[CONTENTID1][/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Featuring Nam Woohyun x Park Chorong; Special Guest Lee Howon x Yoon Bomi[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]The Secret Keeper[/CONTENTID3]

[CONTENTID4]

‘Keeping secrets is a burden, feeling guilty is incurable wound.’

*

Of all possible reasons she has thought—with an excuse and forgiving part, Chorong still finds herself missing Nam Woohyun.

Although she fully understands her situation which led their situation into the ending everyone never wished to; a breakup, she still has strong feeling to treasure him.

But knowing him—knowing how deep she made a cut inside his heart, all she can do now is to quit hoping.

*

“Yah, Nam Woohyun! Can’t you—“

Woohyun shoots a dagger toward his nosy childhood friend and cuts her off.

“I. Can’t.” His eyes icily glare at Bomi.

Bomi pouts. “But—“

“The fact that you siding her instead of me whom you’ve known long ago taught me well what true friend is, Yoon Bomi.” Woohyun doesn’t let her continue, eyes still glaring menacingly toward her.

But for Bomi, behind those glares and mean words, her friend still has a wish for better closure of him and Chorong’s story.

Park Chorong…

“Why are you here by the way? Are you planning of bothering me for the whole day? Where is your Busan guy? Is he finally realized how annoying you are and decide to dump you?”

Bomi wants to smack Nam Woohyun’s head badly. Maybe if her hands have a magic, she could peel off his mask and return him to his old self with one hard smack.

Someone enters the room and places safe arms around Bomi’s waist. He pecks Bomi’s head as furrowing eyebrows looking at Woohyun knowingly.

“Why talking behind my back? You miss me that much, Woohyunnie?”

A book—thick chemistry book—flying across the room, straight toward Hoya but the Busan guy moves his body slightly and safely avoids it.

“Something stuck up on your mind so you failed hitting your target?” Hoya—arms still wrap on Bomi securely—smirks mockingly at the hopeless Woohyun. “Or we could say, a certain someone?”

Park Chorong never stops crying…

*

The house is so small, most likely a big bedroom. But because everything set neatly and the scent is nice, it somehow feels spacious. It is the first time for Bomi visiting Chorong’s place since they befriended a year ago, at the exact time they had orientation as first year college student.

“You live alone?” It’s sad for Bomi that she knows nothing about her best friend.

Chorong chuckles. “Stop putting that grim face, Bomi-ah. It’s me that decided not to open up about myself.”

At last Bomi is feeling grateful Chorong can still smile prettily and talk comfortably to her. Although beneath her-I’m-fine-appearance she’s miserably hurt. Bomi takes psychology as her major not for nothing.

There are already three big boxes near the cupboard, and one more is on progress being filled in. Chorong diligently takes her things—tissue box, photo frames, pencil case—and puts them into the box.

“I, I still can contact you, right?” Biting her lower lip, Bomi voices out her worry.

“Yeah,” Chorong nods as smiling a little.

“You, you’ll move to a better place, right?” Once again, Bomi asks full of concern.

Chorong stops her doing and locks her eyes with Bomi’s. “Probably.” She breaks the gaze and mumbles quietly, unsure.

“You, you are always welcomed to sleep on my bed, Chorong-ah.”

The sincerity in her friend’s tone makes Chorong wants to disappear. Bomi’s sincerity somehow reminds her of one certain unnie she’s owed to. And she can never repay her debt.

“Thank you Bomi-ah.”

Struggling with her own mixed feeling, Chorong says sincerely as nodding her head. She can’t meet with a pair of Bomi’s eyes—pleading and begging her to stay when both know she clearly can’t.

Bomi lets out a sigh. She turns her head, looking around toward her surroundings, can’t take Chorong’s guilty expression anymore. And Chorong feels guilty when she doesn’t even do a single wrongness makes Bomi’s heart broken. Bomi may know Chorong – Woohyun case only a bit, but she’s sure Chorong doesn’t deserve a harsh blame Woohyun accused her.

While wandering around, a small blue book that half hidden under the pillow catches Bomi’s eyes.

“Is that diary?” She points out the object she’s curious of.

Chorong’s gaze follows the direction where Bomi’s finger pointing to.

“Yes, it is.”

Grinning, Bomi stands up and walks purposely to take it when Chorong warns her.

“It’s Jihyun unnie’s. Don’t betray her trust on me by reading it, Bomi-ah. I never take a single peek on what’s inside since she’s here and I never have intention to look at it even when she’s not here anymore.” Sharply, Chorong states what’s Bomi shouldn’t do.

“Mmh.” Bomi sits back, sheepish grin glues on her face.

And suddenly a light bulb appears above Bomi’s head. Aha?

*

Hoya never expects being Yoon Bomi’s boyfriend is such a dangerous choice of life. Well, he understands her silliness, but this one has more than shaking-his-head-effect due to her unexpected move. ‘Unexpected move’ here refers to breaking into Chorong’s house intentionally.

Hoya thinks he is too cool to be accused of thief, or burglar. He is a president of Students Executive Board of his university for God’s sake!

“Are you that desired to make them together again?” Hoya asks in a hush tone while Bomi getting the key under the flower pot. She saw Chorong put it there the last time Bomi visited this place.

“Yah, I’m on Chorong’s side! She shouldn’t be blamed like Woohyun did to her. At least he should present her a proper goodbye instead of hurting her with a cruel breakup.” All fired, Bomi is throwing her tantrum toward her boyfriend as unlocking the door. She turns her head to face Hoya. “And by the way, whose side are you on, president?”

They come into the house, and as expected, it’s empty. Just bunch of boxes silently stick on where they belong.

“Who versus who?” Acting clueless, Hoya asking back dumbfounded.

Bomi darts an annoyed glare but still telling him. “Chorong’s side or Woohyun’s?”

Hoya creases his forehead. He makes a thinking pose before facing Bomi and giving her the answer.

“I’m on both sides.” He pronounces thoughtfully. “So if they decide to end the relationship, I’ll be always their supporter whatever decision they pick.”

Bomi scoffs.

“Is that because you have the same gender as Chorong’s so you are on her side? I don’t know that you are a feminist, Bomi-ah.” Hoya teases while giving her a look.

“Then what gender are you, Howon-nim? You take both sides, remember?” A strong comeback is thrown toward Hoya now, and he can’t find a smart answer to retort.

Bomi snorts.

“What are you looking for?” Helplessly, Hoya asks meekly, trying to divert the topic of him being embarrassed.

“I’ll let go of this one because of an urgent situation, Lee Howon.” Narrowing her eyes as piercing an angry glare at Hoya, Bomi warns him. “Now help me find a little book, blue colored. A diary.”

Upon the said word of diary, Hoya sneers. “Woman.”

But he seals his mouth immediately as soon as their eyes meet.

*

Sitting on the bench which located at the corner of the campus park has always been Woohyun’s favorite. No, it is their favorite.

“I just like talking to you outside the walls that cage us from freedom. And basically I just like having you around.”

Woohyun lets out a heavy sigh as his mind never giving him a rest of thinking about her. About Park Chorong. He doesn’t know how to hate her wholeheartedly, though he wants to badly, part of his heart still loves her as much as resentment he feels for her.

“Hey lonely guy!”

And the quietness he enjoys at the moment is stopping just like that.