after that night, on chaeyeon's shift, one of jaehyun's friends would be there to walk her home. most often it's yuta, who would come hours before her shift end, spending time with reading webtoons. when yuta didn't show up, after her shift end there's another guy waiting for chaeyeon called winwin.

winwin is lean and has a boyish face with short brown hair. by far he's the politest, he didn't hang around inside the store but outside, across the street, came in a couple of minutes before her shift ends, introduced himself beforehand, told her that he will walk her home, and if it makes her uncomfortable, he would keep his distance. she told him she didn't care - he didn't speak much anyway.

(winwin's jacket is white.)

doyoung also showed up, greeted her excitedly and apologized for not introducing himself before - when she got kidnapped with sejeong. out of three, he talks most, but since he doesn't talk about jaehyun and he has this bright aura, chaeyeon doesn't mind.

at first chaeyeon thinks the whole bodyguard thing is ridiculous even though she has to admit she feels safer when there's someone accompanying her. but one day yuta is on high alert, he doesn't talk and keeps looking around. he spots a couple of guys seemingly hanging around in the path they'll take and he ushers chaeyeon to take a different road, texting someone at the same time. chaeyeon isn't sure, but after that, it seems they're also followed by the other power ranger gang, because she hears the sound of motorcycle's engine. 

"we're in... high tension with a rival gang," that's all yuta tells her when she asks. he's smiling but it looks restrained, just a smile made to appease her. 

the walk-her-home operation goes on for two weeks - long enough until her co-worker who works shift after her notices the power ranger gang, "so which one is your boyfriend?". jaehyun doesn't show up, even though sometimes chaeyeon has this feeling that she's being followed, perhaps it's just her wishful thinking combine with guilty conscience for lashing out at jaehyun before.

until one day, it's him who waits outside her housing, saturday when she's about to go to the library. 

he's leaning on his motorcycle, staring down at the phone on his right hand while the other is tucked in his dark jeans' pocket. the sunlight hits his hair, making the dark green streaks prominent. ha glances up when he hears her - he takes a double take, as if he doesn't realize that it's chaeyeon the first time. it seems he's been waiting for a while. 

jaehyun pockets his phone. "can we talk?" he asks. "there's something... i need to talk to you about." 

chaeyeon doesn't answer immediately, thinking about what yuta told her, about how the boys look tense when they walk her home. she sighs. "fine," she says as she turns around back to the housing. jaehyun has been there before when they're still dating, that's why she doesn't wait for him, going straight up the stairs to the rooftop. there's no way she takes him to her room because the walls are too thin, talking there basically announcing their conversation to the whole floor. the shared kitchen is minimalist, there's only one small table for two, talking there means they'll be disturbed by people walking down to the shared bathroom and laundry room or they who would like a late breakfast. the only option, and the option they often used, is the rooftop.

the rooftop isn't grand, but it's enough. it's clean and neat, someone's growing tomatoes on the flowerpots lining near the edge, no one litters even cigarettes ashes, and there's a pyung sang - a wooden low bench - in the middle, which the tenants use to smoke or just sit around. chaeyeon sits there with jaehyun follows behind her. 

jaehyun clears his throat--

(and chaeyeon notices the way he rubs and massages his own fingers before interlacing them together, so she knows he's nervous, and it's somehow reassuring that jaehyun is not always as calm as the facade he puts up in front of her. but she can't help to notice the callouses on his fingertips, the cuts and bruises on his knuckles, and there's this sudden sharp pain in her heart.)

--and looks at her. chaeyeon lifts her gaze and stares at someone's laundry hang in front of them. 

"what i'm going to tell you... is going to make you upset," jaehyun starts, carefully picking his words while studying chaeyeon's expression as if