Within the four walls of the room, all that can be heard is the voices of the drunk boys. Some screaming, some laughing, some singing, and some completely passed out on the sofas.
Most of them present here have already drunk up to their limit while the rest are still sober enough to know what's going on around them. To be precise, only five of them in the room are still sober.
Out of the five, three were Jiyeon, Joshua, and Jeonghan, who was practically forced by Joshua to stay sober and not get drunk because he had some plan.
The ones still sober, were mainly focused on keeping the rest of them alive and uninjured because the drunk boys are moving around like maniacs, no mind of what they're doing.
Aside from the chaos going on in the room, Jeonghan's full attention has been on her the whole time. He seemed completely unbothered by the bodies that kept clashing against him from time to time and only kept his gaze over her.
His gaze of course didn't go unnoticed by her. Although she tried hard to ignore his gaze, she only failed miserably every time and her eyes moved on their own towards him.
But everytime they landed in his, she forced herself to look away after a few seconds. She felt somewhat uncomfortable by his gaze, but it was only her brain that felt that way. Her heart felt safe under his gaze, just like she did in the past.
Nothing in him seemed to change. He still looks the same, young and handsome as ever, his smile still as bright as ever whenever he smiled towards the boys, his eyes still holding the loving and caring gaze everytime they land on her, but her heart and especially her brain didn't wanna accept the love and care his eyes offered from the distance.
Jeonghan couldn't bring himself to look away, she still has that effect on him and he would never deny that.
Though he had promised himself to not let his eyes be on her the whole time and possibly make her uncomfortable, he seems to have broken that promise, just like he broke the promises he made to her.
As he watched her every move, he tried to find any unease in her but he couldn't find any kind of movement in her that indicates her feeling uncomfortable with his gaze.
Of course he knows how obvious he's being, after the amount of time their eyes met and the boys told him to look away because he looks like a creep in their eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to look away.
Deep down, he hoped she would look at him the same way and read his eyes and the feelings he's portraying through them but it is more than obvious that she's trying to avoid looking into his eyes.
A part of him wanted to look away because he didn't want her to feel even the slightest bit of discomfort though his gaze but his heart and her intimidating aura just wouldn't let him look away. It's as if she has kept his eyes locked towards her with some superpower.
As his gaze kept locked on her, he didn't fail to notice her body slightly shivering due to the cold temperature in the room.
Without having any sense of what he's about to do, he started to stand up from the sofa, ready to take off his jacket but then a pair of hands landed on his face, cupping it.
"My Jeonghanie hyung looks so in love" Dokyeom, clearly drunk, said in a teasing tone, alerting everyone around him. And in no time, the others' attention was on him.
Despite being drunk, they didn't fail to take the chance of teasing him, like they did back in the days before they had started to date, when Jeonghan had secretly crushed on her.
"Oooh, Yoon Jeonghan can't keep his eyes to himself,'' Soonyoung teased, laughing teasingly as the other drunk boys joined him.
It's not like Jeonghan wanted to deny nor was there any need to deny because it was more than obvious that what they are saying is nothing but facts, but Jeonghan definitely didn't feel pleased being exposed this way.
Jeonghan's eyes moved to Seungcheol, silently pleading him through his eyes to stop the boys. He didn't even have the courage to look at Jiyeon to see her reaction to the situation.
Joshua, who had his eyes on his sister the whole time, felt the need to step in and stop the scene from escalating further where Jeonghan would start feeling embarrassed and his sister would probably feel uncomfortable.
"Noona, let's go out. I have so much to explain, don't I?" He said, stepping up and walking towards her, holding out his hand for her to hold so that they can leave the room.
Jiyeon took a hold of his hand after moving Somin's drunk and asleep figure off her lap and stood up. "You're right. You have a lot of explain"
She immediately pulled him, proceeding to walk out but halted when Joshua was pulled back by Jeonghan. Sensing that he might have something to tell him and that the boys could start saying worse stuff now, she quickly let go of his hand and walked out alone, giving the two boys privacy.
Jeonghan pulled Joshua towards himself and brought his face closer to his ear, whispering so that the others wouldn't hear him. "She's shivering from the cold, give her your jacket please"
Joshua moved away slightly, staring at the other with a 'are you kidding me?' look. "Really? That's why you were getting up?"
Jeonghan only smiled at him innocently. "Okay, I'll do that. But, remember what I told you earlier? You better do that" Saying, Joshua gave him no time to insist and ran out of the room.
"Oh no, your girlfriend is gone" Chan pouted, teasing Jeonghan even more. Jeonghan, finally getting the freedom to do whatever he wants, glared at the boys that teased him.
Meanwhile, Jiyeon waited outside the door for Joshua to come out. And in no time, the door got pushed open and Joshua walked out.
Jiyeon let out a sigh, feeling relieved for being able to get out of that situation. She knows how far they can go with their teasing, even when they're drunk. This isn't their first time being like this.
