A voice sounded close.

Really close.

The silence was just as thick, just as heavy and suffocating.

Ten wrapped his arms around Dahyun and hugged her in a fierce possessive embrace. He held his breath, his heart was beating a wicked tempo in his chest. He was left speechless by the outcome as if all his energy had been out of him. Ten felt the sharp edge of a Dahyun’s nose press against his neck right below his Adam’s apple.

With a hand over her heart, Dahyun breathed a sigh. Dahyun’s gaze went to the doorway. From her position, she could not see, but Ten could. And from the expression on his face, it was evident that whoever it was, was not someone he had ever wanted to see. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. Dahyun peeked as her gaze continued down the floor that was the only blockade between them. It fell into place when a familiar figure stepped into view. She snapped up, a shudder raced down her spine.

“Unnie...,” Dahyun gasped, she felt like the bed jostle. Her body feeling like a ton weights. There had been nothing she could do, it had been too late. Ten tightened his arms around her, he hated that he caused the girl he loved unnecessary anxiety, worry and fear.

Ten still sees Yoohyun standing in the doorway of the bedroom right across the hall, her face stained with confusion, her eyes shot with redness and glaring at them with a mixture of emotions racing across her face. Shocked, surprised, dazed, stunned. She felt all that and more.

Then they could hear Jihyo’s voice shouting out to her, “Unnie!?”

They could do nothing more than listen as Jihyo’s silent footsteps stepped in. Jihyo walked with a can of cola in one hand and a box of popcorn, she took a swig of cola and then made her way to the bedroom. Jihyo staggered to her feet and stand besides Yoohyun. She gasped as she turned and saw Ten hugged Dahyun.

Jihyo chocked on the mouthful of cola. Droplets arched through the air landed with a muffled clatter on the floor. A puddle of cola started to form on the wood floor. The spastic movement upset the box of untouched popcorn. The box tumbled from her hand onto the floor. Buttered popped kernels spilled everywhere. Jihyo’s eyes watering and her face beet red from half-coughing and half-chocking on her cola, she spluttered, “Damnit.” Jihyo’s hands flew to , and stared at them in confusion. ‘What was going on? What was this?’

Suddenly Yoohyun felt nauseous. She hugged her arms around her stomach and started to slowly back away, fighting tears. Her eyes locked onto Dahyun and Ten’s faces, she felt her heart ache at the sight. Before Yoohyun could completely understand what was going on, the mask of sorrow vanished.  Even though the hurt was still there, an aura of anger enveloped Yoohyun.

Ten’s face was burning with shame and embarrassment. Loosened his hug, he sat up on the creaking bed. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he stood up and started walking towards Yoohyun.

“This is all my fault.” He silently begged. A wave of guilt washed over him. He grabbed Yoohyun’s wrist and pulled her none too gently, swallowed the space that separated them with quick determined strides. Yoohyun struggled against the viselike grip. She had disintegrated into the raging anger. Her face was flushed, her eyes hard.

“Let’s talk about th_”

“BACK OFF!” Yoohyun barked, his sentence was cut off. Yoohyun was glad her voice didn’t betray how angry she actually was. Inside she was trembling like autumn leaf. “How dare you?!” She hissed with angry tears fill in her eyes.

Instantaneously, Ten froze. ‘How dare I do this to her?!’ The last thing he intended was to fall in love with Dahyun. He hadn’t meant to hurt Yoohyun like he had. He could not change what happened no matter how much he may or may not want to, but it had happened and he now had to live with what he did. What happened with Dahyun was something he had no control over, but causing Yoohyun such pain had been within his ability to control. Guilt rose up.

Ten looked down, stared at his feet blankly. A deep chasm of misery and woe was slowing eating away at him. ‘It was all my fault.’ He wished a hole would open up and swallow him. Yoohyun frowned at his boyfriend’s silence, then she closed her eyes with a groan, feeling tears sting her lids. Ten looked up.

“Don’t bring Dahyun into this,” Ten said as guilt swirled within him.

His words got Yoohyun angry. “How dare you do this to me?! Moreover, with my own sister!!! Filthy!! Who did that you think you were? Huh?!! !! Two-timing!!!” She growled, and glared across the bedroom at her little sister.

A pain of guilt swept over Dahyun when she saw the depressed expression on Yoohyun’s face. Unable to meet Yoohyun’s gaze, Dahyun dropped her gaze and stared at her hands clasped in her lap.

