THANK YOU // DEX

14.

Siyoung didn't expect that after almost two weeks of being ignored, Jinyoung would call her. She was at home, not doing anything, just sitting on the couch and staring at the turned-off TV screen. She was observing herself in the reflection and trying to recognize that person. She didn't recognize herself. Since the nightmares started, she had lost about five kilograms. Plus those dark circles under her eyes. She looked really terrible. She couldn't understand how they managed to make her look beautiful during a photoshoot – and she had been doing a lot of them lately.

"Yes?" Siyoung asked when she picked up her phone. She was nervous because she had never talked on the phone with Jinyoung before. In fact, they hadn't exchanged many messages. They had exchanged about thirty messages in total. Only three times. So why was he calling her now?

"Hi, I'm really glad to hear your voice after almost two weeks," Jinyoung said. Siyoung could tell from his tone that he was smiling. She regretted that the call wasn't on FaceTime, because right now she wanted to see that smile. She hoped that it might improve her mood, which had been so terrible for the past two weeks that she didn't feel like doing anything.

"Is that the only reason you're calling?" she asked.

"Actually, no, but as soon as you spoke, I had to smile," suddenly Siyoung didn't regret picking up the call, but she also prayed that Jiwon wouldn't suddenly appear, because she must be red all over – she hated compliments, because she never knew how to react to them, and she always ended up blushing. Even when fans complimented her, she blushed; they made fun of it, and they loved Siyoung for it. But Jiwon couldn't appear, because she was still in the USA, and then she planned to go to Tokyo with Yeonggi, so they wouldn't see each other for at least a month.

"I'm calling because I've watched a few of your new videos," he told her.

"And what do you want to hear from me? Thank you for watching my videos? Or should I curse at the perverts? But then I would have to curse at the fans who watch my videos for being perverts but then they also create seriously awesome and beautiful edits," she talked a lot again, but Jinyoung didn't interrupt her and was probably listening with a smile on his face, just like that day at Han River. And Siyoung was smiling too when she said this.

"I just want to hear from you if you're okay, because in those videos, you look tired. You don't look like yourself. Fans might not have noticed it, but I did. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. I won't force you. But I'm here, ready to listen," Jinyoung said. The singer didn't even know when those tears appeared on her face, but she was sure they wouldn't stop anytime soon.

She hadn't had someone around her who knew her so well for a long time. She didn't know if Jiwon had watched any of her videos, but if she did, she didn't reach out to ask if she was okay. Maybe she just knew her friend and knew that she didn't like to confide in others and preferred to be alone – and she wouldn't have helped her anyway, as she was literally on the other side of the world. But Jinyoung was here. Jinyoung had watched her videos and realized that she wasn't okay.

She was touched and that's why she couldn't hold back her tears. Plus, it immediately reminded her of how he behaves around her. He's always cautious and never makes sudden movements, like when he noticed her flinch when Nucksal raised his hands abruptly. She didn't have to explain her condition to him. She never told him what she likes or dislikes, but despite that, Jinyoung behaves exactly as Siyoung would tell him. He was truly attentive and noticed every little detail.

Siyoung couldn't understand why, though. Why did it have to be her? Why did she have to be the one that Jinyoung pays so much attention to? He deserved more. He deserved more than a girl who's trying to sing and has trauma from a relationship that no one knows about. He didn't know about that relationship either.

"Are you crying?" Jinyoung asked. Siyoung tried to calm herself before speaking.

"No," she whispered. However, it was pointless to lie because Jinyoung saw through her lies. He always saw through her.

"I'll be there in a moment," with these words, the call ended, and Siyoung burst into tears.

Jinyoung didn't wait for anything. He immediately put on his shoes and ran after the singer, who was going through a dark period – or just having a bad day. It didn't matter to him. The only thing that mattered to him was that she would be okay and not alone, because that's the worst thing she can do in this state.

He could have taken a car or a motorcycle, and he would certainly have been there faster, but he didn't. He ran. And the one-hour journey between their apartments took him half an hour. Siyoung was sitting in front of the door, which was wide open.

Jinyoung didn't wait for anything. He knew that the younger one didn't like touches, but despite that, he immediately hugged her. To his surprise, Siyoung hugged him back and even leaned into his embrace. She cried even more than she had been until now. Jinyoung slowly walked with her to the couch, where they sat down. He didn't let go of the embrace.

They didn't speak. They didn't need to. Siyoung just needed someone with her. She didn't need soothing words. She just needed to know that she wasn't alone at the moment. And Jinyoung fulfilled that one hundred percent.