“Remember when we went to Han River and had that picnic? It was also the day we had our first kiss, right? I remember you were so cute that day, all flustered and everything,” Kris laughed, reminiscing the past. He peeked at Hye Jin for a reaction and was surprised to find her emotionlessly staring right at him. He continued rambling, "By the way, how's Marty? I bet the little guy misses me. You should bring him here some time. The family will be all together again."

            Hye Jin openly rolled her eyes, mockingly snorting at his words. Yet, despite her denials, his words hurt her. Recalling the memories were tearing her apart, throwing her into a pit and burying her under the burdens of their past love. She didn’t want to remember anything, anything at all. She had locked everything away already, and she wanted to keep it that way. At least she was trying to.

            He’s been bringing up these little memories every single session this week. Only two more days, Hye Jin. Two more days. You can do this. Well, you’re trying to. Sighing heavily, she sat down on her seat and flipping through her report. She frowned at all the time slots Director Kim had assigned Kris. After his abysmal first session, the Director thought it would be beneficial to have him come in almost every day to improve on his accent.

            Hye Jin scoffed internally. She knew he was faking it all along. He obviously could speak well. He was the one that had taught her the accent in high school, so why was he being so difficult now? Why hadn’t she just forged the report and given him full marks in all the sections? Why did she have to be ‘honest’, even though he wasn’t honest on his part?

            Closing the file rather loudly, she cleared and he stopped talking. “Listen, we’re here to work on your accent. So far, we’ve made little to no progress these past three days. Can we, for once, just focus on our goal? If you’re here to play around, then you're free to leave any tie you want. I don’t want to work with someone who isn’t willing to put in the effort as well. It’s counterproductive, really.” Hye Jin's voice faded with each sentence as Kris' expression changed from a playful smirk to a dark glare.

            “I’m not the one putting in the effort? Really, Jin? Can’t you see that I’m trying so hard to make this work, to make us work?” he asked, getting off the desk and approaching her. He stopped in front of her, crouching down so he could look her in ty eyes. She stared back blankly. “Babe, we were so good together. Why can’t you give us another chance, huh? I’m sorry about what happened back then, but I’m here now, aren’t I?” He leaned in, closing the gap between them.

            “Stop it,” Hye Jin hissed. She pushed him away and stood up, turning her back on him. She crossed her arms, hugging herself in defense and shutting her eyes. “Please, just leave.”

            “Our session isn’t over yet. I still need to practice.”

            “Well, I think we both know you don’t need to learn something you've already learned," she snapped, turnning to him with angry eyes. "You know what? If you’re not leaving, then I will.” She picked up her belongings and stalked out the door, but her escape was only short lived. She hissed in pain as her back hit the wall as she was pinned at the shoulders, hidden beneath Kris' ominous shadow.

            “Don’t you dare walk out on me,” he growled.

            Hye Jin’s patience ran short and she snapped, snarling angrily back at him. “That’s funny, you didn’t seem to have a problem doing that to me.” He softened at her words, loosening his grip on her, but still holding on tight. He lowered his hiead, resting his cheek in the crook of her neck.

            “Please, give me another chance, Jin. I miss you so much. Every single time I see you with other guys, it hurts. So much.” He placed light kisses along her collarbone, stopping at her shoulder. “Can’t we just forget what happened and pick up where we left off?” He looked at her with pleading eyes. She could see his sincerity, but she knew better than to give in.

            Prying his hands off her shoulders, she shoved him away and stepped back. She shook her head and spoke to him with malice, “You lost your chance when you walked out on me, Kris. We will never, ever, work out.” She turned around and ran down the hall, racing through the building, putting as much distance between them as she could. Rounding the corner, Hye Jin yelped as she ran into someon and nearly knocked them over.

            “Hye Jin! What’s the rush? And why are you out so early?”Director Kim asked, holding the younger girl steady. She felt Hye Jin trembling and immediately knew something was wrong. “Here, come with me.” She led Hye Jin to her office and settled her on one of the couches. Silently, she fixed her a cup of tea and placed it on the table before sitting in the seat across from her. 

            And then she waited.

