Taeyong stepped inside, heading towards them. He placed his hand on Jaehyun's shoulder, "How was your date, Jaejae? You kissed her, didn't you? And she kissed you back, didn't she?" he asked teasingly, his mouth curling into a mischievous smile. "Is she a good kisser? Are you going out with her again?"

He shrugged his hand off his shoulder. "How come you're so damn nosy?" Jaehyun snapped, irritation lacing his tone. Simultaneously, Jiyeon remarked through gritted teeth, "Why are you so damn nosy?"

Taeyong shook his head, amusement crossing his face while Chaeyeon alternately looked at Jiyeon and Jaehyun. "Are you dating Teacher Park?" she blurted out.

Chaeyeon's question caught them off guard. Jaehyun's Adam's apple bobbled as he swallowed hard, looking nervous—Jiyeon gulped nervously.

Taeyong pressed a hand over his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter, but it puffed out. He covered the sound with a cough. "No, Chae. Jaejae isn't dating our teacher. He's dating an older woman." He emphasized the words 'an older woman', glancing at Jiyeon.

Chaeyeon made no response. She stood up, her expression blank. She bowed to Jiyeon, and then Taeyong took her hand in his, eased his fingers between hers, and led her out of the classroom.

He does keep his word. Jiyeon rose to her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder. "He seems to enjoy teasing us."

"He's super annoying. He's already getting on my nerves today." Jaehyun blew out a loud sigh before standing. His face softened into a smile as he looked into her eyes.

Jiyeon looked back into his eyes. Quietly, she told him, "I'm going to Heartful Café with Ms. Im. If you want, you can join us."

"Does she know our relationship?"

"Yes, she does. I told her about our relationship," Jiyeon replied. "I consider her my own sister, and I'm sure she won't tell anyone else."

Jaehyun heaved a sigh of relief. "I have to go home and change clothes. I will catch up with you later, okay?"

"Okay." She reached into her bag and pulled out a slip paper and pen. She jotted down the café's address on the slip paper and handed it to him. He took it, and they exchanged smiles.

Jiyeon put the pen back into her bag and stepped out of the classroom. Jaehyun followed at a safe distance behind her. She walked briskly down the long corridor, past empty classrooms and out of the entrance and down the pathway that led out of the school gate. Yoona and her mother were standing in front of the school gate. She patted Yoona on the shoulder, and Yoona cocked her head to the side and smiled at her. Jiyeon noticed that her mother's gaze was intense as she stared straight ahead, ignoring her. She glanced over her shoulder, following her mother's gaze. Her mother was staring at her lover. Jaehyun bowed his head slightly to them as he walked, heading towards the bus stop.

Jiyeon leaned closer to Yoona and whispered in her ear, "Have you told my mom yet?"

"She is your mom?" Yoona dropped her voice into a whisper, eying at the old woman, clothed in a blue dress, her hair tied in a bun standing in front of them.

She cleared and said, "Mom, this is my colleague, Ms. Im Yoona. She is a Chemistry teacher."

"Lovely to meet you, Yoona. I'm Park Soeun." She extended her right hand, which Yoona gripped warmly.

Yoona grinned. "Your daughter is beautiful."

"So are you." Her mother smiled at her, then looked at Jiyeon. "Let's go home." She tried to take her hand, but Jiyeon pulled it away. Her mother sighed shaking her head then gave a stern look. "Let's go home," she repeated slowly, emphasizing each word.

Jiyeon held her gaze. "I don't want to go home. Ms. Im has invited me―"

"Don't fool me, Park Jiyeon. I know it's just an excuse to avoid having dinner with Mrs. Kim and her son," her mother interjected, a note of anger creeping into her voice. "You're going out with him again, aren't you?"

Jiyeon sighed and dropped her head, feeling defeated.

"I'm sorry to in, but I did invite your daughter," Yoona said politely. "Please allow me to take her to Heartful Café. My fiancé wants to meet her there. I promise I'll bring her home right after the meeting."

Her fiancé? Didn't she say she broke off the engagement? Jiyeon lifted her head just to see her mother scanning Yoona from head to toe and then back up again.

"Why does your fiancé want to meet my daughter?" her mother asked, suspicion coloring her voice. "You're not helping her make an excuse?"

"Of course not," Yoona replied firmly. "He wants to show her something related to my deceased nephew. Your daughter believes the voice that she's been hearing belongs to him."