“Congratulations! You ruined what should have been the happiest day of your life.” Yoohyun said. That she had. ‘Traitor!’ Yoohyun was not sure if she would be able to easily forgive that person, even if that person was her sibling.

“Dumb-hyun...,” Yoohyun snorted. “I think you really aren’t as dumb as you look,” She added mockingly. Yoohyun felt like crying, her chest and throat tightened with the effort of trying to keep the tears locked away. Silent ones traveled down Yoohyun’s face. With the heel of her hand, she laughed and wiped the tears that flowed continuously down her face.

“How long?” Her voice trailed off.

“Months,” Ten’s voice came out in a croaked whisper, as if he was losing his voice. Yoohyun glanced at Ten, her eyes pleading to be told that this was a cruel joke.

“Months?” Yoohyun laughed, sniffing and again wiping her wet face. Her hands itched to pummel Ten’s face, she crossed her arms to keep the temptation.

Ten winced. “Five months, started. We became..., two months.” He regretted it as soon as it left his mouth.

Yoohyun smirked, the smile fell, that smile that meant everything and yet nothing. “Oh wow, I gotta admit, that was impressive.” She sneered at the two of them. ached, it felt as if she’d swallowed shards of glass and the temptation wasn’t abating. If anything, it was growing worse. Banishing the burning sting of tears. Yoohyun turned at Jihyo, forced forth a chuckle, which rubbed her achy throat raw.

“Do you know about this ?” She asked shakily, her chest hurt.

Jihyo shook her head. “No.”

“I’m sorry, Yoo,” Ten whispered. His eyes refused to meet hers. Those eyes would be his undoing. He didn’t want this to happen, especially at Dahyun’s birthday, but it was too late now for regrets. Nothing he could do would fix this.

“But…, why?” Yoohyun couldn’t seem to speak any louder or make her voice any clearer. It took too much effort and energy that she no longer had.

“I love her...,” he wanted it all to come out in the open. Dahyun knew that Ten was hurting inside, all of the lying and sneaking they had both had been doing these last couple of months were tearing him apart inside. And deep inside Ten knew, he was hurting everyone with all of this sneaking around. He just had to be with Dahyun. He knew that the longer he put off telling Yoohyun, the more pain she would go through when the truth outed itself. He needed to be the one to tell her.

So, he never expected her to find out this way.

Nothing to be done about that.

Yoohyun raised a trembling hand, her right hand flew to as she gasped.

‘Why?’ Yoohyun’s mind went blank, she glanced at Dahyun. Like before, Dahyun kept her gaze fixed firmly at her hands in her lap.

“Do you love her?” She demanded. Ten looked up, and darted his eyes towards Yoohyun’s eyes.

“Yes,” he whispered, his voice strained.

Anger flared through Yoohyun. “And me?”

Ten shook his head.  “This has nothing to do with you.”

Yoohyun narrowed her eyes and glared at Ten. “Nothing to do with me?” She echoed. Had she truly heard him right? Outwardly, she was ready to rumble, but inside, she was dying.

“How the hell can you say that? Of course, it has everything to do with me! I’m your girlfriend! Goddamnit!! Or did you forget that you were the one who asked me to date you??! Did you already forget your commitment on my last birthday when you asked me to give us another chance when I found out you dated me only to win a bet over a VR headset for your stupid PlayStation4 with your blatant friends?! We’ve been dated for more than a year!! And you’re gonna just stand there and tell me that your affair with my sister has nothing to do with me?!” Tears flowed freely down Yoohyun's face, her heart hurt. She turned to look at Dahyun.

“And, you, Dahyun. You knew how much I loved him. I told you, it could be dozens, hundreds even! How frustrated I was that I hadn’t been good enough for him. How frustrated I was, trapped in a complicated relationship, but through thick and thin, I chose to stay no matter what this cold bastard did to me!! And you said, you were sure that he wasn’t being forced into a relationship with me. You were my sister, my sibling!! My partner, my best friend, but you backstabbed me like this??” Never ending tears and distress wept out, her words was completely muffled and censored by her hysterical sobs, but they could understand what Yoohyun was saying. Yoohyun felt more nauseous as her emotions warred with one another.

“Ho-how dare you kiss my boyfriend like a shameless ! You cold hearted !!" Yoohyun hissed angrily, she was visibly trembling with anger. Ten shook his head,

“If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all!” Ten snapped, “This wasn't her fault! I’m the one responsible for this chaos. Punish me, hate me, insult me as much as you want, do whatever you want to me!”

