It was a long, hectic day for Lee Injeong. After finishing her last music class for the day, she dragged her feet to the bus stop and waited for a bus to come. When one did, she got in and sat on an empty seat alone. And as the bus drove off, she tiredly watched the buildings pass through the window, and soon started dozing off.

She was too tired to stay awake, and had completely drifted off to sleep when the bus stopped at the bus stop near the gasoline station and another young man got in.

He looked for an empty seat, and his eyes caught Injeong. His eyes widened and he was taken aback at first, but seeing that she was asleep with her head leaned against the glass of the window, he slowly made his way to the empty seat beside her.

Slowly sitting beside her, afraid that she might wake up, he took a careful glance at her face. She was exhausted. He could clearly see that. Her head bobbed forward, swayed to the side and hit the window again, and it made him almost hold her putting his arm around her.

But he waited, watching the sleeping girl intently, and when the bus came to another stop, her head hit the window again. It was the fifth time.

This time he slowly reached out, and gently placed his palm on her face and made her head lean on his shoulder. The sleeping girl did not protest, and when her head was carefully rested against his shoulder, she slept even more peacefully. He stayed calm and quiet, letting her sleep on his shoulder.

After about fifteen minutes, she woke up. She felt that she had been sleeping on someone else’s shoulder as soon as she woke up, and straightened at the speed of lightening. “I’m sorry-“ she turned to him and bowed slightly in embarrassment, and looked at his face.

Her heart literally stopped. That face was the last thing she had expected to see at a time like that. Her eyes widened, as he averted his eyes away from her with a guilty expression. She got up from the seat straight away, with a frown darkening her face, and went to the exit of the bus. And without caring which stop it was, she got off at the next stop.

It was two stops away from her neighbourhood. But she didn’t mind, and straightening her dress, she started walking down the pavement in quick steps.

Why was her heart hammering against her chest? Why were her cheeks heating up and her fingers trembling? It is anger. I still hate him. She gave herself the answer, because she did not want to get excited by seeing him. And she quickened her steps, and walked to her apartment. It didn’t take her more than ten minutes to reach the apartment complex she lived, and she quickly walked in. But as if by instinct, just after entering through the glass door, she turned back.

And he was there.

He had followed her all the way.

Outside the building, he was standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and watching her. A wave of anger rushed over her, and she stormed back out of the building to him.

“Are you now a stalker?” She asked in a cold voice. He didn’t reply, and stayed silent with his head hung down. “How long have you been following me like this?” he shook his head vigorously at that question.

“Is there any point in following me?” Injeong asked. “Didn’t I leave because I was fed up with everything?” she let out a tired sigh. “Please Baekhyun, let me live my life alone. I’ve been perfectly fine for the past four months without you so don’t return and ruin it, please.” With that she turned away and walked back into the building, and did not stop until she was in the elevator. She pressed the number to her floor, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. “It’s alright.” She muttered to herself while wiping her cheeks. “I’ll be fine without him...and I can’t return to that troublesome life just because I love him...”mumbling to herself, she went into her apartment. After closing the door, her knees gave up the courage she was holding in, and she dropped to the floor. Flashbacks of everything she wanted to forget started replaying in front of her eyes, making her cry her eyes out, again, like most of the days in the past four months.

Baekhyun stood still at the same spot. His mind felt empty, or it might have been too much thoughts to handle at once. He didn’t shed any tears like her, maybe because he was used to this feeling after living with it for the past four months. But it hurt so badly to him, as if a wound in his heart was renewed.

What were you thinking? Did you hope her to warmly welcome you? After all that happened?

His inner self started questioning him, and he let out a deep sigh. Head hanging down, he turned back and walked away.

* * * * * * * *

“Ms.Lee, omma said she wants to meet you.”

A small girl walked up to Injeong during the break of the morning music class and said.

“Oh, did she Sua? Okay I will talk to her...” Injeong smiled at her small student and patted her on the cheek. Just then an elegant lady entered the room, and bowed to Injeong. “Anyeonghaseyo, Ms. Lee.”

“Anyeonghaseyo.” Injeong bowed back to the lady. “Sua said you wanted to meet me Mrs.Kim?”

“It’s just, I thought about giving the class a small treat at lunch Ms.Lee.” The lady said with a smile. “The kids are practicing hard for the concert, so I thought that’d cheer them up.”

Injeong’s face lit up with a smile. “The kids will love it Mrs.Kim. Thank you. That’s so generous of you.” she said smiling.

“Noona, the pizza order is here. Let’s go and help Sua’s mom to take it.” Do Kyungsoo, the boy who played the piano in Injeong’s music class came to her. Injeong nodded and got up from her table, and went after him.

The little girl’s mom went in to the room carrying half of the boxes, and Kyungsoo had already carried the other half. “Oh it’s alright noona, we managed it.” He said while coming back after keeping them in. But Injeong didn’t hear him.

She was staring at the delivery boy. That familiar face was in front of her again. But she couldn’t believe her eyes, to see Byun Baekhyun delivering pizza.

