The following morning, Nari and the rest of YongKi, along with JooHyuk, found themselves in a nearby coffee shop. Although they woke up relatively early, the girls suffered from hangovers and, as they were in JooHyuk’s neighborhood, they preferred to go to a coffee shop rather than a far-away soup restaurant. 
As they settled themselves into a booth in the corner, away from the street windows, their coffee cups steamed refreshingly onto their tired faces. The aroma of the coffee opened their senses, releasing the tensions from the previous night. 
Out of the corner of her eye, Nari noticed an elderly man approaching them eagerly. As JooHyuk noticed him, his face lit up, as he rose from his seat, staring at the man.
“Uncle,,” JooHyuk said proudly, as he bowed to greet the aged man.
His uncle smiled at him, warmly. As his eyes roved over his son’s company, he gently smiled at each of them. When he came to Nari, she stood up and bowed 90 degrees, showing her utmost respect for the man. 
JooHyuk gestured to each of the girls, introducing them, ending with Nari. However, for Nari, he stood up and strolled over to her, placing his arm around her shoulders. Upon seeing this gesture, his father looked slightly concerned.
“JooHyuk-ah, is this the new girl from your show, 2D1N?” his uncle asked, gesturing towards Nari. 
JooHyuk nodded and added, “She’s also the girl I mentioned to you over the phone, last time; the girl that I’ve taken interest in.”
Nari glanced to JooHyuk, unaware of the fact that she was mentioned to his family so soon. 
As JooHyuk continued to watch his uncle closely, trying to gauge his reaction, his grip on Nari tightened. 
Mr. Kim stared at Nari and, still pointing towards her, his expression twisted, becoming more accusatory. “But, she’s not from here.” 
Nari’s heart began to race. She suddenly became more self-conscious. 
Shaking his head, disappointed, Mr. Kim continued, “No, no. I cannot accept this. After all these years of not being married, this is what you have to show for it? No, forget her immediately!”
“But, Uncle…,” JooHyuk rushed, but he was stopped short.
“No ‘buts’. I will never accept her, and neither will our family.” With that, his uncle stormed out of the shop and disappeared down the street. 
Nari remained standing as JooHyuk’s arm fell from her shoulders. 
“Nari-ah, have a seat. I’ll drop you all off at your apartment after we finish the coffee,” JooHyuk said, avoiding eye contact with her. 
However, Nari stood where she was, staring at the tiled floor. 
“I’d appreciate it if you could drop them off after. I’ll head out first.” Without saying goodbye, Nari headed for the front door, ignoring the voices behind her that called her name. 

As Nari strolled through the streets of JooHyuk’s neighborhood, a familiar car pulled up next to her. Although she noticed it, she continued walking, not wanted to be pulled from her thoughts. 
“Yah! Jung Nari!”
Finally, Nari stopped, upon recognizing the voice. She turned her gaze towards the car’s driver’s side. 
“Where are you headed?” Lee JongHyun asked, a smirk forming on his face.
Nari shook her head, recalling what she found out the previous night. Nari couldn’t believe the luck she was having that morning; first she was humiliated and rejected by JooHyuk’s uncle and now JongHyun showed up, showing that ridiculous smirk of his. Nari was losing her patience at this point. 
As JongHyun stretched across the seat to open the passenger door, he said, “Get in. I’ll drop you wherever you need to go.”
Against her better judgement, Nari slowly sunk into the passenger seat, closing the door after her. Nari never, not once, made eye contact with JongHyun. 
“So, where to?” As JongHyun asked, Nari’s phone rang on her lap, and JongHyun noticed that JooHyuk-hyung was calling. 
Nari glanced at her phone, but made no motion to answer the call. “Drop me off at FNC, please.” 
JongHyun nodded and shifted the gear into ‘Drive”. 

After a short while, JongHyun approached a topic of conversation. 
“Nari-ah, about that phone call last night,” he said, cautiously. 
Nari glanced at him through the corner of her eye and responded bluntly, “I understand why you did what you did, but don’t expect me to forgive you anytime soon.”
“Is it- is it really impossible for you to think about me as ‘more than a friend’?” he asked, truly curious.
Nari hesitated before she answered. “I can’t think about that right now.”
As JongHyun pulled into FNC’s basement, Nari glanced at the front of building, where a large group of girls stood, holding placards. She couldn’t make out what they said, so she ignored them. Once JongHyun pulled up in front of the basement’s elevator, she rushed out of the car, mumbling a thanks. 
“Nari-ah!” he called after her hurriedly. “Avoid the front entrance if you can.”
There was a hint of a warning in his tone, but Nari continued forward, and called the elevator to the basement. As JongHyun drove off, her phone rang once again. She glanced at the screen, seeing JooHyuk’s name. She declined the call, not sure if she could speak to him just yet about what had happened earlier. The elevator doors opened and she entered, pushing negative thoughts away, preparing herself to work on what helped her clear her mind best: music