HANA

by Rainyday9090

For the longest time I studied revenge to the exclusion of all else. I built my first torture chamber in the dark vaults of imagination. Lying on bloody sheets in the Healing Hall I discovered doors within my mind that I'd not found before, doors that even a child of nine knows should not be opened. Doors that never close again. I threw them wide. Revenge is what I want.

51. Chapter 51

Good morning beautiful readers. I hope you had a wonderful week. I am still editing the chapter but wanted to get it to you before the weekend. I hope you enjoy the chapter and have a lovely weekend.

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The bright moon, being the only thing shining in the dark sky, had peaked into the room through the window behind Jandi's bed. The faint gray light of the moon landing on the bed cornered to the wall was enough to make out the shape of the girl sleeping underneath the blanket. The body rested in the fetal position; the blanket hiding it wasn't thick enough to hide what it was dealing with. Her shaking arms holding her legs closer to her heart had changed to fists the moment the nightmares that had been getting more vivid started making sounds. In the dark corner of the dream world, she often gets sent to when she sleeps, which she has been lucky to avoid for a few days thanks to a special someone, but tonight, not even he could fight back against what his best friend had instigated. Her disturbed breathing, when she was asleep, there was no conscious mind to help regular it. And it wasn't the only thing; her disturbed emotions he had triggered were roaming free as they took charge of her terrified body that was dragged back to the nightmares that always win over it.

The number of tears she had cried hours before, the echo of her own cries mixed in with the unclear waves of laughter of the men who hunted her dreams. There was nothing left her anxious heart could use to wake her up; even the pain signals weren't enough. Bom's calm voice was often used to remind her she was okay; even his voice was nowhere to be found tonight. No voice whispering for her that she was okay would have worked anyway. Her shaking body folded even more minor, was moved closer to the corner of the two walls her bed was pushed against. Her legs that had failed to take a step, let alone run away from the hallway she was standing in. Her horrified eyes looked back and forth at the blood-decorated walls of the hallway she often was forced to be back in. Even if she was brave enough to chase them, the sounds her ears could make out weren't clear enough to direct her legs. Her body froze from fright; all it wanted to do was escape. When asleep, there was no ounce of bravery to face her demons.

The laughters getting uglier and closer; she was even used to the hallway that would start getting smaller, but somehow her body always reacted to it as though it was the first time. Not only the walls but also her hands covered with blood, usually by this time, her body would reach its limit to force her to wake up. Often, it needed one last trigger, and today had been a surprising one as her petrified eyes from her hands and the blood dripping down from them were sent up to the hallway when she heard a clear voice. "Hey," the voice she made out past the loud laughter and scary sounds; she didn't need to hear it again to recognize the raspy voice. Left and right, her eyes turned all around to find the person who had said it, but there was none. "Are you okay?" the voice spoke again. The soft and worried-sounding voice didn't come with any image. Her eyes didn't need to see him anyway since what she needed was given to her in another way. His soft voice had come along with the remainder of his arm wrapped around her hours before.

His strong arms embracing her weren't the focus of the memory. It was his body she was held against. Her head forced to rest on his chest; she was quickly reminded of his heartbeat and his breathing that she would be forced to match. The sweet smell of his she was getting used to; it felt so different to literally breathe it in while her face was held against his firm chest. His arms around her shoulder; she wasn't sure when one had moved to her head. The moment she was reminded of how his right hand was on her head, gently stroking her hair, her body was given its final trigger. "Huh," her body was jolted up from the corner of the bed it was folded into. The blanket thrown away from her body slowly fell to her lap as she sat up. Her eyes, which were not ready for any type of light, were glad to open up to the darkness of her room. Waking up so suddenly, as always, made her feel dizzy, so her body was moved back to rest against the wall. After confirming where she was, her eyes closed as she landed her spinning head against the wall. She was home. She was okay.

The few minutes she would spend just sitting there, her tight fists would be opened to send her hands to her face. Her unruly hair moved away from her face, and her hands would lightly tap her cheeks, which were somehow sending pain signals. It wasn't just her cheeks; her body would start feeling the discomfort that would never be addressed. Her brain started its regular work, and in seconds, she was provided an answer for why her face was hurting. How she had cried in his embrace, the headache would start right then and there. And it would only get worse as she dragged her body out of bed. Her phone she glanced at, the missed calls and texts hadn't gotten her attention; the only thing she looked at was the 4:46 a.m. time. After a few sighs as she stood up, her eyes were finally directed to the window and the beautiful view of the moon. Her eyes, which wouldn't need any other light, guided her tired body to the bathroom.

The warm water she had returned her body to, the moment her eyes closed, she was taken back to all the minutes she spent in this shower last night. Unlike now, her body wasn't standing but sitting at the corner of the shower while letting the cold water attack it as much as possible. Her hands, moving her wet hair back, stayed on her head which they had to squeeze to try and see if that would work to eliminate her thoughts that were working hard to force her back into that penthouse she had run away from. The loud and always angry voice would start its work as it started yelling at her for what she allowed to happen. It had even dared to deem what happened as embarrassing. Not only was crying in front of him a sign of weakness, but now it was even seen as embarrassing. It was easier to focus on that and curse at herself rather than dare to even think about what had caused it. That would be saved for when she was finally out of the house and became the only living thing chasing the moon.

Her all-black running outfit, even the cap on her head was black as she perfectly blended with the dark neighborhood of her that was asleep. The music playing in her ears, a few blocks away from her home, was when her mind was finally allowed to take her back to what was said on that couch of his. Everything he shared would be replayed repeatedly while her legs would be tasked to increase their speed as they made every turn they wouldn't need any navigation to recognize. Her right leg was still recovering but it had ten years of training to be in any type of pain for the speed it was being asked to increase. Her mind, no matter how much it wanted to focus, couldn't help but be distracted by how what he had shared had caused her to lose control. The tears of hers she had let him witness, the girl that had cried in his embrace was disappearing with every turn her legs were leading. That side of her she deemed weak, there was nothing she wouldn't do to destroy it as she let the sweat that was starting to drip from her face wash away any remaining parts of that pathetic and weak girl that had melted into the warm hug.

Her eyes now sharped, even the beat of the song drumming at her ears had changed as the mask she wore to scare anybody that dared to even look at her was back on. All the things he said still being replayed; somehow, now, the focus was more on him rather than the shocking information he had shared. The picturesque smile of his that would fill her memory, the anger it instigated was unmatched as it had forced her legs to speed up. The destination she was running to, her eagerness for what she wanted to do once she got there was why she had arrived earlier than expected. In the gym she walked into, only the corner light was turned on as she got herself ready for part of her routine she hadn't been keeping in a while. She had nobody to blame for that other than herself. All the distractions she had been falling for, how long it was taking her to set up everything was the only sign she needed to know it had been too long since she was here.

Her hands, which had been begging for this, were beyond excited as she carefully wrapped them up. The gauze wraps she tightened with tape, she had done this enough for her mind to be completely somewhere else while she prepared her feet next. Her running shoes and jacket were thrown at the corner; the last task was to wrap all her hair away before she headed to the punching bag, which she used to be too small even to reach. Her bare feet, only covered by the gauze wraps, she would spend some minutes stretching and just getting her feet into the rhythm, a rhythm with which her breathing would be aligned to. Her tight fists begging for a surface to land against, wouldn't be provided as the warm-up was air punches. The blood flowing through her body keeping up with the energy and speed she was increasing. Her focused eyes on the dot on the wall, the speed of her body that leaves even Bom amazed was slower than usual but still fast enough to require full focus. The sweat starting to cover her body was left visible, thanks to the sports bra being the only thing she had as a top. The salty water trailing down her neck; there was a reason she had chosen to come here today. This was precisely what she needed to get back to herself. The smirk that escaped her lips showed how much she had missed this side of her.

Her punches moved to the punching bag, and she started softly as she mixed it with kicks. The sandbag that had always been too heavy for her punches to move, she had failed to do so until she was provided the right target. She needed his adorable dimples, that smiling face of his, as the force behind her punches reached the proper force to move the bag. His enchantingly dark eyes, the two punches she landed against the punching bag would do serious damage if they landed on those eyes of his. That smile of his she wasn't fond of, the punches that would follow would be targeted to imagine what it would be like to wipe that smile away from his face. His face, which she had slapped before, was the perfect imaginary target for all her punches. Her teeth bit, even the sharpness of her eyes had changed. Even the faint sound of his laugh was able to bring out more energy in her. The intriguingly coarse voice of his, she should have been worried about how it was whispering in her ears even when he wasn't around, but she was too distracted by her rage. Her mind allowed to let all the distracting thoughts to run free had mixed them all. His voice added to his smile, and those eyes, no matter how much they had helped to perfect her punches, she should have been very worried about the reaction it was getting from her body.

With his tall body, she wouldn't need to do much to bring him down; the first kick against the punching bag was imagined to land against his shoulders. It would take more than a dozen kicks before it made sense why she was imagining kicking the chest she was held against. Her punches that would match the beating of his heart her face was held against, the emotions that were masked by rage were getting a different reaction from her body that was forced to be reminded of the embrace she had allowed to happen. No matter how hard her kicks were, they weren't able to silence what it felt like to be held. The foreign emotion, the only way she knew how to deal with it is punch her way through dismissing it as unimportant. His arms wrapped around her; her feet could imagine breaking all the bones across it, but that didn't take away from how comforting they were when they were tightly held around her. "Fuck" the first word of her day, was whispered as she started the combination of kicks and punches she was trained to execute.

One kick to his neck, and she could have him unconscious or dead, but that wasn't what filled her imagination; it was beating every inch of him. The sounds he would make when he spits out blood from all the punches, unfortunately, her mind wasn't able to provide her with any of that. To make matters worse, what she was actually offered was his soft smile. How he might smile if she dared to attempt to beat him; it was adding to her rage that was starting to ruin the rhythm of her punches. She wasn't provided with the sound of his pain; it was his laugh that filled her ears. His laugh & those dimples would start the twinkle in his dark eyes that never fail to remind her of what looking at him for a long time does to her. She hated it. She hated it all. His hands she remembers as always being cold, it was odd how his hug didn't feel anything remotely close to that. Her off-rhythm punches landed on the punching bag, and her body, weakened by his hug, would now attest to how warm his embrace was.

Right when the memory of his right hand on her hair was replayed, the first kick that wasn't focused at the right angle had sent the sting signal to her already hurt right knee. His right hand gently holding her head close to his chest; every stroke of her hair was recalled and matched to the punches she was aiming at the moving punching bag. His head he brought down closer to hers; the soft words he whispered would silence every other memory. Her body she was forcing to be in rage even more; it was doing the opposite. The red flags she had been getting from day one, she should have listened to them if she had wanted his voice he soften whenever she was close, not to affect her. As though she hadn't had enough, her memory would be returned to what happened in the kitchen. From the top of her head to the tip of her toes, the electrifying feeling would be brought back with the memory of his lips on her finger. The way his tongue was moving along her skin, she only needed to be reminded of the way his eyes were looking at her to find it all intentional. "Fuck" the second word of the day, would return her hands to the punching bag she would attack without a break.

