CHAPTER SIX

Myungsoo stood there, his heart shattered as he watch Eunji run further and further away from him. He felt so stupid. Why couldnt he control himself? He knew she would never feel the same way, but he unintentionally hoped for it. 

But Myungsoo couldn’t see past the walls that she usually kept up. The walls that got gradually built since the day she found out that both her parents were suffering from a heart disease, which she witnessed, was slowly killing them. After she found out, she kept everything locked up inside of her. She did her best to seem happy around others and usually got a bit mean when she felt pain, but that was all to seem unbreakable in everyone's eyes. But she was breakable. Probably even more fragile than any other girl. Her outer self might've been stronger, but her heart had been struck so many times, it was the weakest point of her.

The day that Eunji had lost both her parents was the day she couldn’t keep the walls around her stable. With no one else to go to, she ran straight to Myungsoo's house without even thinking and cried her heart out with him by her side. The feelings that she had fought, the pain she received, the loneliness she felt, she cried it all out. It was then where Myungsoo had fallen for her. He had fallen for the side of his best friend which he had never seen before. He had never seen the soft and innocent girl that was hidden under that cold and annoying shell, which he had always called his best friend.

Eunji closed her door as she felt the coldness of her house envelope her. Her eyes were red and completely dry, as if all the tears she could cry had evaporated into the air. She looked around the familiar place and spotted the photo frames that were placed face down. It had always been like that. She didn’t really want anything to remind her of the pain, knowing it'll just make things harder. But right at that moment, she felt like she needed something to remind her of her parents.

Moving closer to the shelves that held the frames, she kept her eyes locked on one especially. It was a glass frame that had white flowers that were delicately painted on them. Standing in front of it, she let her nails traced over the black back, that held the stand. She swallowed as she softly gripped the sides of the frame before she took her time to lift it up, revealing the picture that she had wanted to see.

It was a normal family photo in everyone's eyes. She was in the middle and both her parents were on either side of her, all three happily smiling. But in Eunji's eyes, nothing could beat the amount of feelings she got from this one picture. Her heart tightened as looks at her parents' faces, everything about them becoming clearer by the second. A tear slowly slid down her face. This picture was the last photo taken before she had found out about the condition of her parents. The day that she wished never happened in her life. The day she started to fake it all. The day that changed the way she thought of the world.

She gently rubbed a thumb over the picture as she forced a smile. "Mum. Dad." she croaked, "This is how your daughter is now... Pitiful, right?"

She played with her tongue inside before continuing, "Sorry if it isn't how you expected her to be like. But… It's harder than you think." A tear fell, "It's hard to forget. It's hard to smile and laugh. It's hard to pretend like your okay. It's hard to lie to them. Mum….Dad….It's really, really hard."

Another tear fell as she kept forcing herself to smile, "I tried to. I really did… I tried to keep my promise….But….I just cant."

"Sorry." and with that, she slowly placed the frame face down on the shelves. She turned around, wiping her tears as nothing but silence was heard in her house. Her house had always been like this. Lonely, empty, quiet and cold. But she kept ignoring it. Until now, that is.

Eunji chuckled bitterly, "Was the house always like this?" She trudge up the stairs to her bedroom before slipping in her covers, not bothered to change. Looking to her left, she spots the clock. 10:00pm.

Forcing the events back into her head, she closed her eyes tightly, telling herself to sleep. 

"Ah... What the hell?!" Eunji groaned as she sat up from her bed, a pain shooting to her temples. The continuous knocks on her front door filled the whole house as she stumbled downstairs, pissed as ever. She barely had enough sleep after what happened today and someone decides to pay a visit at midnight.

The knocks got louder as she approached the door, making her flinch every time at the volume. Her hand grabbed the door handle but she immediately froze after hearing a familiar voice on the other side.

"Ji Ji~~~"

The knocks stopped and she waited, wondering if the person had left.

"Ji Ji~~~"

She was about to turn away and ignore the person when something made her stop.

"Ji Ji~~~ Ji Ji~ Ji Ji? Hehe… Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby…" the voice said trailing off as it chuckled.

Eunji's eyes widen and she immediately turned the handle, opening her front door. "Oh! Ji Ji!" the person in front of her cooed a smile on its face. Eunji's eyes widened, "Yah! Kim Myungsoo, are you drunk?" Myungsoo gave a lopsided grin, "Nope~ Hehe...Look. I even made a song….Listen, okay?"

Eunji grabbed his arm, trying to pull him inside, but the latter refused. "Wait! I have to si...sing the song first!" Myungsoo clapped his hands as he struggled to keep straight.

"Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby~" Myungsoo giggled like a girl before his legs lost all it's strength, making him fall forwards. Eunji quickly caught him, groaning at the weight suddenly put on her.

"Yah. Get up." Eunji shook Myungsoo but the latter stayed leaning on her, mumbling incoherent words. Having no other choice, Eunji closed the door and dragged Myungsoo to the couch. Sitting on the floor next to him, she let out a tired sigh, her arms slightly aching.

She looked to the side to see Myungsoo sleeping soundlessly. She traced his face with her eyes, capturing every detail of it and realising his skin was completely flawless. Eunji moved her face closer to his as her eyes scanned every inch, not believing that a teenage boy didn’t have at least one flaw on his face. Realizing what she was doing, she coughed awkwardly to herself before scrambling to her feet, glad that he hadn't seen what she was doing.

Deciding it should be fine to let Myungsoo stay the night, she turned to walk to the kitchen when someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her down into a warm embrace.

"Don’t go." Myungsoo's voice was barely audible as his grip around her tightened.

"Yah...Let go! YAH! " Eunji squirmed in his arms, trying to get away.

"Don’t go...please." he repeated, slightly louder. Eunji continued to get away from him, "I swear if you're doing this on purpo-"

Myungsoo softly spoke, "I love you... Don’t go…" Eunji froze at his words as Myungsoo dug his face on the crook of her neck.

Eunji swallowed, looking away from Myungsoo. With one hard push, she managed to get out of his grip as Myungsoo looked at her. Eunji gave him a cold look, "Don’t sprout nonsense, Kim Myungsoo. You're drunk."

Myungsoo's eyebrows furrowed as he somehow felt a bit sober after her words. He sat up, still looking at Eunji, "It's not nonsense. I really do-"

"Sure it isnt." she cut off sarcastically, "If you're awake, I'll go make you some hangover soup." She turned to go to the kitchen, making sure she was quicker this time.

Thinking she was safe from him, she let out a sigh of relief, only for it to be replaced by a squeak as arms wrapped around her waist.

"Kim Myungsoo!" Eunji shouted, hitting his arms. Myungsoo didn’t flinch and instead rested his chin on her shoulder, "Why don’t you believe me?"

Eunji sighed, "You're drunk. Do you think I'd actually believe you?"

Myungsoo frowned, "Didn’t you know people speak the truth when they're drunk?"

Eunji bit the inside of her lip, knowing he was right, but she regained composure, "How am I supposed to know? It's the first time I've seen Mr Goody Two-Shoes drunk." Eunji felt herself being spun around and she blinked at Myungsoo's face in front of her.

"I'm telling the truth. Did you not believe me before either?" he asked, his voice showing a hint of sadness.

Eunji felt her heart tearing at the tone of his voice, but kept her pokerface on as she shrugged at his question, "I thought you just said it because you got caught up in the moment."

Myungsoo mindlessly tightened his grip on Eunji's shoulders, "I wasn’t lying!"

Eunji rolled her eyes, "As if."

Myungsoo felt something sharp hit his heart, "Why aren't you believing me?!"

"Because you're supposed to love Naeun!" Eunji yelled back pushing him to the floor.

"You're supposed to love Naeun…" Eunji repeated quietly, pain filling her.

Myungsoo was shocked at her words as he looked up at her, speechless.

Eunji swallowed before she continued, "You're supposed to take care of her… hold her… make her happy..." She looked at Myungsoo, hoping that the dimmed light didn’t show the tears in her eyes, "You're supposed to do everything you can to prevent her heart from getting hurt."

"But-" "That’s what a boyfriend should do." Eunji cut him off.

Myungsoo stood up, "But what if I don’t want to do that?!" Eunji looked at him, eyes widened, "Yah! What are you-"

"Don’t get me wrong. I love Naeun. I really, really do." Myungsoo cut her off. Eunji gulped, the amount of pain from those few words killing her.

"But I can only love her like a sister. I cant go past that. Ever." Myungsoo told her, reaching out to hold her hands.

Eunji looked at their intertwined fingers before removing her hands from his, "You need to."

"Give me a reason why!" Myungsoo yelled. Eunji's hands formed into fists as she looked at Myungsoo,

"Cause I can only ever see you as a brother."

The pair felt their hearts shatter at the words that rolled off Eunji's tongue.

Eunji blinked rapidly as she turned around, but stopped halfway, giving a side glance to Myungsoo, "If you're not sober enough, make yourself hangover soup. You can sleep here for tonight."

She walked up her stairs as Myungsoo looked at her, tears falling from his eyes. Using the ounce of strength left in her, Eunji gave him a smile,

"Goodnight."

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Author's Notes: Chapter six is up~