Chapter Six

You stood in front of the mirror, placing a small pin on your head as you tried to keep your hair in place. You sighed, straightening out the dress you chose to wear: a pink casual dress, when you heard your stylist call, "He's here!"

"Why are you squealing?" You asked amusedly as you grabbed your bag from the bed, seeing Cara practically bouncing in excitement.

"Uh, because A: you're going on a date. B: with a really cute guy. And C: with a really really cute guy!"

"You know we're leaving soon right? And this whole romance thing your creating in your head is impossible?"

Cara shot you with a glare. "Kill joy." She scoffed. "A girl can dream can she? Plus, that's extra romantic! Long distance relationships are—"

"Impossible." You shot her down. "No one survives an LDR."

“Of course there is! I have friends.”

"Hmm. It’s a case to case basis. Doesn’t make it any more difficult though." You shrugged. "They went through hell to get where they are now if they're still together."

"Are you sure you're a girl?" Cara mused as she leant by the door frame. "Cause to be honest, I feel like I'm talking to my brother."

You chuckled. "Just saying.”

"Yeah? What do you know about love and relationships?" Cara challenged and you bit your lip, his face suddenly popping into your head.

If only you knew, you thought as you tried to forget Guk's pained expression the night before. No texts or calls came in and you wondered why you were even expecting them. Guk tended to leave fights unresolved, to avoid confrontations at all costs. That’s why last night came to be a surprise to you. Guk just blurted his thoughts and put it in the open which was very unlike him.

But you were the one who left.

You looked at your phone sitting on your dresser and sighed when the screen remained black. You moved towards it and grabbed it from its resting place, shoving the device into your purse before moving out of the room.

~~~

Hyun stood in the suite's living room, wearing a nice lavender shirt and holding a bouquet of wild flowers. You immediately smiled when he looked at you emerging from the room, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"Hi Y/N." He said, giving you his infamous grin.

"Hey." You smiled back feelings your cheeks redden as your eyes locked. He had beautiful eyes; eyes that caught your attention and swore to never give it back nor let it wander.

"For you." He handed the bouquet. You chuckled slightly, bowing slightly in appreciation.

"That's the second time."

Hyun shrugged, "If it makes you smile then I won’t stop giving them.”

You blushed at his words as you brought the flowers to the table. Cara immediately took them from your hands to take care of it.

"Aww so pretty!" She cooed and you smirked in response.

"We’ll see you later, Cara.”

"Don't come back soon!" She responded and Hyun chuckled as you shot her a glare, your face burning in embarrassment. You faced him and was surprised that he was already staring at you, a small smile gracing his beautiful face.

"Ready?"

You nodded and he offered his arm, which you smiled at; considering that it’s a gesture only a few guys did nowadays. You hooked your arm into his and the two of you fell into an easy conversation, almost like you've known each other for a long time.

~~~

"I'm going out!" Guk called as he placed a scarf around his neck and buttoned his jacket up.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked, peeking from the kitchen doorway.

"Just going for a walk." He waved goodbye and left in haste without another glance.

There was something about the autumn wind that was oddly comforting. The way the leaves changed from green to shades of orange, brown, and yellow; the cool wind that was enough to make you feel good but not so much that you'd want to get inside the house right away to keep warm.

Guk pulled his hat down to keep his identity on the down low as to not attract any fans that happened to be walking by. He walked through the city idly with no destination in mind; his head consumed by thoughts of you.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about you since you returned and the incident last night had made it worse. He stayed up late writing a song and just let his thoughts and feelings onto lyrics and melodies. He hadn’t slept a wink but somehow, he didn’t feel tired. Just… sad. He was doubtful about releasing the song, though. He figured it would be one of his secret songs; the ones that were for his ears alone.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the kid he almost bumped into. Guk stopped as he felt something hit his torso and his hands immediately went up front, holding a little boy to him. He looked down and saw the kid slightly glaring up at him.

"Hey, ow! Watch where you're going."

"Mianhe." Guk bowed as he took a step back.

"You should stop thinking or else you'll get hit by a car next time, hyung."

Guk snorted and chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Thanks kid. I'll keep that in mind."

"That's the thing." The kid suddenly said. "Do you even have to think?"