"Your breathing is off," the only voice that could get her out of her imagination broke the loud sounds of her punches. Her startled eyes turning to the door; she found Bom standing by the wall and inhaling his cigarette. The doors she didn't hear open; she didn't think of that as it would be Bom who would remind her of how she wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings. The man standing in the shadows, not enough light from the corner lamp was landing on him to see his face entirely, but she didn't need to. His all-black outfit was enough. The cigarette he brought to his lips, right when she saw his face, her angry face had instantly forced a smile at the corner of her lips. The person she had missed and texted to meet her was here had arrived earlier than she had expected him to. Her body that would love to run to his side and get a hug from him, but the rage-filled voice running the show had deemed that unnecessary as she just stood there. The safe and tender embrace she needed, if she ever accepted she needed it, this would be the man she would feel safe to let go of all her fears and be comforted by.

" There is a new bag you should use." he used his cigarette to point at the other side of the room as he started walking her way.

" I like this one." Before she turned her hands to the punching bag, she got a good look at him coming her way and into the light.

" This one is too rigid." Ignoring his words, what she focused on was him. One look at his face and she could quickly tell he wasn't sleeping and had come here from work. If not his face, what she smelled when he walked past her would have been her cue. The mix of alcohol, cigarettes, and women's perfume, her eyes were directed to follow him as he walked past her. His attention was on the punching bag while hers was on his neck, and his jacket he hadn't zipped all the way up. The lipstick marks she noticed on his neck, the sour taste that appeared in her mouth were swallowed in silence as she turned her attention to the punching bag he slapped.

" If you're going to use this one, aim at the sides." his direction she would always follow, and she started doing as she was told. Standing on the other side of the punching bag, he kept inhaling his cigarette while watching her punches.

" What do you need?" a minute later, he asked.

" I don't need anything; I just had some questions." In between her punches, she started the conversation about why she texted him to meet her here.

" About what?" using his leg to kick back the punching back to the right side, he directed her attention to the side he wanted her to hit.

The break her body needed, she would walk to the water station as she started the topic with the only sentence he needed to know what she was talking about.

" What about it?"

" Do you remember the police file?" the water she was sipping, she asked as her focused eyes stayed on him.

" It said there were no witnesses, right?" she added as she brought the water bottle down and eagerly waited for him to confirm her memory.

" The only witness was the janitor who called and made the report," was his answer.

" Right," she agreed as she brought the water bottle up and sipped.

" There were no other witnesses?" This wasn't a question, but she phrased it as such while her mind focused on what Junpyo had shared with her.

" No"

" There was also no mention of any kid in the file from any witnesses?"

" No, why?" he asked, now somewhat curious why she was asking.

" I think there was a witness who was also part of the police cover-up." the cool water she kept sipping, now that she got her confirmation, she had started connecting all the dots.

" Who?" his question brought her eyes back to him.

" I am not sure yet," her right hand sent behind her back to hide her fidgeting fingers, she lied.

" Did you find this from the student president?" he asked the question she wasn't ready for as he brought the cigarette to his lips.

" I heard he visits often," he added with a smirk.

"Nothing is going on; he visits because we work together and have a lot of projects we have to collaborate on and."

"I didn't ask," he said, stopping her rant before she even began.

" Are you getting this information from him?" He directed the conversation back to the reason he was here.

" Him and other places. It's tiny pieces of information here and there , so I haven't told you."

"Is that why you're going on the trip?" he asked the second question that would pause her for a minute.

" To get information out of him?" he added. Mrs Kim, who had sat him down and annoyed him until he said yes to this trip, he was sure Jandi had other reasons to be there. He wasn't fully sure what he said was true, but he trusted her enough that she was going with her mission in mind and nothing else.

" Of course' her soft response, his eyes zoomed in on her face. With his intimidating eyes, she raised her water bottle up to cover her face.

" I need to know who this witness is and how much they know." She placed her water bottle down and started walking to the punching bag.

" If there is really a witness, that might change everything." he again, directed her attention to the sides of the punching bag.

" If the witness recalls any of the faces of the boys" his words had frozen her body as only her eyes moved to him. She hadn't even thought of that. Her mind that was stuck on just accepting there was a witness, she hadn't thought about that possibility.

" If there is a witness, they might have seen who was at the top of that building," he added as he walked away from the punching bag and came to her side.

" We might be able to end all of this if you can find who this person is and how much they know" he stood behind her as he placed the cigarette in between his lips and he sent both his hands to her waist he started moving.

" If there really is a witness." his hands sent to her arms he started fixing the stretch of her arms to the right length.

" Hit here." Holding her fists, he led the way to where he was asking her to punch.

" Anything else?" he asked as he let go of her hands.

" No," she whispered as she turned around to face him. Past the smoke, her eyes had landed on his face to carefully catch the way his left hand had pulled the cigarette away from his lips. Her eyes distracted by the lip marks on his neck stayed there for a few seconds. The red marks in contrast to the black inks of his tattoos peeking from the shirt and the flowery smell of the perfume all around him were too hard to miss. When her eyes returned to him, both were aware of what had gotten her attention.

" It's part of the job" his smirk accompanied words she knew were true but she wasn't happy about them.

" I know," she said, swallowing all the things she wanted to say about the type of company he had to keep around him so they could accomplish their life mission. She just kept her eyes on him as she thought about how he had dedicated his life to this, and he was the one who lived in the middle of the evil world they were battling against.

" huh," he sighed. The worry in her eyes he couldn't comfort with any words, he had just patted her back before he started walking away. All the things he had to participate in let alone witness, he knew she didn't like any of it. The party he had spent most of the night in, she would be the last person he would tell what was happening at the undisclosed location. The almost naked girls he was forced to party with all night to get any information about who was supplying the new type of ecstasy they had found at clubs, some things were better kept away from the girl who considered him her family and would do anything to protect him.

" Fix your posture," turning back, he warned with a smile.

"Your punches are not great" She smiled back at this one.

"Your right leg seems off too," he added, pointing at her leg, which he wasn't aware was injured.

" Huh," her smile had gotten bigger at how much he was aware of her body to know her right leg wasn't landing the right kicks. She stood there watching every step he was taking to the door. His neck held down, only she could pick on how tired he looked. She could only imagine how exhausting it was to be doing this since he was her age. That thought bothering her, so she decided to land it against the punching bag.

" Jandi" he called her name to force her to turn around to face him.

" Don't get distracted by any of it." the smile on his face wiped away, and the serious look he was known for was back.

"He doesn't deserve you. None of those scums do,"What he was choosing not to say about all the things he had heard, his eyes were warning her.

"Focus" was his message as he closed the door behind him and left.

His words leaving her startled, she needed a second to realize he knew much more than she thought she had been hiding from him. Jihoo, who had been here more than enough times for him to know, her worry about how much Bom knows had extended to even contemplate if he was aware of what she was going on the trip for—or even worse, what she had been doing with the school president. Her anxiety was triggered right then, and her hands would return to the punches while her mind was tasked with finding a distraction. Thinking returning her focus to the images she had been punching at would work; his smile would be switched to his smoking as she was provided Junpyo's smoking in slow motion. His left hand bringing the cigarette to his lips; the way his lips pull in the cigarette while his dimples appear, her right fist would increase its force as it anger at him was still present half the day later when she was forced to interact with him.

"We should have asked him to meet us closer to the Spa; I don't know why we chose this," Eun, taking a sip of her milk tea, complained one last time about the location Jandi had picked. The Strawberry Lychee Tea she was sipping, Eun had kept glancing at her friend, who was seated closer to the widow and facing the parking lot of the busy cafe. Jandi, who had been acting a bit off since she texted Junpyo to meet them here, Eun wasn't sure what was the cause. They had breakfast and spent the morning together, but Eun couldn't recall if her friend had been acting weird since then. If she remembered correctly, Jandi seemed somewhat happy and excited about their scheduled spa in the afternoon. The lunch they had agreed to eat later, maybe she was hungry, Eun thought but then she would have ordered something to snack on or drink here.

"Oh, is that it?"Eun used her tea to point at the window and the car pulling into the parking lot. Not only them, but the car had gotten the attention of everybody walking into the cafe as well. The most expensive car they would ever see in their lifetime; for most, the amusement was all about the beautiful car, while the two girls had seen it enough times at school to be surprised by it.

"That's his car, right?' Eun asked as she leaned closer to the window. When she didn't get any answer, Eun just glanced to make sure Jandi was also looking at the same car, slowly pulling into one of the two available parking spaces. The driver's door slowly opened; Eun leaned back against her chair as she looked at Junpyo and how he got out of the car. 'He doesn't look sick' was the first thought that crossed her mind as she slowed down her examination and started at his hair. For once tied back, this was the first time Eun was seeing his hair away from his face. The few strands not held by the hair tie were placed behind his ear and forced to stay there by the sunglasses he had on. The dark glasses matched his black t-shirt & jeans; the only other color on his outfit was the dark green knitted sweater.

" He looks good for somebody sick." Taking a sip, Eun continued examining Junpyo, walking to the door. He has always been pleasant to look at, but after his visit and all the gifts, somehow, Eun seemed to have found him even more attractive. In complete opposition to what made him handsome when she was scared of him, now his attractiveness had a touch of softness to it. The attention of girls he has always been able to get without doing anything; Eun was the one to catch on the looks he was getting from the few girls sitting on the cafe's balcony. More focused on how he would react to it, she witnessed how he was beyond used to this and not phased by any of it as he walked into the cafe to get even more attention.

" Here," Eun raising her hand would save him from having to talk to the staff. The sunglasses took off, and he turned to their tablet at the corner. Unlike her, Jandi hadn't turned around to look at the man walking their way; she had sat facing the empty chair in front. The hoodie her friend was adjusting; Eun had only turned her attention to Jandi when she noticed Junpyo looking at her. Jandi pulling the sleeves of her hoodie to her fingers, Eun noticed that before she turned her attention back to Junpyo, who was steps away.

" Hello," Eun was the first to greet him, and she directed him to the seat across from them. The two empty chairs, Eun didn't think much of him choosing the one in front of Jandi.

" Hi," his smiling eyes from Eun turned to Jandi, who said nothing. Her eyes following him down as he sat on the chair he pulled, she watched him in silence. His right hand that pulled the chair had gotten her attention before her eyes were sent to his face.

" You don't look sick at all."

" Thank you. I am trying not to look sick." his phone was placed face down on the table before he put the sunglasses next to it. Jandi couldn't stop her eyes from following the movement of his hands to notice everything, even the two rings he had on his right hand. That was what she convinced herself she was looking at, and not his hand that was caressing her hair last night. Her eyes swiftly moved to the window were a result of being caught looking at his hand that was playing with his phone.

