After our incident, in which Khun had been unnecessarily apologetic for, I help him from the floor and lead him to the only chair in the whole restaurant that hasn’t been upturned. It makes me hurt to see his shaky, uneasy steps, knowing that there’s probably only one reason why he would react in the way he did. Or more specifically, one person why.

I sit on the floor next to him, as does Ji-eun, neither of us trusting the stability of any of the other chairs in the room due to their being scattered around the floor as if they’d been roughly thrown about. I place my hand on his thigh, making him look at me. I smile, asking if he’s truly okay even though I know I’m just acting like an overly worried parent. He nods back; it’s enough for me, for now.

We turn to Ji-eun, and I see her dispirited expression. My anxious feelings start to become heightened again, directed at her this time, though she waves me away as if knowing exactly what I’m thinking.

“I’m fine,” she says, but I know she’s not. I’m too acquainted with her mannerisms now, she just doesn’t want to alarm anyone. Like Khun, she’s one to think of others before herself, which does end up worrying me sometimes.

She sits on her heels - I swear I see her wince, but I try to push it to the back of my mind for now as per her own wishes - and she starts to inform us as to why exactly our restaurant is in the state it is in.

She turns to Nichkhun first. “He came here this morning looking for you, and Wooyoung too. He kept babbling on and on about having to find you for something - God only knows what with that man, but I refused to tell him.”

Khun nods, “He did indeed find us.” When Ji-eun looks at him questioningly, he clarifies, “At the market, it must have been just after he came here.”

I stare about the room when Nichkhun gestures with his hand, at the wreck within, and that’s when I properly realize what has happened. I pipe up then, almost interrupting Khun’s speech when my mouth moves faster than my brain can think. “Did he do this?” I’m a bit louder than I intend, and I apologize quickly when both Khun and Ji-eun jump at my words.

Ji-eun goes quieter, looking down at the hem of her apron which she has begun to fiddle with nervously. She gulps, and tucks her hair behind her ear - a habit she has when she feels jittery or on edge. It makes me wonder what she has experienced this morning to be acting like this, but I don’t dare to ask yet incase she closes off completely.

“Ji-eun?” Nichkhun asks softly. He’s always gentle when it comes to Ji-eun, since she’s practically a family member to him. “What happened, Eunnie? We need to know, so we can help.”

Khun has a way with Ji-eun; when no one else is able to make her talk when she’s upset, he’s known her for so long that he knows exactly how to treat her and what tone to use when talking to her. It almost makes me smile to see his sweet nature emerge during these moments, before I remember our situation.

“Did he hurt you?” Khun’s voice takes a lower tone, but I think he’s taking it a step too far to assume that. I open my mouth to protest, but then I see Ji-eun nod tentatively and I stop dead in my tracks. I gasp, reaching for her hand to comfort her.

“He kept asking for your apartment address, over and over again.” She’s starting to cry again, her shoulders shaking as she covers her face to hide her tears. “I told him I wouldn’t ever reveal that, no matter how he asked, but he just went crazy. It started with just a few bottles smashed, then the furniture, and then…”

We wait, but she doesn’t continue, so I fill in the gaps. “Then… you?” I ask. I try to be considerate with my tone, but no matter how I put it, I know it’s going to be horrible to realize.

“He hit me,” she muttered, her expression still concealed by her hands but I know she’s grimacing as she says it.

“What?!” Nichkhun shouts now, his face already growing red as he gets even more riled up. “That’s ridiculous, how dare he?” He clenches his fists into tight balls, his knuckles the same crimson shade as his face, and he growls, “No one gets to touch my family like that.”

Ji-eun, who is definitely like a little sister to Khun, looks up at him now. is quivering and I see pain flash through her eyes as she recalls the events of the morning. “Khunnie…” She says weakly, reaching for his knee to pacify him, but he’s already stood up.

I stand up with him, saying “Please be careful, baby. I don’t want you to faint again.” He doesn’t seem to take much notice of me, so I place my hand over his fist so that he’s forced to face me.

“I don’t care about me!” He cries, “It’s not me who’s in the worse off position right now.”

“You will be if you don’t take it easy!” I say, shouting right back at him. I’ve rarely raised my voice at him, but I feel like this time is appropriate. I’m not even sure if I’m telling him to be careful of his health or whether I’m just threatening to incapacitate him myself if he doesn’t calm down. In another situation, it might even be funny.

He looks at me in surprise, closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. “Alright.” His fiery temper already seems much cooler. “Ji-eun, I think you should go home.” He looks at her where she’s still crumpled on the floor, his eyes full of pity. “Get some rest, and don’t come in for the next few days. Can you manage that?”

