E p i s o d e 4

Kyuhyun

“Home.” I sighed out as I pushed the door open to the apartment. Gura-hyung was too much today, as expected. I should step up. “She’s home?” I thought as I observed Eunhye’s shoes were laid out on the floor unlike on the racks with the hundreds of pairs that she has, displaying her presence at the house. Using my foot, I pushed it off the side along with my pair of shoes. The voice of a man boomed through the living room, emitting from the speakers of the television as he went on to introduce the next performer. Despite it on, the living room was empty. I peered into the kitchen to find a girl with all her focus on the papers sprawled out in front of her on the dining table. Slowly, I tiptoed in, not wanting to disturb her or scare her. I stayed in that spot in front of her, just watching her, that feeling of guilt returned from the event a couple weeks back. The ring that used to be on the middle finger of her left hand was now dangling around her neck by a metal string.

She heaved a heavy sigh in frustration at her work and leaned back in her seat, looking up from the papers to finally recognize his presence. The tension was heavy as it always was and her stares were deadly yet empty of emotions. “I’ll work in the bedroom.” Her voice was cold, vague. Just as she started gathering up her things, I approached her closer, dropping my bag on the dining table by the corner.

“Stop. Just work here.” I replied, as I reached up to the cabinet to pull out a glass. The rustling of papers didn’t stop and when he glanced past his shoulder, she was still cleaning up her things. “Eunhye, please just work here.” That didn’t stop her either. The second she raised herself from her seat, I couldn’t help but raise my voice. “Eunhye! Just work here!” From that she stopped her motions, avoiding my eye contact. I know all she wants is to not be in the same room as me. She made that crystal clear. “I’ll be in the room.” I filled up my glass with water and snatched my bag before heading out.

“She called.”

I stopped in my tracks. “She?”

“Your girlfriend. She called the house phone.” Seohyun? How did she know the house phone number? Why didn’t she just call my phone? Ah, seriously. Update on her? I haven’t been spending much time on her. I come home after work every night for the past few months now to the apartment, to the girl who probably hates my guts more than anything else in this world. And update on her? Ever since the whole break up, she’s hated me more than ever. She talks me when she needs me and even that, it’s usually short sentences. We argue less, we really just get out of each other’s way. No matter how many times I try to converse with her, she shrugs me off and push me away. It but what can I do?

“What did she say?”

“She was just looking for you. She misses you. I pretended to be the maid so don’t worry.” She sat back down in her previous seat and spread out her papers in front of her just like before. I sighed at her last sentence. I still have yet to tell Seohyun what’s actually happening. The wedding’s not too far now, it’s all up to Eunhye actually as she decides most of the planning with the mothers. Even so, sooner than later, I should tell her. I will tell her. Tonight.

“You didn’t have to pretend to be the maid.”

“I don’t ruin relationships.”

Ouch. Should’ve seen that one coming. “Eunhye, I’m sorry for what I did that time. I didn’t know you-”

“You didn’t know what? That it wasn’t ‘just some relationship’? That I actually care? You’re right. You knew noth- you know nothing.” Her voice was harsh again, and her glare was shooting right through me. “Nothing you say will fix anything so just stop bringing it up.”

But the guilt inside was eating me alive. I don’t expect her to forgive me, that’s the last thing I expect from her. I just want her to know how sorry I am and I truly am. I pulled a stupid, childish stunt, one that was beyond unreasonable, and I want to make it up to her, somehow. The bell rang, killing our conversation we managed to keep up longer than usual. Soundlessly, I placed the half drank glass on the table and my bag on the floor leaned up against the table before going to open up the door. “Oh, guys. What are you doing here?”

“Aren’t you going to let us in, maknae?” Sungmin snickered as he pushed his way through with the rest of the group following behind him, leaving me to hold the door open. “Wah, your place is nice, man!” I heard Shindong exclaimed as they were all huddled in the shoe area, all trying to peel their shoes off their feet so they could enter. I was still standing there, as puzzled as ever as to how they know my apartment and why they’re all even here without any notice. “Oh, hello.” Siwon bowed down towards someone in the kitchen while everyone was in the living room. ! Eunhye!

“Um, hello.” I heard her soft voice greet as I tried to enter the situation. She looked at me with a look that was hard to read. Once everyone was done bowing down to her, she bowed back in her seat. There was quite an awkward silence before Eunhyuk broke it with his loud voice.

“We didn’t know that you’d be here. If we knew, we wouldn’t have come. Or we would’ve at least brought something along with us.”

She shook her head with a slight smile on her face as she began to clean her stuff up once again. “Please, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to.” Hearing her kind voice felt foreign to my ears and the gentle smile on her face was rare to see. But it was all the good kind. “I’ll set out some drinks.” She muttered but I heard her perfectly despite all the ruckus the guys were making, trying to get comfortable in the apartment.

