Thank you for the comments. They really motivate me to write. Please continue to drop off some comments before you go (silent readers).

I've decided to add in a small Q&A section at the end of each chapter. If you have any questions for the non-main couples like Baekyeol, Krislay, Hunhan, etc or just about individual characters, I will be answering them. So feel free to drop any questions. I'll probably answer a maximum of three questions per chapter.

And now, hope you all a happy read.

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Standing close to the end of the pavement was a woman who Kyungsoo had never seen before. She marched toward Kyungsoo and Taekwoon in her high heels, her hands striking back and forth heavily and her lower jaw hardened. She was at least half a head taller than Kyungsoo, but the shorter wasn’t going to allow the big height difference to intimidate her.

Kyungsoo casted a quick glance at Taekwoon, whose face was still stoic, giving nothing about his reaction about the woman.

The woman gave a contemptuous look at Taekwoon’s arm around Kyungsoo’s waist. Noticing this, Kyungsoo tried to remove herself from his grip. However, much to her surprise, he refused to let go off her.

‘Taekwoon,’ she mumbled his name while trying to free herself from him. Yet his grip remained firm.

Kyungsoo tried looking for Jongin to explain to him without speaking. She didn’t want another commotion between Jongin and Taekwoon to occur, and more importantly, another quarrel to ensure between her boyfriend and her because of a misunderstanding. It was difficult for her to look over the layer of heads. Oh God, if only she was much taller than she was right now.

Eventually, she gave up and turned her attention back to the woman, who was almost yelling at the moment.

‘How can you do this to me? You left without any words right after making me believe that there was some hope for us, only to find you a month later with a new girlfriend.’ The woman bit her lower lip after spitting the last word.

‘Girlfriend? What?’ Kyungsoo cried out, horrified. ‘No, I’m not - .’

Before she could finish her sentence, Taekwoon cut in coldly. ‘Now that you see I already have a new girlfriend, I think you should give up the false hope and go back.’

‘Wait – What are you saying, Taekwoon ? I’m – ’

Taekwoon quietened Kyungsoo by pulling her closer to his chest. The woman glared at her then at Taekwoon, blood was visible where the indent caused by her prolonged biting and the growing pressure. Eventually, she turned around and stomped away.

Kyungsoo tried to remove herself to run after the woman to explain to her, but Taekwoon muttered a quiet ‘Please’ in her ear while holding her back. Only when the woman’s shadow could no longer be seen did he let go off her.

Spinning around, she snapped at him, ‘Why did you do that?’

‘I’m very sorry. I know that it was wrong of me to involve you into my problem like that. I will explain to you another time.’ He had a guilty look on him and she understood that he had his reasons for his earlier actions. So she snapped ‘You better explain it to me’ at him before running off to look for Jongin.

A few trees away from the restaurant and everyone, Jongin sat on his bike in the shadow of the tree, watching everything with intense eyes. He tried to will away his anger as Kyungsoo was running toward him. He had to listen to everything she has to say before jumping to a conclusion, he told himself. But it was difficult, considering that he had witnessed everything with his own eyes.

‘Jongin, I’m sorry.’ He did not reply to her apology, instead he waited for her to continue. Catching her breath, she explained, ‘I tried to get out of his embrace but he wouldn’t let me.’

‘Why?’ he asked, a monotonous tone resulted from trying to suppress his anger.

Panic bubbled inside her as she tried to decipher Jongin’s unfathomable expression.

Shaking her head, she said, ‘I don’t know. It had to do something with that woman. He said he will explain to me later.’

Jongin remained silent, eyes looked anywhere except her and it worried Kyungsoo. She grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her. ‘You have to believe me. I didn’t do anything wrong by you.’

She looked him in the eyes, trying to convince her innocence through her eyes. After a few minutes, Jongin let out a sigh and said, ‘I believe you. It’s just, I’m worried now.’

‘Worried because of what?’

‘Taekwoon. He likes you, Kyungsoo.’

‘I’m dating you,’ she exclaimed, desperation evident in her voice.

‘But he doesn’t know that, does he?’ He almost snapped at her. His gaze became more intense. ‘And the rest of the team, too. They don’t, Kyungsoo. And it makes me worried even more because what if they start to become Yixing? What if they think that he makes a good match for you? Why can’t we just tell them about our relationship?’

The unjust feeling that he had been bottling up was conveyed in his last sentence, and it stunned Kyungsoo. It wasn’t as though Kyungsoo had never given thoughts about it; she had always known how unfair she was, and figured that sooner or later, Jongin was going to confront her about it. And yet when the bomb dropped, she was still shocked in an unprepared manner.

