As promised, Seunghyun was waiting for Dara when her shift ended. She couldn’t help but notice the looks he was getting from passing females. Not that she could blame them. He was quite a sight. He was casually leaning against the pier’s handrail in black jeans and white shirt with a denim jacket over it.

Before she could ask where they were going, he grabbed her hand and directed her to his Rover. He opened the passenger door and helped her get in. fully expecting him to close the door, she let out a startled gasp when his hands grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down for a hard, quick kiss.

“What was that for?” she asked when he released her.

Grinning, Seunghyun pulled back and closed the door without answering. He jogged around the back of the truck and hopped in the driver seat. After pulling out of the parking lot, he reached across the center console and grabbed her hand. “I have a surprise for you.”

She raised an eyebrow at his announcement. “I thought we were going to talk.”

“We are” he reassured her, squeezing her hand.  “But I want to show you something first.”

Apprehension filled her. Glancing down at their entwined fingers, she asked softly. “Can we do it after? I really want to talk, Seunghyun.” she needed answers and she was too afraid if he did something sweet and romantic she would never get them.

“It can wait. I found this great –“ he faltered as he caught a glimpse of her expression. “What’s going on? I know we have more to discuss, but I thought…” his eyes turned murky as concern darkened his face. “Is this about my friends? Because I set them straight about what happened. They know you mean more to me than some idiotic plan of revenge.”

“That’s not it, but it’s nice to know you were finally honest.”

If she hadn’t looking closely she would have missed his imperceptible flinch. He gave an audible swallow and then admitted. “I owed it to them and most importantly, I owed you to tell them the truth.”

“And what about the other truths?” she pressed.

“What do you mean?”

She hesitated before saying, “Dongwook oppa told me something.”

He exhaled loudly and released her hand. Her fingers flexed as the urge to reach over and snatch his hand back overwhelmed her. To curb the desire, she shoved her fingers under her leg.

Grabbing the steering with both hands, he muttered. “Why am I not surprised? You know, I’m really tired of him being an issue between us.”

“And you don’t think I am?” she shot back.

Irritation clouded his face. “Then why are you letting it?”

She didn’t want to get into it with him right here in his car, but since he was pushing the issue she gave in. “because I don’t think you’ve been entirely honest about Jenny with me.” she confessed.

Seunghyun stilled. “Wh-what—“ he broke off as his voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he swallowed and tried again. “What exactly did your brother tell you?”

“Not much except that I should ask you. And I have to tell you, I’ve gone over the facts and it’s not adding up. I’m missing something – something big.” She glanced over and frowned. “And your expression right now is only confirming my suspicions.”

He attempted to smooth the agitation on his face, but it was too late. She already saw it. knew there was more to the story than what he was letting on.

“So?” she asks when he didn’t speak.

“Let’s not talk about this right now.” He told her, a hint of desperation coating his words. “There’s another geocaching site I want to take you too. Let’s do that and then we can talk.”

“I want to know Seunghyun.” she said firmly. She wouldn’t back down, not now not when their relationship was on the line. “I need to know.”

He appeared at war with himself as he bit his lower lip. Then a fierce look of determination swept over him. He yanked the wheel and suddenly she was thrown against the passenger door. His car squealed to a stop alongside of the road.

“Was that really necessary?” she exclaimed

A pair of brown eyes stared back at her. “You want to know what happened? Fine. Let’s talk.” He pushed open his door and marched over to her side. His body was rigid as he opened her door and waited for her to get out.

Silently she followed him as trudged through the sand and made his way to the shoreline. He finally stopped when the waves of the rising tide lapped against his ankles. Looking out at the sea, he jammed his hands into his front pockets and hunched his shoulders. “I’m not sure how to tell you.” he started. “I never wanted you to know, but in the back of my mind, I think I always knew it would come to this.”

She stopped several feet away and made an indiscernible sound. The only acknowledgement she gave that she heard him.

“Growing up, I always get in trouble for being too impulsive. My grandfather use to warn me that someday I would regret not taking the time to stop and think before acting.” He shook his head slightly and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Damn was he ever right.  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I had stopped to think after finding out about Jenny and Dongwook.”

His ominous words sent a ripple of alarm over her skin. She shivered and rubbed her arms, trying to inject warmth in her body. The motion caught his attention.  Without hesitation, he took off his denim jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She went to give him a small smile of thanks but he already turned to look at the ocean. The usual playful smirk he has on his face was gone.

“I was so enraged when I caught them” he continued. “I don’t know what was worse, learning about her cheating, or knowing the person she betrayed me for was Dongwook. The night I find out, I confronted her. I demanded to know why she would do such thing. I thought everything was fine. We had a great relationship so why would she turn to Dongwook? Why would she cheat?” the pain in his voice rose with each word. “What could he give her that I couldn’t? Why wasn’t I –“ he broke off and pressed his lips together. Clenching his hands into tight fist. “Why wasn’t I enough?”

“Seunghyun-ah..” she murmured as her heart broke for him. She reached out to offer comfort, but he recoiled as if she burns him.

“Don’t feel sorry for me.” he said, wrenching away from her and going farther into the water. “I don’t deserve it.”

“What was her explanation when you asked?”

“She said I was too intense. Wasn’t ready for that type of relationship and Dongwook...” he swallowed “…he made her laugh.”

“That’s still no excuse for what she did. If she felt it wasn’t working out with you, she should have talked about it first, not gone behind your back.”

“Don’t judge her too harshly. We all make mistakes.”

“You’re defending her?” she asked incredulously.

“I don’t applaud her for her actions, but I understand why she felt the way she did. When we were starting, I was still dealing with my grandfather’s death. I constantly talked to her about how I was feeling and what I was going through. It wasn’t pretty.” He grimaced. “In fact, it was kind of dark. It was a lot to put on anyone’s shoulders much less a teenage girl. Combine all that with the pressure of football and...” he shrugged. “let’s just say it was the perfect time for Dongwook to swoop in.”

“Okay so she’s not some horrible man eating wench—“

“Wench?” he interrupted. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t know people still used that term.”

“That’s what I keep imagining her as. Taking advantage of you and my brother like that.”

He puffed out a laugh. “I don’t think anyone has ever claimed to take advantage of us. More, the other way around.” His words struck a chord in him and he quickly grew somber. Regret laced his voice as he quietly confessed. “I made a mistake, Dara. A very bad mistake. And I’m terrified that when I tell you, you’re going to walk away and never look back.”

A feeling of dread gnawed away at her. She yanked down the sleeves of his jacket and crossed her arms over her stomach. His face is gentle and he began moving towards her. He was about to cage me in his arms but halt when I asked. “What did you do, Seunghyun-ah?”

He looked at her and there is an obvious fear in his eyes. She thought he will avoid it again but she guesses it wrong.

“After confronting her, I left with my friends” he replied. “We went over to Daesung’s house and started drinking. I was getting really worked up over it. I kept going on and on about how she betrayed me. After letting me vent, Seungri piped up and said it’s too bad she didn’t understand how it felt to be betrayed.”

Tension mounted as he paused and ran a hand over his face. “I remember the exact moment when it hit me. I was holding my phone, looking at the picture of them kissing and I thought of the other photos I had of her.” the muscle in his jaw popped as he gritted his teeth. “Her Revealing Photos.”

“Revealing Photos?”

He stayed quiet.

She in a breath as she realized what he was saying. “When you say Revealing photos, you mean her Photos? You—you..?”

His gaze dropped to the ground, but not before she saw the