{ Eunkwang POV }
 

I had it all planned out. I would go and visit Eunjin more often, take her out, and show her just how much I loved her. One day Minhyuk would find out but I’m prepared for it and will protect Eunjin at any cost. Since I kissed her I felt much more confident but I had to keep it in check; I doubt Eunjin likes egotistic guys.

While driving to her apartment I was brainstorming ideas of where to take her as I pulled to a stop at a pedestrian crossing. I vaguely stared out the windscreen, barely focusing on the crowd making it’s way across the street. But one face stuck out; Minhyuk had the same blank expression on as always. My eyes narrowed and I unconsciously rested my foot on the accelerator, revving the engine accidentally. ‘Wait, what the am I doing?!’ I snapped out of my murderous state of mind and jerked my hands off the steering wheel, as though it had burned me. Did I just think about killing Minhyuk? What was wrong with me, Minhyuk was my friend even if he did horrible things. It’s not like I want him dead, just out of Eunjin’s life. I watched as Minhyuk walked right in front of my car without sparing a glance at me.

As soon as the lights went green I sped off towards the apartment. Minhyuk was probably going there but it didn’t matter, I would still take her out even if Minhyuk tagged along. I slammed the car door and looked up at Eunjin’s floor and saw her face curiously peek out the window. I smiled widely and waved trying to catch her attention. She saw me but hesitated before waving back shyly. I pushed the button in the elevator and soon found myself knocking swiftly on Eunjin’s door. But it was Minhyuk who answered.

“Sup, Eunkwang. What brings you here?” Minhyuk greeted me with a shoulder hug but I stared off behind him to where Eunjin was peeking out from the lounge room.

“Oh, I was bored at my place so I thought I could hang here for a bit. Is that cool?” I tried to act casual like I just happened to be in the neighbourhood.

“Yeah, man, come in. I just got back from the movies with Eunjin.” Yeah, sure you did. Oh, if only Minhyuk knew. I just responded with a quiet ‘ok’ and sat down on the lounge next to Minhyuk.

Eunjin had walked in with two glasses and set them on the low coffee table. I stared at her from the corner of my eye and waited till she looked at me. Before turning to leave, Eunjin looked at me from behind her hair while trying to look inconspicuous. I gave her a wink and watched her cheeks go a bright red before she scurried out of the room. While I stared after her I felt a sharp whack in the face. Minhyuk had thrown an Xbox controller at me.

“Dude, you playing?” He asked while inserting a game disc.

“Yeah…”

{ Eunjin POV }

I stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door closed. I paced the room while huffing with anger. ‘That Minhyuk, lying like that!’ His incessant lying was seriously getting on my nerves. I didn’t know if I was getting braver or just angrier, but soon I’d snap in front of him. And Eunkwang! What the hell, he just winked at me while Minhyuk is sitting right next to him; he could have been found out. I flopped down on the bed glared at the ceiling, thinking of how things were beginning to fall apart. And what was worse was the photo I had found. I still had no idea who the girl was and I was itching to find out, but the only person who could possibly know would be Eunkwang or the other guys. ‘That’s it! I’ll go and ask the guys tomorrow.’ I smiled at my plan and grabbed my phone to send a text to everyone. I said that I wanted to simply meet up and chat at that café Eunkwang likes, but really I’d get the truth out of them.

Eunkwang left a few minutes ago and now I was preparing dinner. I hadn’t said I word since earlier today, afraid I might let the truth slip. The guys knew Minhyuk was working tomorrow and I had asked to keep it a secret from him, earning a few confused phone calls. That night we ate in silence and went to bed without a word. Tomorrow I’d know everything.

I woke up ten minutes to seven and dressed quickly before shoving the mysterious photo in my back pocket. While waiting for the toast to cook I stared at the photo again, trying to make any sense of it. ‘Maybe she was his cousin or something. But they seem too close to be family…’ It was irritating as all hell trying to figure out who she was and what connection she had to Minhyuk. I heard the bathroom door open and footsteps making their way down the hallway. I slipped the photo back into my pocket and tried to look busy spreading butter onto a slice of toast. Minhyuk sat at the small table and I placed a plate in front of him. I sat down on the opposite side and studied him, looking for anything different. Of course, he looked pretty much the same as when we first met but he had a different…‘presence’ I suppose. He was colder and sometimes, emotionally blank. In a way it saddened me to see the man I had once loved turn into nothing but a living stone. There’s that question again, ‘Do I still love him?’. I sighed and got up to place my plate in the dishwasher, before grabbing Minhyuk’s suit jacket and waiting at the front dor for him. I felt like a servant but it’s what I had to do in order to be inconspicuous. I handed him his jacket and he gave me a swift hug before leaving. I ran to the window and watched as his car sped off down the street before grabbing my handbag and rushing out the front door.

The footpath was basically deserted, seeing as it was the middle of the week. I quickly walked down the street before stopping to study a signboard before taking a left and entering the small café Eunkwang had bought me to. I was greeted by the friendly face of Seyoung, the waitress that served us last time. I still thought that she had some connection to Eunkwang but I let it go as he told me he came here often.

