Awkward silence really took over our relationship for weeks. There were awkward greetings when we bumped into each other in the halls, and awkward seating plans at lunch-there had to be at least a few people sitting between us for us to function properly instead of choking on the awkward atmosphere.

During this entire hardship, I forced myself to not think about him, and threw myself into school work; it became a daily routine to me: wake up, school, the group, awkwardly say hi to L, home, homework, sleep. With such a monotonous schedule, it was a guarantee that I wouldn't have time to think about him. 

At the beginning, it was evident to everyone that I avoiding him by my tactics. I would walk through a different hall to get to class, I would always keep my eyes glued to the floor, on my phone, or straight ahead when I went through the crowd, and I would sit as far away from him as possible in class or lunch.

Unfortunately for me, I was stuck being seat mates with him in one class everyday, and the suffocating atmosphere soon got the better of me, but very reluctantly did I start to talk a bit more to him.

So now, I guess, we're friends?

It's been two months, and with much effort and difficulty, we've finally started to become almost like before. We talked much more without it being stiff and unpleasant, so I guess that was progress. Still, I was not as close with him as I was with Sungyeol.

Over the course of the breakup, Sungyeol had been the one there to really comfort and console me when all L did was hurt me over and over again. I never would've gotten this far now if it hadn't been for Sungyeol counselling me patiently every time I was losing myself.

But that didn't mean my feelings for him died.

Though we were like close friends now, I still loved him. Through our smiles and laughter, I still felt my heart thudding every time I laid my eyes on him. Every little action from him had my mind in a frenzy, and even though he hurt me the deepest, I still loved him, whether I'd admit it or not...

"Youngie? Youngie-ahh~ What are you thinking about?" I felt a nudge and I blinked, coming out of my thoughts. "Huh?"

L gave me a knowing look and shook his head. "Do you ever last through a day without spacing out at one point?" He pointed at me with his fork before going back to eating his noodles. I made a face at him and stabbed his noodles down with my chopsticks. 

"Yah, are you insulting me right now?" I glared him down, my chopsticks still on top of his noodles. He kicked my chopsticks away with his fork and pulled his plate towards him, protectively blocking it with his arm. "At least I'm not trying to murder someone else's food!"

I scoffed at him and continued to eat my lunch, but he nudged me again. "So what were you thinking about, hmm?" My eyes flicked to him nervously and pretended to be interested in my food, while my heart gave me away, throwing itself madly against my chest, wanting to break free.

"N-nothing, just mentally planning out my schedule..." He looked at me skeptically but didn't further question me as his attention got distracted by Sungjong's sudden cry as he tackled Dongwoo, with of them fighting over something that Dongwoo was holding protectively against his chest.

"HYUNG! GIVE MY PHONE BACK TO ME! DON'T READ MY TEXTS, HYUNGGGGGGGG!" Dongwoo snickered and twisted out of Sungjong's grasp. "Ani~ You have to tell hyung what you're hiding from me~ I'm going to read it~"

Sungjong messed up his hair in frustration and chased Dongwoo as he ran out of the cafeteria, giggling like a child. "HYUNGGG!"

He got up and dragged a laughing Bora with him, demanding her to help him chase Dongwoo down, nearly knocking over a poor unsuspecting girl who just came into the cafeteria. Sunggyu facepalmed and called after them. "Kids, don't kill each other!"

Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed my tense position that I didn't realize I was holding. He tried to steal a piece of meat from my lunch and I attacked his fork with my chopsticks, which escalated into a mini-war between our utensils while we bickered.

It's pathetic to think of this as flirting, but I really did think that way, in a desperate attempt to have it somewhat be like how it was before. Back when we flirted and laughed everyday.

I caught Sungyeol looking at me from the corner of my eyes and I turned over. His look spoke unsaid words and I knew he wasn't happy with what I was doing. Normally, it wouldn't bother me, but he knows so much already and I felt like he knew what I was trying to do. I stopped the war and muttered at L, giving up and continuing to eat my food.