She nods, even smiling at his kindness slightly, “Thank you.” She mumbles.

Over the next few days, myself and Khun are forced to sit through countless interviews with the police. Not only that, but we’re also forced to fix or replace all of our furniture in the restaurant, and I can see Khun getting both physically and mentally more and more stressed with each day.

One particular morning, we’re in the main area of the restaurant, fixing the tables that usually sit near the rear wall when I hear Khun sigh from behind me. I look behind me from where I’m rummaging through a box of tools and I notice that he’s gripping onto his own hair in frustration. He’s staring at the area of the restaurant that we haven’t gotten round to fixing yet, a look of despondency on his face.

I stand up, straightening my spine and stretching out my muscles. Hours at a time of being crouched down tends to wear you out after a while. I approach him, taking his hand once I get there.

“What’s the matter, baby?”

“I’m so tired of this,” Khun says, rolling his eyes as he gestures around us, “Being pushed back ten steps when we find a way of finally moving forward. Why does it always seem to be Alex that does that to us?”

I can’t help but feel slightly guilty that Khun is struggling so much, though I know that it’s not exactly my fault. Still, something in me makes me want to put him in a better mood..

I wrap my arms around him, pulling him into my chest, “I’m sorry.” I mutter, moving my hands over his back in a comforting motion. I feel him relax into my embrace, but then he pulls away slightly, looking at me with furrowed brows.

“What do you mean? You hardly caused this.” He said, wrapping his own arms around me loosely.

I nod, “I know that, but I’m sorry I can’t help you feel better.”

“Just being with me is enough,” he says, reaching for my face with his hand. The heat of his hand on my cheek is pure bliss and I can’t help but close my eyes as he rests his forehead against mine. We stay like that for a while, just holding each other and taking in each other’s presence, until I hear him speak quietly.

“I wish I’d told you sooner,” he whispers, “Alex used to hit me too, when I confronted him for cheating. It’s actually the reason why I ended up breaking up with him.”

I retract my head slightly to look directly at him, “What, really? That’s awful, Khun…” I look for signs of discomfort on his face, making sure that he’s still okay, but he seems to be holding up for now. “I do wish I had known earlier, maybe I could have done something to stop him coming after you, but it doesn’t matter now. I can protect you now.”

He rests his head on my chest, his eyes fluttering shut. I hold him, swaying from side to side. “This is all going to be okay,” I reassure him, although not even I’m sure about that.

I bury my face in his hair, enveloped by the sweet scent of his shampoo, and I’m in the process of closing my own eyes again when I hear something that makes them shoot open.

“I love you, Wooyoung.”

He says it quietly, but it’s like music floating to my ears, considering how long I feel like I’ve waited for those words. I’ve said them to him enough, but it’s the first time I’ve heard him say them, so it's literally the most exciting moment I’ve ever experienced. I feel my lips stretching into a wide grin and I’m sure I look positively ridiculous beaming like an idiot, but I don’t care.

“Say it again,” I barely breathe, unable to contain my excitement and yet so dumbfounded that I can barely speak.

He chuckles, but happily repeats his words. “I love you, Wooyoung. I love you for always being there for me, plus…” He looks at me now, his smile reaching his eyes, which I haven’t seen in awhile, “I love you for being the sweetest man alive.”

I laugh ecstatically, squeezing him into another hug. He scoffs, blushing with embarrassment, “Oh come on, it’s not that big a deal.”

“What are you on about? Of course it’s a big deal!” I’m on the borderline of jumping about in a jittery fashion now, and it takes all of Khun’s strength to calm me down again, but I really can’t help myself.

I take his hands within mine, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and I run my thumbs over his knuckles. I lean in, capturing his lips with mine, and sigh in satisfaction when I feel them press back eagerly. For once, we’re alone so we actually have a chance to lose ourselves for a while, without anyone else looking on. I reached up, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck, dragging his head down slightly so I can reach him better - he’s taller than me, after all.

The kiss is accented by the taste of the coffee we always get from the market, sweetened by two sugars, just the way Nichkhun likes it. It’s a distinct flavour I’ve loved since our very first kiss, a rather memorable one at that - all other kisses I’ve ever experienced with other people seem to pale in comparison.

The feeling of his soft lips against mine is easy to get lost in, and I find myself forgetting about our surroundings for a while, letting my elation spread throughout my body from my head to my toes. He pulls back after a time, his mouth becoming swollen from my resilience to let go of the connection, though it just makes him look even more irresistible.

“How is your heart now, baby?” I ask, cocking my head to the side as I watch him smile joyfully.

He places his palms on my chest, and says, “It’s getting much better already, thanks to you…”