A/N: Last chapter, I said that I ended up changing some things because of the comments. However, one of those changes wasn't Sunggyu and Maeri. From the onset, I didn't want the two leads (Maeri and Woohyun) to end up together. As strange as it may sound, it's true. I was inspired to write this fic after Reply 1997, and I wanted to play around with the trope of two childhood friends "getting together." Also I was thinking about arranged marriages and how if Maeri and Woohyun were born in a different time, they probably would've had one. But times and values are different, so their relationship is different. Basically, I had a lot of thoughts regarding the fic (which is why it has taken so long to write). BUT one of them wasn't how Woohyun had fallen for Maeri a bit. That was the thing I changed. I originally had both Maeri and Woohyun moving on too quickly.

Speaking of which, that's why Woohyun and Maeri are bit...angsty and conflicted in this chapter. At the end of this chapter, it's like a week since they've broken up, so please understand. Also next chapter will be WAY more Woohyun focused, I promise. 

I'm sorry for not being completely honest about the pairings since the beginning. I wanted to leave some room for intrigue(?), but I know that some of you (if not all) aren't too happy with me. I'm really really sorry for misleading you. I really do appreciate you all still reading and commenting after all of this time (years and years). I DO love you!

Sorry for going on for too long! I hope you enjoy the update!

“You were right.”

Woohyun was sitting at Hoya’s table with him and Dongwoo. For the first time that day, Woohyun had an actual meal, and now with a full belly, he was too tired to move from it. Also his legs were throbbing from all of the walking he did just an hour prior. Dongwoo and Hoya, however, did not mind. They were just happy to see Woohyun acting remotely like a human again and less like a typewriter, writing endlessly through the night. But now, after having a few drinks, Woohyun became even more human-like and began babbling away his inner thoughts. He sighed again and repeated, “You were right. Asking her to marry me was the dumbest thing that I’ve ever done.”

“I said it could’ve been the smartest thing too,” Dongwoo reminded him with a nervous chuckle, wary of where this was going.

Woohyun scoffed. “Dongwoo, look at me.” Nothing about the situation I’m in now makes that seem like a smart decision.

“Yea, look at him,” Hoya interjected. Woohyun shot a glare at him, but it only glanced off his friend. Hoya shrugged. “I’m just trying to help prove your point.”

“That was before she said ‘yes’ though,” Dongwoo was still trying to wriggle his way out of this conversation. “I thought she might reject you, and things would become awkward between the two of you.”

But Woohyun followed up with, “But she said ‘yes.’” That comment that Dongwoo had made months back was niggling Woohyun all day. He knew that Dongwoo had reason back then. Now when things were all over, Dongwoo was refusing to say it. It was annoying Woohyun. He just wanted to know it, to know why, why this all had to happen and happen to him.

“I know,” Dongwoo muttered lowly. “But…ah, never mind,” he backed out almost as soon as he tried to dive into the thick of it.

“What?” Woohyun goaded him, irritated. “Spit it out.”

“There was another reason,” finally Dongwoo had admitted it.

“What was it?” Woohyun asked.

“Yea, what?” Hoya interjected, curious as well. However, both Woohyun and Dongwoo ignored him and continued on having a side conversation.

“You guys…played very well together,” Dongwoo started. “You made everything into a game. Even, um, your engagement. Maybe?” he suggested, albeit unconfidently. “That’s what else I thought might happen, that you guys would just play ‘house’ together, but not…take it seriously.”

“We took it seriously,” Woohyun argued.

Dongwoo’s nervousness crumbled, and he laughed. “What about the time you guys showed up at my place?” he reminded his friend. “You were wearing Maeri’s shirt, and she had no pants on.”

Hoya had been drinking at the time, and the beer dribbled out of his mouth, wide-open in shock. He then regained his senses, wiped his mouth, and asked, “What?”

Once again, Woohyun disregarded Hoya and focused on Dongwoo. “That was one time!” he combatted. “Once,” he stated, putting up one finger for emphasis. “The rest of the time, we were serious!”

And in his mind, they were. Woohyun seriously was going to marry Maeri, and at the beginning, she seemed serious too. Sure, they ‘played,’ but that’s what they typically did to make mundane things fun. Like the game of dares first started from boredom, and they resurrected it to raise Woohyun’s spirits. There was nothing wrong with that. Also playing games was how they solved disputes, like having a staring contest to choose the flavor of the wedding cake. But…maybe playing rock, paper, scissors to remove clothes was a bit much. Maybe so was taking turns for who was the ‘big spoon.’ Also choosing petnames like they were choosing roles (and when was the last time they called each other those names sincerely? Did they ever?).

Maybe Dongwoo had a point. Woohyun was having too much ‘fun’ that he ignored a lot of obvious things like that. Did I want to play that much?

“Wait,” Hoya attempted to break into the conversation again. “Some one tell me what happened. Why was he wearing her shirt?”

“It was a game of dares,” Woohyun answered coldly. “We only did it once.”

“While you were engaged,” Dongwoo amended.

Woohyun sighed with a heavy heart. “Yea, only once while we were engaged.” All we really did was play.

“I’m kinda sad that I missed it,” Hoya remarked.

“Too bad,” Woohyun snapped, now facing Hoya. Hoya was taken aback. “I’m not playing anymore,” he declared. He slunk down into his chair with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. “She cheated, so I quit. I won’t play with her again.”

“Really?” Dongwoo asked, his eyes wide. He wasn’t yet aware of Woohyun’s resolve to never speak to her again.

“Yea, I don’t like cheaters,” Woohyun answered coldly. He then stood up from the table. “I’m going to bed,” he announced, with a yawn and while rubbing his eyes. I haven’t slept in a long time.

“Oh good night,” the other two muttered to him as they watched him leave. Woohyun responded only with a vague grunt. He wished it would be a good night’s sleep. Hopefully he had tired himself out during the day that he’d just pass out once he laid on the sofa. But passing out would just have to wait a few minutes longer. In addition to sleep, Woohyun couldn’t remember the last time he washed up. Along with the grime, Woohyun hoped to wash some other things off of him, like the water rolling off his back.

After he came out of the bathroom, he expected to be alone, but Dongwoo was waiting for him on the couch. Why hasn’t he left yet? Woohyun didn’t ask. He didn’t say anything. He just walked up to the couch, throwing some of his toiletries into his open duffle bag.

But Dongwoo wasn’t afraid to start conversation with a reticent friend. He’d been friends and roommates with Woohyun for years; he knew how to deal with all of Woohyun moods easily. “Nam-goon, I was thinking,” he started. “How long are you going to stay here?”

Woohyun looked up at him suspiciously. “Did Hoya tell you to ask me?” he asked.

“No, no, no,” Dongwoo denied. “I told me to ask you.”

“I don’t know when I’m leaving,” Woohyun grumbled out a reply as he sat down next to the other. “Why?”

“Go home,” Dongwoo responded bluntly. He put a hand on the other’s knee. “Go home and be with your family. Nothing is more healing than that.”

Woohyun hung his head and groaned. My family is her family, but… Woohyun had to admit that it did sound nice. “I haven’t seen them in awhile,” he confessed. I haven’t talked to them either. I just sent them the letter. They are probably wondering what’s going on. It was funny. His parents had meddled so much in his affairs, until now. Now when Woohyun was in dire straits, they pulled back. They probably want us to work it out on our own. But I don’t want to. I want to go home. But what if she goes too?

“I’ll think about it,” that was as much of a conclusion as Woohyun would reach that night.

“Okay,” and that meager conclusion was good enough for Dongwoo. He patted the other on the back and got up from the couch. “Good night. I’m leaving,” he announced while waving.

“Night,” Woohyun said back and then watched the other leave. Once alone, he flopped down on the couch, waiting for sleep to overcome him, which it soon did, but not without one final thought.

Maybe it is time to go home.

The next morning was just as hard as the one before. Maeri had woken up late again, but this time, only an hour later than usual. She still went to work, regardless of how sick she was still feeling. They were going to hold an auction soon. She couldn’t afford to miss it. There was too much work to be done.

As she was getting ready, Maeri noted how empty the apartment was starting to feel without some of Woohyun’s things. Soon after Sunggyu left, Dongwoo came to collect some of Woohyun’s things. Although she was just barely awake, she helped him go through the apartment and added a few things that were left out on the list, like his toothbrush. And while she was tossing things into the duffle bag, Maeri, for a second, thought about slipping a letter of her own inside. But she didn’t know what to write, or what Woohyun wanted to hear from her. Nothing, he wants nothing to do with me anymore, she thought as she recalled the last line in the letter. She looked down at the open bag. He probably doesn’t even want me to do this. She scrunched her face. Screw it, she thought as she threw more things into his bag.

When the bag was sufficiently full, Dongwoo left with a few words and Maeri was left to sleep, finally giving into what she’d been fighting off. Maybe that was why she was late to wake up this morning. In any case, she still made it to work and was busy there all day, preparing for the auction. She was thankful that they were so busy. There were few opportunities for her and her coworkers to talk about anything outside of work. Although she had noticed Sungjong looking at her strangely time and time again, Maeri ignored him and focused on her work. After the auction. I will tell them after the auction, she concluded. There’s no need for them to know now.

And like that, she passed the day, working busily. She didn’t even notice that it was well past quitting-time, until she looked up from her computer screen and saw that she was the only one left in the office. The dark and dim office now made her incredibly aware of her loneliness. That feeling dragged her stomach lower and lower and also dragged her feet, wanting to escape from it all. Maeri quickly packed up and left after locking up. When she pulled her key out of the lock, Maeri looked up at the sky while stuffing the key back into her pocket. What now?