" No, you seriously don't look sick at all." Eun looked at him up and down.

" I had something special to eat last night, so." It wasn't his words but how he was looking at her friend that forced Eun to turn her eyes to her right. The look between the two she couldn't seem to accept as normal; she wasn't sure why. The hint of his dimples when he smirked at her friend who was staring at him, Eun was bound to find her answer soon if she kept observing the two.

"Also, I took some medication," he added, trying to hide his smile as he turned his eyes to Eun.

" Well, you look good."

"You always look good, but don't look like somebody who sounded so sick yesterday." She took a sip of her drink and looked at Jandi, who she was expecting to agree with her. Which didn't happen. All Jandi was doing was staring at the face she had imagined to punch and kick until it was covered with bruises. Her eyes blinking slowly, Jandi wasn't sure why looking at him instantly triggers certain emotions. Very odd and confusing ones that were wrapped with a thin layer of anger. The origin of that anger by itself was a puzzle, but still, it was easier to accept what she felt whenever she saw him was anger. Staring and Thinking about his face for this long would eventually force one to recognize how perfect each feature was to create such a beautiful face. Too beautiful to the point it was scary to look at him at times. Too beautiful that it was anger inducing.
" You woke me up with that call yesterday, so it was also that," he added, glancing at the one staring at him. He knew what happened last night would change things but he hadn't expected it to be like this as he could easily feel the anger she was sitting with as she was staring at him without even blinking. She was back to being angry at him and he really wasn't sure why or what he had done. But even then he can't complain about having her sharp eyes focused on him and only him like this. Whatever she was thinking about him, he was okay with it as long as he could have her eyes look at him in the way she was doing.

" Thank you for the food."

" and for delivering it," he added. His tiny smirks aimed at her friend, Eun would need a few minutes before she started being curious about why Jandi wasn't saying anything. She might not know much about him but even then, Eun knew he would be the easier person to read than her robot friend, who was beyond challenging to read or understand at times.

" Did you like it? That restaurant makes great soups." Eun asked.

" It was delicious."

" I am glad you like it. Their food is so good."

" I think they add something special to their broth that makes it so delicious, but they claim there is nothing." Eun went on to talk about how she had asked almost every other waiter in the restaurant for the recipe.

" I think the person who brought it made it special." Eun only had to notice how his eyes were looking at her friend to hush her talk about the restaurant and focus on what was happening in front of her. The way the two were looking at each other, Eun swallowed the question she was about to ask him as she just sat back and focused on trying to accept that the way they were looking at each other was, in fact, different. The silence at the table, Eun was the only one even aware of it as she took a sip of her drink. Her sixth sense she trusts more than anything, Eun followed it as it directed her to focus on Jun Pyo. His face, unlike Jandi's blank one, was filled with emotions that wouldn't take much to decipher.

" Did you bring our stuff?" Crossing her arms, Jandi broke the awkward silence before it heightened the tension she was made aware of. The shopping bags she had left in his house, that was the only reason he was here in front of them. The number of missed calls and texts of his she had ignored, she had only texted him a location and direct order to bring the bags. None of the texts about if she got home safe or if she was okay were replied too.

" Where is it?"

" It's in the car," he pointed at the window. His right hand returning back to the table, his thump started tapping gently at the back of the phone. With all the questions going through his mind, he wasn't able to hide how he was curious about something else as Eun started examining him. Her drink brought to her lips, why he was looking at her friend like this was a hard question to find an easy answer to.

" I guess you're going on the trip," he broke the silence this time. His eyes still on Jandi; it was her he wanted to make sure was aware of how he knew what was in those small shopping bags. The thumb tapping at his phone was where the energy from remembering what he found in those shopping bags was sent to. Not even an hour after she left his place, he had walked by the living room to notice the pink shopping bags left behind by the other side of the hallway. The shopping bags he stood in front of, he had only lifted the tissue paper on top to recognize the folded items. Eun who had ensured the swimwear they brought weren't mixed with the rest of the cloth she had stuffed into their backpacks had done him a favor even though he didn't see it as one for now. The shopping bags left in his place, one of the bags had even included some of the lace underwear Eun had forced Jandi to buy which he couldn't even dare himself to touch as he placed the tissue paper back and walked away for the only proof he needed to know she was not only going on the damn school trip, she had even bought all this stuff for it.

" Yes, and we can't wait" Eun was the one to respond.

" You know her boyfriend got us those tickets," She added with a smile that would be wiped off once she caught the look she got from Jandi.

" Really?" he asked as he tried biting his lower lip to hold back the anger-full smirk that almost escaped his lips. The black one-piece swimwear his right index finger had slightly pulled up from one of the shopping bags; his memory was sent right to that the moment Eun said, boyfriend. So, she bought all of those for Jihoo and intends to wear them on the trip. Junpyo finally got confirmation for the annoying thought that had disturbed his sleep all night.

" He did. He even made the whole red card thing pause and will make sure nobody bothers us on the trip," Eun added more as she kept her eyes on his smile, which she thought was a result of how happy he was about what she was saying. What his smile was hiding, his right hand was the sign of how he felt about what was being told as it was sent to his hair.

" Did you know he got her lawyers for her?" Eun was cut off by Jandi, who tapped on her shoulder.

" He knows," Jandi's commanding voice told Eun to stop.

" Isn't her boyfriend so sweet to be doing all this?" Eun wasn't listening to any of the warnings from Jandi and also enjoyed talking about how amazing her friend's boyfriend was.

" He is." Junpyo was quick to accept what she said because it was true.

" He is going to spoil her like no other, and I don't mind being tagged along for the ride." She smiled, and this time, she got an honest smile from Junpyo.

" I heard you are not going to be there?"

" The cruise? No," he responded, his right hand still playing with his hair behind his ear.

" Why not?" Eun, asking all the questions, didn't seem to be the only one curious about this.

" We never attend."

" What do you do then?"

" We have our own trips."

" Where do you go?"

" Woobin's family has some houses on an island so we stay over for a couple of days." From the blank looks he was getting from the girls sitting on the other side of the table, he knew he needed to give them some time to accept what he said. He had intentionally omitted that Woobin's family owns almost half of the tiny island. Maybe he should have mentioned it to see how Jandi would react so he would know not to mention all the properties and resorts his family owns across islands in the Pacific.

"Just you four?" Eun was still the one asking once she accepted the reminder of how rich these people were.
"Jihoo sometimes doesn't join because he has to attend school trips."

" That makes sense. We will ensure he has lots of fun, even without his friends this time." Eun's smiles were too cute for him to ignore.

" I am sure he will have more fun with you two than us," Junpyo's attention for once had moved from them as he glanced up at the girls who had walked by the table. The two girls who had turned around to look at him as they walked by, both Eun and Jandi had noticed the smiles the girls were giving him. Unfortunately, only Eun had picked on how the smiles weren't welcomed as his eyes were quickly turned to the table. Eun was also the only one who found what she saw fun as she kept enjoying her sweet drink.

" She will make sure of it," she smiled at Jandi as she took two sips of her drink and enjoyed how annoyed Jandi looked. She had mistaken the annoyed look on her friend's face because of what she said and not what had happened a second before.

" He deserves it after all he has done for you." Her words were directed at Jandi this time, and she had missed how Junpyo finally sat back against his chair while folding his arms. His inability to decide what he should feel about her going on a cruise trip with Jihoo has leaned more towards anger after what he found in those shopping bags. Looking at her now, the anger was rising to another level, and his mind was more than eager to force him to stay on that. Forget everything else; just the fact that the swimwear was brought for Jihoo's sake was enough to irritate him.

" Do you want something to drink?" Eun asked, breaking the silence.

" They have these amazing milk teas if you like sweet stuff."

" Sure," he responded before Jandi declined the offer for him.

" I will get you my favorite one," Eun grabbed her bag and left the table quickly.

A few minutes of silence was what followed after Eun left the table.

" Are you going for him?" he asked directly. Unlike her, he doesn't waste time or energy contemplating things for which he could get a clear answer for.

" Yes," she replied, knowing how much the answer would annoy him. She had seen it. She had seen his hands tapping at his phone and playing with his hair every time Jihoo was mentioned by Eun.

" I told you that I will do anything for him after what he did to save me from being expelled," she added. The smile he was trying to hold back; she wasn't sure what to make of that.

" You're doing all of this because of that?"

" Why not? This is not even enough," she had responded, thinking his question was to downplay what Jihoo had done to her.

" Maybe you should try telling him that." His eyes, glancing at the window, had, for once, chosen not to look at her. His crossed arms opened, and his right hand returned to his phone he started tapping.

" Tell him what?"

" Exactly what he did to make sure you are not expelled."

" I don't need to tell him when I can show him my appreciation in different ways." her sharp words, she had even given him a smile as she took in how bothered he looked by everything she was saying. His hand that had stopped tapping, she knew she had his full attention. Her smile turned sly; she knew how to control everything her face showed to ensure he fully understood what she was implying.

" He deserves everything, and I will do anything for him" leaning a bit forward, she had even changed the tone of her voice as she sent her smiling words his way. Everything around him blurred out of his view; his whole being was forced to focus on the sting felt across the left side of his chest. The tiny and broken sounds of her cries she had left attached to his chest she was held against, all her voice had for him today was anger. Only Anger as her eyes, he last saw filled with tears, were choosing to irritate him while all he wanted to do today was make sure she was okay. Her trembling body wrapped in his arms he could still feel, his dark eyes had stared back into her angry ones to notice this wasn't the Jandi from last night. The one he held until her cries were gone; she had buried that part of her somewhere before she stepped out into the sun today.

" Why are you doing this?"

" I am not doing anything," she responded quickly. Her back returned to the chair, and she sat with crossed arms. The few seconds of silence between them, after five or so seconds, Jandi had turned her eyes to the window. Choosing not to look at his eyes was intentional.

" Are we going to talk about what happened yesterday?" he asked, forcing her eyes to return to him.

" What happened?" she asked back, not even a tiny bit phased by his question. Was he drunk and imagining it? He wondered since she didn't look like she was even aware of what happened. He wouldn't put it past him to get drunk and fully imagine having hugged her while she cried. His wild imagination was getting too crazy for that to be possible, but he was sure it was real. Why was she acting like this?

" I got you the milk tea with the." Walking back to the table, Eun started talking while placing the drink by his side. She placed all the things she had brought with the drink by his side before she sat down in her chair. That was when she noticed the two people weren't even reacting to her presence. Her eyes at Jandi, then at Jun Pyo; she needed a few seconds to accept the tension she was suddenly made aware of.

