Yong Hwa drove back to his dorm in silence. It’s the first time Seo Hyun had refused to see him and it was the first time Seo Hyun blew him off. No Yong Hwa-ya, it’s not the first time. The first time was when you pulled the mildang stunt on her. It took a while for her to forgive you, remember? Yong Hwa thought to himself. He sighed as he remembered his ridiculous theory about relationship pushing and pulling.

It’s been almost a week since he last saw Seo Hyun. He did text her but her replies were always brief. He was in his room, tinkering with his music. He always turned to music to distract himself. He had composed this song for awhile but it didn’t have any lyrics yet. It was a quick tempo rock song and he didn’t know what kind of lyrics suited it. He played the guide song that Jong Hyun had recorded. The only lyrics that Jong Hyun sang throughout the song were “I’m Jong Hyun, I’m Jong Hyun, I’m Jong Hyun….”. Yong Hwa was thinking of the lyrics when his phone rang.

“Hello?” Yong Hwa answered the phone. “Hello? Oppa…” Seo Hyun said. “Oh.. Hyun-ah! How are you? You’ve been busy, haven’t you? Your TaeTiSeo promotions are packed!” Yong Hwa said, his spirits lifting. “Mm…Yes, I’ve been busy. The promotions for TaeTiSeo kicked off last week so we’ve been running around for our schedules” Seo Hyun replied. “Hyu~n, are you ok now? Are you still upset at Oppa?” Yong Hwa asked cautiously. He was nervous. “Mm.. Actually oppa, I think we need to talk” Seo Hyun replied slowly. “Oh sure sure! Do you want me to come over? Or meet at Min Hyuk’s family restaurant?” Yong Hwa was excited. “Actually Oppa, can I go over to your dorm?” Seo Hyun asked. “Oh?? Oh.. Sure Hyu~n. I’ll see you soon” Yong Hwa said, smiling.

Ten minutes later, the door bell rang. Yong Hwa rushed out and yelled “I’ll get it!!!” He smiled to see Seo Hyun and led her inside and into his room. “Ooo.. That was fast! Did your manager speed? Were you in such a hurry to see Oppa?” Yong Hwa teased, feeling relaxed. His girlfriend was here to see him. “Actually Oppa, I have another schedule to go to. Tiffany and Tae Yeon unnie are waiting in the car for me so I don’t have much time” Seo Hyun spoke. “Ah.. Ok.. So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Yong Hwa asked as he sat facing Seo Hyun. Seo Hyun took a deep breath before starting, “Oppa, firstly, I just want to make it clear that I’m not jealous of Shin Hye unnie or dislike your friendship with her in any way” Seo Hyun stated clearly. “Yes yes, I understand that Hyu~n. I knew you would understand. She’s just a really good friend that helped me a lot in acting when I was a rookie and she supported CNBLUE a lot so I’m always grateful to her” Yong Hwa said nonchalantly.

“Oppa, I wasn’t upset that you gave her flowers. I was upset that you never told me about it. We were together the day before but you never mentioned it even though we spoke about you attending Baeksang awards a couple of times” said Seo Hyun. “Ahhh… Hyu~n, I’m sorry… Actually I forgot about it as I did promise Shin Hye that I would present her with flowers if she won this year” Yong Hwa tried to explain. “And that’s our problem right there, Oppa. I know we’re busy and we hardly have the luxury to always tell each other things. But it seems like you’re closer to Shin Hye unnie than you are to me. During the interview, she said both of you contact each other regularly. How is it that I do not know about that? Why does it seem that you have something to hide when it’s regarding Shin Hye unnie?” Seo Hyun was not holding anything back.

“Hyu~n, wait… I think you’re misunderstanding. There’s really nothing going on with Shin Hye and me. She’s back with Geun Seuk hyung. And they’re also working on the ‘fan the flames the wrong way’ method. So that’s why we always pretend like there’s something going on between us so that the media do not suspect Geun Seuk hyung and herself or you and me” Yong Hwa explained. “Oppa, that’s another classic example of us not communicating well. Shall we blame that on our schedule or lifestyle or profession?” Seo Hyun asked. “Besides, I thought you said she was interested in Jong Hyun?” “When she broke up with Geun Seuk hyung after You’re Beautiful, she tried to distract herself by finding a rebound guy and that guy happened to be Jong Hyun. Jong Hyun always suspected that she was rebounding so he never took her seriously” said Yong Hwa.