            Minutes passed as they sat in silence, neither of them speaking. Although she was quite impatient, Director Kim knew she had to wait for Hye Jin to begin explaining the situation on her own will. Slowly, Hye Jin moved forward and picked up the tea, making the first move, Taking a sip, she clearing softly and looked up at the Director with a sigh. The elder woman had to stop herself from jumping over to the other couch and embracing the younger. 

            Her eyes...they hold so much pain and confusion...

            “I’m sorry I left so early, Director. It’s just, there were some complications.” Hye Jin shifted in her seat, looking down at the warm cup in her hands. She refused to look the Director in the eyes, afraid of how much they would unknowingly reveal. Too bad the Director caught on quickly.

            “Complications? With Kris?”

            Hye Jin hesitated, but then nodded at the Director’s gaze. “It’s actually a long story…”

            “I’ve got time.” Director Kim gestured for her to begin and Hye Jin took a deep breath before speaking.

            “Here’s the thing, I wasn’t really truthful in his first report.” Director Kim looked at her, puzzled. Why would Hye Jin lie to me?

            “What do you mean?”

            “Well, in all honesty, I’ve known Kris since high school. We…we were actually high school sweethearts.” Hye Jin took another sip and held the cup, savoring the warmth as she continued her story. “He was an international student, studying here in Korea only for his high school years. At that time, I hadn’t known about it. If I had, I wouldn’t have agreed to be his girlfriend. Anyway, I’m going off topic. What I’m trying to say is he’s fluent in English and accents. In fact, I learnt how to speak in a British accent through his instruction.”

            Director Kim nodded her head, processing the information before posing her question. “Well, if he already mastered the accent, why did you give him such a bad report?”

            “I don’t even know myself. Maybe it was because I wanted to separate my personal emotions from this. I wanted to be professional, so I just wrote what happened at the session. Even though I was fully aware of his abilities…I don’t know…Why did I do it?” Hye Jin placed the cup on the table and pulled her legs up to her chest, burying her head into her arms.

            “Honey, it’s okay. I see where you’re coming from. Sure, you should’ve just given him a full report and told me the truth from the start. But, I understand why you didn’t. It’s hard to separate our personal lives and our professional work, especially when it involves past relationships. Besides, it doesn’t seem like he was trying hard to do well. Maybe that was his goal.” Hye Jin looked up in confusion, tilting her head at the Director’s knowing smile.

            “What do you mean?”

            “Well, you claim you’re high school sweethearts, right? He must know your habits and knew that you would write an ‘honest’ report based on his performance at the session. He knew that if he did poorly, I would add in more time slots for him.”

            Hye Jin nodded thoughtfully. It seemed logical. Kris was the type of person who would do something like this to buy more time with her. “Huh, that sly bastard,” she muttered, wiping away her tears angrily. Director Kim chuckled at her sudden mood swing. “Anyway, I’m sorry for lying. I should’ve just told you the truth from the start.”

            “No, it’s okay. As long as I know now, then it’s fine. I’m going to be informing Mr. Wu tomorrow that he will not be needing any further lessons, so don’t you worry. Just continue on with the other cast members for the rest of the week.”

            Hye Jin shook her hands, jumping up from her seat. “You don’t have to do that. I can handle it.”

            “Don’t kid yourself, Hye Jin. After catching you in this state, I think it’s for the best. Just do as I say, okay?” She patted Hye Jin on the shoulder and led her out of the office. “Now, get some rest, you have two lessons tomorrow and one more on Friday. Then after that, you’re free for a week. Keep up the good work and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She lightly nudged Hye Jin out of her office and shut the door.

            Thanks for your help, Director. Hye Jin smiled softly as she walked out of the school with a lighter heart. Now that the Director knew her situation and was helping her out a bit, some of the weight was lifted off her shoulders. She wasn’t as worried or stressed now that she wasn’t going to be stuck alone in a room with Kris. At least, for the rest of the week.

--

            Hye Jin lazily walked to her car, rubbing her tired eyes. It was the beginning of a new week and she was free from rehearsals. No more sessions, no more late nights. Finally, some freedom. She unlocked her car and threw her bag in the back, glancing around at the near-empty parking lot, her gaze landing on the car parked next to hers.

