Fifteen

Oh Areum

"... But her parents never approved of me. They never liked me even when I was friends with Hoseok."

"What are you talking about? They even agreed to your marriage! Why would you lie about that?"

"I'm not lying. They didn't like the fact that I was a murderer's son..."

Yoongi's story that Hoseok had told me came rushing back into my head and I was suddenly speechless.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jung never liked that I was poor. They never wanted Hoseok to hang out with me let alone marry their daughter. They didn't think I could keep her happy for long..."

I didn't want to believe Yoongi, but I couldn't help but understand how Yoongi felt. Because I was from the same world as Yoongi. I was a poor orphan who didn't have the luxury that Yoona and Hoseok did while growing up. I had a huge debt that burden me while Yoongi had the label of being a murderer's son.

Yoongi poured himself a soju shot and was about to drink it when I asked him a question that made him freeze.

"Were you scared that her parents were right? That you couldn't keep Yoona happy?"

Yoongi down the shot before he answers me.

"Yeah, I was scared. Scared that I would be taking her from her world and into mine..."

And suddenly all those displeasing feelings that I felt for Yoongi had disappeared with that simple sentence.

"Why did you cheat?"

"I paid that girl to put on a show with me. I knew they were on their way to my place and I intentionally left the door open for them to see."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Are you serious? Do you know how much you hurt Yoona and Hoseok?! How could you do that to them?"

"It was either me or their parents. Who was I to make the siblings go against their parents? I was a nobody, someone replaceable, but not their parents. I know how it feels to grow up without a mom and dad. I would never want them to go through that because of me. I'd rather they lose me, a lover and a friend than their mom and dad. I just.. I just never thought that Yoona would..."

Yoongi's voice had started to break when he mentioned Yoona. And soon the tears started to fall endlessly down his cheeks.

And now that I've heard Yoongi's side of the story, my heart ached for the mint hair male crying next to me. He loved Yoona and Hoseok, loved them enough to make them hate him so that they wouldn't hate their parents.

Yoongi sniffles and wipe away his tears before speaking anymore.

"When Yoona left Korea, I didn't stop her from leaving because I hoped that when she came back to Korea, she would have gotten over me. And then, I would tell her the truth about why I did what I did. We'd both go on with our lives after and she would meet someone better than me. Someone who could truly bring her happiness, who belongs with her in her world. And even if I still miss and love her, I'll silently love her from afar.

But it was all easier said than done. I missed her like crazy. I missed her touch, her sweet voice, everything about her. I'd walk alongside the riverbank that Yoona and I use to meet up by because of how much I missed her. And when I saw you there the other day, I couldn't control myself. I acted upon my feelings first before I could even think properly. I kissed you thinking you were Yoona. I had wanted to tell her the truth that day, but when I knew you weren't her, my feelings got the best of me. I assumed that either Yoona or Hoseok had paid you to hurt me or confuse me.

Everything went downhill when I heard about Yoona from Hoseok. Hearing Hoseok call me a murderer....."

Yoongi paused to wipe his never ending tears. He let out a sigh before speaking again.

"... and hearing that it was because of me broke my heart. I tried to drink the pain away but I couldn't get drunk. No matter how much I drank I was still hurting and couldn't shake off the pain. That's when I came to see you. I needed to see your face. I wanted to hold you, even though I knew you weren't Yoona."

"Yoongi..."

I was cut from speaking when Yoongi's head had fallen onto my lap. He was facing away from me and Yoongi adjusted himself to feel more comfortable in my lap. He was still crying and I could feel the wet tears leaking through my thin legging and onto my thighs.

"I apologized and told you my side of the story Areum, so let me borrow you as a pillow for a bit. All that talking made me sleepy."

I grew still as Yoongi cried silently on my lap. He looked like a little child laying helplessly in my lap like he needed some sort of comfort. So I gently ran my fingers through his mint hair trying to calm him down and hoping that maybe it will ease his pain a little bit.

Yoongi gently grabs hold of my hand, interlocking my hands with his own.

"Don't do that to me Areum. I'll go crazy and think that you really are Yoona if you keep stroking my hair."

So I let the male hold my hand while he slept in my lap. The silence in the room was soon replaced with Yoongi's light snore letting me know that he had fallen asleep.

I looked down at the pale male sleeping away and soon tears invade my own eyes. Yoongi loved Yoona and I liked Hoseok. Knowing Yoongi's story now, I knew I would never have a chance with Hoseok. Although it was a bad choice for Yoongi to hurt Yoona and Hoseok, I could understand why Yoongi did what he did.

Because I would have done the same thing.

The only reason why I was treated differently, was because I had Yoona's face. If it wasn't for this face of mine, would I even be where I am today?

Yoongi became an orphan at a much younger age than I ever was and because of that, he was forced to grow up quicker. He was forced to work underage with a fake ID just so he could support his sister and himself. He found a friend and lover who he cared deeply for but lost them because of his status in this world. And yet he took all the blame.

My gaze fell upon the table that was in front of us and I spoke softly, hoping to not wake up the sleeping boy.