“Well, regardless, that’s not the issue at hand” Seo Hyun said quietly. “So what is the issue at hand, Hyu~n?” Yong Hwa asked. “Oppa, I don’t think I can do this anymore. It’s too difficult. We have to constantly lie, hide and deceive everyone and sometimes we end up hurting each other in the process. And the worst part is, we can’t even give our best to each other. However hard we try, our profession, our jobs will always be our biggest obstacle” Seo Hyun said, her voice beginning to quiver. “What are you saying, Seo Joo Hyun?” Yong Hwa asked, feeling his eyes beginning to burn. “I’m saying I want to give up. I don’t have any confidence that I can keep this up” Seo Hyun said quietly as her tears started to fall. “Seo Joo Hyun! Joo Hyun-ah… No.. no no no no…” Yong Hwa was kneeling in front Seo Hyun, tears falling. “I’m sorry Oppa, I love you but I can’t.. I can’t do this anymore.. It’s too hard…” Seo Hyun struggled to say as she sobbed even harder.

Yong Hwa hugged Seo Hyun tight. It hurt him to watch her crying and to know that she’s struggling hurts him even more. “Is it really that difficult?” Yong Hwa asked softly. “It feels like a burden that keeps getting heavier and heavier and I’m struggling to keep on carrying it” Seo Hyun admitted between sobs. They were both silent for a while, struggling to stop their tears. “Araseo Joo Hyun-ah… Oppa will take away the burden. Let oppa carry the burden. I’m so sorry you’ve had a difficult time” Yong Hwa said bravely. “I’m sorry Oppa.. I’m sorry!!” Seo Hyun cried. “It’s ok Hyu~n… We will still be close friends, right?” Yong Hwa felt a pang of sadness as he said that. Seo Hyun nodded, unable to speak.

Just then, Seo Hyun’s phone rang. It was Tiffany, reminding her that they needed to go. Yong Hwa embraced Seo Hyun tightly one last time before leading her out the door. Hearing the door close, Jong Hyun, Jung Shin and Min Hyuk emerged from their rooms. “Who was it Hyung?” Jung Shin asked. “It was Joo Hyun” Yong Hwa said calmly. “Oh.. Hyungsoonim! She came to personally tell you she forgave you?” Min Hyuk teased. Yong Hwa shook his head, “No, she came to….. break up with me…” “What??!! That’s impossible!” Jung Shin and Jong Hyun shouted simulataenously. “Hyung! Why? Did you agree?” Jung Shin asked. Yong Hwa took a moment before nodding his head. “Yes, I agreed” Yong Hwa replied calmly. “Hyung!! Why? Doesn’t she love you anymore?” Min Hyuk asked, shaking Yong Hwa by the shoulders.

“I agreed because I understand. We love each other but it’s too hard for us to be together. She feels that it’s a burden having to lie and deceive people. And it’s even harder when our schedules do not allow us to meet as we wish. We hardly have time for each other. And the worst part is when we have to publicly treat each other like strangers. I understand how she feels. That’s why I agreed. Besides, if it’s meant to be, we’ll get back together again. Seeing Geun Seuk hyung and Shin Hye’s relationship, I am somewhat comforted that Joo Hyun and I may have a chance again. Maybe the timing right now just isn’t right. But I won’t stop loving her. Ever. In the meantime, I have a lot to learn. I haven’t been able to treat her as good as I would like. It’s a time for me to reflect on myself” Yong Hwa said, calmly.

As Yong Hwa trudged back to his room, he thought about Seo Hyun. I hope she’s ok. I should text Yoona to get her to watch Joo Hyun, Yong Hwa thought to himself before his ringing phone brought him out of his reverie. “Hello?” Yong Hwa answered. “Yong Hwa-ya.. This is Han Seung Ho. Hey listen, I just heard the demo of your latest song composition and I have to say, it’s awesome! We can make that the main single on CNBLUE’s next album!!” Han Seung Ho praised. “Ahh.. Really? Wow.. It would be an honour” Yong Hwa said quietly, not quite as excited as he should be. “By the way, Yong Hwa-ya, I was wondering about the lyrics. Have you written it yet?” Han Seung Ho asked. “Mm… No, I haven’t written it yet. But..... I kind of have an idea for it” Yong Hwa said slowly. “Good! Tell me about it!” Han Seung Ho said enthusiastically.

“Erm… I was thinking, you know how the song is quite strong and powerful, right? It doesn’t fit concepts like falling in love but it does fit the concept of falling out of love. Like say the girl breaking up with the guy and him dealing with his…anger?” Yong Hwa explained. “Oh that’s good! Like he’s angry at her for breaking up with him and he’s ranting about her cruel behavior!! That’s good! It fits the melody perfectly! Write me some sample lyrics and we’ll discuss it further!” Han Seung Ho was excited about this new song.