Chapter 5

Jeno sleeping while holding her hand was not the first thing she expected to see when she wakes up. She smiled sadly as she patted his hair lightly, not wanting him to wake up.

His face looked like he was about to cry, and Yiyeon didn't know what to do. If she moves, there's a high possibility that Jeno would wake up. Sighing, she decided to use her other hand to wipe his tears away.

"Jeno-yah, everything's alright..." she whispered.

"Yiyeon-ah, I'm sorry..." Jeno cried.

Yiyeon looked away and closed her eyes. She can't stand to see Jeno cry.

In their almost two years of dating, seeing Jeno cry was a first.

She sighed and combed his hair using her fingers.

She pressed her lips into a thin line and began singing.

"Driving down the interstate
I've never felt so far away
Leaving hardly hurts at all
I'm sorry that I never call...."

Yiyeon sighed for the nth time that day. It sucks that this has to be the way for them to be this close again. Even if she wishes that Jeno would explain everything to her, it wouldn't be in this state.

Not when her head is throbbing, and not when he is unconscious.

"Often I get exhausted
Trying regardless to be enough
Is it selfish not to be selfless
When all I can help is to open up?"

Jeno was silently sleeping. He was still holding her hand, and he even made the grip tighter.

Yiyeon adjusted her body so that she would be facing Jeno.

"I'll be better than I was before
Despite every text of yours ignored
Will you call me still, just to hear my voice?
I swear, always, I'll care..."

I have always cared about you, Jeno.

"Flipping through our photographs
Those moments never seem to last
Listening to self-control
Those feelings that you'll never know..."

"Maybe if the situation's different, it'll be you and I..."

"Leave me, it's never easy
I've had a lifetime to be alone
If you let me when it gets heavy
Know I'll never let you be all alone..."

Meanwhile, Jeno was awake. He just doesn't want to ruin the moment for the two of them. Two weeks and four days have passed, yet he misses it all.

Jeno misses everything.

And he regrets everything that happened that night.

"I'll be better than I was before
Despite heavy texts of yours ignored
Will you call me still, just to hear my voice?
I swear, always
Always
Always, I'll care"

He slowly opened his eyes only to see that Yiyeon's eyes were closed. It seemed like she fell asleep while singing a song for him.

He smiled and thought to himself, "I have always cared about you, Yiyeon."

***

The sun was about to set, yet he wouldn't budge. He was just feeling the breeze while his eyes were closed.

"There you are," someone sat beside him, and he already knows who. "What are you doing here alone?"

He didn't answer.

He took a deep breath, "You know, I never knew liking someone would be this painful..." he said and finally opened his eyes. "Trust me, I'm trying to stop my feelings for her... but it's not that easy."

His friend patted his shoulder, "Why don't you try and talk to her right now? So that you would have your peace of mind..."

He scoffed, "What for?" He took a deep breath before standing up. "I actually tried to visit her at the clinic earlier, but I was too late. I'm always too late," he chuckled bitterly.

"Maybe I just have to accept the fact that we'll never be more than this."

***

"Yah, is everything alright?!"

The moment Hyunjin entered the clinic, he saw his cousin happily eating nachos while watching Mickey Mouse on the television. He raised a brow, recalling that Daewon told him that she lost her consciousness earlier.

Yiyeon looked at him and waved her hand lightly, "Hyunjin-ah, you're here!" She picked her bag up and stood up.

"Are you okay? Daewon said that they rushed you here at the clinic earlier, and you sorta lost your consciousness... this isn't the scenario I was expecting to see..." Hyunjin scratched his head.

The nurse entered the clinic and greeted Hyunjin, "Oh, your brother is here..." she chuckled. "Yiyeon is okay now. I think all she needed was sleep because her temperature went back to normal when she took a rest," she smiled.

Yiyeon nodded at what the nurse said, "Let's go, I'm already hungry." She said and walked past Hyunjin.

"I think the person who took care of her earlier also did a good job."

Yiyeon stopped walking and frowned at the nurse. "Unnie! Hyunjin doesn't need to know that! He'll just nag me!" She said and crossed her arms.

The nurse just laughed.

The two bid goodbye and left the clinic.

"Yiyeon-ah! You left this!" The nurse said and handed Yiyeon a padded coat.

Yiyeon smiled and accepted it. Hyunjin squinted his eyes as he felt something strange. Strange, yet familiar. They walked to the parking lot and noticed that there were only a couple of cars left.

She entered the backseat and let out a sigh of relief.

"Something about you is off today," Hyunjin said while starting the car.

"What do you mean?" Yiyeon chuckled. "Just start driving and let's go home. I'm already starving."

"You were just eating earlier!"

"Your point?" She raised a brow. "Why does your practice always end late? I mean, we could have gone somewhere else..." she sighed.

Hyunjin raised a brow, "You don't normally ask me to hang out with you. Seriously, what's wrong with you today, Yiyeon-ah?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me today! What's wrong with you?" She raised a brow.

They were quiet throughout the rest of the ride. Hyunjin probably gave up. Yiyeon doesn't have a plan on telling him something anyways. Heck, even the school nurse knows something, yet she's hiding it from him.

Whatever it is, he will know it one way or another.

They arrived at their house a couple of minutes later, and Yiyeon got off the car first.

That's when Hyunjin realized something. "Wait a minute..."

Yiyeon looked back and raised a brow, "What is it this time?"

"You went to school first this morning, right?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, because you were taking way too much time." She scoffed.

Hyunjin realizes something. It was something straight out of the cartoon. It was as if a light bulb lit up above his head.

Snapping his fingers, he smirked at his cousin, "You weren't wearing a padded coat this morning..." He said and looked at the coat Yiyeon was wearing. "You don't even own a coat like that. I mean, how would you have a coat that's officially for the basketball team only?" He said and looked at the initials that were etched on the nametag. "LJN? Since when did your initials become LJN?"

Her eyes widened, "Bye! I'll be eating dinner first!" She said and rushed inside.

"Yiyeon-ah!"

- tbc.

✨song: always, i'll care (jeremy zucker)
idk what i'm writing right now but it'll make sense soon, i promise ;-;