Do You Love Me Like The Way I Love You? || SF9

Episode 24: Mamma Mia

(*AN: I am so sorry that I haven't been updating my fanfics lately. You see, I have a summer course that I've been taking and I won't be able to finish the class until around August 3rd. But anyways, I'm here now and I'm hoping you enjoy this chapter!

-Author-nim 💕)

Inseong's POV
A month has passed since Inseong and Youngja talked and as Inseong is walking back to the SF9 dorm after a night of self practice, he suddenly bumps into Youngja and her older brother Minjun.

Youngja-ssi? I mouthed to myself as I watched a younger girl try to carry the weight of an older boy with one of his arms around her shoulders. Even though I wanted to say something, even though I wanted to call out to her, something was preventing me from doing so. Reluctance? Maybe, but I knew I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. If my assumption is correct, the older male could be Younga-ssi's older brother Minjun, who also happens to be a childhood friend of mine. He looked like he had a night out drinking. I knew how Minjun would respond in his drunken state. After all, he is my best friend.

Youngja-ssi staggered, her feet struggling to balance as she carried Minjun. "Aigoo..." she stated as she slowly tried her best to walk with the weight of the older boy upon her shoulders. She was glimpsing down, staring at her feet with one hand grasping at her older brother's arm.

"Youngja-ssi?" I called out to her this time. "What happened?" I said as I finally decided upon helping her despite it already being past midnight. "You shouldn't be out this late on a school night!" Quickly, I grabbed Minjun's other arm and the two of us helped whisk him away to their house. I gently shoved him onto the couch.

"Th-Thank you for helping me, Inseong-ssi," Youngja-ssi stated, a little shy and her voice barely audible. "I'm sorry you had to see this. But Minjun Oppa has been rather depressed these days. He recently broke up with his girlfriend." She placed a wet, folded face towel upon her brother's forehead. "Even though he denies having any remaining feelings for her, I can tell he's been trying to tune them out with drinking. I'm concerned for him," With a worried expression drawn upon her face, Youngja-ssi held back her tears. "My brother is the only family I have left. I don't want anything bad to happen to him,"

I didn't know what to say. Gingerly, I put my hand on her shoulder. I wasn't good at these types of things, especially when it came with girls. "Youngja-ssi..." my voice trailed off as I tried to come up with the right words to say. "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to Minjun. I know him, this is just his way with coping with his breakup. I'm pretty sure he'll find someone..." I gave her a weak smile and she smiled hesitantly at me.

Hesitantly, Youngja-ssi gave me another weak smile. "Oh dear!" she said, looking over at the wall clock. "It's almost 1:30 AM! You should be heading back to the dorm..." Nearly inaudible, she whispered, "I've been such a burden..."

"What?" I began, a little irritated by what she had said. Why on earth would she think that?! "Don't you ever say that you're a burden, okay?" Then and there, I hugged Youngja-ssi tightly. I didn't want to let her go. Just this second, just this small moment in time; let me embrace her.

"But I am!" she exclaimed back in reply. "Inseong-ssi, you can't possibly understand what I've gone through!" And with that, she ran upstairs, tears streaming down her face and leaving Minjun and I alone on couch.

Inseong, do something!

I panicked for a bit and ended up not doing anything.

I'm really not good at these things...

Youngja's POV
Meanwhile, Youngja is upstairs in her room. Her door is locked and she is silently crying, thinking back on the day Hyunbin was rushed to the hospital.

Flashback, one month earlier.

"Hwiyoung?" I stated, slowly approaching Chani-ssi's SF9 group mate. He appeared to be rather shaky, his eyes blinking fast and he was pacing rather fast back and forth beside the men's restroom. In no time at all, Hwiyoung stopped pacing at the sudden sight of me. "Hwiyoung-ssi, are you alright?" I put a hand on his shoulder.

"O-Of course!" He stated, holding his hands together, shaky as could be. "Why wouldn't I be fine?" His eyes twitched as he turned around to avoid my glance.

"Hwiyoung, don't act like this... Are you okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine!" Hwiyoung screamed, quickly backing away. Then, he bumped into him. Hyunbin, he bumped into Hyunbin, my classmate and childhood friend who was lying unconscious on a stretcher. With a little jump, Hwiyoung quickly walked away.

"Will he be ok?" I whispered to the person at the head of the stretcher Hyunbin was lying on.

"Yes, he will be. Don't worry," was all the man could say.

On the bus ride home, Youngja can't help but think about what occurred earlier Hyerim. She worries about Hwiyoung. Seeing that her friend is rather troubled, Youngja's best friend Eunbi tries to cheer her up.

"Hey, Youngja..." my best friend Eunbi's voice trailed off as we got off at the proper stop.

"Yes?" I stated back in response as I paused the music that was flowing through my earphones and turned to face her. "What is it, Unnie?"

"Have you tried out the new tteokbokki place with Minjun Oppa yet? Tteokbokki Palace?" Eunbi continued. She smiled and pointed at a building at the top of the hill. "It's just over there! You know where the old laundromat was back when we were growing up? Well, the laundromat closed down last year and now it's Tteokbokki Palace? Maybe we should go there for dinner tonight?"

"Well I-!"

Before I could finish my sentence, Eunbi interrupted me and said, "So it's decided! We're all going, okay? Why don't you invite Jihye too?"

"Umm fine," I relented to my friend's urging.

Little did I know, something hectic was to occur...