Chae Kyung let out a shaky breath, absently closing the door of the cab behind her. One too many thoughts ran in her mind as she walked up the front steps. It was like she was a robot, functioning automatically. She felt at such a loss as to what to do, what to think and what to say. She had read, heard and even seen how much it hurt but nothing prepared her for the first-hand experience.

                Numbly, she opened the front door, stepping the house silently and closing the door softly behind her. Was she really strong enough to pull up the façade she needed? Chae Kyung sighed, willing herself to hold it together. She walked into the den, finding her parents seated on the same sofa; both holding a mug of hot chocolate. She forced herself to smile like the way she normally would but one look on the welcoming smile on her mother’s face had the tears b her eyes.

Sooyoung’s smile faltered, sending a look of concern at her daughter. “Chae Kyung…”

“Mom…” Bursting into tears, she ran to her mother’s arms, finding comfort as soon as they were wrapped around her. “Mom…”

The older woman exchanged a look with her husband, running a hand up and down Chae Kyung’s back as soothingly as she could. “What happened? Where’s Dongsun?”

                At the mention of the name, their daughter sobbed harder and it went without saying that the two adults knew what had happened. Yunho easily saw red, inwardly cursing the now ex-boyfriend to the pits of hell. He was seething with anger and hurt – hurt for the pain that his only daughter was going through at the moment. What was a father to do when someone hurt his little girl? Yunho gritted his teeth together, narrowing his eyes dangerously as he thought of all the things he could do to that stupid boy.

                A gentle yet reprimanding hand on his arm shook him out of his thoughts of revenge. Wordlessly, Sooyoung shook her head and sent him a look, gesturing to the still crying Chae Kyung. Yunho sighed, easily understanding the look she gave him. Thinking of ways to kick the of his daughter’s ex-boyfriend could wait. His daughter’s well-being was always the top priority. Gently gathering his eighteen year old daughter in his arms, he settled her on his lap, feeling her tears wet his shirt.

“Don’t cry, princess. He’s not worth it.” He murmured comfortingly against her hair, wrapping his arms securely around her. “Daddy’s here… Daddy’s here.”

“Daddy…” Chae Kyung sniffed. “What did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart. He’s just blind and stupid. We boys tend to be like that.” Yunho reassured her, ignoring the look of amusement on his wife’s face. “He’s not worth it, princess. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s never going to leave you.”

She looked up from his shirt, revealing her beautiful yet tear-stained face and reddened eyes. “Promise?”

The dark haired man smiled gently. No matter how much his daughter grew, he would always be daddy’s little girl. “I never broke a promise, right?”

“Right.” That one fact consoled her greatly and Chae Kyung wiped her tears away, hugging her father soon after. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, angel.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead, winking soon after. “Now who wants ice cream?”

“I love you too, jagiya.” Sooyoung smiled a little too sweetly, batting her eyelashes for effect.

Yunho and Chae Kyung could only laugh.

o-o-o-o-o

Alcohol and a broken heart was a dangerous mix.

But it was already too late to regret.

                Sooyoung stared at the cream-colored ceiling, pulling the sheet higher up her body until it was tucked under her armpits. Only the soft snores coming from the man she shared her bed was heard in the cold bedroom; a stark contrast to the gasps for breath and moans that filled it only a few minutes ago. A part of her questioned why she continued to this to herself, to give herself to a man who only saw her as a rebound. She would only end up getting hurt at the end, they said.

But it didn’t feel like the consequences mattered for now.

                At least now he could see her. She was no longer in the shadows. It was her lips that he kissed, her body that she touched, her name that he yelled out when he reached his peak. Even if it was just for that moment, that night, she felt loved and wanted… and Sooyoung was going to relish in that. Consequences would be entertained later.

                Hot kisses were suddenly pressed one after the other on her neck and Sooyoung couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping her lips. The arm around her waist tightened as she was pulled closer against his warm, body. She craned her neck for a few more seconds to give him more access before she turned so that she was facing him. Her body was so close to his that their chest was pressed deliciously against each other and Sooyoung grinned as she felt his manhood harden against her thigh.

A sleepy smile crossed Donghae’s face. “Aren’t you tired?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“I know what you’re trying to do.” The brown haired man chuckled huskily under his breath, carefully tugging her closer so that she was snuggled against his side; her head resting on his wide chest. “Let’s take a nap and then we can continue.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Donghae yawned softly, wrapping his arms around her as he drifted to sleep. “I love you, Yoona.”

A tear escaped Sooyoung’s eyes as she closed them.

o-o-o-o-o

                The wind blew harshly against his weak body, causing him to nearly lose his footing. Heechul let out a shaky breath. So that was how it felt like to lose control and nearly fall. How would it feel like to completely fall? He stared blankly ahead of him; memories – both good and bad – flooding in his mind. He wondered what he’d do if he was given a chance to live his life again. Better yet, he wondered if it really was impossible to turn back time. Maybe he prayed so hard, the heavens would hear him.

His shoulders deflated as he realized that prayers wouldn’t be able to save him now.

                Heechul thought about all the people he was about to leave behind and for a moment, it made him think twice. But his life was empty and meaningless now that she was gone. There was this void in his heart that only being with her again could only fill. At least for him, that would justify what he was about to do. She was gone now and his heart was too shattered to be mended. The only way he could be whole again was to be with her.

                Just as he was to take that last step off the ledge, Heechul felt himself being harshly yanked back and he fell to the cold, hard ground. He blinked in shock but before he could even figure out what just happened, a palm connected painfully with his cheek. His jaw dropped; his mind not even registering the pain that he was supposed to feel.

“What the hell do you think are you doing?” Sooyoung screamed at him as tears brimmed down her face as she fell to her knees. “Do you think this is what Jessica wants? For you to kill yourself to be with her?”

                He opened his mouth, wanting to defend his actions but he realized there was nothing about it worthy to defend. Heechul tried to sit up only to sag against the nearby wall. His shoulders began to tremble as loud sobs escaped his lips. It felt like the world was crashing on him, knowing that Sooyoung was right no matter how he was certain he couldn’t live without Jessica.

Heechul stared helplessly at his wife’s best friend. “What am I going to do now?”

Tears streamed harder and faster down her face as she took him in her arm, holding him as he wept.

o-o-o-o-o

Where do broken hearts go?
Can they find their way home?