“Yoona, wait up.”

 

At the sound of her name being called, she stopped and turned around. One last ray of hope, she thought. If he came running after her, she would most likely take him back and put everything behind them. She loved him that much. Much to her disappointment, her eyes settled on a familiar looking man standing a few feet away, a man that wasn’t her boyfriend. Stupid, she mentally scolded herself for even thinking that he cared enough to come after her. If he could shamelessly lie to her, he didn’t care.

 

Roughly wiping away the new batch of tears forming, she spun on the balls of her feet and sped up her walking. She was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now let alone that cheater’s friend. There was nothing Oh Sehun could say to her that would make her feel less crappy than she already did.

 

Everything had been going great up until the party. At work, she finally presented the project she had been slaving over for the last three weeks. Her manager praised her for her well-thought out ideas as well as her oral skills that commanded the attention of her peers. During lunch she went to get her regular afternoon coffee, the barista had messed accidently messed up her order and gave her a free coffee as well as a coupon for next time. When she arrived home, she got a call from her sister and brother-in-law announcing their pregnancy. The day couldn’t get any better.

 

The only real bummer of the day was her boyfriend canceling on the gathering they were suppose to attend that night at the club downtown. But she understood, if he had to stay behind because he was swamped with work then she was willing to go to the club alone. She was friendly with most of his friends and their girlfriends or wives . Everything would be fine.

 

Wrong.

 

She was totally wrong. When she got to the club, all dolled up, she wasn’t quite sure why his friends gave her a nervous smile. Regardless, she greeted them as usual and walked over to the bar to grab something to drink. If she was going to be alone at the club, then she should at least have a drink.

 

With her margarita ordered, she turned around to watch the people dancing in the center of the club. She wished her boyfriend could have made it to the club with her because then they would’ve able to dance together like all the other couples. She missed him so much she swore she was able to see him on the dance floor. But her boyfriend was working, how could he be there? She was just imagining things.

 

Right?

 

Yoona squinted her eyes and observed the guy dancing with the woman some more. He looked awfully like her boyfriend and was even dressed similarly. Her boyfriend wouldn’t cheat on her. He couldn’t, not after what they’ve been through in the past five years.

 

But the wristwatch on his arm told her otherwise. She remembered buying him that watch. It was limited edition and very hard to find around where they lived, there was no way that could be a coincidence. Yoona’s face fell as she came to the realization that her boyfriend lied to her.

 

Rage, disappointment, despair, helplessness, disgust, sorrow filled her whole being. The pounding music turned to whispers as her eyes focused on the her boyfriend and the woman he was dancing with. “Overtime, my ”. She swore under her breath, ready to pound him to the ground. Maybe he came here to surprise her? A fleeting light of hope echoed in her heart. And what? While he was waiting for her he decided to dance intimately to another woman? Logic sneered at her naiveness. The woman’s back was to him, hips grinding against his groin while their arms tangled together on the side. A second later, she twisted her neck and kissed him...all hope was trampled.

 

How dare she?! Yoona immediately recognized her as the one who sent the text. Storming across the room, she splashed what was left of her margarita on the woman and slapped her boyfriend across as hard as she could. “.” Embarrassed and hardly in the mood to hear his excuses and jolted out of the club.

 

Where had they gone wrong? Yoona questioned as she sat on the park bench staring down at the now swollen hand that had made contact with his face. Sehun was standing by the edge of the bench, keeping a distance from the brooding girl.

 

Why? When? Who? What? How? Millions of questions raced through Yoona’s mind, none of which she had answers to. Out of all the questions she wanted to know, the question of why crossed her mind the most. Was she not pretty enough? Was she not smart enough? What was she lacking in that drove him into another woman’s arms?

 

She needed answers and no not the fake “it’s not you, it’s me” cliche crap. She wanted a clear-cut real answer because she at least deserved that. She sat still for a minute before standing up with determination. As if he knew what she was about to do, Sehun clutched onto one of her arms and shook his head as she struggled to break free against his hold. Despite her attempts, Sehun kept a firm hold on the girl to prevent her from making a big mistake.

 

“I...I need,” Yoona choked on a sob. “To know why.”

 

He looked away from her and let out a sigh. “What good will it do to know why? It’s already happened. Will you forgive him if he apologizes?” He stoically said as he turned back to her.

 

Her movements quieted to a stop at his question. She’d hate to admit that he was probably right, but that didn’t make her feel any better.

