“Yeobuseyo?”

“Yah Chaerin ah where are you? Did somebody kidnapped you?!!” Bommie unnie’s voice came screaming through the phone.

“Aigoo omoni~”

“Where are you?!!” She shouted once again but with overflowing aegyo that cause a smile to creep on my face instead of growing anger.

“Mianhe unnie something caught up at work and I would be late. You guys head over first alright? Oh and help me tell the others that too. I promise I would rush there as soon as I can alright?”

“Hul~”

“Ahrasso ahrasso I would get some corn on my way later neh?”

“Ahrasso but not too late! Stay safe and tell us when you’re on the way?”

“Neh omoni~ Love you~” I said before I hang up the phone and got back to work.

Here I am in a small corner of a very messy office at 6pm on a Wednesday evening. I can’t believe I’m still hanging on to this job I have at this small company, even though it’s my dream job but I have to survive some way or another. Living in another country is hard enough, but here I am working my off on my first ever job in 20 years at a foreign country.

2 years. How time flies. The past two years hasn’t been easy for us when we decided to put behind everything to be where we are right now. Actually it wasn’t such a big deal for Bommie unnie and I since the both of us had nothing left and was seeking to run away from everything. Minzy didn’t really mind too but it was really hard back then for Dara unnie, and I can’t blame her for that.

-2 years ago-

*Continuation/ reminisce from chapter 40*

“Wifey!!!”

“Speaking of the devil” Bom said making Dara look at her confused.

“Devil?” Dara asked.

“Unnie where were you?” Chaerin ask, wanting to unnie.

“I…” and in comes Youngbae with two cups of Americano that everyone could see was consumed by someone.

“Hey Chaerin how are you doing today?” Youngbae asked looking at Chaerin but his hands were passing Dara’s Americano to her. Apparently she left too fast that she forgot her drink.

“And did something happen between the both of you?” Chaerin asked.

“Nothing?” Youngbae said before receiving boos from everyone else in the room.

“Guys could you give us girls a moment?” Bom suddenly requested after giving some signal to Chaerin with her eyes. 

After the boys left the room, the girls crowd around the bed, with Bommie unnie standing beside the bed on my right, Dara settling on the bed on my left where I have moved a little to give space while Minzy settles on the chair beside the bed. The two clueless girls definitely could sense that something was going on as they look at Bommie unnie and I, and it’s only when I nudge Bommie unnie did she got the ball rolling.

“Aigoo why are you making me say this?” Bommie unnie wailed as she covers her face with both of her hands.

“Yah what’s going on? Don’t you guys scare me~” Dara unnie said. Noticing that Bommie unnie can’t do it, I let out a sigh before I told the girls my plan, our plan B.

“So I guess you guys know what oppa have been doing to me all the time?”

“Oppa? Chaerin unnie you remember Jiyong oppa?” Minzy asked.

“Minzy, Dara unnie, there was no amnesia to begin with. It was all an act.”

“Really?!!” Dara unnie said with her eyes so wide, totally different from how Bommie unnie reacted to the same news.

“But why unnie?” Minzy asked.

“It’s all because of that kwon jerk!!! Yah have you guys forgotten what he did to our Chae-roo?” Bommie unnie exclaimed.

“Unnie~” I stopped her before she starts ranting about Jiyong oppa and there’s just so little time I have privately with the girls at the moment with Youngbae oppa a wall away. “I’m just tired of how this relationship has been going between oppa and I, and within the short period of time between me waking up and having oppa in front of me, it was the best solution that I could come up with, or so I thought.”

“Unnie are you afraid that Jiyong oppa would find out about your act and get angry at you?” Minzy questioned, making me nod.

“All has been good, until fear started to eat me up. As days pass, I realized that this plan could easily backfire more than work out. I woke up worried every morning, afraid that I would expose my own act. I myself find it amazing that Jiyong oppa had no major suspicion up till now but I wouldn’t say that he’s totally clueless. I’ve spoken to Bommie unnie about it and we’ve decided on Plan B.” I said as I look at Bommie unnie, trying to get as much courage as I can from her.

“Plan B?” Dara unnie asked.

“I’ve decided to skip country.” I announced.

“Skip country? As in skip town but on a larger scale?” Dara unnie asked.

“Where are you planning to go unnie?” Minzy added.

“Japan.”

“Japan?” Minzy and Dara unnie asked at the same time.

“Yeah Japan. It’s the only place I could continue studying fashion other than France. Bommie unnie has been searching for a house we could reside in as well as schools to enroll in. I’m just hoping that if oppa ever found out about my act, we would be ready to leave immediately.”

“Hold on a second Chae. You said we?” Dara unnie pointed out.

“Ah…that’s what we want to discuss with you girls…” Bommie unnie said in an awkward tone.