At that moment, her phone rang. It was Hani. Maeri stared at her unnie’s name on the screen for a few seconds. Despite how close they claimed to be, Maeri hadn’t told her about the break-up yet or about what she had done. I haven’t even told my parents yet either. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I bring myself to tell them?

They don’t need to know right this moment, do they?

Maeri took in a deep breath and answered the call, “Oh, Unnie. How are you?”

“Maeri,” Hani spoke with a voice full of pity. “You sound sick.”

“Eung,” Maeri grunted and sniffed loudly while wiping her nose. “I caught something, but it’s getting better.”

“Good,” Hani responded, but she sounded hesitant, drawing out the word for a beat too long. Obviously things weren’t good, not for Hani.

“Unnie, what is it? What’s up?” Maeri pressed her.

Hani let out a deep breath before finally saying, “I heard. From Woohyun.”

“You talked to Woohyun?” Maeri sputtered. She had been walking to the bus stop as she was talking, but what Hani had just said made her stop in her tracks. “How is he?”

“Fine, given the circumstances,” Hani wasn’t very giving. Maeri’s eyes dropped to her feet, and she nodded. Although it wasn’t much, it was as much information about him as she could hope for.

“Okay,” Maeri muttered in a low voice, and she began walking over to the stop again, dragging her feet against the pavement.

“But…how are you?” Hani stammered through the question, seeming to want to know and the same time, not, which left Maeri wondering how much Woohyun had told Hani.

So Maeri wasn’t willing to divulge any more than he had, so she gave the same veiled answer as Hani did moments earlier. “Fine, given the circumstances.” She sniffed again. “Congested.”

“Okay,” Hani repeated Maeri’s response too and sounded just as disappointed. “I just…wanted to know how you were,” she revealed. “And…” Hani didn’t finish. Something was stopping her, which made Maeri realize that Woohyun had told Hani everything. Hani didn’t know how to act around her anymore. She was uncomfortable, with Maeri. I used to think of her as a sister. Did I lose that? Just because this?

And those thoughts lead Maeri to snap. “And what?” she asked more harshly than she intended.

“And…we should get lunch soon. Then we can talk about it some more,” Hani said.

Maeri closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. I didn’t lose her. I need to stop acting crazy. She sighed. “That would be good. I’d really like that,” Maeri replied and then called for the other’s attention, “Unnie.”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry,” Maeri apologized with a tenuous smile, although the other couldn’t see it

Hani laughed out of disbelief. “For what? I’m not sure that I’m the one you need to be apologizing to,” she reminded the other.

“Ah, no, I do,” Maeri refuted cautiously. How do I say this? She ruffled her hair again. “I know how something like this can affect everyone, especially you.”

“Me? Why?” Hani still wasn’t following, or was refusing to because she kept trying to brush off the matter with a laugh.

“We were all friends and…” Maeri gulped before continuing, “…your mom.”

“That’s all in the past,” Hani’s voice was quick and cold as she spoke, like a blast of winter air. Maeri hung her head again and kicked the pavement. I shouldn’t have said anything. They never really talked about her mother, but Maeri was worried about reopening an old wound with her own cheating. Maeri also must’ve made a noise unbeknownst because Hani spoke again and her tone completely changed, now cheerful, “My mom, I mean. Not you.”

“Good, I was worried for a second,” Maeri replied, with just as much fake cheerfulness. Truth be told, she was still worried about Hani.

A worry which only grew when Hani cut the conversation right there: “Maeri, I’m going to dinner with my dad right now, but let’s get lunch soon, okay?”

“Okay. Bye!” Maeri still kept up the ruse but when she hung up the phone, she slumped onto the bench at the stop and began hitting the of her phone against her head. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid,” she insulted herself. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I should’ve just said ‘yes, let’s have lunch’ and leave it at that,” she kept talking to herself. Maeri then threw her head back, puffing out her cheeks, frustrated. I’m ruining everything, pushing away everyone who’s dear to me. She let her head fall back down, just in time to see the bus pull away from the stop.

“ACK!” she yelped, quickly gathering her things and chasing after the bus. “Wait! Stop!”

I’m doing everything wrong.

Everything was wrong. First, Sunggyu came back late from work to an empty apartment. No Dongwoo could be seen or heard, and Little Woohyun was still sequestered in Dongwoo’s room. It was almost as if Sunggyu had been living alone, except there was one small trace of Dongwoo left behind. It was a travel mug with a note next to it, telling Sunggyu to give it to Maeri. Curious, Sunggyu picked up the mug, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. His face puckered as soon as the liquid touched his tongue. It was tea, incredibly bitter herbal tea. “Aish,” he murmured as he tried to smack the taste away. He placed the mug back onto the counter, glaring at it. I’d rather have you, Dongwoo, than this gesture. Sunggyu sighed as walked over the couch and spilled himself onto his, face squished against the cushion.

Everything was wrong, and it wasn’t just because of Dongwoo or even the whole ordeal with Woohyun. Things were wrong ever since a year ago when his parents both passed away. Has it really been almost a year already? Dates flew through his mind as he calculated. His father’s anniversary was next week. And it was on that day a year ago when Sunggyu’s world dimmed, and it was bathed in complete darkness when his mother left soon after. He hadn’t been the same since then. He was aware of it. He’d become colder and more reserved, awkward around people. Even with Dongwoo, one of his oldest friends, the conversation would just suddenly die and things would get sullen.

But there was an exception to this, a light in his black world, Yoo Maeri. Around her, he felt his stone-face crack into a smile. He felt warm, comforted. And he didn’t want to lose that, which led him to act out of panic when she was slipping away from him. He kissed her, lightly on the forehead. Sunggyu rolled over and stared at the scene of the crime, his bedroom, that spot near the wall, where she kissed him back. For that moment, ‘everything’ had turned from wrong to glorious, but only for a short burst of time. It ended when Dongwoo came back and she cursed at his face. Then everything was pure .

Like Maeri, Woohyun had been an exception in his life. He never formed a friendship that quickly (excluding Maeri). Sunggyu also never talked to anybody so bluntly about his father and his mother until Woohyun. Sunggyu had exchanged that honest friendship for something else, more dear (and more selfish). Woohyun was a good friend, but Maeri (Sunggyu had a feeling) could be the best friend that he ever had. It was a Pyrrhic victory. Like Maeri, Sunggyu was ashamed.

Everything is wrong. I should’ve just stayed home, with my sister.

Sunggyu rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. As he closed his eyes, he tried to cover the images of his parents and their last few moments with ones that would give him comfort and ease his heart. He hated how often he imagined this, but he would often daydream what would’ve happened to them in an alternate universe in which Woohyun hadn’t proposed, Maeri hadn’t accepted, or the both of them treated the proposal as a joke and moved on:

Woohyun didn’t know this, but Dongwoo had already offered Sunggyu to stay in their apartment until he could find another. The appointment Sunggyu had picked up at the high school was last minute as was his move to the town. And because Dongwoo probably wouldn’t tell Woohyun about their new ‘roommate,’ Sunggyu and Woohyun would still have friction with each other. But they would become friends eventually, Sunggyu was sure of that. Sunggyu was also sure that eventually he would’ve met Maeri, maybe even earlier than they originally did. There were multiple ways that they could’ve met, like if she stopped by the apartment to pick up Woohyun for dinner or to drop something off that their mothers gave her for him. Then Sunggyu would answer the door. They’d both be surprised at this strange twist of fate. Woohyun would walk up, asking, “Do you guys know each other?” Then Maeri would tell him about how she appraised Sunggyu’s house just days earlier. When Maeri stepped inside, they would catch up, talking about everything and anything since they last time they met. Frustrated and tired of being ignored, Woohyun would invite Sunggyu to dinner with them so that they could continue the conversation there. At dinner, the three of them would have a good time. The conversation would be nice, and Sunggyu would smile and laugh more than he had in a long while. Also Woohyun might suggest that Maeri should set Sunggyu up with one of her friends, claiming that he was a catch and that it would cheer him up. “I already have my eye on someone,” Sunggyu would respond the same in this fantasy as he did in this reality. Except in the fantasy, he’d do better. He’d do it right. After dinner, Sunggyu would get Maeri’s number. They were friends now. There was nothing wrong with that, nor would there be anything wrong with him stopping by the auction house to check on his things. There he would learn that Maeri bought his table, and he’d be touched by the fact she cared about his (lame) story, although she would insist over and over again that it was a beautiful piece of wood (Maeri really needed to stop saying that).

They’d continue to get dinner together, with or without Woohyun. One time, with Woohyun absent, Maeri would ask, unable to restrain her curiosity anymore, “So tell me about her, the girl you have your eye on. Who is she?”

“You.”

Maeri would smile and reply, “I was hoping it’d be.” And then they would be together, the right way and with Woohyun’s approval. He’d ask them what took so long. And at this moment, almost a year later, Sunggyu would probably be contemplating proposing to her rather than whether or not they should actually pursue this.

Sunggyu opened his eyes again, coming back to reality. Sadly this chain of events was only a fantasy, his fantasy. He didn’t know, for sure, what Maeri herself was thinking at this moment, what she’d fantasize about. Sunggyu hoped that she wanted the same as him, but a part of him was afraid that she’d go back to Woohyun and beg for his forgiveness, another part terrified that Woohyun would give it. Should I go over and ask her directly? Are we dating? What is it that you want? “No, no, no,” he spoke out loud. He was afraid of what her answer would be.