" Thank you," the weird smile he gave her; she instantly knew it was fake as she followed the straw his right hand pulled to him. The paper wrap of the strap he tore open, the anger in his hand was enough to alarm Eun to return her attention back to his face. What is going on? She asked herself as she sent her eyes to her friend, who had glanced at her. Unfortunately, she didn't get an answer from Jandi. The only answer she would need was provided by the look in his eyes when their eyes returned to each other. The silence the two didn't seem to notice, let alone mind; Eun was the only one bothered by it as every second of it was forcing her to notice the very alarming tension she could feel between the two.

" I am." Pulling her phone, she started standing up.

" I am going to go to the bathroom." She quickly excused herself and almost ran away from the table. The bathroom she wasn't really going to; she had stood hidden in the corner while her eyes zoomed in on the two.

" What is going on?" the faint whisper of her disbelief of what could be, she took a sip of her cold drink, which wasn't even cool anymore. The minutes she would spend glued to the wall, plus what she had seen when he came to her house, were enough to alarm her about what could be happening between the two people who should have nothing in common, let alone. That was where her thoughts had paused since she couldn't accept what she was witnessing.

" Why are you angry at me?" Junpyo asked, focusing on the drink Eun had gotten him. The ice from it was doing more to help him calm down than the surgery drink.

" I am not angry."

" You said we are friends." this seemed to have gotten her attention as her eyes, from the window, were back on him.

" Friends talk to each other, so just tell me what I did wrong so I don't do it again." his anger at everything else he had to swallow; he was aware of the pathetic state he was in to be asking somebody to talk to him like this.

" Is it because I hugged you?" he asked, which she ignored, sending her eyes to the outside view of the window.

"What else was I supposed to do when you were crying like that?" his eyes focused on her face; he hadn't seen how her fingers had started scratching her skin right at that moment.

" If you don't want me to touch you, I will promise not to do so from now on." his earnest voice, Jandi's eyes were wanting to look at him but she had forced them to stay on the window.

" I just." He stopped himself and held back what he was going to say. The sweet drink he took a sip of, he regretted it immediately. He had forgotten how sweet it was to sip again. Watching his hand as he pushed the drink away, her eyes followed it as it went to his hair before it went to his lap.

" I don't like it when you're like this," he whispered.

" Like what?" she asked her angry eyes coming for him.

" Stop talking like you know me," she followed her question with a warning before their attention was diverted to her phone, which started blinking. Jihoo- the name blinking with the call, their eyes returned to each other.

" Does he know I am here?" The annoyance hidden underneath his words; she had sensed it as it had stopped her right hand that was sent to pick up the call. Now might not be the time to pick up this call.

" Since you will do anything for him, why don't you tell him what you were doing at my place last night?" he smirked.

" Why are you such an ass?" her phone flipped upside down, she asked as her arms uncrossed and she moved her body closer to the table.

" If you think I am one, what does that make you?"

" Is it really that hard to pick up my call and tell me you are okay or text me back you got home safe?" his tender eyes were coming for her gates; she had all the way up.

" I was worried sick all night and couldn't sleep. '' His honesty was always what would force her to pause and listen. His honesty delivered with the softherated voice was the best weapon he has against the metal gates that keep her heart caged. Why would he worry about her that much? The always suspicious voice in her head was trying to force her to focus on that. Her mistrust of the world and people had gotten to the point, the first question of anyone showing any concern for her was to ask why? Why would they care? What do they want? Anytype of concern or worry about her causes serious red flags that prepare her flight and fight mode. The constant state of unease and fear she operated from, most wouldn't even understand how exhausting it was to live like this let alone be able to put themselves in her shoes and understand.

"I was happy just to see you and make sure you were okay." her eyes that knew why his hand was playing with his hair, she weren't sure what to make of what was happening. His words she could choose not to trust, it wasn't that easy for what his eyes and voice were doing to her.

" But here you are, looking like you want to beat me up for God knows what reason." his right hand was placed by his phone he started tapping.

" Just tell me what I did wrong." His voice, low and shaky with emotion, had done its job, as it was able to sting a tiny bit. She didn't have a clear answer to his question, and just like that, the silence was back while their eyes stayed on each other. Even though he didn't like it, the sweet drink was brought to his side as she started using it to swallow the bitterness of everything that had been said since he got here. His Friday now entirely ruined; he only had the F4 trip to look forward to. A couple of days of drinking and doing whatever would be the proper getaway to avoid even thinking about her and even worse, what would be going on that school trip she had brought all that stuff for. The private plane that was getting prepared to fly them out tonight, the pills he would make sure to take with him wouldn't be enough, but he knew there would be more than what he would need waiting for him there to forget about everything, including his own name. All the girls Yijeong was in charge of inviting were the only part of the trip Junpyo wasn't looking forward to. The plan was to use whatever to not think about what this girl. Not just not think about her but also what she would be doing with Jihoo, dressed in whatever was in those shopping bags. The weird way their minds are connected, both were thinking about the same thing before Jandi disturbed his somewhat delighted thoughts about the scheduled gateway.

" Are you really not going on the school trip?"

" Do you want me to be there?" He placed his drink down, but before he added to his question, Eun had returned to the table.

" What are you two talking about?" she asked with a big smile. The number of times the waiter had scanned her up and down while she stood there was enough for her to return to her seat.

" The Cruise" Jandi answered for both.

" I see," Eun said, giving Junpyo a smile. She wasn't sure how to even look at him after all the assumptions she was making about what was going on between the two.

" Can you give us the bag and" Jandi stopped for a second, wondering if telling him to leave afterward would be considered rude.

" We have somewhere to be," she said, finding the right excuses as she flipped her phone to look at the time. What got her attention were the two missed calls from Jihoo.

" Sure," he was the first to stand up as he picked up his phone and drink.

" Let's go," Jandi propped Eun to get her stuff while she placed her bag on her back. She started texting Jihoo a short message, 'I will call you back.' before she left the table.

" Did you guys finish what you were talking about?" Eun, leaning closer to Jandi, asked.

" There was nothing to talk about." Putting her phone in her pocket, Jandi raised her eyes to Junpyo leading the way. Her observant eyes quickly noted all the glances he was getting. Not just her, even Eun had noticed it as both watched how he put his glasses on to hide his eyes. His right hand holding the drink; his left was the one sent to his hair this time as Eun carefully glanced at her friend beside her. Bringing her straw to her lips, Eun used it to hide her smile at her friend and how she was looking at the tall boy walking in front of them. One, two, she had counted the seconds Jandi's eyes had stayed on him even as they walked past the cafe door. The way Jandi looks at him when he isn't looking, Eun was the first person to start picking on that. In her defense, he was good to look at, but Jandi wasn't one to be caught looking at handsome boys. And if she searched her memory, Eun has never seen Jandi look at anybody the way she looks at him. Before she made any conclusions, Eun decided to wait and see how she looked at Jihoo. And with that she had found another reason to be excited about the trip. More than Jandi, it was Eun who was excited for the couple of days Jandi would be spending away from the world. On the ocean somewhere in the Pacific, Eun couldn't wait for what awaited them.

" Why are you staring at him?" Eun asked, leaning closer to Jandi, who was holding the door for her.

" I am not," Jandi slapped Eun's shoulders as she shushed her. Moving away from her friend to escape being hit again, Eun gave Jandi a tiny wink as she moved forward and started walking by his side.

" What are you doing after this?" her smile directed at Jandi; Eun started with a question. The games she would need to play to find the answers to all the questions what she had witnessed had raised, for now she was playing it against Jandi.

" Nothing," Junpyo said, looking for his keys. He was too busy to notice the looks the two friends were exchanging. As he unlocked the car, his hand went to the back door and the back seat where he had placed the shopping bags.

" So you wouldn't mind driving us to the train station?" Eun asked moving closer to his side to avoid any attempt by Jandi to hit her. The bags he was trying to grab, his attention was turned back to the girls. Specifically, Jandi, whose opinion mattered before he answered the question.

" We have an appointment to make in less than half an hour, and we will be late if we wait for the bus and then the train." Before Jandi even came up with a response, Eun explained, giving him a smile. His eyes again had turned to her friend behind her. She was right; he cared more about her friend's thoughts than the reason.

" If you don't want to, that's okay." Guilting always works, and she stepped back to give him a better view of her friend, who was looking at him as he pulled the bags out.

"I don't mind, but" the bags he was holding up for one of them to take, Eun noticed how he was still looking at Jandi to get even a hint that she was okay with it.

" She will thank you for it. She doesn't like being late." With a big smile, Eun walked to Jandi and started directing her friend to the back seat.

" Nonna," she had dared to use her adorable charms as she held the door open for Jandi. How annoyed she was, Jandi hid with a smile back at her friend. Junpyo watched the two whispering something as they shoved each other into the back seat before he walked to the back to place the shopping bags in the trunk.

The small fights between the two in the back seat, they were quiet when he entered the car. The drink he placed in the cup holder; he glanced at the rearview mirror as he started the car. The smile Eun gave him, what Jandi was feeling about what was going on was demonstrated by her crossed arms, her body facing the window on her right. What was happening in the car she was trying hard not to pay attention to, Jandi had missed how Eun had taken his phone and typed in the Spa's address rather than the station. The address he read as he connected his phone to the car; he had looked back at Eun to get a big smile from her. She was sure he wouldn't say anything, but watching him be willing to play along was something else. The smooth car was out of the parking lot in seconds, and Eun didn't even wait a minute before continuing her game.

" This is a beautiful car," she complimented him as she looked around her seat. Her friend, who was trying hard not even to look her way, Eun took a sip of her drink before she added what would bring Jandi's attention to her.

" Did you know she likes cars?" She waited for the look she would get, and Jandi hadn't disappointed as her wide open eyes turned to Eun.

" You are always talking about them whenever we see a fancy one," Eun added, leaving her annoyed friend's mouth open. Jandi's angry eyes from Eun had turned to the one driving, his laugh he was holding back; she raised her eyes to the rearview mirror to catch his smiling eyes looking at her. Somehow, she was more annoyed by his smile than what Eun was doing.

" You should let her try driving this."

" She has." before Jandi reacted to Eun's request, Junpyo responded to shock both.

" She has?" With a questioning look, Eun focused her eyes on her friend, who had never mentioned anything about driving Junpyo's car. There was so much she wasn't aware of. She was sure there was so much more than what she knows for these two to be looking at each other in the way they do. She should have suspected it when he came to the house. How comfortable with each other the two have to be for him to do that, Eun knew there was a lot her friend hadn't told her. The question now was why. Why would Jandi hide it from her considering she tells her everything that happens between her and Jihoo?

" She is a great driver."

" I am sure she is. She is great at everything," Eun added to Junpyo's complement.

" That is why our president likes her," Eun spoke while her eyes followed Jandi's as she took note of how his smile was slowly wiped away with the mention of Jihoo. Another answer to one of her questions, she had found a sore spot for whatever was between the two.

