Chapter 12
That One Thing That You Don't KnowChapter 12
Yonghwa froze.
Yes? Yonghwa thought as his eyes well up, seeing his best friend crying and repeating in his mind how Seohyun said ‘yes’.
It took him a few more seconds before he came back to his senses.
“Hyun...” Yonghwa finally spoke and walked towards her. He held her to face him and palmed both her cheeks.
They were so close, looking at each other’s eyes. Seohyun was crying continually and Yonghwa’s tears started to fall as he held Seohyun closely to him. He wiped Seohyun's tears as he looked at her eyes.
But Seohyun’s stare was different. They were confused. And it felt like there was anger at the same time.
“Seohyun-ah?” Another voice suddenly called her.
Both of them turned their heads and saw Minho standing in front of the house. Seohyun immediately turned back to wipe all her tears away and moved away from Yonghwa's grip. She took a deep breath before she walked towards her boyfriend.
“Minho..what are you doing here?” She asked, trying to sound casual.
Minho stood silently and looked at Seohyun and Yonghwa back and forth, giving a blank expression before he turned to Seohyun, creasing his eyebrows.
“I... I went back from Paris because I missed you. I have a two-day break. I..I was supposed to surprise you and I found out that you're in Busan." He said. He paused for a while then looked at Yonghwa who is now looking down, then he turned back to Seohyun, "Did something happen? Did you just cry?" He asked.
“No...no..” Seohyun uttered immediately and then she gulped. “I...I’m...I’m just tired and not feeling well.” She stuttered with an excuse.
Minho didn’t respond after that because he obviously knows she was lying. He just stared back at Yonghwa and turned to Seohyun again.
“Let’s go.” Minho said.
“Ne?” Seohyun was surprised.
“Let’s go home. Let’s go back to Seoul.” Minho spoke with firmness. “Pack up your things and let’s go back to Seoul tonight.” Minho continued. "I'll wait here outside."
“You...you both can stay here tonight.” Yonghwa butted in. “There’s another room and you can--”
“No it’s okay.” Minho cut him off. “We’ll just go back to Seoul. Thanks anyway.” Minho said in a serious tone.
Seohyun looked at Yonghwa for a second before she obediently went inside to pack her things up. She immediately gather all her stuff. She wanted to say goodbye to Krystal and Harabeoji but she knows there's no time for that anymore.
She has no energy to argue. Besides, it feels like she also can’t stay after what had just happened between her and Yonghwa.
She went out and Minho and Yonghwa were still standing on the porch. No one is talking.
“Let’s go.” Minho grabbed her hand and her things. “We’ll go ahead Yonghwa-ssi.” He said casually.
***
Minho was able to purchase a business class ticket flight going back to Seoul. They were both silent inside the plane. It was Minho who broke the silence.
“I didn’t like what I saw a while ago.” Minho finally spoke.
Seohyun turned to him.
“You and Yonghwa.” Minho continued.
Seohyun gulped. She didn’t respond and she just looked down.
“It made me feel uncomfortable.” Minho cut her off and stared at her. “Seeing just the two of you made me feel uncomfortable. It doesn't look good in my eyes even if he's your best friend."
Seohyun chose not to respond. She can see that Minho was really mad.
“I don’t like you hanging out with Yonghwa anymore.” He finally said.
Seohyun can see that he’s serious. And with that she nodded and agreed to comfort him, and also because she felt it herself that she doesn't have the courage to talk to Yoonghwa again.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yonghwa sat on the stairs of the porch after Seohyun and Minho left the house.
With struggling feet and aching joints, Harabeoji suddenly sat beside Yonghwa after witnessing everything that happened. He wrapped his arm around Yonghwa's shoulder, patting him continuously.
With that comfort gesture, Yonghwa started to cry. He let it out, and can’t control it anymore.
Harabeoji pats Yonghwa continuously. Yonghwa sobs like a child for the first time.
“Why was I so stupid, Harabeoji?” He said between his sobs. His whole body is trembling while he cries.