While he was lost in his doubts, there was a timid knock at the door. Sunggyu almost thought he was hearing things, but then there was another round of knocking, softer this time. Sunggyu still heard it, since he’d been listening for it, and he rolled off the couch and walked over to the door. After peering through the spyhole, he saw that it was Maeri, waiting nervously and fiddling with a book in her hands. Sunggyu wasted no time in opening the door.

When she looked up at him, Maeri lit up and relaxed. “Sunggyu,” she spoke with a growing smile. “You’re here.”

“Maeri, why are you here?” Sunggyu asked, and then he quickly remembered his manners and stepped aside. “Come in. Come in.” He ushered her into the apartment. Maeri took a step inside but lingered in the entryway, taking off neither her shoes nor her coat. She just stood a step or two in front of the closed door.

“Woohyun left this book. It looks like he was reading it,” she said, showing off the book and flicking at the bookmark inside of it.

Sunggyu put his hands in his pockets and cocked an eyebrow. “Did you come all of this way just to give it to Dongwoo?” he challenged.

“No,” Maeri answered, still smiling. She then finally took another step inside, a step towards Sunggyu, and hugged him, threading her arms through his. “I wanted to give this to you too.”

Sunggyu smiled and pulled his hands out from his pockets. He then placed them on her shoulders, peeling Maeri slightly away from him. Once their eyes met, he fixed a frown on his face. “I don’t want it,” he said. “I want to exchange it for something else.”

“What?” Maeri asked with a tilt of her head. With just a slight pout of his lips, Maeri got the hint. “Ah!” she exclaimed and then got up on the tips of her toes, giving him a quick peck.

“Tell me the truth. You came here to see me,” his words were much stronger than his voice was. His doubts from moments before were darting through his mind again.

But then she dashed them away: “I did. I felt like I needed an excuse to come, and so...”

“You don’t need one. You’re welcome here,” Sunggyu cut her off and hoped that he’d alleviate her worries too. He pulled at the collar of the coat that she was still wearing. “You can come over at any time.” And stay.

But Maeri wasn’t looking up at him. Her eyes were darting all over the apartment. She stood on her toes again, but this time to look around Sunggyu’s shoulders. “I might be welcomed here, but…” her voice dropped as she concentrated on her search for…

“Dongwoo,” Sunggyu continued for her.

“Yea.” Her eyes returned back onto his and she nodded. “It could get awkward,” she added.

“I see,” Sunggyu muttered. He then pulled away from Maeri, moving his hand from her collar down to her hand and held it. Leading her by the hand, the two of them walked over to the counter (finally leaving the entryway). With his other hand, he picked up the travel mug. “He made you this, by the way,” he told her and handed the mug over. “Maybe it won’t be so awkward.”

Maeri used both of her hands to receive the tea, after putting the book onto the counter and letting go of Sunggyu’s hand. “He’s so nice. Too nice,” she mumbled as she turned the mug in her hands. With a heavy sigh, she put the tea back onto the counter. Sunggyu stared at her curiously. Is she not going to take it? Maeri then looked up at him. “What is it?”

“Bitter tea. Very bitter,” Sunggyu answered, smacking his lips at the memory of the taste.

“You tasted it?” Maeri asked with a frown. “But it’s for me.”

“Yes,” Sunggyu responded timidly with a nod. Maeri smiled, and he did too. “I was hungry,” he excused himself.

“Okay. It’s okay. I don’t mind,” Maeri replied. But then the smile fled from face, and she became grim. “There’s another reason why I’m here,” she confessed.

“What is it?” he asked, growing uneasy because she was so serious. This is it. She’s going to tell me…his mind came up with thousands of horrifying things she could tell him.

“I needed to get out of that apartment.” He didn’t think that she’d say that. “Sunggyu, I think I need to go home.”

“Okay,” Sunggyu agreed with her, half-heartedly. It would be easier if she stayed at her apartment, but if she went home, which was not only further away, there would be her parents and then Woohyun’s parents. I can’t just go to her house. I’ll be alone again. “Go home,” he encouraged her, with more strength. “But can we eat dinner first?” While she was still nearby, he wasn’t about to eat alone.

“Of course,” Maeri readily agreed. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” he answered honestly. “Aren’t you?” It was late. How could she not be?

“I guess I could eat,” Maeri replied with small nod. She then reached for his hand. “Let’s go,” she said softly, while squeezing his hand.

“What’s the book about anyway?” Sunggyu asked as he followed her back to the entryway.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, sheepishly. “I just grabbed a random book from the nightstand.”

“You wanted to see me that badly?” Sunggyu tried to , as he slipped into his shoes.

But she answered it truthfully, “Eung.”

Sunggyu stood up straight, staring at her all the way, his lips picking up. “You’re too honest,” he retorted.

“I can't lie very well,” Maeri confessed.

“Lie,” Sunggyu challenged her. “Try it right now.”

Maeri squared up to him, furrowing her brow, and accepted his challenge: “You’re the handsomest man on the planet.”

Sunggyu scoffed. “You’re right. You can’t lie. You can only tell the truth,” he retorted and he opened up the door, gesturing for her to go through.

“Told you,” she said as she walked past him.

Sunggyu stepped into the hallway and began to close the door, while he told her, “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too.”

“I need to move back home,” Maeri repeated for about the hundredth time that day, as if she were trying to remind herself. She wanted to do this. She had to do this.

“Okay, but why am I here?” Sunggyu asked. Over dinner last night, Maeri asked him to help her move, and he agreed, although he was nervous about what it entailed (he was scared of the rest of the Yoos and all of the Nams right now). But she insisted that all he would need to do was to drop her off at her house. However, now that didn’t seem to be the case. They were both sitting in the car, parked right outside of her home, and Maeri had yet to move anything besides her lips. She had resolved on moving back home, but she still needed a push to help her go through with it.

“I’m still on cold medication. I shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery. The car…is heavy,” she answered his question while spreading her arms across the dashboard until her cheek laid smooshed against it. She looked over at Sunggyu and sniffed loudly, pitifully.

He laughed. “Are you sure it’s only cold medicine that you’re on? Nothing else? You didn’t drink anything?” he , while patting her head.

Maeri raised her head. “No, I’m still nauseous,” she mumbled, her hand covering her stomach. Sunggyu studied her for few moments. I wasn’t this nauseous when I was sick. She doesn’t seem to be recovering either, he concluded. Her skin was still sallow. Her cheeks were getting slimmer. They felt different underneath his fingers. Maeri then looked up from her stomach to him. “Also I need moral support, in case they turn me away,” she finally admitted.

Sunggyu smirked and dropped his hand. I had a feeling that I wasn’t just a driver. “They won’t,” he tried to assuage her fears.

But it didn’t work. She shook her head and argued, “No, they would. They seriously would. They like Woohyun more than me. They told me that before. Hell, Jonghyun tells me that every time I see him.”

“I’m sure they were just joking,” he tried again, and this time it seemed to work. She relaxed a little.

“Just in case they weren’t, stick around, okay?” she begged of him, laying her hand over his, which had been on the gear shift.

He flipped that hand over and threaded his fingers through hers. “Okay,” he promised.

“At least I can count on something,” she said. Sunggyu felt his face grow warm and a smile spread across his face. He wanted to say, ‘yes, you can always count on me,’ but then Maeri finished her statement: “My family likes me more than you.”

Sunggyu frowned. “That’s only because they don’t know me,” he argued.

The cheeky smile flew from her face and she pouted. “They’d still like me more,” she insisted.

“Just go in,” he raised his voice. This was getting silly and she was only prolonging the argument to stall. He knew it and she did too.

“Okay, I’ll go,” she gave in and withdrew her hand. “Bye,” she said and then leaned in to give him a peck goodbye. But when she pulled away she still showed no signs of leaving. Instead she furrowed her brows and asked, “But where will you go?”

“There’s a coffee shop down the street. I’ll work there,” he quickly made plans. Sunggyu then tried to push her again. “Good luck with your parents,” he wished her and then kissed her goodbye too.

“Thanks. Be safe,” Maeri responded and returned his kiss with another.

“Safe from what?” Sunggyu asked with a slight chuckle.

“I don’t know. Hot coffee?” Maeri suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. “You don’t want to burn yourself.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’ll be safe,” he promised and then tried to kiss her goodbye again. “Go.”

But when he pulled away, Maeri still didn’t make a move for the door. Instead she pouted and put one finger up in the air. “Just one more,” she requested. “For good luck.”

Stalling again. But Sunggyu had to admit that this tactic was better than the last one. He was more willing to indulge her, and he would have, for much longer, if they weren’t outside of her parents’ house. “If I don’t, will you die?” he brought up what she said a few days ago. He liked it a bit too much. She can’t live without me. But Maeri didn’t seem to like being reminded of it. Her lips curled up into snarl, and she huffed. “Okay, okay. One more. Give me one more kiss or I’ll die,” he amended, and it brought the smile back to her face. And she readily and gladly gave into his request, leaning forward, about to give him more than just a simple peck. Slowly, she inched closer, and then their lips brushed against each other…

“Yoo Maeri!” a shout was accompanied by several, thumping knocks against the window. “That sure doesn’t look like your fiancè.”

“OMAGOSH! MOM!” Maeri screeched. Both her and Sunggyu immediately looked outside the passenger window, where sure enough, her mother was standing, clicking her tongue at them and shaking her head.

“This must be the succubus,” this time a voice came from behind Sunggyu, right outside of the driver’s side window. Sunggyu slowly turned his head back and saw who he could only assume was Maeri’s face. The old man smiled cheekily. “Nice to see you again, Kim Sunggyu.”