Silence fell upon them, intensifying the atmosphere.

‘I’m dating you. I like you.’ Eventually, she spoke up, breaking the heavy silence. ‘I’m not going to let them change this fact. All you have to do is to have faith me.’

‘I am, Kyungsoo.’

‘Then continue trying. Don’t give up, Jongin.’          

The wariness in his eyes was causing Kyungsoo to panic. Was Jongin finally going to end this hopeless relationship with her? It was what she tried to do for the past few weeks, but she never succeeded. And now that it was happening, she was the one who try to hold it back.

The silence finally ended when Jongin let out a deep, resigned sigh, then a nod and although it wasn’t a firm one, it lifted up some of the stones off Kyungsoo’s heart.

‘Can you drive me back to my place?’ she asked meekly.

Instead of replying, he took off his jacket and passed it to her along with his spare helmet. She climbed on and with gingerly wrapped her arms around his waist.

The ride was not enjoyable as it usually was. They didn’t talk. And this was normal. But he did not put his hands on hers during the red light wait as he normally would have. When he arrived before corner of her street and stopped, Kyungsoo took off her helmet but remained sitting on the bike. She pressed herself closer to him, her cheek resting against his back while she tightened her embrace around his waist. Tears welled around the corner of her eyes when her anticipation for him to return some of the affection gradually slipped away. It was foolish and too hopeful on her part to think that he would be able to go back to being normal with her after that misunderstanding, but she felt the need to know that at least, they were not having another couple’s tiff again. She just wanted any gesture to reassure her that he was not angry at her.

She waited for a few more seconds, holding in her tears as she did, and when she got down from the bike wordlessly, she finally felt his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. Uncontrollably, the tears made their ways down her face. She wasn’t certain whether they were tears of relief or sadness.

‘I’m sorry,’ he mumbled against the crown of her head.

She sniffed, ‘I’m sorry, too.’

He turned her around and wiped her tears away with his hand. ‘I’m sorry for making you cry.’

Lifting her face up, he leaned down slowly until their nose was touching. He took a second to wait for her to tilt her face before placing his lips onto hers.

‘I love you, Soo,’ he said after their lips parted.

His sudden confession brought back Kyungsoo’s concerns and dilemmatic thoughts. Instinctually, she was about to reply, but before the words could slip out, she snapped shut. Instead, she tightened her arms around his body. She knew that he was disappointed. But she really could not return the confession.

‘I should go now. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.’

She gently pushed him away while she avoided his eyes. The disappointment in his eyes would be too much for her to handle and she would probably end up saying something regrettable.

Being an understanding boyfriend, Jongin said nothing else to make Kyungsoo feel pressured. Instead, he planted a kiss on her forehead and watched her rushed away with his shoulders slumped. A long sigh escaped from his mouth. He waited until she turned into the driveway without even casting a glance at him before entering the house. With a weary heart, he climbed onto his bike and sped off.

From the balcony, Kyungsoo watched Jongin’s bike disappeared with an equally heavy heart.

She loved him, too. She had realised just moments ago, when she was afraid that he was going to break up with her. As much as she understood they need to break up soon, she didn’t want to let go of him, even when the moment ago was a perfect opportunity. She loved him. But she didn’t want to tell him; the admission of love had too many implications that she was not prepared to face. Like how deeply she had fallen in love with him-how deep she was in this quicksand of love. Like the hope that it would give him regarding the nature of their relationship, which she believed that Jongin should not be having anymore. Not when they had to break up soon. It would hurt him even more if he continued to accumulate hope.

Sometimes, with the guilt that gnawed at her heart, Kyungsoo would make an impulsive visit to see Jongin with the intention of ending their relationship. But at the sight of his bright smile, her resolve just crumbled into dusts. Being with Jongin put the guilt into a temporary sleep, and it stayed quiet like that until Kyungsoo was all by herself again. Just like tonight, where her thoughts ran wildly in her mind. It would be another long night again for her.

------

It had been three days since that night. Jongin and her had gone back to normal. At least Jongin had attempted to because Kyungsoo didn’t quite know how to face Jongin without feeling guilty, especially when her boyfriend was treating her so kindly.

It was Thursday afternoon. Jongin was working right after school so Kyungsoo took her time to pack up because her bus wasn’t going to come for another twenty minutes. As she exited the gate, she was approached by the woman from two nights ago.

With her worst fear of what the woman was going to do to her, Kyungsoo intended to run back into the school ground. Hopefully the guard would see her before she got beaten up. At worst, Kyungsoo would have to fight for her life with whatever she got. But before she could carry out her plan, the woman grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm, firm and forceful.

