( From Yoogyung's point of view )

As Chen grabbed my wrist, I sighed and said in a monotonous tone of voice," C-Chen-sshi, I'm in no mood to talk right now. Just let go of my wrist. It's late and I'm tired." I tried to free myself from his grasp but I only found him tightening his grip on my wrist before saying hesitantly," "Wait, there's something I really need to say. If I don't, the guilt and regret would be too much to bear. Please, give me a chance to explain myself and...a-and.... apologize."

I sighed and rolled my eyes in annoyance. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a growling stomach. I turned around only to find Chen, gulping down his saliva. It was awkward at first as we stared at each other until I broke the silence between us and asked in a hesitant manner, "H-Hey.. Do you want some ramyun? I have some at home. You didn't eat, didn't you?" Chen only looked away at that sentence before I continued, " I'm gonna change first. Wait here."

After I had changed into dry and comfortable clothing, I headed down to the kitchen to boil some water. "Wait!" I said to Chen in an alarming tone, "Don't come any closer and let me think whether I wanna speak to you or not." Chen backed away and made his way back to the couch, slumping his shoulders. At that, I did feel bad of rejecting him. Sensing from his body language, he was disappointed with himself for saying all those words and I was not going to accept his apology. I ignored the pang of guilt and continued to cook 2 servings of instant noodles.

The silence was deafening. The only sound you could hear in the house was the sound of the boiling of water and the stirring of the noodles. None of us uttered a single word to each other and I felt the need to break the silence, but I could not find the courage in myself to do so.

After cooking the noodles and serving them in 2 porcelain bowls, I carried them both in my hands, heading towards the sofa. "Hey," I called," Mind helping me with the cutlery? I have no hands." Honestly, I was starting to be a little scared of Chen. His words were exactly like poison and yet, now that I see him, eyes full of remorse, I feel the need to give him a second chance.

I handed a bowl to him as he slurped the noodles greedily, wolfing down the food to curb his hunger. Suddenly, he started to choke on his noodles and I rushed to the kitchen, fetching a glass of water for him to drink. "Thanks." He heaved a sigh of relief and gave me a small but genuine smile. It was the first time that I had seen him so polite, so genuine and so.... happy.

He slowed down his pace and slurped his noodles so as to prevent from choking. Again, silence overcame the living room and we just slurped our noodles hungrily. He had not eaten his dinner but I had not eaten for a whole day. My appetite was lost to rage, hurt and anger but I decided to hold it in in front of Chen

As he put his bowl down on the coffee table in front of us, his eyes fixed upon a soft toy on a cupboard at the doorway. "It was a sheep I had bought in New Zealand at the age of 7." I said. Before I moved out of my own home, I made sure I had brought that with me and it was a part of my packing list. I knew I would miss my family the moment I moved, especially when I was moving to a different state altogether. Therefore, I decided to bring the soft toy along with me.

It was always there for me in the darkest of times and it gave me hope and comfort, just like a family would do. It was the only thing that was more than a soft toy, it was a friend. However, ever since what Yunho had done to me, I never had the courage to go back to Los Angeles again. Ever since my relationship started to get aloof and distant, I never told my parents about what I was going through. I didn't want them to worry about me and I only confided in Hyorin, even making her promise that she will not utter a single word to them about what was happening in my life.

The time finally came when I had to pay the price for my actions. I had to lie through my teeth about my well-being whenever my parents called. I lied that Yunho and I were happy together; We were not. Instead, he took advantage of me which caused us to drift apart. I lied that Yunho and I were still in the same class, same school, same course; Nope, after that day, he transferred to Stanford University in a different state. In fact, he was 9 states away and we never saw each other again. Furthermore, I lied that was happy and lively; I had changed. That part of me disappeared the moment I was . I had become stoic and emotionless, burying myself into the books so I could run away from the hurt and pain that I had experienced.

Ever since then, I never visited my parents, coming up with excuses that I had projects to complete and I had too much work to finish, having no time to visit them. Their understanding towards the situation, however, made my heart break. After every conversation with my parents, I cried because of the burden that I carried for lying to them. What they believed was all a lie; My life had become a lie and it was too late for the truth to surface. Honestly, I was embarrassed of the life that I led since I moved out. It was not the happy life my parents and I had expected. It was the complete opposite, something that we had never expected.

As soon as I snapped back to reality, tears started to well up in my eyes. I expected that these memories would soon come to haunt me one day but the aftermath was worst than what I had prepared for. I felt the pang of guilt in my chest again and I buried my face in my hands, hiding my pain away from Chen, who was sitting just opposite me. Finally, I could hold back my tears no longer. They streamed down my cheeks and I tasted the bitterness of my own tears. I felt that this was what I deserved from all the bad things that had happened in my life. I had to taste the bitterness of life in order to develop into becoming a better person.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong and robust arms embrace me in a hug. I knew who it was the moment I heard him speak. "You're gonna be alright. Trust me." He said in a gentle and soothing voice. His embrace was hesitant, but warm and strong. At that, I only cried harder, burying my face into his shoulders. Soon enough, the sleeve was soaked with my tears.

However, he didn't seem to mind, instead he continued holding me in his embrace. After that, he loosened his arms around me and looked at me, his thumb across my cheek to wipe away my tears. He said in a comforting and gentle," I heard about your life and it was something I never expected. I'm sorry for what I said." He turned away in an awkward manner and continued, without making eye contact this time, "I would do whatever it takes to pay for what I have done, even to the extent of being there for you through thick and thin. Unfortunately, I can't promise to solve all your problems but I can promise you that you won't have to face them alone."

As he finished his sentence, his cheeks blushed furiously until the tip of his ears became as red as a tomato. I broke into a smile. It was funny seeing Chen like this and it was cute too. He coughed," It's getting late. Mind if I help you---" He didn't get to finish his sentence as I stood up and took our empty bowls, throwing them into the dishwasher. "B-But..." He stammered.

"It's fine. You're my guest. I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday. I shouldn't have. If your fans find out, they would probably murder me." I said dryly. He let out a small laugh and said in between laughs," You know... You're actually kinda funny..." Again, his cheeks showed that it was turning red again and I ended off by saying, " You too. Thanks for your help. Even though you're a stranger, there's no words I can actually say to you. I can't seem to find the right words to express how grateful I am for the hug and those words. I think... You're actually... interesting. Anyway, I'm going to bed now. You should too." I said, yawning the moment I finished my piece.

"Sure." He said, "Good night and sweet dreams. Stay strong, Beautiful. It might be stormy now but it can't rain forever. Always look for the rainbow after the storm. There's hope in everything you do wrong, it's just up to you to find it." Chen said in a voice that was encouraging me and giving me hope, something that only Hyorin could do. I nodded before closing the door, heading to my bed and I plopped my head on the pillows, drifting off to dreamland.

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Author's Note:

Hello readers! I'm so sorry for the wait... >__< I've been really busy this few weeks and didn't have the time to update my fics. However, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the other chapters. :) Oh, don't forget to comment and subscribe. :) Again, I think you would have to wait quite a while for the next chap... >__< Abt a week maybe... Thus, I apologize in advance. Sorry guys... D: