Chapter 23

Saturday, September 9.

"Yiyeon?" Hyunjin rubbed his eyes. "Why are you up early today? It's Saturday." Yiyeon looked at her cousin, Hyunjin, who was coming down the stairs.

She smiled, "Oh, you're up." Yiyeon quickly placed the plates she watched on the dish rack and covered Hyunjin's meal on the table. "I have prepared breakfast for you. Just reheat it in the microwave if you decide to eat it later."

"Wait a damn minute," Hyunjin said, holding the younger's wrist to prevent her from going somewhere else. "Where do you think you're going in that state? Where did you get those scratches, anyways," he asked, pointing at the bandages that were on Yiyeon's arms.

She just rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away, "I already know it's bad. You didn't need to make it more obvious," she scoffed. "We were organizing the club room yesterday before we went home, and some of the books in the bookshelf fell. Hence, these scratches. So if you'll excuse me, I've got somewhere to go."

"Hwang Yiyeon!"

"What again?!" She looked back, frustration written all over her face.

"Did you got into a fight while I was training?" Her older cousin raised a brow/

Hyunjin stepped closer and looked at the scars that were near her eyes.

"These are deep cuts! Don't make an excuse such as you were helping Jaemin encode some articles in the library, and then these scratches suddenly appeared," he warned. "Tell me the truth! Who did this to you?"

The girl took a deep breath before looking at her cousin in the eye, "Fine! For the sake of us not fight daily... his fangirls did this. Happy now?" She rolled her eyes.

Hyunjin's eyes widened, "W-What? Does he know? Do these people know that you and Jeno are over ages ago?" He raised a brow. "Unless—"

"No, we are not back together. Don't even think about it," she scoffed. "They don't want me near Jeno, and they don't want Jeno near me, either. I guess they hate my existence that much."

"But I thought that you were dating him again, since Yangyang..."

Yiyeon fell into a deep silence when Hyunjin mentioned his name. She suddenly remembered how he showed his affection towards her, yet she didn't even bother to consider his feelings. All she cared about was Jeno and Jeno alone.

It was always about Jeno.

She didn't even realize that her best friend was hurting, too.

It took her four mere months to notice him, only to shut him down when things were starting to get better.

"Is everything alright?" Hyunjin asked.

Yiyeon blinked, "Yeah..."

"And so, I was asking you a question?"

She took a deep breath before answering, "Liu Yangyang... he's a good guy. He's someone very dear to me—someone, who's very special. But Hyunjin, you have no idea how many times I have wished that it should have been Yangyang instead..." she looked down. "It hurts me every time he walks away, and I just want to hit myself because damn, that person is willing to leave everything behind for me, but I can't do the same for him..."

Hyunjin watched Yiyeon as she wiped her tears away.

"It hurts because I'm slowly losing my best friend. It's killing me because I can't even talk to him the way I did before," she said. "If only I could love Yangyang more than I loved Jeno... I would have done it... and I'm also wondering why after all of those shits that I had to go through, it's still him. It's still Jeno." Yiyeon looked up at Hyunjin, who was listening intently. "Even if his fans are the ones who are making me suffer, I can't point a finger and blame him. It's just... dumb. I'm foolish, aren't I?"

Hyunjin looked at his cousin break down in front of him. It was unusual to see her this vulnerable.

"And no matter what I do, I'd lose both of them anyways..." Yiyeon sobbed. "I already lost Jeno, and I'm slowly losing my best friend, too..."

He ushered her towards the couch and sat beside her. Hyunjin just let her talk since it has been a while since they have talked about something this sincere. They always hit each other on the head, ruin each other's projects, hide each other's phones, but Hyunjin couldn't recall a moment that was as serene as this.

"But I'm trying to do something... something that I took from Jeno before..." she wiped her tears away and looked at him. "Hyunjin, I'm ready to hear it from Jeno... I'm ready to know what happened that night. Although you guys kept on telling me that it wasn't how it looked like, I want to hear it from his own view," she explained.

