Su Bin finds herself running into Young Do more times than she can care for. He frightens her sometimes. His face is…too grim and mocking for her liking.

She runs into him at the department store when she's on her way to meet Rachel.

It is six in the morning and the only reason she's here is because she is running away from her roommates. They've been throwing parties without asking her. It's becoming a nuisance. She knows she has to speak to them at some point but decides today is not the day. She calls Rachel, who is awake at this time taking Russian language classes–that girl needed to chill–and decides to crash at her house for a few days. She decides to drop by the department store to pick up Rachel's favourite vitamin milk when she runs into Choi Young Do.

He is lazily sprawled across the table. A bowl of already cold ramen in front of him. He doesn't see her. He looks like a jaguar. She intends to leave without greeting him when he suddenly sits upright and notices her. She freezes.

He surveys her in the most indiscreet manner. She smiles nervously. He raises an eyebrow. She notices a large bruise on the side of his face. She tries not to look at it.

"Annyeong,"she says, with a nervous chuckle."I'm on the way to your house only."

Young Do glances at her bag of snacks. She self-consciously glances at her bag too and looks up at him. He looks at her expectantly. She reaches into her bag and takes out a kimbab."Here,"she places it on his table. It's like pacifying an aggressive animal. She tries to remember the tenderness with which he had tended to her wounds so many months ago.

She can't.

Just when she's about to leave, she hears him say,"Anja."

"Whe?"She asks. He shrugs his shoulders."Kheu-nyang."Just because, he says.

She takes a careful step towards the chair placed opposite him."Kwanchananyo?"Are you alright? She asks. He doesn't answer. Just leans his head onto his arms on the table, looking away from her. It takes her a moment to realize he has fallen asleep.

She wonders if she should wake him up before leaving. She doesn't.

When Rachel asks her why she's late she says she ran into her brother. He had looked upset, she tells her. Choi Young Do comes home banging the doors fifteen minutes later. Rachel bites her lip.

"Wait here,"she tells Su Bin.

"They want me to go to America,"She hears Young Do shout. She can't remember what else happens because she falls asleep on Rachel's bed. When she wakes up Rachel is clutching her head, her eyes rimmed red. Young Do is nowhere. Su Bin doesn't ask. Just politely excuses herself.

Xxx

"What are you waiting for?"someone asks. Su Bin standing in the lobby of Rachel's apartment building waiting for her to make an appearance. She's been waiting for ten minutes now when she hears the question. She turns to find Choi Young Do coming to stand beside her. He doesn't look at her. She notices his face is all healed up. Of course it would be, it's been a week after all.

"I'm waiting for my case to come up and I am waiting for a rebirth of wonder,"she replies. Young Do looks down at her, eyes lit with interest.

"I am awaiting perpetually and forever a renaissance of wonder,"he quietly completes.

"Don't go to America,"Su Bin says before she can stop herself. Young Do, who has been smiling till now, stiffened. He sports a tight smile.

"Rachel told you?"

"Ani, I eavesdropped,"she jokes. And then quickly adds,"You can't go to America because people keep suing each other there,"to elevate the tension. It works.

She feels Young Do relax a little."So?"he asks.

"So? Surely you must know you have a face that makes people want to sue you,"Su Bin laughs loudly at her own jokes. People stare. Young Do only rolls his eyes.

"How have you escaped a suit with your sense of humor,"Young Do mutters under his breath.

The elevator sounds and Su Bin looks towards it expectantly. It better be Yoo Rachel or she'll be leaving, she vowed to herself secretly.

Luckily, it is Rachel. She looks at Su Bin and is about to say something but is distracted by the presence of her step-brother, who, according to her, is looking more cheerful than she had seen him in days. She's not sure if she likes that very much. She is…suspicious of his affections towards her friend. It's…uncomfortable. Such a thought. Jun Ah had idly commented on Young Do's attentions to Su Bin…She pushes that thought aside as she greets her brother and Su Bin.

"What are you doing here?"She asks Young Do, looking at him piercingly.

"Keeping your friend company. Yaan, your bra strap is showing. Polka dot? When did you buy that?"Young Do asks making Rachel blush. She hates it when he speaks like that. And he knows it. She knows he's deflecting.

"Shut up,"she mutters while Su Bin giggles.

He watches them go before an idea seizes him. Myung Soo did say…he trails off.

"Yedura,"he catches up to them."How about having lunch together?"

