Whispers In The Moonlight

Dear Diary,

Well, today was one of those days that I wish I could just erase from my memory.

It all started when Min-jun asked me to meet him after school. He said he had something important to tell me, and I was a little nervous. What could he possibly want to say? Was it about what Hye-jin overheard? Was he going to tell me what he'd been hiding all this time?

I had no idea what to expect, but my stomach was in knots as I walked to the park where we agreed to meet.

When I arrived, Min-jun was already sitting on one of the benches, looking more serious than I'd ever seen him before. His usual carefree expression was nowhere to be found, and it made me feel like something big was about to happen.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound calm, even though my heart was pounding.

Min-jun looked up at me with those deep brown eyes, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of guilt in them. "Hey, Eun-ji," he replied quietly.

I sat down next to him, feeling the awkward silence between us. After a moment, he took a deep breath and began.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now," he started, his voice low. "I didn't want to hurt you, but I can't keep it from you anymore."

I felt a chill run through me. This was it. The moment I'd been dreading.

"What is it?" I asked, barely able to get the words out. My hands were trembling in my lap.

Min-jun turned to face me fully, his expression filled with sadness. "I've been dealing with a family situation. It's complicated, and I didn't want to drag you into it. But it's been affecting me more than I realized, and it's been making me pull away from you."

I could feel my chest tightening as I tried to process what he was saying. "What's going on? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He looked down at his hands, clearly struggling with what to say. "My parents... they've been having problems, and it's been really hard for me to deal with. I didn't want to burden you with it, and I didn't want you to think that it had anything to do with you. But I've been distant because I didn't know how to handle it."

I didn't know what to say. I was stunned. I had no idea that this was what he had been going through. I had thought it was something I had done, something that had made him act so distant. But now, hearing him explain it, I felt both relieved and heartbroken at the same time.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," Min-jun continued, his voice filled with regret. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just didn't know how to explain it without making things worse."

I took a deep breath and reached out to touch his arm gently. "Min-jun, you don't have to apologize. I understand now. You don't have to carry all of this by yourself."

He smiled softly, his eyes meeting mine again. "Thank you for understanding. I was afraid you'd hate me for being so distant."

"Of course I don't hate you," I said, my voice steady now. "We can get through this together, okay?"

Min-jun nodded, his relief evident in the way his shoulders relaxed. "Yeah, together."

As I sat there with him, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. I had been so caught up in my own insecurities that I hadn't stopped to think about what Min-jun might be going through. Now that I understood, I felt closer to him than ever.

We didn't need to say much more after that. We just sat in silence, enjoying each other's company, knowing that we had both shared something deeply personal.

I never thought I'd be the kind of person who could handle all of this. But maybe, just maybe, I was stronger than I realized.

Love, Eun-ji