Guk frowned at his words, wondering what he meant but before he could even ask, the kid was already running away, his red backpack shaking behind him.

Weird, Guk muttered just as he glanced to his left, his eyes catching a familiar sight. On the other side of the street was a café restaurant with a white door over a brick-walked infrastructure. The sign on top said, "Sweets" and Guk remembered Hyun—

--Flashback--

"There's this new pastry shop downtown and I wanted to try their chocolate fudge cake." Hyun told, his face beaming.

"Yeah?" Guk asked, not really interested, too focused on the game he was playing.

"Come on Guk." He pleaded. "Just come with me. I'll treat you your favorite milkshake."

Guk looked at his hyung, interest sparking at the mention of the treat. "Where is this again?"

"It's called Sweets."

--End of Flashback--

Sweets.

The word echoed through Guk's head just as his eyes glanced down and caught a familiar view. Right by the window was Hyun, laughing happily before taking a bite of what looked like chocolate cake.

But that wasn't the sight that made him stop.

Right across from him was your beautiful smiling face, your arms leaning on the table as you listened intently to what his bandmate was saying. His hands were animated and Guk knew that he was probably telling you one of his funny stories.

Guk felt his chest tighten at the sight of you bursting into laughter. He watched as you brought your hand to cover your mouth, a gesture you often did whenever you laughed out loud. Guk never liked the gesture. He always held your hand back from your face, saying how you shouldn't hide a smile that beautiful. He wasn’t just being flirty…just stating facts.

Hyun reached out his hand and you were shaking your head in laughter as you reached out and gave him a high five. A high five which Guk thought to have lasted longer than it should have, considering that high fives weren’t supposed to include hand squeezing.

A beep sounded, snapping him out of his trance. He cleared his throat and as he looked back at you, he finally understood what the kid was probably trying to say to him: Do you even have to think?

Guk stood straighter and thought, biting the insides of his cheek as his jaw clenched.

No. I don’t.

He released a breath and took one last glance, seeing the way your eyes sparkled as you smiled. Maybe it was time to set things right.

~~~

Hyun took you home later that night, flushed with laughter and high from the great afternoon you shared. Hyun was a great guy, a gentleman and an incredibly funny and all-around entertaining guy. He made you laugh with his witty jokes. He was also very simple and you saw how deeply rooted he was to his family. You listened to him intently as he told you all about his hometown, moving and training to be an idol in Seoul, and even how he met the members of his band...

"How long have you known Guk?" He suddenly asked as you were walking by the Han river; the autumn leaves crunching under your feet and your hands deep in your coat pockets to keep warm. You sighed. You knew the question would come up sooner or later.

"Oh," you said. "We've known each other for years—"

"You must be close, then." He glanced at you with a smile.

You gave him a small smile and a nod. "You could say that."

"You don't look so happy about it."

The statement made you look up at him, wondering if he knew something about your past with Guk. "Um..."

"I know." He said.

"You know what?"

"That you like Guk."

Your breath caught in your throat at his words and you wished you had spoken up instantly. "I—what?"

"And I know he likes you too."

"Huh?" You asked dumbfoundedly, your heart beating slightly faster than usual. You found the conversation to be extremely unnerving not to mention embarrassing considering that you were on a date with him and here you were talking about your ex who happened to be his best friend and band mate. "Look, Hyun—"

Hyun suddenly giggled and you gave him a weird look. "Sorry." He said. "It's just that you looked so guilty."

You laughed nervously, "It's not that. I just…Guk and I…"

Hyun held up his hands to stop you, "I'm not asking you to tell me. It's okay, Y/N. I just said something I observed. It's no big deal."

It is to me, you thought as you looked down at your feet. "Thanks."

“So will you do something about it?”

“I don’t think that’s a choice I get to make right now.”

“Of course, you do. It’s your feelings. You choose.”

You paused at his words, thinking how the situation was a little bit more complicated than that.

“I don’t know…maybe? Anyways,” you huffed, swiftly changing the subject. “Why are we even talking about this? Aren’t we supposed to be having fun?”

Hyun smiled and pointed towards the end of the river. "Fine, come on then. We don’t want to miss the water show." You gladly hooked your arm onto his, all the while trying to look lighthearted despite the storm of emotions raging within you upon Hyun’s advice.

