Imperfectly Perfect 2

20 : Broken-hearted Club

The members of the theater club are enjoying a short break from their usual early afternoon practice activities in the university conference hall.

Dahyun plops herself in one of the chairs beside their club director. "It's the time of the year again, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Bambam scrunches his eyebrows.

"Valentine's day!" The assistant director scoffs. "What else do I mean?"

"Ahh. Well— Yeah. Friday it will be."

"You know what. Why don't you try picking one from those girls who usually give you chocolates this year?" Dahyun wiggles her eyebrows in teasing. "Just so your lonely heart won't be that lonely this time."

"No, thank you." He quickly replies with a smug tone.

"Boring. As if you've had anything better to do."

"Wow." Bambam slowly claps his hands a couple of times in front of Dahyun's face. "Coming from someone like Kim Dahyun, huh?"

"Tsk. What do you mean by that?" The council secretary promptly rolls her eyes. "If you're not going anywhere that day, why don't the both of us go and drown in alcohol somewhere?"

The club director squints at her. "And when did you start wanting to do that, huh? All these years you've always been doing your best, freeing yourself that day... in the hope that the one and only Minatozaki Sana would ask you on a date."

"You— Don't assume for me, okay? I wasn't trying to do any of that!" Dahyun quickly hits his arm multiple times and immediately gives him a death glare after. "Tsk. Come on, let's drink our hearts out that day. Let the members of the broken-hearted club have a change of pace this year other than sulking in their dorm rooms!"

"Yeah, yeah. So convincing, Kim." Bambam shakes his head while chuckling. "We both know that when Mina was still free and single but was never available, I was already sulking in my room. How much more this time that that relatively small but charming soccer player came to her life? I might as well stay holed up in the dorms."

"You know..." Dahyun paused for a second, seemingly contemplating about her choice of words, but still proceeded anyway on the next second. "You had your chance."

"Hey. You know that I never had a chance!" He quickly points a finger to the council secretary. "Mina was never part of the world I'm in. And even when we accidentally cross paths sometimes, I always just end up either as a stuttering mess or in a miserable daze."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Coward."

"You—"

"Well not like any of that matters now. It is clear as day that Chaeyoung is back in Pres' life for good."

Bambam glances at her, then rolls his eyes. "I already know that."

"I'm not saying this because I'm also Son Chaeyoung's friend..." Dahyun also glanced at him before carefully continuing. "But that soccer player you were referring to earlier as one small human being is actually way bigger than you. That is if we talk about pure guts and perseverance here. And you, Bhuwakul Bambam! You." She points a finger at him. "You wasted all your chances for the past three years."

"What a great way to console a friend, Kim." Bambam replies sarcastically and flashes an obviously fake smile.

Dahyun simply chuckles at him and replies sarcastically. "Sorry. I didn't mean it to sound so hurtful, my friend."

He looks at the far side of the conference hall and lets out a sigh. "You also had your chance, you know."

The council secretary's expression quickly shifted into something serious. "As if you knew anything, Bambam."

"What are you saying?"

"It just seemed like I did, but I also never had a chance."

"Huh? Why is that?" The club director slightly tilted his head. "You've succeeded in being a close friend to Sana, haven't you?"

"Yeah. I could say that we are indeed close friends." Dahyun lets out a huge sigh. "And maybe that is where everything went wrong."

The club director glanced at her. When he saw how pained the council secretary's eyes were, he decided to stay quiet. Giving the decision to the girl if she wants to pursue the topic further.

After a moment of silence, Dahyun faintly smiles and speaks again. "It's okay. It's my fault. I became really good friends with Sana to the point she thought everything was normal. For her, kissing cheeks, telling 'I love you', linking arms, and sudden hugging and cuddling were all normal. It didn't mean anything to her. That's what she normally does with her close friends. And I am one of her close friends."

"Won't you tell her how you feel?"

"Just like your feelings towards Pres are... mine also don't matter now. I was quick to tell you're a coward earlier but the truth is... I was more of that word than you are." The assistant director leans back at the chair, looks to the ceiling, and smiles sadly to herself. "I also wasted all my chances for the past three years."

"Hey." Bambam carefully asked this time. "Why are you saying that now? Last year, you even sent an anonymous love letter to her. I saw how you've poured your heart into that poem you composed for her."

"That should all be buried in the past now. Surely, there's not even a teeny tiny tad bit of a chance for me now." She heaves in a deep breath, then looks to the club director's direction. "The owner of the keychain finally found her, you know."

"Hu— Huh? That— that sounds—"

"I know." Dahyun looks back again to the far ceiling. "It sounds ridiculously surreal."

"I... was actually about to say wonderful since it sounded like destiny but—"

"Hey!" The council secretary immediately glared at him and playfully hit his arm continuously. "Who is your friend here, huh? You should be siding with me!"

"Sorry!" Bambam shields himself while loudly laughing. "I didn't mean it to sound like that!"