AT A DISTANCE, SPRING IS GREEN - BAE IN HYUK a.k.a NAM SOO HYUN

Part 8. River Flows In You

보고싶어요, 선배.

I miss you, Sunbae.

That night, Aeri cried hard in Soo Hyun's warm embrace, letting out all the misery from the thorns that had pierced her heart for so long. Hope. Happiness. Something she hadn't felt in a long time.

And that night. The wall that was so strong her up all this time, fell in his arms. Nam Soo Hyun. The boy who came into her life along with his. The boy who'd run into her heart without knocking. The boy... that she likes.

"Eonnideul. I bam junge mwohaeyo? (Eonnies. What are you doing in the middle of the night?)" Aeri enclosed the door of their dorm with a swollen face and raspy voice, catching the corndog and can of beer in front of them.

"My puppies. What happened to your face? What's wrong? Are you crying?" Young Ran tugged Aeri's arm to sit between her and So Bin and cupped her red cheeks concerned. The two grew closer recently, Young Ran once said that she adores her like her own sister because she's cute that she can't even resist her. So does Aeri.

"Aeri-ya, your face is completely red. And what's with the voice? Does something happen to you?" So Bin's eyes widened, checking her face before Aeri told them her story started from her family until what happened at the fountain without mentioning Soo Hyun's name.

"So now I feel strange..." Her head fell, hiding the tears that almost broke out of her eyes. Her voice hardly came out from her sore throat. "That person is my parent, so I wonder if it was okay to do that. Eonni, is what I did right?" She resumed in a whisper.

"Neon geureol jagyeogi chungbunhi isseo... deo isang sangcheo badji anhdorok. (You have the right to it... so that you don't keep getting hurt.)" Young Ran said with a delicate voice, squeezing her arms. "Eonni is right. It's right to take care of yourself first before thinking about other people's emotions, situations, and minds. If you keep doing that, it will only hurt you."

"Jinjja changpihae. Ireon nae moseub boyeojudani. (It's really shaming. To show you this side of me.)" Aeri chortled bitterly, fidgeting with her finger that lay feeble on her lap.

"What are you ashamed of? Each person had a story... No matter how hard it is, you endured well and grew up well." Young Ran scolded the girl with a thoughtful look, raising her voice a bit loud before sighing, her face loosened up.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, that's something to be proud of. You've endured such a situation well until now, and everyone else can't do it like you... You're doing great. So Aeri-ya, keep your head up."

"It's enough to wipe out. You can put it down now. And You're never alone because we're always here, so you can come to us any time." So Bin hugged her with a warm smile, patting her back, while Aeri sobbed on her arm and Young Ran ruffled her hair.

"Gomawo, Eonnideul. I'll do the same to you too. You guys can come to me any time. But really...what's these beers?" Aeri blubbered between her sobbing, her already red face even reddened. It made her look like a sobbing tomato, earning giggles from them while So Bin sat back in her chair.

"He won't take my calls. That's why I can't sleep." Young Ran's face fell, folding her arms on the table. "Who?" Aeri sniffed tapping her tears with her sleeve.

"This darn idiot." Young Ran's words widened their eyes at the same time. "A guy?" "A guy?"

"What? He's like a thorn embedded in my chest." She said with a sullen face, while the two grinned stupidly. "Ooo, A thorn! A thorn!" They poked fun at her old sister, cheering at the same time.