“It’s you. I like you Mi Young”, he whispered, words slurred from the alcohol’s grip. You gasped, shocked at his unexpected confession. Blinking rapidly, you opened your mouth to say something but no words even formed. Peniel Oppa likes me? But I… “O-ppa-, I-think you’re-j-just drunk”, you muttered convincingly. This had to be why he was acting strange. It couldn’t be anything else. Your thoughts were interrupted when you felt someone cup the back of your neck harshly, pulling you in.  In shock, your eyes widened as your hands made your way to his chest, wanting to push him off you. But before you could protest, you felt his lips crash urgently against yours, chapped from all the beer. His eyelids fluttered closed, savoring the sweet taste of you surrendering against him. On the contrary, panic flushed through your mind, settinig off the alarms that made you firmly plant your palms against his chest to shove him away. Caught off guard, he stumbled backwards, tipsy and unbalanced. Your hands flew to your lips, but it was too late. Watery tears piled at your corneas, spilling over onto your cheeks in steady drips. It was your first kiss. Taken by force, taken from someone you did not love. Peniel was a brother, a friend, a confidante…and nothing more than a companion. You knew it was unfair for him, but your heart had already been stolen by someone else. Even if you tried to convince yourself that you liked another, your heart would always lead you back to him. Min-n H-yuk oppa You thought in between gulps of air, emotions torn between guilt and devastation. Your disheveled locks hung down loosely; curtains shielding you and your crestfallen face, dotted with blotchy patches of red mixed with trails of wet tears. Suddenly you sensed a movement in front of you, and glanced up. But it happened so fast that you could do nothing to stop it. Almost immediately, Peniel was crouching on the ground, balling up and groaning in pain. “Nooo! Oppa!” You shouted weakly, wanting to stop your stepbrother from laying another punch. Min Hyuk face glistened in perspiration as he panted heavily. His hunched posture was tensed, his hands balled up in trembling fists as he his body heaved with his intake of air. Glancing pleadingly at his profile, you noticed that his eyebrows were furrowed in anger, eyes set in slits as he stared at Peniel coldly. Creases tainted his forehead as his mouth set in a thin line. You immediately shifted your gaze to a whimpering Peniel, shuffling over towards him. But before you could reach him, a figure flung herself around him. “Stop Min Hyuk! You’re going to hurt him!” She shouted with such authority that you could never emulate, This command seemed to resound through Min Hyuk as a new expression set in his shimmering eyes. It seemed like he finally realized what he done. Seo Yeon was now bending over Peniel, her hands roaming around, comforting him caringly.  You collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the conflict and tension b in the room. “What happened here!!! What happened to Peniel!” Eun Kwang burst into the Pavilion, the Btob members trailing after him. The members stood shocked at the sight of a bleeding Peniel, a fuming Min Hyuk, and a frail-looking you. Hyun Sik and Chang Sub sped over to Peniel, examining his face and trying to stop the endless flow of blood from his nose. “I said, What happened to Peniel!!! Did you do this to him!! Why Would you do this!!”Eun Kwang shouted angrily, his hot breath flying on Min Hyuk’s face. The latter looked down, still angry, but rather remorseful now since he had snapped out of his angry trance. “Answer me!”The leader screamed, his sturdy arms gripping Min Hyuk tightly, shaking him relentlessly. “Hyu-ng, please tell us why? Some-t-thing must have happened”, Ilhoon muttered hesitantly, aware that he wasn’t really in the position to interfere with his hyungs. But his calm and polite tone seemed to strike a note in Min Hyuk… “He…he likes Mi Young. And he kissed her”. He whispered, ashamed that unlike the young boy’s brave actions, he would never have dared to attempt a similar confession. How could he let someone else kiss the girl he loved right in front of him, without retaliating? Upon hearing Min Hyuk’s explanation, the Btob members gasped in realization, their gazes turned to you in synchronization. Eun Kwang was especially dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. But looking at Min Hyuk’s broken expression, he knew that the younger boy’s story was unfortunately true.  You felt newfound tears sting your sore eyes when they mentioned your name, voices struck with sadness and regret. “Here noona”, a calm voice beckoned to you as a tall boy laid a jacket over your shoulders. You didn’t even realize you were shivering, and whether it was from the shocking events, or from the cold night breeze, you didn’t know. You managed a grateful smile as the maknae helped you up carefully, gripping your arms in a gentle tug.  Sung jae watched as you trembled slightly, arms disappearing into the sleeves of his jacket. Seeing you like this made his heart ache. You were supposed to be his noona, but he had the strangest urge to protect you, regardless of the fact that he was almost two years younger. Somehow, seeing your small frame huddled into his large hoodie made you look exceptionally vulnerable.

