Playlist for this chapter:

Stay – Mayday Parade Stay With Me – Sam Smith Your Call – Secondhand Serenade I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz Lost In Love – Girls’ Generation

“I think we should break up.”

Silence filled the air. None of them dared to speak. One was struggling to hold back her tears alone in her dark room, the other was trembling in fear and regret.

Minutes had passed, Somi was expecting Sejeong to said something but nothing came from the latter mouth. Sejeong just exhaled loudly. Somi cried harder, thinking that this was indeed the end for them.

“I’m hanging up. Don’t try to call me. And please be happy, Sejeong-ah.”

Sejeong wanted to say something. Don’t leave me. I love you. I’m sorry. But nothing, not even a word came out of . So, Somi hung up the call and turned off her phone. It was over. All the promises were broken, the trusts were crumbled, and the hearts were shattered.

Sejeong threw her phone and left her home. She sped up to the café near their college surrounded by anger, fear, regret, and heartbreak. She needed alcohol and nicotine to help her relaxed and forgot this whole mess. It was noon in Seoul and the café was packed. Sejeong didn’t care. She took a seat in the corner and started to get herself drunk.

Little did she knew, there was someone who didn’t stop crying and caused her a severe headache. So, she cried herself to sleep. Sejeong, on the other hand, still sober even after drinking four bottles of soju and beer. Maybe she was numb because she couldn’t feel anything aside from the pain in her heart. She left the café and returned to her home, leaving her classes and meetings. Once she was home, she headed to the shower. She cried in the shower, letting the cold water hit her body.

===

Somi was heading to her home from the hospital. Unfortunately, she was hospitalized for three days. It had been three days since they broke up and Somi was fainted in the middle of the class on the next day due to her severe vertigo.

When she turned her phone on, there were 32 missed calls and hundreds of unread messages. But none of the calls and messages from Sejeong. She sighed, at least Sejeong still obeyed her request. She then scrolled her contact and made a call.

“Hello,” a sleepy voice greeted her.

“Chungha Unnie, it’s Somi. Sorry to wake you up. It’s still early in Seoul, isn’t it?”

She finally woke up upon hearing the name. “Somi? Oh my God!!! Are you okay?”

Somi chuckled softly, “I’m fine, Unnie. How are you?”

“You’ve been missing for three days, Somi! What happened?”

There was a pause for seconds before Somi replied, “We broke up, Unnie. Yeay!”

She faked a cheer. Chungha sighed loudly. She knew it. She knew this couple wasn’t okay the moment she saw a mess Sejeong came to the class. Chungha didn’t say anything. She let Somi to continue the talk.

“I want to ask you a favor, Unnie. Please look after Sejeong for me, Unnie. Make sure she didn’t do anything stupid. Make sure she eats and sleep well, Unnie. Please?”

“Somi-ah, she hurt you, didn’t she? Why do you still care about her?”

“Because I love her, Unnie. You won’t understand because you don’t love her. But I do, Unnie. Please?”

She shook her head and took a mental note to give Sejeong a lesson. “Alright. Anything else?”

“No one knows about us, Unnie. So, please don’t let other people know about this, especially Chaeyeon Unnie.”

“Why?”

“Chaeyeon Unnie will hurt Sejeong if she knows about us. She would kill her, Unnie. I don’t want Sejeong to get hurt. So, please?” Somi begged.

“I’ll do what you say, Som. But, please take care of yourself too. Don’t get sick, eat well, sleep well, don’t force yourself, kay?”

“Of course, Unnie.” She smiled. “Unnie, I have something to do. I’ll talk to you later, okay? Thank you so much, Unnie.”

“Alright. Talk to you later, Som.” Once Somi hung up, Chungha sent a message to Sejeong. Explain, read the message.

Not too long after her phone call with Chungha, Yoojung called her. Somi knew Yoojung wouldn’t let this one passed because most of those missed calls were from her and Doyeon.

“YAH! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? ARE YOU OKAY?” Somi held her phone away from her ears as Yoojung screamed noisily.

“What the hell, Choi Yoojung.”

“Don’t change the subject! Are you okay??? Are you sick?”

“No, why?”

“Because Sejeong Unnie was bothering me for days to call you, saying you sick or something like that. I thought she was the one who was sick.”

Somi heart fell. Why are you doing this, Sejeong-ah? “Is she okay?”

“Why are you ask-…” Yoojung stopped as she realized what happened. “Somi-ah.”

“Hmm?”

“What happened?”

“What?”

“You and Sejeong Unnie. You guys broke up, right?” Somi didn’t say no but she didn’t say yes either.

“Somi-ah, tell me what happened. All of it. Right now.”

So, Somi begun to tell Yoojung what happened in the past weeks. She didn’t realize she was crying when she recalled those memories. They spent hours talking on the phone and somehow Somi felt her heart was so much lighter.

“So, what do you want me to do now?” Yoojung asked after Somi finished talking.

“Can you make sure Sejeong is doing fine and live happily? Just tell her that I’m okay so she needs to be okay, too.”

“Are you really okay, Somi-ah? Why are you doing this to yourself?”

“What am I doing?”

“Stop thinking about her! She hurt you, Somi-ah. Start thinking about yourself. Stop worrying about her!” She spoke again when she knew what Somi wanted to say. “Stop telling me that you love her!”

She groaned because Yoojung always knew what she was thinking. “Fine, I’ll try. Don’t let the others know about this, Yoojung-ah. You may tell Doyeon, but not the others.”

“Chaeyeon Unnie, isn’t it? You are scared Chaeyeon Unnie will do something to Sejeong Unnie, right?”

“Something like that,” she sighed. She couldn’t imagine what would happened to Sejeong if Chaeyeon found this out.

“Fine. But, you guys should figure out what is the best for you both. You can’t lie to the others forever, Somi-ah. Sooner or later, they will find out.”

“I know. Give me some time, Yoojung-ah.”

“Just take it slow, Som. Don’t let this affect your study. Focus and come home soon.”

“Definitely. Thank you, Yoojungie. Talk to you later?”

“Yeah. Stay healthy, kay? Bye!” Yoojung hung up the call. Somi closed her eyes. She missed her friends. She missed Seoul. She missed her.

===

Two months had passed, another two months still awaited her. Somi spent the past months like a robot. She woke up, washed up, went to the class, and went home. She was trying hard in her study because maybe, maybe she could return to Seoul sooner.

Somi and Sejeong were also tried their best to pretend everything was okay. They were still giving each other comments on their respective social media. At least, they tried to show some interaction to proving that they were okay.

Well, guess what? They succeeded in fooling the others, except Yoojung, Doyeon, and Chungha who already knew this from the beginning.

===

It was four in the evening when Chaeyeon and Chungha were doing their team assignment on the café nearby. They were gossiping about some random issues in Chungha’s Instagram, hence Chaeyeon was holding Chungha’s phone. When Chungha excused herself to the toilet, a new message drew Chaeyeon’s attention. It was from Somi.

Instantly, her face changed. Disappointed? Yes. Angry? Very. Betrayed? Undoubtedly.

It all made sense. Why Somi refused to pick up her call, why Somi’s eyes were red and swollen when they made a video call, how Somi suddenly sick. She felt stupid to not realized her sister’s relationship was over a long time ago. Sh