Love is a Lie

CHAPTER 3 - HOLD ME NOW

<SULLI>

I had and assignment to finish for one of my classes so I'd stayed up late, as per usual, working on it because it's so me to leave everything for the last minute. It was nothing big, just editing some of my photos for the exhibit, which I really enjoyed doing, but was a long and tedious process until I finally got them to look the way I wanted them to, so when my phone buzzed at that unusual time, I was happy for the distraction.

[1 New Text - 4:17AM] 

From: Kihyun

How come you still have this number?

To: Kihyun

4:18AM - Because paying for roaming is dumb when you have a card? 

I'd forgotten he knew I'd gone away, but I hadn't told him when I moved back to Korea, a little just like he hadn't told me he'd gotten signed; it's normal, we don't think to tell people who are already out of our lives what happens in them, though I had to admit, the few word's we'd traded that far had brought up old memories and feelings, felt better than a few trivial words should. 

My phone went off once more, making me jump slightly and pulling me back from my walk down memory lane. 

[1 New Text - 4:20AM]

From: Kihyun

You're back in Korea?

To: Kihyun

4:21AM - Yeah, I moved back home three years ago.

Stupidly, stupidly, I waited up for an extra hour and a half waiting for his reply,  which of course never came, checking my phone in case it was acting up every thirty seconds. I felt so stupid after an hour of no work done because I just couldn't focus now that he was on my mind, it kept drifting to him and to how everything had happened, I knew the Kpop industry was a rough one and I couldn't help but wonder what he'd gone through. 

Which was, once again, really stupid of me. I'd known he was in Monsta X, I listened to their songs all the time, I had liked them for at least an year, and I knew it was him, but I'd never thought about it, like, really thought about it, until we started talking, and it came down on me  that he had never really been gone from my life.

~~~~

The next day I woke up early, I didn't have to, but I wanted to go to my Uni to get some work done because I knew I wouldn't if I stayed at home. As I left my house I pulled my phone from my pocket, still hoping there was a text from Kihyun there, and texted Ji-woo.

To: Jiwoo Oppa

8:47AM - Wanna come have lunch with me?

8:47AM - I'm going to Uni but I can take a break.

I knew I was supposed to be kinda mad at him, sort of? I don't know, but it felt weird to not talk to him when he had clearly been upset about something the day before. 

Once my phone was safely in my bag, I stuck my headphones in my ears and began my 40 minute commute to school.

~~~~

Like I'd predicted, I was able to finish my work in a couple hours and was able to return home to my Puppy who wasn't even a puppy anymore, but his name was Puppy, ironically seeing as he had always been quite a large dog.

I walked home from the bus stop as I searched through my bag, looking for the keys, which I never kept in a side compartment like my mom had taught me just because it required too much attention as I ran to the bus, my umbrella stuck between my neck and my shoulder, doing absolutely nothing to protect me from the heavy rain pouring down once again. I crossed my front gate, my head almost stuck in my bag as I finally reached my keys. Thank god, I was starting to think I'd lost them. 

My heart almost jumped out of my chest as I looked up and found someone standing in front of my door, but my brain quickly made a connection. Ji-woo. 

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I spoke up, walking to him. "You're soaking wet again, you could have answered my texts, I-" And then he turned around. And it wasn't Ji-woo.

"Kihyun," His name fell from my lips as a whisper. He was so close, his clothes soaking wet, his face just as much, mostly covered by his dark hoodie. He was probably the last person I ever expected to be standing outside my door at 8PM on a Saturday night in the pouring rain.

"Sulli," He seemed somewhat surprised to see me even though he was standing outside my door.

I couldn't keep the shock from my face, and for a second I couldn't move at all. On the second after, my body was crashing into his, my arms around his neck, pulling him tight against me, my bag and umbrella completely forgotten and discarded on the muddy ground. His arms were around me, too, pulling me up a little to lessen the height difference, allowing me to hide my face on the crook of his neck.

Kihyun was freezing, his whole body was shaking against mine, but my brain didn't process that until after we had been holding each other for quite a while, all I cared about was that he was actually there. I honestly hadn't realized how much I'd missed him until my old friend was actually standing in front of me, flesh and bone, holding me in his arms. I bet we looked crazy to any passerby, standing in the rain just hugging each other like that.

"I can't believe you're here," I shakily breathed, pulling back from his embrace so I could look at his face, my hands moving up to cup his cheeks. "Gosh, you're freezing, Ki... How long have you been out here?" My eyes searched his face, looking for something, I didn't know what, but I was looking for something.

"Twenty minutes," He shrugged, "Maybe two hours, I don't really know." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could he have stood out there for two hours? In the rain? Why would he do that? 

I just sighed, happy that he had anyway, "Come on," I moved to pick my stuff from the ground, "Let's get you inside  before you get sick and I get sued by Starship."