CHAPTER TWELVE; STATE OF MIND

Jieun couldn't stop the tears no matter how calm she was trying to make herself feel. She was supposed to get Kris angry, she was supposed to make him feel bad and not care about any of his feelings, but it was so hard when her feelings were in the way. After all that had happened between her and Kris, she wondered how she managed to still care about him.

"Jieun." She heard Luhan's voice. She turned to look at her best friend, forgetting that he was still there.

"Luhan, I'm sorry." She sniffed.

Luhan dropped himself onto the couch and embraced Jieun into his arms. "It's ok." He assured her, the back of her head gently. You didn't do anything wrong. His mind spoke.

"I shouldn't have gotten you involved—I'm sorry." She apologized again as she wept against his shoulder.

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And because of you, I ran out of my house—because my parents hated the fact that I was pregnant with your child. I was all alone, Kris.

Jieun's voice filled in Kris' mind as his hands gripped onto the steering wheel.

-start of flashback-

It was a bright and warm Sunday morning, and Kris was on his way for his date with Jieun. She had somehow made him promised to take her for a stroll along Han River. Perhaps, she knew that he wasn't that type of guy who would do such stuff as going on a romantic date, but regardless of everything, he could never say no to her. He had known her for two years, all thanks to Luhan. He had dated her few times. Only after a year and half, he finally decided to call her his girlfriend.

Kris' mobile phone rang just in time when he turned the engine off.

"Yes, I'm here alrea—"

"Am I speaking to Kris Wu?" A man's voice cut him off over the line.

"Who's this?" Kris boldly asked, even though the man sounded older than him.

"I am Jieun's father."

Kris was taken aback by the sudden surprised call from a stranger, who had claimed to be Jieun's father. There was a moment of silence over the phone.

"I want you to leave my daughter alone." The man then strictly told him. "I know you don't love her. So might as well, just end it now before you really hurt her." He added.

"What if I do—love her?" Kris had somehow tried to prove the man was wrong, but his voice faltered as he mentioned the word 'love'.

Kris had heard the noise of a light cackle over the phone. He swallowed his own dignity and started to wonder if he could really love Song Jieun. Would he actually care if he ever hurt her feelings?

The man straightened up his voice yet again, and let out a sigh. "You don't deserve my daughter. You know you don't."

-end of flashback-

How he wished he wasn't so clueless and stubborn. He was so scared of falling in love, so arrogant to accept someone's heart that had eventually fell for a guy like he was then. If only he had known better. If only he could accept Jieun's heart, let her loved him as he was and made him into a better person. If only he could prove her father that he actually deserved her. If only he wasn’t such a coward.

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D.O, Kai and Sehun glanced up at Jieun as she made her way through the door and stood herself before them. The three of them had been sitting around the balcony area, minding their own businesses even though naturally, they tended to figure out what had happened. Only it wasn't every day that their eyes witnessed Kris and Luhan having a row against each other.

"Kyungsoo, you haven't got a USB lead cable in your car by any chance?" She asked D.O as she looked at the maroon hair guy.

D.O shook his head apologetically.

"Well, I guess I have to go back to my house. I need to check what’s in this thing.” Jieun flashed them the hard disk in her hand.

“Or we can go back to Drangon’s Den. I’ll help you look what’s in it?” D.O suggested, smiling warmly at Jieun. Even after