Changes - lee donghyuck, haechan

01

It had been over two years that the young girl had moved to South Korea. Back then, moving to Korea seemed like a dream. Now it appeared to be her biggest regret.

Two years ago she got accepted into a great art school halfway across the country. Excitedly she packed her bags and with the support of her parents, she was moving into an all-girls dorm. At first, it was hard. She barely spoke Korean and nobody around seemed to speak English. Her twin brother Mark had moved to Korea years before to become an idol and so his presence was a great help to guide her. However, things changed when his popularity increased. Their weekly sibling outings lessened and the communication was barely once a month. He tried his best to reach out but his busy schedule prohibited him from many things.

Today was another day, just like any other. Aera woke up, went to classes, and stayed in the music room to catch up on some practices.

She thought the day would be the same until her boyfriend, JooWon texted her to meet him. It had been several days since they had last seen each other so excitedly she packed up her stuff and rushed towards the entrance of the school where he was said to be waiting.

"Hey!" Excited as ever she approached him. Getting on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck to which he dryly returned before taking a step back. The girl ignored the strange atmosphere that seemed to grow around them.

"Aera." He let out a frustrated groan and passed a rough hand across his face. Seeing him now she could see that he was conflicted. He seemed to be almost angry at something unknown to her. An unsettling feeling rose to her chest.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was soft in fear of ticking him off. He had a very bad temper and through the time Aera had learned to work around it. Many people wondered how they were even together but it somehow worked and she was happy.

"I'm just stressed. Coach has been overworking us." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled between his feet. The girl frowned. He was the captain of the soccer team which obviously required a lot of responsibility. So much that it would often come between their relationship. It almost felt like he prioritized his team over her but she tried to be understanding since she also held a big passion for music.

"Want to come over and watch a movie then? To cool off." He shut his eyes upon hearing the suggestion. The feeling in her chest didn't subside. He seemed to be at a fight with himself to which she could only stare confused.

"Aera. You know I love you right?" The way he said it didn't sound like usual. It sounded forced and cold. Words seem to fail her so she nodded.

"I only want the best for you. Always." the words almost seemed rehearsed. Aera furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden confession. He wasn't one to openly talk about his emotions.

"Where is this coming from?" The music book she carried seemed to grow ten times heavier. By now her heart was beating rapidly against her chest.

"I just want you to know that." He didn't meet her eyes, not even once. Aera knew he wasn't the most social person but even now he felt odd.

"We need a break-" Her heart stopped

"I mean I can't do this anymore." Her eyes stung from the tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes. The girl couldn't speak.

"There's so much going on. I can't be with you right now." The tears escaped her eyes and she faltered a step back.

"You're breaking up with me because you're stressed?" By now both her hands hung lose by her side. She was unable to think of anything at the moment.

"I need to focus on leading my team." He scratched the back of his head. No ounce of remorse or hurt evident.

"Wow, you're a coward." He suddenly met her eyes surprised. All she could feel was anger.