"I'm sorry for misunderstanding you, Yoongi. I hope you know that I understand. I understand your choice and why you did what you did because I'm not so different from you. The only reason why I'm in acting as Yoona is because of Hoseok and my contract. He would pay me $250,000 if I play the role of Yoona so that his Grandma would get a heart transplant. I'm a poor orphan just like you. My parents left me in this world without a plan and with their debt. I was beaten many times because of those loan sharks. I sold my body, let countless people touched me, just so I could make money..."

I swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of my throat. Memories of earlier with Hoseok entered my head and I couldn't hold back the tears as they started to leak from my tear duct. My voice was shaky and trembling as I continue speaking to the sleeping boy.

"You were right when you called me a slut Yoongi. I'm a dirty slut, a whore who still had the guts to fall for Hoseok and I hate that so much. I don't want to like him. I know Hoseok and I are both from different worlds and not only that, I have his sister's face..."

I sobbed into my free hand that was not being held down by Yoongi's. After my mental break down, I took out my phone and saw that it was almost 1 in the morning. I didn't want anyone back home to freak out that I had gone missing so I gently slipped out from Yoongi and left the bar and went back to the Jung's home.

I quietly made my way back up to Yoona's room and changed before laying back down on the couch that had become my bed. I couldn't bring myself to sleep on Yoona's bed still.

And soon the Soju and beer that I had drunk earlier started creeping up on me. My eyelids were starting to get heavier and heavier by the second. I finally closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

**********

Min Yoongi

Areum gently combs my hair with her fingers and it made my heart skipped a beat. She brushed my hair just like how Yoona use to when I'd take a quick power nap on her. I grabbed her hand in order to stop her. I was already missing Yoona like crazy and letting Areum touch me like how Yoona use to is too much for my heart. I intertwine our fingers and held her hand in mine and brought it down towards my chest.

"Don't do that to me Areum. I'll go crazy and think that you really are Yoona if you keep stroking my hair."

I felt my whole body relaxing when the room falls silent. And before I knew it, I had fallen asleep on Areum's lap.

I was awoken from my drunk sleep when I heard a soft voice calling my name.

"I'm sorry for misunderstanding you, Yoongi."

I opened my eyes to see my surrounding and I realized that I was still sleeping on Areum's lap. I closed my eyes quick and I made every attempt to not move so that she wouldn't know I was awake.

"I hope you know that I understand. I understand your choice and why you did what you did because I'm not so different from you. The only reason why I'm in acting as Yoona is because of Hoseok and my contract. He would pay me $250,000 if I play the role of Yoona so that his Grandma would get a heart transplant. I'm a poor orphan just like you."

My eyes opened again when I heard that Areum was an orphan like me. My heart had started to ache and Hoseok probably told her about how I became an orphan. I swallowed hard and stayed silent while Areum softly spoke.

"My parents left me in this world without a plan and with their debt. I was beaten many times because of those loan sharks. I sold my body, let countless people touched me, just so I could make money..."

I heard the change in her voice as she continued to talk to me. My heart was racing with every word spoken. I wanted to sit up and wipe her tears away. But she wasn't Yoona. I had to repeatedly tell myself that the girl crying right now wasn't my Yoona.

"You were right when you called me a slut Yoongi. I'm a dirty slut, a whore who still had the guts to fall for Hoseok and I hate that so much. I don't want to like him. I know Hoseok and I are both from different worlds and not only that, I have his sister's face..."

I laid there silently while she wept. I was a little shocked to hear that she had fallen for Hoseok.

Soon I felt her pulling her hands away from mine own and I closed my eyes pretending to be asleep still. She lightly let my head rest onto the couch before her footsteps walked towards the door. I heard the door open and the moment the door clicked shut, I sat up and stared long and hard at the door. I wanted to run after her, but I fought back the urge.

My older brother protective mode had kicked on when I heard her earlier. How those fucken loan sharks hurt her. How she lived her life just to make money.

What was going to happened to her after the contract?

I poured the last of the soju into the shot cup and drunk it in one gulp. It bugged me knowing she likes Hoseok because she was only going to hurt if she falls harder for him.

Would Hoseok return her feelings? Even if he does Mr. and Mrs. Jung would never allow them to be together with Areum looking like their daughter.  They would most likely want to keep Areum in their lives because she has Yoona's face, but never as Hoseok's wife.

Memories of the past events hunt me as I remember their harsh words to me whenever Hoseok and Yoona was not around.

-Why are you still around Hoseok?

-You are a bad influence to Hoseok.

-Well, it's no wonder you don't listen, you don't have a mother to raise you properly.

-If you are hanging around Hoseok to get money to bail your criminal mother out, don't even think about it!

-Hoseok doesn't need lowly friends like you. He's got plenty of friend that if you leave he wouldn't even noticed your absence.

-Was Hoseok not enough that you had to brainwash my daughter too?

-What kind of black magic did you put on Yoona?

-It's your fault that Yoona is refusing to go back to school, do you know that?

-You won't be able to make her happy.

-You won't be able to provide a stable life for Yoona.

-Break up with Yoona and leave Hoseok too.

I let out a deep sigh before making up my mind. It was going to be hard. Hoseok's going to hate me even more than he already does. Areum probably doesn't want to see me again after tonight.

But I'm going to protect her. I don't want to see Areum cry anymore.

To Be Continued...