Xxxxx

When Young Do says he's treating them to dinner, Su Bin thinks free food. But Young Do clearly had more than that on his mind because she finds he's brought them to a table of not three but ten people. Not an empty table. A table filled with people staring at them. Or glaring. Su Bin can't be sure.

"What is this?" Rachel hisses at Young Do while Su Bin dumbly lingers behind them, feeling self-conscious in her tank top and jeans when everybody around her is dressed formally.

"Young Do yaa, you came!" A friendly voice chirps up from among the hostile faces. Su Bin saw the guy get up and walk towards Young Do to hug him.

"How can I reject an invite from you?"

"And you even brought Rachel, and a friend?" The guy said looking at Su Bin and Rachel appraisingly. Su Bin shrunk a little under his friendly gaze. She gave him a nervous smile.

"Well, sit down," the guy gestured at the empty chairs. "We're not all strangers," he grinned.

"Sit," someone else says. This time Su Bin notices Rachel's eyes widen and a small blush overtake her face.

"Sunbae, chal jinaessoyo?" Have you been well, senior? Young Do asks, his face alight with mischief. The Sunbae ignores Young Do and looks only at Rachel, who is getting redder by the second. "Sit down, we've already ordered the food. It'll be here any second."

Su Bin doesn't exactly understand what's going on but she sticks next to the free food and eats it heartily. There's some offhand comments being passed by Young Do and other people. Su Bin doesn't care. She focuses on eating. A verbal fight breaks out and Young Do storms off to the restaurant smoking room. Rachel glares in the direction he has exited and is about to follow him when Su Bin volunteers.

When Young Do sees her enter the smoke-room he flinches. "Gwenchana?" she asks him. He offers her a smoke. She takes it.

"Did you love her?" She finally asks. Young Do glances at her from the corner of his eye. How did she know? She seems to sense the question so she obliges with him an answer.

"Anybody can tell. You've been avoiding her carefully the whole evening."

Young Do doesn't answer. Just smokes.

"Do you still love her?" Su Bin asked.

Young Do pursed his lips. "Does one ever stop loving anyone? And if they do, was it love? And if it was, then is that how love is?"

Su Bin doesn't reply. She doesn't know what to say. "How did you get this scar?" she asks instead, pointing to the wrist of the hand holding his cigarette.

He was nine and riding the bicycle. His mother had been with him, but she had gotten distracted with a phone call and he had run off on his own. That night he had gotten a beaten from his father for having scared his mother like that. He felt he was being beaten by his father for having scared him too. Love was so queer and came so difficult to everyone, he says. It shows so differently in everyone.

"Was that love?" Su Bin asks. She doesn't sound sceptical or mocking…she seems to be searching for her own answers, Young Do realizes.

"What is love?" he asks, instead.

She is easy to talk to and he is surprised. Young Do doesn't talk. He's never felt the need to. But with her he realizes the need was never felt because there was no opportunity. There's something in her which makes him talk, which makes even Rachel talk. He cannot stop talking, cannot stop sharing…she doesn't seem to mind either. She listens patiently. When they go back, Young Do cannot remember why he had gotten so upset. Su Bin can't remember why Young Do smiling at her wasn't an odd thing anymore for her. When they return, Rachel follows Young Do with concerned eyes. Su Bin gives her a reassuring look. Then everything goes to hell. Or just follows the rote route of a crazy college party Su Bin had sworn off of.

Su Bin doesn't remember when the drinks were ordered or who did it. And when a sudden drinking game was started, or more like an alpha male competition between Young Do and a boy called Kim Tan. She couldn't remember at all when orhowshe joined this competition andwon. But it wasn't really a legit win according to her because both the boys were so terrible at it. She doesn't remember a lot of it but she does remember to call out for Rachel, who had been speaking in low murmurs to the sunbae all the evening, before passing out on the floor.ingChoiYoung Do, she faintly thinks.

Her eyes open but she can't see. Something cold is being pressed to her forehead. A towel. It's also blocking her vision.

"Awake already?" someone asks. She can't recognize the voice. It takes her some time to realize she's in a house. In Yoo Rachel's house. Lying on her sofa. The cloth is removed and Su Bin is momentarily blinded by the white light. She is greeted by Rachel's stony expression.

"Yes. She's awake," Rachel confirms. Su Bin looks at the person it was directed to and sees the sunbae from earli