Band Aids || Mark Lee

C13

Eunbi awoke at her desk, her head in her arms. Stretching out to wake herself up she noticed the drawn curtains to her right. Deciding to let the morning light in she walked over pulling the curtains back. The result was not quite how she imagined however, as there were still stars in the sky. Not really sure what to do seeing as there was no chance she would fall back asleep now she decided to just go get some water. The floor was cold underfoot as she attempted to keep her footsteps silent in case she accidentally woke someone.

The air only seemed to get colder as she made her way down the stairs before entering the kitchen, filling a glass with water before taking a seat on the countertop. Her eyes trailed to her wrist splint which brought Mark to mind. He seemed okay yesterday but Eunbi couldn't help but still feel guilty. He was shot because she was dumb enough to get taken, he could have died because she was to weak. The thought of Mark brought back the image she had barely gotten out of her mind since it had happened. The mental image of Hansol lying on the ground, his own blood pooling around him as the gun that inflicted so much damage lay in her shaking hand.

"Hey" The sudden voice caused Eunbi to yelp in shock, pushing herself backwards to get away from the voice, almost falling off the other edge of the countertop before a hand shot out to steady her. Once she regained her balance and calmed her heart a little, she put her attention on the person in front of her.

"You frightened me!"

"Well I am naturally terrifying" Yuta almost laughed as the girl in front of him gave a small glare. "Why are you up anyway? It's nearly one"

"I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep so I came to get water" Her eyes trailed Yuta as he grabbed a glass himself, however he didn't fill his with water, instead a brown liquid she assumed was some sort of alcohol. Taking a seat next to her Yuta spoke up again.

"So, what's got you all worked up?" Eunbis lack of response caused him to look over his glass only to see her eyes glazed over as her lips pressed firmly together as though trying to stop herself from crying. A heavy sigh let his lips as he placed his glass down, matching her attention as he turned to her. "Don't worry, no need to explain, I think I already know"

A long silence followed, but it was almost like one of understanding than an awkward one. It continued until Eunbi decided to break it.

"Does it get easier? You know, like does the guilt get less as you do it more?" Yuta caught on quickly, a sad smile spreading across his lips.

"No, but you get used to it. It becomes something you don't have feelings about. You don't feel sad nor guilty, just empty when you think about it. And you remember everyone of them. You can never forget their faces, their voices or their screams, but yes. The first ones are the worst" Eunbi could tell by the way his voice became unstable he was sincere, he wasn't sugarcoating it for her, and although the truth was hard, it was better than lies.

"I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I killed someone" Eunbi watched as Yutas grip on his glass tightened as he spoke, his eyes losing their life. "Well technically I didn't kill them, but I was responsible"

"It was when I lived in Osaka, before I joined NCT. I was a simple street racer back then, and so was she. I fell in love quicker than I'd ever thought was possible, and much to my liking, she liked me too" A small tear dribbled down his cheek as he spoke, and Eunbis felt bad as she could only watch. "She was amazing. The way she wouldn't bother to cover her mouth as she laughed, her constant confidence, the way she raced, she was perfect, well to me at least. To her father she wasn't. Her was a big CEO, and he hated the fact that if anyone found out what she did he could be ruined and slowly his hatred for her replaced his love and he did what no one would have expected"

Yutas small tears turned into full on sobs as he shook gently, the alcohol in his glass spilling onto his hand as he chocked on his words.

"He planned it, he payed them to smash right into her, he killed her. And it was my fault, because I was the reason he found out she raced in the first place"

In absence of any other options Eunbi gently wrapped her arms around him as he cried into her shoulder. It didn't take long for his tears to soak through her shirt, dribbling down her skin as she whispered comforting words to him. It took a while, but his tears eventually slowed until they ceased completely. He gently pulled away from her when they did, a small smile on his lips as he did so.

"Thank you" His voice was still shaky, as if it would break if he said another word.

"No, thank you Yuta. She must be very proud"

"Yuniko would have loved you"

"I'm sure I would have loved her too"

And with that they parted ways, Eunbi returning to her room before tucking herself into bed and drifting to sleep, this time the image of Hansol not plaguing her mind.