thirty

Chanyeol had his eyes happily looked around and he decided to ignore the way the nurses send him a flirty looks because he was eager at seeing his friend and let his feet trudged faster to the room that he knew the way. 

Though, his eyes went blinking curiously when he walked in - to Jongin frowning at Yumi while holding onto her hand. 

"Then, who are you?"

"Yumi, your help. I'm the one that replaced Yeoreum after she quit." Yumi went saying, almost desperately as she tugged her hand, but Jongin went tighter. 

And Chanyeol suddenly felt the need to barge in, seeing how Yumi was getting uncomfortable at the intense hold from Jongin. 

"Hey, Jongin..."

And Jongin went glancing at the call, looking through his glasses and immediately - his face brightened and Chanyeol couldn't help but to put on another smile on his face at seeing his friend's excitement on seeing him. 

"Miss me, you ?!"

Jongin went laughing, and loosened Yumi by the hand and let out a soft umph when Chanyeol went hugging him and patted him on the back. 

To which had him coughed a few times before laughing at Chanyeol who went laughing happily. 

"I speed up, just to see you. You have no idea how happy I am when your mother called me!"

Jongin was being embraced into another hug and he went laughing before looking at how Chanyeol went ranting how he was so glad at seeing him and gushing if Jongin missed on seeing his face.

Jongin just rolled his eyes at that, before he glanced at the girl by the side of his bed. 

"Anyway, tell me...who is she?"

And Chanyeol frowned and went staring at Yumi. 

"Yumi. My soon to be girlfriend."

"In your ing dreams." she spat back and Chanyeol frowned at that.

"Still in denial, I see..."

Jongin didn't looked amused at that and stared down, having his stomach dropped and he didn't like that - because it was aching him somehow. 

"Well, in that case, I'm sorry." 

Yumi snorted but nodded at it nonetheless and Chanyeol went frowning. 

"Why? Something happened?"

"I mistook her for Yeoreum."

And Chanyeol went laughing at that. "You stupid!"

"Jongin, you ing stupid."

Jongin just groaned at Chanyeol's maniacal laugh, mocking him again and again.

"I didn't mean it. I'm so excited at the idea on meeting her."

Gosh.

How could he mistook someone else as Yeoreum?

Yumi doesn't even have the same presence as Yeoreum.

Was he really that excited at meeting her that he mistook every girl that came to see him as Yeoreum? 

"Also, Yeoreum always said that she gonna pretend that she wasn't my girl when I see her...so, I really..." he gave out a soft grunt and looked at Yumi, pleading sorry. 

"I'm sorry."

Chanyeol went laughing again. "God, I need to tell Yeoreum about this so she can see how stupid you are."

Jongin rolled his eyes. "You moron."

And Yumi chuckled when Jongin went pushing Chanyeol violently from his bed when the guy wanted to take a seat. 

Chanyeol went grunting at that, pushing him back and argued about wanting to sit after his cramped from speeding on the bike. 

Jongin didn't seemed like he cared, pushing the friend again and again.

His eyes sauntered to the door from time to time and his heart went picking up at the thoughts of meeting Yeoreum. 

But. 

As time passed, he grew restless. 

Chanyeol went murmuring about classes and their friends to which Jongin had his ears listened to it halfheartedly while his eyes were still on the door frame. 

"Why isn't she here yet?"

Yumi went stopping at packing the clothes into the bag and stared at Jongin and she followed his gaze to the door frame. 

Hmm... 

She was frowning too. 

"Yeah, where is she? I thought you said she's fixing her makeup." Chanyeol added next.

And Yumi went thinking. "She was busy with her makeup before, maybe she went to the washroom."

"But it's too long." Jongin tried to argue. 

"Maybe she got stomachache, you know...too excited on meeting you." Chanyeol was trying lift up the mood. 

But Jongin just went silent.

No. 

His senses were telling him that something was wrong. 

His heart wasn't feeling good at the loud rhythm and he stared directly at Chanyeol. 

"Call her."

Chanyeol make a face at that, but still have his fingers taking out his phone. "Helpless romantic."

"Shut up, you ." 

"Say that I'm getting way handsome than before." Chanyeol gave a pointed look at Jongin and the guy grimaced. 

"Say that, or no Yeoreum."

"Yeah, you're getting way handsome. Now, Yeoreum..."

Chanyeol didn't make a comment at his friend's flat comment and just obeyed like a good friend he was while Yumi went looking outside, wondering where Yeoreum was. 

She was just by her side earlier. 

"Hmm...she isn't picking up." Chanyeol frowned, dialling once again. 

And Jongin had his mind thought of every worse possibilities and he didn't feel good about it. 

"Maybe she grab something along the way...?" Yumi make a comment, trying to ease down the sudden tenseness. 

But still, Jongin couldn't stay calm.

Jongin had his eyes wavered shakily and he glanced at Chanyeol, patting the boy's thigh harshly. "Call her, again."

