For the past five years, Yoohyun and Dahyun have lived apart from their parents in the two hundred square meters house that their father had purchased for them when they decided to move from Udo Island to Seoul. That house served its purpose. Their father’d wanted them to be close enough to his brother, Uncle Seojin, so that he could visit them whenever he chose to. At the same time, he’d wanted their house to be far enough apart from him so that they could experience being independent without running next door to their uncle whenever they had a problem.

Living far from their parents had been the hardest decision of their short and young life, but it was something that they’d needed to do for a better education, for a better future. As excruciating as the choice may have been, they would not take the chance to go back and stop themselves from making it. They would not change their choices. They didn’t want to look back on their life ten years from now and wonder, “what if”. They didn’t want to have any regrets like their mother had.

However, they had to admit that as difficult as coming to this decision had been, it had been even harder to not recant the choice. It had taken all of their willpower to not call up their father and beg him to come and get them. When Yoohyun and Dahyun were becoming more and more independent, their parents was impressed but at the same time a bit unnerved at the thought of a teenagers handling everything on their own.

The past couple of years had been specially rough on Yoohyun. Unlike Dahyun, she didn’t get along with almost all the people at her school or college for various reasons, there was no way she was going to act social around them when she couldn’t even stand the sight of most of them. Yoohyun hadn’t wanted to deal with any of stupid people and their craps. She hadn’t been able to deal with mindless drivel that folks had been spewing. It brought up too many things she hadn’t wanted to deal with. That was why she had become so anti-social. Besides, in hindsight it almost seemed as if their parents deliberately tried to keep their daughters from socializing too much.

Yoohyun wasn’t the kind of person who liked or felt the need to go out. She actually hated socializing of any kind; she didn’t like nightclubs, sports, karaoke bars or parties. The only time she went out was for school formal event she was forced into doing. Yoohyun even didn’t really want to go to the High School graduation party but went anyway since her best friend, Kim Doyoung, insisted.

Well, Doyoung is her best friend. He had been one of her friends who had accepted Yoohyun for who and what she really was. Doyoung tended to be an overprotective and somewhat vague at times, and he was always there for Yoohyun when she needed him, good and bad times side by side to comfort her; she did the same. They trusted and believed in each other, even when they didn't share the same amount of time together. Yoohyun couldn’t imagine his life without him. She would die a slow death without her best friend and she didn’t mean that just metaphorically.

Yoohyun and Doyoung had grown up together, they attented the same middle, and high schools, and they maintained a lasting friendship. It was rare Yoohyun had coveted her friendship. They loved each other, but that didn’t constitute they being in love. Their feelings just mere friendship, didn’t went way beyond that.

Things about Doyoung, he was always busy. He had a lot of sidelines since he was in middle school. He worked as a waiter, as a sales person in multi level marketing business, as a wedding singer, moving from one job to another. His mother passed away two years ago, the same year he received scholarship from Yonsei University for program Communication and Arts. But, the real surprise was when Yoohyun decided to chose Design and Arts and been accept in Hongik University. They never thought that she would made it because Yoohyun was just bandwagoning.

======================================================================================

Back in Yoohyun’s freshman year of college, two years ago.

Yoohyun had to do a task for her 3D modelling class, and softwares were always her biggest enemy. As a freshman student in college, she didn’t have friends at the moment, she knew that Doyoung was the one person she could always go to whenever she had a problem. So, she went to Yonsei to meet him.

At the sound of hurried approaching feet, the words died on Doyoung’s tongue. He had been speaking on his cellphone with his classmate to borrow a camera DSLR that he was going to use for Basic Photography class in the next few days. Doyoung glanced the hall, spotted Yoohyun racing towards him where he sat on the bench near library doorway.

“Yoo?” Doyoung questioned. Nothing ever surprised him when it came to his best friend. Once he has known Yoohyun as long as he has, he learns to expected the unexpected. “Ok, once again, thanks a lot,” Doyoung spoke into his cell phone. Without saying goodbye, he hung up.

“Who’s you calling?” Yoohyun panted hard, out of breath as she stepped closer. She felt light headed from lack of oxygen, and collapsed back down the bench.

