17

As much as he didn't want to meet them and just pretend to walk away instead, he couldn't imagine the guilty that he might face later so, with a very heavy steps, he walked towards them.

Damn his past class monitor's self.

"Ah—it's Daehyun!" the blonde one squealed, like just found a treasure between dusts.

Daehyun flashed a smile to remember it was Jung Hana, a dancer that was popular enough around male students because of her easy going attitude and of course, because she came from the most popular extracurricular club. He was happened to talk with her a lot whether due to her continuous participation in school's events or simply because she was everywhere around his eyes—thanks to her out of nowhere million friends. Well, she wasn't an annoying type, though. Just the one that he would prefer to avoid.

"Hey," he half-heartedly replied, now getting much closer to her.

"How are you, Daehyun-ssi?" the brown haired one asked with an awkward smile placed on her pretty face, somehow looking a bit familliar.

Yet he still wasn't able to figure out who she was.

"This is Jieun—Song Jieun. My seatmate, the rose!" Hana, whose knowing that guy's confusion, explained.

The frowns on his eyebrows slowly lifted up, causing his both eyes widened in such surprise. He didn't recognize her at all. She was looking somewhat different—perhaps it was the way she dressed or because it was the first time she talked to him, but he could tell she has changed. In positive way.

"Ah—the rose," he muttered, still couldn't believe it was literally her. "What are you doing here?"

Jieun pursed her lips in embarassement to hear her old nickname, couldn't stand the tickling feeling she felt just from being called that way. "I need to ask you something."

Daehyun blinked his eyes, surprised. "Oh? What is it?"

"We need to know where Bang Yongguk lived at," Hana cut off, looking a little impatient.

"Bang Yongguk?" Daehyun frowned. "What's your reason?"

Hana twitched her lips, annoyed. "You know, we just have something to tell him."

"That's privacy. I'm not sure he would be glad," he shrugged.

"We won't hurt him, seriously. Just—"

"Please," Jieun interrupted Hana's forcing, staring at Daehyun with such pleading stare. "I have to meet him."

Couldn't stand looking at her teary yet determined stare, Daehyun finally let out a sigh and unlocked the door. His hand was still holding on the handle even after the door was heard unlocked, making the two wondered what happened.

And, once again, he could only blame his past class monitor's self that was still stucked in him, not allowing him to refuse his friend's pleading.

Yet he knew, he might feel so much relief right after helping them no matter what.

"Hurry go and buy me cakes. I'll look for the documents first."

"Aren't you tired?"

Hana turned to look at Jieun whose standing next to her, giving such guilty expression.

To be honest, she was indeed tired—and sleepy. They decided to go find the address right after got it from Daehyun, regardless the time was already showing past midnight but it actually didn't bother her at all. She wanted it to be over soon.

"No. It's not that far too," Hana sighed, brushing her hair away. "But I don't want to meet him so I'll just accompany you to the lobby."

Jieun glanced at her, feeling sorry to didn't tell her at the first place. "You won't meet him though."

Hana frowned, looking at that girl in questioning stare.

"He told me that he will move out before," Jieun replied, slowly.

Jieun eventually turned to see how she reacted to her answer since there was a long break of silence between them before found that she was glaring at her—either because of surprised, mad, or both.

"You met him??!!" Hana yelled in frustation. "So why didn't you tell me?"

"I believe we can ask the apartment's owner about where he moved to. They should have know about it," Jieun reasoned.

"That's not what I mean," Hana stopped from walking forward, still feeling annoyed to didn't know about the matter. "When did you meet him?"

"We just accidentally met at the platform. I was on the way to an interview and he prepared to move away as well," Jieun explained, didn't understand why did she feel so much nervous to answer her.

"Did he say something? That you decided to leave Junhong for him?" she furiously confronted.

"Not at all," Jieun shook her head. "I'm the one that want to do so."

Hana still couldn't believe it since she already didn't like that guy at the first place but she decided to swallow everything and continued walking. She discreetly wished they would never find him though.

"Hana," Jieun called, slowly following on her back. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"Because he always make you cry," she straightly replied. "And he never put you on the first priority."

Jieun looked at Hana's back, getting touched by her words.

She knew that she indeed wasn't Yongguk's priority, that he would never come to her no matter what, or simply fulfilled his own promise. She wondered why did she have to wait for that kind of guy too. Why—yet she couldn't find an answer even up until now.

She didn't understand herself either.

"Isn't that the apartment?" Hana asked, pointing at the small cream coloured apartment on the oppposite side road.

"Right," Jieun nodded after read the address written on a small piece of paper given by Daehyun before.

"Let's go then," Hana walked away first, leading her legs inside of the apartment's lobby.

Afraid—if everything was actually way too different from what she expected.

"Bang Yongguk?" the receiptionist repeated, in case she heard it wrong.

"Yes," Jieun confirmed, patiently waiting for the lady to find through her documents.

Until the lady softly exclaimed, proving that she finally found something. "Ah—Jun Hyosung's husband?"