            Oh yeah, I should ask him if we’re still on for coffee. Pulling out her phone, Hye Jin sent Luhan a text and waited in her car for his reply. A small part of her was hoping he would cancel. She was finally free to sleep early and have some alone time, so she didn’t want to lose the chance. Once in a while, she just needed a 'hermit day', one where she would lock herself in her apartment and snuggle with Marty on the couch,armed with all ten seasons of "Friends" and a big bowl of popcorn.

            But, another, bigger, part of her wanted him to say yes to coffee. She enjoyed their little outings because they acted as her source of escape from her suddenly hectic scehdule. There were no worries or hassles during their escapades, just the two of them and endless, random conversations. She didn’t have to worry about her words or how she acted because she knew Luhan wouldn’t judge her for anything. Also, she knew he would be there if she ever did slip down memory lane. Smiling at the thought, she jumped in surprise when her phone vibrated with a text.

            [Hey Jin! I don’t think we can go out today or this entire week actually.]

Her shoulders deflated and she felt a tugging at her chest. Is this disappointment? Doesn't feel very good.. She typed up a simple okay and was going to press reply when her phone vibrated again, and again, and again.

            [It’s not because I don’t want to go! I do! It’s just, I still have to compose that saloon piece and only have until the end of this week to finish it…]

            [Also, I haven’t even started it.]

            [And I need all the time I can get.]

            [Please don’t feel bad. It’s my fault.]

            [I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.]

            [T_T]

Hye Jin laughed at his messages and deleted her own. She typed up another text and sent it with a smile, waiting for his reply.

            [Don’t worry about it, Luhan! You have your priorities too, right? This is your chance to shine and I’m not going to be selfish and stop you from doing your thing. Good luck! Oh, and if you need some company, you know who to call – Jin]

She grinned as his replies came almost instantaneously.

            [Phew, I thought you would be upset or something…]

            [Not that you have anything to be upset about.]

            [Uh, anyway, thanks for understanding…]

She chuckled at his awkward texts and tucked her phone away. She inserted the key into the ignition and was about to start up the engine when her phone vibrated again. Opening the messaging, a wide grin couldn't help but spread across her lips.

            [And, uh, it would be nice if you were here with me. That is, if you want to or whatever…]

--

            Hye Jin wandered the halls, peering into each practice room as she walked by. Either the other person stared back in surprise or they were too immersed in their practicing to notice her. Bowing at her intrusions, she continued down the hall until she reached the end.

            Now where the heck is he? She didn’t need to look to find out. In the room on the left, soft piano melodies emanated from within. From ritzy, old western styled songs to slow waltz songs, whoever was inside kept switching genres randomly.

            Peeking in slightly, Hye Jin spotted Luhan sitting at the piano, scribbling a few notes onto his score, his back facing the door. As quietly as she could, she cracked open the door and tiptoed in.

            “You do know the air changes when you open the door, don’t you?” Luhan asked, looking over his shoulder with a playful smirk. Hye Jin flinched at his voice and pouted. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, walking over to the piano and sitting on a chair next to it.

            “Even so, you should’ve played along. Way to ruin my fun,” she mumbled. Luhan grinned and shook his head at her. Turning back to the piano, he started playing a few chords, picking up where he left off. “So, do you have anything yet?” Hye Jin asked, pulling up her legs to her chest.

            Luhan shook his head. “Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch—” Hye Jin reached over and covered his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

            “I get the picture.” She pulled back and sat comfortably, watching him muttering to himself. He scratched out a few notes and added some more, then erased them all together.

            “Why is this so hard?” he mumbled, tapping his pencil against the ivory keys in frustration. Usually, melodies and tunes would easily come to him in, flowing out in runs and chords. Yet, this style was posing as a problem for him. He couldn’t think of anything. Even after he listened to so many sample songs and researched the styles and history online, he couldn’t compose anything.

            Pulling out the original score from his backpack, he flipped through the sheet music and looked at the chord progressions and melody patterns. They seemed simple enough, but why couldn’t he do it himself. Tossing them aside, he slumped down on the piano, startling Hye Jin with the dissonant notes.