“Hello, sir,” Sunggyu greeted him as politely as he could (given the circumstances), while he rolled down the window. “Did you get a letter by chance?” he asked. Instead of answering with words, the old man took a thick envelope from his coat pocket. The address was written in Woohyun’s handwriting. Sunggyu smiled sheepishly. “Ah. So you did.”

He then heard a door open. He whipped his head back to Maeri and witnessed her mother opening up the door and pulling her daughter out by her ear. “Come on inside, unfaithful daughter of mine,” she commanded Maeri.

“This kid should come in too,” her father said and Sunggyu could feel his finger pointing at him before he could see it. He turned back to the old man and gulped. There was no escape. Sunggyu followed his suggestion and opened up the door, stepping out of the car. He wordlessly walked by her father’s side and behind Maeri, who was in pain with her mother still dragging her by the ear.

“Maeri, next time you want to keep a relationship a secret from us, don’t kiss in the driveway, okay?” her mother recommended.

“I got it. I got it,” Maeri muttered. And in spite of her mother’s iron grip on her ear, she craned her head back to make sure Sunggyu was still there. Once their gazes met, she mouthed ‘I’m sorry.’ Sunggyu tried to dismiss it with a gesture to make her feel better, but truthfully, he was sorry too. He was sorry that his first meeting with her parents had to be like this. This wasn’t what how he wanted it to happen at all. Everything was still wrong.

Once they were inside the house, Maeri’s father whisked Sunggyu away into the living room for a game of baduk, which luckily Sunggyu had learned how to play from his grandfather. Maeri wished him luck, knowing full well that her father, a member of the town’s baduk club, was going to whip his royally. Humiliating Sunggyu like that was her father’s retaliation for everything that happened, and she was sure there would be some snide remarks made ‘in the spirit of competition.’ She only hoped that Sunggyu would be able to keep a cool head.

Those were the plans that her father had for Sunggyu, but Maeri had no idea what her mother had in store for herself. Her mom led her into the kitchen, away from the men, but did not speak one word to her. A lecture from her mother wasn’t what was in store for her. Maeri was led into the kitchen because someone else was there, waiting, with his head laying on the table, looking desolate. “Jonghyun?” Maeri called out to him.

Her little brother raised his head, showing his puffy, red eyes. Once he saw that Maeri was there, he roughly rubbed his face and grumbled, “Get out.”

“What’s wrong?” Maeri asked, directing the question not to Jonghyun but her mother. Her mother shrugged, refusing to give any information, and left the room.

“What’s wrong?” Jonghyun repeated, raising his voice. “What’s wrong is you ruined everything!”

Maeri walked up closer to him, but was careful to keep her distance. “I know,” she accepted the blame. “It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. I know you care a lot about…Woohyun,” she brought his name up with difficulty. “I didn’t want to hurt him. Or you.”

Jonghyun scoffed. “Bull,” he cursed. Maeri’s eyes widened in shock. Her little brother had never cursed like that before. “Doesn’t matter what you wanted. You still hurt the both of us.”

“True, but…” Maeri tried to argue, but then her bother cut her off.

“Hyung hates me now because of you!”

“What?!”

“Woohyun-hyung, wrote mom and dad a letter, and he even gave one to that old lady who owns the snack shop. But he didn’t give me one,” Jonghyun explained in a growling tone. “He hasn’t talked to me since…you screwed everything up!”

“Jonghyun,” Maeri muttered below her breath and walked closer to him, putting her and on his back. “I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.”

“He does!” Jonghyun snapped back, moving away from her. “You know how every Friday I hang out with hyung?” Maeri nodded. “I waited for him all afternoon but he never came. He never even sent a message. And when I tried to find him, that’s when I found out he told the old lady about everything, but he wouldn’t tell me. He won’t talk to me. He hates me.”

“That…that doesn’t sound like him,” Maeri spoke her thoughts out loud. “I’m sure there’s a reason.”

“There is. He hates me,” Jonghyun sneered and he got up from the table. “Thanks a lot,” he grumbled as he walked past her, intentionally knocking into her shoulder. He left the kitchen and Maeri heard him stomping up the stairs and them slamming his bedroom door.

When he left, Maeri sat down at the table, ruffling her hair in frustration. “Nam Woohyun,” she grumbled below her breath. She was okay with Woohyun cutting her out of his life, but Jonghyun committed no sin against him. Being her brother wasn’t a grievous crime! It wasn’t even a crime at all. But it wasn’t like Woohyun to ignore Jonghyun either. Unless he hates me that much. A hatred so strong that it trickled down to her family members. What did the letter to her parents say? Did it blame them for raising her like this? Maybe I should ask my parents if I could read it. Maeri rapt her fingers against the table as she thought it over. “Nam Woohyun, what are you doing?” She pulled out her phone from her pocket, tempted to call him, yell at him, for dragging her brother through all of this. You always said that he was your little brother too. She was going to do it. She pulled up his phone number and was about to hit the call button.

But then she heard steps thudding back down the stairs. From where she was sitting, Maeri could see a bit of the hallway and made out her little brother at the bottom of the stairs. He was slipping on his shoes in a hurry and putting on his coat. Jonghyun was about to go out the door, but then he changed his mind after touching the doorknob and darted into the kitchen. His eyes were fixed on the floor, refusing to look at her. “Hyung just messaged me. We’re going out now. He just got off from work,” he told her. After chewing on his lower lip a few times, he stammered out, “I’m sorry for blaming you, noona.”

Maeri smiled. “It’s okay. Go have fun,” she told him, but she had to yell the last bit because Jonghyun was already running back to the door. When he left again, Maeri looked back down to her phone. “I must be crazy,” she mumbled as she quickly got rid of Woohyun’s name across the screen. “What was I thinking? I should have more faith in him. I should know better.”

He only hates me, Maeri reminded herself as she got up from the table to go find her mother. She found the woman in the living room, watching Sunggyu flounder at baduk and laughing. Ah, no he hates Sunggyu too, she tried to find comfort in that, but couldn’t. Her gaze drifted up to her mother and then over to her father. I didn’t ruin your friendship with the Nams. Did I?

“Is Jonghyun getting dinner with Woohyun?” her mother asked, breaking into her thoughts. There was a sudden clanking noise. Sunggyu had knocked over a couple stones off of the board and was now putting them back on, apologizing profusely. Her father was directing him where to put the stones (and was probably lying about where they were to give himself a few extra points).

Maeri smiled quickly, but her face fell when she turned to her mother. “I guess,” she replied vaguely.

“Looks like we have an extra spot at the table,” her mom concluded. “Sunggyu, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

Sunggyu spun towards her. “Uh, yes, if it’s not any trouble,” he accepted the offer.

“None at all, especially if Maeri pitches in,” her mom said, giving her daughter a pointed glance. “Come on,” she said to Maeri. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“We do,” Maeri agreed as she followed her mom back into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, for awhile, all that could be heard was the clinking of stones from the living room and her father’s rumbling laughter. But that was soon replaced with the sound of knives against the cutting board, as Maeri and her mother chopped up vegetables. Maeri was slow and methodical in her cutting, unused to the task. Then she heard her mother sigh and click her tongue.

“We came in here to talk. Isn’t there something you want to tell me?” her mom prodded her.

Maeri put down the knife. “What do you want me to tell you?” she returned her mother’s question with another. “I don’t know where to begin…and I’m sure that Woohyun told you everything anyway.”

“Yes, he did,” her mother spoke lowly and then she put down her knife as well and faced her daughter. “But I want to hear your side.”

“What did he tell you?” Maeri asked.

Her mother wasn’t giving and shrugged her shoulders. “This and that,” she answered and the range. “Hand me the pot and get the rice ready.”

“Okay,” Maeri murmured and followed her commands.

“Thank you, dear,” her mother said as she accepted the pot from her daughter. She then began to put the ingredients into the put, and Maeri silently helped her, handing one item after another. “The way I see it…” the elder broke the silence. “…because you’re not saying anything, something about that boy in the other room…”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Maeri interrupted her mother and finally started talking about the matter. “It wasn’t his fault. It was mine.” She let out a deep breath and leaned against the island. Her skin grew hot and she couldn’t bear looking up at her mom. The two of them had an honest relationship. Maeri told her mother everything, except when it came to matters of the heart. Her mother often joked that she’d get engaged before Maeri would even tell them that she was dating. But Maeri skirted around the issue as much as she could. After she saw her mother send a piercing glare towards the living room aimed at Sunggyu, she couldn’t hold back anymore. Maeri refused to have it seem like he’d seduced her. It’s not like that at all.

“I don’t know when I started liking Sunggyu,” Maeri began, eyes still on her hands. “But when I realized it, I should’ve said something. I should’ve told Woohyun. But instead, I pretended like I didn’t like him. I tried to convince myself of that. I didn’t want to hurt Woohyun, and I really thought that us getting married would turn out for the best, because…because my feelings for Sunggyu were fleeting and Woohyun…has always been there me. And, well, they didn’t go away. Those feelings.” Maeri huffed, puffing out her cheeks, and she bounced her legs, agitated. This confession took a lot out of her, and it was embarrassing to tell her mother. And it was especially embarrassing when her mother snorted and burst into laughter. Maeri snapped her head up and glared at her mother. “What is it? What’s so funny?”

“You,” her mother answered, pointing the ladle at her daughter. “That’s sounds so much like you.” She then returned to the pot boiling on the stove, but didn’t stop talking. “The whole cheating thing didn’t, but you trying to convince yourself…” her voice dropped off and she clicked her tongue. “You’re a silly girl.”