‘You don’t need to be afraid. I’m not going to do anything to you. I just want to talk,’ she said.

Kyungsoo looked at her doubtfully while trying to wiggle her arm out of the woman’s grip. ‘Talk? All you want to do is just talking?’

The woman nodded. ‘Yes, and preferably somewhere safer because there is a high chance that both of us will be hit by a car if we stay here and talk.’

‘Let go off my arm first.’ The woman immediately released her grip and offered an apologetic smile.

As they walked away from the school, Kyungsoo continued to sneak glances at the woman. Her skin was a unique shade of tan. Her large eyes bright and had so much liveliness in them. In her woollen jumpers, shorts and sneakers, she didn’t look as intimidating as she did that night.

They went into a café a few blocks away from the school where there were less students. The woman ordered a banana milk shake while Kyungsoo opted for an Americano. The woman had huffed in annoyance at that Kyungsoo’s choice much to the latter’s confusion.

‘Before we talk, let’s do a proper introduction. My name is Cha Hakyeon.’ And before Kyungsoo could introduce herself, Hakyeon continued, ‘And you are Do Kyungsoo?’

‘How do you know? You must have talked Taekwoon, right?’

‘No, I haven’t talked to him. I thought it would better to talk to you first.’

Kyungsoo grimaced. Now, she was stuck in a dilemma on whether to reveal the truth to Hakyeon or wait for Taekwoon to do it.

Looking straight into Kyungsoo’s eyes, Hakyeon said, ‘You should break up with Taekwoon. As soon as possible. There is no way he can be with you.’

Even though she wasn’t his girlfriend, Kyungsoo felt offended.

‘What do you mean that he can’t be with me?’ she snapped.

Stunned by Kyungsoo’s sudden change in tone, Hakyeon was silent for a second then she laughed. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. Don’t misunderstand. It’s not you. It’s him.’

‘Because he is too good for me?’

Hakyeon shook her head. ‘Another reason.’ She paused, seeming to contemplate something before continuing. ‘He’s going to be a father soon.’

‘Do you mean that…?’ Hakyeon nodded, giving a gentle pat to her stomach.

It was Kyungsoo’s turn to be stunned. ‘Does he know about it?’ she asked slowly.

Hakyeon shook her head, pursing her lips. ‘Now that you know the reason, please break up with him.’

Kyungsoo let out a sigh of relief. ‘There is no need for us to break up? You know why? We were never a couple.’

‘What do you mean?’ Hakyeon looked confused. ‘That night he said-’

‘He lied. I’m not his girlfriend. He just wanted to drive you away.’

The last few words took away the brief relief away from Hakyeon’s face.

‘Are you going to tell him about the baby soon?’

Hakyeon avoided her eyes. ‘When the situation is fit, I will tell him. But please don’t mention anything to him.’

‘I won’t,’ she promised.

Silence filled the atmosphere for a few moment until Kyungsoo asked Hakyeon in a hesitant tone,‘How long has it been? Sorry, if you don’t want to answer, it’s fine.’

With a fond smile, the taller replied, ‘Nearly five weeks.’

‘Oh. It hasn’t been that long.’ Another silent pause entailed. Kyungsoo took sips of her Americano out of awkwardness and nervousness, hissing when she felt her tongue burnt.

‘Taekwoon’s favourite drink is Americano,’ said Hakyeon.

Kyungsoo gave her a confused look. The other continued, ‘I really thought that you were his girlfriend, you know? You seem like his type. Well, at least more than me anyway.’

The slightly bitter tone was evident despite Hakyeon’s attempt of concealing it with a chuckle. Kyungsoo thought it sounded rather self-depreciating.

‘You needn’t worry. Taekwoon’s not my type.’

Giving Kyungsoo a look of disbelief, Hakyeon gasped, ‘What is wrong with you? He’s perfect.’

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow.‘So you would rather me seeing him through that lens?’

Caught back by Kyungsoo’s question, Hakyeon took a moment to think before shaking her head profusely. ‘No. Of course not. He’s mine.’

Kyungsoo snorted, her nervousness from earlier dissipated when she saw Hakyeon’s reaction.  Hakyeon looked slightly abashed as she looked at Kyungsoo. But her embarrassed gaze quickly turned into a scrutinising one.

‘You’re not soft and gentle as you look,’ she casually commented.

‘Looks can be deceiving,’ Kyungsoo replied.

The curve at Hakyeon’s lips turned upward. ‘We should hang out more while I’m staying her.’

Kyungsoo rolled her eyes. ‘Who said I want to be your friend?’

