ch. 43

"it's better to be held than holding on."

-she's in the rain

"you go talk to her."

"no, he should! he's the closest to her age!"

"but i'm not good at this type of stuff! he should go."

"wow, pulling me under the bus because i'm her brother."

"i think he should since he's lived longer than all of us."

"did you just call me old?!?"

"hey, everyone calm down-"

"yoongi! what are you doing?!?"

ignoring everyone's call to retreat, the male has already allowed himself into his cousin's room with a nonchalant expression. spotting the girl sulking under her blanket, he settles himself on the edge of the girl's bed.

eunbi does not question his presence, only focusing on the storm of emotions raging within her. her heart aches in pain as her tears drip from her eyes to the pillow, the warmth she once had leaving her body.

she feels a hand patting her head and she subconsciously smiles at the male's attempt to comfort her. when she turns herself around, she notices the worried expression her relative was wearing on his face.

"kiddo," he says in a soothing manner. "can you tell me what happened at school today? you've been like this since we got home and i want to know what's bothering you."

the smile she once wore curves into a frown.

everything flashes before her eyes, reminding her of the reasons behind her emotional break down: stress, worry, and denial. her arms wrap around yoongi's waist and she allows her tears to travel down her face again.

he simply holds her in his embrace, rubbing circles on her back, while he waits for her to feel comfortable enough to open to him.

he may be someone who appears to not care about anyone, but he has a soft spot for his family.

especially when it comes to eunbi, the little one.

"is there something wrong with me?" he hears her whimper. "did i do something horrible that made me deserve all of this?"

"there is nothing wrong with you," he reassures, running his fingers through her long, dark brown hair. "what makes you think that?"

not wanting to bear the pain that was gnawing her inside, she decides to tell the male everything that happened today: her argument with wooyoung, her conversation with yeosang, and her broken friendship with san.

san.

oh, how a simple name can intensify the sadness she carries within her weak state.

her cousin was never a fan of drama, especially when it comes from girls since all of it is a waste of time in his opinion. however, he could not help but feel his anger build every time she sniffles a little.

she has always been a strong girl who smiles all the time, not giving a care about the world she lives in. she perseveres through every obstacle she faces despite the difficulty of each one.

yet her exterior walls have tumbled to the ground once more.

the last time this has happened was when a guy told that she would never be a girl they would love.

love.

he then realizes something that his relative has not, eyes widening at the thought of it.

"eunbi-ah."

he earns a small hum from the girl.

"who was the last boy you were talking about? you got into a lot of detail with your situation and also got emotional whenever you mention his name."

she flinches a little at the sudden question but answers him nonetheless.

"san. choi san."

he sighs, not wanting to bring up something that will weaken her any further.

she has to know, she deserves to know.

"are you in love with san?" he asks.

silence.

nothing but silence.

he can feel her arms untangle themselves from his waist as she sits up from her lying position. she hangs her feet off the bed and she stares at the wooden floor, shocked from the sudden inquiry.

his cute, little dimple smile.

his adorable, little cheeks.

his beautiful, brown eyes.

his contagious, squeaky laugh.

his warm, comforting hugs.

his alluring, eye-catching performance expressions.

his smooth, powerful dance movements.

her heart skips a beat when she thinks of these features, a small blush rising to the surface.

eunbi's hand has traveled up to her face, covering the sobs that are escaping her lips. her free arm holds her stomach as a way to comfort herself at the recent discovery.

"i do," she answers. "i do love him."

she chuckles in the silence, a bittersweet smile tugging on her lips.

"why didn't i notice earlier?" she questions herself, forgetting about the person beside her. "why didn't i treat him better? why didn't i hold him closer?"

the hand that was covering her mouth leaves her face and extends her arm to the empty space before her. her fingers curled together into a ball, she drops her limb next to her body while the male engulfs her into a hug.

"it's not your fault," he says. "it's his fault for letting you go first."

"yeah! he's dumb!"

the both of them look at the entrance of the girl's room, seeing all their relatives crowding around the door. they hold ice cream cups, spoons, and chairs with smiles on their faces as they slowly seep into the bedroom.

jimin sits next to his sister while everyone else drags their portable seats and settle themselves in front of their crying cousin.

"how could someone hurt our little baby like this?" hoseok speaks up, an angry pout on his face. "i want to punch him."

"yeah," jungkook agrees. "let's all meet up at the entrance of the school and beat him up."

namjoon, who is the rational thinker, ironically nods his head at the plan. "i like the sound of that."

"if he's handsome, then i'm in." seokjin smirks. "i can't let anyone be more handsome than me."

taehyung raises his hand eagerly, wanting to contribute to this conversation. "oo! can i be the one who drags him on the floor while he's screaming in pain?"

jimin cracks his knuckles, liking the idea already. "man, i'm so excited for this-"

all but one person cackles at their silly plan, falling back onto their back as they hold their stomach in pain. everyone turns to eunbi, who is dying from laughter.

"you guys are so dumb!" she exclaims, laughing once more. "you really think that's going to work?!?"

all the males in the room softly smile at the sight of their cheerful girl being herself again, although yoongi had to lift her up before she chokes on her happy tears. hoseok hands her an ice cream cup of her favorite flavor, cookies and cream, and a spoon before he continues to distribute the remaining ones to the rest of the relatives.

together, everyone shares their laughs and embarrassing love stories with one another, lightening up the dull atmosphere. their smiles brighten everyone's day as the girl's sadness slowly drifts away from her. their loudness eventually met with a noise complaint from the neighbors, but it did not stop them from having fun.

when they all called it a day, everyone grabs their spare japanese futon from their closets and all meet up in the living room, where they will be sleeping for tonight. eunbi lays hers in the middle of her family and snuggles into her blanket, hugging her shiba dog plushie, shibo. she can feel the warmth from her family and her lips curve into a grin once more.

she's so lucky to have these people in her life.