Chapter Eleven:

In the cafe, the initial calm atmosphere has dissipated and replaced by a tensed and cold cloud of questions as Ji-hye and Gray sat facing one another in silent. While she was fighting the urge to ask anymore questions, afraid the answers might provide her the reality she wanted to have, Gray was feeling nervous after witnessing Chanmi's demeaner towards him. 

"Excuse me while I go to the restroom," Gray excused himself. 

"Uhm." Ji-hye nodded complacently. Just as Gray left the table, she pulled out her phone. Ji-hye was never the type to ask many questions anyway. She did not need to get information through her own efforts. 

"Hello?" She fixated her gaze on Chanmi was she greeted the person on the phone. "There is a girl named Park Chanmi," Ji-hye read the words on the Chanmi's nametag just as she saw a person grabbed onto the girl's hand and pulled her off to the side. "She goes to the same university as Lee Sunghwa. Find out more about her." 

"Ah, neh, but do you happen to know what grade she is in? Or maybe a picture? Anything to make it easier and faster for the information to be gathered?" A male voice inquired.

"Do I pay you to ask questions? Why are you giving me orders?" Ji-hye growled back and hung up immediately. Looking at the girl in front of her being dragged off by her crush is already pissing her off enough. She did not have time to listen to the man question her. She just simply wanted to rid of her eyesore.

Meanwhile, Gray was pulling Chanmi towards the back of the working area.

"What is it this time? You know, you can't keep on dragging me around during work," Chanmi exclaimed while yanking her arm away. 

"I don't want you to misunderstand. There is nothing going on between us two," Gray explained.

"Nothing? Then why can't you say that I am your girlfriend?" Chanmi glared at him. This was the first time she was getting do worked up over a guy.  

"She's someone that my parents tried to set me with. If she tells my parents about you, you might have to go under some grueling investigation. They are not the type of people that would let you go easily," Gray sternly stated.

"So..." Chanmi looked at the ground, trying her best to digest his words. "You're telling me that you never planned to really introduce me to your family. That this relationship was just going to be like this forever until you were bored?" 

"That's not what I meant," Gray gritted his teeth. Talking to her was just like digging himself into a bigger and bigger hole. "Can't you trust me for once? What is the point of this relationship if you don't even trust me getting a drink with some girl?"

"That's not even the problem right now... There's a limit to how much a person can trust and how foolish one can be," Chanmi stammered, on the verge of tears. She was not the type to use tears in any type of quarrel. She hated appearing weak during confrontations and arguments. She was always the one who stood her ground.

"Fine! Forget it then." Gray punched the wall, causing the manager to run back to find him. A part of him was starting to fall apart in front of the girl. Out of everybody, I trusted you. Out of everybody in this world, I wanted at least you to be by side. Gray wanted to say. Can't you see that what I am doing is just to protect you? Gray was too prideful to be begging for Chanmi so he stomped away, past the manager who poked his head in just in time.

Chanmi just stood with a bitter smirk on her face, trying to put a dam to stop the flood of tears from coming out. Is this really the end of it? It did not matter that it was her first relationship, it's just that her heart feel like tearing itself up. What am I supposed to do? Run after you and grab onto you? Maybe it is just better to not get involved with someone like Gray Lee. How foolish of me to try to climb a tree too tall and now I suffer the fall all by myself. 

Meanwhile, Gray made his way back to the table. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel too well. Is it alright if we make our way back? I'll drop you wherever you need to be." Gray did not even bother to sit down before telling Ji-hye. 

"Oh, are you okay?" She stood up immediately, worried, but also slightly irritated.

"I should be okay for now," Gray mumbled, trying to recall if he had any of his medications in his car. Crap, I can't take it in front of her though. He was starting to feel as frustrated as he felt light-headed. 

On their way to the car, Gray stumbled a bit, showing signs of his unsteady condition. He could feel it. He knew it was coming. He was going to relapse into one of those emotional state. It was getting dangerously close. He had to get away from ji-hye before she witness anything. Quick.

Who the heck is that girl? Ji-hye thought, feeling uneasy. She definitely does not look like competition, yet she continutes to be an eyesore to me. What did she do to you that you look as weak as a noodle? Where's that strong and confident Gray? Ji-hye eyebrows narrowed at the sight of Gray looking feeble. She abhorred the fact that some ordinary girl could the cool and collected image of the man of her dream crumble right before her eyes. 

Gray, on the other hand, did not have the energy to notice any of her unsatisfied reactions. 

After dropping Ji-hye off to wherever she wanted-he did not even care enough to pay much attention to where she lived or where she wanted to go. He just followed her directions until the destination was reached and sped off into the distance, back into his safety spot, his apartment.

"Hello?" Ji-hye picked up her phone after Gray's car was no longer in sight. 

"Hello, miss" a man replied.

"So, what did you manage to scrape up?" She coldly demanded the information.

"Park Chanmi. She's a freshman so there's not much information to her. She got into the university through a scholarship and seems to be having some kind of financial issues since the school said she withdrew her money recently and will be moving out of the dorm building soon. They do not know where she is staying for the moment however." The man stated everything clearly and slowly as if he was reading off of a paper.

"Find out more. I want to know everything about her; her weakness, her strength, her dislikes. Everything," Ji-hye continued to command more.

"Uh, yes, miss" the man appeared startled by her words. He had always done his job as fully as he could for Ji-hye, but this was one of the rare situation where she was so impatiently requesting for more. Something was definitely up, but it was none of his business in the end. 

~*~

Chanmi dragged herself back into her dorm room after a long day at work. So many things happened in one day that her head was getting dizzy and her feet were getting weak. 

"I miss you, bed." Chanmi whispered as she planted herself, face-down, on her small dorm bed. 

Everything today felt so surreal. I had constructed the perfect fantasy and broke it all down within the matters of 24 hours. Chanmi thought and turned her body around so she could freely breath again. Just that morning, she was sitting at the same table, sharing the meal with someone she dearly loved and then in the afternoon, she got a call for a job she desperately needed so she immediately came to work there, glad to find that the cafe, unlike the previous one, had a friendly atmosphere and employees. However, her picture-perfect day was ruined soon after...

"Ugh," she stuffed the pillow onto her face again, not wanting to even think of Gray and that girl. 

"So, did you find a place yet?" Yerim came back in after her la