August 24th, Monday…

 

It was the next day, Monday, and Won Woo was currently at the store with Soo Min, shopping for groceries but suddenly, it seemed like she was only shopping for tonight’s dinner. Jisoo had already left back to Seoul since he didn’t pack anything when he came to Busan and even if Hansol and Minghao were old enough to look after themselves as well as Seungcheol was just next door, he just had to go home, unfortunately. He promised to call her later and see about coming back soon.

 

“Is that all you’re getting?” Won Woo asked as he looked at the nearly empty shopping basket that only contained 2 Choco Pie boxes and 1 TV dinner.

 

“Why?” She asked while looking around for another item she kind of wanted but wasn't too sure about it. Her appetite was still missing.

 

“You need to buy more than that, unless you plan to keep coming out every day to buy your dinner?” He lightly scolded her before guiding her back to the frozen food section to get more dinners. Apparently she’s fallen out of wanting to cook, he was thanking whoever invented frozen TV dinners right about now. He could hear her sigh about it but he ignored it. This was for her own good.

 

As he proceeded to toss a few more dinners into her basket, Soo Min stood there and watched as the small pile grew. It wasn’t like she didn’t have the money to buy it all, but she definitely thought it was too much. But she couldn’t bring herself to say anything and knew Won Woo was just helping. She appreciated that and a small smile came to her lips. “Thanks.”

 

“You better eat all of these before I leave again.” He snickered and started to push the cart towards the checkout. He figured that was enough shopping for today, she wasn’t going to pick out anything else, he knew that full well by now.

 

After checking out, they returned to her grandmother’s house and cleaned around the place for the elder before taking a break to eat some lunch. Won Woo tried to think of different topics to talk about or different tasks to do but nothing seemed to come to mind as Soo Min just didn’t like going out anymore, she didn’t like talking either, or cooking… she’s really changed since breaking up with Jeonghan and it broke his heart. He didn’t like this not one bit and decided he was going to do what he could to get them back together, because he believed they were truly meant to be, there was just no denying it. I have to do something.

 

Shortly after dinner, her grandmother returned home and Soo Min excused herself to go run a bath for the beloved elder, that allowed Won Woo to talk with her while Soo Min was away. He started off by asking how she’s been since he left last time and she replied that nothing had really changed. He felt disappointed when he heard that. It was her first breakup, of course it’s going to take time, right?

 

“Sometimes I hear her crying at night.” Her grandmother said with a sad smile. “I’ll ask her the next morning about it, but she’ll tell me I must be hearing things and that she’s fine, but I can see it in her eyes that she’s not fine.”

 

“I don’t know why she’s being so stubborn…” Won Woo muttered while gripping the hem of his shirt, he was getting frustrated. “It’s clear that she misses Jeonghan and that she probably regrets leaving. I mean, I understand, I’d be upset too… but it’s okay. No one is mad at her and we’re all just waiting for her to come back with open arms. Why can’t she see that?”

 

As Won Woo continued to vent his frustration to the elder, Soo Min had returned just in time to catch all of that. Hearing the tone he was using made her feel guilty all over again. It seemed no one was going to be happy with anything she does from here on out. Am I wrong for not wanting to return? Am I wrong for running away? Am I wrong for anything? She wanted to know… but instead of coming out of her hiding spot, she decided to head to her room for the night without another word. The bath water was all ready to go and she knew her elder could handle it on her own.

August 25th, Tuesday…

 

Returning to Seoul yesterday, Jisoo was swarmed with questions by his roommates and neighbors since they heard he had gone to see Soo Min in Busan. He was glad they still cared about her enough to pester him about it, at least it wasn’t like no one missed her. It was kind of sad though, seeing how much his friends missed her, and that only made him wonder if Jeonghan was missing her just as much? That’s when he decided to pay him a visit.

 

“I’ll be back.” Jisoo mentioned to his younger roommates who were glued to the movie on the TV screen.

 

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Hansol managed to snap out of it before Jisoo could open the door.

 

“Just for a little bit, I’m going to see Jeonghan.” He answered in reply. He could see the small reaction on their faces when they heard that and he could tell they were curious about how that meeting would go given Jisoo had gone to see Soo Min after 2 weeks. Was Jisoo going to bring it up to Jeonghan, or not?

 

“Let us know how he’s doing!” Minghao blurted out with such a cute worried look, it made Jisoo smile.

 

“I will.” He assured them before finally taking his leave. His younger friends always cared about the others but in that moment he couldn’t help but be reminded of Soo Min, how she was always making sure everyone was okay.

Arriving to Jeonghan’s shared apartment, he was instantly greeted by Mingyu who answered the door. Seeing his excitement deflate upon realizing it was just Jisoo at the door made the older laugh. “Expecting Won Woo?”