Hyunjin nods.

He was never in love, nor had he experienced love.

But seeing his beloved cousin in pain makes him hate the thought of love.

"I talked to Jeno the other day, and we agreed to meet at the park—at our usual spot," Yiyeon said, taking her mirror out to see if her eye makeup was smudged.

Hyunjin raised a brow, "You'll meet him? In this weather?" He asked and pointed at the sky outside. "No, you will not go." He said, his voice firm. "It's your special day today, Yiyeon. I cannot allow it."

"Yes, I will." With that, she grabbed her purse and her umbrella and rushed outside. "I'll be back for us to have our mini-celebration, Hyunjin. I promise."

Hyunjin watched the door close in front of him as he sighed.

He groaned in frustration, "What the hell, Yiyeon? I might actually ruin the surprise for you if you keep on acting this way." He stood up and went to the dining area, where Yiyeon left his breakfast.

***

Hyunjin left the house at around past noon. He drove to the restaurant where he will be meeting the rest of Yiyeon's friends. They had agreed that they would go to the restaurant a couple of hours early so that they would be able to set up some things.

Hyunjin even made an alibi in case Yiyeon would ask, but she left their house, anyway.

"Oh, Hyunjin-hyung! You're early!" Sungchan waved his hands so that the older could see him. The others also looked his way, and they looked as surprised as Sungchan. "How were you able to sneak out of your house without Yiyeon-noona knowing?" He asked.

The boy who just arrived went towards where the others are and started helping with the balloons. "Yiyeon left this morning. She promised that she would be back for our mini-celebration, though."

Yejin raised a brow, "Where did she go?" She asked as she handed Daewon some markers.

"I think she met up with Jeno," he shrugged.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Hyunjin.

"Did I... hear that right?" Daewon squinted his eyes."Why would she meet up with that guy? It's too dangerous!" He said as he covered his mouth in frustration.

The door to the events area opened, and they saw Yangyang, who was carrying some helium balloons, enter.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" He asked as he let go of the balloons. He placed his sling bag on the chair and went towards the others. "What the fuck? Stop staring. You guys are creeping me out," Yangyang scoffed.

"Hyunjin said Yiyeon met with Jeno," Yejin said.

The Chinese male looked at his friend and raised a brow, "So? I'm pretty sure Yiyeon knows what to do." He shrugged. "Oh my gosh, you guys! Back to work and stop looking at me like that!"

"You look pretty calm for a person who likes Yiyeon," Daewon shrugged.

"Well, I just think that Yiyeon wouldn't risk meeting with Jeno if she doesn't know what to do," Yangyang said. "I'm also worried, and I don't want her to get hurt, but can we all trust her on this one?" She asked.

Sungchan nodded, "I agree with hyung," he said and gave the pump to Hyunjin. "Let her do what she wants, but if she gets hurt, that would be the time for us to intervene." He said and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Hyunjin looked at Yangyang, who was busy drawing on the cardboard that Daewon gave him. Of course, he understands what he means, but isn't this also the guy who ignored Yiyeon's existence so that he could move on? How could he easily let Yiyeon go with someone else?

Sighing, he sat beside his teammate, "Yangyang."

Yangyang looked up at him, "Yeah?"

"Didn't you say you liked my sister? How could you let her go that easily?" Hyunjin asked as he sat beside him.

The other boy sighed, "Do you guys really expected me to wallow up in my own misery?" He chuckled. "It was never easy. Especially that I've been friends with her for a long time, and honestly, I wouldn't even dare to say that I have moved on from her already."

Yangyang didn't look like he was finished talking, so Hyunjin just listened.

"It's just that... I have accepted everything already," Yangyang smiled sadly. "I know that she wouldn't look at me the way I would look at her, but at least, I have a place in her heart. At least, I could still say that I'm her best friend."

