anything? I can always wait…or see you later, you know.”

“No. It was nothing at all,” Mark assured as he tightened his grip on her as if she was going to run away from him.

“Okay, then. Um, Mark?” Yoonjung chortled softly, “Can we slow down? And while we’re at it, can you, um, let go a little? Your grip is cutting off my circulation.”

“Oh, .” Mark dropped her arm and stopped. He grew flustered. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Yoonjung assured with a smile.

Mark rubbed the back of his neck, feeling stupid for being so uptight. He cleared his throat and pointed. “That way to the café.” He felt a hand on his arm and stopped. “Can we just talk here? I don’t…really want a crowd while I speak to you,” she said.

Mark softened. “Did something happen?”

“…JB and I broke up,” Yoonjung revealed.

Mark’s eyes widened in shock. “What?” Anger fueled inside him. “God, what the ! I didn’t know he was going to do this to you. I’ll talk to him for you, Yoonjung. I swear I’ll-“

“No…he didn’t break up with me,” she whispered. He looked confused.

Yoonjung lifted up her gaze to look into his eyes. “I broke up with him.”

Mark’s jaw slung open. Yoonjung tried to keep calm, but she was already starting to shake. “Well…to be more exact…it was a mutual break-up.”

“…What? I don’t get it. Why? I thought you loved JB,” Mark whispered.

“I did. I do. I…still love JB…as a friend though,” Yoonjung said.

Now Mark looked confused. He had no idea what she was trying to tell him.

Yoonjung released a nervous chuckle, “It’s funny…the way things turn out. You never know who you’re going to fall for. That’s probably why they say love is unexpected. I mean, I never knew what that meant until-“

“Yoonjung, you’re rambling.”

“I know.”

“…What is it that you’re trying to tell me?” Mark softly asked.

Yoonjung mustered up the courage to look into his eyes. “…I love you, Mark.” Mark stood there ri