            “If you don’t mind me asking, do you have any lyrics written yet? This piece is for the saloon singer, right? If I remember correctly, she’s trying to seduce the men in the room, Jack in particular, yes?” Hye Jin asked, trying to visualize the script. Luhan nodded slowly, humming a tune that was forming in his head. He jot down a few notes and turned towards Hye Jin.

            “Keep talking,” he said, concentrating on her. Hye Jin cleared and blinked quickly, looking around the room in thought.

            “From what I heard earlier, you were playing waltz and old western styled songs. They sound too upbeat for this scene. When I think of seductive pieces, I think of ballads, or slow blues/jazzy songs. They have that sensual sound, sort of…” Her voice drifted and she pinked at her words. Here she was, a Linguistics Major, talking about genres of music to Luhan, a Music Major. She shifted in her seat and picked at her jeans, avoiding his interpretive gaze. He turned to the piano and wrote out more melodies, singing them under his breath. Stopping mid note, he looked over at her.

            “Anything else?”

            Hye Jin hummed in thought. “Um, for the lyrics, make them really…suggestive? I don’t know, use lots of innuendos or something,” she mumbled, hiding her face in her arms. She sat in silence and listened to him writing, eventually lulled to sleep by the sound of his pencil scratching against paper.

            For the first time since Kris showed up, she slept soundly. No nightmares, no nonsense dreams. Just a clear mind and pure, blissful slumber.

--

            “Hey, hey, hey, Hye Jin, hey, hey, hey, Jin, hey.”

            Hye Jin felt something incessantly poking at her elbow and blindly swatted at it. Squirming away from the annoyance, she hid herself further into her arms with a whine. She was too comfortable to wake up and wanted to continue sleeping. Unfortunately, Luhan had other plans.

            “Hye Jin-ah, it’s late. We have to go now,” he whispered, shaking her until she stirred out of her slumber with a groan. “Finally. Are you aware of how long it actually takes to wake you up?” he complained, tugging her up from the chair. Hye Jin swiped his arm off of her and grabbed her backpack from the floor. She grimaced in fatigue and silently trudged out of the room.

            They walked through the halls and out of the building. Slowly making their way to the parking lot, Hye Jin finally noticed how dark it was outside. Is it really that late? She pulled out her phone and checked the time, nearly choking on her spit in shock. How is it already ten? Did I sleep for that long?

            Luhan saw her reaction and chuckled. “See, I told you it’s late. We could’ve left earlier, but you refused to wake up. Did you know, you hit really hard. Like, really hard. I think I’m going to bruise,” he rambled, rubbing his arm. He ranted the whole way to their cars, flailing his arms about in flamboyant gestures. Although they reached their destination, Luhan kept complaining.

            “Dude! I get it. I’m sorry for not waking up and I’m sorry for hitting you. Why are you so fussy?” she snapped and yanked open her car door. She was about to get in when he turned her around, a pout on his lips.

            “I’m sorry, I was just teasing. Please don’t be mad,” he murmured, reflexively pulling her into a hug. Hye Jin stiffened slightly, but relaxed rather quickly. She patted his back in reassurance, silently conveying her pardon. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into her hair and she let out a soft chuckle.

            “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have yelled. Anyway, we should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked and pulled away. He nodded enthusiastically and bound over to his car. She slid into her seat and waved to him before starting her car and heading home.

--

            “Today, I came prepared. I won’t fall asleep on you this time,” Hye Jin cheered, greeting Luhan in the practice room with two cups of coffee and a large bag of snacks and carbonated drinks. She passed him one of the cups and he took it with a grin.

            “That’s good. We have a lot to do today.” He took the scores out of his backpack and placed them on the stand. Taking a sip of coffee, he skimmed through the song, fixing a few notes along the way before turning to Hye Jin. “So, after you fell asleep yesterday, I wrote out the rest of the song. It’s still rough, but at least I have the basic melody. All I need to do now is write the lyrics. I tried to think of some myself, but I couldn’t think of anything suggestive like you recommended.” He scratched the back of his head bashfully and Hye Jin coughed in embarrassment.