“Incredibly silly,” Maeri agreed.

“Unless.” Her mother stepped closer to her and dropped her voice. “Unless there’s something wrong with that boy.”

“There’s nothing wrong!” When Maeri noticed that she’d raised her voice, she took in a deep breath and lowered it, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s nice, and he’s…not bad looking.”

“Maeri,” the elder chided her. “It really doesn’t sound like you like him.”

“I do!” Maeri exclaimed, waving her arms in the air. “I like him a lot. I think he’s handsome. And I like him a lot.” She huffed. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Eung,” her mom hummed. “You know for the last 15 years, whenever you liked someone, whenever you were dating someone, I had to hear it from Woohyun first. You never told me. Your relationship with this kid included.” She then cupped her daughter’s cheek. “So to finally hear about it from you, it’s nice.” She lightly slapped Maeri’s cheek a few times before returning back to the stove.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be better about it,” Maeri promised. “I’ll be more honest from now on.” To everyone, including myself. She sighed and lifted herself off from the island. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Can you plate the side dishes?” the elder asked. As Maeri was pulling Tupperware from the fridge, her mother decided to test Maeri’s new pledge: “And what about Woohyun? What are you going to do about him?”

Maeri put the Tupperware on the counter before wrapping her fingers around the edges. “I don’t know,” she replied, truthfully. “He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Well, can you blame him?” her mother challenged.

“No,” Maeri answered. “I wouldn’t want to talk to me either. But…” She opened up one of the containers and started to scoop some of it out. “That’s all I want to do. I want to talk to him. Apologize. Tell him that I didn’t mean to hurt him. I want to make amends. But don’t think we can.”

“You two will. Give it time,” her mother assured her.

“I hope you’re right,” Maeri responded but her hope was fading fast. As the days ticked by without them talking, her hope for their reconciliation waned. It seems impossible now.

“Are you happy?” That question made Maeri whip her head around to look at her mother. The old woman was looking right back at her. “When you’re with Sunggyu, are you happy?”

Maeri thought it over for a few seconds before answering, “When I’m with him…” Instead of confirming it with words, Maeri nodded. Like everything else, this was also embarrassing for her to admit. The only times that she’d been happy recently was when she was with Sunggyu. Her lips would automatically turn up into a smile, and her anxious heart was finally at ease. Although everything in her world seemed wrong, being with Sunggyu felt right (and Maeri knew that it was the same for him; she knew it every time his gloomy face would light up around her).

Her mother walked up to her and gave her a hug. “That’s all a mother could really ask for. I just want you to be happy,” she spoke softly and then gave her daughter a squeeze before letting go. “When you’re done there, can you set the table?”

“Eung,” Maeri grunted as she continued with the task. While she did, her mind circled around what her mother had just said. Happy? Me too. I want to be happy, on my own. And Maeri knew the first step towards that goal: “Mom, can I move back in?”

“Of course,” her mother replied quickly. Her gaze flickered over to her daughter. “I think that’s the right thing to do. You look like death.” She returned her attention back to the food on the stove. “Stay and get better.”

“Thank you,” Maeri responded and then went to set the table. When she got there, her stomach was already churning, just seeing the side dishes on the table. She was getting nauseous again. It had been happening a lot lately. Because of it, she couldn’t eat well, which only made the situation worse. Her stomach was too acidic (she felt like she was eating more antacids than actual food recently). I’m going to give myself ulcers at this rate.

It wasn’t because of whatever she’d caught from Sunggyu. Maeri had a habit of internalizing things. On the outside, she’d smile and pretend like everything was fine (and sometimes the smile was natural when she with Sunggyu), but her feelings manifested and festered inside. And now Maeri’s guilt was literally eating at her.

The dinner went well and went awkwardly at the same time. Lately, when Maeri had been coming home, the table had been fuller, with Jonghyun and the Nams. It felt empty without them. And Sunggyu was sitting at Woohyun’s usual spot, by Maeri’s side. The atmosphere was tense and the conversation stilted, at first, but it soon improved. And Maeri was able to eat more than she had in a while. It was nice. When it was over and Maeri was clearing the table, her father whispered to her saying that Sunggyu was ‘appropriate.’ Indeed, any man willing to suffer through her father’s teasing was fit to be called ‘appropriate.’

Also after dinner was finished and the table was cleared, it was time for Sunggyu to leave (and for Maeri to get her things from the car). Maeri followed him out and to the car. She went around to the back, towards the trunk, and took out her bag once Sunggyu had opened the door for her. “Thanks,” she said, grappling with the large duffle bag, which she had over stuffed, putting as much as she could in there so that she didn’t have to go back anytime soon. Maeri turned to him. “Thanks for coming.”

Sunggyu chuckled. “I didn’t really have a choice,” he retorted. “Your dad dragged me inside.”

“True,” Maeri agreed. “But you didn’t have to drive me here. So thanks for that.”

“Oh that?” Sunggyu remarked as he leaned against the car. “That was nothing.”

Maeri hobbled over to him, her bag hovering over the ground, but once she reached him, she dropped it. “It meant a lot, really,” she told him.

“I know,” Sunggyu stated. “Do you need help with that?” he asked, nodding towards the bag.

“Do you want to go back inside?” she turned the question around.

“Ah, no, not really,” he answered honestly. “You can carry that on your own. You’re a strong woman. I’ve seen you carry a grown man before.”

Maeri sputtered into an embarrassed chuckle. “That wasn’t one of my proudest moments,” she admitted.

“Why not?” Sunggyu challenged. “Be proud of it. You’re practically Kim Bok Joo.”

“Does that make you Jung Joonhyung?”

“Of course,” Sunggyu responded, lifting himself off of the car. “Who else would he be?”

“How could you be a swimmer? Aren’t you afraid of the water?” Maeri challenged.

Sunggyu gasped. “Who told you?”

Maeri’s eyes widened and she laughed in disbelief. “Gyu, I was just guessing,” she revealed.

“Ah,” Sunggyu muttered before he started to laugh unnaturally. “I was joking. Seriously I was. I can swim. Who’s afraid of water? Not me,” that defense didn’t convince Maeri, but she also wasn’t in the position to make fun of him. He was afraid of water. She was afraid of fire. She had just lit her first match earlier this year, after years and years of being afraid to do so. What a pair we make. A pair of scaredy cats.

Speaking of being a pair…“Oh right,” Maeri muttered. “Before you go, I thought I should tell you.” Sunggyu raise his head and waited for her to continue. “My parents seemed to like you. My dad even said that you were appropriate.”

“What? Appropriate?” he sputtered. “What does that mean?”

“Coming from him, that’s high praise,” Maeri replied.

“Really?”

“Really. Trust me.” she replied with a nod. Maeri didn’t want to read too much into it, but at its surface, ‘appropriate’ meant that Sunggyu was polite and cordial; he said and did the right things at the right time. Reading (probably) too much into it, her father meant that Sunggyu was ‘appropriate’ for her. Maeri thought the former meaning was more likely (she knew who her parents favored). But to ease Sunggyu’s mind, she took both of his hands into hers and assured him, “Sunggyu, you’re welcome here anytime.”

“Thanks, but…will you always be here? All the time?” he asked, eyes fixed on their hands as he swayed them a bit.

“Hm?” Maeri hummed, swaying herself. “No, I’m not grounded or anything. I’m almost 31. I can leave the house whenever I want,” she boasted.

Sunggyu raised his gaze. “Even if it’s just to hang out with me?”

“Especially for just that,” Maeri replied. She then squeezed his hands before letting go of them in order to pick her bag up. “It’s getting late, and it’s cold,” she stated. As it was still winter, the both of them were shivering and their extremities were slowly growing red and numb, especially Maeri’s, who walked out with only her sweater on. She didn’t want to say goodbye just yet, but she also didn’t want to lose her fingers to frostbite. “Drive safely, okay?”

“I will,” Sunggyu promised. He then quickly leaned in, but Maeri backed away. Her eyes flew to her door. She didn’t want to get caught by her parents again. But when her gaze returned to the man in front of her, she saw his hurt expression. “Just one,” he begged.

Maeri put down her bag again. “Just one,” she lied and kissed him twice. When she pulled away, she wished him a good night. And Sunggyu got into the car and left, waving at Maeri as he passed her by. Maeri sighed after she saw the car turn at corner at the end of her street. Then suddenly she was reminded by the winter chill biting her. “Ah cold!” she yelped, picked up her bag, and waddled back into the house.

But Maeri wasn’t the only one who watched Sunggyu leave.

When Woohyun was walking up to his street with Jonghyun under his arm, he noticed the car stopping at the corner. He recognized it and stopped in his tracks. That’s Dongwoo’s car, he thought. What is Dongwoo doing here? To see me? His arm fell away from Jonghyun, and he took a step, about to sprint towards the car and surprise Dongwoo. However, when the car pulled up a bit more, coming underneath the light of the streetlamp, Woohyun stopped. Dongwoo wasn’t in the car.

“Why is he here?” Woohyun sneered as he watched the car turn in the opposite direction.

“That ahjussi?” Jonghyun asked as he came up to his hyung’s side. “He dropped Maeri off,” he explained.

“Maeri’s here?!” Woohyun explained, eyes automatically darting everywhere, searching for her. Why? Why now? Woohyun then closed his eyes, giving up the search, and rubbed his face in irritation. He used to like that they shared the same thoughts at times, but now it was incredibly irritating. Why are you following me now? Why did you bring him here?

