Baekhyun sobbed over the phone unable to hold back his cries. He felt pathetic to be crying like this but right now he was just too drunk to care.

Coming back from the camp, the last two days had been hell. He had been drowning in alcohol but it just seemed to amplify his pain.

“I-I am ss-so stupid…” He gave a loud hic. “I shou-should have kept my da-damn mouth shh-shut.”

He pauses to wipe his nose with a tissue and take a swig of beer.

“Sh-she wouldn’t wan-want to talk… she wouldn’t want to-to to talk to me anymore. What do I- What do I do now? I want-want to run away.”

“Baekhyun,” Her voice came through the other end, calm and collected as usual. “Stop saying such nonsense. She’s your friend! Besides, we know that she’s dumb when it comes to certain things so just act like you don’t remember what happened that night. She wouldn’t question it.”

“B-But she-she would!”

“But would she voice it out? No.”

She had a point.

“So just pretend that you don’t remember anything. You got her attention now, so that is a good thing.”

Was it?

“S-she have a bo-boyfriend already…” Baekhyun sighed miserably. “She already have-have someone.”

He begins yet another round of soundless sobbing making his friend on the other end click her tongue.

“What relationship lasts in college? I am telling you that Kina already feels something special about you! I swear. Don’t you see how she keeps looking after you? If she felt nothing for you then she wouldn’t be worried for you.”

“She-she is worried for me?”

“Of course! And I think her relationship is not really an actual thing. You know how some reach people are. So don’t worry too much about it.”

He kept quiet, contemplating what she was saying.

“And if you are so worried just think about this. She told you about her relationship which she hasn’t told anyone else… doesn’t that make you special in her book? It does… right?”

That makes sense.

“Yo-you really think?”

“Of course,” She scolds him, “Now stop drinking and crying and get ready for classes tomorrow. Act. DUMB.”

Siblings

Kina sighed out loud as she looked around the empty house feeling lonelier than ever before. She was back to square one… all alone.

The problem this time was that she had got the taste of being with someone, being in love and she missed him a little too much. Her soul felt empty without Sehun walking around or typing away across her or singing some random songs as he walked around the house with a cup of bubble tea she made for him.

Maybe it was the house that was too big… maybe she should just go back to the apartment. This was empty, cold… marbled, and pretty.

She couldn’t picture Sehun being here with her because he had not got the chance to. The only time they were together was the first time they had come to check out the house. The rest of the time, it was just her.

She sighs and turns around to look at a corner where her plants stood innocently. Talking to them was not fun anymore. The colors in the paintings did not cheer her up anymore… nor did the decorations she was having fun with.

She wondered if life was really going to be like this.

She had so much she wanted to do and now that she was growing, her vision on what she wanted to do was clearing day by day. The other day when she visited Sehun, she remembered how her heart was hammering in her chest and not just because of her husband but because of the ambiance.

She wanted to work in an office. She wanted to feel the power of being behind the desk and going around the world to meet new people. She wanted to come home to her husband who will also come home from his, a work he loved as well.

Her heart saddened a little at how stressed he looked at the office yesterday. He was miserable in there and that made her even more motivated to move into office life as soon as possible. She was going to start studying even harder than before and properly get into office.

Her mother had visited some days ago and complained lightly about the distance between them now and it actually made her think. She was slowly moving towards her life as an Oh and moving away from her life as a Lee. She was even physically moving away and now she was almost about a 2-hour drive away from her parent’s house although only a walkable distance from Sehun’s parents.

She was truly feeling the pressure of being married now.

Today was the weekend and usually, Kina smiled remembering how Sehun and she would sleep in and just lounge around half the day. God, she missed everything about him. Everything was different now.

A phone call broke her out of her thoughts and she frowned to see Minah calling her.

“Hello, Kina?”

“Hi, Minah. ‘Sup?”

“Nothing much. Just wanted to ask you something.”

“Okay?”

“Did you… You and Myeonnie talk yesterday?”

Kina blinked in surprise. When she had gone to the library yesterday she had seen Junmyeon seated alone and they had sat together, talked a little, and studied together.

“Um… yeah. We met by chance in the library. Why?”

“Oh… nothing really. Just some people came and told me that apparently, you two seemed too close for comfort. Those people are just stupid.”

Kina laughed a little at that. “Oh come on. Since when were you bothered by such people? Regardless of your relationship, you got to admit that Junmyeon is a decent guy.”

There was a pause from Minah’s side making Kina a little apprehensive. “Um… Min?”

“I thought you did not like him.” Minah’s voice sounded light and amusing, almost teasing.

“Oh come on. We were all together for such a long time and besides, I hated him at first but he changed into this really decent guy.” Kina argued, smiling. “You two were really cute. It’s just sad it did not work out.”

“Yeah. The fights became a little too constant. I liked him… but I think I like peace more.”

They both paused their talk and thought about the guy who, from the cocky guy who smirked at every given opportunity to a quiet guy who smiled and now unfortunately into an introvert.

“I did not want to talk to you about this,” Minah begins after a little while, “but people seemed to be so into gossiping about you. They’re apparently certain that we broke up because you came in between us.”

“They’re saying that?”

“Mmm… Also, be careful, please. They are speculating that the rumors about the student and teacher are about you as well… I just don’t get it.”

“W-why would…” Kina’s breath escaped her, “why would they think it’s me-me?”

“Well…” Minah sighed, “I don’t really know. I just overheard some people talking about it. It made me so mad.”

“What were they saying?”

A pause. “I thought you did not care about what they say.”

“Of course I don’t but I got to know why… I just don’t understand.”

“Well… they think that you are too… well… chummy with some professors.”

Kina blinked and opened to say something but nothing came out.

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Goodness…”

“Yeah… that’s why I called you up to be careful. People seem to target you for some reason.”

Kina lets out a huff and ran her hand through her long hair, feeling incredibly stressed. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Always.”

Kina wondered, as she absentmindedly dug into the garden soil if she should tell Sehun about this. He was going to Japan in some days and he was stressed enough as he is.

“Maybe it’s just something stupid. It’ll go away… probably.”

The good thing about moving their house was that this place had a huge garden and Kina had wasted no time in getting a small patch ready for some vegetables. Perhaps she can do a small patch for flowers the next time.

But that will be set aside for after the exams. She was going to start her preparations in serious mode till she graduates.

* * *

Sehun rolled his eyes in annoyance at the way Kina had left his towels. She had been extremely careless the last few days leaving things around roughly like how she left his towels. Why can’t she just be more careful? It was not like she was doing anything else.

She had left without waking him up again and he grumbled at her insensitiveness. The least she could say was goodbye.

Walking to the kitchen, he sighed looking at his breakfast. There was a small note on the lid.

‘Sorry for the simple meal. I had to rush.’

“So that you can hang out with your friends faster?” He grumbled and took a bottle of juice and an apple to leave for the office. Stress was getting up to him and his appetite was going down every single day.

“At least she made me lunch.” He sighed and took the bag.

He was going to leave for Japan tomorrow and he was actually looking forward to it. Japan held good memories and he was excited to see the country again although it was for work and that he was going without Kina.

Minseok winced as he took a bite at the food he just opened.

“What happened? Does it taste bad?”

“I think she forgot to put salt in it.”

Sehun frowned and tasted it before spitting it out in a tissue. He never had a problem with all the lunches she ever made for him. Why was she being so absentminded these days?

“I think something’s bothering her. She’s been absentminded these days.” He worriedly shared with his friend. “I’m sorry you had to taste that.”

He packed up the food and wrapped it up. These days it was Minseok who eats most of the food. He just did not feel like eating much anymore.

“Is she not telling you anything?” His friend asked looking worried as he pushes his lunch towards Sehun who also politely took a spoonful.

“No.” He says, his lips in a grim line. “We haven’t had the chance to sit and talk for a while now.”

“That’s… too bad.”

“Yeah.”

“The other day I overheard Minah talking on the phone. It seemed Kina is in trouble or something.”

“Huh?” The food that was going towards his mouth stopped. “What sort of trouble are you talking about?”

“I think boy-trouble…” Minseok says rubbing his chin. “I heard a name… Um… Baek-something.”

Sehun felt his stomach drop to the pit of the earth. “Baekhyun?”

“Ah yes, that.” Minseok snapped his fingers and continued, “Minah was talking about… I did not hear clearly but I heard the name. You know him?”

Sehun grunts and puts down his chopsticks. If he did not have an appetite before, he wanted to throw up now. Is that why she was so absentminded these days? Is that why she was rushing off every morning without even waking him up?

Was she really running into Baekhyun’s arms the moment he got busy with work?

“I heard something valentine too… Maybe there’re just talking about work on Valentine’s Day. They do it every year, right?”

Sehun nods but his thoughts were already far off. Valentine's days had always been special for the two of them but this year he was going to be in a different country. His heart clenched painfully. He really wanted to spend it with her.

* * *

“Hun,” Kina hugged him, “I’ll miss you.”

Sehun sighed and hugged her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll miss you too.”

Ironically this was the most time they were spen