 

“I thought he’d be home by now?” It was currently Monday afternoon and he had thought his boyfriend would be back in time before his shift at Pledis Pizza later tonight, that’s what Won Woo had said during their call last night, he said he would be back before evening. That was a lie now, wasn’t it?

 

“I don’t think he’ll be back until Friday or something.” Jisoo mentioned while entering the apartment. He had briefly talked to Won Woo about how long he was staying with Soo Min at her grandmother’s place this time and he didn’t get a very clear answer but he assumed Friday was a good estimate. He could see the clear pout on Mingyu’s face after he shut the door and he just held in his laugh, it was cute seeing how much Mingyu missed his boyfriend. He was like a little puppy waiting for his owner to come home.

 

“I get he’s visiting Soo Min and all but I don’t like how he’s not talking to me about it and taking off whenever he pleases. He was only here for 2 days before he went back again… pretty soon Pledis Pizza will fire him!”

 

“I’m sorry.” He felt bad for his younger friend, he didn’t realize Won Woo was treating him like that let alone being a bad employee. He worried if this was going to become a problem in their relationship.

 

“I just don’t understand how I’ve known him longer than her, yet he’s flocking to her side like he’s known her all his life…” it was hard for Mingyu not to sound so harsh about it, but he honestly was getting jealous and mad. “She’s more important than me now?”

 

“It’s not like that and you know it.” Jisoo frowned while reaching out to give him a gentle pat on his shoulder. “Just calm down for a second and think about it. It’s clear that he’s trying to get her to come back because he misses her, we all do. He wants to fix things, but I’m afraid it’s not going to be easy… Just try not to think so much about it, a misunderstanding will occur if you keep it up.”

 

Mingyu thought about what Jisoo said and he had to agree with it. Maybe he was just thinking too much and making assumptions? Either way, he just wished he could also tag along with Won Woo because yeah, he missed the one and only Pikachu, but he also wanted to be there for his boyfriend through it all. Like when he comes home, he was sure that he wouldn't succeed in getting Soo Min to return with him, he already told him about what happened last time.

 

“How has Jeonghan been doing?” Jisoo asked after a short silence fell upon them.

 

“He’s been resting like the doctor told him to.” Mingyu explained while looking back at Jeonghan’s shared bedroom door, it was closed which indicated that mentioned person was probably inside still resting. “He’s eating more, too. I feel like he’s going to be okay, like the worst part is over now…”

 

“That’s good.” That was really good, he had worried that Jeonghan would never bounce back from this breakup but after hearing Mingyu’s status update about it, it looked like maybe he will be okay after all.

 

“Since it’s noon, I’ll go and get some lunch that way you and him can talk in private.”

 

“Alright,” Jisoo nodded as they both got up from the couch. “By the way, where’s Junhui?”

 

“Oh, he’s out visiting Mi-Cha and Ae-Cha. I suppose he’s trying to get brownie points by including her sister, it’s cute.” Mingyu grinned.

 

“It is.” Jisoo gave a light chuckle before exchanging a temporary farewell before he headed over to Jeonghan’s shared room.  He supposed it would be okay to wake him since it was lunch time. He should eat. He knocked on the door and opened the door quietly and poked his head inside to see Jeonghan’s eyes fluttering open from the small noise at the door.

 

“Jisoo?” He mumbled while rubbing an eye with his hand before eventually sitting up. Jisoo came over and took a seat on the edge of his bed to greet him, telling him it was noon and if he was up to going out for lunch? There was also the option to stay and order something… which he did agree to that since he still didn’t feel that well to be going out just yet.

 

“Did you quit Pledis Cafe yet?” Jisoo asked after ordering some food to be delivered to the door. When he didn’t get a reply, he looked over to see Jeonghan looking guilty while avoiding his eyes. “Jeonghan…”

 

“I’ll quit tomorrow.” He sighed while running a hand through his hair. He wanted to say he’d quit a week before school, but school was starting next week! He didn’t realize how much time flew by and for a moment he didn’t even know what day it was! “It’s Monday, right?”

 

“No, it’s Tuesday.” Jisoo shook his head before tilting it. “You okay?”

 

“I’m fine, just… when you sleep so much you tend to forget what day it is.” Jeonghan gave a small chuckle and at least Jisoo was happy to see him smiling. It didn’t look forced or fake… it looked genuine.

“That’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

 

“So what have you been up to while I was playing the role of Sleeping Beauty?” Jeonghan was slowly coming back to them, it was nice to see him not looking so down about everything for once.

 

Jisoo thought about bringing up his small trip to Busan Sunday and wondered if Jeonghan would be able to handle it. He seems to be doing way better than I had imagined… maybe I should tell him? “I went to Busan the other day.” He mentioned softly and watched Jeonghan’s face for any reactions, of course he got a reaction, he got a good reaction.

 

“You did?” There was a growing smile on his lips as he sat forward looking like he was ready to hear all about it. “Did you have fun?”

 

“It was so sudden, but I did.”