Mrs.Kim appeared just then and handed over the money to him, making him jump out of his daze. He broke the gaze from Injeong and took the money. “You can keep the change.” The lady said, and he bowed to her quickly, and got onto his motorbike as quickly as possible, and stormed away.

Why was he delivering pizza? What happened to his job as a vocal trainer? What exactly has happened? Injeong had a lot of questions to get answers. But he was already gone. He was embarrassed. She realized. His ears went red when I saw him like that. But why was he looking so worn out? His eyes looked so tired and lifeless...

She couldn’t act like she didn’t care anymore. The carefree and cheerful Baekhyun she used to know had changed. He did wrong to her, but still, she didn’t like the change she saw in him. She had a thousand questions to ask him to know what had happened.

“NOONA!”

Injeong jumped in shock and saw the guy standing in front of her, waving his hand before her face. “Goodness noona, I’ve been calling for you for like, a dozen times. Do you know him?” he asked, jerking his head at the road. “Know who?” Injeong asked.

“Come on noona, the pizza delivery guy. He got you like...I mean you look so upset after seeing him. Who is he?”

Do Kyungsoo knew her too well.

Injeong sighed. “Later. I’ll tell you after the class.”

“He is...I mean he was, my boyfriend.”

Kyungsoo smirked. “You’re still not over him are you?”

Injeong glared at him. “Of course I am over him!” She snarled at him. “Alright alright continue.” Kyungsoo said stifling a smile.

“We started dating in college, and both of us majored in music. He has the best voice you see, and I wanted him to become a singer.” She explained. “Baekhyun knew he had the talent. But he didn’t care at all. All he cared about was alcohol and clubbing.”

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. “Then?”

“Both of us had problems with money. Baekhyun’s parents had passed away when he was young, and he lived with his aunt. She’s the only family he has. She’s a nice lady and loves him like her own child. But her job in a public bath house cannot cover all their expenses.”

“So you supported him?” Kyungsoo asked. Injeong nodded in reply. “I also had my own difficulties. Appa could not handle the whole burden of the family, and omma had to take care of my younger siblings, so she couldn’t work. So I did a several part time jobs along with my studies, paid my student loan, and paid for his vocal trainings as well.”

“Well I can assume what happened.” Kyungsoo said with a bitter smirk.

Injeong sighed out and continued. “It was shortly after we graduated, he had an audition in an entertainment agency. I even paid for extra training, I had to work like, 20 hours a day in various part time jobs, but I didn’t mind because I really hoped he would get selected.”

She was recalling her bitter past, and her face turned dark. “He didn’t come to see me after the audition that evening. And didn’t come even in the next morning.”

“He had been drinking all day with his friends and gone partying all night. He hadn’t even set foot at the audition, and I got to know that he hadn’t been attending the vocal trainings too. All the money I gave him was spent on drinking and clubbing.”

Kyungsoo scoffed. “But look at that innocent face! You can’t say he’s such a jerk after seeing that babyish face!”

Injeong nodded. “He has changed Kyungsoo. That’s why I’m worried. I broke up with him and left him after that incident because I couldn’t get disappointed anymore. He was such a jerk and I couldn’t bear him anymore. That’s why I moved to Seoul from Incheon and even changed my contact details so no one can find me. I wanted to stay away from him because I didn’t want to get hurt anymore. But now, when I see him after four months, he’s different Kyungsoo. And that difference really bugs me.”

“You still love him don’t you?” Kyungsoo asked after a while. Injeong looked at him. “I don’t know. It’s just...the look on his face and his eyes, it hurts to see him like that. That change doesn’t look so good and I’m worried. Plus he used to work as a vocal trainer for children, and now he’s working at a pizza shop. I want to know what happened to him.” She said sounding extremely worried.

Kyungsoo sighed. “Then why don’t you go and find out?” he asked.

“How?”

“Geez noona what did you learn in college to graduate? The pizza boxes have the address of the shop on them!” He shoved an empty pizza box into her hands.

Injeong widened he eyes and looked at him. “Should I go?”

The youngster sighed. “Will you stay in if I say no?”

* * * * * * * *

“Lay’s Pizza”

Injeong read the sign board of the pizza shop, and took a deep breath in. Preparing herself to walk into him, she stepped into the shop.

“Welcome Miss!” A cheerful voice greeted her, and she found the owner of the voice behind the cashier. He was a handsome young man, with a bright smile and a clearly visible dimple on his right cheek. Injeong smiled at him with a slight bow and looked around the shop searching for the face she needed to see, and walked to the cashier.

“What will you order Miss?” The young cashier asked in a Chinese accent.

Injeong bit her lip. “I- um....I’m not here to buy anything, I just need to meet someone in your staff.” She said. “Who is it Miss?” the young man asked with a polite smile.

“Byun Baekhyun.”

He looked carefully at her. “Do you know him?”

Injeong nodded. “We were friends in college.”

After hearing that, he eyes her suspiciously. “By any chance, are you...Lee Injeong?”

Her eyes widened. “You know me? Has he told you about me?”

The young man smiled and nodded. “I know almost everything. But Baek is not here right now, he took a short leave to visit the columbarium.”

Injeong was surprised. His parents’ graves were not in Seoul, so for whom would he visit a columbarium?

T