That two-timing douchebag had promised. He promised her would never cheat on her again. It was an accident, he had said.

 

Her heart ached while her conscious told her “you should have never forgiven him” in remembrance of catching him cheating on her the first time. If she felt her heart ache the first time, she only felt worse remembering the second time she forgave him for his little “mistake”.

 

The first time, a year ago, she had been playing a game on his phone when a text with a picture attached came through. Out of curiosity, she clicked open the text to see what the picture was. It was some woman in lingerie giving a flirtatious smile with the text under it saying I’ll see you tonight. She had immediately woken up her boyfriend from his nap to drill him on who it was and why she would be sending messages like that to a man with a girlfriend. His first response was probably sent to the wrong number. But the chat history proved otherwise. She remembered how nonchalant he sounded about it and how easy it was for him to lie through his teeth. That should’ve been a warning sign to her.

 

The day after her boyfriend received the text, she moved into a friend’s house. She couldn’t take his constant excuse and quite frankly, couldn’t stand to be in the same room as the guy. She knew he was lying to her. It took a month of begging for forgiveness and promising that it would never happen again before she moved back in with him, much to her friends’ displeasure. She believed in second chances and couldn’t give the love of her life one too.

 

The second time, she had been doing laundry when she found women’s lingerie hidden among his dress shirts. And it definitely didn’t belong to her because she found wearing g-strings uncomfortable. When she had confronted him about what she had found, he only made up some lame excuse of a co-worker taking a shower in their home due to a downpour. Her response was, “What kind of a woman leaves without underwear?” At that point, she probably should have read the signs but she was too stubborn to actually believe that her longterm boyfriend who claimed to love her would actually cheat on her. She, of course, grew frustrated at the excuse and the couple had a heated argument. She stormed out of the house in a fit of rage and broke up with the guy, promising to never come back because she was tired of his lies.

 

They made up a week later after he showered her with gifts and sweet promises every day. Yoona couldn’t resist his promising words and took him back, their relationship was just as it was before.

 

In hindsight, she should’ve known that all his words were empty and meant nothing to him. Maybe at first he had feelings for her, but after awhile Yoona realized that he just stopped caring about their relationship and her feelings.

 

Yoona wasn’t like that. She didn’t like being in relationships if she saw no future for them down the line. She always saw his friends and their wives or her sister looking so blissful with their significant other, Yoona wanted that. She figured if they tied the knot, he might finally settle down and not stray.

 

After that conversation where he practically blew her off and changed the conversation, he started finding excuses to cancel their dates or would suddenly start working later. Sometimes he wouldn’t even respond to her calls. She had her suspicions but Yoona choose to trust him.

 

Yoona scoffed to herself at that thought. Maybe it would’ve been better if she started questioning him and been less naive than she’s been acting. They wouldn’t have ended up like this. She released a sigh in helplessness and turned to Sehun. “What am I supposed to do then?”

 

He remained silent for a moment, caught off guard by her question, before saying, “You move on. You lived a life before meeting him, you can certainly live without him again.”

 

“It’s easier said than done.” She muttered under her breath. The past has proven that her boyfriend was a weakness. Even after all the mistakes, she practically welcomed him back with open arms. As soon as he would say the magic words, I love you, she would forgive him andthey would go on as if nothing had ever happened. He was the kryptonite to her very being.

 

Maybe he kept doing it because he knew Yoona would almost always take him back. She mentally slapped herself because she had been too forgiving.

 

Sehun must have heard her mumbles because a second later he added on, “The first step is to move out from your shared home. You can’t exactly move on with him breathing down your neck all the time. Don’t worry, I’ll help you and find a new place.”

 

Yoona eyed him warily, “Why?”

 

Most of her boyfriend ex’s were friendly with her whenever she was around them, Sehun however, was always indifferent towards her, always choosing to briefly nod rather than start an actual conversation with said girl. Besides the current conversation, she couldn’t recall a time where they said more than two words together.

 

“I have my own reasons.” He answered vaguely. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn she saw sadness lingering in his rather mundane eyes.

 

“Come on.” Sehun said, quickly standing up and leading her to the parking lot.

 

“Where are we going?” She asked curiously, temporarily forgetting her predicament. She still skeptically stood up and slowly followed behind the other man.

 

“To your apartment.”

 

“Why?”

 

He stopped and stared at her in annoyance. “To move out your things. You can’t actually move on until you are out of there. The sooner the better.”

