~That night, she stole a lot more than just a simple bag.

The pen stops in Younghyun’s hand while the silent sigh, that leaves his mouth, echoes in the half-empty building. As his tired gaze loiters over his uncomprehending friends, the ungainful illuminance highlights his exhausted features; the dark, purple crescents under his eyes and the sicky shade of his pale skin. It’s been a while since he got the chance to sleep more than five hours in a row hence tiredness seems to be catching up with him.

Being a well-known singer is everything he’s ever dared to wish for although the familiar words on the paper in front of him taste bitter in his mouth. Their new break-up song is a Greek tragedy, telling a real story about him and his childhood sweetheart, Jiwon, who was always right there beside him until one day she fell in love with the third wheel of their group. The memory of their promised always and forever is enough to make him feel more miserable.

’Are you sure?’ Sungjin’s voice is like the finest velvet; silky while some tiny dots of anxiety glimmer in his eyes. His concern settles on his forehead, drawing some nasty waves onto its surface. ‘It’s not like she could ban you from the whole building.’

Younghyun takes a deep breath and sets the pen down with an oh so slow motion that even a sloth would envy. There is nothing in the world that he hates more than their useless arguments – not even his homeroom teacher back in Canada - and he’s really not in the mood to do so at the moment.

He looks at the cold coffee in the middle of the rounded table before he takes an eager sip and turns back to his work. It’s almost quarter to eleven in the evening and he still has tons of things to do.

’Well, as a matter of fact, she can…’ The restrained slap on the back of his head outplaces Jae’s cheeky correction and gets the other member’s attention back on the main issue. Should he accompany his friends to Mina’s birthday party and risk to meet with Jiwon and her badly handsome boyfriend or not? It’s not that he blamed her for her choice. He has no right to be angry at her anyway since he’s never asked her to wait for him. But it was much easier to miss her from a distance.

’It’s totally okay. At least, I can finish the last verse before I go home,’ he says with a bitter but honest smile on his face. With every word he wrote down on the blank paper, it became more evident to accept reality. After all, it happened almost three years ago. He cannot cry for something he’s never had.

His friends with their leather jackets on look at Younghyun in confusion and don’t stir a foot until Wonpil sits down the wooden chair right next to the older. His forever childish features become definite as he puts his opinion into serious words.

’If you stay, I’ll stay.’

Jae, Sungjin and Dowoon nod in agreement but they never get their chance to speak up because Younghyun’s answer freezes their words in their throats.

’No, you won’t.’

Time stops for a minute. Everyone seems so lost as they try to figure out what to say and how to tear down those massive walls Younghyun’s built around his soul.

’It’s not your fault that she’s jealous.’ Sungjin pats his friend’s tense shoulder then clenches his lips that turn into pale white within a single heartbeat. Just like everyone else from the band, he met Younghyun at JYP Entertainment while they were trainees. First, he seemed like a nice guy fighting for his dreams; always smiling. It took him for months to notice the real person behind Young K. The one with trust issues and a broken heart.

Younghyun crosses the expression ‘waiting’ and writes down a whole new sentence that sounds like I’d been holding on to you for so long but now I must let go. It suits better for the concept so he hums with satisfaction.

’She is not jealous. She’s crazy.’ Jae’s rude reaction earns a murderous look and another low-key slap on the back of the head from Sungjin yet his faint smile that lingers on his lips points out that he doesn’t mind the younger’s disrespectful behaviour at all. From his point of view, if that’s what it takes to openly insult Jiwon, it’s absolutely worth it.

The fact that Jae hates Younghyun’s childhood friend was never a secret but his offensive statements start to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Meanwhile calling someone crazy in the western regions isn’t a big deal, in South-Korea, it’s extremely impolite. That’s something he tends to forget.

Younghyun rolls his eyes - as a symbol of his disagreement - then his lower lip. He doesn’t flatter himself with the sweet lie of knowing Jiwon’s heart because of the simply reason he isn’t a fool anymore. If she was jealous, she would love him; therefore she cannot be jealous.

’But her best friend is quite adorable.’ Wonpil protests with chaste glitter in his eyes; it looks like pixie dust and the way his gaze darkens while he recalls his treasured memories is indeed magical. No wonder, he has a crush on Mina for the first time since their paths crossed each other.

’Yeah, and she will be disappointed if you don’t go. It’s her birthday after all.’ Although Younghyun can’t decipher the blonde girl’s feelings – or anyone else’s, to be honest – that’s something he’s sure at. Mina would have never asked him directly to come to her party if she didn’t care about Wonpil at least a little. ’Have fun.’

As if Mina’s name only would be enough, the younger takes aback and leans against the backrest. He bites his lower lip back and sinks into his thoughts for several minutes before he makes his decision and stands up. His features are full of apologies; a strange mixture of happiness and regret.

Sungjin pats his tired mate’s left shoulder once again before he joins the others standing on the threshold. His fingers rest on the dark textile a bit longer than it’s necessary.

’Take care.’ He whispers with his eyes focused on the half blank paper. For him, Letting go seems a proper title; he only hopes that it will help his friend to move on, too.

’As always.’