For the first time, Yoohyun was at a loss for words. She glared at Ten in disbelief. Her hands curled into fists of fury.

‘This wasn’t really happening, was it? No, it couldn’t be.’

“I’m really sorry, Yoohyun.” He said reassuringly

…too cruel.

Yoohyun wasn’t sure when she started to shake, but now that she noticed it she could not stop. She stumbled backwards as the room spun dizzily around her. She barely noticed when her back hit the wall. There were no words to describe how she felt. She couldn’t make head or tail out of the surge of emotions raging through her let alone figure out at whom they were directed. Was it Ten? Dahyun? Herself?

The silence was shattered as the sharp sound of flesh on flesh resounded through the room. Yoohyun was shocked to stand still. She was whimpering turned into a cry of fright after her hand shot out quick as wink, connecting with a loud, hard slap across Ten’s face. She had never even hit anyone before. Yoohyun was not the only one shocked by her own action. Ten was holding his hand over his reddened, stinging cheek, his eyes wide in shock and dismay. Yoohyun turned her head. Dahyun looked shocked, tears rolled down her face.

Without a word, Yoohyun spun on her heel and marched out of the bedroom. She pushed Jihyo roughly as she passed, and Jihyo stumbled backwards before regaining her balance. Yoohyun slammed shut the door into the foyer wall, leaving a perfect imprint of the doorknob. The door bounced off the wall with such force that the entire frame shook, sounded unnaturally loud.

Yoohyun raced blindly with her heart pounding so hard as if it was exploding. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and never crawl back out, to fall into the blissful peace of sleep and never woken.

As Yoohyun ran into her bedroom, she realized that neither one of them had even bothered to stop her for a few moments just to see if she was okay.

‘You said sorry? Did you actually expect all to be forgiven with that one phrase? That if you apologized earnestly, it would lessen the sting of betrayal I felt? That I and Dahyun could all be one happy family once more?

Through the heavy wooden door, she burst into tears, didn't see the point in trying to hide it. Her heart wrenching sobs the tears, and she could not stop them from falling. Yoohyun flew up in bed, screaming and entangled in the bed sheets.

Sorrow like she never felt before was attempting to swallow her whole. That she gladly welcomed it with open arms, embraced it like an old friend. It was slowly taking over her heart, her soul, her thoughts. They were out to get her, ripped her heart into tiny pieces and scatter them.

She huddled into a tiny ball. Wondering what had she done to deserve this, was she being punished for something in her previous life? Had she done something to upset Ten or Dahyun? Why had the universe turned its back on her? Why was this happening to her?

‘Why? God, please, tell me why? Why?’ She sobbed loudly, echoing in the nothingness. The wails grew as she find herself suddenly trapped in a corner, literally. ‘Why was this happening to me? Why?’ Her whole body was trembling, crying in earnest.

“I HATE YOU ALL!!! GO AWAY!!!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

They could hear Yoohyun’s scream. Jihyo quickly glanced at Ten and Dahyun.

“Ok, that was intense. What the hell is happening?”

“Please check her out.” Ten told Jihyo.

“Why the hell should I??!” Jihyo snapped as tightened her hold in reaction.

“I’m sorry, please, she can’t refuse you.” Ten pleaded in a softer, calmer voice.

“Okay, I’m going to check her.” Jihyo said, before her heel, grabbed the doorknob, and stomped out of bedroom, the door thumping loudly when it's slammed behind her.

Sighing in frustration, Ten walked to the side of the bed and studied Dahyun with a worried expression, he was going to take care of her, if it was the last thing he could ever did. Dahyun’s hands clenched tightly, gritting her teeth. Dahyun looked up, blindly reached out for Ten’s hand. When Ten linked their fingers together, she stood up and hugged him. Dahyun’s vision blurred with fresh tears and tightened as she fought back her sobs.

“I’m sorry,” Dahyun mumbled, slowly touched his cheek, Ten winced as she touched the tender spot, then hugging Ten tighter. Pulling back reluctantly, Ten searched her face, brushed aside a stray strand of hair from his beloved’s face.

“Sorry?” Ten’s voice was hoarse and his throat ached. Dahyun sniffed with a nod, her eyes filling with tears. One Ten’s hand was splayed in the middle of her back and the other clutched at her silken hair.

