“I’m so sorry,” Hara downed her head and tried so hard to not spill her tears. She heard what was really happening between Krystal and L in the past. She felt extremely wrong and guilty, for letting Krystal hung around L all this time.

Back then in high school, everyone knew that L and Krystal was close friend. They seldom appear alone, without one and another. If people didn’t know about Minho’s existence in their relationship, they probably thought that they were dating each other. That was just how close they were. Who would’ve thought that a well mannered and a soccer athlete like L could do something horrible like that? In people’s mind, the three of them was best friend who drifted apart naturally as they grew up. No one ever knew about the incident, because they always kept it as a secret.

Apart from everyone, Minho didn’t attend the same school as she did. She didn’t befriending him, and she thought she knew L better. For Hara, L was a type of friend that always around but not particularly really close. She saw L a lot because of Krystal. L she knew was L she saw, nothing more than that. She saw L as a model student, just like everyone did. Same goes for Minho who was quite famous for being an excellent athlete, who was ahead in front of his best friend in terms of soccer. But as a person close to Krystal, Hara could only see his over protective and possessiveness. Not to mention that he was slightly cold towards girl. That was why people always accused him for being obsessed with Krystal. No one really knew that Krystal was the only one who dared to get close to him. Not a lot of people knew that he wasn’t really good with socializing. Again, impression could lead into such a wrong thinking.

“Don’t blame yourself, Hara,” Krystal hugged her friend, calming her. She could understand why Hara seemed to take L’s side. She just didn’t know Minho.

“No one knew about the incident anyway. No need to cry,” Minho told her. He realized that L’s social skill could change people’s perspective. He was amazed but didn’t care.

“I just don’t want her to believe everything she was told. I thought I knew Myungsoo oppa. I’m so sorry for doubting you, oppa,” Hara bowed again to Minho. She was feeling really guilty. Not only to Krystal, but to Minho as well.

“Just don’t ever get Myungsoo around her,” he reminded Hara politely, but she could tell that he was being serious. Minho stood up and excused himself without any smile, leaving the girls alone.  

“Don’t mind Minho oppa,” Krystal squeezed Hara’s shoulder. “He just can’t relax when it comes to me.”

Hara shook her head and cried. She just couldn’t believe what she was doing all this time. If only she could see better. If only she didn’t judge so recklessly. She could understand why Minho was looking a bit upset. She deserved it.

“Sorry, Stal,” she whispered in her sobs. “So sorry.”

Krystal didn’t know how to tell her that it was okay. She gave up making Hara understood and just let her cried alone. Sometimes she would her arms or squeezed her hands, just to make her felt better. But it turned to be useless attempts.

“Hara,” Krystal broke the silence when Hara seemed to get her composed self-back. “Do you know why Minho oppa stopped playing soccer? I mean, what people told when he retired? There must be some news and stuff.”

Hara took a deep breath and squeezed the tissue in her hand. “They told us he got a serious injury. We never knew what is it exactly. That time, a lot of people questioned him, like why he didn’t try to recover and such. It may take long time but even now, a lot of people think it was a waste to give up. He’s just so talented. Even better than Myungsoo oppa who was already accepted at the national camp that time. Shortly after, you went back to San Francisco and Minho oppa seemed to turned into an ordinary student.”

“How about L oppa?”

“Like I told you, he was in the camp until I saw him again at the university. Though he and Minho oppa are there, they always act like they don’t know each other. L oppa always with his soccer team and Minho oppa is always alone. They don’t really blend with outsiders, but Myungsoo oppa is better. Minho oppa always seems a bit lonely and out of place, we always think that he shouldn’t be with us. His place is soccer field.”

Krystal nodded quietly and as far as she remembered, Minho loved soccer so much. And the saddest moment she ever saw from him was when he couldn’t play again. When he had to give up on it. His place was definitely soccer field. She caused him to stop, and maybe she could encourage him to play again.

Hara seemed to know what her friend was thinking. She held Krystal’s hand as she looked at her eyes. “You can do it, Krystal.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Krystal was sitting on her favorite couch at the veranda, stretching her legs and trying to peace her mind. She was holding another book from the library, since she already read everything in her room. She just came back from another tiring college day with Minho. They were separated as he excused himself to change his clothes.

 Vest. Shirt. Suits. She just couldn’t understand why he did such a drastic change in terms of appearance. Minho who used to wear tee and drenched in sweats while running was disappeared. The twenty four years old Minho didn’t even look like a master student at all. He always looked so neat and composed, like those professional businessman. It wasn’t like he didn’t look good in suits, he definitely looked good in anything. But his casual self was so hideous because he seldom wear any comfortable clothes outside work. She saw it only once, when he brought her to her dad’s soccer camp.