Author’s Note: Please read Story of the Heartbreaker and Story of the Ho Ho Ho for better and sweeter experiences. Rumor has it that you guys love SOTH series muchester than SOTG!’s, so I think it’ll be a perfect warmup for starting the whole randomly-written one shot that coming up. Enjoy!

***

Chaeyoung’s POV

Boom.

In high school, biology was my favorite subject. What fascinated me most were species that transform into a whole new being. Like frogs. Or butterflies. They start out as one thing, but end up something else entirely.

Unrecognizable.

Everyone always looks at butterflies and thinks, “aw, how lovely.”

But no one ever thinks about what they had to go through to become what they are. When the caterpillar builds its cocoon, it doesn’t know what’s happening. It doesn’t understand that it’s changing.

It thinks it’s dying. That its world is ending.

Boom.

The metamorphosis is painful. Terrifying and unknown. It’s only afterward that the caterpillar realizes it was all worth it.

Because now it gets to fly.

And that’s what I feel like right now. I’m more than I was before. Stronger. Did you think I was tough before? Fooled you. Sometimes it was just a façade.

Dealing with Lalisa Manoban is like swimming into one of those harsh waves at the beach. She’s overwhelming. And either you kick hard to keep up, or she rolls over you and leaves you behind with a face full of sand.

But at the same time, loving Lisa is like… admiring a shooting star. When she’s around, every other light in the sky just… fades out. Because she’s that vibrant, you can’t take your eyes off her. At least I never could.

We love each other. No matter what’s happened or what will happen from here, it’s important to me that you guys know we were in love. Lisa made me feel like I was everything that mattered to her. The only thing. And I’ll always be grateful to her for that.

Because despite her faults and flaws, Lisa is bold enough to give me everything she’s got. To put her own heart on the chopping block and hand me the ax.

She’ll do things she hates, just because I ask her to. She’ll go against her instincts and better judgment, if it’s what I need. She puts her well-being, her happiness, second to my own.

Because she’s actually a really… great lover that I need.

When she’s not too busy being as , though.

Boom.

Boom.

You seem confused. Sorry, let’s start again.

See that woman over there? A hand pressed on her forehead? Almost crying? With booms, pounding sound effect you think I’m over-amplifying inside my head?

That’s me. Park Chaeyoung.

But not really. Not the Chaeyoung you remember, anyway. Like I said, I’m different now.

And you’re probably wondering why I’m here talking instead of Lisa, all alone. In the kitchen.

Technically speaking, I’m not alone, but we’ll get to that later.

The reason I’m standing here in front of the refrigerator for a good five minutes is simple. I couldn’t bear to stay in the living room. Not for another second. If you blow a balloon with too much air, push it past its limit, do you know what happens right?

It explodes.

But if you ask me if I have ever worked on one of those crossword puzzles in the magazine, and if I determined to finish it when the questions just got too hard? Too exhausting? Even though I started off so sure that I could?

You’re right. I would not give up.

I’m sorry? You’re asking where Lisa is?

She’s still in the couch. Probably still drunk with TV remote in her hand. Who knows? Let’s not concern ourselves with her too much.

Don’t check the vlog title. You’re in the right place, right channel. Thanks for subscribing. This is still the Lisa and Chaeyoung childish show.

Huh? What’s that? You think I sound like Lisa? That’s what Nayeon says, that my fiancée infected me with her Lisa Virus. She calls it LV. I guess after two years, it kind of rubs off.

So I can see that you’re wondering what happened. We were so in love. She bought me balloons. She hired talented traveling musicians. She announced her player retirement in the clouds. We were so perfect for each other. Tell me about it.

But do you know that every relationship has a screamer? A thrower. A breaker of things. In this one, that would be me. But it’s not my fault. You can’t blame the nuclear missile for going off after all its buttons have been pushed.

The reason I’m showing you all this, is so you’ll understand why I was so shocked. How surprising it all really was.

I guess life is like that.