“You don’t have to.” I mimicked her, trying to stop her from wasting energy and effort on a bunch of dorks that really don’t deserve her attention or any sort of comfort around the apartment as they’re all well capable of making themselves at home.

“They’re guests.” Her voice was back to somber tone when talking to me. “Just go sit with them.”

I sighed but complied, joining them all in the living room. “What are you all doing here?”

“What? We can’t visit our maknae?” Donghae exclaimed in his seat on the couch. “Yah, she’s really pretty.” He whispered but loudly which really just defeats the purpose of whispering.

“Can you keep your voice down, hyung!” I panicked slightly. They don’t know how we actually are, Eunhye and I since they think we’re on good terms. That’s quite awkward. “You guys are making her uncomfortable.”

“How else are we supposed to meet her when you never introduce her to us? We’re taking things into our hands now.” Ryeowook took his turn to talk, leaned up against Sungmin. All these time, I had never introduced Eunhye to the guys. Why? She doesn’t even know of them! She doesn’t care. She’s feeling annoyed and burdened right now and the blame’s on me.

On cue, she comes in the living room carefully with a tray full of drinks for each and every one of them. “Wah, thank you!” They all shouted as they took their respective drinks hastily. She nodded each time someone thanked her and returned to the kitchen with an empty tray after handing me my own glass of orange juice. “She’s really quiet, huh?” Yesung muttered.

“Well, she was doing her work and suddenly a group of men she doesn’t know walks in her house, she’s bound to be quiet.” I defended her slightly, chugging down the drink she made in anxiety. I need to get them out of here. “How long are you guys staying, seriously?” However my questions were left unanswered as they all babbled amongst themselves. I groaned out loud before heading into the kitchen to find Eunhye cutting out fruits. “Yah, you really don’t have to prepare so much.”

“They’re from your group right?” She mumbled, eyes and hands on the knife and fruit as she skillfully peeled the fruits and cut them in decorative way yet quickly. “Super Junior or whatever?” She knows? Holy crap, she knows. I stayed silent, watching her amusingly and amazed. “Or just don’t answer me.” She finishes up arranging all the various fruits on the plate and carried it out to the living room to set out for the guys. I watched them all sit up, shouting in excitement at the presence of food, lamely complimenting her on how nicely cut and peeled the fruits are and how nice she is to do this. “You’re welcome.”

She was different, so much different in front them compared to just me. Was this the real her? How she usually is? I didn’t really know how to react but this Eunhye surprised me. “This is enough. You don’t need to prepare anymore for them.” I stopped her from entering the kitchen again, knowing she’s just going to keep going. She looked at me expressionlessly.

“Kyuhyun! Have your wife sit with us!” Ryeowook cheered, munching on an a piece of melon. I peered down at her, knowing I should just make some excuse for her. But before I could say anything, she faced her body towards them. “Come, sit here!” Siwon motioned for her towards them, making space beside him by pushing Yesung over. Hesitantly, she approached them and sat down. Her uncomfort was obvious yet none of the guys took notice of it. “Sorry to trouble you for everything.”

“It’s nothing. I should be doing this considering…the situation now.”

“We’re actually missing some of them.” Yesung muttered.

“There’s more?” Eunhye questioned surprised. Her expression was something that got me chuckling. “How many members…” She said softly under her breath.

“So! Is there anything you’re curious about when it comes to Kyuhyun?” Donghae continued the conversation that I already want to end despite it just starting. I felt her eyes on me and I had hoped she comes up with some random question but of course, she just had to cut it.

“Nope. Nothing.” It brought a slight awkwardness to the atmosphere but whether that awkwardness was cut or added on to by Shindong’s comment, was arguable.

“Oh, you know Seohyun came over the other day.” Shindong mentioned. “You weren’t there so Henry just gave her your apartment’s house phone number.” So that’s how it happened.

“Why did you give it to her?” I asked the idiot. With her knowing the apartment’s house number, it creates a link between Seohyun and Eunhye, a link I had never wanted to exist.

“She’s your girlfriend. What’s so bad with her knowing?” I heard a feminine voice retort into the conversation out of the blue. When I glanced at her, her eyes on glued on the slice of apple she had in her hand.

Yesung cleared his throat. “She knows about Seohyun? And she’s okay with it? Wah, she’s really something.”

“Yeah, dude, you’re so lucky. What kind of wife lets her husband have a girlfriend?”

“The best kind.”