" Is she similar to his past girlfriends?" she asked, wanting a more concrete clue and deciding to dig deep. Her question had only startled Jandi.

" huh," his smile; Junpyo had to look at the rearview mirror and how Eun was waiting for him to realize she was asking him.

" He never had girlfriends."

" But she is somewhat similar to the girl he had a crush on for a decade," he added. The looks Jandi was giving him, Eun hadn't missed not even one.

" He had a crush on someone for that long; what happened?"

" Why are you curious?" Jandi spoke for the first time since they got in the car.

" And why are you asking him?" she added.

" Isn't he his best friend? He would know Jihoo more than anybody."

" You can ask him on the school trip." Junpyo had the perfect response to help Jandi and shut Eun up from asking about Ji Hoo any further. He didn't want to answer any questions about Ji Hoo anyway. Glad that the topic of Jihoo was closed, Jandi had returned her focus to the streets he was driving fast on as the car became filled with silence. But the few minutes of peace were bound to be disturbed by Eun.

" What about your girlfriend?" Eun found it hilarious how Jandi was reacting to any question Eun had for Junpyo.

" Why are you asking him?"

"Because I want to know. It's part of small talk, and I am

" I don't have one," he cut both with a simple response.

" Who is the lingerie model they talk about then?" Eun asked, this time not getting much resistance from Jandi. The look on her friend's face she saw was only there for a second and that wasn't enough to guess what the look meant. But if she had to guess, her friend seemed just as curious, as both sent their eyes to the driver.

" I don't know," was his response. Eun quickly sent her eyes to the first smirk from Jandi, which she noticed as Jandi turned her attention to the window. This was the first and clear sign she got from Jandi who had stayed emotionless so far.

"The gossip is you are dating a lingerie model," Eun, who couldn't help but smile at what she was observing, asked, giving him another chance to clarify whatever her friend had smirked at.

" I am not." Again, his answer was clear and straightforward.

" She wasn't good enough for you?"

" Nobody is for his highness," the words Jandi whispered. Eun was close enough to hear them and had to raise her cup to cover her face to hide her shocked eyes and smiling wide lips. Her eyes she couldn't move away from Jandi; Eun was having a hard time accepting what her sixth sense was guiding her to notice about her friend.

" or maybe I like somebody else." Eun wasn't prepared for neither his words nor the way he was looking at her friend as she almost dropped the cup in her hands. Her head she had to lean back to get a good view of the way Jandi's eyes had turned to the rearview mirror and his eyes that were waiting for her; this was her last clue of the day that these two weren't friends or whatever it was they were claiming to be. The intense gazes they were reciprocating wasn't normal. The moment she accepted that, her eyes had turned to him to confirm that indeed was Junpyo. The leader of the F4 and only son of the Shinwa corporations. No way! No Way! Her eyes glued to him Eun would spend the rest of the ride fighting against her own consciousness. By the time they arrived at the destination, she had utterly removed any idea of the assumptions she had made. 'There was no way' was the conclusion as she deemed it impossible and chose to accept them as some type of weird friends.

" This is." Jandi could only hold back her anger when she noticed the Spa parking lot he was pulling into. Just like Eun, she was lost in the words he had said to pay any attention to the road her eyes were glued to.

" I will go ahead and check in; you get the bags." Eun tried to escape before she was attacked for making him drive them to the Spa. Jumping out of the car right when it came to a full stop, she started running away to the stairs.

" I am sorry about her." Jandi slowly unbuckled her belt and exited the back seat. Her eyes finally turned to him; now was when she noticed he was smoking. The cigarette he had lit up a few minutes ago, he made sure to hold it out the window by his side so it didn't bother the two in the back seat. Why was he smoking all of a sudden? She asked before she turned her attention to what she needed to do.

" She is funny," following his words; her eyes had only glanced at his face to catch the way he blew out the white smoke. She quietly followed as he led the way to the truck he opened. The two shopping bags he had placed to sit in the middle of the trunk had fallen, letting some of the neatly folded items to fall out. Her startled eyes from the items had looked up at him, the truck he was holding up with his right hand; he could only smirk at how her hands started stuffing all the items back into the bags. Somehow, he found it adorable how she looked somewhat embarrassed.

" Jihoo is gonna love them." Bringing the cigarette to his lips, he spoke.

" It is not," her eyes briefly looking his way, she knew not saying anything was a better solution and chose to stop. All the items, including the tissue paper, were aggressively shoved into the bag, and both her hands were busy using the bag handle to tie and make sure nothing fell out.

" So you're really going with him?" How he phrased the question should have given her a clue about why he looked so bothered about everything today. The question was answered multiple times while they were sitting at the table. Not only was she going, but she had actually seemed eager for what might happen when she was left alone with her boyfriend on an expensive cruise he was in charge of. His intuition had been warning him since last night, and after the conversation at the cafe, he was even more worried. What would he do if he were in Jihoo's place? Junpyo didn't need anything else but that to know this trip is going to change things between the two. If he were in Jihoo's place and saw any of the items she had spent her money to buy for him, let alone wear them? He had to stop his thoughts there as he squeezed the trunk he held open. Lucky for him, he didn't have to hold it up for that long.

" Huh," She sighed as she brought the bags to her side. As always, she didn't know what to say to end their interaction but today was worse as she stole a glance up at him. Why does this always feel odd? Her eyes looked up again and watched as he moved the cigarette away from his lips. The way his lips slightly moved to the right to let out the smoke away from her face, Jandi was caught by their movement for a second.

" You should stop that."

" Give me something else to get addicted to, and I will." The change in his voice somehow had raised the alarm for how close their bodies were to each other.

" It will kill you."

" Hopefully not before you do." Her leg that was getting ready to walk away was forced to stay there as she heard what he said. Her day, she started by imagining all the ways to beat him to death; her assumption was now proven right as he started smiling at her. He really would smile back if she ever punched or kicked him. These weird smiles of his she hadn't learned to read well; all she knew for now was that they were hiding something else.

" There is something seriously wrong with you."

" I know." The smile wasn't able to hide the sadness in his voice that matched the melancholy in his eyes, which were preventing her from taking any of the steps she was supposed to take away from him. The cigarette that wasn't doing much to help him with the turmoil inside; he had spent the whole ride thinking of a way to stop this interaction from ending. But there were none. This girl wasn't one he could hold back from doing anything, let alone stay with him. Once she walked away from him, the girl he wouldn't see for days, his whole body was alarming him to be worried about how things would be different the next time he sees her. The words he didn't have to talk about something that could make her stay even for a few minutes; only his eyes could display what he was hiding as they held her hostage. With her hair flying to the soft wind, Jandi wasn't sure what was happening as her eyes stayed on him.

" I should go." She quickly responded to the red flag she got and immediately started taking steps away from him while she kept her eyes to the ground.

" huh," the cigarette he blew out, the sting was accepted silently. The words Yijeong would have to give him to understand what he was feeling; all he cared about right now was how every step she was taking away from him was poking right where her crying face was held against. A sight he hasn't been fond of for a while; today it actually hurts. Do something- the voice that had been yelling at him, which the cigarette he had been inhaling hadn't been able to be silence, was finally silenced by the misery that was turning the bright day gloomy. Still standing by the still-open trunk, he watched as she walked past the glass door of the Spa. Not even turning back to look at him one last time or saying bye, she was gone out of view.

The trunk he would slam shut, the curse word he yelled out was aimed at himself. His right hand freeing his hair from the hair tie he threw into the car, he was back in the driver seat of the car he couldn't wait to drive away from this smooth driving to the Spa, it was the opposite as he rushed the car out of the driveway. His phone ordered to call Yijeong, his seat belt wasn't even put on as he increased his speed. The 5 sentences they exchanged, the destination was selected from the list he had saved on the car's gps, Yijeong's studio. This part of town he didn't know, he needed the gps to atleast get him away from here. The late lunch they were planning to have as they wait for the Jihoo to finish his day and join them for a short hang before they left, was still the classes none of them were attending to get ready for the flight tonight, only Jihoo was missing for the party Yijeong and Woobin had started early.

While Jihoo spent most of his day fishing the problems that always arise at the last minute, Woobin and Yijeong had spent it relaxing together. Thankfully, three of the girls that would be flying out with them were called to come to the studio to keep them entertained. The girls who had showed up with their luggages, Yijeong's driver, was tasked with driving their stuff to the plane. The three boys that have hired staff that do everything for them, it was the job of their staff to make sure everything they needed for the trip was packaged nicely and on the plane before they arrived at the airport. While he was rushing to Yijeong's studio, Junpyo's driver was the one who had picked up the luggage prepared for his getaway and was heading to the airport. The luggage the driver picked from the house, all the stuff were beyond excited to send the baggage off before they rushed to the kitchen to plan out their own vacations for the next couple of days.

The house that was on documents as his primary residence, only his staff knew how he didn't technically live in. The driver had convinced them it was the apartment he always drives Junpyo to whenever he had one of those girls with him. But even if he was at the house, they have learned his habits to know how he probably would lock himself in his room. Unless his friends were there, the left wing of the house was where he stayed. The house they were left to enjoy for themselves most of the time it was different when he was on vacation. That was when they would bring in their family members and have their own vacation. What actually goes on in the house when he is away, he has only seen it once. He was 15 when he had driven to the house to catch their summer fun by the swimming pool. Everybody frozen in place as he drove past them, they all recalled the shiver that went down their spine. But that was it. He didn't say anything let alone do anything. He had just gone to his room and stayed there until he left the other day. His dinner one of the maid had taken to his room; she was awarded the bravest as they waited for her to share if he looked mad or said anything. All she shared was how he was reading and didn't even pay attention to her when she arranged his dinner on the table.

That was the day all concluded he was so disconnected from everything and didn't care. That disconnect was only a worry to the driver who knew him more than the rest. That was also what he was thinking about as he joined the freeway that will take him straight to the airport. This being the last trip of the boys before graduation, only the driver seems to be the one worried about the life waiting for this boy once he joins the real world his mom has already prepared for him to jump right into. The driver, who had already received Junpyo's schedule that would start a few weeks after graduation, he was the only worried about what the sudden change in routine was going to do to Junpyo. Double major with back to back classes, on top of working at the office, he would be lucky if he even had his weekends to himself let alone with his friends. Not just Junpyo, that was what waited for all four and the driver knew these boys are about to go wild to enjoy every minute of their time before that day comes. He was right and the start of those wild days was the trip they were getting ready for. Which Woobin and Yijeong had already started with the drinks the girls were mixing for them.

When he walked into the studio that was also his focus as Junpyo, throwing his phone and glasses headed to the table holding all the bottles of the expensive liquor Yi Jeong's assistant makes sure to keep in stock. "Hey" the welcome from Yijeong he didn't respond to Junpyo had just walked to the table and started pouring himself a drink. The first sip was swallowed with his eyes closed.