“Eung. Noona came right before you did, hyung,” Jonghyun continued and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat. He’d noticed that Woohyun was distressed, and he glared down the street where the car had just gone. “But I don’t like that ahjussi,” Jonghyun spoke darkly and lowly. “He looks like a Tibetan fox.”

That made Woohyun laugh. He opened up his eyes and patted the younger on the head. “He does, doesn’t he?” Woohyun agreed and then added, “You can’t trust foxes, Jonghyun. Remember that.” Jonghyun nodded, engraving that in his young mind. And the two wished each other good night and went into their respective houses, but Woohyun didn’t do so until he looked over at the Yoo house and caught a glimpse of Maeri’s bedroom window, with the light on. So she really is home. He sighed and stepped inside.

Up until this point, coming home had been healing. His mother missed her youngest soon, even more so since the recent turn of events, and pampered him. His father also seemed to be doing better than he’d had been, giving Woohyun hope that his suffering too would soon pass. And finally, meeting with Jonghyun was healing; nothing between them had changed. They talked about soccer, video games, and school and nothing more. He was glad that his resentment for one of the Yoos had not trickled down to the rest, unconsciously and undeservingly. He’d been worried about that happening. After everything, Nam Woohyun was still acting like Nam Woohyun, even if he didn’t feel much like himself anymore.

But now, home felt like a dangerous place to be, with his enemy just across the street. However there was a way that he could escape. Woohyun pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed out a message.

Maeri was laying in her bed, with her eyes closed but the light in her room still on. She had collapsed onto her bed after lugging her bag up the stairs. It had sapped more energy out of her than she expected. The sickness was taking a toll on her body. When did I become so weak?

“Noona.”

Maeri opened her eyes and sat up on her bed. Jonghyun was standing in her doorway, tapping away on his phone. She grinned at her dongsaeng. “Oh, you’re back? How was it?” she asked.

“Good,” that was as much information as she expected from him. Then Jonghyun lifted his gaze from the phone up to his sister. “Hyung wants to know if he could have the apartment.”

Maeri stiffened and muttered, “What?”

“The apartment,” Jonghyun repeated a bit too curtly, growing impatient with his sister.

“Uh, sure, of course,” Maeri stammered out an answer. “Ask him to give me the weekend in order to move out. Then…it’s all his,” she bargained. It was the least she could do for Woohyun right now.

As Jonghyun was typing out a reply to his hyung, he asked his sister, “Do you need help?”

Maeri raised an eyebrow. “You’d help me move out?” she asked, surprised. As Jonghyun was getting older, it seemed like he wanted to have less and less to do with his sister, turning her away for his friends and for the Nam brothers. Maeri couldn’t blame him. Jonghyun was trying to figure out how to be his own person, to be independent, and Maeri was 18 years older than him and was probably more of a motherly figure to him than a sisterly one. So this offer touched her.

“Yea,” Jonghyun replied, acting as if it were no big deal. “If I have nothing else better to do.”

“You do like me,” Maeri spoke her thoughts out loud, still in shock.

Jonghyun frowned. “I still like hyung more,” he retorted and stuck out his tongue. “Good night, noona,” he said with a wave and left.

“Night!” Maeri shouted after him. But instead of flopping back down on her bed, she slipped out and went over to her window, looking out to the Nam house. She folded her arms on the windowsill and rested her chin on top of them. “Are you home too?” she asked her estranged friend in the other house. “Will we come across each other? If we did, would you talk to me? I won’t, if you don’t want to,” she promised him. And like she’d been In the habit of doing for the last 15 years, Maeri said, “Good night, Woohyun,” and turned out the lights to go to bed.

It wasn’t much longer until the weekend came. The long-labored auction was over and had gone on without a hitch, and now Maeri finally had time to pack up her things from the apartment. After a breakfast of miyeokguk, Maeri and Jonghyun got into their parents’ car and made their way to the apartment. Her parents couldn’t come help because they’d made plans with the Nams. Maeri wasn’t disappointed in the least. No, in fact, she was glad. Her rift with Woohyun didn’t tear their parents’ friendship apart. What could she be upset about? And as a grown woman, she could pack up and clean up without their help, but she did need some help. In addition to Jonghyun, whom she expected to leave whenever he found something more interesting to do, Sunggyu was coming over to help. Although it was terrible to think so, Maeri was a bit happy that Sunggyu had no friends here besides herself now because he was agreeing to do things that he probably would have not agreed to normally, like spending his Saturday packing and cleaning (well, of course, there was also the fact that he liked her, but Maeri didn’t want to get a big head).

While Maeri and Jonghyun were taking clothes out of her closet, Sunggyu showed up. She threw the clothes onto the bed (and somewhat onto her little brother) and rushed to the door. “Hi,” she greeted Sunggyu. “Thanks for coming,” she said before he stepped inside.

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed it as he slipped off his shoes. Maeri helped him to take his coat off and then she folded it in her hands, smiling as he turned back towards her. “So…”

“Noona! What are you doing?” Jonghyun came out of her bedroom, yelling, and with an arm full of her clothes. Then he stopped and glared once his eyes caught the man who’d just come. “Oh, hello ahjussi,” he greeted with a cold voice. He then faced his sister. “I’m going to toss these in a new box, okay?”

Maeri just stared at him, blinking, and finally came to when the boy went back into the room. “Y-yah! Jonghyun-ah!” she shouted, but it was too late. With an embarrassed smile, Maeri glanced over to Sunggyu. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why he keeps calling you that.”

“I do,” Sunggyu admitted as the both of them walked slowly over to the bedroom. “He doesn’t like me.” Maeri sighed and hung her head. Her brother was a little too honest with his feelings, so she apologized again for him. But Sunggyu shook his head and patted her shoulder. “I understand. I was that age once too, but…when do you think he will?”

Maeri nervously fiddled with his coat, which she was still holding. “Whenever he stops idolizing Woohyun?” she tried to make it out as a joke, cutting it with a smile.

But Sunggyu knew it to be true. “So never?” he asked.

“Hopefully not,” Maeri responded. “But...I’m in the same boat as you are.”

“Eh,” Sunggyu disagreed, nudging her. “He likes you.”

“It doesn’t feel like it, sometimes, especially recently,” nearing the end, her voice was just above a whisper. Honestly, she didn’t blame Jonghyun for favoring his precious hyung now. She would too in his position.

“But he’s here,” Sunggyu pointed out and then pointed towards her dongsaeng that was grappling with a large wad of clothes and shoving them into a box. Maeri grinned as she watched Jonghyun. He was earnestly helping. Once again she was touched.

“Yea, he is,” she spoke softly, but then her voice burst as she called after her brother, “Jonghyun-ah! Can I get you something to eat? To drink? Anything?”

Now with Sunggyu’s help, they finished the bedroom quickly and had moved into the living room, but they took a break for lunch first. Well, it was more like the two boys were complaining of starvation, and Maeri had no choice but to stop. She wasn’t going to get any packing done with the both of them laying on the floor and whining. Those two are going to get along just fine, she thought as she stepped over the both of them to order them food.

After lunch, there was another phone call. Sora called her; she needed the keys to the auction house. She had left some things she needed there after the auction wrapped up, but she had rushed out of there without them, eager to get home (or to her date, she had muttered something about it to Maeri but she’d missed it). So a few minutes after they began packing up Maeri’s books, Sora came, and Maeri greeted her at the door.

“Here you go,” Maeri said as she plopped the keys into her coworker’s hands.

“Oh thanks,” Sora muttered, distracted. She wasn’t looking at the keys, but was trying to peer around Maeri into the apartment. “You moving?” she asked. Sora must’ve caught sight of the boxes on the floor.

Maeri leaned against the door and shut the door a little, hoping that her coworker wouldn’t catch sight of anything (or anyone) else. “Yea, I’m moving,” she replied.

Sora faced her friend, showing her a wolfish grin. “So that’s Sunggyu, huh? Wasn’t he the guy at the auction?”

“Wh-what?” Maeri blubbered.

“Sungjong told me,” Sora revealed. Maeri hung her head and drug her finger down the door. Of course Sungjong knew. He knew Woohyun’s friends. He knew everything. And this past week, Sungjong acted like he knew, waiting, always waiting for Maeri to tell him something. But she never did. So he must’ve told Sora when he couldn’t take it anymore. Sora continued, “But that’s the guy, right? From the date auction? Who was in a bidding war over you?”

“Yea,” Maeri answered reluctantly and let go of the door, letting it swing wide open. She had nothing to hide anymore. And thankfully Sunggyu and Jonghyun were too busy figuring out to put all of the books into one box to listen to their conversation. “Yes, that’s him,” Maeri said as she faced her coworker again. “That’s Sunggyu. That’s the guy I cheated on Woohyun with,” she spoke bluntly, just getting it all out there.

“He’s cute,” Sora responded. Maeri’s mouth hung open in disbelief. She knew that Sora liked playing a man-eater, but Maeri had been worried about bringing this up with Sora, after what Kwanghee did to her, especially after seeing Sora near tears when she met with her husband again. So Maeri did not expect Sora to praise Sunggyu. What’s going on in your head, Sora?

And it was as if Sora was asking herself the same thing, but in regards to Maeri. She knocked Maeri’s head lightly with her fist. “Don’t look at me like that,” she warned her. “And don’t get me wrong, I liked Woohyun, I did. But there was always something…off about you two.”

Maeri stepped in closer and whispered, “What do you mean?”