A flicker of something crossed her mother's face, then vanished nearly as fast as it arrived. She fell silent, her forehead furrowed as if in thought. After a moment's silence, her mother said, "Go ahead and take her there. Don't let her go anywhere else. You must bring her home after the meeting, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand, Mrs. Park," Yoona countered softly.

Her mother shifted her gaze to Jiyeon. She reached up and her cheek. "I'm leaving."

Jiyeon just nodded, and her mother gave a halfhearted smile. Mom, dating a younger man doesn't bring harm to others. Why do you restrict my movements? The more you restrict, the more I rebel naturally. She gritted her teeth in rage as she watched her mother climb into the waiting cab.

"Your mom is so strict." Yoona placed her arm around Jiyeon's shoulder. "I guess she is just trying to protect you. But restricting you from leaving your home is crossing the line in my opinion."

Jiyeon squeezed her eyes shut to fight back the forming tears of frustration and rage. Her eyes jerked open at the blaring sound of a car's horn. The black luxury sedan pulled to the curb beside them.

Baekhyun poked his head out of the car window and shouted, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Auntie!"

Seeing him made her want to scream out of frustration. Jiyeon took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Let's go." Yoona led her to the car. They climbed into the backseat and strapped themselves in.

"Ms. Youngest Teacher, you don't need to be ashamed." Baekhyun pulled away from the curb. "When you ran away from your mother, you went to your student, didn't you? You slept with that student, didn't you? He is a good , isn't he?" He managed to speak with a combination of mock seriousness and impish teasing.

The tone of his voice made her clench her teeth. She felt the anger rise up in her stomach. Don't let him get the best of you, Jiyeon. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to control her anger.

"He is a good , isn't he?" Baekhyun repeated.

"Shut your mouth and focus on driving!" Yoona scolded him.

Instead of satisfying him by reacting in a negative way, she decided to play along with his mockery. She opened her eyes and stared through the rearview mirror at him to see him smirk. Jiyeon smirked back. "Yes, Mr. Playboy. I slept with my student. I graded him an A plus. He is a damn good , and I'll let him me again later tonight."

Jiyeon's smirk grew wider as she noticed Baekhyun narrow his eyes in displeasure.

Yoona, who was gazing out the window, jerked her gaze to her, disbelief blanketing her features. "What? You slept with that pretty boy on the first date?"

Jiyeon drew close and whispered in Yoona's ear, "No, I didn't sleep with him. I was just playing along with your nephew's mockery."

"But you did run away from your mom, right?"

She nodded. "Mom tried to set me up with―" Jiyeon glanced through the rearview mirror at Baekhyun. "A good therapist." Sarcasm laced her words.

"No wonder she picked you up today." Yoona pinched her cheek lightly. "You're badass."

"Auntie, she isn't badass. She is such a goddamned self-righteous ," Baekhyun said, glancing over his shoulder at them.

"You need to stop mocking her, Baekie. She's not a criminal. She's a normal woman who fell in love with a eighteen year old boy who happened to be her student," Yoona told him softly. Simultaneously, Jiyeon said, "You call me a goddamned self-righteous ."

Jiyeon nodded, pressing her lips together as she figured out why he called her that. Then she blew out a loud sigh and added, "It looks like you got so butthurt because your programming had been challenged."

Baekhyun looked through the rearview mirror at her, his eyes narrowed. Jiyeon could feel anger radiating off him like heat. He punched the steering wheel and the horn blared, causing her and Yoona to cringe. He then sped up.

"Go easy, Mr. Playboy," Jiyeon gasped as she gripped the roof handle. Simultaneously, Yoona said, gripping the other roof handle, "Slow down, Baekie. Don't drive so fast."

Ignoring them, he continued to accelerate. Yoona and Jiyeon heaved a sigh of relief when he slowed down and pulled his car into the parking space in front of the café.

After parking and turning off the engine, Baekhyun looked over his shoulder at Jiyeon. "You and that ing student are perfect for each other. You two are conspiracy nuts," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Stop saying the word . That word is so irritating," Yoona snapped. Simultaneously, Jiyeon remarked, "When someone uses the term insult conspiracy nut, they're proving their indoctrination."

Baekhyun ruffled his hair in frustration. Jiyeon and Yoona exited the car and headed towards the front door. They were greeted by one of the waitresses as they entered the café. The music was smooth and easy on the ears.