" Where were you?" Yijeong asked as Junpyo turned around and started walking to the couches they were sitting around.

" Nowhere" Taking his sweater off, Junpyo had finally noticed the girls on the couch.

" Hey Jun Pyo, I told them to make sure they got us those dirt cars so we could race again." Woobin was excited to share something about what was waiting for them while Yijeong kept his eyes on Junpyo, who grabbed his phone and glasses before he moved to the couch that was empty. The girls he was avoiding, even sitting close to Yijeong, took a sip of his drink as he was reminded of what could possibly be the reason. All the new behaviors of his friend, he had only one reason to point it all to.

" You are going to lose again" Yijeong's words might have been for Woobin but his eyes were still on Junpyo who took a big sip of the drink before he placed it on the arm rest of the couch. His legs he crossed and placed on the table, his head was leaned back to rest against the couch. Something has happened and it was all over him. The question was what?

" I am not. I have been getting some training."

" What type of training" lucky for Yijeong the girl next to Woobin had asked him a question that would keep him talking to her for a few minutes.

" Are you feeling better?" Yijeong asked while giving the girl who was still scrolling through the ipod and his art pieces she was looking through to find one she would like to get painted on her body, a smile.

" The cold?" he added once he saw the confused look on Junpyo's face.

" am fine" both his hands sent to his head, Junpyo took a deep breath.

" You do look fine. Usually you are in bed for a couple of days when you catch a cold so what did you do this time" Yijeong was taking slow steps to find out what his friend had been up to the last two days he hadn't seen him for.

" What time is Jihoo going to be here?" Ignoring Yijeong question, Junpyo asked his own.

" After school, so after 6" Yijeong glanced at his watch while Junpyo brought his drink to his lips.

" He's coming here right after last class so 5" Woobin shared.

" He said he could come here right after or we can wait for him at the restaurant" Woobin added, rephrasing what he had read in the group text Junpyo hadn't even seen which he would spend the next few minutes reading while sipping his drink.

" That's not late lunch, that's early dinner," was all Yijeong said as they all accepted they had hours to spend before Jihoo was there. The few hours they spent without Jihoo, the early dinner was ordered to come to the studio. The restaurant delivering the food had sent three staff members that would arrange the table beautiful before leaving. Jihoo arriving right when the food had arrived and was laid out for them, he was the only one without an alcohol by his side as they all sat for the early dinner. The private meal he wanted to have with his friends, he was able to hide how he felt about the random girls that were sitting around Yijeong and Woobin.

" Are you guys returning on the same day?" he asked as he started his meal with the cucumber salad.

" Maybe. We might stay a few days after, depending on how much fun we're having," Woobin, passing the pasta to the girl next to him, responded.

" Is everything ready for the school trip?"

" Almost everything, one of the DJs." Jihoo was cut off by Woo Bin before he finished answering Yijeong's question.

" You know I am still upset about not going" Woobin who had been eager to join a school trip for once, shared.

" You were onboard and Bam, just like that you made us change our minds" he added. Junpyo quietly ate; he sipped his drink as his mind started recalling all the conversation about the school trip he hadn't paid attention to.

" I thought we agreed to have at least one school trip with all of us"

"There are school parties after this; You can join those '' The way Jihoo was responding to woobin's feelings, Junpyo glanced at his best friend. Woobin was correct in that him and Yijeong were excited and were planning to attend this school trip which would be their first. Somehow, things have changed this week and they were convinced to go back to their regular plans.

" Those are not trips and it was your idea. You were annoying us to go with you and have it be our last hurrah but then changed your mind. We were even selecting our rooms" Woobin protested.

" He is right so what happened?" Yijeong asked.

" You guys didn't want to go so why do you care? I had to nag you to even see it as fun and now you are mad you are not going"Jihoo placing his fork down raised his voice. The real reason behind why he had made them change their minds, he was trying to hide it by being angry about their questions about something they weren't even interested in until he convinced them.

" If I wasn't able to get that house just for ourselves, you would have been in great trouble"

" If not there, you could have gone to all the islands and resorts this one has," Jihoo pointed at Junpyo. This was able to pause woobin for a few seconds. Just that thought of going to the beautiful island Junpyo family owns, that would actually be the best way to spend their time.

" Seriously, why did you change your mind?" Yijeong asked.

" I didn't change"

" His girlfriend is going" Junpyo, saving Jihoo all energy he was going to waste to divert the conversation answered.

" Ohhhhhh '' Woobin was the only one who seemed excited about what he heard as Yijeong needed a minute to catch the look the two best friends exchanged. He was the only one who would know why Jihoo looked startled and a bit annoyed about what Junpyo had shared. The moment he witnessed whatever was going on between the two people he saw taking a smile filled walk in the school garden, Yijeong had warned Jihoo and he was somewhat glad to see how Jihoo was reacting to even the mention of her by Junpyo.

" You only want your girlfriend for the trip." Woo bin, winking at Jihoo, was ignored as the latter returned his focus to his salad.

" You don't want us to distract your attention from her"

" Or I don't want you to bother her." the hint of anger in his voice, Woobin was known to use that hint to agitate him even more.

" I think it's because you want to spend some quality time with your boo"

" I wonder what you have planned for the two of you," he added, getting a look from Jihoo.

" I think that's sweet." Yijeong knew precisely what he was doing as he jumped in. The smile he had given Junpyo's sharp eyes that came from him was intentional as well.

" After what happened to her this week, she deserves it." He changed the mood across the table with one sentence that would remind them of the photos they had seen.

" am glad you stopped the red card thing because things were getting out of control"

"That fight was insane" Yijeong added, recalling the memory of what he saw when he walked past that door to witness Jandi and Junpyo tight grip and what she has done to the boys who he knew have done more than enough to deserve it.

" I didn't," Jihoo said as he glanced at Junpyo.

" I just yelled at him until he did so." Jihoo had shared what he thought had convinced Junpyo to do so. Yijeong, zooming his focus on the drink Junpyo was sipping, knew that wasn't the reason his friend did it. He had seen him. He had witnessed it firsthand as he saw Junpyo run to get to her side once they were informed about what she was doing to the boys. He had stood by the door and watched her body Junypo was holding close for dear life to know precisely why the red card was eliminated. It wasn't because of how ever much Jihoo yelled at Jun Pyo. He had never seen Junpyo like that, and that should have been the only sign he needed to know maybe picking sides this early wasn't the best thing he could do.

" You did it because he yelled at you?" Yijeong asked, knowing Junpyo can't lie. That was one of the things he liked and admired about Junpyo.

" I really thought she would get expelled after that." What Woobin said would cover up for Junpyo, who wasn't interested in answering what he was asked about.

" Why would she?" how defensive he gets when talking about her; Yijeong smiled at how angry Jihoo looked while staring at Woobin.

" Why are you mad at me? I didn't tell them to do that to her."

" You are the reason they think they could do that and get away with it," Jihoo said, his fork thrown on the table. He was finally given the right target to express his frustration. The long phone call he had with Junpyo, he had given him an earful, and the only one he was missing was Woobin.

" They are your minions and go around terrorizing students because of you."

" Well, maybe she shouldn't have bothered them last time. '' What Woobin said, even Yijeong was about to jump in and defend Jandi but he knew he didn't have to. His eyes couldn't help but glance at the look Woobin had gotten from Junpyo's eyes that were looking up from his food. Those dark eyes, only Yijeong had seen how terrifying they looked as they stayed on Woobin.

" The last time they had her walking on all fours?" Jihoo wasn't aware how his question was hurting the one sitting next to him the most as Junpyo chugged down whatever was left of his drink.
" I hope she beats you up one day too."

" Oh that day is coming" Yijeong was just as excited to see that day as Jihoo.

" I didn't tell them to do that either but I will apologize if that makes you happy "

" Will that make you happy?"

" NO," was Jihoo's response.

" She will make him pay so don't worry about him" Yijeong giving Jihoo a smile was happy to annoy Woo Bin.

The table slowly turned quiet, the girls eating their food weren't sure what to talk about so one decided a lighthearted topic would be excellent.

" So what things are you planning for the trip with your girlfriend?" she has asked to get a smile from both Woobin and Yijeong. The fact that she had referred to the school trip all seniors would be taking as a trip for Jihoo and his girlfriend was hilarious.

" I would love to know too," Yijeong added.

" Maybe we can make some suggestions," another girl added raising her curious eyes to Jihoo.

" They will know what girls like more than you. '' Even Woobin was happy about the topic that would fill up most of their dinner as Jihoo decided to trust the girls. His lack of dating experience, he will need all the support he could get for making the few days he has with Jandi as memorable as they could be. The conversation happening around him was trying hard to zone out, Junpyo had the drink to help with making him stay seated.

" I don't think she cares that much about it"

" Trust me. If she likes you she probably has bought so many cute dresses and swimwear for this trip" the girls were all in agreement as they continued trying to make Jihoo understand how much this would mean to the girl they don't know.

" Really?"

" If my boyfriend asked me to go on a cruise trip. I am buying some cute bikinis and getting specially ready" one of them had gone on while only Yijeong's attention was brought to Junpyo he saw chugging the drink he was pouring in one breath.

" Even for this trip, we bought a lot of cute stuff," the girls started laughing.

" am sure you did"

" You think he might get lucky if he played his cards right?" Woobin added asking the girl next to him.

" I don't think he needs to play his cards right, he definitely will get lucky"

" I think so too' all the girls seem to be in agreement.

" I don't think so" Yijeong seems to be the one taking into consideration who the girl they were talking about was.

" I think he has to put in work, '' he added, his eyes more curious about why he hasn't seen any reaction from Junpyo considering what was being discussed. The glass in his hand held mid way in the air, Junpyo's eyes seem to be on his phone. Not even blinking, his eyes hadn't even read the text he got as much as they focused on who had sent the text.

Jandi - Do you still have nothing to do?

The text he read again and again, he was slow to respond to it as he placed his drink down.

" Where are you going?" Yijeong asked. He was the first to notice Junpyo standing up.

" Something just came up, '' Junpyo, not even glancing up at him, responded. His phone placed in his pocket, his quick feet were directed to head to the couch his sweater was on.

" What?" Woobin asked as all followed his steps.

" I will meet you guys at the airport" leaning down on the couch he picked up his sweater and glasses.

" I will call you" was his response to Jihoo who was about to yell at him for leaving their dinner.

" Junpyo, we were supposed to" Woobin had to save his words as his friend had run away from the dining room of the studio. Yijeong sipping his wine took a minute or two to analyze the quick reactions of Junpyo who had rushed away within minutes after what Yijeong thinks was a text from someone.

" Where is your girlfriend right now?" Yijeong asked.

