§§§§§

Namjoo didn’t understand him. Why couldn’t she understand him? They used to understand each other so well. He just wanted to protect her.

Sehun knew she’d get married someday, but it didn’t feel right right now. Namjoo with men…Namjoo dating…it wasn’t right. Not now. She wasn’t ready. She just wasn’t.

Conflicted, Sehun stepped out of his room. There was only one thing he needed to do in order to protect her. He shot a glance at her room before heading downstairs with phone to his ear. Half an hour later he was at a secluded spot by the river leaning against the hood of his vehicle. Chul pulled up minutes later, his bright headlights blinding Sehun.

“Yo!” Chul called out tossing a bottle of juice at Sehun. He was apparently in a jolly mood. It only made Sehun grayer. Leaning against Sehun’s car beside him the friend grinned, “Was that your girl earlier? I heard you have a girlfriend now. How come you didn’t say anything to me? I thought we were buds?”

Sehun wasn’t in the mood for his antics. He also wished Chul wasn’t touching his car. Anything pertaining that man pissed him off. It was driving him nuts. He could still hear obnoxious Taihee cackling into his ear.

“Hey, not snitching or anything, but I was out here having a few drinks with some friends. Thought I might pick up some girls at the club, but as I was passing the motel, guess who I saw? Your friend! Your friend! That really cute girl you brought to the café that one time. Namjoo, oh yes. Namjoo, the cute one. Oh dang! At a motel!”

Motel.

Motel.

Motel.

The one dirt word chased itself inside his head. It was nauseating, irritating, hateful.

Suddenly angry, Sehun looked at Chul with a glare. “Stay away from Namjoo.”

The lighthearted expression on Chul’s face transitioned into slight confusion. The friend still managed to cunningly smile. It just got on Sehun’s nerves even more.

“You think it’s a joke?” Sehun’s voice contorted into fury.

Chul frowned bewildered. “Hey…what’s wrong?”

Short of patience, Sehun snatched Chul’s arm with warning, “If you touch her again…no, if you even go one feet near her, I’m going to end you.” Shooting the puzzled Chul a sneer Sehun stepped back into his car, reversed, and sped off with his tires hissing.

Scrolling the window down as he started down the road Sehun rubbed his forehead. This strange dark cloud that had settled over him made it even harder to breathe. The friendship he shared with Namjoo had once felt like it would last forever. Now it felt as if its lifespan was shortening by the day. He was going to lose her and everything they’d shared growing up together, a lifetime’s worth of memories and laughter. He was so very bitter.

Namjoo was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water when he walked in through the door. A splurge of awkwardness hit the air when they looked at each other. Hints of displeasure underlay her flat eyes as she looked away. Realizing that struck his nerves. Why in the world was she displeased with him? He’d done all he could for her! Hadn’t he always thought of her? What was there for her to be angry about? Because he wanted to protect her from Chul?

Heaving a deep, angry sigh he asked, “What?”

Turning her back to him she settled her cup into the sink. Ignoring him was she?

“I’m talking to you,” he deepened his tone.

“Me?” she pretentiously asked with hand placed against herself. “Oh, I didn’t know. Why would you speak to me, someone whose about to become a stranger, right?”

“Namjoo,” he nearly growled. Why was she being like this to him?!

“Well, I have nothing to say, so good night.” Spinning around she started toward the stairs, but he hurried after her and snatched her arm.

“I’m not done talking to you,” he stated. “Do you know where I just came from?”

“I don’t care!” Namjoo shouted flinging her arm out of his grasp as she turned around. Their eyes locked. He refused to back down. He wouldn’t be the first one to step back and apologize. Not until Namjoo came clear about her feelings, until she understood him.

Down the hall a door opened and Namjoo’s mother stepped out. Concerned, she asked, “What’s going on?”

He and Namjoo ended up turning away from each other, neither daring to let her mother in on the fact that they were arguing.

“It’s nothing, mom,” Namjoo lied, her tone superbly affectionate with calm. Sehun nearly scoffed and he right about jumped in to tell her mother that it was a lie, except he couldn’t tell Namjoo’s mother what her daughter had done. That she had slept with some man, because her parents valued marriage before anything else.

“Go to sleep,” Namjoo urged. Side glancing at him she said, “We were about to go to bed. Good night.” She first headed upstairs leaving her mom standing there. What a perfect way to escape Sehun bitterly thought then turned to find her mother observing him.

“Is something wrong?” Namjoo’s mother asked. “What is Namjoo upset about?”

He forced a smile on, “It’s nothing, really. We were just talking about classes. I suggested her finding a tutor or I could help her, but she didn’t like the idea.”

“Oh…” her mother slightly frowned while sinking in his words. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper if you just helped her?”

“I know, right?”