Hyunjin smiled and patted his shoulder, "Thank you for loving my sister." He smiled. "We may not be siblings, but we share the same blood. You have no idea how much it also hurt me when she cried because of Jeno." Hyunjin sighed. "You see, Yiyeon and I don't really talk with each other at school. Not because we hate each other, but because I trust you guys."

"What do you mean?" Yangyang asked.

"You know her more than I know her," he shrugged. "And I know that you guys have been through together a lot." Hyunjin smiled. "I don't know what I'm saying at this point, but yeah, I hope you get it."

The other boy laughed, "Of course."

"Yangyang! Hyunjin! Stop chatting with each other and do your work!" Yejin called and rolled her eyes at the two.

Yangyang shook his head while laughing and continued what he was doing.

Hyunjin grabbed another pack of balloons and continued pumping them. "Doing this over and over is making my arms hurt. Where are the others? Why are there only a few of us here?" He asked.

"Jeongmin is waiting for the cake. Jaemin and Renjun have already arrived earlier. I just made them do an errand." Yejin explained. "Jisung has supplementary classes because he failed three subjects."

Daewon attached the balloons on the sticks and tied them to the curtains. "Mark-hyung attended the captains' meeting, and Chenle... is Chenle, I guess?" he chuckled.

"Chenle will be arriving with Shotaro. He just texted me," Yangyang said, showing them the conversation.

"Are we missing something?!" They looked at the people who entered.

Jaemin and Renjun were holding something when they entered.

"Is that the tarpaulin?" Yejin asked, and the two nodded. "Kindly place them in the corner and help Hyunjin pump some balloons."

***

Hyunjin started pacing back and forth when Yiyeon didn't answer.

"Hyunjin, are you sure that she went with Jeno and not with someone else?" Renjun asked worriedly.

Everyone started to become anxious when it started to rain. The worst part is, no one could contact Yiyeon. Everything was set—from the decorations to the food, and up until the presents.

It was 8 in the evening, and Yiyeon and Hyunjin were supposed to meet at 6. He doesn't even know where she would meet Jeno. Although he remembers that they would meet at the park, which is their usual spot, he wouldn't know which park.

"Why would she go out with someone else?!" Hyunjin hissed.

Yangyang looked at the others who were pacing back and forth. He took a deep breath and pondered if he should tell him what he knows.

"Can I be of any help?" He raised a brow at Jeno, who looked serious.

Jeno took a deep breath and looked at his friend, "I have to tell you something." He looked around and waited for the others to leave the locker room. "I'm sorry for telling it here inside the locker room. I have no other idea where."

Yangyang raised his hand, telling Jeno to stop talking. "Tell me what you want to say. Go straight to the point, Jeno."

He took a deep breath, "Tomorrow, I agreed to meet with Yiyeon. She told me that she has something to say, but she'll say it tomorrow." He looked at Yangyang. "But I don't think I could meet her tomorrow."

"You bastard—"

"Hear me out," Jeno said, cutting him off. "We were caught. Someone heard us, and they have been threatening me that they would do something to Yiyeon if I go and meet her tomorrow."

"What the hell?" Yangyang raised a brow.

"I need your help," Jeno pleaded. "No matter what happens tomorrow, you must not let Yiyeon get hurt, okay?" He asked. "I'm begging you, Yangyang."

Yangyang closed his eyes and could only groan mentally.

He stood up and faced the others, "I think I might know where she is."

Yangyang told them the situation Yiyeon's in, and some could only groan in frustration.

"Jaemin, Renjun, Chenle, Mark, and Shotaro will stay. The rest of us will go," Hyunjin said sternly. "We will come back with Yiyeon, and no matter what happens, you guys will stay here unless we say otherwise, okay?" He asked, and they nodded.

***

"Yangyang, what the fuck were you thinking?" Hyunjin asked as he slammed on the brakes. "All of us have been panicking since we haven't heard anything from her for the past two hours. You know something, yet you didn't tell us?!" He hissed.

"I hesitated, okay?!" Yangyang yelled back. "And I didn't expect that Yiyeon would be patient enough to wait for him that long!" He said.