 

“... did you see her?” It was like he didn’t want to ask, but he ended up doing so anyway and Jisoo couldn’t blame him, honestly. “Is that why you went?”

 

“It was.” Jisoo wasn’t going to make excuses or lies, he was going to be honest with Jeonghan because that’s what his friend deserved. “She called me Sunday morning. I wasn’t expecting it, so I was a little shocked… once I had calmed down, I asked if she was okay but she didn’t say anything and I already could tell she was upset. I knew I had to see her face to face so I took the first plane over and spent the day with her. Won Woo showed up shortly after, too. He’s still over there now, I had to come back since I didn’t go prepared the first time but I was thinking of going back soon.” He could see Jeonghan nodding his head from time to time and he was glad that he was reacting well to it.

 

“How was she?” That was a question everyone wanted to know and for once… Jisoo felt like he should lie.

 

“Good. She’s been helping her grandmother around the house-”

 

“Jisoo, don’t lie to me.” Jeonghan chuckled. “I live with Mingyu who’s really loud on the phone. I heard him talking to Won Woo last night.” Jisoo wasn't sure how to recover from that and he felt so bad now for even trying to lie to him. “I understand… you just didn’t want me to worry.” All he could do was nod to confirm it before feeling Jeonghan give him a gentle pat on his arm. “It’s okay. I was going to be worried regardless of what you were going to say.”

 

“I’m really worried, Jeonghan… I hate to say that she doesn’t seem like the same person after leaving.” This time he could see a different reaction from his friend and of course he expected it. “I’m not sure what I can do to help… Won Woo just wants to bring her back but she’s so stubborn on not coming back. I think she’s feeling a lot of regret for leaving us like that and feels like she can’t face anyone if she were to return…”

 

“I’d understand.” Jeonghan sounded so calm, it was still surprising Jisoo at how composed he was being after he started talking about Soo Min. “I’d feel the same if it were me. I’d never want to come back ever again, I’d be too embarrassed and so regretful… I understand how she’s feeling.”

 

“I wish she wouldn’t feel like that. I wish she knew that we’re not angry or upset with her… I wish she knew we just want her back.” It was hard to talk about it now… Jisoo hadn’t thought he’d get this emotional about it because he had thought he was the calm and collected one around here but apparently he wasn’t and Jeonghan had to reach out and wipe a tear that found it’s way down his cheek.

 

“It’s okay.” Jeonghan smiled, there was a hint of sadness in it and it was enough that Jisoo cried even harder.

 

“I’m sorry.” He just felt like he had to apologize for getting so emotional as well as for everything else. He still believed it was his fault for not talking to Soo Min sooner before she made that big decision to leave Seoul…

 

It was difficult seeing his best friend cry, but Jeonghan managed to pull through and be the strong one for them today. It wasn’t like he had any tears left from the past two weeks, he couldn’t cry anymore even if he wanted to. Crying was supposed to help in some situations but for Jeonghan, it didn’t help at all… so he stopped crying because he knew it wasn’t going to change anything, as depressing as that sounded, he knew it wasn’t going to bring her back or help the situation at all. If anything, it just made him look pathetic with how much he had cried, like he was a child whose toy was stolen or broken.

 

For the rest of Jisoo’s visit, Jeonghan comforted him.

It was noon when Soo Min headed out to get some fresh air. Won Woo was still asleep and her grandmother was already out with her friends today. She probably did that so I could spend time with Won Woo… she thought as she crossed the street. She was heading to the park to sit on the bench and stare up at the sky, like a character in a cliché movie. Seeing the kids and other couples out on the grass made her think about all her friends back in Seoul. It almost brought a smile to her face, but her guilt stopped it. Do I even deserve to be happy after all of this?

 

She let out a sigh before she saw someone take a seat next to her on the bench and an ice cream was handed to her. She was confused until she accepted the ice cream from him. “Oh?”

 

“I saw you while I was at the ice cream truck.” He explained with a cute smile. “It’s pretty hot today, eat up!” She felt like he was a super friendly person and she thought it was nice. Though, there was always that saying, stranger danger, she didn’t feel threatened or endangered with him, if anything, he seemed familiar to her.

 

“Thanks.” She managed to put on a small smile before she took one . Staring at the ice cream, she remembered how she and Chan spent a day together and they got ice cream. I miss you, Charmander.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked after he noticed her sad expression while staring at her ice cream.

 

“Yeah.” She nodded before taking another .

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Mmhmm.” She took another .

 

It was silent the rest of their time together.

 

“Have a good day, I hope you feel better soon!” He said with a bright smile when she got up to leave.

 

“Sure.” She simply nodded before waving with a forced smile and then she was gone.

 

Who was that? She thought to herself on her way back to her grandmothers. He was so nice and friendly. But she couldn’t help but feel like she’s met him before or something? When she got home, Won Woo was still asleep in the guest room they set him up in and she sighed.

