Seunghyun parked the car and got out with Taeyeon but he gripped onto her arm which caught her attention.

“Let’s just sneak in through the back so—“

“..no one sees us together.” Taeyeon looks down and starts fidgeting with her hands.

Seunghyun sighs and lifts her chin; giving her a smile.

“So that no one notices that we’re late.” He chuckles as he lets go. “The bell’s about to ring, so we can just walk into our next class.”

Taeyeon nods.

Taeyeon and Seunghyun walked around the back but stopped when they saw Tiffany and Seungyoon together.

Seungyoon stood up slowly, carefully because of his wound as he helped Tiffany up on her feet as she gave him a small smile.

Seunghyun looked at them with jealousy in his eyes as he marched towards them with Taeyeon following behind him.

“What’s going on here?”

Tiffany turns to see Seunghyun and Taeyeon. She gulps as she tries to explain.

“Seunghyun..it’s not—“

“Don’t bother.” He quietly says as he glares at Seungyoon and turns to face Taeyeon. “I’ll see you later.” He walks away.

Tiffany stays quiet.

Seungyoon was about to say something but she ran off before he could. He sighed deeply, thinking that this is all his fault. Taeyeon stood still as she looked at Seungyoon.

“What happened to you? What were you guys doing?”

“Nothing.” Seungyoon mumbles as he looks away. “Why did Seunghyun get so mad?”

“Probably ‘cause he still has feelings for her. I guess he got jealous when he saw you both.”

“Jealous?” He looked at her, confused.

Taeyeon nods.

“And..why were you with Seunghyun?”

Taeyeon ignores his question.

“I’ve gotta get to class. I’ll see you around.” She walks away.

Jiyong sighed deeply as he was trying to remain calm.

“Get out of our house.”

“But you need me. You need help.”

“I’d rather have my father around than be around a woman who betrayed my family.”

Tears were forming in her eyes as she looks at Jiyong.

“Baby..”

He glares at her.

“GET OUT!” He yells at her.

She nods as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Tell Seungyoon and Teddy that I love them.” She was heading to the door to leave but she stopped.

“And Teddy’s dead.”

Her body froze when she heard Jiyong telling her about Teddy. She turns to him.

“What?”

“Now you have one less to worry about.”

She looked down as she could no longer take his words as she turned back around and left.

Later that day ;

Seungyoon walked in the house as he skipped the whole day at school. He was about to walk up his room until he noticed Jiyong in the living room, not knowing he had been there for hours.

“You’re back..”

Jiyong was staring into the far corner of the room.

Seungyoon dropped his backpack as he got closer to Jiyong.

“Where is she?”

“She left.”

“Again?” He asks despairingly.

“I told her to leave.”

Jiyong never left his eyes leave that corner of the room.

“Why?”

“You don’t wanna know.” Jiyong finally looked at Seungyoon with his eyes full of tears.

“Is it something that would take me being high?”

“That wasn’t funny.” He raises his voice, getting mad. “What’s funny to you, isn’t funny to other people! Drugs aren’t a ing joke, Seungyoon!”

Seungyoon turns around, his back facing Jiyong.

“I-I know..” He whispered before he left to his room.

Jiyong didn’t hear him as he bends forward and puts his face in his hands.

Taeyeon knocks on the door softly as she waits.

“It’s open.”

She heard his voice as she walks in and sees Jiyong in his room.

“Hey..”

Jiyong was lying on his bed, tossing a football in the air and catching it repeatedly before he looked to see Taeyeon in front of him.

“What are you doing here?”

She closes the door and leans against it.

“Seungyoon texted me. He said you needed someone.”

“And you think I need you out of all people?”

“Hmm..”

He placed his football aside as he pulled himself up.

“Cause maybe I do.”

She slightly smiles as she releases the breath she was holding.

“Thanks.”

He sighs as he looks down at his hands while Taeyeon sits down next to him.

“Still bummed about playing football?”