 

“What? But it’s…” She glanced at her glowing phone. “It’s almost 10pm. He could be asleep and I have nowhere else to go. Maybe we should do this after I have things settled.”

 

“I told you the first step is to move out. Once you go back there and stay for awhile, you won’t need to look for another place because he is going to coax you into forgiving him. Quite frankly, if that happens and he cheats on you again, which I’m pretty sure he will because he’s already done it three times, I will feel no sympathy for you because you are now only doing this to yourself. We’re going to move all of your stuff before he goes home and then you’ll never have to see his face again.”

 

Yoona gaped at the thought. Disregarding everything else Sehun said, she only managed the thought of never seeing him again. That ached a little more than knowing he cheated on him again. You’re pathetic, hopeless even. Her subconscious scolded. After all, that douche has done, you’re still pining after him? Are you worth nothing, to be treated like this? Once a cheater always a cheater. But I love him. Her heart cried out.

 

Sehun saw the Yoona’s obvious scrunched up face, probably from her internal battle, and finished his thought, “Until you’re ready that is.”

 

“Huh?” She looked up too him in confusion.

 

“Don’t meet with him until you’re ready.”

 

Would she ever be ready? Ready to let go of everything and not see the man who had become a permanent fixture in her life for the past couple of years? Would she be ready to just walk out on him and not see him again until her feelings for him were gone or almost gone?

 

 

Sehun seemed to believe she had the potential to move on from him. Someone believed that there was hope for her to get past all this and to actually move on to something, maybe even someone better. All she had to do was let go and move on.

 

She looked up and gave Sehun a weak nod. She had to at least try.

 

 

“Hey,” A familiar male voice said accompanied by gentle shakings in the shoulders, reviving Yoona back to the present.

 

“You’re here.” She beamed and enveloped him into a friendly hug.

 

He returned the gesture with a pat on the back before pulling apart. “Well you called me to meet me here.” His lips curved into a cocky smile and immediately fell when his eyes landed on the rock on her left ring finger.

 

Noticing his sudden change of mood, her eyes landed on the ring as well, she hid the diamond under her right hand. “He...um called a couple days ago.” When Sehun didn’t respond she continued, “He apologized for cheating, and begged me to come back to him. Said he couldn’t live without me.” It had sounded so much more sincere when he had said it on the phone. But now that she was relying them to Sehun, it just sounded like a bunch of meaningless words. “He asked if we could meet up...” She fell into silence, knowing Sehun could probably conclude what happened next.

 

Sehun had been right about not meeting her boyfriend until she was ready. The moment her ex got on his knee in their favorite restaurant to propose, she knew she wasn’t ready. All she could say was yes. Not that she didn’t want to, but she would be lying if she said was a 100% in. All she ever wanted from him was to get married and now he was proposing the option to her. How could she say no?

 

He had cheated on her, not once, not twice but three times. It was going to take a little more than begging and apologizing to appease her broken heart and suspicions. Why did she agree to marry him then? Because she loved him. Faults and all, she knew how stupid it sounded and how idiotic she was being but she hadn’t learned to live without him yet. After all, they’ve been together five years. Five years of her prime time. You don’t just forget that in a couple of months. They had good times, she had been happy. Plus, marriage would change things right?

 

She waited, and waited some more for him to say something, anything, but his eyes only bore into hers as if he could see through her soul. “Say something Sehun.” She pleaded, his silence was unnerving her.

 

“What do you want me to say?” His response came out cold and distant making Yoona cringe, unlike the Sehun she had gotten to know the past half year. Even when they had barely known each other, he had never acted like this. “A blessing? A scolding?”

 

“I don’t know…” What had she expected to say?

 

“You’re a full grown woman, you can make your own decisions, Yoona. If you want to marry the man who cheated on you three times then go ahead. Nobody’s stopping you.”

 

Yoona’s eyes widened, “How How do you know it was three times?”

 

“I may not like the way he do things, but he’s still my friend. The first time you found out he cheated, he freaked and asked for ideas on how to you win back. The second time, he mentioned it so casually as if it was just a temporary storm. The third time, well.” He chuckled darkly. “He was hardly phased. If I had to guess he was probably waiting for you to cool down and go back to him, which is probably why he took so long to come around. I didn’t tell you any of this before because I wanted to save you face. But you clearly don’t care about that.”

 

In the past half year since she’s really gotten to know Sehun, he’s never really voiced his opinion about the matter. It was a shock for her to see him like this.