And there—Jieun froze alone in her time.

Her ears were slightly buzzing, like they refused to know about it in order to save her ownself and she didn't want it that way. She wanted to accept it, not hoping to disturb his current happiness with her existence but the truth that it was Hyosung made her wonder why.

Why—what happened.

"He moved out about days ago to Busan. We don't know about the exact address but it must be somewhere near the downtown. We only have this kind of information."

The moon was above their heads when they both sat on the empty park alone, with hands holding onto a warm can of coffee.

Hana had been secretly looking at Jieun whose sitting on the swing next to her, not knowing how and where to start the talk.

She didn't know that Bang Yongguk was married to Jun Hyosung too so she could clearly understand her feelings right now. It was so much shocking for her, and she didn't want to imagine being on Jieun's position at all. To accept that her crush was married to his own step-sister.

And she couldn't let that girl being hurted more than this.

"Jieun-ah," Hana called, looking straight at the quiet night road in front of them. "Are you alright?"

Jieun turned, not really showing any emotion at first but she ended up putting on a smile anyway. "I don't regret it."

Hearing that unexpected answer, Hana finally looked at her friend that was warmly smiling at her—not looking hurted at all.

"I don't regret it and I won't," she asserted. "I have choose this way."

"So, you will keep going to find him?" Hana hesitantly asked.

Jieun nodded. "I will."

Hana frowned, wanting to make her opened her eyes and realized that everything was literally over yet she didn't have any idea how. It was frustating to see her like that.

"But he has a wife. You can't ruin—"

"I won't took him from Hyosung away," she cut off Hana's warning, already knowing her point. "I just want to meet him, and truly confessed my feelings."

"Then?" Hana asked, out of any idea.

Jieun looked at her, tiredly. "I will disappear from his life forever."

Hana understood her sadness since she was the witness of their relationship—she saw it with her both eyes. But, she couldn't see the future between them. Even from the very first time they met.

"Will you come back to Junhong?" she wondered.

Jieun felt like a part of herself was breaking down a little to hear those name. She has hurted that guy a lot, to give him hopes and threw him away like he wasn't a big deal at all. She didn't deserve his kindness—moreover to come find him back after ruthlessly left him for someone else. He could find a better person.

She believed it.

"No," she shook her head once. "I can't even see his face anymore."

Over. Hana believed this was the end for both of Bang Yongguk and Junhong.

She wouldn't choose both of them and just wanted to start over her life. That's what Hana could read at the moment.

"I will take the first train to Busan tomorrow," Jieun said, getting ready to leave first. "You have to rest too. Thank you for today."

Hana stood up from the swing, brushing the dusts from her jeans away. "I'll pick you up at five then."

"No," Jieun shook her head. "You don't need to."

Hana's eyebrows slowly lifted up, confused. "Why?"

"I'll go alone," she replied, staring at Hana with thankful gaze. "I really appreciate your help but I will try to find him myself."

"Be happy."

"I promise I will find him alone."

The black-coloured front gate that had been rusted a little, the plain white wall that just got re-painted two months ago, the lady receiptionist that would smile to her from behind her wooden-made working table, the elevator's tinkle that could be heard from around the rooms—Jieun already got everything inside her head.

It used to be a place that she called as home, a place where she could met with a pair of his warm gaze, to listen to him talking to her and softly laughing at small things.

Used to.

Walking inside the apartment's lobby, Jieun got a welcoming smile from the receiptionist lady, whose might wondering why did she look different from her usual appearance which was always monotone—formal shirt and black skirt. After threw a thin smile at her, Jieun walked towards the letter boxes, and her eyes could easily found his room's number without any hard efforts.

It was placed on the second row, third box from the lowest.

She didn't even have to wander her eyes around anymore.

Unlocking the box, Jieun found there's some new letters placed on the side of the space, probably they came from the insurance bank, his company, or his family from outside town which he used to mention one or twice. She slowly pulled her white sling bag over her tummy, ped the zipper before slipping her hand inside to find something stucked between her clothes.

After a short while, she took out a small velvet black box from inside the bag which was really pretty no matter how many times she stared at it. Her thin fingers pulled up the upper side, only to make sure the ring was still neatly placed there.

"It's eternity ring."

"Don't be burden because of this. I give it to you just because I like it."

Carefully, she put the box on the center of the space—meanwhile all of her feelings and regrets were following afterwards, slowly being left inside of the ring.

She promised it would be the last time she came here. And started from tomorrow—she would never appear in front of Junhong again.

Never.

"Will you stay with me?"

I lost idea frequently these days, because I can't really get into the characters' shoes and I'm really afraid if I end up ruined the whole emotions and just working with "I have to finish what I started" mindset ;___;
I finally got the urge to update after hearing such good song from Park Hyo Shin, "Wild Flower" though. The song helps me to built feelings a lot so I really recommend you to give the song a try~~

Last, thank you for reading! I love you, really!