After the night Hanna received the text from Chaerin and confirmed her suspicions that Chaerin was hiding something, Hanna could not sleep well. Even in school, whenever she saw Chaerin around she would be observing her, wondering what exactly happened to her soulmate. It had only been one day since Chaerin told her to wait but Hanna knew she could not possibly wait for 6 months to be up to know what happened.

At the end of school, Hanna hurried to pack up in order to catch Chaerin in time, to ensure Chaerin does not get away with avoiding her. Indeed, Hanna succeeded and stopped Chaerin before she rushed off from school. Both of them went to a quiet place on the school campus where the Iron Triangle used to hang out to have a chat.

Hanna: Chaerin, I want you to be honest with me. What exactly happened to you? I’m really worried right now. Can’t you just tell me now?

Chaerin: No. I don’t want to tell you now.

Hanna: Look, telling me now or telling me 6 months later isn’t going to make much of a difference. Might as well just tell me now so that I can go through it with you. So. Now you tell me. What is it that happened to you that made you so emo these days?

Chaerin: I-

Hanna: Chaerin-ah, don’t hide it from me anymore. Say it.

Chaerin: Oh alright I’ll tell you. I. Uh. How do I put this. I started cutting my wrist again.

Hanna: You what? Chaerin why? Why did you? You know I’m always here to listen why did you do that?

Chaerin: I don’t know, I just did. And it really scared me that I started to do again which was why I was so out of sorts recently. I didn’t want to tell you to worry you.

Hanna: Yah, what’s the meaning of this. I told you I’ll always be here for you to go through everything with you and you tell me you didn’t want to tell me because you were worried I would be worried? You not telling me got me even more worried okay.

Chaerin: Well…I’m cutting down on it. I’m really not slitting my wrists that often anymore.

Hanna: Well okay. Are you still hiding anything else from me?

Chaerin: No.

Hanna: Okay I believe you. Don’t ever hide this kind of things from me anymore okay? I’m always here for you to go through it with you, and not for you to worry about being a burden to me you hear me?

Chaerin: O-okay…

Feeling like the air cleared up between them, Chaerin and Hanna hugged each other, Hanna comforting Chaerin, rubbing her back up and down in a motherly manner. Chaerin on the other hand flinched under Hanna’s touch, in her mind only having one thought: “I’m sorry Hanna-yah, I really cannot tell you the utmost truth right now. Please forgive me.”

While Hanna appeared to have satisfied her curiosity, somewhere in her knew that what Chaerin had said was not the whole truth. But bearing Eunyoung’s words in mind, if they are truly your friends they would not do that to you, Hanna pushed away those thoughts and willed herself to believe that was all Chaerin was hiding from her.
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For the next one to two weeks, everything was seemingly peaceful. Hanna had grown used to this hostility between the Iron Triangle. They no longer talked unless it was necessary, no longer was it a necessity in their lives to share everything in the Iron Triangle.

Tuesday, 3^rd of March. Hanna was feeling very weary from school and the troubles she has been plagued with about the Iron Triangle. She decided to head home early as soon as school ended. She noticed that Chaerin was still feeling down and all, and dropped her a text to ask if everything was alright. However, just as she thought she could take a nice breather in solidarity at home, it was not to be. Just as she reached home, Hanna received a text from Chaerin:

Chaerin: I hate socialization. Now I remember the reason why I hated going to school so much, why I hated talking to other people. Now I would rather go back to the times when my parents took away my phone so that I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone else. I’m so sick and tired of everything.

Hanna just stared at her phone wide-eyed. She did not really know what to do, but she knew she had to be there for Chaerin. She had wanted to rush back to school but she felt that for some reason it wasn’t the best time for her to do that. Instead, she tried calling Chaerin on her mobile. Much to her disappointment, Chaerin rejected her calls with the excuse that she was studying Chemistry with her classmates and could not pick up the call. Hence, Hanna replied back with a text:

Hanna: Yah, what’s wrong with you? Tell me what happened.

Chaerin: No I don’t want to. I just feel really tired about everything and I don’t want to do this anymore.

Hanna: Look, maybe you don’t want to talk to me about your troubles, but remember I’m always here. I’m not saying you have to tell me your troubles now, but at least, please just find someone to talk to okay? Things always get better when you talk about it to someone else. Better than just keeping it to yourself. Go find someone to talk to, whether it’s me or not, okay?

Chaerin: O-okay. Thanks.

Hanna threw her mobile phone on her desk, knowing that this was not the end to it. She instead typed a new message and sent it to Jiyong:

Hanna: Oppa, did Chaerin say anything to you recently?

Jiyong: No, why?

Hanna: She seems really down recently, and she refuses to tell me why.

Jiyong: What has she been saying? Or doing?

Hanna: She just became really dejected around people. She just texted me and said she hates socializing with people now. I don’t know what’s going on and I’m really worried about her. Has she been telling you anything?

Jiyong: No she hasn’t, but she has been saying really negative things to me too. Do you know why?