 

She wondered if he had been having difficulty sleeping here or if there was something going on back at home and he hadn’t said anything to her about it. Not like she expected him to, she wasn’t saying to him about her situation, it was only fair that he didn’t say anything to her either… even though that sounds bad.

 

She ended up going to the kitchen to heat up one of the many TV dinners he made her buy for lunch and ate alone. She hadn’t even made a dent in the small stack of dinners in the freezer.

August 26th, Wednesday…

 

The next day, Soo Min headed out even earlier, hoping she wouldn’t run into anyone like she did yesterday. As much as that was a nice encounter, she just didn’t feel like having to be forced to talk to anyone.

 

“Hello, again.” It was the guy from yesterday, the one who gave her the ice cream. Great.

 

“Hi.” She simply greeted him as she sat on the park bench. “What brings you out here in the morning… at the same time I’m here?” She asked, the last bit sounding a little flat. It made him laugh.

 

“I’m not stalking you, I swear.” He defended. “We just happened to be here at the same is all.”

 

“Coincidence?”

 

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Or fate?” The mixed look of un-amusement and questioning made him laugh again. “What?”

 

“Don’t say that.” She sighed before looking out to the empty park. It was something Jeonghan had said to her before they started dating, when he was flirting with her. Was this guy flirting with her? If so, it didn’t feel great. She didn’t like the idea of someone who wasn’t Jeonghan flirting with her, it felt wrong.

 

“Sorry.” He apologized with a sheepish smile. “How are you doing today? You still look like something’s bothering you. Care to share it with me? I’ll listen.”

 

“Why?” She didn’t mean to sound harsh but it came out that way.

 

“I’m just worried about you is all…” he replied, worry laced in his tone and apparent on his face.

 

“There’s no need, we’re strangers, it’s none of your business. I’m fine.” She simply said, avoiding eye contact with him. But it was clear that she wasn’t. Ever since Won Woo came to Busan, she hadn’t talked to him about anything even though she had planned on it and she hardly talks to her grandmother now, too. She just didn’t like talking about anything with anyone anymore… afraid she was going to be told that she was wrong and that she should go back.

 

The rest of their time on the bench was spent in silence again before she was the first to leave.

 

“See you again?”

 

“Unless you guess where I’m going next time.” She said with a small laugh. That was cute.

Coming home, Won Woo was just waking up on the couch as she entered the house. She figured he must’ve fallen asleep last night watching something on the TV.

 

“You left?” He mumbled in a sleepy voice.

 

“Needed some air.” She answered while putting her bag away. “Are you hungry?”

 

“Are you going to cook?”

 

“No, I can heat up a TV dinner for you.” She shook her head and could see him frown at her reply.

 

“That’s okay, I’ll make myself something to eat in a bit. I’m not really fond of TV dinners.” He added while getting up and headed to the bathroom to wash up. She stood there and watched him disappear down the hall and thought about what he said. It tastes fine.

 

“Minnie, you really should eat something other than TV dinners, that’s not healthy.” Her grandmother’s voice echoed in her head from last night’s dinner. She let out a small sigh and plopped onto the couch. Maybe she’d eat what Won Woo makes? She only started to wonder how everyone else was eating these days? Then she snickered at herself for even being worried when she wasn’t even eating properly herself. You can’t do that, Soo. She thought. C’mon, get it together, girl.

 

Just then the doorbell rang and she got up to answer it. It was like deja vu all over again when she was greeted by her sister and Ren at the door. At least she didn’t block them from entering this time. “Halmoni isn’t home.”

 

“We came to visit you, too!” Min Hee nudged her sister with a small pout. “Mom also apologizes for not visiting this past weekend. Something came up and she had to go with dad to take care of some things.”

 

“I don’t need explanations.” Soo Min assured her sounding uninterested, that put a frown on the couple's faces. She’s really changed.

 

“I suppose there’s no point in asking how you’re doing, right?” Ren asked as he and his girlfriend took a seat on the couch. Soo Min only shrugged before Won Woo returned from the bathroom. “Oh?! Someone was visiting you?!”

 

“Hi.” Won Woo waved when he noticed a familiar pair of faces. He almost forgot about her sister and Ren until now.

 

“Won Woo, right?” Min Hee asked with a sweet smile when he nodded. “Thanks for coming to check on my sister, I appreciate it!”

 

“No problem.” He returned that smile before looking to Soo Min who looked like she wanted to be alone again.

 

“Why don’t we talk?” Ren asked towards Won Woo. “Let’s let the girls talk for a bit, too.”

 

“What a great idea!” Min Hee beamed as Soo Min sighed in defeat.

 

Ren took Won Woo out for lunch, leaving Soo Min alone with her sister in the elder’s house.

 

It was a shame that Won Woo couldn’t tell Ren much about what’s been going on, informing him that she just wouldn’t talk to anyone, she was really bottling it up on the inside. They only hoped that maybe she’d talk to her sister now.