He looked at me, slightly confused, but then laughed in triumph as he ate my piece of meat. I shook my head at him, and quickly finished up my own lunch. I threw away the take out box and came back to grab my bag, preparing to leave. He caught my arm and I took in a sharp breath, whipping my head around. "Where are you going?"

 "U-uh, I have to finish up my homework...in the library. It's due tomorrow! Annyeong Oppa!" I twisted my arm out of his grip and dashed out of the cafeteria before he figured out I was lying. Woohyun called after me, asking me where I was going, but I ignored him and left quickly.

True to my word, I did run to the library, but only ended up sitting down on the floor in a corner furiously trying to calm myself down. It was a bit too much for me to handle and the look Sungyeol gave me was burned into my mind. I shook my head and put my face into my hands. "Aish, what am I doing..."

"Yeah, what are you doing?" I jolted up at the familiar voice, eyes widened. "Y-yeol oppa..."

He shook his head and gave a small chuckle. "I saw you running out of the cafeteria after eating lunch with L." His eyes slightly darked at L's name and I shrank back from him. "O-oh..." Noticing my action, he quickly returned back to normal gave me a sheepish look. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intimidate you."

I shook my head. "Ani, you didn't intimidate me." He sighed and sat down next to me. "I know you ran away only after seeing me look at you." I started stuttering, trying to cover it up with some sort of believable lie, but failed to find any and just sighed. "Mianhae..."

He shook his head and placed his hand on my arm comfortingly. "I know what you're thinking and yes, I do know what you're trying to do, but...I won't judge you for it." I winced and looked over at him. "You do?"

He looked at me, half offended. "You've been talking to me about him for the past two months! I think I can tell if you're just genuinely friends with him or secretly still in love with him." I winced at the word love and he quickly covered his mouth. "M-mianhae mianhae! I didn't mean it in that way!"

Regaining my composture, I smiled softly and shook my head. "Don't apologize for telling the truth. At least we still talk though, right?" he sighed, but nodded. "Yeah."

His expression seemed a bit disappointed when I turned away and caught him out of the corner of my eye. When I glanced back, he quickly hid that expression behind a smile, making me confused. Why does he look so disappointed? He said he wouldn't judge...

"I guess I still hope for a small tiny chance that he'd regain his feelings for me and come back to me." I said in a small voice, looking down at my lap. He whipped his head over, looking at me, and hurt and disappointment flashed across his eyes again.

Silence slowly hung over us as we both sat back against the book shelves, each lost in our own thoughts. I glanced over at him to see him frowning at the ceiling, eyebrows furrowed. I watched him sigh softly and cross his arms over his chest, slowly closing his eyes. For a few moments, I quietly observed him, and within minutes, I heard his breathing deepen and even out, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

Unhappiness was still written across his features, even while he was asleep, causing me to worry about him. Why is he always looking so unhappy these days? What's wrong with him? Is there a problem? What is bothering him? 

Subconsciously, I raised my finger up to the middle of his brow and gently pressed down, easing away his unhappy expression. Only then did he look more peaceful and relaxed, something I haven't seen in a while. I brushed his fringe away from his eye and softly touched his cheek. 

He's never looked so fragile before; he's always been my solid wall and support, always letting me lean on him that I forgot he could be in need of support too. He never talked to me about his life or problems, so I wonder what is wrong... 

Realizing what I've done, my hand froze and I stared at him in shock. What am I doing? I shouldn't be doing this! I quickly retracted my hand back to my lap and watched him, hoping he wouldn't wake up. He stirred a bit and I started to panic, getting ready to run at any moment, but he just returned back to having an unhappy expression and continued to sleep.

Sighing, I put my finger to the middle of his brow again, trying to ease away whatever was troubling him. Just like before, that got him to relax back and his breathing deepened again. I cocked my head to the side, gently brushing his cheek. Just when will you tell me your troubles, Yeol oppa? I worry about you too. For the remainder of the lunch period I stayed with him, observing, all thoughts of L temporarily gone from my mind for once.