            “What are you implying? I don’t know any more suggestive phrases than you do,” she mumbled. Lies, she thought.

            “I figured. That’s why I thought we could work on it together. Like they say, two heads are better than one, right?”

            Hye Jin cleared to suppress an innuendo and nodded her head in agreement. Hopefully he doesn’t get too turned off by my vast knowledge of dirty innuendos.

--

            Stuck. For two hours now, both Luhan and Hye Jin couldn’t think of anything. Even though she knew many suggestive phrases, Hye Jin couldn’t come up with witty lyrics. She was frustrated with herself. Usually, dirty thoughts were second nature to her, coming out on reflex rather than demand. However, this time her word bank was coming up dry.

            “Ugh, I give up. Whoever said two heads are better than one is a big fat liar,” Luhan groaned, ruffling up his already messy hair. Hye Jin hummed in agreement and reached for another gummy candy. She popped the sugar covered treat into and savored the sweet rush.

            Yum, sugar…sugar…SUGAR! Hye Jin jumped up from her seat and slapped the table with a start.

            “Luhan! Pass me the pen! Hurry!” she shouted, bouncing in her seat excitedly. She snatched the offered paper and pen from him and scribbled line after line of words. Luhan watched in awe as her pen glided across the page, verse after verse appearing with the blink of an eye. “Done!” she exclaimed, giggling happily at her work of art. She passed the page over to Luhan, a playful glint in her eye. “So, what do you think?”

            Luhan cautiously took the page, anticipating what she came up with. He wasn’t familiar with her writing style, nor had he ever read any of her works, so he couldn’t imagine what she would come up with. Was he going to be disappointed? Or was he going to be completely blown away?

            “Oh my word…” he whispered after finishing the last sentence. Slack jawed and eyes glazed over, he dropped the paper onto the table. “Hye Jin, this is…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence.

            Hye Jin smirked at him with a knowing smile. “Amazing?” she asked. Her eyes shone as he slowly nodded his head, eventually nodding faster and faster, a wide grin spreading across his face.

            “This is brilliant. Oh my goodness, it’s so…wow!” He jumped up from his seat and ran over to her, grabbing her in a hug. She could feel him shaking in excitement as he spun them around. Laughing, she whooped along with him, stumbling as he let her down. Her head spun as she laughed, watching him hop around the room in excitement. He sat at the piano and played the song, singing the lyrics in his head. His smile grew wider as the song progressed. “I can’t believe how well it works. It’s suggestive, but not over the top. I love it!” he applauded, running over to her for another hug.

            Hye Jin chuckled at his excitement and patted his back. “I’m glad you like it.” He let her go and skipped around the room, unable to contain his joy. Giggling in delight, he clapped at their success and cheered loudly. After a while, he finally settled down and sat in his chair, exhausted.

            “Ah, I’m all cheered out.”

            “I’m surprised you could celebrate that long.”

            Luhan smiled at her cheekily. “I have good stamina.”

            Hye Jin snorted and couldn’t help but let her words slip out quietly. “That’s what she said…”

--

            [Hye Jinnie~ I need your help! Come to the practice room as soon as you get this. –Lu]

            “What the heck? I wanted to go home early today,” Hye Jin whined and shoved her phone into her pocket. Turning around, she walked back towards the campus with a frown. She didn’t get it. They had finished the song yesterday already, why did he need her to come again today? He only needed her to help write the lyrics, and that’s what she did. What else did he need from her? Sighing lightly, she stopped at the door and entered without warning. 

            “You’re here!” Luhan greeted her merrily, completely ignoring her dark expression. “I need your help again.” He turned to the piano and sat down, patting the bench next to him in invitation. Hye Jin reluctantly walked over and sat down.

            “You know, I was going to go home early today and take a nap,” she grumbled, nudging him, her frown still etched on her face. He smiled and ruffled her hair.

            “I’m sorry. I’ll only need you for an hour max.” He sat up straight and started playing the song and singing along. His soothing voice calmed her down a little bit and she couldn’t help but laugh at the lyrics. He ended the song with a smile and turned to her. “Okay, what do you think? Does it sound okay?”

