[ 28 October, 2018, 11:48PM ]

kunhang gently put jungwoo down on his bed. they went over to jungwoo's apartment to help him get to sleep. he placed a plastic bag right next to the bed, in case if he ever wanted to wake up and puke impulsively. it was a hassle trying to carry him back to his apartment, he wouldnt let himself be carried. at one point, kunhang was convinced he should just leave jungwoo in the car.

jungwoo was knocked out like a light. he was sound asleep. both of them laid him down and watched him like guardian angels for a while. "well, i gotta go," aeri smiled at kunhang who appeared to be examining her face very closely. he knew something was off the moment she walked down the stairs trying to find jaehyun at the party earlier on.

and he wanted to know what happened, not because he wanted to be a busybody but because she looked genuinely in anguish. despite him only knowing this girl for a few hours, if she had something on her mind and needed someone to listen, he would gladly be there for her. and it seemed like she really needed to say something.

which was true. aeri had so many things going on in her mind. naturally, she wouldve told jungwoo because he was the only one that knows about what she felt for jaehyun. well, other than jaemin of course. but it was different with jungwoo. because he knew about it even before she could tell him.

but aeri didnt want to seek comfort in a stranger. she needed to stop oversharing her problems to strangers. she barely knew him. but at the same time, she really wanted to just cry and be held, not even by a boy, just by someone. just as she was about to say something, kunhang spoke and broke the silence, "dont leave," was what he managed to spit out.

aeri raised her eyebrow and looked back at him. kunhang was shocked that he even got himself to say something so bold like that. but he just chuckled and smiled sheepishly. "excuse me?" she softly spoke. "aeri, i know you're not okay. you've been acting weird ever since you went to find jaehyun," he tried to get her to stay. "i dont know what happened from the moment you left to find jaehyun and then coming back-"

she let kunhang finish his sentence before she went to say something. "- but if you need comfort right now. i know i'm a stranger but i've been told i'm like a human sized pillow. rumour has it that i'm like baymax," he finished, and then he giggled. he expected aeri to leave after hearing his apparent winning speech. but she didnt. she decided to stay. 

she turned around and walked over to sit down on jungwoo's couch and switched on the television. jungwoo would be more than happy if people stayed over. he always liked it when people made his house like their own. kunhang stood there in silence and looked at her. aeri looked back at him and then pat down on the empty space on the sofa next to her. "come on, you want me to stay right?" she smiled.

then he did too. kunhang walked over there and sat right next to her. they were both watching rapunzel that was apparently the first thing that appeared on the television. i guess jungwoo likes children movies. there was an awkward silence between them. but they didnt mind. "i dont want to be alone right now," aeri confessed out of the blue.

the boy next to her looked at her, who was just focused straight on the movie. "if i'm alone i'll probably start thinking of him," she continued. aeri was about to cry the third time that night. she didnt want to think of jaehyun, but the sight of him with another girl was practically plastered in her mind, probably till the day she dies.

"jaehyun?" kunhang asked, but he didnt pressure her into answering. he promised himself he would listen. she finally turned to look at him, her eyes red, because she was forcing herself not to cry infront of someone she met at a party through a kissing game. she didnt want to embarrass herself. she just nodded her head.

"i mean... i wanna be alone but like, not not alone at the same time, you know?" she let out an awkward laugh because she didnt want to ruin the atmosphere with her holding back tears. and she thought that maybe if she just laughed, her tears wont fall. kunhang looked at her again and examined her face. he felt bad for her. of course, he would never leave a girl on purpose if she was feeling like this.

so he just smiled, took the tv remote and increased the volume. he moved closer to her, their shoulders slightly touching, he said, "i understand. and it's okay. we can just sit here together and watch the movie in silence. that way, you will be alone but not not alone at the same time," the words that came out of his mouth was a tear-jerker.

she wanted to hug him, thank him, repay him with only good things in the world. but she was so tired that night. all she wanted to do was close her eyes and never wake up, and even if she did, she was hoping all of this would be a dream. maybe, just maybe, if she woke up, she'd never know a jaehyun.

aeri fell asleep on the couch at 12:45am. kunhang waited for her to sleep so that he could lay her down on the sofa and place a blanket on top of her. he made sure she was fast asleep and comfortable. and then he went to sleep on the floor right after. he wasnt going to leave her alone, it was his promise, remember?