Somehow, the night’s drama ended with everyone safely back in their rooms. The btob members managed to stop Peniel’s nose from bleeding, and it was a relief that Min Hyuk hadn’t hit him too hard, regardless of a few bruises dotting his pale face. He was completely knocked out, and somehow you envied him. It must be nice for him to just escape the aftermath of the night’s drama, while you were left to face its awkward consequences. You were now sitting on your fluffy bed, a pillow propped under your chest as you hugged it tightly. You didn’t blame Peniel; after all, you were the one that couldn’t return his feelings. He only succumbed to miscalculated actions because of the alcohol. Instead, you were now more worried for Min Hyuk. This was the first time you had ever seen him this infuriated; your stepbrother was by nature a fairly smiley and easygoing boy. You couldn’t help but feel guilty that you had caused the dynamics in Btob to shift for the worse. What if they never forgive each other? This is my fault, I have to do something… You thought wearily. Min Hyuk was definitely in the wrong for hurting Peniel, but somehow you felt a little squeamish at Min Hyuk’s protective actions. Did it mean that he still cared for you? And then there was Seo Yeon, a person that you now grew to admire more for her cool-headedness. You knew now that no matter what, you could never hate her because she still loved Peniel. You could almost confirm it by her earlier actions. This whole thing was one large complicated mess. That was your last thought before the tendrils of sleep pulled you in.

A sudden sensation of free-falling jerked you back to consciousness. Aish, you hated that feeling. You sat up in bed, smoothing down your shirt that had ridden up till your belly button was showing. Now you wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. Grumbling to yourself, you hit a button on your digital alarm as the numbers illuminated against the darkness. 6 AM.  You might as well get up, maybe even go for a rare morning run.  It would do you good to clear your thoughts, especially after the chaotic events of the previous day. Changing into a comfortable jersey and shorts, you pulled on a blue cotton sweater. You made your way downstairs cautiously, stopped when you reached the stairs. The lights were on in the stairwell, as well as the living room. That meant that someone was awake. You crawled over to the banister of the second floor, before peeking through the columns. The Btob members were gathered in the living room, faces plastered with sleepy yawns and half-opened eyes. You forgot that they would be awake at this time because of practice. Your heartbeat quickened at the thought of another confrontation, as you abandoned your plan for a jog and jogged back towards your room. As you passed the stairwell again, you did a double take when you noticed two figures leaning against the railings, caught in a deep conversation. Min Hyuk oppa and Peniel oppa… You thought worriedly as you peeked at them from behind the banisters. They were talking in hushed whispers, and were too far away for you to make out what they were saying. Your eyes widened when you saw the two boys envelop each other in a brotherly hug, forgiveness written on their faces. I better get out of her before they see me. You got up clumsily, preparing to sneak back to your room. But as usual, clumsiness, a good friend of yours, decided to visit as your foot accidentally brushed past a metal cabinet beside the stairs. A metallic clang echoed through the hall, made prominent by the quiet atmosphere of an early morning. OH CRAPP! You mentally cursed, turning around to see two surprised faces staring at you. Reddening, you turned to face them and bowed politely. So much for getting away… “I’ll leave you guys to talk”, Min Hyuk said while patting Peniel gently on his shoulder.  As Min Hyuk walked away, the awkwardness between the younger boy and you grew louder. You continued to stare at your feet, unsure of what to say. “Ca-can we talk?” He asked in a small whisper. You nodded with a sigh, before raising  your head till you met his eyes. His sculptured face was grazed with patches of blue and purple, while his lip held several hidden cuts. You shivered at the scarred memory of his lips against yours. “I’m sorry… Mi Young. I never planned on telling you my true feelings. I was content just being around you, because I knew that I could never come between you and Min Hyuk hyung. I’m sorry for pushing myself on you-I-don’t know what came over me. Although it’s unfair to ask of you, would you forgive me? Trust me, I would never want to hurt you or make you do anything against your will”, he cried, voice coarse and desperate. His eyes darted to your face, trying to read the conflicted expression on your face. Your hands twitched, playing with the sleeves of your soft jacket, unsure of what to say. “I…forgive you oppa… I know you didn’t mean it. I just want us to be friends again”, you whispered, lips curling up into a small smile. Despite his feelings for you, he had always been a good friend that you could count on, and you treasured the unique bond you both shared, even if it wasn’t love. As the smile on your face grew, his bruised lips mirrored it weakly, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Just promise me one thing”, you added. “Anything! You name it”, he replied earnestly, eyes sparkling with promise. “Don’t ever drink alchohol again”, you whispered with a chuckle. His watched you cautiously; how could you forgive him so easily. He wasn’t sure if he could even fully forgive himself. But hearing you laugh that laugh that he loved so much, his lips curled as he couldn’t help but smile along


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Hi everyone!! I'm back with an update :> HAHA more love for Peniel~ Not that he's my second bias or anything because I really can't choose anyone else besides Min Hyuk, but I'm thinking of including the BTOB members more! And thinking of making each chapter feature a certain member, how does that sound? I'm still trying to figure it out in my head! Anyways, as usual please give me your feedback, drop me comments or send me a msg! I really love hearing from you all because it really makes my day! The next update will hopefully be tmrrr. so please stay tuned and subscribe to this story! really love you guys! *BOWS*