The time they ended up revealing their relationship to the boys was also a time like this, when most of them were almost drunk and teased them to the end of the limit where they had no choice but to expose themselves.
And same goes to the time they had to expose their night spent together during Jeonghan's birthday, they teased them to such an extent where they had to reveal it to them, that they slept together.
"Let's go down to the bar. It'll be much quieter than back in the room" Joshua suggested, the both of them then walked down the spiral stairs, going to the bar.
They took a seat on the stools in front of the bar. "What can I get for you, sir and ma'am?" The bartender asked as they settled on their seats.
"Just two glasses of wine, please" Joshua ordered, slightly bowing his head towards the guy. "You're okay with wine right?"
Jiyeon bobbed her head up and down, telling him she's fine with just wine.
Her head has been filled with so many questions the whole time she was upstairs in the room but she couldn't ask him anything there, so now that they're finally alone and in a much quiet place, she didn't waste her time to ask him the question that has been bothering her this whole time.
"How and when did you two talk? And why didn't I know that you were coming to Seoul?" She asked the two questions, eagerly waiting for an answer, especially to the first question.
"I'll tell you from the beginning"
"Sure"
After letting out a sigh, Joshua proceeded to tell her everything he's been hiding from her for the past few days.
"Well, it all started from the day you went to the beach and saw him–" – "You know about that?!" Jiyeon asked, surprised, because she couldn't find the courage to tell him anything but it turns out he knows everything.
"Did Jeonghan tell you?" She asked, thinking Jeonghan might have told him when they met. "No, it was Seungcheol"
"Seungcheol?" She asked in disbelief. It's not that she's angry or anything but she definitely didn't expect Seungcheol to tell him anything without her permission.
"He knows you wouldn't be able to tell me anything so he told me everything by himself" He explained.
"And then the next day, when he took you out, I was the one who told him to do that" Joshua revealed the real reason behind the day-long date of theirs.
"Ohh. Well, that makes more sense. I was surprised that he wanted to take me out for a whole day"
The both of them then sat in silence for a few minutes, taking sips from the wine glass from time to time while not-so-loud music blasters behind them.
The part of the club where people dance and enjoy themselves selflessly was on another corner of the club, making the sound not so audible from their distance. It's just the perfect place to have a talk with someone.
"I called Jeonghan to Busan," Joshua spoke, breaking the silence and Jiyeon's long train of unnecessary and useless thoughts.
"What?" Jiyeon, who was having negative thoughts about meeting Jeonghan today, didn't hear what her brother had said.
"I called Jeonghan to Busan to talk. He wanted to explain everything to me. So I asked him to meet me in Busan since I couldn't come to Seoul" Joshua repeated his words, also adding more of the story.
"He went to our house?" Joshua nodded, taking a sip from his wine glass. "When was that?"
"The day after you went out with Cheol. I called him as well and he went to Busan that night while Jeonghan went the morning after. And then he explained everything to me"
Jiyeon didn't say anything after that for a while. She needed some time to process everything. So many things happened and she had no idea any of that was happening.
"So… you forgave him and are back to normal?" Jiyeon asked, feeling a little weird about the fact that he was able to forgive him so easily after all the resentment he had towards him.
Joshua hummed in reply, not knowing what else to say to her. He wondered if Jiyeon was unhappy with the news because she just stayed quiet for the next few minutes.
"I'm relieved that you're back to normal. You know how much I cherished your friendship don't you? It hurt me so much when I found out that he was trying to contact you but you ignored him. I couldn't help but blame myself for ruining such a friendship. So it makes me feel happy now, really really happy"
Jiyeon moved her hand over to Joshua's, holding his in hers and smiling at him, to show that she's truly happy with the news.
"Are you? Really?" Jiyeon nodded, smiling bigger this time. She felt confused about some stuff but she chose to keep it hidden at the moment and chose to only express her happiness.
"You're truly happy that we're back to normal? You're not hurt even the slightest bit?" Joshua kept asking because he knows his sister, she won't be able to hide anything for too long.
He wanted to make sure that she's truly happy before he breaks the word to her.
"Of course I am, Shua. Why is it so hard to believe that? I may hate him for what he did to me, but he didn't really do anything to you, did he? You were mostly angry with him for what he did to me. I am actually, truly, really happy that you're friends again"
"Don't you wonder why I was able to forgive him?" Joshua asked suddenly, catching her a little off guard. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you know the resentment I held towards him, and despite all that, I was able to forgive him so fast. Don't you think that he actually had a reason for doing all that?" The both of them stared into each other's eyes, no one speaking a word.
Jiyeon started thinking about what he said. Knowing her brother, he wouldn't forgive anyone for hurting her, he's extremely protective and caring towards her.
But considering he forgave Jeonghan for what he did, there might actually be more to the story, Jiyeon thought.
