CONGRATULATIONS

Chapter 8: TO WHERE YOU ARE

12:30am KST

Finally, I am back in Korea. I didn't tell anyone that I was coming back home, for I wanted it to be a surprise.

At this time, I know all of them would still be awake, laughing at each other's jokes, or telling weird stories or even watching a volleyball game with Seungkwan.

Thinking of the members, I decided to stop by the nearest café in the university to buy coffee for these night owls.

"Thanks for ride, Ahjussi", I said to the cab driver politely while handing him my cab fee.

Since I have been with them for the longest time I can remember, I already know what kind of coffee they would want to have.

And so I pushed the café door open, walked inside, ordered the drinks and walked towards an empty table.

I saat down, placed my luggage besides me, then looked up.

And I found myself staring at a pair of eyes whom I knew and missed so much.

YOON JEONGHAN's eyes.

We were staring at each other for what seemed like a lifetime, but then I saw another pair of eyes.

"Uhm, jagi, do you know him?", the pair of eyes answered.

Jagi. Jagi..

And then it struck me. Jagi means "honey or hon", and it was a term of endearment for couples or married people.

I suddenly looked at the other pair of eyes that distracted me and Jeonghan's eternal stare at each other.

I knew him from an instant.

"Minhyuk", I softly said, and Jeonghan looked at me bestowingly.

Minhyuk was our senior, and he and Jeonghan knew each other because they were classmates during grade school days. I have only seen him talk with Jeonghan inside the campus for a few times, but..

"Jagiya, he's from the same university too, right?", Minhyuk asked.

"Jisoo-ya", Jeonghan silently said, while looking at me.

"Jisoo?", Minhyuk said. "Ah! He is your housemate, right? And the one that you've been telling me about.. your best friend, right?"

"BESTFRIEND"..

Those words hit me like a cannonball. And it was hurting me too much.

"Nice meeting you bro! Maybe you've heard about me from Jeonghan already, but let me introduce myself to you properly", he said, reaching out his hand for a shake.

I was still staring at Jeonghan.

But my eyes were a mixture of a surprised and depressed look.

"I'm Minhyuk, Jeonghan's boyfriend".

And the cannonball struck me again, this time, it was harder that it broke me to a million pieces.

I stretched out my shaking hand to accept Minhyuk's introduction.

And I took my last strength out while saying, "I'm Jisoo".

I was about to cry, I really want to cry.

But Jeonghan held my arm, and said to me softly, "I'll wait for you back at the house".

And he left, with his "boyfriend" taking him by the hand .

It felt like the coffee was taking forever to arrive.

I could feel my heart beat fast. I haven't even drank a sip of the coffee that I ordered ahead of the others, but it felt that I was about to collapse due to the fast beating of my pulse.

Jeonghan and Minhyuk.

JEONGHAN AND MINHYUK..

Since when???

Since when did they become a couple?

And I started counting the days that I left Jeonghan behind.

I was hurt. I don't know why, but seeing him with another man makes my heart hurt.

"Josh, you don't love him, maybe you just missed him so much that you were surprised at what you saw.", I told myself.

YOON JEONGHAN..YOON JEONGHAN..YOON JEONGHAN

All I could think of was him..

And I unknowingly started writing his name down on the last piece of tissue paper that was on the holder, and slowly, his name was full of it without me even knowing it - YOON JEONGHAN.

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As I left the café, I was already lost in my senses.

I was not ready for what I saw and heard.. Deep inside me, I felt betrayed, hurt, but another part kept me from not crying because of what happened.

.. I felt dizzy, confused.. I walked slowly, my right hand clutching the iced Americano, and my left hand holding the tissue paper with his name written all over it.

..My mind wanted to go somewhere, but my feet were leading me back to the house..

Moments later, I was pressing the numbers for the keylock, and the door opened.

"Where have you been?".

I could hear his voice loud and clear.. Yes, it is definitely the voice of the only person who can make me like this.. Jeonghan's.

He was coming towards me. "I said that I was going to wait for you here, right? How come you went home late?", he said.

I then looked up, and was shocked to see his face 3inches in front of me.

My tears were about to fall, but I couldn't let him see it.

"I, I, I'm.. sorry", I said, stuttering. "I don't feel well, I have to go to the room", I told him, walking past by his surprised face.

And those were the first words that he heard from me, upon coming back from LA.

I entered my room, plopped my luggage down on the floor, and laid down on my bed.

Then the tears slowly started falling.