“N came by the salon to look for you,” my colleague told me over the phone, “he left you an envelope. Tickets to their concert next weekend, he said.”

It had been about 2 weeks after the fight with Taekwoon.

“I can’t make it,” I said after a deliberate pause, “give it to whoever who wants them.”

I knew I was being unfair to the other boys, but I didn’t want to see Taekwoon.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ve to go now,” I lied; I didn’t want her to ask any more questions.

“Wait! I forgot to tell you, boss said she’ll call you tonight to discuss something important.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“You don’t look very good,” Youngjun said after I ended the call.

Jaejoong oppa was in the midst of a photo shoot.

I shrugged, “have I not been this way for the past couple weeks?”

“What exactly happened between you and him?”

I didn’t talk to anyone about the fight, not even Jaejoong oppa. He had been cautious around me the past 2 weeks because I was constantly in a horrible mood. He would nag when he realized I skipped my meals – a common occurrence the past weeks – but that was all. I didn’t know if Hakyeon or the other boys knew anything at all, because I hadn’t been in contact with them either. Youngjun was pretty much the only person who knew something, because, after all, he witnessed a little bit of it.

“He thinks I’m cheating on him with you,” I didn’t want to say too much, so I only gave him the tip of the iceberg.

“Wh-what?! Where did he even get the idea from?!”

“You can go ask him that.”

“And Jaejoong hyung doesn’t know?”

I shook my head, “I don’t want to keep dumping my problems on oppa.”

Youngjun sighed, “is it a good idea if I go talk to Taekwoon-sshi?”

“No,” I shot the idea down, “I don’t want to drag you into this mess any further.”

“But you can’t leave it like that, Byul. You’re gonna lose him if you let it drag, you know that, don’t you?”

“Then maybe we weren’t meant to be.”

I lowered my head and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. No one knew, but I cried myself to sleep every night ever since that day. I missed Taekwoon so much, but at the same time I was upset that he accused me of something I would never do to him, or to anyone at all.

I heard the photographer wrap up the shoot and quickly composed myself before Jaejoong oppa came back. I shot Youngjun a look to warn him not to mention anything to Jaejoong oppa. He frowned, but nodded anyway. But I already knew oppa would find out one way or another.

Jaejoong oppa came up to Youngjun and I, “you both go wait for me in the car, I’ll be right out. Let’s go for dinner.”

“Oppa,” I stopped him before he could walk off, “sorry, but I don’t think I want to join. I’ll go home on my own.”

“No,” his voice was firm, then he turned to Youngjun, “don’t let her leave alone.”

Jaejoong oppa rarely used that kind of tone with me, but when he did, it left me with absolutely no room to argue with him.

--

“Just because you don’t bother talking to me doesn’t mean I can’t tell when something is wrong, Han Byul. I left you alone because I thought you needed time to gather your thoughts, and I believed you would come talk to me. But instead I see you trying to pretend like you’re alright, that you’re not affected, thinking you can fool me into believing everything’s as usual. I am your brother, Byul-ah, you think I don’t notice how you’ve been skipping meals and how terribly exhausted you look with each passing day?”

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Youngjun gawking at Jaejoong oppa. I don’t think Youngjun has ever seen his hyung this stern with anyone before; I was probably the first one.

“I’m sorry, oppa, I didn’t want to keep dumping my troubles on you. I thought…I thought drowning myself with work could help take things off my mind, but then it all comes crashing down at the end of every day.”

Jaejoong oppa sighed, “I told you before, you can always confide in me no matter what it is. I really don’t want to force you into talking about things you don’t want to, but I cannot just watch you suffer silently. If you don’t want to tell me what happened, at least cry it out, Byul-ah…”

I felt Youngjun lightly nudge me and I turned to him. ‘Do you want me to tell him?’, he mouthed. I shook my head.

“I broke up with Taekwoon.”

“What?!” Jaejoong oppa noticed Youngjun wasn’t surprised by the news, “yah, Ahn Youngjun! You knew?!”

“He was there,” I replied before Youngjun could say anything, “I told him not to tell you anything.”

“But you…that day…when did it happen?”

“After you sent me home that night we went drinking.”

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