“It’s getting late. Doesn’t your dorm have a curfew period?” Donghae pressed on.

“I told my friends to go back before me because I wanted to see if I could find you.” Hee Sun replied then took Donghae’s arm with her hands. “Take me back oppa, ok? Please?”

“Hee Sun the campus isn’t too far away,” Donghae began but Victoria’s voice jabbed his ears.  

“Why don’t you just take her back? It’s getting late anyway and I will make it back myself, I don’t need you,” Victoria said giving Donghae a hard stare. Clearly she understood Donghae wasn’t very good at rejecting offers and why not just end it by pushing him off? Hee Sun would never get out of her sight if Donghae was around and it was better to get rid of them both like killing two birds with one stone.

With her final say Victoria turned away from them and walked off. She browsed some shops for a while and found herself frozen in front of a wedding gown and tuxedo display. If she had just been lucky enough she would have gotten the chance to wear something as beautiful as that.

/////

“I don’t need you.” her words stuck in his memory like glue. And it annoyed him that she tried brushing him off her shoulder and was successful at it.

“Oppa. You drove pass my dorm,” Hee Sun’s voice reached his ears.

“Oh, did I?” he asked then turned to the next street circling his way back.

“Oppa is something bothering you? You haven’t been listening to me at all,” Hee Sun said. “You don’t actually have something going on with that girl do you oppa?”

Donghae stepped on the accelerator and parked beside the 3 story building to the left.

“Oppa, you haven’t answered me.” Hee Sun continued.

“What did you ask?” asked Donghae staring into the rearview mirror.

“I asked if you have something going on with that girl,” Hee Sun repeated sounding patient. “You don’t, do you? You didn’t come to see her just because she’s in Seoul, right? And did you move to Seoul like she said you did? Why don’t you ever tell me anything?”

Donghae sat there debating about whether he should be honest with this girl sitting next to him who has been clinging onto him ever since he could remember.

“Hee Sun you’re an adult about to start college, live a life of your own on campus without your family behind your back, so I believe you’re mature enough to understand me and what I have to say,” Donghae started, “you clearly know you’re like a sister to me.”

“But mother says feelings can change throughout time.” Hee Sun interrupted.

“Listen to me first,” Donghae told, “you’re like a very special sister to me because you’re my best friend’s sister. You know there’s an investigation going on right now and I’m leading it so it’s very important to me. I’m in Seoul partially because of this investigation.”

“Partially?” Hee Sun interrupted again.

Partially? Why had he said partially?

Donghae opened his mouth to clarify himself but Hee Sun interrupted, “Wait. That means you’re clearly here because of another reason.” He watched Hee Sun move her eyes around the car as if searching for something before finally allowing her eyes to meet his. “When I asked you to stay in Seoul for me Eunhyuk said you got upset at the mention of staying here in that summer house. And that girl is here…if you’re not here for me you came here for her?! Why would you come to Seoul for her?!”

“I’m not here for anyone Hee Sun,” Donghae said realizing he’d hit Hee Sun’s nerve. She was angry and upset with him stating she was just a younger sister to him. It’d happen before but this time Hee Sun’s anger felt different.

“You’re lying! You’re lying!” her screaming suddenly went high pitch and Donghae wasn’t sure whether his ears could take it or not. “I’m not giving up on making you mine oppa! I won’t give up! Do you know how much you mean to me? Ever since I came into Eunhyuk’s family everyone at school made fun of me, but you stood up for me. It’s not my fault that I started loving you, you made me love you! I’m not just going to let you go like this!”

Hee Sun glared at him with her glittery eyes and stormed out of the car slamming the door behind her as she walked off into the dorm. Donghae stared after her wondering what he’d just gotten himself into.

