2 weeks later

                “You can’t live this way forever, you know?” Daniel locked the door of the one room apartment Yeon Ah was staying at. “Running away isn’t going to solve anything.”

                “I’m not running away. I need time to think,” she sighed. He handed her the bag of groceries which she gratefully accepted.

                “What’s there to think about?! You and hyung belong together! Don’t you know he’s dying without you?”

                “AND YOU THINK I’M NOT?! What the hell do you think I’ve been going through here? Having a merry old time by myself?!” Yeon Ah snapped. She’d been alone ever since that night. Guilt kept her away from the others. Daniel ran a hand through his hair.

                “I’m sorry, Sis. I know you’re having a tough time. But I don’t see what’s so hard about this. Just reject L.Joe and come back to us. Everybody misses you. Life has been difficult for all of us without you there. Even Manager Hyung misses you, and that’s saying something,” Daniel looked his sister in the eye. She stared right back with hollow eyes. He still wasn’t used to seeing her like this. She was always a spirited person with a determined look in her eyes. Now, she looked lost and lifeless. It pained him to see her that way. What’s worse is that he had to see the exact same thing in the dorms. Young Won wasn’t fairing any better than her. He locked himself up in his room and cried himself to sleep. Everybody knew he did. They just couldn’t do anything to comfort him. Yeon Ah sighed and curled up into a ball.

                “It’s not that easy, Danny,” she whispered.

                “What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me that….”

                “I don’t know…..” she whimpered and tried to make herself smaller. Daniel rushed over and pulled her into his arms.

                “It’s okay. Tell me what you’re thinking. Maybe I can help you,” he kissed the top of her head and held her frail frame in his arms.

--

Flashback: New Year’s Eve

                “There she is, L.Joe. Right in front of you. What are you waiting for?” he asked himself. Yeon Ah was sitting out on the lounge seat where he had left her earlier. He checked his watch. ‘20 seconds.’ He slipped outside and sat next to her. ’10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Happy New Year, Noona,’ he reached out and grabbed her chin. He pulled her into a kiss. To his surprise, she kissed him back. He was too happy for words. They pulled apart. “Noona, I love you. I’ve loved since the day I saw you jump off the basketball hoop in the gym. I hope you can accept me even though I’m younger,” he looked at her sincerely. What happened next was something he would have never imagined. Yeon Ah snapped back to reality and stared, wide-eyed, at the person sitting in front of her.

                “What did you just do?” she whispered. She looked through the glass door and saw the others staring at them. One person, in particular, looked like his heart had been ripped out and put on display. Her heart broke at the pained, betrayed expression on Young Won’s face. His mind told him to run, but his legs were rooted to the floor. L.Joe looked at her, confused.

                “Noona, what’s--” before he could even finish his sentence, he was thrown onto the floor and was blocking punches.

                “Oppa! Stop it!” she pulled Daniel away from L.Joe.

                “You idiot! Do you know what you just did?! You kissed somebody else’s girlfriend!” he sprung forward for another attack. Inati caught him in mid-air and dragged him inside. Jisu made his way over to Young Won to check up on him.

                “Girlfriend? So it’s true. You have a boyfriend,” his shoulders deflated. “Let me guess, it’s Young Won hyung, isn’t it?” Yeon Ah walked over to Young Won. She was shaking from fear and shock. She reached out for him, but he took a step back. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. ‘He hates me now.’

                “You know what. I don’t care. I like Noona and I’m willing to fight for her. I kissed her and she kissed me back,” L.Joe stubbornly stated, staring down his rival. Tears threatened to fall from Young Won’s eyes. L.Joe’s words pierced him like a hooked sword. Double the pain with a nasty aftermath. Yeon Ah  tried  to hold him again, but he moved away. In an instant, her mood changed. Her sorrow turned to fury. She was beyond pissed now. Turning to L.Joe, she was going to give him a piece of her mind, but the second she looked at him, her heart fluttered. ‘No…No…’ she thought. Confused, she looked between her boyfriend and L.Joe. ‘I can’t like Byung Hun,’ she screamed in her head. Young Won noticed her hesitation and felt his insides wrenching. ‘Is she having second thoughts?’ his tears began to flow. Yeon Ah didn’t know what to do, so she did what she does best, she ran out of the dorm.

--

End Flashback. Yeon Ah’s apartment.

                “Help me Danny. I don’t know what to do,” she cried into his shirt.

                “Just answer my questions. Do you love Young Won hyung?”

                “Yes, with all my heart.”

                “Do you like L.Joe?”

