stars × cnblue kangminhyuk

22 : The Things Left Unsaid

The night air outside Hyojin's parents' house was cool, heavy with the faint scent of pine and asphalt. Her family's laughter still echoed faintly from inside the house, but Hyojin's chest felt far too heavy to join them again. She hugged her cardigan tighter, staring at her phone screen until her thumb finally pressed Jungshin's number.

He picked up almost immediately, "Hyojin? It's late... are you okay?"

"... Jungshin oppa, can we meet? If you don't mind."

Minutes later, the familiar black sedan pulled up quietly under the streetlight. Jungshin leaned over to unlock the passenger door.

She slipped inside, folding her hands in her lap, not daring to look at him.

"You sound serious." He studied her face, the way her lips trembled. "What's going on?"

Hyojin drew in a shaky breath, her throat dry.

"I... knew Minhyuk's sister. I knew Sora."

Jungshin blinked, his brows pulling together in confusion, "...What do you mean, you knew her? You two were friends?"

Her fingers twisted nervously in her lap. For a moment, silence filled the car, only the faint ticking of the cooling engine breaking it. Finally, she spoke, her voice brittle as glass.

"When I was ten, I was bullied... three older kids. They were fourteen. They'd corner me almost every week, ask for my allowance. I thought it would never stop." Her voice cracked slightly. "Then one day... she appeared. Sora."

Her eyes softened at the memory, though tears glazed them over.

"She grabbed my hand and we just... ran. We ran together until we couldn't breathe. She laughed like it was nothing, like saving me was just—normal. From then, we became friends. We played in the neighborhood, shared snacks... she was the only one who stood by me."

Jungshin listened in silence, his chest tightening. But then her voice faltered, trembling harder now.

"That day... I was supposed to meet her at the playground. But she didn't show up. I waited. And instead... the bullies came." Her fists clenched.

"They dragged me up the three-story slide. Said they'd push me off if I didn't give them money. I—" her breath hitched "—I was so scared, Jungshin. I thought I was going to die."

Her words spilled faster now, like she'd been holding them back for years.

"Then... Sora appeared. She came running. She tried to fight them off. We struggled. They hit us, pulled our hair, screamed at us. I tried to pull free and—" she tugged at the air, reliving the moment "—my hand caught one of their sleeves. It tore. I don't even know how I got away."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't stop, "Sora... she told me to run. To get help. And I did. I ran home, screaming. My parents came, we went back to the playground and—" her voice broke "—she was lying there. On the ground. The bullies were gone."

The car felt suffocating. Jungshin's knuckles whitened around the steering wheel, though the car was parked.

"She passed away the next day in the hospital. They found no DNA, no proof. The CCTV was broken. And me..." her voice turned into a whisper "...I was too broken to speak. I couldn't even testify."

Her hands shook as she confessed, her nails digging into her palms.

"I locked myself in my room. I found the torn sleeve in my hand. I hid it in a box and buried it under my things. I was terrified it would connect back to me... I thought maybe they'd come for me too."