Even Your Tears - FT Island

Narrator's POV

Day 200

"Have you been eating well? Ryeowook told me you've been getting skinnier lately."

"Yes," Min Yu chewed her fingernails as the lie came blurting out. "Maybe it's because I've also been walking and walking around the city. Plus, I'm slaving on overtime so..." She nodded to herself as she talked. Of course she couldn't tell Eunhyuk that she had vowed -- almost a month ago -- that she wouldn't be spending much for the next few months.

No one, in fact, knew about it except herself. If she had told her family or one of the Teen Top, Super Junior, or EXO members that she needed money, and that she was slowly -- but steadily -- getting broke, they would have provided her anything she needed and more. But she didn't, nor did the idea ever come across her mind that it was because of her father's medical condition.

Min Yu was thankful, though, that the storm had long passed. It's just that the saintly side of her got the upper hand and she volunteered to provide for her father's present family just until Chun Hae is able to get back on his own feet. It was like she was being ripped apart by two indignant forces that could lead to nowhere but her being tired, sleepless, and almost half-alive, as if Donghae had been much help.

"How many times have I told you to stop eating those street foods? You can only eat it from time to time but not every day. Tell me if you want to eat something so I could buy it for you," nagged Eunhyuk, and the girl could only roll her eyes as she could imagine his hands resting on either side of his hips like an ahjumma even through phone calls.

Even though she couldn't swear to abide obediently, "Fine," answered Min Yu. "But you have to do me a favor." Her heart began fluttering abnormally inside her chest at the thought. "If it's about Donghae, I don't want to do it," stated Eunhyuk. Min Yu crossed her arms over her chest in defeat. "I'm being surrounded by carts of street food," she threatened.

Surely enough, her trick had worked. "WHAT? I WAS JUST TELLING YOU HOW YOU SHOULD BE EATING THE RIGHT KI--Okay what is it that you want me to do?" he sighed. Min Yu smiled in victory. "Can you please please PLEASE ask Donghae if he could have dinner with me tonight? Please? Today's our 200th day and I was wondering if he could, you know, spend some time with me, even just this once," she pleaded with a thick edge of anticipation in her voice.

Staring at the stop light, Eunhyuk scratched the back of his head. "What if he says no? What would I say then?" he pressed worriedly. Even from past experiences, there was still not a hint of doubt in her mind. "Ask him first, please?" she almost begged. Eunhyuk, having already foreseen what would be happening, spoiled the event.

"What about this, I'll pretend today is our 9th anniversary of our friendship. I'd call for reservation on a restaurant and we'll both just have dinner together. Or whatever you want. Just not Donghae. Why not invite me, instead?" he offered, trying to make her learn about limiting high expectations. "I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything," Min Yu protested.

"Oh come on, Min Yu. Learn, will you?! I can see it already, Donghae saying yes and then later on forgetting all about it. It's not much of a big deal to him as it is for you. That jerk would leave you hanging again. Do you want that? Do you want to be trampled on over and over again because you yourself allow him to?" snapped Eunhyuk.

"Ask him, okay? Thank you," mumbled Min Yu softly before hanging up. Eunhyuk took a deep breath and exhaled loudly from his nose. It's not like it was the first time he would be discouraging her from Donghae. "So stubborn..." he heaved another frustrated sigh before flooring the accelerator. In the end, it would still be anyone except Donghae who will save the day.

Kai's POV

Suho hyung paced back and forth the living room, both his hands clasped together behind him. "So you're telling me," he stopped in the middle of his tracks and stared at me intently. "You both hung out here in the dorm and she fell asleep just like that? Because you must surely be lying to me. Did you two do something miraculous? Is she drunk? She smells like soju--"

"She brought soju with her. And no, I didn't put sleeping pills in her drink, hyung."

"Where did you take her? Did you bring her to your roo--"

"No, I didn't her, hyung." I cut him off in sudden defense, my voice monotonous while Luhan, who was staying over for the night, laughed in the background. Suho took deep breaths, trying his best to calm himself down from another explosive outburst. He almost pulled his hair out in shock or even anger. "Fine," he finally said after much ado. "Wake her up now."