“Go back to Seoul.” Harabeoji said. “I won’t tell you what to do...but I guess you have to go back.”
***
It was a Friday when Yonghwa got back to Seoul. He was earlier than the rest when he arrived at Hyoyeon’s restaurant.
He sat on one corner, just looking outside from the glassed wall. Each of his friends one by one came. The boys tapped his shoulders, not mentioning anything. For the first time, the girls were silent too. They just chose to talk about random stuff, not mentioning anything about what happened in Busan.
They knew it. Yonghwa told the boys when he arrived and Seohyun told the girls.
“Yonghwa, why are you not yet eating?” Hyoyeon asked in the middle of the dinner.
Yonghwa kept looking outside.
“Yonghwa!” Hyoyeon called out.
“Ne?”
“I said, why are you not yet eating?”
He just kept looking outside, moving his head from all the directions of the road outside. “I’m waiting for Seohyun.” He said.
Tiffany and Hyoyeon exchanged glances. Tiffany signaled Minhyuk to say something.
“Uhm...Yong...” Minhyuk cleared his throat, “Seohyun is not coming.”
Yonghwa finally turned to his friends. He paused for a moment as all his friends stare back at him.
“Can you try to call her again and confirm?” He asked.
Tiffany bites her lip before responding, “Yonghwa, Seohyun clearly told us that she’s not coming tonight.” She said softly.
Yonghwa didn’t ask any further. He stayed silent for a moment.
He has been trying to call Seohyun since she left Busan but she never answered. All the while, he thought he can see her on their Friday gathering, hoping they could talk. But she never went.
In silence, he stood from his seat and left the restaurant, telling his friends he just needs to go home.
Days and weeks have passed by, Seohyun and Yonghwa never saw each other or never even talked after what happened in Busan.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
They were at the coffee shop early morning when Seohyun’s phone is beeping. She ignored the text messages and the call as she continues to sip her cup of coffee and tries to listen to Minho about his stories in Paris. He went there for a month again.
But Minho got annoyed already that he grabbed Seohyun’s phone.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop hanging out with Yonghwa?” He said, looking at Yonghwa’s messages on her phone.
“I don’t hang out with him anymore.” Seohyun replied and gets her phone back from Minho.
“Then what’s that?”
Seohyun sighed and held Minho’s hand, “Believe me. The last time I saw him was in Busan when you came to pick me up. I even haven't been to our Friday gatherings for a month now." She defended.
“Then why is he still contacting you?” Minho asked with annoyance.
“I don’t know.”
Minho smirked bitterly and paused for a second before he turned to Seohyun. “Is there really nothing going on between the two of you?" He asked boldly.
“Of course not!” Seohyun responded immediately. “Nothing is between us.”
“Are you really just friends?” Minho asked in anger. He is being provoked by his jealousy already.
Seohyun let out an upset sigh, “Minho, are you doubting me?”
“I don’t know.” He answered. “I don’t even have any idea if something has happened between the two of you when I was in Paris.” He said sarcastically and stood up from his seat, going out of the cafe.
Seohyun immediately followed him.
“Minho...Minho...” She called back and stopped him from walking by holding his arm. “Let’s not fight about this. Come on. Why are we like this?"
“Tell me, Seohyun!” Minho turned around and raised his voice. “Because you know what, I tried so hard to forget what I saw in Busan. When I was back to Paris, I thought I was going crazy thinking that what I saw would happen again."
“Minho, we didn’t do anything wrong in Busan!” Seohyun defended.
Minho let out a deep sigh, he looked from afar and bites his lip before he turned her eyes back on Seohyun.
“There was something in the way he looked at you and the way you looked at him that night, that was so different.” He said.
Seohyun held his arm softly.
“And you never...you never looked at me that way.” Minho continued, saying it almost in a whisper.
“Minho...”
“Tell me, Seohyun...is he the one?” He asked. “Is he the guy you were trying to move on from? Is he the one you told me before?”
Seohyun tried to hold his hand tighter, “Minho...let’s not--”
“Is.it.Yonghwa?” He emphasized.
Seohyun
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