Yong Hwa was standing alone in front of his locker, looking for his Advance Algebra book that seemed to be gone to Neverland every time he needed it. He even put his head inside the locker to see if it was there.

            Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, making him surprised and ended up hitting his head to his locker.

            “Ouch!” He screamed of pain. His expression of hurt suddenly changed into a more surprised look when he saw Seohyun standing before him. His usual response to this kind of act by Seohyun would be yelling at her and be mad because she startled him and hurt his head. But not that day. He only stood there, looking at her in silence.

            “Oh.. it was you.” Said Yong Hwa.

            The bold and expressive Seo Hyun would yell back at Yong Hwa if he ever greeted her with that kind of depressive look. She swore that right at that moment, Yong Hwa did not even look happy to see her.

            Calm down, Seo Joo Hyun. You need to do this. You have to do this.

            “We need to talk.” That was all she said before she turned her back at him and walked to the stairwell. He knew that she was going to the school’s rooftop and that he was obligated to follow.

            Advance Algebra can wait.

            Yong Hwa followed Seo Hyun’s steps to the roof while thinking about what kind of thing that she wanted to talk about.

            Advancing before Yong Hwa, Seo Hyun could feel her heart raced. What would she say to him? What should she do? She only thought that both of them needed to talk to clear the air. But she did not think about what kind of talk that they would have. Should she talk about it right away? Or maybe a little bit of random topic would be better? Did she need to directly tell him that she and Min Hyuk had broken up and now she’s available?

            Everything was so confusing. Feelings were confusing.

            Aish! Ottohke..?

            A few minutes later, Seo Hyun found the door that would lead them to the rooftop. It was usually empty at this time of day. People were busy having their lunch in the cafeteria rather than wasting time up here. So the rooftop was the perfect place to talk.

            She turned around. Yong Hwa was standing 5-steps behind her, looking confuse. They did not exchange any words on the way up. Until then, both of them were only looking at each other in the eyes, hoping that telepathy would actually work.

            Seo Hyun knew that it was now or never. So instead of thinking about it, she decided to say anything that popped up in her mind.

            “You broke your promise.”

            “What?” Yong Hwa couldn’t hear her clearly due to the strong wind on the roof. He took a few steps closer to Seo Hyun. Now both of them were standing face to face.

            “You broke your promise.” Seo Hyun repeated her words. She glared at Yong Hwa with a little bit of hurt and sadness in her eyes.

            “What promise?” He glared back at her.

            “You told me that you won’t leave me alone. While in fact, day by day, I feel you ignoring me. I know that you’re ignoring me, especially after I dated Min Hyuk. What kind of best friend are you, leaving me hanging like that?”

            Does she really want to make a problem out of it? Aish!

            Yong Hwa looked away, hiding his mixed up emotion. He was kind of upset with Seo Hyun’s accusation. He remembered the promise clearly. He knew that he did not do what he said. But she should know the reason why he did that. He did that for her. So that he won’t be the middleman between her and her boyfriend.

            “I thought you’re a man of your words. I never knew that you would break that kind of promise.”

            Yong Hwa was still keeping his mouth shut. A lot of things were crawled up in his mind, waiting to be spoken. But instead of doing that, he chose not to say anything in response to Seo Hyun’s words. He would let her talk her emotion out.

            “If it were me, I would never do that to you. Never. I think of you as a best friend that I treasured the most. I would be there every time you need me. And as far as I can remember, I never leave you hanging, unlike what you did to me. I was clearly disappointed.”

            “What do you want me to do?” Yong Hwa finally asked her. He had enough of this. He had suppressed his feelings long enough to be accused and blame like this. He was trying to protect their friendship. Who knew that it would actually mess it up?

            His cold tone made her realize that she was crossing the line. She had pushed him to the edge in order for him to express what he truly felt towards her. Silly method, she knew that. But she didn’t know any other way. If it wasn’t like this, Yong Hwa would never tell her what he truly felt.

            “I don’t know. Just do what a best friend should do.” She turned her head away, avoiding Yong Hwa’s gaze. But

            “What is that exactly?!” Yong Hwa’s anger was obvious. He was looking right at Seo Hyun, making that girl a little bit startled and afraid. Yong Hwa had never looked at her this way. “Yes, it’s true that I have been ignoring you. But I did that to protect our friendship. I did not want things to be ruined between us after you and Min Hyuk are dating. Both of you are so happy and obviously care about each other. I don’t want to get in between, especially when I…” Yong Hwa suddenly stopped talking. He was unsure whether or not to say the words.

            If he said it, it would be counted as a confession, wouldn’t it? And this is not the kind of confession that he want to do.

            “When you what?” Seo Hyun daringly asked him back, while looking at him in the eye. She knew what he wanted to say. But she wanted him to say it himself. She wanted to hear it directly from him.

            Please say it. Please…

            “When I…” Yong Hwa could not find the words. He seemed out of place and confuse of what to say.

            She was still patiently waiting for him to say it. But after a few minutes of silence, she just could not handle it anymore.

            “Do you want to know what I think about all the things that you just said?” Seo Hyun asked him. Since he did not say anything, she just kept talking, “First, you didn’t do it to protect our friendship. You did it to protect yourself. You’re sefish. You did not care about what I feel. You did not care about what my thought about it. You just went away and wrapped yourself with a thought that what you did actually solve everything, while in fact, your ignorance only made it worse.”

            “And second,” Seo Hyun sighed before she continued, “Min Hyuk and I were dating. It’s past tense.”