 

Soo Min expected her sister to slam her with 20 questions, but after Ren left with Won Woo, it was quiet. The older even the TV and flipped through a few channels until it landed on a K-Drama and she commented that she was currently following it. The only question Min Hee ever asked her was if she was watching any dramas lately?

 

“Why haven’t you asked me about what happened?” She asked her sister with a confused expression. Before, everyone was so keen on knowing what happened but…

 

“Because I know you’re not going to answer me.” Min Hee simply said with a small laugh. “Besides, I know talking about it is hard. I went through the same thing with my first boyfriend, if you can remember?”

 

“You had a boyfriend before Ren?” Soo Min didn’t remember that… probably because she had a bad memory for starters and she wasn’t that close to her sister.

 

“Yeah, you remember Woo Sung, right?” At the mere mention of his name, Soo Min stilled. Woo Sung? Now she realized why the guy from the park seemed familiar… that was him! Then she started to remember how he might have flirted with her. She found it really strange now… “What is it?” Min Hee asked when she noticed how quiet her sister got.

 

“Nothing.” She snapped out of it. “Thanks for understanding.” She added with a small smile.

 

“No problem. If you ever want to talk about it, please know you can come to me, alright?”

 

“Right, thanks.”

 

The two spent the rest of the hour watching the K-Drama on the TV.

August 27th, Thursday…

 

The next day, Min Hee and Ren left back to Seoul since it was only a short visit. They left early in the morning and Soo Min had gone out to breakfast with them before they left. She requested that they didn’t take her back to the elder’s house since there were a few things she wanted to do before returning. They were okay with that and told her to take it easy before officially leaving.

 

Soo Min appreciated how they came all the way to see her like that, just like Jisoo and Won Woo did. It really started to make her think about everything while she was out today. When she finally returned home a few hours later, Won Woo was still asleep. At least this way he couldn’t ask her where she went, though the elder was home this time. “I didn’t notice that you left?”

 

“I just needed some air.” She explained while putting her bag away. “Did you eat?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you going to leave with your friends again?”

 

“Not today. There’s a marathon of my favorite K-Drama on TV today. Want to join me?”

 

“No thanks.” Soo Min kindly rejected the offer, she wasn’t that into it when she watched one with Min Hee yesterday, all it did was just remind her of what happened… it wasn’t such a great time spent. “I’ll go take a shower for now.”

 

“Okay, enjoy~!” The elder said in a cheerful tone, hoping it’d put a smile on her granddaughter’s face and it did, barely.

 

“You’re cute, halmoni.” She said before leaving down the hallway.

Won Woo leaned on the doorway of Soo Min’s bedroom with a frown on his face. She was asleep and it was only 7pm right now. She had gone to sleep early. We haven’t talked at all since I got here. He was really worried. He was hoping that he could talk with her and help her with her problems just like she helped him, but she wasn’t being very cooperative. Any time he tried to approach her to talk about it, it was like she knew he was going to bring it up and somehow managed to avoid it every time. She just didn’t want to talk and here she told him talking was key, communication is key. Two faced. He didn’t want to be mad at her, but right now…

 

Eventually he left her room to let her sleep, maybe she needed it. He couldn’t imagine what she goes through at night, that was probably the time she thought about everything the most and it probably keeps her up late. When he got back to the couch in the living room he saw her grandmother still watching the K-Drama marathon going on and had to laugh, she looked so into it. Before he could walk over and join her, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and quickly fished it out to see who it was.

 

Incoming call…

Mingyu

 

Seeing his boyfriend’s name displayed on his phone, he paused. He supposed he hadn’t been very good at keeping in contact with him after lying about when he’d be returning, now the guy was calling. He figured he should take the call and went outside since there wasn’t any other place in the house to talk in private. It was totally logical to go outside where the rest of the world was.

 

“Hey…” Won Woo greeted, not really sure how to address him right now.

 

“I didn’t think you were going to answer.” Mingyu said on the line, he sounded a bit surprised. “You seemed so busy over there, not answering my texts.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Won Woo apologized, he started to feel guilty now. “I wasn’t trying to ignore you.”

 

“I know.”

 

The line got silent for a moment until Won Woo spoke again. “I miss you.”

 

“... I miss you, too. When are you coming home?”

 

“I’m not sure yet. Maybe in a few days.”

 

“Are you sure about that?” Won Woo became silent before his boyfriend asked about his trip so far. “How is she doing?” Mingyu wanted to know how it was going, he wanted to know if his boyfriend was actually doing something and not wasting his time over there. Being apart for this long again was really getting to him.

 

“Not good. She won’t talk to me about anything…”

 

“Really? Then what are you still doing there if she’s not going to talk?” Mingyu didn’t think his question would make his boyfriend mad, but it did.

 

“What? What did you just say?” Won Woo’s tone was bitter. “Did you really just ask me that?”