I finally acknowledged the fact that this pitiful one sided flirting with L is not going to get me anywhere with him, nor will it help us get back to the way we were before.

But I had to try, even if it seemed like an impossible and unachievable thing, I had to take that chance.

"Yeolie oppa, I'm sorry for burdening you all this time. I'll try to keep it all of myself now and be strong in front of everyone." I whispered to Sungyeol, promising him even though I knew he wouldn't hear me. I continue to brush his cheek, oblivious to the figure who was watching us the entire time, while we were sitting in our little secluded corner.

♫~◄~♔~►~♫

He now watched me and Sungyeol interact, and saw how comfortable I was with him. He could tell that I ran away from the cafeteria because of him. He didn't want to follow after me, but after seeing Sungyeol get up and also leave the cafeteria, he had to follow to see what was happening. Inside, he lost sight of Sungyeol until he heard my voice.

Instantly, he knew the voice belonged to me because he practically had every aspect of me imprinted into his mind. He shut his eyes tightly before following my sound. Looking through a small crack in the book case, Sungyeol sit down next to me and talk softly. Our conversation was said in soft tones, so he couldn't really make out our entire conversation, but he did catch some parts.

He heard me talking about my supposedly one sided flirtations with him and my hope of him regaining his feelings for me and getting back with me again. "Pabo, I never stopped loving you..." he whispered sadly.

He saw Sungyeol place a hand on me, trying to comfort me, and felt his heart tighten. He was supposed to be the one to comfort me, yet instead he was the one inflicting the pain on me. He noticed Sungyeol's expression when he looked at me-it was the same expression he had when he looked at me: love. Sungyeol loved me, but I was oblivious to the entire matter.

Staying long enough to see Sungyeol fall asleep, he clenched his fists when I pressed a finger on Sungyeol's brow and reorganized his fringe for him. He felt a throbbing ache in his chest when I placed a hand on Sungyeol's cheek.

Carefully observing my expression, he realized that I had begun to start liking Sungyeol, without knowing it myself when my hand froze over his cheek. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard me saying how I felt sorry for burdening him, touching his cheek again.

A small tear rolled down his cheek and he turned away from me, unable to watch anymore. "Alright Hwayoungie. It's finally time. I'm sorry for doing this to you, but I have to. I tried to be close to you again, hoping that maybe Sungyeol will lose his feelings, but his feelings only grew stronger with each passing day. I can't hang onto you like this anymore, Hwayoungie. You need to move on too. Please forgive me when I start to block you out of my life. I love you, Park Hwa Young."

And with that, he left the library, a new resolve on his mind.

♫~◄~♔~►~♫

I actually felt a tiny bit of excitement when I went to Science today, the only class I had with L, because I was finally on good terms with him. I wanted to see his face again.

I walked into the classroom, spotting L already at his seat. I sat down in my seat next to him, flashing a smile. "Hey L! You're early for once. Aren't you always late?" I teased. Instead of mocking me back like he would before, he only nodded silently, not even looking at me.

I frowned a bit at him, slightly confused at his sudden behaviour, but brushed it off when the teacher walked in and started our lesson. During the entire period,he looked straight ahead and took down notes, ignoring my presence completely. He only looked over once to retrieve his pencil when it rolled over to my table. Even when I handed it back, all he mumbled was a curt thanks.

I spent the entire period distracted by his behaviour. I didn't understand why he suddenly became so stiff and quiet when we were just playing at lunch. We worked so hard to become friends again and here he was, acting like none of that happened. I tried to approach him and get him to open up by asking a few questions for Science, but all he did was shrug. "I don't know. Ask the teacher." Blinking at him, I slowly nodded and moved my book away from him. O-kay, that was cold...