To which, I just shook my head in response. "Can't you see she's comfortable that way? I don't want to disturb her. Who knows, she might have needed just a few hours of sleep," I protested, advancing towards the couch and picking her up slowly. "What if--" "No, hyung. I won't bring her to a motel or something, if that's what you're thinking," I interrupted him once more, before proceeding to walk out the door.

Her hair was a mess when I opened the door. "Min Yu?" I asked with eyes narrowed. It was my first time to see her like this. But even so, I gladly kicked the door to open wider to accommodate her in. She sank down on the couch and made herself at home. "Why are you alone?" she demanded before tipping the bottle higher as she drank.

I obediently shut the door behind me and shuffled to sit beside her. "Actually, they're all here. It's just that they're all soundly asleep," I explained as-a-matter-of-factly. Min Yu nodded, signaling that she had understood despite being drunk. "So, what brought you here?" I fumbled for the remote control and turned the TV off before resting my head on my propped-up palm.

As usual, my eyes kept going back to that pretty, white face of hers as it disguised what she had truly been feeling deep inside. "You only come to me whenever you need something. What is it that you want?" I asked with a calm tone, not wanting her to misunderstand. "To be honest, I don't know either." She flashed a drunken snicker.

"Well, how have you been lately?" I eyed her expression closely. "Fine as usual," she took another mouthful of the beverage. "Want some?" Min Yu held the bottle in front of my face. "I didn't know you drink," I stated while bringing the opening to my lips to take a sip. It had been a while since I got drunk. And that last time wasn't so memorable, what with Chanyeol trying to be a singer and Sehun crying about being homesick. "Something wrong?"

She snatched the container back. "Just testing." Min Yu winced at the bitter taste. "To see if I could take you home when we're both tipsy and staggering?" I chuckled throatily, to which she didn't react. "To see if Donghae will care," she muttered almost inaudibly. "Not to break your heart, but with all honesty, I don't think he will," I stated confidently.

"Look at it this way," I held her by the shoulders and forced her to face me. The two gulps of soju were slowly taking its toll on me as the liquid mixed in with the blood coursing through me. "If he misses you, he'll text. If he wants to talk to you, he'll call. If he wants to see you, Donghae will ask you out for dinner. If he doesn't, he won't. You're obviously not worth his time, just as he isn't worth yours."

And she cried, long and violently, with much sobbing and whimpering in between. Though slurred, drunk words were sober thoughts. It must have been hard having to keep everything bottled inside. I held her tightly, trying to keep her together like she would break into tiny little pieces if ever my grip on her loosened even one bit.

My loose-fitting, cotton shirt was absorbent enough to soak up the saltwater streaming continuously down her face. Min Yu looked up and fought back the urge to sniffle and cry again. "Do you know when it hurts most?" asked the girl, now with the glimmer in her eyes that seemed to waver by the minute, not that it used to be so contagious and seemingly permanent before.

"It's when the person who made you feel so special yesterday just made you feel so unwanted and unloved. It's not fair any way you look at it," whined Min Yu. I had no idea whether she was sobering up or still in the same drunken state. "Life's unfair." I gathered her hair up and away from her face. "Hasn't anybody ever told you that?"

Sometime after, however, exhaustion waxed as sadness waned. But I doubted it wouldn't resurface when she wakes up. Heading to the front door, Suho blocked my way swiftly. I turned to him with a questioning look, but his expression looked ashen. "You know what will happen if he takes this the wrong way, right?" demanded the leader, referring to Donghae.

"You don't know how much I don't care right now," I overtook his obstacle and went on through the door. Warm and even was Min Yu's breathing against my neck as I carried her towards the elevator and it seemed to be the only proof she was alive. She looked lifeless to me, and it only took one guy and less than a year to cause it, which angered me most.

After laying her gently on the passenger seat of my car, I wound the seat belt carefully around her. I jogged towards the driver's seat and started the engine. The girl -- who, to me, carried the weight of the world upon her shoulders but made it seem featherweight -- rested her head against the tinted windows. The tears have obviously dried up, but were replaced with involuntary ones.

My hands gripped the steering wheel almost angrily, grumbling and complaining in self-righteousness. Donghae was older than me, for heavens' sake! He should know how to treat a girl better than me. Her phone began ringing, jostling me off my outraged state. Min Yu didn't budge at all, resulting to me fishing the phone out from her pocket myself.

