Second Time Around

Chapter 6.

So-Hee pov

Tearing herself away from Changbin's sweet brown eyes, So-Hee looked up to see Han and Min-Sun talking. Her heart warmed in that moment seeing both of them smiling and laughing. It was like nothing had ever happened between them. She watched the interaction remembering the way they used to talk and laugh like this every day. In fact the whole group waited for the day they would both admit they were secretly dating.

But then things happened and their dynamic changed.

She watched as Min-Sun laughed at Han before throwing one of her pens at him and she smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she heard her laugh. It had to be at some point before Woojin's funeral, but she wasn't sure. Before last night at the KBBQ, Min-Sun had become a recluse. She hid in her house and she wouldn't speak to anyone for days at a time. She was like a hardwired machine going to school, work and then home. She was broken and no knew where to even begin to help her.

When Min-Sun had come that night to the KBBQ she had shocked everyone. Before everything, she would normally come out on different occasions.  Last night was the first time in months she came to a dinner with everyone, except last night her whole demeanor was different. She laughed and talked like she used to, but the only difference was she was drinking. The Min-Sun they all knew told the group she didn't like the taste of soju, where as last night she almost drowned an entire bottle by herself.

So-Hee felt a weight on her leg pulling her out of her thoughts and looked down to see Changbin staring at her. His brown eyes held her in a trance and she smiled down at him playing with his curls. "What are you thinking about princess?" Her hands stopped and the butterflies in her stomach came to life as she tried to stop the blush from taking over her face but to no avail. "Hmmm? Flustered?" He teased and she almost shoved him off her leg looking away laughing.

"Nothing Binnie just thinking." Changbin got off from his place on the floor and joined her on the couch. He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her so close she may as well have been sitting in her lap. His hand reached under her sweatshirt, which she took from his closet, to hold on to her waist which made her skin feel hot.  "Was it about Minnie?" He whispered in her ear. The sensation of his voice on her ear sent chills down her arm but she stared at him wondering if she had been so obvious with her thoughts.

"It's nice seeing her smile again. Not only that but to see them both talking to each other." He looked over to the pair and saw that Min-Sun was scolding Han over something. He was right this was nice, compared to the worry and the stress they held for her for weeks and months on end.

Last year there was a few weeks leading up to the festival where Min-Sun had started acting odd, but when Woojin died she became someone completely unrecognizable. They all were constantly worried about her. They were worried she locked herself in and wouldn't eat, and when they saw her at the funeral her clothes fit her looser than normal confirming their suspicions. They worried since she lived by herself on the fourth story that she would try to do something drastic. 

 And how they prayed she wouldn't.

She felt movement by her hand and looked to see that Changbin took his hand to hold hers. She watched as he took his thumb and rubbed it across the back of her hand trying to calm her. It was like he knew what she was thinking and didn't have to say anything. She bit her lip trying to find the right words in that moment.

"She's gonna be okay princess. I know you're worried about her." He pulled her hand up to his lips and gave it a kiss. He then lowered their hands back down and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. He knew exactly what to do to try and calm her down. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

He also knew how important Min-Sun was to her. She was the first friend she made on campus, the first one to know about her crush on Changbin, and she was even the first one she called after her first kiss with him.  She was the one who helped her keep going when school felt hard and when she was unsure about her relationship with Changbin.  She had been there for her in all the times she needed her, and all she wanted was to do the same.

"Can you two please for five seconds try not to remind us all that we are single." Lee Know groaned from his place at the coffee table.

So-Hee stuck her tongue out at him while Changbin flipped him off and Lee Know did it back before going back to his homework. So-Hee laughed at the interaction before looking back over to Min-Sun and Han. Now he was over her shoulder staring at something on her computer screen and she had a blush spreading across her face. She was obviously head over heels for him, which is what made the situation awfully sad.

"I wish they would have ended up together you know?" She looked up to Changbin with a soft smile. He leaned his head back groaning. "You have no idea."

She gave Changbin a confused look. He leaned his head up and looked over to her. "I'm not gonna lie hearing him talk about Jia all the time has become annoying for most of us guys. I mean don't get me wrong I talk about you a lot, like a lot." He paused causing the blush to once again cross her face.

"There is just something different when he talks about Jia.  I'm not the only one who noticed, Chan thought there was something different about it as well."  So-Hee raised her eyebrow as her boyfriend talked.  It wasn't the first time hearing the guys were not a fan of Jia, but this was something she had not heard before. 

"He talks about her a lot, it just feels kind of forced?  Like he is trying to prove his relationship with us?"  He tried to use his one hand to express what he was talking about but it only left So-hee more confused.

"Are you saying that you think he doesn't love her?" She said trying to see if she understood what he was saying.

Changbin nodded no sighing. "I think he really cares about her. He really does by the way that he talks, but in a way there is a look in his eyes that shows that he doesn't love her." So-Hee nodded understanding what he was saying.

"You think he still has feelings for Min?" She said looking at him to see if she understood.

Changbin nodded. "We all are pretty sure that he does, but we still don't understand why he is with Jia." So-Hee nodded agreeing. Before she could say anymore she heard the voice of the unofficial leader of their group.

"Food is ready, clear the coffee table would you guys?" Haewon yelled at everyone heading back into the kitchen. Jeongin came in the living room and sat down near Han and Min-Sun on the ground. Felix and Lee Know were busy cleaning off the coffee table while Min-Sun was showing Jeongin what they were working on. 

Jeongin had taken Hans spot over Min-Sun's shoulder and she laughed as Jeongin would point stuff out on the screen.  So-Hee looked over to Han to see him giving a slightly annoyed look at Jeongin's presence. She stifled a laugh as she directed Changbin's attention over there. She heard his low chuckle beside her and that caused her to giggle.

"Something funny?" Haewon asked placing the side dishes down on the table.  So-Hee pointed her head over in the direction of Han and Haewon let out a laugh rolling her eyes. "Gosh could he be more obvious?" She got up heading for the kitchen again leaving So-Hee to stare at the trio in front of her.  

If everyone else could see it why isn't it that both of them couldn't?