"Hi," said Changmin, Haknyeon waving at me from behind. I stared at them, dumbfounded.
A single marshmallow tumbled off the bookshelf. "Oh my god..."
They were everywhere. Lining the windowsill, strewn across my pillow z piled in miniature pyramids on the desk.
They'd even marked out my initials on the bed: K in red, Y in blue, and N in purple.
If you're really sad, do you know what I'd do? I'd fill your bedroom with marshmallows.
"I... can't believe you guys did this," I whispered, noticing a marshmallow in one of my slippers. "I can't believe you'd do this." It was like walking into a dream.
"You're crazy." Changmin looked crestfallen. "What...you don't like it?" I could tell he was holding back tears.
"No," I said breaking into a smile. "No, I love it. I..." Changmin's knees were jiggling, and he bit his lips.
"I love it, you big stupid idiot."
He sat up on the bed, the words spilled out of him. "I know this doesn't change what I did," he gabbled, knocking marshmallows onto the carpet.
"I know I can never take that back ever. But I can be your best friend again, Yoona. I know I can." He looked at me, eyes huge, tears beginning to form.
"If you'll have me." I stared back at Changmin, his face filled with hope and heartache.
Without him, my life was black and white. I knew that nothing was fun anymore. It was like a piece of me was gone.
No one else in the world would do something like this for me.
"I've missed you," I said, stepping forward, accidentally squishing a marshmallow. Changmin nodded, his chest swelling. "So much."
We were quiet for a few seconds, coined in our marshmallow dream world.
"Yoona?"
"Uh-huh." Changmin's lips wobbled.
"Is it okay if I cry now?" I glanced at Haknyeon, he was already crying, his face buried in his jacket.
Before I could say, little sobs started falling out of Changmin. And I hurried across the room, sending marshmallow piles flying.
I sat down next to Changmin and hugged him tight against me. My other hand invited Haknyeon to join, his body obeyed instantly.
Changmin gazed up at me, face sticky with tears, and sniffed. "I spent all of the allowances." He sobbed into my jumper for a little while.
"You owe me 50 bucks," came a shaky voice from a gentleman crying on top of us. I shoved marshmallows to both of their mouths.
They chewed them as they sobbed.
"It's impossible to be sad when you're eating a marshmallow. That's a scientific fact."
I scanned the room, struggling to count the haul. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. How did they even manage to decorate in a short amount of time?
"If we eat all this, we're all going to puke," Haknyeon said, wiping his tears. Changmin squeaked. "I can't wait."
For a while, all of us lay down next to each other in silence, sugary scent in the air, and I realized I suddenly had everything I could ever need, sitting right here in the bedroom.
I had my best friends back.
"I've got SO much to tell you," Changmin said with a sniff.
As we settled back into our established places, cross-legged on the bed, Haknyeon had already started his marshmallow mukbang.
"They made me the president of Computer Club last week, which is a bit weird cuz what does a computer club needs a president for?"
As he talked, an unstoppable smile was spreading across my face. "But then again, it's kinda cool, because I get my certificate and a wicked badge. And vouchers."
Haknyeon, then cleared his throat, knowing it's his turn to talk.
"I... passed the entrance test to YMC academy!" Both of us gasped automatically.
"I can't believe this. Haknyeon kept his promise. This is big news!!" Couples of marshmallows had come towards me flying as I said.
Getting into YMC academy can guarantee you 60% of getting into universities. And the fact that Haknyeon is going to learn it is amazing!
"Omg. I should tell everyone about this!" Changmin said, his dimples showing up.
"Oh gosh. No. My mom had been telling everyone in the neighborhood that even Mr.Joe knows this now." Haknyeon said, shaking his head in denial.
Laughter filled the room as we laughed at Haknyeon's story. I tossed a marshmallow at him. He caught it and popped it in his mouth.
"Hey," Haknyeon said, pointing at my hat, chewing. "Your hat's back."
"You'll never believe who I saw this afternoon."
I told them about my encounter with Mina at the bus stop. About how she has waited for me on the way home and returned my hat.
About how I expected her to lay into me... But she didn't.
"This is unbelievable!" exclaimed Changmin, knocking the marshmallows off the bed.
"This means you win, Yoona. You win. It's a Christmas Miracle," he raised his hand. "Don't leave me hanging here!"
I high-fived him, shaking my head. "Enough about her, let's talk about LEE JUYEON..."
Changmin listened, wide-eyed as I recounted the story of my night at Johwa. Haknyeon nodded, munching on the marshmallow.
It was strange, hearing myself tell it out loud. And as I spoke, memories I had tried hard to bury came rushing back to me. I could feel the midnight chill on my back of my hands.
I could feel the rumble of traffic on the streets below. I could see the rain rushing down in the columns towards the pavement as I leaned over the balcony.
Reliving it all over again, I realized I'd almost forgotten how wretched Juyeon had made me feel. How much I'd hated him for treating me that way.
"So hang on," said Haknyeon, tossing the marshmallow away when I finished. "You're not talking to Juyeon anymore... at all?"
"Of course not." Changmin and Haknyeon looked at each other. "But... Yoona..."
"What?" I said. "Why are you two looking at me like that?" Changmin clicked his fingers. "I need your laptop."
I passed Changmin my computer and, flipped the lid. Changmin typed frantically for a few seconds, Haknyeon speaking from behind.