"Jeez, calm your ..."

Jongin didn't like the sudden thoughts in his mind. 

Where is Yeoreum? 

Why isn't she here yet? 

Where did she go? 

What's taking so long? 

She...didn't want to see him or something? 

Please no. 

"Chanyeol, you're here?"

The two boys looked up, glancing at Mrs.Kim who went strutting inside the room, eyes crinkling happily at the sights of the two boys and gave a small nod at Yumi who gave a nod at her in the first place. 

"Mom..." Jongin urged. 

"Where were you?"

"I just got back from the washroom after seeing your doctor - "

"Did you see Yeoreum?" Jongin asked abruptly, cutting his mother's words.

And the woman went frowning. "Yeoreum? No."

"She isn't here yet? I thought she'd be here already. She sounded like she's in a rush after I told her to come."

She tried to tease Jongin at Yeoreum's eagerness on meeting him, but Jongin went silent, eyes deciphered like he was alarmed by something and she went frowning. 

"Something wrong?"

Jongin looked up once again and the woman didn't like the way her son went pleading with his eyes. 

Looking so alive, yet - so desperate for something.

"Yeoreum..." he called on that name so softly and Mrs.Kim didn't like the way her heart tugged painfully. 

"Mom, she's not here."

"She's not here." Jongin patted on his side desperately and pleadingly and Mrs.Kim had her stomach make a wild turn unhappily. 

Yeoreum wasn't there. 

With him. 

And he wanted her so much. 

Gosh. 

She thought to herself. 

Imagine if she separated both of them. 

Would her son be looking so pleadingly like that?

Can she even look at the way his son looking and feeling so sad? 

"Maybe she's buying drinks or something."

Yeoreum stared at her phone, vibrating with Chanyeol's name and she just shut the screen off, looking out from the taxi and played with her thumb mindlessly. 

Chanyeol probably had arrived.

Will he told Jongin on how Yumi wasn't her?

Wondered what Jongin would think. 

Would he be devastated at knowing his girlfriend wasn't Yumi? 

She swallowed hard. 

She didn't know if what she was doing is a good thing or not. 

But, she didn't want to see Jongin.

At least not when she's not pretty enough for him.

Her fingers fixed the messed-up mascara that was pooling at the end of her eyes before fixing the lipstick that she was wearing - wiping it clean. 

Gosh. 

She looked stupid. 

Her lips were trembling when she stared at her reflection in the phone screen. 

She thought she was pretty enough. 

But, she wasn't sure if she was pretty enough for Jongin. 

She was so scared that he wouldn't like what he see in her. 

She wasn't as pretty as Yumi. 

Her shoulders were dropping and her self-confidence went down once again and she felt so useless all of a sudden. 

The phone lit up again and Chanyeol was still calling. 

He probably wondered where she was. 

And she gnawed on her bottom lip, not knowing what to do with the situation. 

In the end, she ended up coming back the campus cafe and searched for her friend and Eunhui was just getting ready to take the order when she noticed that it was her all along. 

"Yeoreum...?" Eunhui frowned. 

"That's fast. I thought you gonna spend the night with your boyfriend or something - "

She raised her head and Eunhui didn't feel like teasing the girl anymore. 

Yeoreum quickly plastered a smile on her lips. "I..."

Eunhui went looking at Yeoreum, noticing the messy makeups that was being wiped away like it was being done in a hurried manner. 

The way Yeoreum went radiating such a weak aura makes Eunhui had her protective senses tingled and she hated seeing her friend be looking like that. 

"Yeoreum, who did this to you?"

Yeoreum went sighing softly at that, before her lips let out another smile that seemed so fake. 

"Can I have a slice of cake?"

Eunhui frowned. "Yeoreum..."

"I need a slice of cake."

She didn't gave the cake to her and instead, look around and when seeing that the customers weren't coming in, she left the counter and moved to grab Yeoreum, pulling her to the hidden side of the cafe.

"Hey..."

Yeoreum went mum, looking down as she fiddled with her thumbs. 

"Yeoreum..."

Eunhui hugged her friend tight, embracing her gently and Yeoreum went planting her forehead against her shoulder.

It took a few seconds. 

For the girl to let out a soft mewls and Eunhui felt her shoulder went damp. 

She's crying. 

And Eunhui rubbed her friend's arm affectionately, trying to calm her down. "Who did this to you?"

"Tell me."

Yeoreum just gripped on her sides and whimpered silently. 

"Nobody." 

"Then? Why are you being like this? You were so excited earlier, to see your boyfriend." Eunhui blinked at that and she somehow had a few thoughts lingered in her mind after saying that.

"Did your boyfriend do this to you?"

Yeoreum shook her head at that and Eunhui frowned, pushing the girl away from her and looked at her face. 

And Yeoreum faked a smile, wiping her tears away and chuckled helplessly at how stupid she looked - crying in the middle of the cafe. 

"Yeoreum..."

She bit down her lips and st