/////

After Victoria returned inside the house with Melodix, who’d been running around the front yard for minutes, she finally walked into to the kitchen to make a grilled cheese sandwich to eat before heading off to bed. It was only when she walked passed the dining room that she noticed the window was slightly open. Had she left it open earlier? She never opened windows, not even during summer time…had someone come in? The thought of it frightened her. Victoria stared at the window feeling fear climb throughout her body as if she were waiting for something to happen. When 2 minutes passed she finally gathered the courage forcing herself forward and quickly pushed the window close and just stared at it. She needed a curtain to block the inside view from outside she decided.

Stalker.

The word loomed in her mind like a never ending road. If she really had one she might want to start taking precautions from then on and start listening to the investigator she ignored majority of the time. Although she was slightly relieved with the fact that Donghae was in Seoul.

Victoria stepped into the kitchen and couldn’t help but glance behind her every few seconds. Feeling goosebumps climb up her skin she gave up the thought of eating the delicious grilled cheese sandwich and grabbed Melodix then walked into her room locking the door behind her.

She finally fell asleep after a long time of repeating to herself that everything would be fine. When the sun arose she woke up later than usual and made herself the grilled cheese sandwich she’d promised herself last night. After breakfast she continued with reading her textbook then found she couldn’t even concentrate. The thought of the window being left open was beginning to spook her too much. Or more like she was letting herself become over paranoid. For a few minutes she debated to herself whether she should tell the investigator about the window incident and surprisingly she decided to.

/////

He’d arrived home right after dropping Hee Sun off and now his mind was filled with questions triggered by Hee Sun’s words. She was right though. He’d made an abrupt and rash decision to move to Seoul right after he’d found out someone had tampered with Victoria’s brakes. He’d never really thought about it but now it was coming to him. Had he come to Seoul for Victoria? Had he made his investigation an excuse because fact was he didn’t need to come to Seoul to complete it. Majority of his evidence was in Incheon and only Victoria who was the middle of Sandy and Il Chung’s case was in Seoul. What was wrong with him? He’d become nosey about Victoria’s life and he’d found out more than he needed to know about her, but yet why did he follow her to this big city which he didn’t want to return to?

Shaking his head clear of all thoughts he grabbed his pj’s and decided to take a cold shower.

Donghae had been planning to sleep in a little but the ringing of his phone told him he couldn’t.

“Lee Donghae.”

“It’s me.”

Donghae felt his eyes open and sat up in bed. “Victoria?”

“I have something to tell you. Tell me where you are and I’ll come meet you.”

Jumping up from bed after her phone call Donghae hurried to brush his teeth, glanced at himself once in the mirror, and then made a cup of instant coffee in the kitchen. Just when the coffee boiler began whistling the doorbell rang. Taking the coffee boiler off the stove and pouring some water into his coffee cup he then rushed for the door.

When he opened the door he was greeted by the blank stare that Victoria gave him so often.

“Come in,” he invited holding the door open for her then closed it after she walked in.

He turned to see Victoria glance around the summer house.

“Your house?” she asked slightly turning to look at him still in his pj’s.

“My uncle’s summer house. I’m just borrowing it while I’m staying here,” he explained then noticed her staring at his clothes. He couldn’t help but laugh to conceal his embarrassment, “I just woke up as you can see.”

“I’m guessing I woke you,” she said turning away.

“Have you had breakfast? Do you want anything to drink?” he asked walking pass her leading her into the kitchen where the table sat. “You can sit down.”

Victoria sat down allowing her eyes to gaze around the kitchen, “I guess your house does seem a bit more lively than my gloomy apartment.”

Donghae smiled and placed a glass of water in front of her then sat down at the end of the table with his cup of warm coffee in front of him. He glanced over at her and smiled. For some reason he felt delighted with the thought that she was there.

“Are you ok this morning?” she questioned.

“Perfectly fine, so what was it you wanted to tell me?”

He watched her purse her lips together then said, “I think someone was in my apartment. I found one of the windows opened when I returned and I’m pretty sure I didn’t leave it open.”

An image of the stalker’s shadow became visible in his mind while he observed her. She seemed a bit uncomfortable, but did well at hiding the fact. But the thought of the stalker also made him uncomfortable.

“Did you lock your door before leaving yesterday?”