[Seungri POV]

I don’t move as I feel Jiyong hyung sling his arm over my shoulders. “Where is our MVP, Heawon, going?” He asks me, looking after Heawon’s retreating figure and back at my face.

But I simply can’t reply. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because my throat instantly went dry when I heard her shaken voice. Or maybe it’s because my chest formed knots when I spotted that tear on her hallow cheeks. Maybe it’s because I simply let her run away…

I’m supposed to be her comfort. But why didn’t I do it now? I should be running after her right now if it wasn’t for Jiyong hyung holding me back. I know he figured out what I was going to do. He’s my hyung after all. I stare at him pleadingly, letting go of my pride for once.

He silently stares back. “Seungri-ah, give her some time alone first. I don’t know what happened or what you saw, but just give her a few moments to herself.”

Despite the strong urge to break away from his grasp and run after her, I let out a sigh and slump in his arm. “But she needs someone.” I mumble as he leads me to the van.

“Maybe she does, but not right at this moment. Let her breathe.” He murmurs, eyeing me at the same time.

I slightly nod and stare out the window the rest of the ride home, hoping to see the girl who’s constantly on my mind on the way.

~O~O~

I anxiously glare at the clock, impatiently tapping my fingers against my phone. It’s already one in the morning and she isn’t back yet. I should go wait by her dorm. I hop off my bed and quietly sneak out the dorm, happy that I was able to sneak out without anyone catching me for the first time. Slowly but stealthily, I walk along the hallways, making sure I don’t make noise.

“Seungri?”

I come at a halt the same time Heawon does. I mentally flinch at the sight of her face. Her usual pink hue in her cheeks is gone and tears stain her face while her silky hair is a mess. I stare in her eyes, her beautiful sad eyes. They seem so dull; there’s no spark in them whatsoever. In an instant, I stride over and pull her into my arms.

She buries her head into my chest as she grips onto my shirt with both hands. I hear her sob. My heart starts to ram into my chest hard as I listen to her. I know something happened between Heawon and Chansung. I knew it right when I locked eyes with her after he called her name. I wonder what happened between them…

Another sob from her breaks my train of thought. I gently take the keys to her dorm from her jacket pocket. I wrap one arm around her shoulders and walk her inside her dorm. I sit her down on the couch and kneel on the floor in front of her. I catch her chin and lift her face up to look me in the eyes. My chest aches at the sight of her stained face.

“Hey,” I let go of her chin and use both hands to grasp hers on her lap. My thumbs rub the palms of her hands soothingly. “I don’t like seeing you cry. Why are you back so late?”

She holds my hands tightly, almost making me wince at her strength. “I saw someone after five years. I saw someone who promised me something I held dear. I saw someone who used to mean my whole life. I saw someone who I thought I wouldn’t see anymore—“

Her voice cracks and she closes her eyes. Tears fall down her cheeks. I take one hand away from her strong hold and softly wipe her tears away with my fingers. The tips of my fingers linger at the corner of her lips. I feel tiny, quick breaths escape her lips as they part. She slowly opens her eyes and looks at me with empty eyes, making my heart slow down and my stomach form knots.

“That someone was Chansung.” She whispers. Her eyes then blankly stare at our entwined hands as she pours her heart out at me.

~O~O~

[Heawon POV]

“I met Chansung through a dance class actually. We were both the same age, eleven years old to be exact.” I tell Seungri, starting off. I mentally smile at the faint memory. “I remember being so eager to learn dancing. I wanted to learn every single move possible after watching those groups dance and sing on TV. My cousin would bring me to watch dance battles on the streets. That’s where I discovered my favorite kind of dances: hip-hop and pop.” I smile this time, ignoring the stiffness of my cheeks from all the previous tears. I continue.

“So, after a whole lot of begging on my part, I got my parents to enroll me in dance classes. By then, I sort of hit it off with Chansung. I saw how the teacher favored him and he proved why. He is a great dancer. At first, the only thing I could do was spin and not fall. I was horrible and almost quit this whole dream of mine. That’s where Chansung became my friend. He supported me and told me not to give up. He even taught me after school and on the weekends.

“By that time, we grew up together, going through middle and high school with each other. I was content, following this routine I fell so comfortable with. I fell for him. All I did everyday was to wake up, go to school, ride back home with Chansung, homework, practice dancing with him, and do it all over again. Little by little, with the help of Chansung and the dance classes, I improved a hell of a lot better than I started. My teacher even started praising me for my improvement. I was happy with my progress and was actually starting to dream of a career where I can choreograph or teach dance classes. But my parents got in the way, finally having enough of this ‘stupid, worthless dream of mine’. That’s when I started distancing myself from them, at the age of fourteen.

“And that’s the age where I reached the top of my dance class. I was getting so good to the point where I could even help the teacher with teaching… What I didn’t notice was Chansung. I got so focused on my dancing and reaching the top that he was faded into the background.” I stop, gulping. I feel Seungri squeeze my hands. I lock eyes with him, sad to say the next thing.

“By the age of sixteen, he betrayed me.”