You think you have it all under control. Your car road so perfectly cleared. And then one day you’re driving along and boom! You get rammed from behind. And you never saw it coming.

People are like that too. Unpredictable.

No matter how well you think you know somebody? How confident you are of their feelings, their reactions? They can still surprise you.

In the most devastating of ways.

I had to get to Lisa. I had to talk to her, to tell her, and it had to be now.

So I walked back quickly into the living room.

***

Lisa’s POV

Hi guys.

It’s almost been a year since the last time we did that cheerful Christmas shopping together. Long time no see.

Yeah, it’s me, Lisa.

Why are you looking at me like that? Are you disappointed knowing it’s me again, talking to you? Instead of Chaeyoung?

Judging from the ‘I’d like to shove your eyeballs in an automatic pencil sharpener’ look on your face…

I’m guessing that’s a no.

Today I’m going to give you a brief explanation of what endorphin means– but you know what? You can Google it up and cover your ears if you’re still making a pouty face at me.

Oh, you’re not? Okay, good, good. I miss you too.

So… According to Healthline, endorphins consist of a large group of peptides, produced by the central nervous system and the pituitary gland. Since they act on the opiate receptors in our brains, they reduce pain and boost pleasure, resulting in a feeling of well-being.

They’re the reason we keep going back to the gym for those punishing workouts. They’re the reason we can fall asleep after a good . They are also responsible for a phenomenon commonly referred to as The Lovesick Period. TLP.

You know what I’m talking about. Yes, we are engaged. It’s one step closer of a lifetime relationship… before marriage… when everything is all sweetness and light. Fluffiness. Everyone’s on their best behavior.

Lalisa Manoban doesn’t fart while watching The Notebook? Park Chaeyoung eats any awful dishes I’ve experimentally made? Those kinds of behavior.

Or, if we just can’t help ourselves, even the worst habits seem like the most adorable thing since forever. My cute little snore, her delightful nail biting…

Humans are not the only ones who go through a TLP. It’s an interspecies experience.

In fact, without it, sharks would cease to exist. See, sharks are natural predators. They’ll eat anything, including their own offspring. Right after giving birth, however, the mother shark’s brain is flooded with endorphins, putting her into a kind of ecstatic coma. This gives the baby shark about ten minutes to swim away.

Because if the baby is still around when Momma wakes up? He’s the lunch.

Which brings us to the other universal characteristic of TLP; eventually, it ends.

“Hey, Chaeyoung?”

It’s Saturday evening. Taehyung and Jennie come over. We’re in the living room, watching the football game, Derby Manchester.

“Chaeyoung!”

And we need drinks.

Sure, she could be somewhere busy, but the match is on.

“CHAEEEEYOUNG!”

She appears at the entrance to the living room, arms folded. She’s wearing a dress; short with a y floral pattern and buttons down the front for easy removal. I worship the creator of such piece of cloth.

Her voice is annoyed. “What is it, Lisa?”

I toss her a charming smile. “Hey, baby… could you grab us a few Cokes from the fridge?”

Silent.

When Chaeyoung raises one eyebrow at me, I know she’s looking for an explanation. I gesture towards the television. “Pogba’s about to score it.”

She sighs. Calmed. “Okay.” Then she heads off to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she comes back with her arms full of soda cans. She hands one to Taehyung.

“Thanks, Chaeyoung.”

And one to Jennie. “Thank you.”

And one to me. I take a sip. And flinch. “Ah, this one is still warm.” I hand it back to her.

“I just took it out of the refrigerator.”

With my eyes still on the game, I flick my wrist, shooing her back to the kitchen. “You have to take them from the back of the fridge. That’s where the cold ones are– yah Pogba, come on! Get your head out of your and in the game!”

And we should pause here a moment.

While I was watching TV, I missed a few significant hints before the apocalypse. Take a look:

Jennie is smiling, almost laughing. After all the punishment she’s received from The over the years, she’s developed quite the sadistic streak when it comes to other people getting their asses handed to them.

Then there’s Taehyung. God only knows what kind of sick and depr