Not the one to easily give up, I tried to approach him a few more times but ended up with the same result.

"Oppa, what do you have next?"

"Molla."

"Don't you remember your own schedule? It's been months!" A tease.

"Mhm."

A brief moment of silence.

"So...is there homework?"

"Ani."

I was really taken aback by this sudden behavioural change, and didn't know what else to say. I was the only one trying to make conversation here and he wasn't giving an effort to hold up the conversation, so eventually, I stopped, feeling defeated. That is until, as if fate was on my side, our teacher Mr.Kim decided to make us do partner assignments with our seat mates, which was to be handed in for marking.

With this, I felt a bit more hopeful again, thinking that maybe he'll break out of his mood and return to normal, since there were times when he'd just be immersed in that cold image he showed to strangers and it'd take a while to warm him up and get him to smile like he always does. But it was the opposite.

Getting our assignments, I was surprised that the project outline itself was two pages long and regquired at least 3 work periods to complete. I caught his worried expression when he slightly leaned over to read the package I held in my hands, but when I turned over he quickly masked it under a look of annoyance.

Discouraged and confused, I couldn't comprehend what the package was asking. I pulled out a sheet of paper and turned to him. "Uhm, oppa, do you know how to start this?" He scoffed and snatched the paper out of my hands, rolling his eyes. After reading the outline, he gave me firm demands on how to start.

"Draw a table and first put in all of the polyatomic ions with their formulas and chemical names, and then move onto the acids and bases. We'll probably be working on an experiment tomorrow." Flustered, I still didn't understand how to start the table. 

"H-how do you want me to start it?" The look he gave me next sent chills down my spine. It was irritation and apathy. He looked at me like he practically spelled out everything for me and I still didn't get it. Emitting a small growl of frustration, he snatched the blank piece of paper and pencil from me and started the chart.

"You didn't have to be so annoyed, oppa." I stated, stung by the rudeness. He shot me an unimpressed look and continued buiding the chart. A few moments later he shoved the half filled out chart in front of my face. "Do you know how to continue it?" He asked with an annoyed tone. I peered at the chart, trying to understand how he organized it. Seeing how long it look for me to answer, he sighed and took it back.

"I'll just do it if you can't even complete a chart. Go work on the other part." My mouth formed a small o shape, and I stared at him in shock. That snarky remark was completely unnecessary.

I felt a spark of annoyance and tried to ignore it, for the sake of our friendship. Wordlessly, I took out another piece of paper and started to work on the next part. We ended up both working in silence on our own parts when the assignment was specifically PARTNER work. Everyone in the room was talking and working with their partners except for us, and I couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. Mr. Kim took notice of it too and walked over to us.

"Kids, you do know this is a partners assignment right? If you're both going to work on your own separate parts, that defeats the purpose you know. You both have to pitch in your ideas for each part!" He looked pointedly at L who looked like he didn't give a damn. Afraid of getting in trouble, I quickly nodded and apologized. "Ne, I'm sorry, we'll work together now." He nodded and walked away.

I turned back to him, but he ignored me once again. I cleared my throat. "L, we have to work together, You're going to get us in trouble." He was starting to give our teacher a bad view on us and I was getting a bit annoyed with his attitude. He side-eyed me and exhaled in the most rude way possible, "Fine. Just finish the chart. I'll tell you what to write." I spluttered. "How is this working together? All I'm doing is being the scribe while you say whatever the hell I'm supposed to write!" My patience was wearing thin and I didn't appreciate him dragging me into trouble.

He looked at me, slightly surprised at my not-so-kind words, but qucikly brushed it off with an emotionless look. "Do you have a better idea then?" I sighed. There was no point in trying to get him to cooperate properly so I just relented.

"Ani, forget it. Just tell me what to write." We continued like this for the rest of the period. Even though Mr.Kim nodded at us in approval,  I felt nothing inside. Sure , we were getting this done, but he wasn't putting his heart into it, and I wasn't about to be all patient about it either.

