Three Promises || Lee Know

13 | Truth

Choi Iseul

"You don't have to be alone anymore, Iseul. I'm right here." Said Minho, stroking my hair.

And with those words, the dam broke. All the feelings of built up pain, stress and loneliness came out in the form of tears. I couldn't hold them back anymore. It had gotten too much to keep inside.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me as I cried my heart out.

"Shh, everything's gonna be alright." Said Minho, rubbing my back.

"It...it hurts," I said in a whisper, my voice not coming out in the midst of all the crying.

"Calm down, Iseul." Said Minho softly. But for some reason, his voice was starting to sound distant.

Was it me who was drifting away, or was it him?

I was probably me. Or he wouldn't seem to be worried like that.

But I didn't want to drift away from him right now... I didn't want to lose the sense of comfort which I was feeling. I didn't want to be alone.

"Minho..." I whispered, hoping to reach out to him before he left my sight. I hoped I didn't already lose him.

"I'm here. I'm right here." He said, his voice sounding a bit closer. I felt him grasp my hand tightly. "Calm down Iseul. Just...breathe."

It was hard. Breathing was hard. It was hard especially when I was feeling this extreme pain in my chest. But still, I tried.

But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't calm myself down. It hurt. It hurt a lot. And I was tired of keeping it all inside.

My heart was crying, tired of taking in so much pain. My mind was crying, having to store so many painful memories. My entire being was crying, tired of living and going through the same pain every single day.

"You have to talk to me, Iseul." Said Minho softly.

And I knew he was right. I knew I had to let it all out. The burden on me was so much that I couldn't hold it up anymore.

But still, I hesitated. Was I ready to trust someone again? I didn't know. The last time when I confided in someone, I knew it wasn't right.

I didn't want to make the same mistake again. I didn't want to let anyone in. I knew I would get hurt in the end.

"Stop running away from me. Nothing will change of you keep on bottling up your feelings." He looked at me gently.

I bit my trembling lip, hating how true his words were. I closed my eyes, about to do something which I never thought I would.

I don't know what got into me at that moment. Maybe I was too tired. Whenever I thought about the past, my energy was drained. Maybe I was not in the right state of mind, that's why I made the decision of telling him everything.

I swore I would never tell anyone. But the way his presence gave me comfort, I couldn't resist it.

And maybe, I was just not in the right state of mind. But I guess it was already too late.

I began telling him everything. Every single thing. How my father was arrested because of me, how my aunt betrayed me, how much my mother hated me, how I was bullied and treated horribly at school and how lonely I was. I knew I was going to regret it later, but still I did it anyway.

I told him what happened back at home today, but excluding the part of us being short on money.

Even though I was in my most vulnerable state, my pride wouldn't allow me to admit that fact.