-
[ 29th October, 2018, 11:10am ]

"rise and shine!" jungwoo yelled at aeri's and kunhang's face. he opened the curtains, making the rays of sunshine get into his apartment, brightening up the room. jungwoo apparently woke up at 9 in the morning. for some reason, he had no bad hangover whatsoever. but he indeed got more than enough rest.

when he woke up, he wondered how he got back from the party. but then when he rubbed his eyes and looked closer, he saw kunhang sleeping on his living room floor. he wondered what happened between them the night before. he wanted to know everything. but all he could remember was him getting mad at jaehyun for his rash decision.

and that was when he realized, the last thing he saw before he blacked out was aeri going to find jaehyun. "fuck!" he uttered under his breath, softly because he didnt want to wake two of them up. he also wondered whether aeri found jaehyun, in the middle of him doing it, during or after. and then he felt bad for her. he was mad at jaehyun of course, still.

because to jungwoo, he was convinced that at this point, jaehyun had feelings for his bestfriend. but why was it so hard for him to just admit it? he decided that it wasnt his problem to solve, jaehyun was old enough to know who he wants and who he doesnt want. and even if it's gonna take ten million years for him to arrive at a conclusion, then that's on him. 

kunhang immediately sat up right, his eyes still closed, he yelled out- "i didnt do anything! im just sleeping!". jungwoo laughed, seeing how stupid he looked up. it seemed like he had a bad dream. jungwoo threw a pillow at his face, finally his eyes opened. "it's just a dream," jungwoo reassured him, before giving him a cup of coffee that he prepared. 

kunhang rubbed his eyes with his palms, and then looking at his phone to check what time it was at the moment. he grabbed the cup of coffee and then thanked jungwoo. meanwhile, it took aeri a little bit longer to wake up. and when she did, she saw jungwoo sitting on the edge of the sofa looking at her intently. 

her eyes widened and she screamed out of reflex. jungwoo jumped, caught off guard. "dude what the fuck?" aeri groaned, trying to adjust herself. "i didnt know you would get scared!" jungwoo whined, standing up then he kept poking aeri on her arm. aeri was still half asleep but she was conscious. "i made coffee," he said, putting the mug right infront of her face. 

jungwoo was purposely annoying her so she didnt have to think about jaehyun the first thing she woke up. and it worked. she was annoyed because she wanted to sleep but jungwoo wouldnt let her. she finally gave in, grabbed the mug and sat up right, her eyes slowly closing again. 

kunhang was enjoying his cup of coffee, walking around the apartment before sitting down on the same sofa as aeri. "how the hell are you not hungover?" kunhang asked jungwoo in between sips of his coffee. the boy laughed and then shrugged, "i know right? i wake up and suddenly im so energetic damn," before jumping up and down to prove his point about being very hyper at 11 in the morning. 

"why did you sleep on the floor dude? you know i had an extra mattress right?" jungwoo asked kunhang but all he did was brush it off. "i mean, to be fair you were knocked out so either way we couldnt do anything to wake you up," kunhang replied. out of the blue, aeri chuckled at kunhang's response. 

both of the boys looked at her, raising their eyebrows. "god yesterday was so funny," she laughed. "you wanted to stand up to mark but then you got so drunk you fell onto the floor," she continued, laughing harder. her laugh made kunhang join in on the fun. jungwoo just stood there because he had zero recollection of that happening. 

and at 1:12 in the afternoon, aeri and kunhang finally made their way back to their own houses. they decided to have brunch at jungwoo's and then they took a shower after. they needed it since the night before was a mess. they were both standing at the busstop, waiting for their respective busses to come. 

there was silence between them. in fact, kunhang was actually thinking of ways to ask for her number. not to ask her out, but to just get to know her and hopefully be good friends. after all, you cant deny that they didnt they did get along very well despite only knowing each other for a very short time. and kunhang hoped that they could continue being like that. 

before he could break the ice, aeri turned over to look at him and then she plastered a hug smile on her lips. "i appreciate what you did for me yesterday night," she thanked him repeatedly for everything he did for her. "i'm so happy i met you yesterday, even if it was through the weirdest way ever," she continued. kunhang just stood there and felt his heart go warm. 

eventually her words made him smile like an idiot. he wanted to ask for her number but he was too shy at this point. he already told her that he gets flustered easily by compliments and yet she still went on to say sappy stuff like that to him. all he did was gave her his phone, which was displaying 'contacts'. 

she looked down at his phone and then laughed. after inputting her number, she gave his phone back and he softly told her, 'thank you'. and just like that, her bus arrived. before she got on the bus, she went to hug kunhang tight. a long and warm hug, to repay him for everything he did for her. 

and right before she said her final goodbye, she chuckled and said- "rumours were true. just like baymax," and then bid him goodbye.