[Sarang’s POV]

That didn’t really process in my mind though.

The only thing processing were those word, “I’m paying you to date her, not yell at her.”

I felt shattered inside, everything was breaking. Everything was a haze except for my resentment.

What did he mean? Was Jinho cheating on me? Or maybe…

It sounded absurd but was he being paid to date me?

I think they stopped fighting when they saw me, I think they noticed me, I think they shut up.

I can never be sure though because I couldn’t see them anymore, I’d turned around and started walking in an unknown direction, to an unknown place.

It didn’t really matter where I was going, as long as I was going somewhere. As long as it was somewhere away from them.

If this was a first love then it was also a first heartbreak.

I could put up with many things, but being cheated on I can’t put up with. It makes no sense to me. What did I do wrong?

Was it my mistake?

If he needed money he could have just asked, just once. Or if it’s embarrassing to ask then he could have just told me what he was doing. If I knew maybe I would have been okay with it.

If he was being paid to ate me, then that was… I don’t even know how I felt about that.

Was I that terrible? I wasn’t the one that even asked him to date me. I tried not to even imply that I wanted to date him so why?

Where was I supposed to go now? Could I ask anyone for help? Who was there to turn to?

There was my roommate, she wouldn’t know though. She’s usually the one to do the heartbreaking.

I walked a long while, I walked until I finally was able to recognize something. It was my uncle’s store. He was someone who I admired. He’s left everything to be with his store. He wanted nothing more than to sell books, to inspire others to read and get lost in a different world.

I shuffled in and looked at him, he still had the store open at this time.

He immediately ran to me, “You’re soaking. What happened?” he ran to get me a towel.

It was raining outside? How could I have not noticed.

He bundled me in a towel as I stood in the same place. “Are you crying?” he asked taking a closer look.

I shook my head. “I-I’m not.” Why was my voice shaking so much.

“You are.” He said and hugged me. “Do you want to shower?”

I shook my head again, it seemed like the only thing I was capable of doing.

He pushed me down onto a chair and made me a cup of tea before sitting across from me.

Maybe inside he felt awkward, but to me the silence surrounding us was the most comfortable.

“Hey, can you recommend a book to me?” I asked finally.

He looked surprised that I asked for it. “What kind of book?”

“A love story. Maybe of unrequited love.”

He thought for a second then got up and immediately came back. He handed me a book titled The Little Mermaid.

 “I’ve watched the move. I’ve even read it.” I said looking at it. Everyone has read that.

“The Disney version right? This isn’t the same at all.” He said knowingly. “It’s the original version. I want you to figure out why this story is so popular okay?” He said placing the book on the table in front of me. “I’m going to go to bed.”

I nodded and picked the book up. How was it different, the little mermaid was a story about a girl and prince who fell happily in love with each other right? That was the last thing I wanted to read right now. It was a perfect love story.

I decided to trust my uncle’s words and read the text in front of me.

The little mermaid falls in love. She saves a prince from drowning and leaves him at a temple. She then finds out that a mermaid turns into sea foam after death whereas a human has an eternal soul that will live on forever in heaven. With the thoughts of living forever with her prince, the mermaid goes to the sea witch and exchanges her tongue, since her voice was the best thing about her, for a pair of legs; a pair of legs that were so painful to walk in that it would feel like she was walking on sharp glass. She would never be able to return to the sea but she could dance as no one has ever danced. She would also not have a soul, she would only get one if she could receive the kiss of her true love and marry him. Then a part of his soul would flow into her. But, the day he marries another girl she would disintegrate into sea foam. The prince meets her and is attracted to her, he likes to watch her dance and she does so often for him despite the immense pain. He doesn’t know that she was the one who saved him. The prince told her that he wouldn’t marry the princess, because he was in love with the girl that saved him. But, in the end the prince marries the princess and the little mermaid is brought a knife the sea witch gave her. If she is able to kill the prince by dawn, she will be able to live. However, she couldn’t bring herself to kill the prince and is turned into nothing but sea foam. But, she is turned into a daughter of the air, where she would live for 300 hundred years, maybe watching over her prince. If she committed to 300 years of good deeds she could receive the sol she strived for and be together with him again.

It was a sad love story, it seemed that way. I understood it almost immediately after reading it though.

Even if it wasn’t a perfect love, it was a beautiful one.

There was betrayal and death but that was overlooked. It was self sacrifice of a two sided love that was evidently stronger on one side.

It was two people fated to love each other, but out of the two only one was fulfilling her fate and the other neglecting it. It was two people not fated to be together.

Was I supposed to be like the little mermaid?

Was it the right thing to love blindly, without a care for what it was the other person did and to continue to love them anyway?

Maybe it was the right way to do things, maybe forgiveness was the answer.

Maybe I’d been too harsh; maybe it was time to listen to an explanation.

I got up from the couch that I was sitting on and walked home even though it was night.

I was a little scared, but I made it alive.

At my door there was a note: Come to the Seoul Museum of Art tomorrow at 7PM please.

That was it. There was no more to it.

So umm.. I kind of neglected my other stories to write this chapter OTL

So if any of you are reading those, then I'm sorry. 

I was just  shocked at the amount of comments the last chapter received. 

Sorry for making you read that huge little mermais excerpt as well. 

BUT If you don't know the story you have to read it >:) For later, Sorry. x_x  

I was somewhat trolling with this. I'm guessing you guys were expecting something else?

LOL. I'm sorry, I just thought this was a little important. I promise you will get something in the next chapter xD 

I'm sorry I read ALL the comments but I will reply to them TOMMOROW *in desperate need of sleep*