The boys went on, inconsiderate and unconscious of Eunhye’s feelings or thoughts. She had on another unreadable expression, one I can’t decipher but I kept my eyes on her. She kept quiet amongst the rowdy men around her. But it’s true. What kind of wife lets her husband have a girlfriend? Obviously the kind that doesn’t care but she has never acted or said anything against it. Unlike me. Who just went ahead and break her and her boyfriend up.

“Okay, you guys need to go.” I declared, getting up from my seat beside Ryeowook. “And I mean it. We have schedule tomorrow, I’ll see you all then.” They all looked up at me with confused eyes except for Eunhye who looked at everything and anything but me. “Please guys.” I made a look and nodded towards Eunhye to which they all finally understood where I’m trying to get at.

“Yeah, alright, fine, it’s getting late anyway.” Eunhyuk exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. One by one, they all followed him up and towards the door, thanking Eunhye endlessly.

“It’s really nothing. Please come by anytime.” She politely commented with a gentle smile.

“Sure, maybe without your husband around.” Sungmin remarked, smirking at me. I would back if Eunhye’s soft giggle hadn’t rung through my ears. They bid their final goodbye before I finally closed the front door to welcome the silence and peace. Eunhye who had stayed by the step until they all left, returned to the living room to clean up the glasses loitered over the coffee table.

“Sorry about that, I really didn’t know they were coming.” I awkwardly commented only to be ignored. The clock strike 7 in the evening and I knew neither of us has had dinner. Why is this significant? We’ve never had a meal together, just the two of us. It would either be me or her who’d come home after dinner when the other’s either sleeping or showering. Despite the lighter atmosphere, I know she still would never sit down with me to eat dinner. “Look, you can call up dinner right? I have...somewhere I have to go.” She ignored me again now in the kitchen, placing everything in the sink. I sighed inwardly to myself. “I’ll go first then.”

Eunhye

He left without another word, leaving the house all to myself. I always thought ignoring someone was one of the rudest things you can do to someone but crap, I really don’t like the guy. I called up a Chinese restaurant and ordered some noodles and some chicken before washing up all the glasses and plate used for the little house-warming party.

I have never talked to Matty after the break up no matter how times I’ve typed it up yet never send it. Maybe it would be better this way, with no contact. You know, easier to move on and whatnot. Even then, it’s so hard. All the habits of calling him up and texting him, even thinking about him, were all hard to break. I had hoped he felt the same way as I do and maybe talk things up again. But knowing his personality, you’d need a miracle for him to pick things up where we left off.

It was nearing midnight when I was cuddled up in my blanket on the couch in front of the TV with a horror movie on. My phone continuously vibrated against the wooden top of the coffee table but it was easily ignored. Just when the girl was about to turn around to face the ghost, the front door was shoved open, making me jump in my seat. “Holy !”

Kyuhyun sauntered in cluelessly. “Why did you scream?”

“‘Cause you scared the crap out of me, maybe!” I screamed out sarcastically, glaring at him from my position on the couch. My reaction managed to get a smile out of him oddly enough but I shrugged it off and got comfy again, focusing back on the wide flat screen.

I watched him from my peripheral vision as he approached me and stood behind me, leaning on his arms on the back of the couch right beside me. "Ah, scary movie. Can I join?" I ignored his words but before I knew it, I felt the couch on my left side sink down as he plopped himself onto the cushions, a good distance from me.

It was peacefully quiet and we were both all into the movie until it got quite boring and Kyuhyun thought it be the best timing to break the silence. "I broke up with her." I stayed silent as I registered his words. My mind wasn’t on the movie anymore as soon as he spoke out. Why is he telling me this?

“Why?”

“I broke your relationship. So I broke mine.”

I kept the expression on my face blank, suppressing the corners my lips to raise. I couldn’t help but feel warmth surging through my body. “You didn’t have to.” I heard him chuckle lightly but stayed quiet. “How did she take it?”

“Badly. Cried all over the place, cussed me out, hit me over and over.”

“Why do you sound as if you don’t really care?”

“I do. I just care more about someone else now, I have to care more about someone else.”

“Who?”

“You.” A lump appeared in my throat, hearing his answer. I could feel the blood rushing faster in my veins as the beating of my heartbeat increases. The heat in the room build up fast or was it just me? I could feel his gaze on me, but I kept avoiding his eyes. I didn’t know what to say. The silence became heavy as the conversation stopped so suddenly. “You are my wife, aren’t you?”

Wordlessly, I nodded as I pushed myself off the couch, peeling the blanket off me to leave on the couch for Kyuhyun to sleep with on the couch. “I’m going to bed.”

Waw it's been so long! Here's the update, sorry for the super super late update though. I just got out of the hospital cause I haven't been taking care of myself well. I don't want to do homework so I did this instead, hehe. Hope you liked it! Subscribe for more, and comment anything and everything. You are what drive this story. Love you all!