"Yoona," Jaejoong, who was sitting at a table for four in the middle of the café, called aloud, waving his hand in the air.

Mr. Kim, we have the same view on psychiatry. Jiyeon smiled inwardly as they approached him.

Jaejoong rose to his feet, pulled out the empty chair for Yoona and held it as she sat down, pulling it in to the table. Then he sat back down beside her.

"How long have you been here?" Yoona asked.

"I just got here about five minutes ago. I haven't been here long." Jaejoong took her hand in his and kissed her fingers.

"Are you two getting back together again?" Jiyeon sat down on the chair across from Yoona.

"Yes, we are," they said in unison.

The waitress came over to their table to take their order. She looked to be in her early twenties with the body of a model. Her hair was pinned up and had a hair net on it.

"What can I get for you, ladies and a gentleman?" the waitress asked.

"I'll have a slice of strawberry shortcake and iced plain water," Jiyeon replied.

"We'll both have iced coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie," Yoona said. The waitress nodded and walked off to fill the order.

"When will you guys get married?" Jiyeon asked. "And how many kids do you want?"

They both shifted a little and glanced at each other before Jaejoong said, "We'll get married in six months, have two kids."

Yoona looked genuinely enthused, a bright smile illuminating her face. Jiyeon couldn't help but smile.

"Congrats for―"

"Jiyeon, did you invite him?" Yoona jutted her chin towards the front door.

Jiyeon looked over her shoulder to see the waitress greet her lover at the entrance. His eyes scanned the café. He looked ultra-cool in black ripped jeans, his black leather jacket, and a plain white shirt. She smiled as Jaehyun walked over to their table, but her smile immediately disappeared when Baekhyun entered.

Jaehyun bowed to Yoona and Jaejoong before he sat down beside Jiyeon. She took his hand and held it. They stared into each other's eyes, the silence communicating much of what their mouths could not.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Jaejoong asked, interrupting their silent conversation.

Jiyeon opened to answer, but Baekhyun beat her to it. "She is dating him." He pulled an empty chair from another table to seat himself at the end of their table. He patted Jaehyun's arm. "This boy is her student." His voice assumed a mocking tone.

Jaejoong put his hand on Baekhyun's shoulder, squeezing it as he spoke, "I don't see anything wrong with her dating him."

"You're blind then. It's wrong for a teacher dating a student." Baekhyun flung Jaejoong's hand off his shoulder, then pinned Jiyeon with an intense stare. Slowly, he added, "Your students are there for you to teach them, not date or seduce. Age doesn't matter in this matter. It is unethical to date your student. Seducing students is disgraceful."

Jaehyun grabbed the collar of Baekhyun's military jacket and said slowly but firmly, "Teacher Park never seduces me. I'm the one who asks her out. I'm so in love with her. So stop trying to put her down. Is that clear?"

Her lover's words brought warmth to Jiyeon's heart, and a smile emerged from the deepest part of her.

Baekhyun tossed Jaehyun's hand away. "I wonder what you see in her."

"Pretty boy, you're so brave." Yoona smiled.

"He's not pretty boy, Yoona." Jaejoong placed his arm around her shoulder. "He's a manly man."

"You two look perfect together. Like you belong together," Jaehyun said, making the smile on their faces grow wider and wider.

The waitress came back, carrying a tray filled with their cakes and drinks. She set them on the table.

"What can I get for you, gentlemen?" the waitress asked, alternately looking at Baekhyun and Jaehyun.

"A piece of apple pie and black coffee," Baekhyun simpered, batting his eyelashes at her. The waitress rolled her eyes at him.

"Plain water, please," Jaehyun said.

"Anything else?"

"No, thanks." Jaehyun smiled. The waitress smiled back and walked off to fill the order.

Yoona and Jaejoong fed each other little spoonfuls of the shadowy insides of a slice of pumpkin pie, soft and colorless as a baby food, laughing and talking without a care in the world.

Such a cute couple! Jiyeon spooned a bite of strawberry shortcake into , and her brows lifted in pleasure. She dipped the spoon back in and lifted it to Jaehyun's mouth. "You have to taste this. It's delicious."

His Adam's apple bobbled as he gulped. "Teacher Park, I'm sorry, I don't eat cakes."

Baekhyun, who was watching, burst into mocking laughter, clapping his hands. His mocking laughter made her blood boil with rage. Jiyeon dropped the spoon back into the cake. It hit the ceramic edge of the dish with a clink. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

Jaehyun looked confused. "Why do you stop eating?"