                “I don’t know…” Daniel sighed. This was harder than he thought. He wasn’t good with love advice, but he knew he had to try and help his sister.

                “What did you feel when L.Joe kissed you?”

                “….I felt this light, fluffy feeling inside….” Daniel flinched.

                “This is the most important question. Who were you thinking of when you were kissed?” Yeon Ah lifted her head up from his chest. She wiped away her tears.

                “I was thinking of Dong Rim…” she whispered. Daniel broke out in a smile. “I was thinking of Wonnie.”

                “There. Now you see. You only felt that way because you were thinking of him, not L.Joe,” he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Yeon Ah sighed in disbelief. Why did she doubt her feelings before? Why didn’t she figure this out on her own? ‘Because I confused. Now it’s clear.’

                “I’ve got to talk to Byung Hun,” she jumped up from the couch and grabbed her bag. Daniel held her back and led her to the bathroom.

                “After you clean yourself up,” he threw her a towel and closed the door. “Finally. Everything will be back to normal soon.”

--

                (Meet me at the school. -Yeon Ah)

                L.Joe read and re-read the text. There was a mix of feelings coursing through his body. Excitement, curiosity, and a little bit of fear. ‘Is she going to reply to my confession? Will she say yes? She did kiss me back,’ he thought, changing into his disguise.

                Yeon Ah paced back and forth in the parking lot. ‘Stay calm. All you have to do is tell him you’re not interested. Tell him the truth. You’ve got a boyfriend who you love very much. He’ll understand. And if he doesn’t, you’ll beat it into him.’ She heard a car approaching and saw a taxi pulling up. A hooded, masked figure jumped out of the car and ran over.

                “Noona! I’m so glad you texted me,” L.Joe stopped in front of her. Yeon Ah took a deep breath.

                “Byung Hun-ah,” she started.

                “Wait! Let me say something first,” L.Joe held up his hand. “I just want you to know that my feelings are true. I really like you. I will fight for you even if you choose him over me,” he said, taking off his mask. He took a step closer. “If you’re worried about our age, then stop. Age is but a number.” He was now hugging her.

                “Byung Hun, stop,” she pushed him away. ‘I can’t accept your feelings. I have a boyfriend,’ was what she wanted to say, but it wouldn’t come out. She made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. It was like she was being into a whirlpool of emotions.

                “Noona, don’t deny it. We have a connection,” he reached out for her hand. She was shocked at herself for not pulling away. She had to admit, his hand was warm and welcoming. ‘No, I can’t. But he is handsome and cute…..’ she looked down at their hands. Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over her. All of her memories with Young Won played in her head. There was only room for one person in her heart, and she finally knew who it was.

                “I can’t. I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend whom I love very much. Let go, please,” she pulled his hand off hers and ran off to her bike.

                “I’m not giving up!” he yelled after her.

                “Well, you should. I’m never going to return your feelings, Byung Hun,” she yelled back and drove off. She burst into her apartment and packed all of her things. She dialled a number and impatiently waited for the line to connect. “Hello? I missed you, too. I’m coming tomorrow. Yeah. I think it’s time. Yeah, okay. Bye.” She hung up and punched in another number. “Hey, I need to talk to you. Meet me at the park.”

--

                “Are you sure?”

                “For the last time, yes. I’m positive. I don’t care if I’m running away, I just need to get out of here. I love him with all my heart, but I think we need some time and space to let things settle down. Others need to forget, too,” she squeezed Daniel’s hand. “I trust you won’t tell anybody of this?”

                “You have my word, Sis,” Daniel squeezed back. He didn’t like her decision, but what she chose to do was final and nobody could change her mind, not even him.

                “I have to go now. I’ll see you when I see you, Bro. Good bye,” she gave him one last hug before walking over to the parked taxi. She turned around one last time, “Take care of my bike and boyfriend, will you? And tell him, I LOVE HIM!”

                “I will! Now go!” Daniel waved and watched his sister get into the taxi. ‘I hope you come back soon.’

Cruddy chapter >_< SORRY! Also, my chapters are getting short LOL aigoo......

COMMENT REPLIES

@ hai_young: hehehe sadly, it was L.Joe >___<

@ koreasujufan: you're right!

@ kmn007: sigh she did T^T but yay! I'm excited to write my other story now lol

@ ilovemuffins: hahaha he could've had a lot of water? LOL

@ winterflowr: ah, sorry! blame L.Joe! He made me do it...

@ theblackcat1236: *too smart for me ^^;;* LOL

See you in the next Chapter!

-greenninjapandaGNP-