“My classmate, Sejeong-ah.” Doyoung stared at the cell phone in his hand, then shoved it to his bag.

“Oh, your unrequited love~” She snapped in a mocking voice.

“I’m going to borrow her camera for photography class.” He laughed dramatically.

“Your actual motives and modus operandi should be; you want a shot at getting together with her. Borrowing stuff is a cheap attempt, Do. You are better than that!” Yoohyun assumed.

Suddenly, Doyoung’s laughter choked to a halt. His eyes wide, he flung a hand over his mouth. “SERIOUSLY, YOO!!”

Yoohyun shrugged. Knowing it was pointless to argue, he nodded, “I’ve told you, she already has a boyfriend! Her boyfriend is our senior, and he is rich, he picked her up with car. I wouldn’t be able to compete in...,” At any other time, this would have been when he burst into tears and started blubbering like an idiot, but he was all tapped out. Instead, he gave his friend a sad smile.

Yoohyun snorted, “Well, pretty girls do date ugly guys with loads of money~”

“He is handsome, though.”

Yoohyun cocked an eyebrow, “WHAT? Ugh, you are so gay, Do~”

Doyoung gasped, “It was not normal for one guy to think of another guy as handsome? Oh, please..., I do have a pair of eyes and I had no problem admitting that he was a handsome guy. And it was something that had just slipped out, I had not even thought about it. It was a fact. That didn’t constitute me being a gay, and didn’t mean I’m in love with him or something.”

“Whether you wanted to admit it or not. Its still so gay.” Yoohyun argue passionately.

Doyoung sighed heavily and shook his head.  Arguing with Yoohyun was like trying to ask a brick wall for directions, why he did bother wasting his breath, time and energy trying to explain. “Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.”

“Haha I’m just kidding, dear my supposedly 'straight' friend! Ahhhh, you’re taking my joke seriously,” She laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Hhh, funny much," and a bitter smile accompanied that bitter sigh.

“Anyways, from what I've heard from you, Sejeong seems like a nice girl though~”

“She really is,” he grimaced. “But I really need to borrow her camera.”

“If I had one, it never would have happened.” Yoohyun took a swig of her water before continuing. “I’m sorry, Doyoungie.” She lifted her head, exchanged a sympathetic look.

“There’s no need to. I’m fine.” Doyoung smiled, raked his fingers through his hair.

“Eh? Your phone...,”

“Huh?” Doyoung cocked his head and listened and sure enough, he heard it, a soft buzzing sound. “Oh!” He pulled his bag into his lap and dug out his phone. As it continued to vibrate in his hand, he glanced at the name on the display screen. With only the slightest hesitation, he pressed ignore and tossed his phone back into his bag.

“Who was it? Sejeong?”

Doyoung shrugged, and gulped painfully. “Wrong number.”

Yoohyun knew he was lying, she could register what was happening, she snorted, “Liar!” She hissed. "Who was it?”

Doyoung said groggily, and scratched the back of his head. “Apartment’s owner.”

“What's going on?" She asked, and looked up to his eyes. She knew he’d been renting apartment for the last five months. He chose the closest to his college, so less traveling time, less food needed, and less money wasted.

Swallowing over a lump in his throat, “It’s not your business, Yoo~”

As predicted, Yoohyun whined in protest. Turning around, Doyoung sighed in defeat when he saw Yoohyun pouting angrily and her arms crossing over her chest.

“Aish, you damned brat!” Before he could stop himself, he found himself telling her the truth. “I have to earn more money.” Doyoung smiled with a sigh, then rubbed his hands over his face. Yoohyun felt her heart skip a beat. With wide eyes, she gazed Doyoung, and frowned. “I had two month’s worth of rent left unpaid and if I didn’t pay it in this following week, I will be kicked out if I’m lucky enough or police would arrest me for whatever reasons.” Doyoung blinked stinging eyes and inhaled shakily. He closed his eyes and hummed a tune Yoohyun did not recognize.

Yoohyun still had no idea what she was going to do. She knew, his apartment owner was non-too-gentle in shoving him up against the wall and giving him an ultimatum. Yoohyun remembered, when they reported the owner to the police, they laughed at them just like those Police drama. So, it just add fuel to the fire.

