Redamancy

50

The staring battle had started but it was hardly called a battle.

Sunwoo was looking into the galaxy inside her eyes with sorrow which at one point he felt the tears brimmed under his eyelids. His heart wrenched so much upon seeing her within this proximity. For, she wasn't the Chae Soobin he used to see.

At the bleacher where he'd dragged her to, even under the not-so-bright sun behind the thick cloud, he still managed to see her raw broken soul.

Minju and Jacob were right about her not doing well. And what had broken him more was, she suffered because of him. However, he doubted if she would admit it if he asked. Probably, she would say that it was because of Juyeon.

But then, contrary to Sunwoo's stare at her, she on the other hand was looking at him with hatred which the boy wondered why. If she missed him so much, why should she breathe heavily as if she was holding back a wave of anger welled up inside her?

"You're fine, right?" Carefully, the boy asked. His breath eventually hitched as the girl was seen clenching both her hands beside her frame.

No reply.

Sunwoo gulped, suddenly it was scary. But, it was understandable. Looking back, it was really, his fault. Not only did he believe the rumour Juyeon told about, but he didn't even care to ask her directly about it. She must have been too disappointed in him.

"Noona..." Sunwoo took a step closer, his lower lip was bitten - hesitancy was taking control of him. "I'm sorry."

Silence.

He huffed while squeezing his eyes. "I-I was wrong. I broke the promise I made. I understand if you are mad at me."

The confession was made in a breath, he simply was rapping. There was this desperation urging him to throw the ego aside and be honest about the regret and guilt built from the deep pit inside his stomach. Only that had to be done if he didn't want to lose Chae Soobin.

"Noona?" Sunwoo unknowingly tilted his head as he dived further into her eyes. It concerned him that her lips quivered and trembled and the movement of her chest rose and fell. She seemed to be holding back tears. "Did Juyeon hurt you? Where?"

Thud.

Soobin lightly hit his chest, right beside his heart as if to give it a shock. If that was her true intention, she had succeeded because Sunwoo was unable to say or question anything about her action. He just stood there and gladly received the hit.

One more hit and another and another. From the hardest to the softest, and from no tears to a wave of stream, at the fifth hit, she let out her voice - crying.

"Why did you take so long?" she questioned at the sixth and the seventh she said, "I've been waiting..."

"I'm purposely not getting over you because I thought you would come back," was what she said at the eighth. "But, you moved on so fast!"

On the ninth attempt, Sunwoo held her wrist which was covered under the knitwear. She was a crying mess, her head falling forward as the beads of tears fell directly to the ground. The sight immediately formed a lump inside Sunwoo's throat, he huffed as his free hand tucked her baby hair.

"Who said I've moved on?" He said lowly, his voice became deeper. "I wasn't and wouldn't."

"R-Really?"

Sunwoo softened at her question though he painfully smiled when he nodded. Her voice contained too much pain and he needed to bite his lip next to avoid any tears spilling.

It was all his fault.

"I shouldn't have left you. I should've protected you." He brought her hand that he held down, and slowly let it free. "I'm sorry, noona."