Sora laughed. “Childhood friends that finally fell in love after over a decade of being with each other? Eh, come on,” she said with a scoff. “I can understand maybe you taking five years to realize that you were in love because you’re a bit slow, but ten? More than ten?” Maeri frowned at that, but seeing how things happened with Sunggyu, she took that hit. It was right on target. Sora continued, “It’s not like you knew each other from infancy. You could’ve dated at any point in time. If it didn’t happen within those ten years, then it wasn’t going to happen at all.”

Maeri sighed. “You might have a point,” she grumbled, not really wanting to admit to it. “How are you so perceptive?” she tried praising Sora to put an end to the conversation.

“I’ve always been perceptive in all relationships but my own,” Sora declared; even though it was a self-diss she said it with her usual grin. “Like you and that guy.”

“Me and Gyu?” Maeri asked. “What about us?”

Sora was gazing past Maeri, at the two boys across the room, and Maeri craned her neck back to see them as well. Sunggyu was still struggling to fit all of the books into a single box and had nearly accomplished doing so. But whenever he thought he was done, Jonghyun would come over and place another book by him. When the boy came over for the fifth time with a large book, Sunggyu snapped, “Stop it! Just bring the rest over! Stop bringing them to me one by one!”

“I…” Jonghyun stammered. “I was just trying to help.” He dropped the book onto the ground with a big thud and then sulked over into the kitchen.

Scared stiff, after Jonghyun had gone past him, Sunggyu hazard a glance over at Maeri, who was looking back at him and witnessing everything. He gave her a small, pathetic smile and then got up, following Jonghyun into the kitchen. “Jonghyun-ah, I’m sorry.”

Maeri shook her head as she watched Sunggyu disappear into the kitchen. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back around to see Sora shaking her head at her. “See,” Sora began. “You two suit each other. This guy is more of your speed.”

“Thanks?” Maeri didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or not (or what it revealed about herself).

“No problem,” Sora responded. “See you Monday. Bye!”

“Goodbye.” Maeri waved as her coworker left. When the door was shut again, Maeri immediately run and slid into the kitchen, only to see the two picking at the leftovers from lunch. “Hungry again?” she asked in disbelief. They both nodded, innocently. Maeri sighed. What was I even worried about? These two get along just fine.

It wasn’t long after until Jonghyun left. But before he left, of course he had to mention food again. He reminded his sister not to be late for dinner, that she shouldn’t keep everyone waiting. Maeri promised she wouldn’t, and then her bother said goodbye to her and to ‘ahjussi’ and left. Thankfully, there wasn’t much more to do than to clean up. And so Sunggyu (who was very very tired) took the opportunity while Maeri was cleaning the bathroom, and hid.

What tired Sunggyu out the most wasn’t the packing or the tad bit of cleaning he did, it was trying to be on his best behavior around Jonghyun. Yes, he was once Jonghyun’s age, but that hadn’t been for a long, long time, and even Sunggyu’s own students were older than Jonghyun. And so Sunggyu had forgotten how to act around twelve year-olds. What was appropriate? What did they like? He didn’t know anymore. How can those two do it? How can they overcome the gap? Sunggyu had to figure out how quickly. Jonghyun was precious to Maeri, very much so, (which is probably why she always felt like her feelings her one-sided). And so Jonghyun was going to be precious to Sunggyu as well because…

Sunggyu closed his eyes tightly as he thought over the reason. It was too soon, wasn’t it? And it felt like it was too soon for Maeri to find him too, but she did. Her head peeked underneath the dining table, where Sunggyu was hiding, and she asked, “What are you doing? Are you asleep?”

“No. I’m hiding from you,” Sunggyu replied truthfully. He rolled onto his side and pouted. “I don’t want to pack anymore,” he whined.

“You at hiding,” Maeri retorted. “I can finish the rest on my own. Get out from under there and go home,” she offered. She then bowed and said in a polite tone, “Thank you for your hard work.”

“Come under here with me.”

“Hm?”

“Come on,” Sunggyu urged her, patting the spot next to him. Maeri gave in, but she didn’t do so quietly. No, she was laughing as she crawled underneath the table in order to lay next to Sunggyu. “Why are you laughing?

“The last time I was under here with you,” she recalled and hid her quickly blushing face with her hands.

“You remember?” Sunggyu faced her and tried to pull her hands down. Even her ears were bright red. There was no point in trying to hide it anymore; it was too obvious.

Maeri let him remove her hands, but then she rolled closer and pressed her face into his shoulder. “Of course, it was so embarrassing,” her voice was muffled.

Sunggyu chuckled as he put his arm and her and pat her head. “You, you’re really passionate about furniture,” he teased. “You have so many books about it. And it was the first time in my life that I saw someone looking underneath the table, appraising it as if it were art.”

Maeri puffed a breath into his shirt and lifted her head to look at him. “Sungjong said you were out,” she defended herself.

“I was,” Sunggyu told her. “But then I came back to a crazy woman underneath my table.” Maeri groaned and lowered her head again. “Why are you embarrassed? It was cute,” he assured her. He then coaxed her to lift her head again, and she did slowly. “I was embarrassing. Showed you my tooth.”

“Right,” Maeri muttered under her breath. Her brows scrunched together and her gaze wasn’t fixed on his eyes but down to his mouth, his lips. What is she doing? Does she…Sunggyu lowered his head a bit closer, and Maeri whispered his name, “Sunggyu….Why do you have so many gold teeth?”

“What?!” he pulled away, sputtering in a chuckle in disbelief.

“I’m being serious,” Maeri responded with a cheeky smile. “I’ve been wondering for a long time. Why? Are you that bad at brushing your teeth? Flossing? Do you hate the taste of toothpaste? Do you even know what a toothbrush looks like? Do you…”

“Stop it!” Sunggyu cut her off and stopped her from asking any other silly questions with his hand over . He could feel her smiling growing beneath his hands. She was having fun teasing him and was pleased with the result. This girl. “Stop,” Sunggyu warned her lowly before removing his hand.

“Your breath smells good,” she said as soon as was free.

“Thanks. I brush my teeth,” he replied.

Maeri giggled and tapped him. “I know. I know.” She then rolled over onto her back again, staring up at the underside of the table. A contented smile slipped through her lips. Sunggyu hadn’t seen her this pleased in a while; it pleased him too. Lately, she looked grey and sickly, but now, even though they were in under the shadows of the table, she was starting to glow again. His light.

“Maeri, do remember what you asked me the first day we met?” he asked but not without hesitation.

“I asked you a lot of things,” Maeri recalled. She turned her head to look at him, showing a sheepish grin. “But I guess you’re referring to the soul mate thing.”

This was going well. “Yea, I am.” He then paused before continuing, his eyes looking at the small space between them now, “You know, when you first asked me, I thought you were trying to hit on me.”

“Wh-what?” she blubbered. Her hands went straight to her face again as it was growing redder than before. “Oh my god. Of course you did,” she spoke with a groan. Then she lowered her hands just enough to reveal her eyes and look at Sunggyu. “You know, I wasn’t. I really wasn’t,” Maeri insisted.

“I know that now,” Sunggyu responded. His teeth gritted together for a second at the memory. “And I know who you were thinking about when you asked that.” Maeri groaned again and was muttering ‘sorry’ under her breath, underneath the safety of her hands. But her hands couldn’t cover the redness overtaking her entire head now. “Can your face get any redder?” Sunggyu and tried to tug her hands away, but this time Maeri was adamant that they stay put.

“It can’t. So stop saying these things,” she told him. Her hands dropped again and she commanded, “Stop.” But Sunggyu didn’t want to stop the conversation right there. There was still something that he wanted to know, something important. He put up a finger. “What?” Maeri asked.

“One more. Can I ask one more thing?” he begged, and Maeri nodded reluctantly, watching him very closely. “Do you still believe in them? Soul mates?”

Maeri averted her gaze, looking back up at the table, but she still answered, “Yea, I do.” Her eyes then flickered over to him. “You?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh,” Maeri gasped and clapped her hands together, as if it were something amazing (and perhaps to her it was). She soon explained why: “‘Maybe’ is better than last time. All that crap about free will and destiny and...I’m shutting up. I’ll be quiet now,” she ended quickly, pursing her lips shut, after she noticed that Sunggyu was frowning.

Sunggyu chuckled a bit at her reaction and then revealed, “You know, even with all that free will and philosophical crap, there’s something that I still like.” Maeri narrowed her eyes on him and waited for him to continue, which he did, “Horoscopes.”

Her eyes lit up. “You like those too?” she exclaimed.

“You do?”

“Eung,” Maeri hummed and proudly told him, “I’m a Capricorn. A goat.”

“And I’m a Taurus,” he responded. “We’re supposed to go well together.” At that, Maeri curled up into a fit of laughter. Sunggyu felt his heart drop from his chest. “Wh-what?”

“You totally looked up my sign. Ow!” Maeri’s laughter stopped as Sunggyu tried to push her out from under the table.

“Get out from under my table,” he ordered her.

“I bought it!” Maeri reminded him (loudly) and now was trying to get him out from under the table. After shoving each other for awhile, Maeri had caught his hands and clasped them together. Now she was fighting him with her feet. “This table is mine now! You get out! You!”

“A-ah, okay. Okay,” Sunggyu finally gave in and slipped out from under the table, away from her. He stood up straight, groaning. “You kick hard,” he whined, trying to look hurt.

But Maeri didn’t look like she felt too bad. She crawled out from the table after him, smiling. “I played soccer,” she boasted as she stood up herself. Maeri then pretended to kick him. “Goal!”