He kept quiet for a bit before he spoke.

“My mom has another family.”

Silence.

He looks at her and shrugs.

“Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse.”

“What’d you say when she told you?”

“I told her to leave.”

“And you think it’s wrong..”

Jiyong felt so much anger still left in his chest as he grabbed the football and threw it at his desk, knowing down a few books.

“Of course it is!”

“Alright, so your brother’s way is drugs and yours is anger and alcohol.”

“You would be mad too.”

“I try not to get mad. It’s a waste. Life’s way too short to look for things to get angry about.”

“That’s why whenever I—“

“—bullied me, I would ignore it.”

“Then what do you do?”

She shrugs.

“I find a way out.”

“There’s no way out of this one.”

“Look, Jiyong..you can’t live here alone. You’re seventeen and you don’t have a job. You’re paralyzed and have a little brother to look after.”

“It’s not like he’ll let me watch over him.”

“That’s not the point. The point is, you can’t handle all of this on your own. You’re still a kid.”

“What are you saying?”

Taeyeon sighs as she looks down.

“I’m saying..If I offered, would you come live with us?”

Silence.

Tiffany was doing her homework but got interrupted as she got a text from Seungyoon.

Seungyoon: Are you mad at me?

Tiff: No, of course not.

Seungyoon: So..what happened when Seungyoon was around then? You seemed angry.

Tiff: Frustration.

Seungyoon: You still love him, don’t you?

Tiff: What?

Seungyoon: I noticed it. I was always able to tell hope you feel by your eyes, remember?

Tiff: Are you on drugs? Lol

Seungyoon: Lol, right now; no. I wouldn’t wanna be.

Tiff: Why not?

Tiffany smiles to herself at the conversation with Seungyoon but then her phone vibrates again, notifying that she had another text message.

Seunghyun: I’m sorry.

Tiffany swallows hard, becoming nervous.

Tiff: For what?

Seunghyun: Everything.

Tiff: You’re not specifying.

Seunghyun: Cheating on you, always putting my friends and popularity before you, never taking you out. It all means nothing now that I don’t have you.

Tiff: …

Seunghyun: I know its sudden, but today..Today when I saw you with Seungyoon...I got mad so quickly.

Tiff: it’s called jealousy.

Seunghyun: I know. And it overcame me.

Before Tiffany could reply, she got a text from Seungyoon.

Seungyoon: Because if I were, you wouldn’t wanna be anywhere near me.

Tiff: And?

Seungyoon: and..I want you to be.

She gets another text from Seunghyun.

Seunghyun: You’re texting him..

Tiffany felt aggravated and confused as she turns off her phone.

“UGH!”

“I wouldn’t accept that.” Jiyong finally says.

“Why not?”

He looks at her before he answers.

“I’m lucky enough to have finally found someone who cares but to take advantage—“

“—is the best thing you could do for her.”

“What?”

“I don’t wanna be your enemy either.”

He smiles as he looks down.

“You heard when I said that?”

She smiles softly.

“I wasn’t fully asleep.”

Jiyong leans his head against the wall and sighs.

“So what do you say?”

He looks at her.

“You told me you would accept my help.”

He nods.

“Alright.”

She smiles and hugs him.

“Thank you!”

Jiyong looked at her shocked that she was hugging him. Taeyeon quickly pulled away as she looks away with her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment.

“Uh..um..sorry. That was a bit..”

“Unexpected?” He chuckles.

She nods.

“Sorry..”

“You already said that.”

“I know, but—“

“You shouldn’t be..”

She looks at him.

“You’re still a mystery.”

He looks at her a little bit longer.

She frowns slightly as she gets off the bed.

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m gonna go call Seo-Yeon and let her know that you’re staying with us.” She ignores his question as she was about to walk out of the room.

Jiyong was gonna let her go but he suddenly remembers something.

“Taeyeon?”

She slightly turned around.

“Yeah?”

“Did anything specific happen today at school..or to you?”