"Noona, I know you want it too but you're just scared of how it'll turn out, you're just scared to know the truth that you think is painful. Just talk to him, Noona. This once. This is the only time I can help you both"
Jiyeon stayed silent for a few minutes, thinking about the possibilities that what Joshua said might be right.
She's just scared that the truth is gonna be painful, more painful than when he had left her. That's the only thing holding her back from talking to him. She isn't scared to face him, but she's scared to face the truth.
"I won't force you, you know I'll never do that. But as your brother, because I want the good for you, I suggest you talk to him" Joshua added, worried that he might have hurt her feelings or made her feel pressured.
"Only if you want to talk to him, I'll call him here. If you don't, that's your choice," he added.
"I'll do it. Call him here. I'll talk to him"
—
Jeonghan walked down the stairs and towards the bar, where Joshua said he'd find her.
It didn't take long for Jeonghan to recognize her, sitting on the stool and drinking her wine. Jeonghan's heart skipped multiple beats as he stood on the ground like a statue.
After taking a deep breath, he proceeded to take slow and small steps towards her but when he noticed her bare back with no jacket on like he had told Joshua to do, he couldn't hold himself back and furiously walked towards her, taking his own jacket off and putting it over her shoulder.
Jiyeon flinched, startled by the sudden contact of something with her body. Turning back, her eyes locked with his, that held nothing but care.
"I- I saw you shivering earlier, you should wear a jacket" Jeonghan unconsciously stuttered, not having enough courage, yet, to speak with her.
The both of them turned their heads away, feeling somewhat awkward in the moment, with Jeonghan's pal still over her shoulder that he didn't realize he hadn't moved.
"Take a seat" Jiyeon offered, still not looking at him.
Jeonghan quickly removed his hands from over her shoulder and took a seat on the stool right beside hers, where Joshua was originally sitting before him.
They both felt awkward being so close to each other after the history they have together. Despite the love they still had for each other, the moment made them feel awkward.
Their eyes moved around the room, looking everywhere but at each other. At some point, their eyes locked, both of them staring at each other through the mirror-like surface on the walls in front of them.
Both their heart beats raised, beating like a drum against their chest.
After what felt like hours, Jiyeon finally collected the courage to speak up. "Don't you have anything to say?"
Cold and arrogant, that's how she sounded, the tone being nothing new but still a little uncomfortable for Jeonghan. She has never spoken to him in such a tone.
"I- …" All the words were stuck on his throat, refusing to come out to her.
"Why can't you talk now? You were able to tell Joshua everything but you can't say a word to me? Why? Were you lying to Joshua to get the friendship back and now you can't lie to me?"
Jiyeon felt hurt. She is aware of how rude she's sounding but she couldn't hold her feelings back. His absence has made her think the worst of him and she can't bring herself to hide them at the moment.
"No. Why would I lie to him? I can't speak because you two aren't the same people" Jeonghan hates being accused of something he never did, so being the man he is, he lost control and spoke.
"You're right, we aren't the same people. Joshua is your best friend that you cherish, while I'm just… a toy to you that you decided to throw away when you became bored"
Jeonghan looked up at her, finally moving his eyes away from his lap. He looked at her, her eyes being filled with tears he knew she couldn't hold back around him.
It hurt him. More than feeling angry at her for thinking in such a way about herself, like anyone would, he blamed himself, for giving her the reason to think that way.
"Is that what you think?" Jiyeon hummed, still refusing to let her tears fall or look at him.
"I have no significance in your life. If I did, it wouldn't have been so easy for you make those promises and leave me just to break them all"
Jiyeon poured her feelings out with her words but she didn't wanna let the tears out and make herself look weaker than she already is, so she held them back as much as possible, trying to not make it obvious to him that she's holding back tears.
Jeonghan got more and more furious, finding more reasons to hate himself as each word left her mouth. He never wanted to make her feel that way. Her having thoughts like that about herself is his last wish.
"Despite the promises I made to you being left broken, I still lived every moment loving you just the same"
Their eyes locked, both their eyes filled with tears. Jeonghan couldn't hold himself back. He needed to let her know how much she meant to him.
"Then? Then why did you leave? Why did you make those promises if you still loved me? Why did you completely cut ties with me if you loved me? Why did you?!"
That's when Jiyeon lost it. She lost control over herself and spoke her heart out.
"Do you know how hard it was for me? Do you know how many times I tried to end my life just because of you? Do you even wonder what I went through these past 6 years?" She finally let her tears out, exposing them to him.
"Because my p–" – "Hong Jiyeon, there you are, my baby. Why did you leave?" A drunk feminine voice interrupted, halting Jeonghan's words.
Jiyeon looked at the direction of where the voice was coming from, only for the person's face to clash against her chest. That's when she realized who the person is.
"Somin, what are you doing here?"