Busted

“Rella! Hankyung is here to see you!” Donghae yelled from the Kim’s living room. What’s she doing there? She was invited by Heechul’s parents to eat lunch with them. She gladly accepted the invitation because it’s lonely to eat alone in a spacious apartment.

When Heechul arrived, she saw Donghae and Hankyung talking animatedly. Actually, Donghae did all the talking while Hankyung listened intently with a smile on his lips. Heechul leaned on the wall and watched as the two talked in amusement. Hankyung soon noticed her. He stood up while Donghae smiled at her childhood friend.

“What took you so long?” Donghae intrigued.

“A girl needs to be presentable at all times” she said with a grin, her eyes never leaving Hankyung. When she averted her gaze to Donghae, her eyes almost bulged out. “What in the world are you wearing?”

Donghae grinned sheepishly. She knew Heechul hated her choice for fashion- she has no idea whatsoever about fashion, so why start now? She was about to answer when Mrs. Kim called them towards the kitchen. Donghae breathed out a sigh of relief. She watched the couple and felt a slight pang of jealousy when Hankyung pecked her on the lips. One person came to her mind, Eunhyuk.

Donghae was quiet during lunch and Heechul noticed it. She decided to shrug it off at the moment though, so as not to ruin the happy atmosphere.

After the happy lunch, Hankyung thanked the family and apologized for he can’t stay longer. He said he has some business to attend to but promises to come back again if time permits him. Heechul agreed and gave her boyfriend a peck on the lips before sending him away. When she entered her house again, she didn’t find a certain fish on the couch. Since her house was so big, she decided to head towards her room.

She opened the door lightly and found her friend lying on her bed. Her arms and legs were wide open. Her gaze bore holes on the ceiling; her thoughts seemed lost. Heechul pulled a chair and sat beside the bed. They stayed in a comfortable silence until Donghae decided to break it.

“What if the person you love decided to disappear without leaving a word or even saying goodbye? What if you fall for someone else because you’re longing for the affection the one you like can’t give you because he’s gone? What if that someone is already in love with someone else? Would you stop yourself from falling deeper or would you pursue and fight for your feelings?”

Heechul couldn’t find the right answer for all the questions. She knew Donghae was in love with Hyukjae but being in love with Eunhyuk too complicates everything. She knows some things about Eunhyuk that are best left unsaid until the person himself confess. She decided that it would be best not to answer the question because she found it rhetorical.

Another silence fell upon the room. Heechul crossed her legs and waited patiently for Donghae to talk again. She tapped her fingers lightly on her lap and tried to remember a song played a couple of minutes ago.

“I like Hyukjae” Donghae stated after 15 minutes of silence. Heechul didn’t utter a word. She knew about this since she saw them on their dinner date. “You knew right?” the former turned her head towards her best friend. Heechul nodded in approval.

“I think I’m falling for Eunhyuk but his heart clearly belongs to someone else now” a tear escaped her eye but she let it be. “I’m so confused right now”

Heechul sighed. “I think you should look for Hyukjae to confirm your feelings for him. Maybe you don’t like him anymore”

“But I don’t know where to find him” Donghae interjected.

“Use your skills”

Donghae eyed her for a minute then smiled as an idea popped on her head. She hopped off the bed and hugged her best friend before returning home to her penthouse.

She immediately opened her laptop and her desktop upon reaching home. Home- is this really home?, she asked herself internally. She heaved out a sigh and shrugged the thought at the back of her mind. She stretched her fingers and started to type her life away.

Searching for someone is easier said than done. She’s been in front of her desktop for 30 minutes already and still she comes out empty-handed. Suddenly, an image showed up which made her flinch. A picture of Eunhyuk showed up but the name she typed was Lee Hyukjae. She pondered for a moment and concluded that maybe they’re twins.

All hopes were shattered when she read that this Hyukjae is the heir of Crimson Hotel. If she remembered it correctly, Sungmin once asked Eunhyuk about his family business and he answered this famous hotel. She tried searching for Eunhyuk this time. She couldn’t believe her eyes this time because it was stated in the interview that his real name is Hyukjae.