When class ended, he was already packed up and flew through the door, leaving the entire assignment with me, and ditching me. Even though our lockers were in the same area, he left without saying anything.

I glared after him, tiredly packing up everything and going out the door. I walked by Sungyeol and in my annoyance, did not notice his presence until he grabbed my arm. I was so lost in my own annoyed and worried thoughts that I wasn't even really seeing anybody. 

I jerked back and glared at the hand on my arm, shaking it off of me. "What?" I asked irritably. Sungyeol let go and looked at me, surprised. He back off a bit from me and I immediately felt sorry when I realized it was him.

"Mianhae oppa, I didn't know it was you. Why are you here?" He shook his head and instead looked back at me with concern laced into his eyes. "Ani, gwenchana, I was just walking by your hall. What's wrong? You look like you're in a really bad mood. I saw L dash by me. Did you guys fight?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Ani, he was just being weird. He suddenly went super cold and indifferent towards me. I don't know what happened. He was also being so rude and snappy," I frowned, walking towards my locker with him trailing behind. He thought for a moment, looking unhappy.

"He's not usually like this though...I wonder what is wrong..." I droned him out as I reviewed today in my mind. Did I say something wrong? Does he not want to be friends anymore? 

All of a sudden I felt a force strike my arm hard and I stumbled backwards, dropping my textbook and phone with a gasp. Sungyeol caught my phone and lunged for me before I fell, cathcing me in his arms. The force of the motion caused him to hug me tight against his chest and almost spun me around. I clung onto him, afraid that I'll fall.

Once we stopped, I slowly opened my eyes that were clenched shut and peeked up at Sungyeol. He was still grasping onto me tightly and yelling at the guy who ran into me with brute force. "Yah! Watch where you're going!" He turned back to me. "Gwenchana? You almost toppled over!" I nodded. "I'm fine, gomawo Yeol oppa."

He let me go and knocked on my forehead with his knuckle lightly. "Pabo, you should watch where you're going too. Didn't you see him run down the hall like a raging bull?" I shook my head sheepishly. "I didn't notice..."

I reached down to get my textbook from where it dropped on the ground and winced at the sudden sharp pain that laced through my left arm, preventing me from picking it up. I rubbed my arm gingerly and rached for it with my other hand but Sungyeol beat me to it and picked it up instead. "Your arm sure doesn't look okay. I'll carry this for you to your locker."

Once we reached our locker, I noticed that L was long gone and I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment, letting my expression fall. Sungyeol leaned on the locker beside mine and looked down at me. "Why do you still try to be so close to him and flirt with him?" I winced at how unexpectedly sharp those words were and shook my head.

"Molla. I just can't get over him and I want to be as close to him in anyway possible, even if it's one sided." He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Sungjong, Hoya and Dasom arriving. Dasom ran up and grabbed my left arm to swing playfully and I cried out in pain, clutching at it. She gasped. "Omo, unnie did you hurt your arm? Mianhae! Did I hurt your arm? I didn't know, omomo!" She reached forward and gently touched my arm. "What happened?" Hoya asked.

Rubbing my arm delicately, I explained how some guy ran past me and bumped into my arm pretty roughly. "Let's go check it out. It looks mildly serious, Hwayoungie." Sungjong frowned and dragged me down towards the nurse's office with Hoya trailing behind. I turned back to wave at Dasom and Sungyeol. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" They both looked after me with concern but nodded, waving back.

After having it checked out by the nurse, she told me that I had sprained it when my arm was bent backwards at an angle it was not supposed to. I bit my lip. "But I still have to work on my assignments. How will I do that?" The nurse shook her head at me firmly.

"Don't put pressure on it! It'll only get better this way. Put a brace on it when you get home and try not to use that arm for anything, arasso?" I nodded. "Ne. Chamsamida." 