" She is at a Spa"

" See, she is getting ready" the girls all laughing at his response would get Jihoo's attention while Yijeong had to dismiss his assumption that Junpyo could be meeting with her. If not her, who else could get this type of reaction out of him. Maybe it was his sister, Yijeong took a sip of his wine. It definitely has to be his sister. In fact it wouldn't be Jandi because that would be too much. There is no way he was abandoning his friends like this to meet up with her, but his sister, that would make sense. Yijeong concluded as he joined the conversation about what Jihoo needs to be mindful of if he wants this trip to be as meaningful as it could be.

The address she had texted him, he didn't need to type into his Gap since it was saved from last time. The 45 minutes it would take to get there, he had followed the sun slowly falling to the horizon he was driving to. Sitting by the edge of the pavement, Jandi had found the setting sun to also be what had her attention. For once the orange and yellow lights of the sunset had her attention rather than the calm water or the people scattered around she often enjoyed just watching. Watching them and imagining what life would have been like if she was normal was somewhat fun. The hundreds of hours she had spent sitting here by herself, the music was always there, as was what accompanied her.

Song: Something's Wrong - Kwon Jin-Ah

Her earphones plugged into her ears, the medley of the song whispering at her ear was perfect for the sunset she was enamored by. Her uniform was changed to the hoodie and sweatpants she had on after the hours they spent at the Spa. The refreshed feeling was reaching a new height thanks to the soft wind and the view in front of her. Her well moisturized face soaking in whatever was left of the sun rays, she was glad she had listened to Eun and went to the Spa. It was beyond clear her body had needed it more than anything. All her worries she would sweat away in the steam room, even Eun and left her side to give her some moments of solitude. The Spa they agreed to return to, their plan to eat dinner there and stay a few hours to rest was disturbed by the texts she got from Bom. Every minute after that was spent contemplating what he said about finding as much information as possible about the witness she had mentioned to him. Her mission was to start keeping priority number one every minute of her day, she knew there was no other way than playing nice with Junpyo. And that had changed her evening plans to have her sitting here rather than join Eun who headed home to pack their stuff for tomorrow.

Song: Meet Me in Dreams - Kwon Jin-ah

Right before her thoughts were changed to all the things she had to worry about, the music that slowly faded in helped her let it all float away with the wind passing by. A few minutes just to breathe in the fresh air and just exist without any thought, this was all she could ask for on most days. Maybe before she takes her last breath, she will get an opportunity to live at least a couple of days filled with these types of moments of peace. She could pray for that, but she didn't trust the heavens to listen to her prayers let alone grant them. Her thoughtless mind added to her relaxed body, Jandi was somewhere else to notice the car that would pull into the parking spot a distance away half an hour later. Sitting exactly where she was at last time, it hadn't taken him much to find her as he started to walk her way.

His phone placed in his pocket, the sweater he picked from the passenger seat was still in his hand as his attention from wearing it was on the girl sitting by herself. Her uniform she wasn't wearing anymore, he knew why since he was the one who dropped her at the place she had spent the last few hours. Her eyes glued to the horizon, only her hair was moving as it swung to the direction of the soft wind. The first thing he noticed was the earphone extending from the phone sitting by her side to her ears. And just like that, what she listens to become something he needs to find out soon. If it was music, he needs the playlist of all her favorite songs. What kind of music somebody like her would listen to, he couldn't help but smile at imagining her singing song let alone dancing to music. His hair he had to brush to stay behind his ear was gonna be a problem but he couldn't complain about the nice breeze that was even moving the shirt he had on.

" Hey," he couldn't help but give her a smile as her piercing eyes landed on him as she turned back the second she noticed the shadow on the ground coming her way. Junpyo, steps away from her, her eyes had to first take in how tall he looked from where she was sitting before they focused on his face. The only thing that has changed from this afternoon was his hair let loose and the sweater he wasn't wearing but somehow that was enough to make him look so different.

"Hi" her soft response, she turned her attention to the earphone she took off her ear and placed it on her phone. Her hands pulled more into the sleeves of her hoodie, she placed both hands in the hoodie's pouch pocket. As he closed the gap between them, Jandi had made sure to keep her eyes on the horizon as he came to her right side and sat down beside her. The small gap he left between them, he had placed his knitted sweater there to mark it.

" Did you have fun at the Spa?" he asked as she slowly turned her eyes his way. She knew what was waiting for her since she noticed his right hand raising to his hair. His right hand brushing his hair away from his face, that habit of his for now wasn't the focus of her eyes as they followed his hand to find his arm the short sleeve shirt he was wearing was exposing. The second time she was seeing him in anything short sleeved, she had to shake her head to stop herself form even wondering why she was keeping count.

" It was okay. '' Moving her hands deep into the pocket, she responded. Her eyes sent back to the sunset, the deep breath she took was used to order all her thoughts to stay focused.

" That's good" his legs extended to stretch and lay past the pavement and onto the sand, the right would be placed over his left as Jandi's eyes, forced to notice it, made out the logo at the bottom of his right shoe. The clean bottom of his shoes wasn't what her thoughts went to but how longer his legs were than hers that were a small distance to his left. Not only longer but bigger & looked to have stronger muscles that were hidden by the black jeans he had on. Her eyes trailing up his legs had gotten to his thighs before they were ordered to turn to the sunset.

" Beautiful view." Junpyo, still captivated by the sunset needed a few minutes before his full attention was on her. While Jandi started contemplating how to start the conversation, he took his time taking in the view. Talking to him, she always had found tasking, she couldn't get herself to start by apologizing for earlier. That and thanking him for yesterday was what she wanted to use as an in to make sure their weird friendship was still working. The friendship they had shaken hands on needs to be a functioning relationship. She needs it more than anything. That was the only way she could dig deep into what he had shared with her. How everything she needs and wants could be in his hands, Jandi didn't like even thinking about it. How she had always claimed she would do anything to accomplish her goal, it was odd how she was already hesitating when the challenge was having to be his friend so she could get him to share everything he knew about the day that had changed both their lives.

" Were you really doing nothing?" she asked, not knowing what she would say if he said no.

" Does it matter?" His eyes, from the sunset, turned to the couple who were walking behind them. Leaning his head back, he followed them until his eyes were distracted by her side profile that was blocking his view.

" It does." Her moving lips, his zoomed-in eyes were blessed with her glowing skin the sun was hitting at the right angle. She definitely was lying; she didn't have an okay but a great time at that Spa because she literally was shining.

" Jihoo said he has dinner plans with you guys, is that later?" her face that turned his way, she was in no way ready to take in the enamored way he was looking at her. The look on his face she can't dismiss even if she wanted to, she just sent her eyes back to the sunset. It was better to avoid it.

" He tells you everything? '' His question was followed with a smile at her fluttering eyes trying to avoid looking at his eyes. The brown color of her eyes, when they were under sunlight, were more of a gorgeous honey brown he could spend hours being mesmerized by. The long eyelashes that make every blink of hers look like a twinkle, maybe it was the alcohol that had let the already corrupted thoughts of his be front and center as he changed his focus to all the freckles across her cheeks and adorable nose. The glistening light brown dots across her face were there only to point out how her skin was kissed by the sun. How he was taking his time to inspect every feature of her face he was getting addicted to admiring, Junpyo wasn't even trying to hide any of it. He couldn't help it anyway. Her thumb that started scratching her index finger, the sensation from that was nowhere close to her skin that was made aware of his dark eyes studying her face. The girl who was in no way ready to deal with the type of mess this boy could cause, the first red flag of the night was waved for her as she turned his way to catch the way his eyes had moved to her lips. The yellow-orange rays blessing her face, they were to blame for how honeyed her lips looked. Sweet to the touch & sugary to taste, he had discovered something he would obsess over until his last breath. The chapstick Eun had made her put on, she had only that to blame for his attention that was kept on her lips for a few seconds. But that wasn't what raised the red flag; it was how his eyes had returned their focus to her eyes to show her exactly what he was thinking about. Her organized thoughts he was starting to mess with; the words she didn't carefully think about were said out loud.

" I don't like it when you look at me like that." Pulling her hands out of the pocket, she raised them to her hoodie, which she placed over her head.

" You said you would stop if I told you what I don't like. '' She had thought that would be the perfect excuses to cover up how she was startled by what she had said on top of what she caught his eyes doing.

" How am I looking at you?" His right hand sent to his hair he asked knowing she wouldn't have an answer. The answer was her hoodie she placed over her head to try and hide herself. How adorable she gets at times, it was odd to think that she was the same person that had slapped him and almost killed the boys. Her right hand played with the string of the hoodie she had tied by her neck; there was no other word but adorable to describe how she looked while she was trying hard to not look at him. His smiles he was trying to keep to himself, everything she had said earlier was now wiped away just like that. How could he be mad at her when she was acting like this.

" Just stop"

" Stop what?"

" You know what you're doing."

" No I don't. I usually look at people when I talk to them, is that wrong?"

" Junpyo" her anger removing the first filter away from her mouth; she said his name she wasn't fond of saying out loud. The way his eyes dropped to her lips, she wasn't even remotely aware of what saying his name with those lips of hers did to the boy whose emotions she had placed on a rollercoaster ride since last night.

" Jandi'' The change in his voice that was raspier and lower, the way his devious eyes were looking at her while his lips, he bit to hide his smile, exposed his dimples, Jandi's eyes didn't even know what to focus on as they were forced to take it all in. How his harsh-sounding voice had made whispering her name feel so soft; it had even drowned out the sounds of the crashing water. Her alarmed eyes, she turned them back to the sunset the second she got a warning about how much letting anything other than her anger lead their interactions was a mistake.

" You're cute when you're like this"

" Stop" her instant protest, he couldn't help but start laughing. His mouth he hid with his right hand, she was lucky she wasn't able to see his lovely laugh.

The few minutes she needed to recognize her thought, he had given her all the time she needed as he sat quietly. It was more than enough for him just to sit next to her and watch the sunset by the water. If he had a choice, he would actually prefer just sitting here and watching the sun disappear. No conversation is needed. Just silently sitting next to her and watching the day turn into night. That would be the moment of peace he had been dying to have. The minutes adding up, the sun was slowly disappearing as the golden light at the horizon became even more faint.

" I just wanted to say sorry about earlier," she broke the silence.

" I shouldn't have acted like that," she added, stealing a glance.

" Why were you angry at me?" More than an apology, what he wanted was a clarification.

" Was it what happened last night?" his assumptions, her startled eyes looking at him had confirmed it to be true. What happened last night he hadn't fully processed; he was glad there was an interesting view of the sunset in front of him to focus on for a few minutes before he decided to let his emotions take over. The dancing water they both were watching, they were both giving each other a few minutes to just sit in silence in between the words they were exchanging.

