“Why not report it to the police?”

Sunny didn’t answer him.  She was sitting across Sungmin at his pad.  He had brought her there after what happened at the car park.  She hasn’t recovered from the shock yet, so he couldn’t leave her alone.  Also, she hasn’t spoken a word since that moment—causing Sungmin to worry about her—so much.

“Don’t you have any bodyguards?” he asked again but she was spacing out. He sighed.  Now he understands what it means for silence to be suffocating.  He wanted to cheer her up from her misery but he doesn’t know how to.

“I don’t need them,” she said softly.  “Besides, that wasn’t the only time I received such threat—”

“What?—You mean—”

She looked down and reached for the glass of water on his coffee table.  She stole a glance of him over the glass and caught him staring.  She could drown on the worry written in his eyes. 

So this is how it felt to be cared by him…

She could’ve liked it if it were for another reason—not because of the threat.  “I knew it was sent by a rival who envies the current status of our company.  So, I just ignored it,” she explained.

“Your family knew about it?”

“N-no.  It’s nothing serious, anyway—”

“It is, Sunny!”

She was shocked on how he raised his voice on her. 

He was too.  “I’m sorry.”

“Forgiven.”

The words he meant to utter was suddenly stuck somewhere in the back of his throat.  Even if she already accepted his apology, he was still rude at her.  “You’re a tough woman, Sunny…but you need someone to protect—”

“Oppa, are you there?”  Jessica cut him off when she knocked on his door.  But he didn’t move to open it.  Instead, he looked at Sunny.  “Does Jessica know about it?” 

“I can’t tell her.”  At the same time Sunny spoke, Jessica stopped.  Maybe, she couldn’t wait for him and had already left.  “You don’t have to worry about me, Sungmin-oppa.”

Slowly, she was able to get herself back to normal.  She flashed an assuring smile.  “I’d ask Grandma for a month-long vacation.  Donghae is here so I could finally take a leave.”

“But that’s still an unsafe decision.”

She understood what is implied in his words.  Those who were sending her threats might follow her but she is confident that she won’t be found.  “I could sneak out of Seoul unnoticed.”

He looked unconvinced.  Who wouldn’t be?  She almost freaked out a while ago, yet now, she seemed fine.  Oh God, forgive her for the little lies she makes to cover up her real emotions.

∞

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