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that…”

 

“I’m trying to help her, stop being selfish Mingyu and grow up.” And he ended the call. I thought he understood why I was here! He didn’t like Mingyu’s words nor the tone he used, he could tell maybe the guy was being a bit jealous, he just wanted him home but here he was off in another city giving all his attention to a girl who wasn’t coming back to Seoul, like he was wasting his time. I don’t miss that jerk anymore.

August 28th, Friday…

 

The next morning, Soo Min decided not to go out this time. See if fate will happen again.

 

“Soo Min?” Her grandmother called for her.

 

“Yes?” She answered back from her bedroom, she was currently lying on her bed killing time.

 

“We’re out of eggs, can you run to the store and get some?”

 

She thought about it. “Sure.” She got up and headed to the kitchen to ask if there was anything else that was needed, she knew she didn’t want to deal with her sassy grandmother if she were to say no. Won Woo was still asleep and she thought maybe she shouldn’t wake him up for this, even though she really didn’t want to go alone. She had a feeling she’d be running into Woo Sung again… because fate wanted them to.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” She mumbled as she saw Woo Sung picking out some eggs at the store. Really? What is going on? She looked around to see if his friends were around this time but she didn’t see them. Why is this happening to me?

 

“Oh, hey, you?!” Woo Sung blurted out when he saw her. “Honest to god, I didn’t think I’d run into you today.”

 

“Me either.” She sighed, but smiled just a little, it wasn’t like she hated running into him. She had been alone a lot this week, so it was nice to run into him out in public if she had to be honest. She didn’t feel alone when he’d greet her.

 

“Are you ok-”

 

“I’m fine.” She cut him off before he could finish his question, but he replied immediately like he expected her to say that.

 

“No. You’re not.” He said with a sad smile. “This is the fourth day now… maybe it’s a sign that you should talk about it.” Now that she thought about it, maybe it was a different kind of fate.

 

She looked over at him with a slightly intrigued expression. Maybe that’s why they kept running into each other. She wouldn’t talk to her grandmother nor Won Woo. If she wasn’t going to talk to them… who was she going to talk to? Maybe I need to talk to someone who’s unbiased about the situation? That sort of made sense to her.

 

After deciding that maybe today was the day, they agreed to meet up for lunch so they could take their groceries home. When she got back, she started to have second thoughts about meeting Woo Sung again but had to tell herself not to chicken out. They were just going to talk, nothing more. But he tried flirting with me yesterday… I don’t like that. When did her life get so complicated?

 

She had about an hour before she’d have to leave and decided to see if Won Woo was up yet? He was still asleep when she approached the couch and frowned when she saw the not-so-peaceful look on his sleeping face, almost like he was mad. Is he having a bad dream?

 

She took a seat on the floor by the couch and watched him for a few minutes until he woke up on his own. She must’ve had perfect timing or something. “Morning.” She greeted him. He didn’t say anything while he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “How did you sleep?”

 

“Fine, I guess.” He mumbled before swinging his legs over to get up. She scooted away to let him pass and he headed off to the bathroom for a few minutes before coming back and sat on the couch with her. “How did you sleep?” He asked the same question back.

 

“Fine… I guess.” She gave a small chuckle because she gave the same answer he did.

 

“What are you doing today?”

 

“I’m going out to see someone, my high school friend.” She could see the confused look on his face when she said that. “I’ve been running into him the past four days and he’s always asking if I’m okay… I guess he could see right through me. Today, I decided to talk to him… only because I feel like maybe talking to an outsider might help. Someone who doesn’t really know what’s going on and he could give me a clear opinion on what I should do. I want to talk to you, I want to talk to halmoni but I can already predict what you two are going to tell me. You’re going to tell me it’s okay and I should go back to Seoul but I don’t want to hear that, I don’t want to hear biased answers. I know that sounds a little mean but it’s the truth.”

 

“I understand.” Won Woo had to agree. It was true… he just wanted her back because he misses her and he was sure everyone else does but did they really stop and think about how she really feels? When she avoids talking about it, it’s clear that she doesn’t want to go back because of her guilt and how she up and left everyone like that. They were being a little selfish, weren’t they?

 

Hopefully talking to this outsider will help.

“Order what you want, I’m paying.” Woo Sung gave her a kind smile as they were at a burger joint.

 

“Thanks.” She appreciated his kindness. It seemed like he knew she figured out who he was and there was no need to introduce themselves after all. Like she said to Won Woo earlier, they were high school friends, because he dated her older sister before she met Ren.

 

She looked through the menu for a minute before a waitress came to take their order. She could tell the girl had an eye for Woo Sung and it made her smile because it looked cute, that was until the girl gave her a dirty look, possibly out of jealousy. Damn, Woo Sung and I aren’t even together, chill. “That girl totally likes you.” She blurted out as she was walking away. She could tell she heard, too.