After his mates leaves the building, Younghyun orders a cup of black coffee with two spoons of sugar and turns back to his task. Expect Dowoon, he is the only one who has problems with the new deadline – now, it’s an entire week earlier than the original one was – and as far as he’s concern, the other musician already finished his draft and the first part of the instrumentation. Therefore, he has no choice but complete the last verse before midnight.

In the end, it takes him more than an hour and two cups of liquid caffeine to draw the last symbols to the right corner of the sheet yet he looks satisfied when he picks up his black leather jacket and pulls up his grey hood from beneath. He takes his notebook into his backpack carefully as if it was the apple of his eye before he steps into the cold of the autumn air.

His movements are sharp as his brown boots touch the pavement and Younghyun’s tall figure becomes one with the dark scenery of the dead street while he passes by a closed theatre and a long forgotten grocery store with colourful graffities on its dirty walls.

Such as warm raindrops start to fall on a summer afternoon, everything happens fast and unexpectedly. While he keeps his eye on the nearest bus stop, a firm hand grabs his packback and tears it off of his back.

’What the…’ Younghyun doesn’t even have enough time to put the little puzzle pieces together, the misty figure takes his turn to right and disappears from his field of view. ’Hey!’

The bass guitarist tightens his limbs and chases after the culprit without a second thought. He runs as if his life depended on it - and it’s not even that far from reality if he considers his manager’s unbearable attitude toward deadlines -, hence exhausting wheeze and nasty swears follow him all the way down the street.

’Stop! Are you deaf? Stop!’ He shouts out loud between two haggard sighs while he keeps his direction instead of turning to left. He knows the suburb quite well to realize that he can actually overtake the criminal if he bypasses the grey block of flats with shattered windows.

Younghyun leans onto his knees and takes a deep breath before he notices the culprit’s small figure in the entrance of the alley. Fog and smoke are mixed together, forming a dirty canvas behind the petite stranger whose feet root into the concrete.

’Stop!’ The bass guitarist asks as he steps closer to the criminal but an irresponsible movement, not much, is enough to force the other to run away.

Younghyun mumbles a silent my life under his nose then clenches his narrow lips before he finally find the power in himself to continue the tiresome catch me if you can.

He passes through the alley and turns to right twice before he manages to get close to the bane of his night. Younghyun’s lungs are on fire when he finally grabs his backpack and pushes the culprit into a human-sized bush.

’Who do you think you are?’ He asks when the culprit doesn’t intend to let his property go. His sweaty locks stick onto his forehead and a drop of warm sudor lands on the other’s hoodie while he speaks. ’Give it back or I’ll call the police!’

’I…’

The young criminal rocks himself back and forth in embarrassment. Although the bass guitarist has no idea about it, the harsh sound of his deep voice scares the out of the thief. That’s why his tiny body trembles when Younghyun lifts his left hand up above his head and puts it onto the bush’s tender shank.

’You picked a fight with the wrong person, dude. On a really, really bad day.’ Younghyun hails with rage and a few drops of saliva fly out of his mouth while he makes an attempt at stealing back his own bag. This time, when his long fingers wrap around the coarse material, the criminal gives up the booty and takes a step backwards diagonally.

It happens just as fast as the first time; it’s unforseenable. The thief’s right foot stumbles at the edge of the pavement hence the youngster falls onto the knees on the cold concrete in the middle of the road. With the black hoodie and dark trousers, there’s no difference between the hoodlum and the hard asphalt. The driver is helpless against the inevitable. Noone could have prepared for the crash.

Younghyun’s lips open in disbelief as his weightless arms fall back to his sides. The bag hurtles to the ground without a single sound.

’!’ He swears, his eyes brim with tears. ’You’re a girl.’

The bass guitarist sits on his heels right next to the culprit’s body and leans close to her pale face full of crimson dots at the base of the hair. His left hand starts to tremble when his fingertips touches her hood with an oh so gentle motion.

’Please, wake up! Do you hear me?’ He begs and his narrow lips twitch a little every time he makes a weak attempt at holding back his warm tears. They run through his flown cheeks like liquid diamonds. Especially when the dim light of the broken lamp pose draw a faint glory around their bodies. The sight of the dying angel and the helpless sinner looks ridiculously marvelous. ’For God’s sake, you have to open your eyes!’

It takes him several valuable minutes and dozens of silent damns but eventually he comes to realize that he definitely has to calm down if he wants to save the injured girl’s life. So, after a deep breath and another eleven seconds, he takes his phone out of his pocket and calls an ambulance.

At the same moment he hangs up the device, the careless driver gets out of the car and halts on halfway.

Younghyun takes advantage of the ultimate shock on the other’s face and pulls back his hoodie to hide his features and identity as well. He counts to ten, fifteen, twenty. He’s at twenty-three when he finds his lost voice and accost the man in his late thirties.

’I’ve already called an ambulance. Take care of her.’

He stands up and picks up his backpack as if nothing has happened. He walks past the street just the same until his knees bump into each other. He ensconces himself behind the very first corner and stays in the shady alley while he waits for the ambulance to come.

It feels like eternity.

author's note
Massive thank you for those who didn't give up and read every single words because this chapter is really the worst thing I have ever written. I promise, the second will be much better! Anyway, I hope this post doesn't take away your mood and you will stay with me until the end.
Also, thank you for the trust that you put into this story. 5 subscribers? I am shocked!
Love you all xx