            “Yeah, it sounds fine. Can I go now?” Hye Jin stood up and went to grab her bag, but he pulled her back down.

            “No, you can’t go yet. I need to hear it now.” He set himself up and started playing again. This time though, he played it in a higher key. Hye Jin grabbed his arms and stopped him from playing further.

            “What do you mean you need to hear it now? You want me to sing it?” she asked him in disbelief. He simply nodded his head and shook her arms off, placing them back on the keys and playing the song from the beginning. “Uh, did it ever occur to you that I, oh, I don’t know, can’t sing?” she questioned, pulling his hands away from the piano yet again. He let out a frustrated whine and tugged his arms out of her grip.

            “Yes, it did cross my mind, but I’m willing to take the chances. I need to play this for Director Kim later, so I need to know what it sort of sounds like. Besides I thought about it and figured you could sing,” he reasoned.

            “Really? What made you think I could?” she huffed, crossing her arms in agitation. She was getting annoyed with him and she didn’t even know why. Why was she getting so upset for? Was she really upset with him, or herself? Her nagging conscience was driving her insane for it questioned her own abilities, doubting her skill in carrying a tune. But could she actually, though? She couldn't really figure it out herself.

            “Well, considering the fact that you specialize in accents and voice impersonations which require skills in altering your voice and matching pitches, I guess it made sense that you could sing or at least hold a tune.” He started playing again and nodded at the page with a silent, final word. Hye Jin sighed and nodded back, waiting for his cue. He began to sing a little bit and she joined in, albeit softly all throughout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJv-siu5FXY *Nina Simone – I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl*

I want a little sugar
in my bowl
I want a little sweetness
down in my soul
I could stand some lovin'
Oh so bad
I feel so funny and I feel so sad

I want a little steam
on my clothes
Maybe I can fix things up
so they'll go
Whatsa matter Daddy
Come on, save my soul
I need some sugar in my bowl
I ain't foolin'
I want some sugar in my bowl

You been acting different
I've been told
Soothe me
I want some sugar in my bowl
I want some steam
on my clothes
Maybe I can fix things up so they'll go
Whatsa matter Daddy
Come on save my soul
I want some sugar in my bowl
I ain't foolin'
I want some - yeah - in my bowl

 

She looked away, blushing in embarrassment from the risqué lyrics and singing in front of Luhan. The only person she ever sang to was her dog and he wasn’t even human. He couldn’t voice his opinion, so she never had to face the judgment. Now, she was vulnerable and placed on a pedestal up for inspection. She didn’t know if her ego could take the negative feedback he was about to give her.

            “Wow, you sound…” He paused, looking up in thought, searching for the right word.

            Hye Jin flinched and grimaced. “Just say it. I , don’t I? The worst singer you’ve heard in your whole entire life.” She turned away, tears stinging her eyes. She felt his touch light against her chin as he turned her to face him. He was softly looking down at her, a twinkle in his eyes.

            “You sounded great. Even more wonderful than I had imagined your voice to be,” he breathed.

            “Hah, liar,” she scoffed, “you’re just saying that so I don’t feel bad. I was awful, just admit it.”

            Luhan shook his head in denial. “I can’t lie. You were actually really good.” Hye Jin grimaced and blew a raspberry. She knew he was lying and that she was a bad singer. He was just pitying her.

            “Whatever. That’s all you needed of me, right? Then I’m going to go now. See you whenever,” she stammered quietly, quickly picking up her bag and clambering towards the door.

            “Wait! There’s one more thing I need to ask of you,” Luhan called out after her. Hye Jin stopped at the door, hand hovering over the knob. She turned her head and looked at him with a raised brow. He waved her over and pointed at one of the chairs around the small table. He sat himself down and waited for her to join him. They sat silently for a bit, Luhan internally debating on whether or not he should ask her his question. Hye Jin saw his conflict and was about to ask him what was wrong when he spoke up first.

            “Lu—”

            “Hye Jin-ah, who is Kris?” he asked with a frown.