Hakyeon pulled a stank face at her. ‘Don’t be so mean like that. I’m an interesting person. Of course you would want to be friends with me.’

‘Whatever you say.’ Glancing at her watch, Kyungsoo realised that it was nearly five. She’d better get home before her mother started calling her every five minutes. ‘I need to go home now.’

‘No exchanging numbers? Com’on, I could do with having a friend during my short stay here.’

Then she proceeded to give Kyungsoo’s puppy eyes while waving her phone with her number on the screen. Rolling her eyes, Kyungsoo fished her phone out from her bag, typing in Hakyeon’s number then made her way toward the door.

‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ Hakyeon yelled out from behind.

Shaking her head as she walked away, Kyungsoo mentally sighed. I think I have made a mistake just then.

____

‘This is the fifth time we are watching this movie,’ Jongin whined to Kyungsoo, who was cuddling by his side. They were both laying on his couch, watching ‘Tangled’, the third movie of their Disney marathon.

‘Mm,’ Kyungsoo hummed in reply absently, too engrossed in the animation to actually listen to Jongin.

‘Can we watch something else?’

‘Mm.’

‘You’re not listening to me,’ he exclaimed. ‘Stop watching and listen to me for a sec.’

‘Shush. I’m watching,’ she scowled. He looked at her with a petulant face, and when she didn’t pay attention to him, he turned his eyes back to the screen, grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving into his mouth. Jongin was bored, but he knew better than to disturb Kyungsoo while she was watching a movie. He tried before. It didn’t end very well for him.

Only when the credits began to roll in did Kyungsoo pay her neglected boyfriend some attention. Turning to the side, she found him staring at her, and she had a feeling that the staring had been going on for quite a bit already. Her cheeks heated up at the thought.

‘Quit staring at me,’ she said, her hand reaching for the remote control to stop the movie. Clearly, Jongin wasn’t in the mood for a movie marathon and she would feel bad if she’d forced him to go through another two hours of it.

His arm swung around her middle, pulling her close to him, his nose nuzzling against the nape of her neck.

‘Were you bored?’ she asked, twisting her neck around from the tickling sensation.

‘A little,’ he replied.

‘Sorry. Do you want to do anything in particular now?’

‘Not really. I want to lay here and cuddle with you.’ He shuffled her body so that she was next to him.

‘What did the entertainment companies say about your postponement?’ she asked.

He let out a sigh before answering, ‘They said that there is a chance that they might reconsider about the offer if I was to sign the contract later. The offer is still up, but not fully guaranteed as opposed to now.’

‘So what is your decision?’ He looked troubled at the question. ‘To be honest, I still don’t know what to decide. I want to sign it now. But then that means I would have to tell my dad about it, and I’m not ready to face the consequences of him knowing.’

‘What is the worse that he could do?’

Jongin shrugged, trying to sound as casual as possible, but Kyungsoo knew better. ‘He’d probably cut off my money, demanding me to go back to live in that house and terminate my signed contract.’

She looked at him while trying to come up with some possible solutions to his predicament. There seemed to be none at the moment.

‘Why don’t you just sign it first and begin your training? You don’t have to tell your dad about it now.’

‘I don’t think that would work. He will find out then cancel it.’ Jongin shook his head.

‘Eventually. But in the meantime, you don’t have to let go of such golden opportunity. I did my research, I know how famous the company is. But that is beside the point. What I am trying to say is go for it and get as much experience and knowledge as you can while at it.’

‘My dad-’

‘Leave the problem aside. It will come when it’s time. We will face it later.’

Kyungsoo’s phone vibrated loudly on the table. Glancing at the screen, she immediately snatched her phone away from Jongin’s sight and turned off the screen. But it seemed that she was too slow.

‘It’s Taekwoon, isn’t it?’ he asked, barely trying to conceal his dislike for the vet.

Reluctantly, she nodded. They had not spoken about Taekwoon since that dreadful night. It was a sensitive topic that both of them had deliberately avoided. And moreover, Kyungsoo had yet told Jongin about her encounter with Hakyeon.

‘Aren’t you going to read the message?’ Jongin asked, he turned around and walked into the kitchen.

With a heavy sigh, Kyungsoo read the message. When she looked up, she found Jongin leaning against the door frame, watching her with a neutral expression, as though he was trying to give her some space. She didn’t know whether she should be grateful for that or not.

‘He wants to see me,’ she said, volume almost as low as a whisper. Then she elaborated, ‘I think he wants to explain to me about that night.’

‘You didn’t need to tell me,’ he smiled. ‘I trust you.’

A big smile dawned on her face when she heard the latter statement.

(tbc.)