"I was overwhelmed by a lot of things yesterday and" The lie she had constructed and prepared, one looked into his eyes and she knew he wasn't going to accept it. Her lies he seems to easily figure out, she knew he wasn't an easy target to manipulate however she wanted. All the depth of his trauma she has to dig into to get information out of him, she knows she will have to share something if she wants to get any more information out of him. Unsure of what to do, she chose to give her mind that was calculating every angle some minutes to think. Unfortunately, the sunset and water she was staring at weren't helping her stay guarded as it was helping float away her anxiety. But what would change the mood of the conversation of something she wasn't prepared for. The breeze softly caressing his face while forcing his hair to move to it's direction, Junpyo's alcohol infused mind was already floating away into a different space with every minute that passed by.

" I have never held somebody like that" his gentle voice, her eyes had slowly turned to find him staring at the distance, right where the light of the day was changing into the dark.

" I was scared and didn't know what to do. '' His softly swinging hair was in complete opposition to his shaking voice that had immediately removed every thought of hers. Her baffled eyes, blinking slowly, couldn't help but be lost in gazing at his side profile. She had no explanation for how suddenly she was forced to feel the weight of the words he was whispering.

" I know you don't like it when I touch you but I" the crack in his voice stopped him for a second as he took a deep breath.

" I just wanted to make whatever was bothering you stop." his words were accompanied by his emotion-filled eyes that turned her way. One. Two. Three. The seconds that went by, each one felt longer than the one before it, as her captured eyes were held captive by his begging for her to understand what they were trying to tell her. The words he can't say out loud; his anxiety was already warning him as he allowed his eyes to do all the talking. His own weak heart playing tricks on him, somehow her eyes were considered to be generous and kind as she accepted what he was saying in silence. The strain between their bodies, an arm's reach away from each other, he was the brave one to give into it as he let it wash over every inch of his body that was willing to do whatever to feel her touch. Everything around them was slowly fading away, neither one needed a proof of how what was happening was a moment. A brief period of time where their interlocked eyes had connected them to the point they didn't need words to feel the strange and heavy emotions he was forcing them to recognize.

Even the alcohol wasn't able to silence the loud voice that started yelling at him to stop himself from what he was thinking about doing. How much she hated his guts, the loud voice was clear as it repeated it again and again. Not only that but how much she likes his best friend was repeated for him a couple of times. But it was all drowned out with the sound of the moving water which was an ally to her eyes that were telling to come clean about what was paining him. Her bewitching face putting him in a trance; there was no logic he could listen to about how much what he was feeling and getting ready to declare was one sided. The loud and cursing voice fighting against her silent but deadly eyes; the battle was won when the voice brought up how much it was going to hurt to be rejected. To be unwanted by the only person he was starting to want more than anything, the voice had found the right angle to keep his itching lips shut. How much he has come to adore her, he was realizing it in real time as even the thought of being rejected was pain-inducing and letting a new type of fear take over him. She was right there. Right in front of him and giving him her whole attention. Her eyes staring right into him but even then. Even when she was this close she was out of reach. The torment causing his anxiety that started sending warning signs, all he could do was beg for her eyes to listen to what he were telling her. The rope she had wrapped around him, every blink of her eyes, was tightening it to the point he couldn't even breathe.

"Huh." His loud sigh, he was the one that ended the moment as he sent his eyes to the sun that was now gone. Both his hands sent to his face, he took several deep breaths that were necessary to start calming his anxiety down. His medication he doesn't have with him, the best he could do was take deep breaths and try to stay calm. His frantic hands brushed his hair away from his face, and he continued inhaling the cool air.

The soft breeze of the afternoon turning into the cold wind of the evening, they sat in silence as the dark sky welcomed the moon. The quiet and still water now dancing to a new melody, the crashing waves were all both could make out as they sat there lost in their own thoughts. His flight in less than two hours, Junpyo had completely forgotten about that as all he wanted to do right now was either drink or medicate himself to forget about this day. While he was thinking of an escape, what the few words he had shared followed by the moment did to Jandi was completely different.

" I don't like crying in front of people" her whisper was followed by her legs she pulled up. Her knees brought to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs.

" It was easy to blame you." her worried eyes had only stolen a glance at him before they returned to the water.

" but I was mad at myself for allowing that to happen."

" You didn't do anything wrong so don't worry about it" she added not bothering to bring the hoodie the strong wind moved away from her head.

" I wasn't worried about that"

" What I was worried about was you?" his eyes had gotten their demand as hers stayed on him rather than just stealing glances.

" I am not going to ask you to tell me why?. I know you don't trust me enough to do that" Past his flying hair, his face she was staring at was convincing her to believe everything he was saying.

" I just" his hair he brushed away, he had copied her as he brought his knees up.

" I just want you to know you can cry in front of me," he added as he carefully watched how she lowered her face close to her right arm, hiding the lower half of her face from his view. Her body she was shrinking and hiding with every genuine sentiment shared was the visible sign of how uncomfortable she was about somebody treating her like this.

" I promise I won't ask any questions or say anything. '' His gentle voice was enough to pierce through her gate he had already attacked enough times in the last hour or so.

" I can just sit next to you"

" or pat your back if you promise not to beat me for it" his smile had gotten one out of her but she had made sure to hide it behind her arm.

" Is this you trying to be a friend?" she asked not fully realizing her face she was hiding was forcing her eyes to be where he focused hos attetion.

" It's me trying to be whatever you need me to be." copying her, he lowered his face to his left arm he placed on his left knee. Everything below his nose now hidden, Jandi was forced to take in the view of his eyes surrounded by the background of his flying hair.

" What if I don't need anything?"

" We all need something."

" What do you need?" She asked. Their eyes glued to each other and blinking to the same rhythm, she was doing everything she can not to accept how mesmerizing his eyes were.

" Right now? A drink. Probably a strong one" This time she wasn't able to hide her smile at his response.

" Isn't that what you will be doing on your trip?"

" Most probably" he returned his legs to how they were before as he sent his arms to go behind him and support his body he leaned back. His head turned to face the sky, his eyes found the moon at the center.

" Is that why you go to an Island? So you can go wild and not worry about any laws"

" Pretty much" he glanced her way before his attention was sent to his phone he pulled out to check the time.
" How many girls are going to be there?" she asked waiting for his eyes as they swiftly moved from his phone he pulled out his pocket to her.

" Is the lingerie model going to be there? She asked a follow up when he failed to answer the first.

" I," his eyes trying to read for any sign, hesitated to say what immediately came to mind.

" Did you buy all those to wear for Jihoo" his phone forgoten about, he turned his whole attention her way. His whole body he turned her way, the distance between them were shortened as she unwrapped her arms to free her legs. Her back she raised up as she turned his way, her face was now in full view as he noticed the hint of annoyance.

" She is going to be there," he answered her question while examining her reaction.

" Woobin hangs out with her friends, so I am sure they are invited." Waiting to see what she was going to do about the information he shared, it was somewhat easy to see her mind processing.

" I see," was all she said as she turned her eyes to the water.

" Huh" she took a deep breath before she turned her attention to her phone she picked up as she started standing up.

" You should go before you miss your flight" her right hand trying to get any of the sand away from her sweatpants, she gave him one of her famous fake smiles.

" It's a private flight; they will wait for me no matter what." he stood up after picking up his sweater.

" It doesn't matter. I have to go home anyway," she said, placing her phone in her pocket. She then put both her hands into the pouch pocket.

" I just wanted to clear the air about what happened." Even her voice had changed so suddenly.

" Thank you for coming all the way here." With the odd smiles she was giving him, Junpyo gave himself a second or so to think carefully about what his slightly drunk mind was telling him to do.

" It won't be fair to be mad at me for her while you buy lingerie for him, right?" standing only a step away from her, this type of bravery was at least something he could do as he dared her to make it clear why she wanted to end this conversation all of a sudden.

" I am not mad about her or all the other girls you are going to do whatever with and to."

" I won't do anything with any of them if you tell me not to," he interrupted her as he took a small step her way. He knew he was threading on a thin line. The power he placed in her hands, the smirk that escaped his lips hid the glee he felt to see a slight hesitation in her eyes. Just that was enough for him.

" Why would I do that?"

" It's none of my business what . huh" her sentence was cut short as she gasped when he took another step and closed the gap between them. His body brought close to hers, her shocked eyes would be doubled in size as the air she breathed in had instantly filled her lungs with his scent. As though that wasn't enough to give her a mini heart attack, he lowered his face closer to her to the point his flying hair had brushed against her cheeks. His overpowering eyes knew what button to press to weaken something in her whenever they were this close; all she could do was avoid them as she sent her eyes down. Why her legs couldn't seem to take a step back was a mystery as every inch of her felt the flaring energy emanating from the body suddenly recognized as a man.

" Why can't you look at me?" It wasn't his soft voice but his breath that landed against her skin her body couldn't help but react to it.

" I." The first mistake she made that night was raising her right hand and placing it on his chest she had thought she could push away from her. The firm muscle her right hand landed against before she pushed him away; her arm was grabbed away from his chest and used to pull her even closer. Her disturbed body landed against his chest, and her second mistake of the night was raising her eyes to follow his eyes as they lowered their focus to her lips, which were left open in shock at what was happening. His eyes looking back and forth between her lips and her eyes, that was the clue she was given about what was to come as his face was brought closer. Everything happening in slow motion, her body was left frozen in utter disbelief of what was going to happen but right before his lips landed on hers something had taken over her as her right hand, freed from his grip, came flying to land on his face.

The sharp slap, the mark it left across his face, hadn't hurt as much as the eyes he opened his eyes to. Her heart beating at an odd rhythm, her chest going up and down to keep up with the demand for more oxygen, her right hand was raised again as it was sent to land against the same right side of his face. The second slap that would send his hair flying as the direction her hand slapped his face to, again the pain across his cheeks was nothing in comparison to the the ache that took over the rest of his body. His cloudy eyes slowly returning to face her, all they caught was her body turning away before she started her march away from him. The sting traveling from the right side of his face had turned to a stab as it reached the left side of his chest, which was starting to feel tight. Every step of hers allowed the voice in his head to be louder as it repeated. "She hates you."

The second she disappeared, out of view, the voice found the right excuse to poke at his deeper wounds. " Why would she like you?" it started with that, as it argued that nobody actually does unless they wanted him for what his money could buy or his last name they worship. The first person he had ever wanted to see him past everything else; both slaps were internalized as bullets aimed at the sides of him he had risked to show her. A side of him he kept hidden away from the world; she was the first person he opened up to, and the voice was keen on choosing this moment to remind him why that was the biggest mistake, as that was what hurt the most. Maybe it was time to finally accept the boy whose parents didn't even want to be around wouldn't be wanted by anybody else. If he could just accept that fact, then maybe he could come to terms with how his money and name could get him some version of the affection his lonely soul was dying to have. He wouldn't know what the real thing would feel like anyway, so maybe paying for that wouldn't be so bad. If not, the other choice was death. An end to everything was better than suffering through his empty life that had no purpose or meaning.