Painted With Your Smile | Lim Jaebeom & Lee Donghyuck

The bitter part sits at the bottom

A/n

I am sorry but I cannot start this chapter without mentioning that,

I HAVE COMPLETELY LOST MY SHIT WITH ALL THE STICKER COMEBACK SHIT.

GOD HAVE MERCY ON US NCTZEN.

Now that that's out of the way, let's continue.

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   Mariji couldn't have felt more petrified. The closer they were to home, the faster her heart beat. Her insides felt all messed up, her neck tightening by the second. It would be one thing to see Donghyuck, that thought alone made her shake in worry, but to see him like this, with no warning, and especially after recalling their last conversation. She just couldn't deal with that. Not being able to tell if he hated her, if he would even speak to her, it was all so confusing. But what was more confusing, was her trying to pinpoing what it was that she was currently feeling about him. Love, frustration, pity, anger, awkwardness it was all mixing up in her head, her stomach following.

 -"Eonnie, please stop the car."

 -"What? Why, are you not feeling okay?"

 -"I think I just need some fresh air."

   Her vision getting blurry, Mariji watched as Suyu slowly halted the vehicle at a nearby stop. Her hands, slightly shaking, reached out for the door handle. Once out of the car, she took slow and steady steps before seating herself at the bench closest to her. Looking through her purse like crazy, she finally found the pack of cigarettes, pulling one of the long white sticks out.

 -"So you're still on that shit, huh?", Suyu asked judgementally as she took the seat next to her sister, earning a spiteful glare from the latter.

 -"I  mean, whatever, do what you want.", she defensively threw her hands in the air, "So... will you tell me what's up?"

 -"It's nothing really.", Mariji barely whispered. Her breathing had finally regulated and her hands were steadily chipping the bench's old paint, in an attempt to  realease her stress.

 -"Yup, definitely looks like nothing.", Suyu noted ironically. "Come on Mar, the fact that I've been gone for a while doesn't mean you can't talk to me."

-"Su, I really don't wanna talk about it."

-"Did something happen? On your trip?"

-"A lot of things happened. But I-", she sighed taking in a puff, "-I really, really can't talk about it right now."

   Suyu huffed. "If raising a 5-year-old has taught me something, it's that sometimes you should push someone to talk to you... Not always of course, but, it feels like one of these times. All I am saying is that, keeping something in your head gives it far bigger dimentions than what it actually has, in reality. All you need to do to see it, is... speak it I guess."

   Mariji's emerald eyes, averted from the floor, to her sister's chocolate ones.

 -"Me and Hyuck... we broke up. It's only been a couple of months.", Suyu nodded, "-that alone has been, pff it sucks. You know, he's been my best friend all these years. We even made plans to move in together, but, at the same time things between us weren't all that well.", taking another puff, she continued, "And to top it all off, when I was in Korea, I met this guy, and god was he an annoying one.", a small chckle escaped her lips, "-but, I really liked him, and I guess so did he. It was kind of unreal, to be honest, like I was living a dream almost. It was very natural, we molded together really well, somehow. And I think Hyuckie knows Suyu. I don't know what to do.", Mariji's tears finally set free, her head now, escaping to the sancuary that were her hands.