ch. 50

"it's not difficult to love you."

-only then

"yunho?"

hearing his name being called, the male instinctively looked over his shoulder to see a familiar girl in a red dress crouching down to his level. his face is streaming with tears as he sniffles loudly, hugging his legs closer to him.

he averts his gaze from her and buries his face into his arms. "leave me alone."

ignoring his request, she settles herself a few inches away from him before leaning against the tree he is currently hiding behind.

"you know you can talk to me," eunbi nonchalantly says. "i won't judge."

"i told you to leave me alone," he growls, scrunching his eyebrows together. "we're not friends, remember?"

she scoffs at his pathetic argument while she looks at the moon's reflection against the surface of the garden's stream. "you say that, but you need someone to talk to."

"you don't know that."

"yes i do," she scolds. "if you haven't forgotten, i have known you since we were kids. it is a fact that you need to be comforted right now because of the way you are acting right now. you never admit it, but you're such a sensitive person to emotional pain."

that shuts his mouth, because she's right.

he really does need someone right now.

this burning sensation yunho is feeling is bothersome, and only comfort can subdue this pain.

a vision of earlier events flash before his eyes and he trembles in his grasp. he shuts his eyes closed and screams in his mind to stop replaying the scene, but it continues to proceed  with the memory.

never once has he felt this feeling, but now he is drowning in it.

help me, he calls out in his mind. someone, please help me forget.

immersed in darkness, his ears pick up a muffled noise from close by. there is a sense of urgency in the tone, but he could not understand anything. the sound becomes louder every second and his body begins shaking until a clear voice speaks to him.

"open your eyes."

when he does, he sees all but one person in front of him with a worried expression written on their face. his heart is pounding against his chest and his face is soaked in cold sweat, his chest rising up and down at a fast pace. his eyes frantically look around him, widened in fear, before the same voice speaks again.

"yunho, look at me."

his attention brings itself to eunbi as she gently touches his arm to calm him down, a reassuring smile on her lips.

"tell me what's wrong," she softly whispers. "let me help you, yu-yu."

it's been awhile since he has heard her call him that name, the name that she has used when they were children. he never thought she would use that name ever again since the both of them grew out of using their childish nicknames for each other, but to listen to the way it left her lips blooms a fluttering sensation in his stomach.

all he could do is focus on her.

her beautiful skin basks under the moonlight as her wavy hair tickles her face. her doe-shaped eyes hold the stars of the night and her parted lips shimmer in the light. the delicate smile she wears makes his heart race at the sight, the crave to touch her slowly grows from within.

tears begin falling down his face once more when he realizes how much he misses her.

all because of one person...

kim siyeon.

"it was when the masked singer was performing," he started as he gradually unravels his inner turmoil. "siyeon and i were sitting at a table and she told me to get her a drink, and so i left my seat to grab some refreshers. when i came back a few minutes later..."

he takes in a shaky breath before continuing.

"she was making out with another guy."

the girl only stays quiet as he continues rambling his emotions away.

"i walked up to them and was about to separate them until she told me to stop. she said that i was boring and being with me was not satisfying enough for her, so she dumped me on the spot and left with that guy."

the memory of that day where he arrived to scene between siyeon and eunbi plays before his eyes, seeing the pain written on the brunette's face when he insulted her. not even allowing her to explain herself, he can feel everything from within her shatter to pieces as he walked away from her with his "loved one" in his arms.

"i should have listened to you," he frustratingly cries. "i should have trusted you, but i was blinded by love and hurt you instead. i threw away a friendship that i invested in for years for a relationship that lasted only a fraction of that. i ignored you, the person who was with me my entire life, to be with someone who never appreciated me for who i am."

his hands cup his face and his sobs increase in volume while the regret in his body spreads through his body.

he was such a jerk to her.

as he continues to weep, he feels a pair of small arms wrap around him, and he instantly returns the gesture. a small yelp escapes eunbi's mouth when they fall backward, her back meeting the soft surface of the grass. he nuzzles his head into the crook of her neck and holds her tight as if there is no tomorrow as she pats his back.

"i'm sorry bi-bi. i'm so sorry for all the pain i caused you."

there is a long pause between them, probably because she could never accept his apology after what he has done to her. he couldn't forgive him for his actions, so how could she?

but what she responds with surprises him.

"it's okay," she consoles while resting her cheek on his soft, light brown hair. "i forgave you a long time ago."

and with that, he cries more into the embrace, taking the moment to appreciate the scent of roses and the warmth of the girl's body. to be forgiven brings joy to him as he gradually calms down due to her comforting presence and exhaustion seeps into his system, his eyes drooping a little.

he is not worthy of this merciful act.

suddenly, eunbi breaks the hug and stands up from the floor to brush off the specks of grass on his red dress. the male whines and rolls onto his back, facing the night sky above. she stretches her aching back and a satisfied sigh leaves her mouth before extending her hand towards yunho with her lips curved into a smile.

"would like to dance, mr. jeong?" she asks, eyes sparkling with excitement. 

he takes her hand and gets back onto his feet with a mirroring smile as they adjust their dancing position. with intertwined hands, the female places her other hand onto his shoulder while her partner holds onto her waist.

"it would be an honor, ms. park."

their broken hearts join as one and together, they gracefully dance under the blanket of stars, their laughs ringing through the silence.