Mean to Me | Im Youngmin

To Me - 20 (Youngmin's Heart: Part 2)

Her legs unable to support herself because they're trembling uncontrollably, she falls into her knees. Youngmin rushes to her.

"Ji-hye!" He calls her, but she can't move. "Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

It hurts everywhere, she thinks.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I'm just saying this to you now even if I've known since months ago."

Hearing this, Ji-hye turns to him, not saying anything but her face demanding an explanation. Months ago? He knew all along but he didn't even bother telling her? How could he keep her in the dark like this?

Youngmin heaves a deep sigh. "Jisoo..." he says before pausing. Ji-hye still can't take anything yet. Even just the way Youngmin mentions her sister's name is shocking to her.

"Jisoo was a classmate from middle school. Then, she was a transfer student from overseas, but she was so friendly that you'd think she wasn't someone new in our town," he begins to explain.

"She was from the same class as Yongbin." Ji-hye suddenly feels a shooting pain in her head as Youngmin mentions his brother, his twin brother.

"I liked her from the very start. The moment I laid my eyes on her, I felt something different... And because of stories about her from Yongbin, I found myself having stronger feelings," he stops for a while and looks at Ji-hye. "But I only admired her from afar because I was shy and awkward and in no way likeable, and I thought she wouldn't even notice me so why bother, right?"

He says this so easily like it's nothing to him.

But Ji-hye suddenly feels as if her airway is constricted as she finds it hard to breathe.

Because she suddenly remembers something all too familiar...

Because with the way Youngmin described the way he felt for her sister... She is reminded of how she felt for Youngmin, starting three years ago.

Maybe the only difference is that Jisoo hadn't been mean to Youngmin the way he had been to her.

Youngmin suddenly speaks again. "The moment I decided to confess was the same moment I had my first heartbreak, Ji-hye. Can you believe it?" He chuckles. Ji-hye glances at him again, thinking how he could still do that at a time like this.

"Because Yongbin beat me to it, and I found out that she actually felt the same way for him. The whole school rooted for them, because who wouldn't? They're the it couple. They had everything; they were the best," he shares.

"I wanted to be mad... Because I felt like I was cheated? You know how that feels? But I can't be... I just can't bring myself to feel that way."

Ji-hye thinks that yes, she does. Because that is exactly how she feels right now. She feels cheated, but she can't bring herself to get angry at Youngmin.

"Because they were two people I cared deeply for. He was my brother, she was my first love. Why would I not wish them well?"

You're a fool, she thinks silently.

"Over time, I finally learned to accept. I started to be genuinely happy for them..." He trails off. Ji-hye is not sure but she thinks she heard a slight crack in his voice.

"Until that day had to happen."

Suddenly, Ji-hye feels numb all over.

"It was the day of our field trip. Everyone was so excited. But last minute, mom withdrew her permission for me and Yongbin to go because there was a hurricane. However, since Jisoo insisted that Yongbin come, he disobeyed mom for the first time ever," Youngmin explains as Ji-hye is looking intently at him. She can sense, by the cracks in his voice and the way he's starting to breathe heavily, that he is about to tear up soon.