~~~

"Thanks for today." You smiled up at Hyun as the both of you stepped out of the elevator. "I had a lot of fun."

Hyun had his hands in his pockets and shrugged, smiling. "I should be thanking you for agreeing to go out with me."

You made a face at him, "I bet lots of girls want to go out with you."

Hyun shrugged, "I guess? Well I only wanted to go out with you so..."

You smiled at his response. Somehow Hyun could make everything so friendly and innocent. Without thinking twice, you stood on your toes and kissed him on the cheek. Before you can retreat, Hyun wrapped his arms around you and gave you a hug.

"Thank you." He murmured against your hair and you sighed as you melted into his embrace.

Afterwards, Hyun waved goodbye as he stepped back into the elevator. He made a funny face just as the doors closed, making you giggle. Shaking your head, you turned around and almost felt your heart leap out of your chest as a familiar form stood a few feet from you.

Guk stood in the middle of the hallway, his black hair swept to the side and his face weary and bare. He stared at you with an expression you couldn't quite read. It was almost like he was happy and at the same time sad to see you.

He opened his mouth to speak then closed it again, his hand reaching out to rub his nape. He looked unsure... Lost, even.

"How long have you been here?" You asked, wondering if he saw you with Hyun just a few moments ago. Guk's eyes glanced over your shoulder and by the way his shoulders slumped and the way his eyes slightly darkened, you figured he did.

Not that it should've mattered, anyway, you thought.

"Long enough.”

"What are you doing here?" You asked nonchalantly, though your heart was beating rapidly in your chest as you rummaged for the hotel key card in your bag.

"I…” Guk cleared his throat. "I wanted to see you."

You paused at his response, feeling your breath hitch, before looking up at him. "Guk it's been a long day—"

"I know." He said, his head nudging toward the elevator. "I saw."

You tried to ignore the sadness and bitterness in his tone. "Well, okay then. Good night." You moved to walk past him but he stepped in your way, which made you stop.

"I need to talk to you." He blurted.

"About?"

"About us." He said as his eyes bore into yours, rooting you in place. "I want to talk about us."

You bit your lip and held your tongue, afraid of what you might say. "Good night, Guk." You said instead as you walked passed him, your shoulders brushing.

To your relief, he didn’t follow and you were able to get into your room without much difficulty. You scanned the card on the door knob and just as the lock clicked open your phone rang. Without looking at the I.D., you answered in haste, thinking it might be Jordan checking in.

"Hello?"

~

Gone long

I got it bad when she was right there

But she's long gone, not even thinking of me

I keep looking around but nothing feeling like I shouldn’t

I can't sleep, cause she's not even thinking of me

Not even thinkin’ of me

~

A frown graced your lips as you listened to the caller's voice. You knew who was singing on the line even if you hadn’t even seen the name.

~

All this time her space is all gone

I've been stuck inside this wall zone for a long time…

Battling my mind.

~

You closed your eyes, hand gripping your phone against your ear as Guk's voice consumed you—striking the chords of your heart with every single line and note.

~

I'm eternally lost, feeling like I lost my mind

Without your love, knowing I get left behind

And all I do is waste my time

Stuck between your world and mine

I'm eternally lost, lost and all alone

And it's your love that leads me on

~

Your mouth hung at his words and you felt your hands shaking, your eyes pooling with tears as you left your room and moved through the hallway in search of him, the phone still in your ears as he continued to sing:

~

I'm spinning through days, stuck in the days, I hope it's a phase

It's like I'm the last one on the stage

And there's no music left to play

So, I'm lost

~

Turning the corner, you stopped as you found him standing there, right where you had left him, his phone in his ears. The sight of him knocked the breath out of you and as he looked you straight in the eye, he sang:

~

Like an open wound that's never gonna heal

You're the only thing in my world that is real.

~

A tear slipped from your eye as the two of you stared at each on opposite ends of the hall. Guk looked at you with a nostalgic expression; his eyes deep and pulling you in. No sound came from your lips, but an understanding passed between the two of you just like that.

We need to talk, you thought.