“If they thrown me in jail, don’t you mind to visit my eomma’s cinerary urn in the KLY columbarium?” Doyoung mumbled.

“Shut up!” Yoohyun snapped as she pushed him roughly. There had been no stopping the grin on his face. With an annoyed, irritable sigh, she rolled her eyes.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me earlier?”

Doyoung chuckled at the serious expression on her face.

“What the is your problem,” she snapped irately. “You’re going to pretend everything is a joke now?”

“You looked like an elderly woman with a face with more wrinkles than a bulldog!” He blurted out, smiling inwardly at the little joke.

"Doyoung, I'm serious!" Warned Yoohyun.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Ummm..., I was afraid, I guess,” He muttered, wrapping his arm around Yoohyun’s arm and leaning against her shoulder.

“Of what?”

“That you may think I was some sort of a ‘snake’, who dared take advantage of you. And that you will leave me.” Yoohyun stared earnestly into his face, he glanced at her briefly. “When I thought you’d leave me alone in my entire life. So, I couldn’t tell you!” Doyoung had to admit it, losing his family was more painful than losing his friend, of course, that was undeniable. Friends drift apart. They come and go, but losing her will be one of the most painful things he couldn’t go through. The thought of never seeing his best friend, froze his blood and stopped his heart.

“Ahhh, idiot!” Yoohyun squeezed Doyoung’s hand. “I won’t leave you because of that. Ckk. Stupid Doyoung and your stupid rules,” She grumbled. Doyoung smiled at that, thankful his fears had been dumbfounded.

“Would you leave me because I’ve been cheating on my diet?” She asked him sharply. Doyoung simply shook his head.

“So stop saying that stupid nonsense!” She hissed as looked away, trying to block out just how sad she was. Doyoung cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed to be witnessing such a private moment.

“I don’t want you to be unhappy.” He said.

“I still am not happy, hiding it from me didn’t make me happy as well.”

“All I can do is apologize. I’m sorry, Yoohyunnie~”

“Just move to my house for awhile.” Yoohyun insisted as she released their entwined arms. Doyoung let out a loud sigh and rested his head against the wall. His eyes turning into slits as the horrid.

“Your uncle would kill me. He’s so scary, even scarier than your father!”

“I know.” She slumped further in her seat, thinking.

It was Doyoung’s turn to frown deep in thought. “Can you say its ironic? People said, life’s a and then you die.” Doyoung said, he could only shake his head at the terrible road his life was bound to take.

“Stop...,” she snorted at her bestfriend’s overly dramatic behavior.

“Someday, I just suddenly dropped out of college and find a full time job. Oh, I also really want to join the military. I want to fight for my country. Eomma will be proud of me.” His eyes glittered with a tear and his face turned even sadder.

“Don’t waste your opportunity. Not everyone got scholarship in Yonsei. On top of that I’m trying to find a part-time job, so I can help you.”

“It’s always about money and nothing else. Come to think of it, all the things are like that. I must say, I envy your life, I envy my friends.” He blinked away the sudden unsought of tears. His throat constricted over a threatening sob. But Yoohyun was right, that getting a scholarship was the only way he can keep studying without thinning out the very little money he had left. He was able to stretch out the money until he graduated from high school. It was when he entered college that his dilemma began. Being a Communication and Arts student in a prestigious college were vying for him to enroll.

Yoohyun pulled some money from her wallet and presented it to Doyoung.

“What is this?!”

“Just take and keep it,” said Yoohyun as she tried to stuff the folded money into Doyoung’s shirt pocket.

“I still have money!”

“Keep it.”

“But—”

“Just. Keep. It. Please. I'd be happy if you kept it.”

“Okay,” Doyoung said as he put the money into his own pockets. “I had every right to be ashamed of myself, I wasn’t feeling good for this. I’ll return it.”

“Blablabla, I couldn't give two s with your stubborn pride. Stop making me worry!”

“I was still as strong as I ever was, Yoo. Everything’s going to be alright and works out for me. For now, all I need to do is to survive.” He knew Yoohyun was worried about him, he’d been forced into deceiving her into believing that there was nothing to worry about. 