Then the laptop was spun towards me, on the screen, a YouTube video was presented. "What's this?"
"Just watch," he said, sitting back against the headboard. The video, which turned out to be a THE WATCHER news report, began to play.
A man and a woman sitting next to each other behind a fake news desk. Above their heads, a composite photo of Juyeon and Chaerin hovered in one corner, a little spinning globe in the other.
"....Now, Hyunjin ssi," said the man with a sharp chin. "Talk to me about Juyeon. What's going on here?" The woman pointed a manicured finger in the air.
"Well, listen up cuz there has been serious speculation about Juyeon and actress Hwang Chaerin, who was seen arriving at his hotel last month in, like, the middle of the night. But we think we've got to the bottom of it."
"Oh, I bet they are," said the man, nodding at the screen. "They would be so cute together, no?"
"Maybe, maybe not, but here's what happened when our reporter on the ground caught up with both Chaerin and Juyeon at this year's Golden Disk Awards..."
The video cut to a red carpet, lights flashing, music playing, journalists calling out for attention. Celebrities posed in ball gowns and crisp black tuxedos.
Hwang Chaerin was looking into the camera. "So... Chaerin-ssi," asked the reporter. "Tell me about you and Juyeon. Something is going on there, right?"
Chaerin laughed, then frowned. "Are you kidding me? Juyeon?" The reporter wiggled her microphone.
"Now, come on, Chaerin, we know you've been chilling at his hotel, and you've been close ever since they debuted, so... what's the gods?"
Chaerin flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "Sure. We've been close for like two years now...but he's just a friend, always has been."
In the distance, another reporter shouted Chaerin's name. She ignored him.
"Plus, I have a boyfriend. And Juyeon's not so my type.
He's a pretty boy. Way too skinny. I like guys like big arms, you know?" I peered over the laptop at the boys.
"Why are we watching this?"
"Quiet!" said Changmin, pointing at the screen. I got hit by a marshmallow from Haknyeon. "It's not finished."
The reporter cut back to the studio. The composite photo in the top corner has been replaced with a photo of Juyeon and Chaerin stepping out of a nightclub together.
"Do we trust Chaerin, though?" said the man, his hands turned up. "If she cheated on her boyfriend, she ain't gonna fess up on TV, is she?"
"Well, just wait," replied his co-host. "Because here...is Juyeon's side of the story."
Juyeon appeared on the screen, walking on the same red carpet, looking irritable. He ran a hair through his hair, which was unkempt and wild.
"Juyeon, hey! Juyeon!" He stopped in the camera. His eyes had a sunken look to them as if he hadn't been sleeping.
"Hey," he said, forcing a smile.
"Talk to us about Chaerin. You guys.. you're an item, right?" Juyeon took a deep breath.
"She's just a friend. I've told you, people, millions of times. Don't ask me that again." Juyeon started to walk away but the reporter kept yapping at him.
"Now come on! Juyeon. Everyone's talking about it." He thrust the microphone forward. "You wouldn't lie to us, would ya?"
Exasperated, Juyeon turned on his heel and looked straight into the camera.
"No," he said, firmly. "I wouldn't. But I guess it's too late now, right?"
Juyeon set off toward the venue, ignoring the reporter, who was still sprouting something about Johwa and Chaerin's argument with her boyfriend.
But I wasn't thinking about that.
I was thinking about the look I'd seen in Juyeon's eyes, just before he turned away. Just after he said, "I guess it's too late."
It was a look I'd seen before, on the cliffside, when he'd opened up to me about his father's suicide. It was the closest I'd ever felt to him, that moment.
And I'd realized for the first time, I was seeing the real Juyeon. Exposed, insecure, like any other people.
It cut me right to the core, and I knew straight away. I knew he was telling the truth.
"Oh my god..."
I pushed the laptop across the bed. Blood was rushing to my face.
"You see, this is why you need us," said Haknyeon, Changmin nodding with a forced smile. "Because of all our knowledge."
Things Juyeon had said on the balcony were crashing back to me, things I'd assumed were lies, things that had made me hate him even more.
You've got it wrong... This whole thing... You have to believe me, Yoona. She's a friend. Nothing more.
"What do I do, guys? What do I do?" I said my heart racing. "I don't.. What do I do?"
A knock at my door.
"Hey?"
"Helllooo?" Answered, Haknyeon, perkily.
"Can I come in?"
"Enter stranger," said Haknyeon, and the door opened. I closed my computer.
"I meant to tell you," said Dad, stretching out his hand. "you got some post this morning." He set a padded envelope down on my desk.
"Ooh, interesting," said Changmin, craning his neck to see. Dad threw me a look. "Everything okay, Yoona?"
"Um...yeah," I said, distractedly. "Fine."
"We're all good," added Changmin with an enthusiastic nod. "We're just hanging out on YouTube. Watching some videos."
"Right," said Dad. He glanced around at the forest of marshmallows and gave the boyz a little wink. "I'll leave it to you then."
Dad backed out of the door, closing it behind him, and I peered at the package on my desk. I barely ever received posts, except bank statements and school letters, and this didn't look like either of those.
Slipping off the bed, I walked to my desk and picked it up. The minute I saw the signature, my stomach flipped.
It was Juyeon's.
+×+
Next up: EPILOGUE.
I'm sorry about the late update. I forgot about it cuz I was so busy with the exam. Ready for the last chapter?♥️
Stream~~