 

“Tell me what is you guys’ mindset when you forgive him? Do you think he’ll stick to his words? What gives you the confidence that he won’t do it again? Don’t you ever wonder what he’s doing? Is he actually working or is he sending love messages to another woman? No one should have to live their relationship constantly questioning what their significant other is doing.” Sehun questioned voicing all of her concerns.

 

“I-” she whimpered, moisture forming in her eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

 

“I’m just trying to help you is all. But if you won’t even consider what I’m saying then why should I even try. It’s like one word goes in one ear and out the other. If you don’t want to listen to me then fine. But don’t come back to me when that jerk hurts you again because I know he will.”

 

“I ju-just don’t understand why you care so much. It’s not like I asked for your he—“

 

“Because you are just like her. You say you are in love but how can you be in love with someone who hurts you and lies to you constantly and doesn’t even consider your feelings. How can you be with someone who says they love you but goes off with another for two minutes of pleasure.”

 

“Who am I like Sehun? What’s wrong with being in love? Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. At the end of the day, everything will be fine.”

 

“You don’t get it. You say you’re fine but yet not just a couple months ago ago you were balling your eyes out. He’s hurting you and every time he does it you fall apart even more and more.”

 

Yoona didn’t respond.

 

He took a deep breath in and tilted his head up to stare at the sky. “My baby sister. She used to be so full of life. She was all smiles from the day she was born. And she had this contagious laugh that made you just want to laugh with her even if you didn’t understand what was so funny. She was the brightest woman I’ve ever known. She loved gardening because she loved all the vibrant colors they gave character to the front of the house. She was so sweet and caring and often looked out for me and defended me while my parents were going through a divorce.”

 

“She deserved the world. I had never seen her so radiant when she told me she got a boyfriend and I was happy for her. Until I caught her boyfriend making out with some girl. He profusely apologized to me and said that it meant nothing to him and that it was a mistake. My sister immediately accepted him back but he had lost my trust. I had my doubts, once a cheater always a cheater, but my sister begged me to forgive him. And there was just saying no to my sister. I thought that was the end of that until my sister came home crying one day telling me about how her boyfriend cheated on her again. I was pissed and told my sister to forget about him but like the first time she went back with open arms.”

 

“I’m not quite sure how many times she came home crying with the same reason. I think at one point she just stopped crying and just shrugged her shoulders. I told her to leave him but she was adamant about staying with him because she loved him and he loved her. Then they eloped. Words could not describe how I felt. I couldn’t understand, why does she keep forgiving him? ”

 

“Since then I've been telling her to divorce him but as the years went by everything just progressively got worse. They had a kid and now she is even more insistent about staying together even though her husband still cheats on her. But she is no longer the ray of sunshine she used to be. I don’t even know the last time she gardened or smiled for that matter. It’s been about a year since I’ve last seen her but her voice is so monotone and empty on the phone that I can’t help but feel upset every time we talk because I know there is no way I’ll ever get my cheery sister again.”

 

“You kind of remind me of her, always smiling and laughing. And now with You are in the same situation. It brings back a lot of memories and regrets. Regrets that I didn’t help my sister, which is part of the reason why I wanted to help you in the first place. It’s selfish I know but as I’ve gotten to know you better these past few months, I really do want to help you as a friend. An unhealthy relationship really breaks you, Yoona. Don’t let this one douchebag control your happiness. Sure, you maybe in love with him right now but do you really want to love someone who only gives you pain? There are other people out there who will treat you like a treasure and will adore you and love you wholeheartedly. And someday you guys will get married and have kids and grow old together. You wouldn’t have to worry about what your husband is doing because you know he will come back and kiss your cheek and tell you about his day. Isn’t that what you want?”

 

“Yes but—“

 

“There are no buts Yoona. If that’s what you want then you have to go out and find it because where you are currently, in this measly excuse of a relationship, will not get you there.”

 

“But he can change.”

 

“No. He can’t. He’s done it three times already that you know about. What makes this time any different from the rest. From what I see, you have the choice to either stay with him or finally leave him and go chase after your ideal life because the one you want is one you aren’t going to get with him.”

 

“Sehun—“

 

“I don’t want to hear your choice Yoona, I’ve told you my opinion and my sister’s history. Take some time and decide for yourself. In the end, it’s your choice if you want to marry him or not.”

 

With that, Sehun left Yoona alone on the same bench he offered her help.

 

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Michi: We wanted to try out a different genre. :) As annoying and stupid as Yoona is in this story we all seem to know someone like this. Comments and subs are much appreciated.