-

Chanyeol eventually asked Jongin to take Seungyoon home when it didn’t seem like Eunji could stand him any longer. “I’ll see you at home,” Jongin told Chanyeol before closing the cab door. The former just nodded and watched the vehicle go. He turned to face Eunji right away. The reaction on her face questioned him, ‘What?’

“Aren’t I supposed to have that look?” Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to talk to you about a few things but, we should find a place to sit.” Because talking in front of a hospital door is weird. So they sat down on a nearby bench; stillness and quietness followed suit. When he can’t take the silence she was giving him, he heaved a sigh.

“What!?” Eunji yelled, her eyes widened.

He looked at her the way a parent would at his child who just gave him an attitude. “Excuse me? I’m the one who’s supposed to be pissed. Like, every single time, there always have to be someone between us. A guy, for that matter.”

Nothing came from Eunji, she was confused. Nervous as well. Seungyoon was one of the worst past she had. She had no courage to tell Chanyeol everything, the truth, about what was really there between her and that roommate of his. She was more afraid of what he might think about her.

“Look, Jeong Eunji,” he was now facing her, eyes soft and gentle on her, “If you really want this thing, something, to happen between us for real, you’ve got to be honest with me. Didn’t you promise to be?”

Eunji looked up and stared at Chanyeol right in the eyes. “Just . . . ,” she trailed off, not knowing what to say to him. She took in the cold winter air and slowly release it, her breath becoming a white mist which disappear right away. “I don’t think I could tell you what really happened between me and him, it’s just . . . that was such a y thing—”

“Eunji-ya,” he cut her off. “I don’t care how f-cked up it can be, I just want you to be honest and to start telling me what you haven’t already. We’ve known each other for a while, it’s time to see each other as significant.”

And it’s not just about what she did to Seungyoon, it’s also about her secret love affair with her ex teacher back in high school. How can she bring herself to tell Chanyeol what she had done when she was only a teenager?

“I was such a back then.” She brought her hands up so she could cover her face for a moment. Guilt was rushing in her bloodstream, she could feel it all over her body now. She didn’t really have genuine feelings for Seungyoon, she didn’t really care about what he felt as well. But still, what she did was wrong and she could only perceive that now.

“The past is the past,” Chanyeol placed a hand on her shoulder, “What matters is the present.”

Eunji looked up to face him. “So what do you think I should do?” she asked.

“Why do you ask me? Why don’t you ask yourself?” Chanyeol replied with a confused look. “You did something wrong to someone, so what do you think you should do?”

“What else?” Eunji let out a heavy sighed before she completed her sentence with an, “Apologize.” A nod came from Chanyeol, agreeing. “However,” she went on, “I don’t think I’m ready to face him.” Nor was she ready to tell him there was another part to this dark past involving Seungyoon and a forbidden affair.

“Let’s go.” Chanyeol got on his feet and offered his hand for Eunji to take.

“Wait, what!? I’m not ready to face him now!"

“No, not now,” he shook his head, “Let’s just go home and rest. It’s very very late, already. We’ll deal with this matter later."

So they grab a cab and left for home.

-

That morning, Seungyoon wasn’t found in the kitchen happily singing as he fl