The reason why Chaerin was acting this way. Hanna had always known the reason why, but she had been running away from the truth she knew all these while. She had been running away very hard, but she decided today was the day she was going to stop running.
 

Hanna: She did not tell me the reason why, but I have a feeling I know why.

Jiyong: What is it?

Hanna: I think she likes you.

Jiyong: …

Hanna: And I think she’s acting this way because she feels bad towards me and stuff.

Jiyong: Why would you think that?

Hanna: It’s my instinct. Don’t doubt it. With Chaerin, my instinct is almost always right. I’m quite sure I’m right this time too.

Jiyong: …

Hanna: I just have one question for you.

Jiyong: What is it?

Hanna: Do you like Chaerin?

Jiyong: …

Hanna: Jiyong. Just answer me. Do you like her or even have a little bit of feelings for her?

Jiyong: I’ll answer you later. I’m still having lessons.

Hanna: Okay.

Hanna shrugged. There it goes. She said it. She had finally said what she had been thinking all these while. Jiyong’s reactions to what she said had made it even more suspicious, and she was almost sure that Jiyong liked Chaerin as well. All she could do now was to wait for his reply.

Even after Jiyong ended lessons and cabbed home, he told Hanna that he would go for a run first before giving her his answer. Hanna could not do anything but oblige. Hence, Jiyong went running to let of steam. He had so much pent up stress in him, thinking about what happened over the past two weeks or so. Chaerin’s attitude towards him had changed. She rejected all of his attempts and skinship or intimacy, even holding hands while watching a movie as the Iron Triangle, the very last time they went out together. He knew that Chaerin wanted to break up, and they had actually been in the talks about it for a few days. But, all these happened without Hanna knowing. Now, Jiyong wanted to come clean with Hanna. He did not want to lie to her anymore. When he finished his run, his mind was made up. He took up his phone and texted Hanna:

Jiyong: Okay, I just finished running.

Hanna: So what’s your answer?

Jiyong: I like Chaerin.

Hanna: Well then go for it. Go for her and care for her.

Jiyong: Wait, listen.

Hanna: …

Jiyong: I knew that she liked me ever since the 2^nd of February and we got together since then. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. We didn’t know how. And we didn’t want a repeat of history like what happened between you, Youngmin and Jungwoo.

Hanna knew that this was going to come. But even knowing, thinking she had prepared herself mentally for it, it seems that that preparation was hardly enough. The moment she saw Jiyong’s answer, she threw her phone aside on the coffee table in the living room, and she started pacing up and down her apartment. Her mind was in a total mess. She could no longer think straight. She had so many thoughts running through her mind: “you knew about it”, “you knew they like each other”, “you have no right in this”, “just calm down it’s none of your business”, “you know you can’t do anything but just wish them the best”. After pacing up and down a few times, she mustered up her courage and took up her phone:

Hanna: I knew it. I knew I was right all along. Well then I wish both of you the best. What’s there to worry about not knowing how to tell me and the likes of it?

Jiyong: The thing is. I plan to break up with her later.

Hanna: WHAT?

Jiyong: I’m going to initiate a break up with her.

Hanna: Why.

Jiyong: I know she’s been wanting to initiate it for a while, but she just didn’t for my sake. So I’m going to initiate it and put an end to this.

Hanna: I don’t understand. Why would she do that

Jiyong: She said she had three big reasons: her parents, my studies, and of course, you.

Hanna: What even. You don’t really believe those reasons right. C’mon we all know that there is only one true reason.

Jiyong: I can’t do anything. She’s adamant on it.

Hanna: What on earth. I don’t know what exactly is going on between you two, but you can’t possibly just give it up like that.

Jiyong: I know but-

Hanna: I know this is between the two of you, and I’m in no position to say anything, but I just want to say I don’t think both of you should be giving up just like that. I mean it’s just my opinion and you don’t have to pay any heed to it. Just do as you deem fit.

Jiyong: Okay. I think I’ll still initiate it. Later maybe.

Hanna: Fine whatever.

Hanna was so exasperated that she could not do anything. She threw her phone on the sofa this time and started pacing up and down in her apartment again, this time faster. Her mind was a blank, and she did not know how to cope with this entire situation. She told herself she would not cry, willed herself not to even. But her will was defeated this time, while it wasn’t during the Youngmin-Jungwoo episode, and tears trickled down her face as she kept pacing up and down.

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Author's Note: HI ALL MY LOVELY READERS. I'm so sorry this update is so so so belated. But I made it extra long this time! My longest so far. I was thinking of either a double update or a long one like this chapter, and I decided to make it a long one as I think both scenarios kind of fit under the same title of 'Lies'. So then, what I deem as the hardest part to reproduce in the story has been done! Hope you guys like this update. Sorry again for such a late update!! I'll work hard to finish this fanfic soon. And I'm sorry there's not much from Chaerin's PoV (again), when it happened I wasn't really in a state of mind to consider Chaerin's PoV. Sorry! I promise I will add in more of Chaerin's PoV in the subsequent chapters. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS AND SUBSCRIBE! THANKS FOR READING THIS REALLY LONG UPDATE :)