Inside | HENDERY WAYV/NCT

59

Luna sat down on the floor of her room. She was about to clip her nails.

"You'd want to remove the nail polishes first?" Yue say down in front of her. She pulled Luna's hands and soaked her nails in the acetone. Luna sat there in silence, allowing Yue to do whatever.

"Yue, if you see Hendery in my video calls just play along. Okay?"
"Okay I will. But why?"
"Just play along."

It was an odd request but Yue agreed to play along. She had absolutely no idea what Luna meant. Luna was on her last nail when Yun shouted for her.

"YOU FUCKING CUNT COME HERE!"

Luna quickly got up. Before she left, she asked Yue to answer her phone if anybody called her. She slipped outside and faced Yun's never ending irrelevant wrath.

"Where is my shirt?"
"In your room."
"I can't find it! Where is it!!!!"
"Which shirt?" Luna asked him nicely. As much as she hated Yun's way of talking, she alway tried to be the more reasonable one.

"You know the one. The green one."
"The one Leo gave you on your birthday?" Luna asked ever so casually.

"Here it is. It's there," she smiled and handed the old shirt to Yun. "That's all? Can I go now?" She asked him. Yun nodded slowly and made some space for her to walk away. As he watched her silhouette disappeared into her room, he sighed.

How could she pretend as if she wasn't hurt by any of this? He struggles everyday to wipe away the image and she acted as if nothing happened. How can she do that? He hated her guts, he ability to remain oblivious. He hated she didn't feel the guilt because his guilt was eating him whole.

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The door creaked open and Luna saw Yue talking to Hendery on the phone.

"Hey, he's my boyfriend don't flirt," Luna tickled Yue's neck before sitting beside her. Yue giggled and threw the phone to Luna. "He's all yours!"

They could hear Hendery laughing from the screen. Luna quickly picked her phone up and turned away from Yue. She placed her phone on the window sill.

"Want to see outside?" Luna asked him. He nodded. "It's raining, so it's super cold," Luna added as she showed him what's her view.

"Luna, tell me a joke."
"A joke? Seriously?"
"Yes. Hit me with one!"
"Okay. What would the Terminator be called in his retirement?"

"LUNA NO!!!" Yue threw a pillow at her. She didn't mean to eavesdrop but they're sharing a room. Both Luna and Hendery laughed when Yue practically wailed.

"Terminated?" Hendery still answered the question. He could see Yue face palming herself behind Luna. Luna smiled and shook her head.

"Nope. The Exterminator."
"That's a bad joke, Luna!"
"Well, you wanted a joke. I ran out of dad jokes already," she laughed out loud.

Hendery was distracted when someone called his name. "I have to go. Call you tomorrow!!! Bye. Love you," he waved to the screen.

"See you. Take care," she ended the call.

Not the one to say I love you back but the one to say it in different ways.

*************************

"You owe me an explanation. That's no States," Yue jumped on Luna's bed. Luna shrugged.

"I don't know what to explain."
"You do know that's a ..."
"Hospital room. Yes, I know. I'm not that dense, Yue."
"Then why are you playing the dumb card?"
"It's called respecting his choices, Yue."
"Why are you hurting yourself like this, Luna?"
"I am not."
"Liar."

"Guess I was raised to be one," Luna pushed Yue away and pulled her covers. Yue knew Luna won't speak a word after that. Just like that, the night ended with them both living in total oblivion.

***************************

He slid his phone under the pillow.

"Don't say it. I know. Prepare for the worst?" He asked the lady in front of him. She nodded.

"Then I will..."

************************

Luna walked down the street and headed to the store. She left early and took the bus that day. She hummed to some random song Yue had been repeating for days.

"Each day goes by and each night, I cry
Somebody saw you with her last night
You gave me your word, "Don't worry 'bout her"
You might love her now, but you loved me first
Said you'd never hurt me, but here we are
Oh, you swore on every star
How could you be so reckless with my heart?" She sang under her breath as she unlocked the door to her store.

"No... . I can hear you," she turned around and smiled at him. Hendery stood before her.

"No fair!" He whined yet he pulled her into a tight hug. "Miss you," he buried his head on her shoulder and whispered. Luna could smell his cologne. It was the same one he'd use all the time. Slowly she also wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze.

"I miss you too," she smiled and cupped his cheeks. His face was puffy as if he had way too much salty food the night before or as if he had way too much water. She couldn't decide.

'You're going to hurt me, aren't you Hendery?'

************************

Hendery sat on one of the sofa. "I think that dress looks nice on the bride," he pretended to be one of the entourage from hell.

"No. Not that one. The colour is grave. I want something popping. Maybe pink?" He added when Luna ignored him and kept cleaning the store.

She stopped and turned to him. "You do that again, I swear I will sweep you out of this store," she held her broom up high. He laughed out loud.

"Okay. Okay I'll stop messing with you. But tomorrow's your day off right?"
"Tomorrow? Unfortunately I am booked in the morning. Got a bride to work on. You want to come?"
"I can?"
"Yeah. I mean I'd be alone anyway. You should see her dress. It's so beautiful. No! You should see it tomorrow."

"It's a date then," he winked.

To be in love sometimes hurts. To be hurt sometimes you need to love.