She patted his arm with a smile, “Don’t stay up too late and get some sleep. Tomorrow will worry about itself.” Sehun nodded and watched her walk off before turning to stare up the stairs. Even though it was out of his sight he could tell Namjoo had already securely locked her door. They were done for the night. She would no longer speak to him. Annoyed, he slammed the light switch off and stomped up the rest of the stairs.

The next morning, they stiffly ate breakfast without sharing a word. Things just seemed to be getting worse ever since Namjoo changed. Sehun couldn’t decipher whether that was one of the reasons accountable to his bout of anger. This was so much more stressing than he ever imagined.

“How’s it going?” Seona asked taking a seat beside him in the art club room. They were meeting after class hours. After this he would head on home and maybe, hopefully he and Namjoo wouldn’t engage in another argument if he saw her. Every time he looked at her he thought of Lee Chul then annoying Taihee and his call about the motel. The urge to call her out on it just kept his mouth yapping then they would argue.

“It’s ok,” he lied. What more could he say about the status of his feelings?

“Are you sure?” she worried and he felt bad that he was thinking of other things when this very perfect person was right beside him.

“Yes, I’m sure,” he turned to her with a smile. “What about you? How’s your day so far?”

“Other than the professor that overran class time with his speech, I have nothing to complain about,” Seona happily said.

“That’s good that things are going well for you,” he agreed.

“You too, Sehun,” she adoringly leaned her chin against his shoulder. “Things should go well for you, too.”

His heart fluttered with the affection flowing off her. “Everything’s good as long as you’re here.”

Seona happily giggled before leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek stunning him senseless. “I’m happy, Sehun.”

His body grew light, his outer shell so thin that the vibration of his thudding heart vibrated against every cell of his being. He gulped then glanced at her unable to soak in what just happened. Seona, on the other hand, was as cool as ever. The anger welling up inside him earlier disappeared just like that.

Laughter burst through the door destroying his moment. Taihee and the guys walked in noisily, dropping their backpacks onto the floor as they found their usual choices of seats.

“Our break is coming up after exams. What are you guys going to do?” Taihee wondered. Jutting his thumb back he said, “Sungwoo is securing rooms in Incheon. Who’s in?”

“What’s there in Incheon?” Seona’s friend wondered.

Sungwoo shrugged, “We’ll find out. We’re poor college students, can’t afford to travel any farther than Incheon, right?”

Sehun listened to the guys laugh among themselves as if it was something to laugh about. Then Sungwoo asked, “Sehun, you in?”

His eyes jot toward them. He hadn’t thought about it. “I’m not sure.”

“Aw…come on,” Taihee whined. “Last time you said you’d come.”

“Yea,” Sungwoo emphasized his agreement. “You even said you’d bring your friend.” Leaning over to smack Taihee with a teasing laugh he added, “You know our man needs a hookup.”

They meant Namjoo.

Sehun nearly scoffed but then he felt a short flash of anger. The hot bloods only wanted to play with Namjoo, even more so now that Taihee probably spread the word about her going to a motel.

“Hey, we’re joking,” Taihee explained.

Like hell…

“It’d be a fun group trip, all of us. Right, Seona?” Sungwoo asked anchoring to get her agreement in order to get Sehun to come with, and that meant that if he went Namjoo would have to tag along.

“We’ll see,” his girlfriend said then peered at him. Nudging him she asked, “You ok?”

“I’m fine,” Sehun muttered even though he tried not to sound upset.

“We’ll think about it,” Seona turned to the guys.

“What do you mean think about? What’s there to think about?” Taihee loudly complained. “Sehun, come on, man.”

This nosiness was starting to build up on his nerves even if he tried not to let it. Deeply exhaling he stood from his seat mumbling, “I’m going to get some water.”

Exiting the room, he aimlessly started down the hallway ignoring the water fountain he passed. It was a bad idea to have Namjoo around those guys, around any male at all. They were all predators. She was just too innocent for them.

§§§§§

Pulling up to the curb Seona turned the engine off. They were right across the street from Namjoo’s home. The lights were dimmed in the living room, but a yellow glow resonated through the small kitchen window. Namjoo’s parents were in bed. Her car was absent from the driveway. Was she trying to avoid running into him tonight?

“You’re really not going?” Seona asked after following his gaze to the house. By the time she turned to glance at him his eyes were already set on the road ahead.

It was nighttime, sometime near midnight or something of the like. Sehun hadn’t glanced at the clock to know the exact time.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Do you want to go?”

“Well…I do want to do something on our break,” Seona expressed. “It’s my last year and I think I’ll really regret it if I don’t enjoy my last outing of the year. You don’t have to go though. I’m completely ok with that. We can do something before or after I come back with the group.”

Sehun was indecisive. He also wanted to spend time with Seona. She was his first girlfriend, it should be an important time for them to bond and get closer but he couldn’t forgo Namjoo. If he brought her along he didn’t know what would happen to her. What if Taihee became another Lee Chul?

