Not Quite a Prince || Eric Sohn

~ 72 ~

"How is she?" Chanmi asked, slipping into the walk-in closet, her hand in Eric's. The closet was larger than her room, and it gave the two of them the only privacy they had at the moment.

Neither of them wanted to risk leaving Dayeong alone, not even for a moment. It was important that she took care of herself. Especially since she was in her first trimester... every moment was crucial.

"She looks so lost," Eric whispered, sitting down on the floor and pulling her down beside him. "I don't even know what to do. I don't know how to help her. And... I also feel lost," he whispered, his voice breaking.

Juyeon's absence had left a dent in all of them. While Eric's parents, the parents who raised him, hadn't yet been able to visit, she'd seen their faces at the wedding. She'd watched in horror as Juyeon was taken away.

Their son. Her closest friend. Eric's brother. Dayeong's love.

All of them were devastated.

The Palace without him felt cold and empty, and she blinked back her tears. Next to her, she could feel Eric's body shaking with silent sobs.

Chanmi wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.

"I miss him," Eric sobbed into her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her as he held her tight. "What am I going to do without him?"

She stroked his hair, unable to say anything. There was nothing she could say that could make this situation any better. The tears she'd been holding back all day finally fell as well, hearing Eric's soft sobs.

"I know I'm supposed to act strong," Eric whispered, his voice sounding broken. "I know I should be strong for everyone around me. I know I'm not the only one who's sad. But... he's my brother," he whimpered, his voice breaking, his body trembling as she cried.

Chanmi sniffed, wanting to be strong for him too, but unable to hold back her tears. They held each other, crying together.

"I'm scared," Eric whispered. "I'm so, so scared."

She was also scared. Really scared. He'd known this from the start.

"Don't be," she whispered, tilting Eric's chin up to look at her. "I have faith in Juyeon. I have faith in his love for you, for Dayeong, for his parents, for me, for all his friends, for his home. I have faith in him. You should too."

His face crumpled. "I'm scared," he said again.

"I know," she said gently, rubbing his back. "Me too. But we have to have faith that he'll come back to us. Really, that's all we can do right now."