When we left the office, Sungjong was still nagging me about how I should watch where I was going while Hoya remained silent, frowning in his thoughts. I waed my good arm across his face and he blinked, looking at me. "What?" I laughed.

"You were spaced out for quite a while there, Hoya oppa! What were you thinking about? Girl problems?" He looked over at me nervously and immediately rejected that idea. "ANI! What girl problems?" I looked at him suspicously, not giving up.

"Like...say...I know you like Dasom." I grinned. His entire face flushed red and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"MWOH?! AHAHAHA A-ANI..." Sungjong laughed and pointed at me in agreement.

"That's right! I''ve been noticing it too! The way you're always so super kind yet awkward around her and how you would always smile at her and sit with her and try to flirt with her in your awkward ways and-" He got muffled by Hoya as he tried to strangle him. I watched them and laughed at how childish they were being. "I knew it Hoya oppa! You can't lie with me!" I smiled proudly.

Hoya shook his head furiously. "ANI! DON'T TELL HER ANYTHING I NEVER SAID THAT YOU'RE MAKING IT ALL UP DON'T SPREAD RUMOURS HWAYOUNG-AH I BEG OF YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING DON'T SAY ANYTHING DON'T-" I covered his mouth with my hand, laughing.

"Aigoo, ARASSO! I know you like her but I won't say anything okay? I promise." I smiled warmly at him and he relaxed a bit.

"Why don't you approach her with it? She seems to be fond of you too." He rubbed the back of his neck, pink tinting his cheeks. Sungjong laughed and slung an arm around him. "Not his fault he's such an awkward turtle!" My smile froze in place.

Awkward turtle.

That was what L used to call me, as a joke.

Back when he loved me and teased me.

Hoya noticed and slapped the back of Sungjong's head. "Yah, don't go around saying useless things!" Sungjong covered his mouth and looked over at me. "Oh crap! I forgot that hyung-" Another slap on the head.

"PABO, just stay quiet!" They both turned to look at me, who smiled weakly back at them. "Aniyah. it's okay. We're friends now, right? We're...close. Just like before." I excluded what happened today from them with a fake assured smile.

Sungjong nodded with a smile. "That's right! Our Hwayoung is strong~" He flexed his arms to emphasize his point and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he looked. "Jongie oppa, you're as skinny as a stick! What muscles could you possibly have!"

He pouted and whined, poking me as I walked off, laughing. I turned around when I noticed Hoya wasn't there and saw him staring at me with a sad expression. "Hoya oppa? What's wrong?" He blinked and quickly shook his head. "Nothing! Gaja." He caught up to us and walked with us.

♫~◄~♔~►~♫

"Meet me at my locker." L looked down at his text with a question mark on his expression. What was his friend asking? What did he want to say?

He walked over to his locker to see him with a serious expression. "Hyung, what did you want to talk to me about?" His friend frowned and motioned for him to sit down. "Myungsoo-ah, you're really causing trouble for Hwayoung. Did you fight with her today? I overheard Sungyeol talking to her about it." L looked away.

"She looked so happy with Sungyeol I couldn't bear to hang around her like the way we used to anymore. It's evident that he likes her a lot and she likes him too; she just doesn't know it yet. I don't want to anchor her down to me, Hyung. I can't hurt her anymore. I had hoped that Sungyeol would stop liking her, but he never did. So I had to give up at some point, Hoya." L said bitterly looking on the brink of a break down.

Hoya sighed and messed up his hair in frustration.

"Myungsoo-ah, it doesn't work that way. She still thinks about you, you know? It's so obvious by the way she acts that she still misses you a lot. She may be close to you on the outside, but that's just because she wants to get as close to you as possible! SHE STILL LOVES YOU, KIM MYUNG SOO. SHE DOESN'T LOVE SUNGYEOL." Hoya was getting fed up with the way L was thinking and couldn't bear to see his friends in so much pain when he knew the entire story but couldn't help any of them. Especially L.