“What is it?” Seona pressed on. “Is it Namjoo? Because the guys keep wanting you to bring her? You know you don’t have to listen to them. They’re just saying bogus.”

He knew that well, but the other circumstance was that if he left Namjoo here in Seoul Lee Chul would come see her. He didn’t like that.

“I’m worried,” he finally said. “Namjoo’s too nice. She doesn’t know as much as she lets on.”

Smiling comfortingly Seona helped, “You two have been friends for a long time, right? I can understand why you’re worried. Taihee and Sungwoo may be somewhat of erts from time to time, but I can assure you they’re not bad seeds. I especially think Taihee isn’t joking about her.”

He remained silent. He couldn’t out rightly tell Seona that he didn’t trust her friend. That would make him a jerk.

“You know,” Seona tried, “even though you and Namjoo have been long time friends, it doesn’t exactly mean you know everything about each other.”

Sehun’s head immediately turned, his eyes landing on her as if to confront her that she was wrong because it was something he had never contemplated.

“I admire you for protecting her like a brother,” Seona said, “but you can’t protect her from everything or everyone. Sometimes, people have to learn by their own mistakes.”

He wasn’t sure about what she was saying. It didn’t seem like Namjoo had learned anything after spending the night with Lee Chul. She only seemed to get more rebellious and angry with him.

“You two are still fighting?” Seona wondered.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to bring it up again.”

“Of course not,” she assured then asked, “it sounds like you’ve been arguing for a while now.”

“I know,” he said. “It just doesn’t seem to stop, even if I want it to.”

“What are you two arguing about?” Seona wondered.

He honestly had no clue. What had their fight transitioned to? Was it really even a fight they were having at this point?

“How about this?” Seona started. “I promise you I won’t let the guys do anything to her, so why don’t you ask her to come with us to Incheon? You can also spend some time together, talk, and make up. It can be a healing trip for your friendship. Hmm?”

§§§§§

He waited in the quiet kitchen, sitting there at the dining table with his back to the door until it opened almost an hour later. While waiting he thought Seona’s words over. A healing trip to save the last strand of his friendship with Namjoo. That sounded all right too, that was if she was willing to pour an ounce of effort into saving them.

Right now, he suddenly didn’t care what had started their fight. There was no meaning or purpose to carrying this onward. If Namjoo agreed to let go of her angry feelings, he’d let his anger go too. He would even promise to apologize to Lee Chul if it made her feel better. What they had between them was far more important than what they were going through now. Sehun still very much wanted her to be his best friend. He still needed her beside him.

He could make the sound of Namjoo halting behind him, all but meaning she hadn’t expected to see him still up. And that verified the fact that perhaps she had been trying to avoid running into him.

Had it become that bad? The horrible feelings she had for him?

Then the door closed and she slid out of her shoes. She brushed by, her intent was to head up the stairs as quickly as possible. She couldn’t stand him, not even the sight of his face. And he still wanted to scream in her face that if she’d been seeing Chul he would really do something about it.

He couldn’t.

“You’re late,” was all he said watching her stop. Her back looked cold, unwelcoming. Did he know her anymore? Had they somehow become strangers over such a short period of time?

“When are you on break?” he asked when she began moving forward.

“Mind your own business,” Namjoo mumbled then continued toward the stairs.

“I want to, but I can’t,” Sehun called out. Rising to his feet he said, “So I’m asking you and you better talk to me.”

Namjoo refused to respond. His eyes remained locked on her back as cold as her face.

Sehun nearly wanted to sigh hard because he was so frustrated, so disappointed. “Do I not matter to you? Compared to what you feel for me, you’re a thousand times more important. Do you know that? I still want us to be friends. I still want to tell you so many things. I want you to be the first person I tell anything to, and I want you to listen to me and side with me. If I don’t have you, who do I go to? You’re supposed to be there for me. Aren’t we like that?”

He didn’t wait for her reply so he went on, “Lets go to Incheon. Our heads are too clouded here, so go with me and lets figure things out.”

***Sehun's come to the point where he's started to make assumptions about Namjoo, that he knows her better then she knows herself. He has good intentions of protecting her but that doesn't mean he knows what he's really protecting her from or if she needs that protection. Namjoo's purpose of protecting herself from getting hurt has gotten lost somewhere along the way. Right now she's just upset at whatever reason she can find. That being that since Sehun is the cause and effect she's still lashing out at him. Indeed, Sehun is right that their heads are too clouded. Their friendship will really hang on whether heading to Incheon together will do anything for them or continue to deepen the gap between them. We shall find out in the upcoming chapters.

***Seona is actually a really nice person until wrong goes wrong, but that won't be her fault as you shall find out later. Poor girl doesn't know what she's actually getting herself into by getting Sehun to bring Namjoo to Incheon

***This is the only update I'll be able to post this week. My apologies. I've had things to do and have family plans this weekend, so I won't be on my laptop. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend and thanks for reading!