"Okay, stop yelling!" Daewon said. "The weather outside is already bad. You guys are making everything look worse!" He said.

They arrived at the place within thirty minutes, and as expected, it was deserted. They couldn't even find a trace of someone who went there this day.

"Yiyeon-ah!" Hyunjin yelled. "Hwang Yiyeon, where are you?!" They could hardly see anything, and the rain was not helping at all.

"Yiyeon-unnie!" Jeongmin yelled at the top of her lungs. "Unnie, let's go and eat now! We have to celebrate your birthday, remember?"

"Noona!" Sungchan yelled. "We have something for you, so please yell back if you hear us!"

Yangyang clenched his fists as he blamed himself for not telling them sooner. "Yiyeon-ah!" He yelled. "I'm not mad at you anymore, so please come back to us! Yell back!" He said, voice trembling. "I'm not going to avoid you anymore, so please... please yell back if you hear us!"

"This isn't working. So let's split up," Yejin said.

"Noona..." Sungchan called. They looked at the younger who was looking at something. "Is that... Yiyeon-noona?"

Yangyang squinted his eyes and noticed that there was, indeed, a person seated under the shed nearby. However, although the person is under the shed, it would be useless since the wind got stronger as minutes go by.

Hyunjin could hear the faint clanking of an umbrella, and he remembers that before Yiyeon left their house this morning, she took an umbrella with her.

With his blood rushing through his face, he rushed towards the person.

"Hyunjin!" His friends called out, but he was certain that it was Yiyeon.

Yangyang followed Hyunjin, who suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes traveled to the girl who looked lifeless while seated under the shed.

"Yiyeon! Get in the car! The rain is getting stronger, and you might get sick!" He yelled.

The girl looked at Yangyang and smiled. She had decided that she would stay there no matter what happens. He promised, and that's enough.

"Noona, please!" Now, it was Sungchan who's begging her to get in the car. "You'll get sick! Jeno-hyung won't like that!"

Right, Jeno... I really hope that he would get upset if I'm sick. That doesn't happen anymore. He's not the same person I used to know.

Otherwise, he would be here... right?

"Yiyeon, stop being stupid, please!" She just looked at her friends with a faint smile on her face. She couldn't see nor hear them clearly. The rest of them were a couple of feet away from her.

The night was slowly getting deeper, yet still no signs of Jeno.

"Go home, everyone. Your parents are probably worried about you."

Jeongmin yelled, "Are you stupid?! The last thing that we would do in this kind of weather is to leave you alone!"

Yiyeon wants to believe that Jeno would fulfill his promise, even if she knows that it's kind of impossible. She had already anticipated this type of scenario in her head, but not like this. Not when it's dark and raining, and she's alone.

She wants to believe that maybe, the spark that was once lost could be re-ignited.

Even if it's impossible.

Do I still exist in his life?

It seems as if he doesn't know me at all.

Maybe he realized that I'm not worth it, after all.

"Hwang Yiyeon!"

Enough is enough... I'm already hurt.

"Yiyeon-unnie, please, let's talk this out!" Jeongmin begged. "Come with us, please? This shouldn't be the way your special day ends..."

Yiyeon looked at them as she reached her hands out. "I'm... coming with you."

Hyunjin and Yangyang immediately rushed towards Yiyeon to help her stand up. Yejin handed them a spare umbrella so they could cover her from the rain.

They got inside the car and Hyunjin began driving.

"We won't force you to talk, okay?" He said. "We just want you to forget what happened and try to be happy, alright?"

Yiyeon nodded, "I couldn't thank you guys enough..." She said and smiled sadly.

She faced Yangyang, who was seated beside her, "I'm sorry..."

The boy smiled softly as he ruffled her hair, "Let's talk about it another time. We still have a couple of hours left before the day changes. Let's celebrate it while we can."

Yiyeon nods.

- tbc.

this is the longest chapter I've made for this book—