Donghae stood up and hurriedly ran towards the door. She asked her driver to take her to the Cho’s. When she arrived, she was greeted by Sungmin.

“What brings you here noona?” Kyuhyun asked. She didn’t answer him, instead she stride towards him and hugged him. The couple was completely taken aback. Sungmin wanted to pull her away from Kyuhyun but decided against it because they heard sobs. Donghae was crying.

“What’s wrong Donghae?” Sungmin asked worry evident in her voice. When they got no reply, Sungmin ordered the maid to bring a glass of water. Kyuhyun continued rubbing soothing circles on the crying figure.

When she was calm enough, they handed her the glass in which she sheepishly accepted. She gulped down half of it. The couple patiently waited for her to speak.

“Hyukjae and Eunhyuk are one” Donghae revealed. The couple’s eyes widened in surprise but it was Kyuhyun’s reaction that surprised them the most.

“How did you find out?!” he exclaimed. Donghae and Sungmin turned their heads towards him; one with curiosity, the other with rage.

“You know about this and yet you didn’t tell me? What the hell Kyuhyun!” Sungmin yelled.

Kyuhyun exhaled deeply before staring at his fiancé. “Sit down first Min and I’ll tell you all about it” the latter glared at him but sat down nonetheless. “Speak” she threatened.

‘I wonder how Kyuhyun can tolerate her attitude sometimes. I sympathize with you’ Donghae thought.

“I knew about his identity when we had our first double date. Remember when you asked me to give him a make-over?” Sungmin nodded, Kyuhyun continued. “I really intended to give him one but when he removed his glasses and dressed accordingly, I was left speechless. Noona, please believe me that Hyukjae-hyung never intended to deceive you”

“Then why did he do it?” she asked in a whisper, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“You better ask him that question yourself. It’s much more satisfying to hear the reason coming from his mouth” Kyuhyun patted her shoulder in assurance.

Donghae asked her chauffeur to drive her to the cemetery. It has been a while since the last time she visited her father’s grave. Now is the best time to go because something’s bothering her. She stared out the window and immediately recognized the scenery. She asked the driver to stop.

She walked along the shoreline- waves coming and going. She sat down on the very same spot where Eunhyuk had taken her. She suddenly remembered their date. A date? Was that even a date? she pondered. She remembered this beach especially because this is where they walked hand-in-hand.

She watched the sky as the sun slowly meets the horizon. She suddenly remembered his words about sunsets:

"You know why I love sunsets?" I shook my head "It's because it's more colorful than the sunrise. I always think that it's ironic how beginnings are dull while endings are colorful" He stopped and sat down on the sand and stared at the setting sun. I sat down beside him.

She smiled as she remembered his words. He was being sentimental that day. Who would’ve thought that Eunhyuk was poetic? Actually, Hyukjae was poetic but she didn’t know any better then. She stood up and was about to walk away when his words rang again:

"I met this person and when I needed her the most, she was there. She came back when she told me she will. She kept her word. I thought I was abandoned again but she proved me wrong. I was in the infirmary one time and she returned. She stayed by my side and she defended me. I still love her up until now"

She felt a pang on her chest as she remembered those words. It was like a knife, stabbing her continuously. A tear escaped her eyes once more as she moved her feet across the beach.

She looked back at the sunset. The sun and the horizon already met. She smiled again. Yes, the irony of endings being much more colorful than beginnings. She stopped in her tracks when her memory played a scene in front of her. It was the first time she met Hyukjae, inside the infirmary.

We reached the infirmary and saw Hyukjae staring out the window. Even with that nerdy look he can be attractive. Wait, what am I saying? I must be out of my mind huh?

"Hyukjae" I called him. He turned his head towards our direction and jumped from our bed then hugged me. What's wrong with him? I heard sobs.

"Why are you crying?" Sungmin asked. This girl can read minds, I'm sure of it.

Hyukjae pulled away. "I thought you left me behind" he sniffed.

Donghae’s eyes widened as she came up with another conclusion, because if you put two and two together, then the answer would be…

“The girl they fell in love with… was me?!”