“Eunjin dear! How nice it is to see you again.” She patted me on the shoulder and smiled widely. Seyoung had this kind of thing that made you happy all of the sudden and I smiled back warmly. She reminded me of my grandma who always made you smile no matter how grim the situation. I remember when my grandad passed away and she made us all laugh again with stories of him that would have been very embarrassing were he there.

“Nice to see you again, Seyoung.”
“Oh, you’re not here with Eunkwang this time?” She asked slyly with a wink. I just raised an eyebrow and shook my head with a laugh.

“No, I’m just meeting with a few friends today.”

“These friends of yours wouldn’t happen to be a group of four young men, would they?” She asked probingly.

“Yeah, how did you know that?”

“Because there’s a table of ‘em waving like monkeys behind you.” She said bluntly while pointing behind me. I turned to see three of them waving erratically while Hyunsik kept sinking lower into his chair, trying to avoid the stares of the customer around them. I stood there with a blank face before face palming, causing Seyoung to laugh light heartedly before going back to the counter.

I walked to the table with my head down as the others in the café went back to whatever they were doing. I sat in a chair against the window and shot an unimpressed look at the four. They all just stared back with a sort of anticipation, obviously curious as to why I called them all out.

“Well, I suppose you all want to know why I called you guys out?” I asked while reaching into my back pocket and grasping the photo in my hands.

“We, it is a bit strange that you would ask us to come out secretly.” Said Ilhoon while he played with the salt and sugar shakers.

“Yeah, well I need you guys to answer something for me.” I said while shifting awkwardly in my seat. They said nothing but looked at me as if to say ‘continue’.

“So, I’ve been going out with Minhyuk for four years now. And while I was folding some of his clothes I found this,” I placed the photo on the table and they all leaned in to take a look, “and I want to know who the girl is. Obviously I can’t ask Minhyuk otherwise he might get mad or something, and you guys are his best friends.” I said quickly while looking at each of their faces trying to gauge any reaction. They all had the same melancholy expression on. Changsub was the first to speak,

“It’s not a nice story.” Not this again, Eunkwang had said the same thing. How bad could it be?
“Please, I need to know.” I asked pleadingly while looking him straight in the eyes. He sighed before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. He seemed to be articulating his thoughts and that made my curiosity boil.

“The girl in the picture is Minhyuk’s ex girlfriend.” He said after opening his eyes and leaning forward again.

“That’s it? His ex?” That was all the picture was, just a picture of his ex and him. I didn’t know what to expect from it but I thought it would be something much more interesting than that.

“But that’s not all. Minhyuk and Haesun were childhood friends before they were dating, so they knew each other better than themselves. In the first year of high school Minhyuk confessed to Haesun and the two became inseparable. For about three years they were a couple and it seemed like they would stay like that forever. But just before the Christmas holidays in the third year, Minhyuk found out something about Haesun.” Changsub paused and looked at the others who had dropped their heads and were staring intently at the table. I silently urged him to go on.

“Haesun was cheating on Minhyuk with multiple guys.” I came to a mental stop, slightly confused at the last statement.

“She was cheating on him with more than one guy? That’s horrible and she should have been ashamed, but why is this such a heavy subject? I mean it must have been awful but why so gloomy?” I asked quietly as I couldn’t quite fathom the fact they all looked like they were attending a funeral.

“You don’t understand. The two had basically grown up together and Minhyuk was literally head over heels in love with her. So how would he have taken the news that she was cheating on him, with more than one guy? He snapped and bashed the guy he found her with.” I did a double take at the last part.

“Wait, so he beat up the one of the guys?” I whispered while trying to process this new, slightly frightening, information.

“Beat up is an understatement. The guy had to be taken to hospital and Minhyuk would have probably gone to prison if the judge didn’t send him to a rehabilitation program. His parents weren’t too happy about having to pay all that kid’s medical bills, so once that was taken care of they got up and left for some other country.”

So, that’s it. Minhyuk had beaten a guy and then gained a criminal record. He had become so bitter and twisted because of that. I didn’t know how to feel about all this, I mean I knew there had to be a reason for his behaviour but this? I was living with someone convicted of assault and could have been sent to prison.

“It’s not something any of us like talking about, but I suppose you had to know.” This time Peniel spoke up with a grim face.

“I’m gonna go home. I’ll see you guys later.” I stood up and said goodbye in a quiet voice while thinking over what I had just been told. Minhyuk had assaulted a man and I had no idea, even when I first met him in high school. As I walked home I tried to articulate my thoughts, ‘Is that the reason why he’s like this?’. I came to a stop when the thought of Eunkwang came into my head. If he could send that guy to hospital then what would he do to Eunkwang if he found out he had taken me on a date and kissed me? Or worse, what would he do to me?

Hello! Oh my god, Minhyuk's past revealed! I hope it wasn't too boring or cliche for you. So, I hope now the story is getting interesting for you guys.

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