“No.” She answers with a confused look on her face.

He lets out a sigh of relief.

“Okay.”

Taeyeon waves at him before she walks out but she suddenly crashes into Seungyoon, dropping his phone.

“.” He picks it up and notices Taeyeon. “Oh, you’re here.”

“Seungyoon..what do you think about moving?”

“..moving?” He looks at Taeyeon confused.

Tiffany heard the doorbell ring as she walks over and opens the door to reveal Seunghyun with his hands in his pockets.

“Can I come in?”

Tiffany frowns and shakes her head.

He sighs and nods.

“That’s fair. Then can you come out?”

She sighs as she steps out, closing the door behind her. She crosses her arms as she looks at Seunghyun.

“So..you didn’t text me back..”

“So you came all this way to tell me that?” She rolls her eyes. “I had better things to do.”

“Like texting Seungyoon, right?”

She slowly drops her arms when he says Seungyoon.

“Why does everything come back to Seungyoon?”

He shrugs.

“I told you.”

“Oh yeah, you’re jealous.”

“Fany, he’s a guy and you were both alone. What do you think he expected out of that situation?”

“I told you not to call me that. Seungyoon’s a friend anyway. Plus, even if he were more, he still wouldn’t have taken me for granted like you did.”

She turns around to go inside but Seunghyun grabbed her wrist and turns her around.

“I’m not losing you to him.”

Her eyes widen as tears were forming but she fought them back as she jerked her arm away.

“You already did.”

She walked inside her house and slammed the door in Seunghyun’s face.

“Of course, I wouldn’t mind honey. I’ll be right over to help gather their things and to pick you guys up, okay? Seunghyun and Dae will come along too.” Seo-Yeon said over the phone.

Taeyeon smiles and nods.

“Alright, thanks Seo-Yeon.” She hangs up and walks back into Jiyong’s room. “So it’s set. We’re housemates.” She laughs a bit.

He chuckles.

“You’re excited to be housemates with me?”

“Yeah, I practically just emphasized that.” She shrugs.

He laughs.

“You’re a pretty cool girl, Taeyeon.”

“You are too. Cool guy, though.” She smiles a bit then looks down. “But for the real you and not the person everyone thinks you are.”

“Thanks..I think.” He laughs a bit.

She picks up his backpack.

“Seunghyun should be on his way so we’ll just make him get all your things.”

“It must be pretty cool having him as a brother.”

She shrugs.

“Seungyoon can’t be that bad.”

Seungyoon overheard his name and stopped at Jiyong’s door.

“I don’t know. I don’t really want to talk about Seungyoon.”

“Come on, you must have some good times with him.”

“Well, sure. The other day we sat at the table for breakfast at the same time. I asked him to pass the cereal, and he did. It was the highlight of my week.” He shrugs. “Call that a good time?”

“Why don’t you try to fix things with him? You’re clearly hurting just as much as he is over all that’s happening.”

“Cause like you said, we handle it different ways and I don’t support him. Drugs…they’re just slowly killing you and before he’ll be able to realize it, he’ll be gone. Just like Teddy.”

“And you’re afraid to be alone?”

He shrugs again.

“Not really. It’s basically what it already feels like. I don’t know when he goes out to smoke, or when he gets home from it. It’s like living in a house with a complete stranger.”

Taeyeon puts her hand on top of Jiyong’s and gives him a comforting smile as if telling it’s okay.

Seungyoon felt the tears swell his eyes up, but he blinked them back as he grabbed his backpack and left the house.

Taeyeon and Jiyong heard the front door slam shut which made Taeyeon stand up.

“What was that?”

“Probably Seungyoon. He’ll be back in a few days.”

“But you won’t be here..”

“He doesn’t care. He lives a life of his own.”

THIS IS A GIFT TO ALL MY READERS! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE 300 SUBS! 

YOU GUYS ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE WITH YOUR SWEET COMMENTS AND SUPPORT! <3

HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS CHAPTER.