our delicate string | ???

5: streetlight.

they walked back to their table as Beomgyu grabbed the gift bags and placed them on top. "open them!" he exclaimed. "i've been waiting for you to see mine."

Soobin laughed. "you guys really didn't have to get me anything." his eyebrows furrowed. "why are there four gift bags though?"

"oh, Yeonjun and Hyuka asked us to give them to you." Taehyun grabbed his phone. "they also are making us facetime them so they can see your reaction." he smiled. "Gyu, can you call Yeonjun, i can only do one person at a time?"

Beomgyu nodded and soon they had their phones propped up on cups and were reunited as five.

"open mine first!" Hyuka exclaimed.

and so, the group of five, though split up geographically, sat and spent their best friend's birthday together.

— 💿 —

Aera's head hit the pillow as she sunk into the mattress. her mind full of thoughts from yesterday, overanalyzung it all.

what did i do?

am i worth being cheated on?

tears fell down her eyes then the sides of her face. she weeped, in disbelief. how could he do this to her— cause her to be a mess on her bed sobbing until her eyes puffed red.

she was supposed to see her friends today. she was supposed to go to her piano lesson in an hour. she was supposed to finish the incomplete math homework that lay open at her desk with the help of an untouched calculator.

but he made her into this mess.

in the midst of her tears, she heard a knocking on her door, soon revealed to be her mother behind the door.

"Aera?" she peeked through the crack of the door. "i brought you food since you haven't ea—" she paused upon seeing Aera's face and placed the plate on her desk in panic. "oh my God, what happened?!" she rushed to Aera's bed and planted herself on it.

Aera sat up and sobbed in her mother's arms. "he broke up with me." she cried.

"oh, i'm so sorry." she caressed her daughters head. "he didn't deserve you."

"i don't understand." she sobbed. "was i not good enough? was i not worth—"

"this has nothing to say about who you are, it says everything about who he is." she comforted. "i'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"he cheated."

"he WHAT?" her mom screamed. "oh, that boy is gonna get a stern talking—"

"mom, please." Aera pulled her mother's hand back as her mother stopped and sat back down.

"i'm sorry, i just got riled up." she sighed. "i'm so sorry, sweetheart."

and there, Aera sat with her head on her mother's shoulder, sobbing. she felt broken. there was nothing she could do but cry for hours. she was hopeless, shattered and left there aching to pieces.

"one day, you'll find the other person who completes your string."

Aera's eyebrows furrowed. however, she was too tired to question it, maybe later she would.

maybe later.

— 💿 —

time passed like light as Aera sat at her piano. she didn't want to let her sadness to consume her, so she wrote a song.

technically she wrote it a while ago, but she added to it slightly.

as she began to play the notes one by one and practice them, she heard her phone ringing in the background.

"Ji-na!" she exclaimed. "how are you, i've missed you!" she smiled, the first time this whole day.

"i just got off my flight, i couldn't stay away from my best friend for too long."

"i have a lot to update you on." she smiled. "are you going home soon? who's picking you up from the airport?"

"my mom is, don't worry, Ra." she smiled. "it feels like it's been more than a week but you have to update me on everything. let's hang out tomorrow."

"deal." she laughed. "i'm so happy you're home."

"same, i mean how could i leave you with that stupid boyfriend of yours alone?"

Aera laughed half-heartedly. "yeah, i guess so."

"see you tomorrow, girl!"

"bye, Ji-na."

she placed her phone at her nightstand and sunk into her bed. she was ecstatic to have her best friend back in town. she smiled, yet a part of her still hurt.

and she didn't know why.

she sighed and picked her phone back up, dialing a number:

"do you want to go on a walk?"