Author’s POV

Mi Song stared at the phone. She looked up in panic, trying to locate Luhan somewhere; she couldn’t see him though. Why would he want a picture of Mirae? Mi Song decided to ignore the message. If she didn’t see him, it could just be empty threats. She put the phone on the table and peeked inside to look for Jongin. She flinched upon hearing her phone vibrate again. She picked it up: it was another message.

“Don’t you believe me, love?
Is this picture enough to make
you change your slow little mind?”

Mi Song opened the sent photo. The photo of herself made it cringe on the inside and she quickly went through her pictures, finding a recent one on her and Mirae. She sent it, then put the phone on the table again, as if the sight of it resented her. A short “Thanks~” soon arrived in reply. Mi Song felt like throwing up. How could she have betrayed her best friend so easily? Yes, she feared Luhan but didn’t she love Mirae more? At that moment, Jongin walked out with a tray. “Here you go, my dear,” he cooed. He sat down next to her, smiling. Mi Song smiled at him, but Jongin saw that something was wrong. “What is it, sweetie?” he asked. Mi Song shook her head, trying her hardest to act normal.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about a thing... A test. It’s nothing, promise,” she responded confidently. Jongin nodded, believing her. They began to chat like normal until they decided it was time to get home. As they began to walk, Mi Song’s worry of a possible encounter with Luhan led to her being nervous and unfocused on the things Jongin spoke of. Eventually, Jongin stopped and stood in front of her. He eyed her with a worried look.

“Darling, I can tell something is wrong. You have been on edge since I left you outside the café. Did something happen? Did I do something?” Mi Song thought Jongin’s gentle and loving eyes would kill her: the guilt grew inside her by the second already and Jongin speeded up the process. Mi Song could only think about how mad Jongin would get because she’d sent Luhan that picture of Mirae, which she’d done thanks to her own fear of him. It hurt that she’d betrayed the two people she loved above all else. In an instant Mi Song began to sniffle. She grabbed Jongin’s hand, having Luhan’s text in mind, and ran until they reached her house. Once they were inside she shut the door and hugged Jongin tightly to her, sobbing violently. Jongin, who was quite shocked by all this, tried to hush her by hugging her back and kissing her hair. He felt utterly confounded. “Miso...” he started but got cut off by the girl.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do it! Luhan texted me that he wanted a picture of Mirae and he said he was close and that he’d do things to me that I wouldn’t like! I panicked! I couldn’t think of any other solution and he warned me about calling on you, so I did what he asked!” Mi Song blurred out.

“What?!” Jongin screamed. He attempted to push Mi Song away to take a closer look at her, but she refused to let go, afraid that he’d hit her. Jongin used quite a lot of force to push her away, catching her immediately by the arms so she wouldn’t fall backwards. “He did what?!” he continued just as loud. Mi Song stared at him frightened.

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t think properly!”

“I said he, not you. Miso, why didn’t you call for me anyway? Huh?” Jongin’s voice softened. His eyes weren’t wide, rather narrowed in agony. “Miso, look at me,” he demanded. “Why didn’t you shout after me? God knows what he wants with that picture. You shouldn’t have hesitated. I’m supposed to protect you, you know that!” Mi Song saw the water running to his eyes and saw them fall. She understood that it wasn’t her Jongin was mad at; he was mad at Luhan. Feeling stupid about her mistake, Mi Song once again flew into a tight hug, pressing herself against Jongin’s body.

“Please, forgive me, oppa,” she mumbled into his shirt.

Jongin kissed her hair again, also pressing himself closer to her. “I wasn’t even mad at you.” He inhaled sharply. “Show me which picture you sent to him. I need to know why he wanted it too...”

“I don’t have his number... He sent me two anonymous texts.” Mi Song showed the picture she’d sent. Jongin half smiled.

“Couldn’t you have picked an uglier one?” he attempted a joke. Mi Song giggled to light up the intense mood, although it sounded forced it somewhat helped.

“He hasn’t sent you anything, has he?” Mi Song asked, biting her bottom lip anxiously. The last thing she wanted was for Jongin to be involved in this as well. Jongin reached for his phone in his pocket and unlocked it. There were no new messages on the screen. He shook his head. “Oh, thank God.” Mi Song rested her head on his shoulder. “Do you have to leave right now or can you stay a while?”

“I can stay. But if my father calls me, I’ll need to go. Just so you know,” he replied. Mi Song nodded. “Why don’t we go into your room and just cuddle some? That sounds lik