“I’m so sorry! It’s my fault! You were right, we should stop.” Dahyun closed her eyes, hugged Ten tighter with a heavy sigh. Ten reached out and traced her face.

“Dahyunnie,” he whispered with more confidence as his vocal cords got used to working again. Dahyun looked up and gazed at him through the thin veil of tears she had been unable to chase away. Dahyun was whiter than the bed sheets, he felt so helpless. What was he supposed to do?

Ten his lips, brushed away her tears with his thumb. “Please stop crying! I hate seeing you so upset!” He traced the lines of Dahyun’s face lightly. A gentle smile graced his face, even though the muscles in his face protested, but he ignored them. Cupping the side of her face, ran his thumb. Dropping his head, he kissed Dahyun gently then enveloped her in a hug. “And, stop apologizing, babe, it’s not your fault.” He whispered softly.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” She cried louder, her body slumping. She dropped her head to Ten’s chest and closed her eyes saying a silent prayer. She suddenly felt exhausted.

“Baby, listen...,” His voice soothing. “Our secret was no longer secret.”

Dahyun stopped crying, blinked for several long seconds. She stared up at Ten blankly. ‘Our secret is not a secret any longer?’

“Someday, you're facing with a choice and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And__” His voice came out in a whisper. It was either him or Yoohyun. But, Ten hadn’t forced her to make a choice, not yet at least, not like he did before. And Ten realized, Yoohyun was more important than anyone for Dahyun, even him. It wasn’t even a competition.

The color drained out of Dahyun’s face and her eyes bulged out of her head.

“_And, I’m all aware of the risks involved with becoming ually involved with you.” He felt his face grow hot in embarrassment. Damn Ten, he thought. He lowered his gaze, scratched the back of his head. A rosy tint colored his cheeks. Dahyun, being only eighteen. And he, being twenty, maybe he could get in serious trouble if it ever got out that he was having with her, even though she was technically not a minor anymore.

“No!” Dahyun hissed. She threw herself at him, knocking him balance. Dahyun hugged Ten tightly. “You can’t!” She wept. Ten blinked in confusion. He wrapped his arms loosely around Dahyun’s shoulders as he regained his balance.

“Can’t what, Dahyunnie?” He asked her gently. Dahyun shook her head vigorously. Lifting her head, she glanced up at him. Her face was flushed, her wet cheeks glistened.

“You can’t leave me!” Dahyun squeezed her eyes shut. her hands, she pounded Ten’s chest. “You said you won’t let me go,” she echoed herself softly. “I won’t let you go!” She sobbed. “I know the consequences and I hate that I’m the reason, but, but I won’t let you to leave me!” She wept quietly.

‘Why? Whenever we took one step forward, we were forced to take two back?’

“I won’t ever leave you! I just don’t wanna cause you any trouble anymore!” Ten said.

“You’ve never caused me any trouble,” Dahyun replied. “I’m with you because I want to be and if that means the world will hate me and will become my enemy, then so be it, I could care less what people think about me.” She admitted. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you to stay at my side and let the whole world know that you are mine,” She buried her wet face against her lover’s neck. She loved him. She loved him with all her heart and wanted it to work out with him, even though when he was with him, rationale and logic jumped ship.

Ten caught his breath. He would never admit it aloud, but at that moment, his heart skipped a beat.  He cleared his throat,

“Are you sure?” Ten asked her, his intense eyes never leaving hers, though he had no idea what was being said.

“Yes,” Dahyun nodded, her voice cracking. “I'm sure.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Babo-ya, I’m yours.” He sighed, he was tired of sighing, but it was inevitable. Ten rested his chin against the top of Dahyun’s head.

Her open eyes blinked blankly before fluttering closed. Deep in thought, she could not wrap her mind around any of this. Maybe she was getting dumber or just being a neuron-less head, just like Jihyo said. Functions like judgment and logic were overwritten to allow her mind more space to process. Would she ever get those brain cells back? Did she even need them? But a scientific study said being in love makes us stupid. Well, we all know what happened to Romeo and Juliet.

Then, there was the silence.

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***It has taken awhile to get here, but here it is!

I decided to give you guys two chapters just because the hell I want it. Hope you enjoy them!

I would like to thank Watachiwahyo, Kim_Ya_Dha, apink6memory, nhpo1712, Taeyoonseul, Jaebomb for your comments and all those who read, subscribed, and voted this story. I love you guys!

-Airin-