“Don’t bother to lie about it because I can see it. You’ve been there too many times, and too familiar with the warning signs. I knew, you had been under such a tremendous amount of stress, it started to affect your everyday life. Even though telling me about your problem doesn’t even really help much, but sure an ounce of it will fly away from your head. And stop pitying yourself!”

As usual, Yoohyun already had words spilling out even before Doyoung’s brain was able to register that she was saying something at all. The unsolicited advice somewhat helped Doyoung. He would even go as far as saying that Yoohyun’s words of wisdom were his inspiration in developing the stronghold for his twisted plans.

“Anyways, why did you come here at the first place?” Doyoung cut Yoohyun’s rambles off. Feeling his impatience growing by the second.

“DAMNIT! I almost forgot!” She always wore an expression that made her look as if she just realized she’d stepped in something fatal. "I want you to teach me to use SolidWorks." She said, holding her task paper as though it were contaminated with a deadly plague. "If AutoCAD can’t kill me, SolidWorks will." Freshman year just never gave her break.

"Why did you think I know SolidWorks? I don’t have enough time to learn it. And my laptop can’t support that application." Doyoung said bitterly. "Not to mention, I completely doomed on photography class that's coming up. I might as well just give up now."

"I don't know anything about 3D modeling.”

"Neither do I." Doyoung sighed. "I was hoping maybe I paid attention in class, even a little. It would definitely be much more than I did. But, you know I have to work at night, I’m lacking of energy."

Yoohyun remembered that there would be times wherein Doyoung would not be available for classes. He sometimes went to school groggy and often fell asleep in class.

There was a short silence.

"But, I know someone who is skilled at design softwares."

“Really?” Her face brightened.

“Yeah. He is Ten.”

“Ten? Is that a name of a club or something?”

Doyoung shook his head, “No, Ten is a communications and arts student, just like me. His name is really Ten, he comes from Bangkok. He was so good at drafting, designing, drawing and design graphic, including 3D modeling and animations. He and his friends even opened their own digital business. They had done a lot of project works for some companies in their global network.”

The smile slipped off Yoohyun’s face, her happiness deflating like a balloon. “Tell me, he is your friend, right?” She was feeling overly excited.

“Sorta...,” He shrugged. “He is the same age as me. But he is in sophomore year. It didn’t come as any surprise, though, he is Sejeong’s boyfriend.” He sighed for the nth time that day, trying to exhale the bitterness and the thickness that was forming in his chest.

Yoohyun blinked, taken back. For the moment though, she was confused as it was.

“And I should care because…?” She’d opened to say, ‘Because he is your crush’s boyfriend?’ but instead, she watched as Doyoung looked away, laughing, and what was left of his unshattered heart broke.

“Will you help me, Doyoungie? To meet Sejeong’s boyfriend? If you could, it would be a great help.”

Doyoung heaved a disgusted sigh. “Of course, Yoo.” Why had he agreed to this again? But nah, all the sympathy in the world was not going to him in any way.

“But, are you any good?”

Doyoung laughed nervously and made a show of checking his watch-less wrist, “I seem to be. Actually, ummm, I know where they are now.”

“Daebak!! Are you stalking them?!!”

“NO. Sejeong said she was studying while having lunch at faculty’s canteen with Ten!”

“Oh. That’s cool! I’m hungry too.” She shouted happily. Doyoung felt helpless as he watched his friend jumping around, this girl was as high strung as a helium balloon.

"C’mon!! Let's ask Ten to help us!!" She pulled his hand. Doyoung slowly stood up, wincing once as his head gave a particularly painful throb.

"But, why would he do that?" He asked skeptically. “Why would he help you?”

"Because I’m your friend, and you are a secret admirer, oops, I mean, a friend of his girlfriend. He helps us out, he figures he can get on our good side. I know he would. Just call your Sejeong now~"

======================================================================================

“...Ten, he had seemed so cold at first, it was amusing how his appearance was betraying his personality. For the life of me, I can’t explain why I became like this, around this guy, around him! I’d quickly grown to like him. I was totally taken in by him. Maybe it was love at first sight, I didn’t realize it until later. All I knew was that I could not take my eyes away from him. And I could not get him out of my head!” Yoohyun felt her heart twist painfully. Her voice became small and high pitched as if someone were squeezing her voice box. She cleared .

