"Shin Hye, wait."  He called to her, but she kept on walking, only stopping to fish her keys out of her purse when she got to her car.

He caught up to her and pulled her back towards him. Her back came crashing into his chest because she refused to turn around and face him.  Satisfied with that contact, he wrapped his arms around her and just hugged her from behind.   She didn't struggle, but she didn't relax her body against him as she usually did when he hugged her.

"I'm sorry."  He whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry about my idiot friend."

"Bum has no filter sometimes.  He can be a little mean.  I'm sorry."  He apologized again for his friend.  Bum was one of his best friends.  They shared the same sense of humor.  He could get a little nasty sometimes, but only with the guys.  He was a little more reserved with girls around.

"He was only teasing me.  He doesn't know when to stop."  He tried to explain Bum to her. "None of it was directed at you."

"He's not saying anything that wasn't true."   She spoke in a voice so low that he had to strain to hear her.

He sighed against her hair. She was right. Everything Bum had said was true. He wished it wasn't, but it was.

"Go back to your friends. I have to go. I have an early morning shoot tomorrow."  She said in a soft voice.

"No."  He didn't want to let her go.

She still hadn't looked at him, nor had her body softened into his.  His arms tightened reflexively around her.  His body molded itself to her back.  He wanted to feel her melt into him like always.  But she didn't.

"Oppa. I just need to be alone for a little while. I'll call you tomorrow." Her voice was still so low that he had to strain to hear it.

"No."  He remembered the last time she had said that and they had both been miserable for a week without each other, without talking. He didn't want to go through that again.

He cursed Bum for putting him in this situation.  He was going to kick Bum's for doing this to Shin Hye, even if he hadn't meant it.

"I can't let you go Shin Hye."  If he had to beg, he would.  Anything for her not to feel sad.

He could feel her body start to quiver.  He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead wearily against the back of her head, defeated.  He was defenseless against tears, especially her tears because she seldom cried.  She was really hurt by this.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around towards him.  She didn't resist, but her head bowed forward, her long hair hiding her face from him.  She stared down instead of up at him.   She always looked up at him, even when she was mad, she looked up at him to tell him off.

Placing his finger under her chin, he nudged it up so that he could see her face, while racking his brain for what to say to persuade her.   But he couldn't think of anything, only that he loved her. He hoped that was enough. He couldn't change his past. But he could control the present and maybe the future.  Their future.

◊◊◊

Min Ho walked into the room with head downbent, shoulders drooping.   He knew that Bum and Il Woo's eyes were following him as he made his way over to sofa and plopped down beside them.

Bum and Il Woo  noticed the blank, unemotional look on Min Ho's face.   His eyes were devoid of any emotions.  Neither of them knew what to do or say. They had never seen him like this before.

"Is everything all right?" Bum finally worked up the nerve to  ask.  He was feeling guilty.

"Eo."  Was Min Ho's reply.

"Shin Hye, okay?"  He treaded cautiously bringing up Shin Hye's name.

"Eo." Same one word reply.

Min Ho picked up his game controller and joined in the game they were playing while waiting for him.   He threw himself into the game, cussing and shouting at the TV screen as he played. He could feel Bum and Il Woo occasionally glance in his direction, but he ignored them.

Finally, during one of the breaks,  Bum couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"I'm sorry. I was only teasing. I guess I took it too far." He apologized to Min Ho.

"I can talk to Shin Hye, if you want?"  He offered, when Min Ho remained silent.

"Doesn't matter. Everything you said was true. I know that. She knows that."  Min Ho relented.  He couldn't change the past and he couldn't change his friend.

"She just needs a little time to cool down." Il Woo offered diplomatically.

"Eo."  Min Ho nodded.

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