“Red card,” Sunggyu warned her, stepping away just in case her kick were to connect. Maeri giggled; her blush was deepening again. So she did feel remorse. She slowly stepped closer to him and reached for his hand, probably making sure that he wasn’t really upset with her. He wasn’t. He accepted her hand happily. And with his other hand, Sunggyu patted the table, calling her attention back to it. “What are we going to do about this, though? I don’t think there’s enough room in your parents’ place. Would it be okay if it stayed here?” he asked. Indeed, it was the only thing of hers that they couldn’t stuff into the box, or even fit into the car with everything else.

“No, tomorrow I’ll put it into storage,” she concluded. “I wanna keep it for later.”

“Hm?”

“It’s important to you and your family, and later on...it could still be important for...future family-ness,” she had started off her explanation confidently, but as she continued, her voice got smaller and smaller. Yet, she couldn’t just stop what she was saying. Things would be more awkward if she didn’t because Sunggyu would keep pressuring her to continue. But she said it. She said it all.

And a large smile spread across Sunggyu’s face. “You totally want to marry me and have my kids,” he joked with her.

Maeri scoffed and nudged him with her shoulder. “Your kids? Our kids. They’d be coming out of me. They’d be more mine than yours,” she argued, making Sunggyu laugh at how ridiculous they were being. But it was fun. Being with Maeri was fun. However, when his laughter started dying down, he realized that Maeri wasn’t laughing. She wasn’t smiling either. Her face paled. “I should clean,” she muttered under her breath before going into the kitchen, leaving Sunggyu behind, confused and cold.

Sunggyu didn’t linger by the table for long. He was curious about the clanking and low murmuring that was echoing in the kitchen. Hesitantly, he walked over there and stopped at the doorway. Maeri was furiously killing the range, accidentally knocking things over as she did so. And she was muttering to herself, “I shouldn’t be talking about stuff like this. I can’t. I’m getting ahead of myself again. First things first. But what’s first? Aish. I don’t know.”

“We were just joking,” Sunggyu broke into her rambling.

“Ack!” Maeri yelped, jumping up and dropping the scrubber. When she opened her eyes and saw Sunggyu, Maeri let out a breath and grabbed her heart. “Oh my gosh you scared me,” she told him. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.” She then hit , reprimanding herself, and bent down to pick up the scrubber.

“It’s okay. We were just joking,” Sunggyu repeated as he walked up to her. He had a tenous smile on his face, trying to make her less anxious. “It’s not like we’re going to get married soon just because we joked about it.” I’m not even sure if we are even dating now or not, Sunggyu thought. “Who would do that?”

“I did!” Maeri snapped and straightened up. She flailed her arms as she ranted, “I got into this entire mess because of joking, taking jokes too far, playing along. But that’s going to stop now. No more joking.” Maeri blew out a breath, trying to calm herself down. She closed her eyes and then opened them slowly. “I want to have a serious, adult relationship…with you.”

With me? Sunggyu sniggered. “How do you have one of those?”

“I was hoping that you’d tell me. If we both don’t know, then we’re doomed to fail,” Maeri joked, and then her eyes widened when she realized that she just broke her promise. “Aish!” she cursed and hit again. “Stop it. Stop it. No more joking,” Maeri mumbled under her breath and she continued scrubbing the range.

Sunggyu watched her for a few moments. He didn’t know how to feel right now. One moment, he felt like Maeri was his, but at another moment, he didn’t. And now Maeri was changing (or trying to) right before his eyes. Her bright personality was dimming, and now she claimed that she’d put an end to all over her joking. Sunggyu loved how they could joke and play around, as if they’d known each other for years (like her and Woohyun). It was one of the reasons why he felt so comfortable around her. It was one of the reasons why he was starting to think that they were soul…Wait a second!

“Wait,” he murmured aloud as he pulled out his phone. He was a fan of horoscopes all right. So much so that he really did look up her birthday to check her sign. But the thing about Capricorns was that they had birthdays in the winter, specifically around this time. He remembered seeing the date on her profile but couldn’t exactly remember it. So he pulled up her profile and there it was. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What? What is it?” Maeri was now cleaning out the fridge and peeked over the door towards the other. “What is it?” she repeated.

“Maeri, why didn’t you tell me?” he pressed her, but she looked at him, blinking and not knowing what he was referring to. Do I really have to remind her? Is she really this out of sorts? Sunggyu sighed. Maeri was exactly that, so he told her, “It’s your birthday.”

Maeri winced and her hands flew to her head. “That’s right. I forgot. I had seaweed soup this morning, and I still forgot,” she spoke with a groan and hung over the fridge door, limp. “Jonghyun’s birthday is tomorrow, and I haven’t gotten him anything yet,” her voice was muffled as her cheek was smooshed against the top of the door.

“Yea, but it’s your birthday today,” Sunggyu said once again.

“It is,” she grumbled and lifted herself off of the door. She then closed it and quickly set what she was holding onto the counter. “I have to go home. They’re waiting for me,” Maeri said as she scurried past Sunggyu towards the door. “And I’m late!”

“Yea but…” Sunggyu tried to argue as he followed her, but she was already stuffing her feet into shoes. Sunggyu just stood in front of her. But what about me? he let that question bounce around in his mind. He wanted to celebrate her and the fact that she was alive and in his life (and “casually” bring up his own birthday months away). However, it seemed like that would have to wait. Maeri needed to go home, be with her family, get better. It’ll take time, Sunggyu had to remind himself. I can’t expect her run to me and act like everything is okay. But he also couldn’t help but to grow impatient, still waiting even though she was by his side. But we’re not there yet.

Maeri wobbled a bit as she stood back up. “Sorry about running out like this,” she apologized.

Sunggyu shook his head. “It’s okay,” he assured her, but he knew that his face showed how unhappy he was, especially since Maeri tried to lift his frown into a smile with her fingers. Even though Maeri wasn’t herself lately, even though she was out of sorts, whatever form of Maeri she was being at the moment, every one of her cared about Sunggyu.

“Sorry,” Maeri said again, dropping her fingers from his face. “Oh what?” she muttered as Sunggyu opened up his arms for a hug.

“Come here,” he told her. She readily walked into his arms and hugged him back, her head resting against his shoulder. “Let’s celebrate tomorrow. I’ll buy you something, okay?” Sunggyu promised.

“Okay.” Sunggyu could feel her move her head, nodding.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Maeri muttered.

Sunggyu sighed. He thought as much. “Then I’ll think of something,” he offered. “Maeri, happy birthday.”

“Thank you. Thanks a lot,” Maeri said as she patted his back gently.

Even though Sunggyu didn’t realize that her birthday was today until 5 minutes ago, he still had a ‘gift’’ to give her: “I love you. Oomf.” Maeri had knocked the air out of him, clenching his mid-section tightly. Sunggyu looked down at her, but she hid her face. Yet her red ears were peeking through her hair. And Sunggyu was finding it hard to regain the lost breath, not just because Maeri was still squeezing him tightly, but because she still had said anything in response yet. She was quiet for a (heart)beat too long.

“I like you,” Maeri finally replied. “I like you a lot. A whole lot. A whole lot a lot.” She then pulled herself away, removing her hands from him and clasping them in front of her. “I’m sorry,” she apologized yet again. “I have to go. They’re waiting. They get cranky when they can’t eat.”

What did I expect? For her to say it back? Sunggyu knew it was too soon to say it, and he was beginning to regret saying it at all. But then Maeri raised her head, showing that she was fighting back a too large smile. Maybe this time, his timing was alright. Sunggyu grinned too. “Alright. Take care,” he wished her as she put on her coat.

“You too,” Maeri responded and stretched up to kiss him. “Take care,” she whispered as she pulled away. She went to the door and opened it. But instead of walking through it, she turned back to Sunggyu. “Aren’t you leaving too?”

“Oh right,” he muttered. “I don’t live here.” And he quickly put his shoes and coat on so that they could leave, together.

Maeri had a hard time saying goodbye to Sunggyu that night. Honestly, she had wanted to invite him to her birthday dinner too, but given the situation, she didn’t think that was wise. Not only because she knew that Woohyun was still right across the street from her, but because she wanted to still be the independent woman that she always thought she was. Before, Maeri hadn’t realized how much she relied on Woohyun or small things, whenever she stepped outside her comfort zone. She always wanted one thing ‘comfortable’ in those situations, and that had been Woohyun. She never went to a new place alone, never watched a movie alone, rarely really did anything alone. And now, when she was a bit uncomfortable with her parents (and tonight she’d be the center of their attention), she wanted to bring Sunggyu along. But she didn’t want to become too reliant on him, like she had with Woohyun.

And although Sunggyu seemed a bit frustrated with her at the moment, he also seemed to understand. Maeri wanted to be with him, but she needed to grow a bit more on her own, to fix herself. Soon, she’d be able to give herself fully to him. But first she needed to be ‘full’ on her own. So even though it seemed silly, going to her parents’ home alone tonight was a small step in that direction.

But that night ended up being a bigger step than she thought. Maeri should’ve realized something was up when her mother welcomed her inside and there were more voices filling her house than just her father and brother. She should’ve noticed the extra shoes by the door. But she didn’t. So when she walked into the kitchen, Maeri was shocked. Sitting at the table with her father and Jonghyun were Woohyun’s parents, who came to celebrate her birthday, even after everything that had happened. Maeri cried, happy tears, tears of relief. This was the best gift that they could’ve given her.

A/N: Like I said in the beginning, next chapter will be Woohyun focused as it's about the events surrounding his birthday and a bit afterwards. Thanks so much for reading and bearing with me!