            For a split second, Yong Hwa felt like he was hearing it wrong. He stood still without having the nerve to say anything to Seo Hyun. He blinked in disbelieve. Did he hear it right? What did she mean by past tense? Does it mean Seo Hyun and Min Hyuk broke up? If they did break up, why did they? Was it just recently? When was it exactly?

            Too many questions running through his head. Questions that he wanted to ask her but he couldn’t.

            At the same time, Seo Hyun was kind of disappointed by Yong Hwa’s flat response. She thought that he would embrace the news happily, now that she wasn’t dating anyone anymore. But instead, he just stood there like a statue. Not even a word came out of his mouth.

            Has his feelings changed?

            She could feel like she was about to cry. But she held it in as much as she can. She did not want to seem desperate.

            Another minute had passed but Yong Hwa still did not say anything. Maybe this was it. Maybe his feelings did change and Seo Hyun was not a part of it anymore. It was way too late and she could do nothing to change it.

            “Well, that’s all what I wanted to say. If you still want to ignore me, go ahead. I don’t care anymore.” Seo Hyun decided to walk away.

            She was hopeful, but her hope fell apart.

            So this is how it felt. A broken heart.

            She felt like her heart was crushed. A tear came down her cheek as she walked pass him. She tried not to look back when she felt his hand grabbed hers, causing her to stop. It was not only her steps that were stopped, but her heart too.

            It was silent. She could feel the wind breezed, playing with her hair. She could slightly hear the noises from the football field down there. She could even hear Yong Hwa’s heart beat from where she stood.

            Then she saw him turned his head to her. He looked deep into her eyes as he asked, “Can you say it again?”

            “Didn’t you hear me?”

            “I did. But I just want to make sure that I heard it right.”

            Seo Hyun sighed. It was typical Yong Hwa. “Min Hyuk and I broke up.”

            “Why?”

            “Because I don’t know why, somehow, the universe decided to make me feel miserable when you’re not around. I felt lonely and alone at the same time. I was happy, but not content. I don’t know what it was. It was too confusing for me. I was in a relationship with someone who likes me that much, and care for me, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to do that. I want someone else to do all that with me. I need someone else.”

            There, she finally said it. She did not care that her statement sounded like a confession. She just wanted him to know about what she felt. It was too late to stop.

            A slight smile appeared on Yong Hwa’s lips. He just found a silver lining. If this was a sign, then it was a good one. A sign that might change both of their lives.

            He did not even try to stop and just did what he felt right. A kiss landed on Seo Hyun’s right cheek. Suddenly, her face turned red. She was blushing like a little kid. She looked so cute in his eyes. Her eyes blinked several times before they widened. She was indeed surprised.

            Her hand touched her cheek, as if she wanted to make sure that the kiss was real. They were best friends for so long but it was her first time to receive a kiss from him.

            “Did you just…” Seo Hyun tried to ask him. But her sentence was cut.

            “I did.”

            “Why?”

            “Because I love you.”

            Do you know how it felt when you hear your special someone tell you that he loves you? It felt like her stomach is full with butterflies. She felt giddy, and awkward, excited and happy at the same time.

            Finally, he said it. Three words, eight letters that she had been waiting for. Little by little, a smile appeared on her face. Then, the smile turned into a cute laugh.

            “I know that, babo.” She pinched his cheek.

            “How did you know that?”

            “Because I’m a genius.” She laughed. The kind of laugh that Yong Hwa missed the most.

            “Jashik..” Yong Hwa laughed at her cuteness, “So.. I told you. Don’t you have anything to tell me?”

            “What? I don’t think I do.” She knew what Yong Hwa meant but she did not want to tell him right away.

            “Ya! You don’t want to tell me anything? Do I really have to ask?”

            “Ask what?” She looked clueless. But both of them knew that it was just an act.

            “Ah, cham…” Yong Hwa realized that he had no choice but to directly ask her, “Do you love me too?”

            He asked with a voice so low that Seo Hyun could not hear him, “I’m sorry?”

            “Do you love me?” He said it out loud, making Seo Hyun startled.

            “Ya.. not too loud.”

            “Just answer me…” Yong Hwa looked anxious and desperate at the same time. He had confessed his heart and he wanted to know if Seo Hyun felt the same. He knew that she already told him something similar. But he wanted to hear the exact words.

            “I do. Happy?”

            Yong Hwa smiled widely. He looked like a five-year-old who just received his favorite toy as Christmas present. His eyes shined brightly, showing the pure happiness as he finally knew that Seo Hyun loved him too.

            “Choding…” Seo Hyun laughed at his child-like act. He was always like this whenever he’s happy. And somehow, she found it cute.

            “Whatever.” Then Yong Hwa kissed her again. This time, it was on the lips.

            “Ya! How dare you!” Seo Hyun hit Yong Hwa’s shoulder. How could he just kiss her like that? What if somebody saw it? They could be reported to the principle and got into detention for inappropriate act.

            “Merong!” Yong Hwa ran away as he was being chased by Seo Hyun.

            Another familiar sight of Yong Hwa and Seo Hyun. They might bicker a lot. They might fight a lot. They might act like kids almost all the time. But as long as they were together, all was right in the world.

***

*You've Fallen for Me is a song performed by Jung Yong Hwa in Heartstrings.

Hey, All!

This is the end of "Always You and I". I really am thankful for all of you who have read and subscribed to the story. It meant a lot for me that you like it. Please do leave comments, suggestions, and critics to my writing. As those will definitely help me improve my sriting skill.

I'm planning another story of Yong Seo. But it's still in the brainstorming phase. I hope I can write it and post it soon.

Thank you so much for all the subscribers. For non-subscriber readers, I thank you, too.

Love,

Noona2969