Sun Ji had her head down – trying not to look at him. Jong In sighed. “I see, you’re jealous” he calmly said. She looked at him in irritation. “I just told you that I’m angry and you’re just going to say that?” she scoffed.

He smiled. “I’m sorry for not telling you about that. I just thought that it’s not important. I think I’m wrong with that decision. I should’ve been honest with you because I know that you’ll understand. I’m really sorry” he apologized non-stop. Somehow, for some reasons, she felt the lump on gone.

“But why are you acting so close with her? Y-You don’t have any feelings for her?” she asked. “She’s a friend of mine, how can I not act close with her? Thinking about the past, I think courting her was an impulsive decision out of pity. She’s all alone here in Korea because her parents are in New York. I don’t know why but I thought of protecting her – just like a big brother but courting her for mistaking pity for love was the wrong method that I used. When she turned me down and she went to New York, I realized that what I did was wrong”

Sun Ji looked at him the whole time. Yoo Jin’s words came to her mind once again. “But… do you have any feelings left for her? I mean… she might have liked you and likes you until now…”

“I told you I’m acting like her big brother right now. If I have feelings for her, that’s just the usual feeling that you have for your friends – like Seyeon and Jae Young – like that. Nothing more. But the feelings I have for you…” he touched her hair.

“…is way more than being friends. And you know that, right?” he smiled. Sun Ji felt her cheeks burn from the cheesy words coming out from his mouth. If it was just a usual conversation, she might’ve hit his head for saying something very cheesy but right now, she’s happy that he’s saying those words.

“R-Really?” she mumbled as she lowered her head. He nodded. “Now you know how I feel when you’re Chanyeol?” he asked. She quickly looked at him. “That’s a different thing!”

“How is it different? He’s obviously into you until now…” he told her. “I told you it’s a different thing!” she complained. “How is it different?” Jong In’s face was just an inch away from hers when he asked that. She quickly looked away. “Look at you blush” he teased. 

“Y-Yah, if someone sees us we’ll be sent to the principal’s office” she warned him. He stood straight and smiled brightly as he patted her head. “Let’s go” he said as he held her hand.

“O-Okay” she stuttered as she followed him. She was happy that everything was cleared but something’s different. She felt something broke inside her heart. Trust. The trust that she has towards him changed. It’s not the same like the trust that she had before Yoo Jin came to her life. Somehow, somewhere in her heart, she still has doubts. But for now, she’s giving him another chance. And if that chance will be broken, she doesn’t know what she’ll do next.

Yoo Jin bit her lip as she hung up. She heard the whole conversation. Jong In, out of surprise and confusion just pocketed his phone without hanging up. She can’t believe what she just heard. “He courted me just because of pity?” she asked herself. Tears were welling up on her eyes. “He just feels that I’m a younger sister to protect?” she scoffed. “Just you wait. I’ll make you realize that I’m not just a younger sister. I’ll make you mine” she said as she clenched her fists.

*Why would Sun Ji cry? But, maybe she just have something going on and it’s not related to Jong In, right?* Chanyeol asked himself as he ran his finger on his hair. He stared as his ceiling. He heard something coming from the hallway. “What’s that? Did someone come?” he stood and walked towards the door to check out who that was. Kyungsoo’s at school at that time, Luhan’s on his soccer practice while Baekhyun and Jongdae have practices for the coming evaluation at their agency.

He slowly walked towards the living room. No one was there. He heard something coming from the kitchen. He went there and he saw someone drinking water from the water bottle. His eyes narrowed. “Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun almost choked when he heard Chanyeol’s deep voice. “Why are you here? You’re supposed to be practicing for your evaluation, right?” he asked while stepping inside the kitchen. “I finished earlier than I thought that’s why I came home. I still need to finish my paper” Baekhyun answered while putting the bottle down at the table.

“Why?” Baekhyun asked when he saw Chanyeol staring at him. “Are you hiding something?” he asked. “What would I hide from you?” Baekhyun nervously asked as he walked past Chanyeol and went to the living room. He sat on the couch and turned the television on. “Did you get someone pregnant?” Chanyeol asked.

“What the are you talking about!?” Baekhyun threw a pillow towards Chanyeol. “I’m just joking! What is really wrong with you?” Chanyeol sat at the couch just beside the couch that his friend was sitting. “Nothing’s wrong”

They sat there and watched dramas together. They both slept in between those times but always come to their senses whenever the sounds of gunshots and bombs were blasted. Luhan also joined their drama viewing marathon. All those times, Chanyeol was observing Baekhyun. He was always going to the kitchen to drink water and he rarely speaks. His laughs were also not that loud compared before. Eventually Kyungsoo also came home to cook for their dinner.

The door flew open and a furious Jongdae came in. They all looked at him except Baekhyun who had his head down. “Yah, Byun Baekhyun, why did you quit? I thought we’re going to do this together. Why did you suddenly quit?” Jongdae looked at Baekhyun. The other three also looked at him. “Y-You quit? B-But, you told me that the company seems to be in favour of the two of you and they already have a plan of making you a duo to debut soon after your next evaluation” Chanyeol shook his head.

“I… I have something to tell you” Baekhyun lifted his head and looked at his friends. He touched his neck. “I have nodes, vocal nodules and I have to pull back for some time” he said. “What?” the four of them asked in chorus. “When did you learn about it?” Jongdae asked. “A week ago. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll be having a surgery after this semester. I’m sorry for not telling you. I mean, you should focus with your exams, right?”

“But… there’s a possibility that you’re not gonna have your voice back, right?” Kyungsoo asked – worry can be seen in his eyes. “Thankfully it’s still in its early stage so the possibility of me having my loud voice back is big so I’ll be okay. Anyway, I trust the surgeon very much” he smiled.

“How can you have so much trust?” Luhan asked. “Because he’s my dad. I trust my dad that I’ll be able to sing again… soon” Baekhyun nodded. Chanyeol, Luhan, Kyungsoo and Jongdae can’t hide that they’re worried about him. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s not like I’m going to die” he looked away.

Sunday, no classes but Sun Ji’s still in her room reviewing for their exams tomorrow. Someone knocked on her door. “Your friends are here” Minseok said as he opened the door. She looked at his brother. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked while gathering her books and notes. “I’m going to Jeju. We have a meeting today. I need to face the staff for some changes in the plans” Minseok explaine