 

“Oh?” Woo Sung was surprised at her comment before looking for the waitress who gave a shy smile before hurrying off to place their orders. “How do you know that?”

 

“The way she was looking at you.” Soo Min answered. “And then she gave me a dirty look, like she didn’t like I’m here at the table with you.”

 

“Really?” He chuckled at that, he supposed that would happen, it was normal for him after all.

 

“Whatever, it’s fine. We’re not together so it doesn’t bother me.” She shrugged it off before grabbing the straw for her drink.

 

“True.” He nodded before also grabbing his straw.

 

“Though I should ask before I get in trouble. You don’t have a jealous girlfriend I should be cautious about, right?” Perhaps she should have asked that yesterday when he tried to flirt with her but maybe she just jumped to conclusions and he was just joking.

 

“No.” He shook his head. “What about you? Jealous boyfriend?” She got quiet at his question and he frowned. “Did I get it right?”

 

“Yes and no.” She leaned back in her seat and took a deep breath. It was already time to spill the beans? “It’s hard for me to talk about it. The situation is complicated and I feel like a total idiot about it.”

 

“Just do your best.” He assured her.

 

She honestly didn’t know where to start but she decided to start from the beginning. She explained how she moved to Seoul and met a guy named Jeonghan. She went on about how nice and funny he was… how he really made her happy and then they got together. They were only together for a short while before issues started to arise in their relationship and soon enough, she didn’t know what to do and got overwhelmed. She broke up with Jeonghan and left everyone without notice. She left letters to them, but still… she thought it was pretty lame to leave them like that. She was surprised that she could hold her tears in during the whole explanation.

 

“Wow, I’m sorry. I had no idea… no wonder why you looked so sad.”

 

“Yeah… it seems to get harder and harder to hide it as the days pass.”

 

There was a small silence at their table before Woo Sung spoke again. “Do you still love him?”

 

“I do.” She nodded. “Part of me wishes I could go back and be with him but the other part knows I hurt him really bad and that I don’t deserve him now.”

“Don’t think like that.” He protested. “You’re only human and you did what you thought was best for you in that time. I know it would have been scary to face them personally and tell them you’re leaving. It’d be hard to tell him you wanted to break up. That was just your way of dealing with it. You regret it now but don’t beat yourself up about it like that. It was your first relationship, right? How the hell were you supposed to know what to do?” He felt so bad for her.

 

“But we see it all the time in the movies and dramas.”

 

“Screw the movies, screw the dramas, that’s not reality. Relationships are really not like that in real life. They’re lying to you.” He should know, he’s experienced it first hand.

 

“Either way, I don’t know what to do. I feel like a huge part of me is missing now that I left.”

 

“I bet… it sounded like you were really happy there.”

 

“I was.”

 

“Then why don’t you go back?” He suggested with a soft smile. “I know you hate the way you left and you feel like maybe you shouldn’t but… I feel like if you ever want to move on from this or be happy again, you should go back. Seoul is the place for you to be.”

 

“Bu-”

 

“I’m sure Jeonghan forgives you. I’m sure he still wants to be with you, I’m sure he still loves you. You shouldn’t let something like this decided the fate of your future. If you go back, I know everyone will welcome you back with open arms because they really care about you. I bet they feel like a piece of them is missing now that you’re gone, too.” It was amazing how he was saying all the right things right now. “You should listen to your heart, not your brain. Maybe you and Jeonghan are meant to be?”

 

“You really think so?”

 

“You won’t know until you go back. You should go back, alright?”

 

Just then, their orders arrived. Perfect timing. The waitress didn’t give her a dirty look this time, instead, she gave her an apologetic one. She had heard everything.

 

“But I’m scared.” Soo Min said softly, her eyes were locked onto the food placed in front of her.

 

“That’s okay… but I know you can do it. Just believe in yourself and fight it off so you can be happy again. Don’t let yourself suffer anymore.” He gave her an encouraging smile and she finally smiled back.

 

“Okay. I’ll try.”

 

“Don’t just try, do it!” He laughed.

 

“Fine! Okay!” The two laughed it off before digging into their lunch. “Thanks, Woo Sung.”

 

“No problem.”

 

“Let me pay for lunch instead.” She said before taking a bite of her cheeseburger.

 

“No.” He pouted. “I said I was going to pay.”

 

“Well, I’m paying now. You earned it with your peptalk.”

 

“Nooo!” He whined and she almost choked on her food, he was giving aegyo.

 

“Okay, you pay. Don’t do that again.”

 

“Why?!” He laughed.

 

“It was scary…” she teased. He rolled his eyes at her reply and they laughed it off. The finished their lunch with Soo Min in better moods.

After talking to Woo Sung earlier, Soo Min felt a little less miserable about her whole situation. Talking with the outsider seemed to really help. She actually thought about it for a long time before bed last night and seriously thought about returning to Seoul. But there was that hesitation again… the fear of facing everyone after she hurt them like that. She just couldn’t get it out of her mind. Before she knew it, she was on the couch pondering about it the whole afternoon until...

 

“Come back to Seoul with me.” Won Woo said as he was standing at the front door of Soo Min’s grandmother’s house with his suitcase at his side for the second time. He wanted to stay longer but he felt like maybe he should go back if things weren’t working out here. But he had to try and bring her back before he left. He just had to.

 

“Minnie?” The elder asked when the girl didn’t reply to her friend at the door. She looked dejected and upset at his comment. Talk about deja vu.

 

“Soo Min…” Won Woo spoke again.

 

“Minnie, you should go back…” her grandmother spoke up with a soft smile. “You don’t belong here.”

 

It was hard for Soo Min to admit they were right. After talking to Woo Sung today, she started to understand what she really should do. Maybe it is time I should go back, even if I’m scared. She should really it up and woman up. But just when she was about to agree… “I don’t think I’m ready.” She barely got out. “I’m sorry.” She added before getting up and heading to her room. She could tell Won Woo didn’t like her answer. I just need more time… she thought to herself as she lied on her bed. I’ll go back eventually…

 

She could hear Won Woo shut the front door after telling her grandmother his goodbye and she let out a deep sigh. Damn, I just disappoint everyone every time. She her side and grabbed her phone off of her night stand to check her notifications. Nothing. She expected that and snickered at herself for thinking there would be anything there for her to read. She could understand maybe Jisoo was busy and hadn’t had time to text or call her yet, and well, Won Woo was here this whole time so there was no reason for there to be anything by him.

 

She sighed one more time before spending the next few hours staring at the ceiling. What do I do? She wondered to herself before she heard the front door shut. She took that as her grandmother went out with her friends again. She must be upset with me. That was probably the truth. Despite she told her grandmother to keep doing what she was doing and to not let her get in the way of it, she started to think maybe the elder was getting sick of having her stubborn and depressed granddaughter around. Maybe that’s why she’s insisting that she doesn’t belong here in Busan anymore. Maybe that’s why she spends so much time out with her friends instead of home with Soo Min. Damn, now I really do feel alone. She let out a sad laugh.

 

After a few moments, she got up and headed into the livingroom and sat down in the corner where the liquor cabinet was. “Do any of these even taste good? Why does she have so many?” She muttered to herself before finding one with the words “Mixed Berry” as the flavor. That sounded appealing to her and so she grabbed it before shutting the cabinet. She left the bottle on the floor before she went to the kitchen to fetch a few things. She brought back a tall glass of water and some painkillers for later and wrote a note to herself. Take the pills before you sleep!

 

Once she had everything read, she poured herself a small cup of the clear alcoholic liquid and brought it up to her lips. She smelt it first and her nose scrunched up and she looked away, startled. “That’s so strong!” She suddenly felt nervous and her hand started to shake. “I don’t have to do this to myself.” She put it back on the floor next to the bottle. She was trying to resist it, but thoughts from earlier when Won Woo looked so disappointed in her, her grandmother, too… and the fact that she told Woo Sung that she would go back, and she didn’t. “Damn it.” She muttered before grabbing the cup and started to drink it as fast as she could to get over with it. When she was done swallowing it, she coughed a bit and felt like she was going to die. “How do people even drink!” She said in between a cough. She poured herself another glass because she felt like she needed it instead of the water. “Jisoo is probably going to be disappointed in me as well… bottoms up.” She drank the second cup a bit slower and suffered. “I’m not cut out for this…” she coughed once more.

---

Chapter eight.

 

Long time no see~

Sorry for being gone so long, or well, not active on this story.

A lot has been going on since I last updated this story.

Drama with college.

I hurt my knee in February this year and have been dealing with hospital visits and physical therapy. And so the little time I had between all of that, I worked on my Meanie fic that has been getting a lot of attention. I never meant to neglect this story, because it’s actually the first story I posted on AFF (this being part two of it) so, I really am SORRY~!

I guess Soo Min and I are a lot alike, huh, running off ahaha JK

Jeonghan is not liking this whatsoever…

I don’t like it either but to be honest, she was bound to do it.

It’s called reality and the fact that some of the purest people can be easily swayed.

I don’t promote drinking, though, don't get it wrong lol it was just one of the cliché concepts that actually does happen in real life, so yeah…XD

Not like Seventeen haven’t admitted their choice of alcohol before.

Drinking is common in Korea o.o there’s just no way around it lol

Jisoo really isn’t going to be happy about this but it’ll be okay XD

We all make mistakes~!

Until next time~!

Jeonghan: *Hears his phone ringing*

P.S. Happy 2nd year anniversary to this fic, the first part was posted June 24th 2015. Still running after two years lol jk, I’m so slow OTL sorry~!

P.P.S it's still the 24th where I am lol Whoops.