L laughed bitterly as a tear rolled down his face without him noticing. "Ani, hyung, she just misses the fact that she doesn't have anyone to love anymore. If she stops connecting that feeling to me, she'll realize that she likes Sungyeol and that he genuinely likes her back. In the end, she just misses the idea of not being in love and having a boyfriend anymore."

Hoya growled and shook L's shoulder who didn't bother to fight back. "KIM MYUNG SOO. LOVE DOESN'T WORK THIS WAY. YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE OUT THE PERSON YOU LOVE TO SOMEBODY ELSE BECAUSE HE LIKES HER TOO OKAY. STOP BEING A DAMN PABO!"

L shoved Hoya back, all of the pent up feelings bursting out.

"SUNGYEOL IS A GOOD GUY. HE IS MY BEST FRIEND HOYA, YOU KNOW THAT. I'VE KNOWN HIM THE LONGEST OUT OF YOU GUYS; I'VE KNOWN HIM SINCE WE WERE FOUR.

I CAN'T STAND TO SEE HIM IN SO MUCH PAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!

SHE'LL PROBABLY BE MUCH HAPPIER WITH HIM THAN WITH ME.

I DON'T WANT TO RUIN OUR FRIENDSHIP!

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURTS WHEN I SEE HIM WALK AWAY EVERY TIME SHE HUGGED ME?

EVERYTIME PAIN FLASHED THROUGH HIS EYES WHEN SHE KISSED ME? EVERY TIME SHE SAID SHE LOVES ME?

EVERY TIME SHE HOLDS MY HAND...

EVERY TIME....

SHE SMILED AT ME...

EVERY...

TIME SHE...

LAUGHED WITH ME...

EVERY...

TIME...

SHE...

LOOKED AT...

ME...

WITH LOVE."

L was breaking down into tears, something Hoya have never seen him done before in the eleven years they've known each other.

He opened his mouth, momentarily speechless, much after a few moments he found his voice again and he spoke words that pierced through L's haze of pain and heart break.

"Myung soo. Love is not a choice. It comes from your heart."

L paused for a moment, hot tears streaming down his face. "I know, hyung, I know. But I had to try. I had to give Hwayoung another chance; another chance to open her eyes and find the person she truly loves. I don't want her to be blinded by what may have been love with me."

Hoya put an arm around L's shaking body as he cried. "Myungsoo-ah, you're going to kill yourself this way..."

L looked up at his hyung with such love in his eyes that he was taken aback. "I had to try, hyung. No matter what, I had to try." He repeated and whispered, as if to himself. "I had to try..."

♫~◄~♔~►~♫

I received a text from Sungyeol that night after I came home.

Sungyeol

Hwayoung-ah...you pabo...

Already having a feeling about what he was going to say, I replied:

Hwayoung

Oppa, I can't control my heart. I can't forget him...help me oppa...

Sungyeol

My Hwayoung-ah...you're hurting yourself way too much...he's not even taking your actions into consideration.

Hwayoung

I had to try, oppa. No matter what, I had to try.

A tear rolled down my face as I whispered the same thing to myself again and again. "I had to try..."

My dear readers! Sorry for the slow update, I've been drowning in work already.

I've been working on this chapter for the past three days but couldn't get the heart to finish it. I'm in one of my moods today again haha. My korean ballad songs really hit the spot and I got this chapter done. To make up for the lack of an update, I made this chapter long and hopefully touching for you. Please forgive me! And that's right! Hoya is that mysterious friend! :) I've been hinting up to it. Also, I've editted my first chapter and have been contemplating where or not to change it. Does it catch your attention and make you want to read on? I know it seems a bit out of place, but like I've said so many times before, it's to build up my plot. But I don't know, I'd like your opinions! Please comment below and let me know what you think! Thanks and have a great day! I will try to update soon! Whoa, almost 6000 words this chapter haha, my longest chapter yet o__o I'm proud though. I've put a heck of an effort into this one (: Until next chapter! ^^