            Hye Jin froze in her seat. Why was he suddenly bringing up Kris? “What? What do you mean? He’s the lead actor of the play, obviously,” she managed to choke out.

            “No,” he replied, “What I meant was who is Kris to you? Every single time he talks to you, you either get all defensive or go rigid. Also, I kind of, sort of, overheard you guys arguing once.” He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at her in thought. She shifted under his stare and turned to look out the window. Usually she would avoid the question and try to find a way out of the conversation. This time though, she wanted to talk to Luhan and explain everything. She felt like she needed to clear everything up, she felt like she needed to tell him the entire truth.

            Willingly, she started her story. “Kris, he was my high school sweetheart. We dated all throughout high school and were the couple everyone envied. The Everlasting Couple, they called us. How ironic, huh?” She let out a bitter laugh and continued staring out the window. Images of the past flashed through her mind and she paused with a frown. Her thoughts were being pulled into the void once again, but a warm hand on her shoulder woke her up.

            “Hey, you can stop if it’s too much. Besides, it’s kind of personal and I would understand if you—”

            “No, it’s okay. I think it’s healthier if I let it all out now.” She chuckled softly and turned back to the window, watching empty branches swaying under heavy winter winds. “So, we were the Everlasting Couple. Everyone thought we would be together forever. Too bad they didn’t know, nobody knew. He was scheduled to leave the day after graduation. All those years, he knew he was supposed to leave, but he didn’t think it was important to tell me, to warn me.” She stopped and took a shaky breath. Looking down at her clasped hands, she remembered how crushed she felt that day. Her heart was ripped right out of her chest and trampled all over, then carelessly thrown back in. “He couldn’t have picked a better time to break it off though, that bastard. You know, he did it at valedictory, while we were taking pictures with our friends and family. The one moment we were supposed to remember as being the best day of our life turned out to be the worst for me.”

            “I’m so sorry,” Luhan whispered, reaching over and wiping away her tears.

            When did I start crying? She laughed at herself and leaned away from him, wiping the tears on her own. She sniffed once and smiled at him reassuredly before going on.

            “Anyway, he walked away from me that day. After four years of dating, he tells me that it’s over and then leaves. I couldn’t say anything, I wasn’t given the chance to say anything. He left so quickly. Anyway, I didn’t hear from him since then, up until this year.” She stopped and looked at Luhan, observing his intent expression. “He broke me…After what he did, I couldn’t trust anybody. I secluded myself, cut everyone out of my life. I was alone and depressed for the two years, living life with no purpose, always thinking about death. I woke up one day, ready to end everything when I got a call from my grandparents. They told me they were going on vacation and couldn’t take care of my dog for at least two weeks. I had actually forgotten about him. I was too selfish wallowing in my own problems that I had forgotten about Marty.”

            “He saved you, didn’t he?”

            Hye Jin nodded with a smile. “Yeah, he did. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. He helped me out of the darkness and pulled me forward. I owe him so much.”

            “He’s a lucky dog. He has such a loving owner,” Luhan mused.

            “No, I’m the one who’s lucky to have him as a friend,” Hye Jin murmured. “Anyway, after Marty came back into my life, things got better. I got healthier, started living as a human being and not just some empty soul. I let people back into my life, allowed myself to trust others again.”

            “If only I met you earlier, I would’ve been a big help,” Luhan grinned, shooting her a wink. She laughed and shook her head.

            “I probably wouldn’t even know you existed if not for this play. Our paths would’ve never crossed.”

            “Well, we have Director Kim to thank then,” Luhan laughed, wiping his brow playfully. Hye Jin laughed along with him and leaned back in her chair, feeling calmer. Telling someone other than her professors her story really lifted a weight off her chest. And, having him accept her like the way she was, broken and marred, was heartwarming.

            “So, Kris was an old flame, but now he’s nobody. I don’t want to be acquainted with him any more than on a professional level. After this play is over, I don’t want to talk to him ever again.” Hye Jin silently made her vow and knew she was going to keep it. Luhan nodded his head and hummed in agreement. They quietly sat, neither of them saying a word. His question was answered and her burden was lifted, though not completely. She knew it would always be there, that Kris’ impression would never be erased from her mind. He could only be suppressed and she knew now that she had friends out there who were willing to help.

