Stay (Topp Dogg) {Published on Amazon}

Part 15

Monday

One week and two days have passed since I've talked to Sanggyun. Xero has been a loyal friend and has been taking me to lunch. It's awesome that we go to separate universities and we still have the same time slot for lunch. I've been getting really close to him. I miss Kidoh though. He hasn't been able to come home from his father's for the past week. I can't even talk to him. I wish I knew what he was doing there, but I can't do anything about it.

My Mom, Dad, and I have all been doing very well. We put as many pancakes as we could into the refrigerator and all the extras we couldn't fit went outside. We have a closed in porch on the back side of our house.

The snow has been coming down harder and harder these days. We've gotten at least a foot of snow in the past two days. It's cold outside and my muscles hurt.

Sanggyun has been trying to contact me all day today. I can't face him. I just can't. It's too difficult for me. Maybe I'm over exaggerating, but to look his sweet face in the eyes and say no, it breaks my heart.

Hey phone buzzes, signaling that I received a text. I examine my phone to see the damage.

From Sanggyun: "I'm outside your house and I'm coming in. I can't wait for an answer any longer. You can't ignore me forever, Hyein."

I sigh and throw my phone across the room. I'm done with this situation. If he wants to confront me, then fine, let him. If he can't wait for my answer, then I'm fine with breaking his eighteen year old heart.

I hear the knock on the door downstairs. My father is in his room sleeping and my mom is out buying another set of my medication. I'm basically alone. If I don't answer, then he'll just go away.

The knocks on the door get louder and louder. They echo throughout the house. I'm praying that Dad doesn't wake up because of them. If he wakes up as opens the door, who knows what will happen.

A light turned on inside my head. Who knows what will happen if my Dad finds out that Sanggyun came back and asked me to be with him? My dad could get angry and disagree, or be happy, or he could disagree, or he could say yes to a marriage, or he could disagree.

I heard a door open down the hallway. There were steps coming towards my room. I put my head under the covers quick and pretended I was sleeping.

There was a knock on my door. "Hyein! Can you get that please?" He waited. Then the door opened. "Hyein, I'm not in the mood for visitors, can-" he stopped talking half way through and sighed.

I heard the door close and a smile spread across my face.

Downstairs, the door opened and all went quiet. I couldn't hear anything at all, which made me curious. I refused to go downstairs though. I'm not completely stupid.

I heard someone's footsteps pound up the stairs. My father yelled out Sanggyun's name. I felt nauseous suddenly. Sanggyun is going to get an answer today.

My door flies open and bangs against the wall, chipping the paint, making a dent.

His footsteps are so heavy, I can hear every move he makes. He walks over to my bedside and pulls my blanket off of me. A chill covers my body and I roll up into a ball. It's freezing.

"I know you're not asleep. Give me an answer, Hyein. That's all I want. At this point, I don't care what you say, I just want one."

My heart felt heavy at that moment. I was refusing my first marriage proposal. Will I say something wrong? Will I regret my answer? I wouldn't know until I did it.

"No," I mumbled. I refused to turn around and look at him. Sanggyun sounded as if he was out of breath. "What?" He asked me under his breath.

I sighed and sat up. I had to face him. Not looking at him is wrong. He needs to see my face to get the answer.

"I said no, Sanggyun. I'm sorry. I know we promised each other before you left that we would stay together, but that was a childish promise. We're amazing friends, Sanggyun. You are a terrific friend. My relationship with you ended when you left to Japan. It's time for me to meet new people. I think you should as well. You're eighteen, who knows who you'll meet." I smiled at him as tears fell down his face.

"So I've lost you? I've really lost you, and to that guy that you went on a date with once?" I looked at the ground. He was right, but I felt that if I said yes, it would break him. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe."

"What does he have on me?" Sanggyun yelled at me with everything he could. "How can he do better than me?" He kept looking at me, searching me for something. I didn't know what he wanted. "Friends? You really think we can be friends?" I felt uncomfortable. I couldn't handle it anymore. I got up and walked passed him as he stood there in denial.

*****

I found myself sitting at a bar with Byung Joo standing next to me. Tears were falling down my face and I kept asking him for a drink. I wanted to get drunk, so drunk that I would forget today even happened. I kept whining to him about these things, but he kept telling me no.

"Please, Byung Joo, I need something, anything at all." I begged him repeatedly. Eventually, he got me a glass of water. I slammed my fist on the bar, making the slim to none customers that were there stare at me. Byung Joo met my gaze. His eyes were full of pity. I guess that's what I wanted. "Please, don't call anybody that I know. I don't want friends or family around me. I just want to be alone," I pleaded.

Byung Joo sighed and shifted his hair with his hand. "If you want to be somewhere where you don't know anybody, then why did you come here?" By then I had stopped crying. I looked at the glass of water he gave me. "This bar was the first thing that came to mind when I asked for a taxi."

Byung Joo reached across the bar and put a hand on my shoulder. "Wait here for a second while I go do something." I nodded my head. He turned and walked into the employees only room.

A few minutes later, another guy came out, walking behind him. Byung Joo gave him his apron and looked at me. "We've got ten minutes. Follow me." I followed after him quickly, no questions asked.

We walked up two flights of stairs and reached a door. He took out a set of keys and unlocked the door. Byung Joo held it open for me as I walked in. Then he closed the door as I took off my shoes.

"You can stay here for tonight. I have two roommates, but they can figure out where they want to sleep."

I was a bit shocked by what he was offering. "Are you sure it's okay that I stay here with you?" I asked just to make sure. He nodded and gestured me to follow him.

Byung Joo opened a door that had the name "Hansol" on it. "You can sleep in here tonight. Do whatever you want up here, just please don't leave a mess. I like to keep my place somewhat clean." He closed the door and stood in front of me.

For some odd reason, I started to cry again. I bowed as far as I could towards him. "Get up." He mumbled. I looked up and he hugged me. His hand rubbed my back. "It's going to be okay, Hyein. You just need to calm yourself down. Your eye is going kind of funky again." I giggled and wiped my tears, suddenly noticing that I was ticking again. "Thank you so much Byung Joo."

He nodded. "Anytime, I have to go back to work though. So have fun." He slipped his shoes back on and left the apartment.

A.N

What did you guys think of this chapter? Did it make you sad when she said no to Sanggyun (A-Tom)? Or did you feel as if she made the right choice? And how nice is B-Joo oppa? Letting her stay in his apartment to cool off, so cool of him.

Tell me what you think in the comments!

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