“But to be honest. Se-Sejeong..., Sejeong was a reason for my concern. Doyoung was told that Sejeong was the beauty of their department, and he was quite right, she was such a lovely girl. I’ve lost count of how many times I started to jealous over her but gave up because even though there was so much I wanted to say, so much that needed to be said. My jealousy was a pointless and useless, yet I did not want if I wasted my time on it. However, I was sure, if it was true love or not. I believe, Ten and Sejeong were totally and inexplicably in love. I didn’t know why they broke up. Why would two people who claim to be inexplicably in love break up? I wondered, they had not actually broken up. Even though he’d been completely heartbroken. It’d been impossible to get him out of his sadness for weeks afterwards. Months later, Ten started dating me, even though, I knew, our relationship was not as easy as I wanted it to be. Ten was never in love with me…not really.” A fresh wave of tears flooded in her eyes. It was painful to admit, but nonetheless it was the truth. tightened.

Jihyo’s eyes widened, “Of course he was! He loved you.”

Yoohyun dropped her hands and lifted her head. She gave Jihyo a cheerless watery smile and shook her head.

“He was really confused and hurting over his break up with Sejeong. I knew that, but I didn’t care. I knowingly took advantage of that fact because I liked him so much. He would probably be using me as a way to forget her. He had just drowned his broken heart and sorrow, fool himself into believing he felt more than he actually did because the girl he had wanted a future with, wanted nothing to do with him? Dating me didn’t change the fact that her was still in love with her.”

Jihyo didn’t know what to say to that. Yoohyun paused and turned to look at Jihyo, a look of bewilderment on her face.

“When I first met with Ten… He was nice and kind and gentle and hilarious. But, my-so-called woman’s intuition was telling me he was up to no good and it was only a matter of time to prove. I was trying to make myself believe that I was only being paranoid but I was soon to find out just how right I was…”

Trying to ignore the knot in her chest, Yoohyun continued, “I gave him a second chance when I found out he dated me only to win a bet over a stupid headset, besides I knew that he was toying with me to forget Sejeong. And now, he was cheating on me..., with my sister... Jeez...,” Snorting at her own stupidity.

“Dahyun..., he said he loved her? How??!” She shook her head vigorously. Tears prickled her eyes, veiling her vision. Her chest tightened. She probably would never be able to forgive herself for ruining the best thing that ever happened to her. She dropped her face in her hands and sobbed quietly.

“Reality could not be this cruel...,” she whispered a voice thick with tears. Jihyo turned towards Yoohyun whose face was buried in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking. Jihyo grabbed Yoohyun’s shoulders, “Unnie,” she called.

“W-why...,” she whimpered. “Was this a dream or reality? I could not tell any more...,” her breathing became heavy and labored.

Jihyo blinked at the question. She was just as confused. How could she not?

“I-I tried to close my eyes, I said a little prayer. I hoped for all of this to be just a very bad dream, but when my eyes opened, everything was still the same as before.”

She'd hoped, begged that saying those prayers would have changed reality, that maybe reality would no longer need to hurt her, that could fix everything. And now, even though she had prayed, nothing had changed. Nothing. Everything she'd hoped wouldn’t happened, it had been slowly painfully torn out of her chest.

And now she did feel the hole, the baren space where laid her heart.

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Let me introduce new characters on this chapter:

So, this is Kim Doyoung (NCT U member), he’s Yoohyun’s bestfriend.

And this is Kim Sejeong (I.O.I’s member), Ten’s ex-girlfriend (probably his true love) :p

Hi. It’s me once again! I apologize that this takes sooo long to get out.

Because, OH MY GOD, Ten is finally debuting as NCT U member and TWICE is comeback with Cheer Up!!!

Still waiting for YuJohnSol and NCT as a whole. And of course, waiting for NCTWICE moments T^T

Thank you to everyone who voted, subscribed, commented and read this fic! Hope you like it! :D

– Airin -