CH3: Betrayals and Promises

Sehun stared at the glistening road outside his bedroom window. It had rained after he got home from his "talk" with Seul Yeon, but it finally stopped. It was half past 10, yet he didn't feel sleepy yet. He couldn't help but replay the events that happened that day. With a smile on his face, he reminded himself to thank Eun Ji and Yoona tomorrow at school. If it weren't for them, he probably never had a chance to confess to Shin Seul Yeon.

Ah Shin Seul Yeon. What have you done to me?

Sehun just couldn't take his mind off her. Ever since he first laid eyes on her on the opening of classes, he felt that something inside him. He was a new student that year, but because of Eun Ji and Yoona's warm attitude he began to feel quite at home. And of course, he got to be where Seul Yeon would be.

Sehun absentmindly twirled the ballpen in his fingers. He was supposed to do his homework, but all he could think of was Shin Seul Yeon. He had been very nervous that afternoon. Everything had to go smoothly. One wrong move then Seul Yeon would probable ignore him forever. And he didn't want that.

A week before, he had endlessly pestered Eun Ji and Yoona. He wanted his plan to work, and they were the perfect conspirators, her 2 bestfriends. They would invite Seul Yeon to the mall, along with everyone else including Sehun.

"Let's go on a movie spree!" They would say. If Seul Yeon refused, they would annoy her until she agreed. Then one by one, on the big day, they would text some sort of excuse so they couldn"t come. Eun Ji would be "running late", but in the end would be MIA. And the rest was up to Sehun.

There was a big possiblity that Seul Yeon wouldn't come too, but thank his lucky stars she did. She loved her 2 bestfriends, of course she'd come.

Even if they were a big group, he noticed that Shin Seul Yeon only really trusted Eun Ji and Yoona. She'd join the rest of course. But if only the two were there. If they weren't, she'd politely decline. And because of that, Sehun got thinking. He thought there must be something that happened if Seul Yeon wasn't that open to her other classmates.

Once, he opened up to Eun Ji and Yoona about that issue. They were on a class field trip, which unfortunately Seul Yeon couldn"t attend because of a flu, so he grabbed the chance. (He also sent a get well cake for her anonymously.) It was during their lunch break that Sehun dragged Eun Ji and Yoona away from the rest of the class.

=FLASHBACK=

"Hey. I noticed Seul Yeon's really close with you two." He asked them.

"Only us two, you mean." Yoona emphasized.

"Er. Yeah." Sehun grinned sheepishly.

Eun Ji and Yoona sighed.

"Well, you're not the only one who noticed." Eun Ji said. "A lot of our other classmates were also wondering."

"Do you mind telling me why?" He asked, hoping to get answers.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt if you know." Yoona said, glancing at Eun Ji who nodded. "We really want to bring her back to her old self. And I guess if people who are closest to her could help, like classmates and such, it'd be easier."

"Of course. I'd love to help. I want to get closer to her too." Sehun admitted.

"We were in middle school back then." Eun Ji started. "Seul Yeon was, how do you put it, popular. With both girls and boys."

"And not just because she's pretty and nice" Yoona added. "But there's something about her that draws people in."

Sehun smiled. "Yeah. I noticed that."

"Well anyway, we were part of a big group too. We were all so close. We were all happy."

"Were?" Sehun asked.

"Until a certain Lee Hye Jin came." Yoona said, a frown on her face was evident.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well you see, that time, Seul Yeon relied too much on her friends. Her parents were away most of the time. She's an only child, so she gets lonely. The only time when she was really happy was when she's spending time with us." Eun Ji explained.

"But that Hye Jin was a jealous . She was jealous because Seul Yeon got all the attention. We were trying to tell Seul Yeon that, but she didn't listen to us. She said that maybe Hye Jin just misunderstood, and that we need to treat her nicely." Yoona said.

Sehun's mind flew to Seul Yeon at once. So she was really trusting back then, he thought. Suddenly he frowned at what Hye Jin could have done. But he didn't say anything yet, he wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"So Seul Yeon began to treat Hye Jin as a close friend. And for a while, we thought that it worked. Because they were really inseperable. Seul Yeon truster her completely." Eun Ji said. "But we were all wrong."

"Hye Jin began to tell everybody Seul Yeon's secrets. Spreading lies about her fears, her insecurities, the ugly status of her parent's relationship-"

"Wait. So you mean to say-?" Sehun interrupted Yoona.

Eun Ji nodded sadly. "Yes. It was that time that Seul Yeon's parents decided to have a divorce."

"Seul Yeon was devastated. She told no one but me, Eun Ji and Hye Jin. She said she wanted to leave her problems at home. She didn't want to appear vulnerable to her classmates who also needed her help." Yoona said, her eyes began to water. "Silly girl, really. She didn't have to pretend to be strong when she was dying inside."

"She preffered to keep her problems to herself, rather than burdening everybody. And that Hye Jin made matters worse." Eun Ji frowned. "She told everybody that Seul Yeon was appearing to be perfect when in fact she's not, just so everybody could like her and do what she wants."

"Don't tell me they believed that!" Sehun exclaimed. The two girls in front of him nodded in disgust.

"Well, that was middle school, Sehun. Everybody believed what anyone told them. Coudn't think for themselves." Yoona said, dabbing a hanky on her eyes.

"Idiots." Eun Ji muttered.

"Well, what about Seul Yeon?" Sehun asked, although quite having a gut feeling of what happened next.

"Obviously she was really traumatized. She began losing her friends one by one." Yoona said, before adding quickly "Except us of course."

"Everyone began to hate her. Hye Jin also began spreading countless rumors that Seul had to lie low and stop coming to school for a while."

"What kind of rumo-"

"That's not important. All we can say is, Seul Yeon began losing her self-confidence: Putting barriers up from the people around her, distancing herself from others. Only the 2 of us managed to keep our friendship with her."

"It's because you guys were there for her when she needed it the most. You never left her side." Sehun said quietly.

"We love her very much, Sehun. The help, trust and care she gave us, it was the least we could do, really."

Now he knew why. Now he understood her. And that made him even more intent on keeping an eye out for her. To protect her from anyone who'll try to hurt her again. Because that was what she deserved.

"Sehun." Eun Ji looked at him.

"Yes?"

"If you're planning something for Seul Yeon, remember what we just told you."

"H-how do you-"

"Oh please Sehun." Yoona chuckled. "We could tell by the way you look at her."

"You're not the first one to have eyes for our dear friend." Eun Ji said a matter-of-factly. "But you're the only one who showed enough care to know her story."

"So do us a favor and be nice to her okay?" Yoona added.

"Because if anyone, we mean anyone, who hurts our Seul Yeon again..."Eun Ji cracked her knuckles. "Just know that I'm a 3-time champion blackbelter in Taekwondo."

Sehin nervously laughed. "You can count on me girls." He then put his right hand on his heart. "I promise."

=END OF FLASHBACK=

Sehun sighed again and looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes past eleven. He looked at his half-finished homework and decided he'll finish it tomorrow morning. He switched off his desk lamp and slowly made his way to his bed. The covers felt warm as he looked up his ceiling, both arms behind his head. The faint glow of his glow-in-the-dark stars lulled him to close his eyes.

 And the very last thought he had before surrending completely to sleep:

You got me so bad, Shin Seul Yeon.