"Yoboseyo?" I answered after my hand did much roaming and rummaging. "Who is this?" This, I assumed, was Yesung hyung. At least I wasn't alone in doing Min Yu a favor she didn't know about. "It's Kai. Don't worry. She's with me, just asleep," I explained carefully. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought she was out in some restaurant waiting for nothing."

"I'm about to take her there. Should I look after her or...?" I tried volunteering. "It's alright. I'm here at home, anyways. I'll wait for you two here," he replied before hanging up. I shoved the phone back in her jeans pocket and tried prodding her awake. She mumbled incoherent syllables and shifted uncomfortably, ending up to lean on me.

My left hand was still stuck on the steering wheel while the other encircled around her. "Wake up, Min Yu." I whispered against her ear, my face slightly brushing against hers. "Where are you taking me?" asked the girl sleepily, rubbing her eyes which were still closed. "Yesung hyung is waiting for you. We're almost there," I responded as-a-matter-of-factly.

"NO! NO!" She was startled with my words, and at the moment, I would have sworn she was in hysteria. "He won't want me there. He'll get mad again. Don't bring me there. Bring me anywhere but there!" protested Min Yu loudly, almost shouting at my face. "Calm do--" "NO! He won't want me there. It disgusts him to see me, you know that right? Why would you bring me to where he is?!" she yelled.

"Sssh," I tried consoling as her hysterics toned down to muffled crying by my shoulder. "Darling, love yourself. You have no idea how useless and small I feel right now knowing I can't do anything about it. If my forgetful mind could think of anything, here's what I'll do. I'll look after you and make you happy. That's what best friends do, right?" I flashed a bright smile her way.

To my utmost joy, her face brightened up a little, and I knew my efforts were paying off. We had reached the dorm in no time, but I had to assist her as she walked up the porch steps. Her feet must have felt liquidated as they threatened to miss and fall off the concrete more than once. Yesung opened the door to welcome us both, and took the responsibilities off of me.

Though uninvited, I entered and followed as he brought her up the stairs to the room she and Donghae shared. She might have just been too drunk to notice. "How many times have we told you not to drink, huh?" he began scolding softly. "You even bothered Kai. Now go to sleep," he continued when she didn't respond and instead fell back to sleep.

Yesung tucked her in gently, pulling the sheets above her after removing the shoes from her feet. "We owe you one. Did she tell you anything about dinner with Donghae or something?" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "No, not at all," I nodded and trailed behind him while we both exited the room, leaving her alone to rest.

"Can I ask something?" I started out of nowhere. "If you want to stay here for dinner, you're more than welcome," he laughed it off as we both descended the stairs with him taking the lead. "No. It's not that. I'm just curious why Donghae hyung is...you know..." I began to stammer. "Why Donghae has been such a punch-worthy guy? Yeah, I don't know either. In fact, no one knows," Yesung hyung proceeded to answer.

"Well, can't you guys do anything about it? I don't think Min Yu's parents would want that to happen, wouldn't they?" I advanced to their front door and coming to a halt to wait for his answer. "It's not that. We're just...kind of afraid," he confessed truthfully. "Of what? It's the rest of Super Junior against one. I might even join in," I shrugged at the thought. "It's her," was all Yesung said, and I surprisingly understood.

I yanked the door open after the senior laid a hand on my shoulder, gesturing for his gratefulness. "For the record, though, she wasn't a bother." I stated in all honesty. On the way home, I drove aimlessly through the streets, weaving through roads that led to somewhere I don't know. I hope she's smart enough to leave. But mostly, I wish Donghae wouldn't complain of the bruises on his knees when he comes crawling back to her.

Narrator's POV

Day 201

Sitting upright, all the blood rushed away from her head, leaving her dizzy as in vertigo. There was a hammering she can't pinpoint exactly where, but it was painful nonetheless. Noticing where she was, Min Yu wondered where Donghae had spent the night, knowing quite well his special loathing of her mere presence.

Her thoughts about yesterday's happening were just a blur, but she consoled herself with the fact that everything would come back to her later on. The hangover wasn't as bad as it was before, perhaps her brain had already known that no one would take care of her if ever she got wasted. The door flung open, and Min Yu braced herself for the blow after Sun Hye had entered.