            “Well, thanks for answering my question. I’m sorry if it offended you in any way.”

            “No, it’s okay. I needed to let out the negativity. Thank you for meddling,” she teased, giggling at his pout. “So, is that it? No more questions?”

            “Nope, none left.”

            “Then I’m leaving. I’ll see you whenever,” she declared with a wave.

            “Okay, I’m going to practice for a bit longer. See you later.”

--

            Hye Jin sat on her couch, blankly staring at her TV. She wasn’t paying attention to what was on the screen. Rather, her mind was on other things, specifically, her conversation with Luhan earlier. She was still confused. Why had she been so willing to tell him everything? Why had she felt like she needed to tell him, that if she kept him at bay, she would be disappointing him?

            He’s only just a friend, Hye Jin. He wouldn’t feel offended if you kept it a secret. Stop over-thinking these things.

            She Marty’s fur, absent-mindedly nodding at the voice in her head. It was right, he was just a friend. Why would he ever be upset with her, especially over personal matters like these? He admitted that he was just curious. If she hadn’t told him, he wouldn’t have taken it to heart, right?

            Yeah, he even told me to stop if I wanted to, but I didn’t. Why?

            She unconsciously sighed and leaned her head back onto the couch. Staring at her blank ceiling, she thought about what she had said earlier and questions and doubts began to fill her head.

            What if I had known Kris was leaving? Would things have gone about differently? Would we still be together? Would it all have worked out?

            She moved to her kitchen, taking out a bottle of water and sipping on it deep thought. Realistically, things would have probably ended with the long distance relationship. But, Hye Jin knew they could’ve worked it out in the end. They were in love and were inseparable. A couple thousand miles in between wouldn’t have done anything. In fact, it probably would’ve made their relationship that much stronger. So why hadn’t he done that? Why did he choose to end it with her without even discussing the options?

            Was it because he actually didn’t love me? Oh my God, was he playing with me the entire time? Did he plan on ditching me from the very beginning?

            Hye Jin frowned at the thought and her anger rose. She already disliked the fact that she had been such a dependent, naïve girl. If Kris had planned on leaving her from the start, she would be remembered as the girl who was easy, played like a fool.

            She was seething at the possibility that she had been deceived so easily. If she ever found out that he had ill intentions from the start, she would probably hit him. And she knew it would hurt, thanks to Luhan’s word.

            Huffing, Hye Jin stormed to her room, tossing her empty bottle across the living room carelessly. She didn’t care if anything broke, she was too angry to care. Flopping onto her bed, Hye Jin growled into her blanket, frustrated at the thoughts and scenarios running through her mind.

            We could’ve worked through it all. We could’ve still been together. Hye Jin sat up in fright and shook her head, trying to clear out her thoughts. What the hell am I thinking? I don’t want to be with Kris. I hate him, don’t I? I’ve hated him for the past four years. I can’t be having second thoughts now…

            She fell back onto her bed, plugging her ears and shutting her eyes tight. She didn’t want to think about him anymore. All she got from him were doubts and pain. She wanted happy thoughts, positive thoughts. She needed something that could make her smile and laugh whenever, wherever. Someone who would stick by her side and help willingly help her when she needed them the most.

            Suddenly, she jumped up from her bed again, scrambling to her washroom frantically. Splashing cold water onto her cheeks, Hye Jin buried her face into the towel, squeezing her eyes shut in fear and excitement. She trudged to her living room, slumping down onto the couch with a groan. Her head was reeling, spinning though she wasn’t actually dizzy. Thoughts were racing through her head, revelations and epiphanies she never imagined would hit her ever since Kris. Emotions she had locked away were crashed through her body in tidal waves of positive energy and dark memories. She was torn between feeling extremely ecstatic or completely horrified. What was she supposed to do now that she knew?

            Oh my God, how am I going to face him now?

---

Let's pretend Luhan and Hye Jin wrote the song. Proper credits go to Nina Simone. The song is amazing.