“Unnie, Minzy…” I said as I held their hands. “I know this is a random and selfish discussion that we made without your consent. Especially Dara unnie…I’m feeling so bad right now having to break this news to you at this point of time, seeing how things between you and Youngbae oppa is finally going the way you guys have longed for. But I hope you understand my decision to leave Korea for if Jiyong oppa found out about my act, not only would history repeat but I know it’s going to get worse and I can do nothing to stop it nor protect myself. As for Bommie unnie, she has decided that it would be good to stay away from here, even if it was a short period of time, to forget about all the boy issues that’s going on.” I commented vaguely since I have not idea if the girls knew about what Seunghyun oppa did to Bommie unnie and hating Jiyong oppa is enough to handle for them right now. Besides, it would be better for Bommie unnie to address it herself since it’s regarding her and I doubt that she have actually talk to the girls about it.

“Please do not feel oblige to join us. The purpose of letting you guys know is not to force the both of you to leave Korea with us but just in case we have to move, at least you girls know where we are and that we would be safe.” I reassured them.

“Unnie is selfish.” Minzy broke the silence, making all of us look at her. “Unnie is this how you think of our friendship?” She said as she gave me a hug. “I thought we were beyond friends. I thought we were family. Why did you choose to suffer alone all this while?”

“Mingkki ah of course I see you as my sister. But my problem, as well as Bommie unnie’s is not something that we can easily let you guys know. Besides you’re too young and we didn’t want to stain you by letting you know what we have been experiencing. Please forgive unnie for our selfishness. I hope you would understand that we are in such a situation whereby this is the only path and decision we could take.”

“I’m not leaving you unnie. I want to stay beside you and protect you like how you have protected me.” Minzy said as she hugged me tight.

“Thank you baby. I really appreciate it. However can you forgive unnie for being selfish for the last time? If Dara unnie decides to stay, I hope that you can stay in Korea to accompany and help me take care of unnie.” I said as I her hair making her pull away from the hug and look at me, then to Dara unnie.

“Chaerin ah~” Dara unnie voice cracked. It’s obvious that she is really in a dilemma.

“Unnie come here.” I said as she came and I remove one arm from Minzy and wrap it around Dara unnie, making Bommie unnie join the hug too. “I know it’s too much for you. I too can’t bear to separate from you too. However if you decide to stay here, I would respect your decision, as I know that Youngbae oppa would take good care of you. Besides, it’s Bommie unnie and your final year in YG High so it would be a waste if you decided to come with us and delay your graduation. I wouldn’t have agreed to Corn unnie leaving with me if she hasn’t persuaded me that she doesn’t mind leaving when graduation is months away because it’s music she’s going to pursue as a career in the future and that education doesn’t really matter as long as one has the talents. Of course I don’t mean that you should persuade me like Bommie unnie too but I just want to let you know that if I was in your shoe, I would have stayed behind to complete my studies with such a caring boyfriend beside me.”

“But if Dara unnie and I stay behind, would Jiyong oppa…hurt us?” Minzy asked.

“Of course I have thought of that too. Rest assured that he wouldn’t hurt you guys like how he hurt me. After all I was to be blame for allowing him to do such things to me. However he and even Seunghyun oppa might pester you two for our whereabouts, knowing that we would still be in contact. If you guys have decided to stay behind, I would talk to Youngbae oppa about our departure. I’m sure even if we didn’t manage to talk to him about it, he would still protect you guys. I trust him.”

Dara unnie broke down into tears, which I saw coming. I let Minzy free from my hug and when both girls move away, the three of us wrap Dara unnie in our embrace as we tried to calm her down.

“Is everything alright inside?” Youngbae oppa asked as he knocked on the door from outside the ward where he has been waiting in order to give us some girls’ time.

“Would you like for Youngbae to be here?” I asked.

-Current time-

I…AM…SO…DEAD

Bommie unnie is going to break my neck the moment she sees me even though I have already told her that I would be late cause I’M FAR BEYOND LATE!!! And to top it off I forgot to charge my phone and now it’s dead! That means I can’t even tell unnie I’m on my way, which I promised. I tried calling her at the office before I left but she didn’t pick up and I’ve decided to not waste any more time and just leave.

Looking at my watch that reads 8:30pm, I frantically tried to flag down a taxi. It took me 10 minutes to finally get an available one and throughout the trip I was prepping myself for the long lecture that is waiting for me for being late, not calling and not charging my phone. Upon arrival, I paid the fee and told the driver to keep the change before I grab everything and dash up three flights of stairs.

With no time to pant, I keyed in the access code to unlock the door, run through the little living room area with sofas on my right and a little bar area on the left before arriving at another set of door. Without thinking too much, I knocked twice before opening the door as loud music welcomes me into the soundproof room.

“I’m sorry for being late!” I bowed immediately and getting up again I saw my favorite oppa turning to look at me before he turns the music down.

“Work has been a ?” He asked making me smile shyly at him.

“Yeah.”

“It’s ok. Get ready ya?” He said making me nod before I went to the girls who were sitting at the sofa on my right and kept giving me weird looks, as if trying to tell me something.

As soon as I settled down on the sofa beside Bommie unnie, I finally realized what she was trying to tell me. Sitting adjacent to us were 5 guys, 5 guys that I never expected to see here, in this room, in this country.