"Mr. Playboy's laughter has killed my appetite." Jiyeon grabbed her glass of water and drank half of it.

"You should stop calling me playboy because I'm not," Baekhyun snapped.

Jiyeon slammed the glass back on the table, a tiny bit of water slopping out and dripping onto her fingers, which she snatched away. "Yes, you are! Baekwoon―"

"I've told you not to mention my brother to me again, you goddamn selfrighteous !" Baekhyun shouted, his veins popping out of his temples. He smacked a fist against his own chest. "You know nothing about him."

Other visitors' eyes were on them. However, she didn't care. Jiyeon opened to speak but closed it again as Jaehyun took her hand in a warm clasp that made her pulse jump. "Don't waste your energy on him. He isn't worth it," her lover whispered.

"Jiyeon, Baekie―" Yoona shifted her gaze from Jiyeon to Baekhyun. "Are you guys not tired of fighting each other?"

"No, I'm not," Jiyeon countered. Simultaneously, Baekhyun hissed, narrowing his eyes at Jiyeon, "I'm not tired."

Silence blanketed them when the waitress returned with Jaehyun and Baekhyun's drinks and cake. "Ya'll enjoy." She placed the bill face down on the table.

Jaejoong reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took some cash and handed it over, saying, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sir." The waitress smiled and walked away.

Noticing Baekhyun keep his narrowed eyes fixed on her, Jiyeon shot him a piercing look. He balled his hands into fists and ground his knuckles into the table as if fighting to contain what overflowed inside him.

Sick of Baekhyun, Jiyeon looked at Jaejoong. "What do you want to show me, Mr. Kim?"

Jaejoong bent down and picked up his briefcase from the floor. He opened it and pulled out what looked like a photo album. "You know, when I first saw you, you looked familiar. I just couldn't recall where it was I'd seen you before. When I got home, I remembered Baekwoon's photo album. He'd always looked at this photo album before sleep." He handed her the brown photo album.

She took it and asked, "Can I bring it home with me?"

Jaejoong smiled. "Of course, you can."

"Thank you. I promise I'll return it to your fiancée tomorrow." Jiyeon grinned, and then opened her bag and put the photo album into it. She shifted her gaze to her lover and mouthed, "Let's go." She rose to her feet, and Jaehyun followed suit.

"Wait, where do you want to go?" Yoona sprang to her feet. "I've promised to your mom―"

"Run, Jaehyun!" Jiyeon darted out of the café and down the sidewalk.

"Stop running! Don't run away, Jiyeon!"

Venturing a glance over her shoulder, Jiyeon could see Jaejoong catching Yoona by the shoulder and stopping her in her tracks. She slowed down to a walk, disappointed that Jaehyun didn't follow her.

"You see! Jaehyun isn't serious about you! He's just playing you! You better forget about him!" Baekwoon's voice boomed, seething with anger and righteous indignation, stopping her in her tracks.

"My gut instincts tell me that he's the one!" Jiyeon shouted. "I trust my intuition, so stop meddling in my life! Stop being such a jealous !"

A passing pedestrian paused to stare at her. "Excuse me," Jiyeon said quietly to the staring woman and turned left on the sidewalk. She waited awhile, watching for a cab to pass by. Her face brightened as the familiar flashy black and blue motorcycle pulled up at the curb and screeched to a stop.

The rider pulled up his visior. "Helmet is in the saddlebag," Jaehyun said.

"You see, Baekwoon. My intuition doesn't lie," Jiyeon muttered as she went to his saddlebag. She opened it, pulled out a helmet and settled the helmet on her head.

"Don't go with him!" Baekwoon's voice echoed in her ears. "Don't fight your mom! You need to attend the dinner later tonight!"

Shut up! It's my life. I'll do whatever I want to and no one can stop me.

Sighing, she climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. His gloved hand rubbed briefly over hers and then he looked straight ahead. He revved the engine, and her stomach churned with excitement as they roared off up the road. The wind blew mildly as they zipped in and out of traffic at a fast but not intimidating speed. The thrum of the motorcycle, the wind in her face, and Jaehyun's hard body pressed against hers thrilled Jiyeon. She loved the feel of his jammed between her thighs.

Soaring down the road felt like flying. Jiyeon glanced down. The ground moved swiftly below her shoes. It was dizzying and yet satisfying in some weird way. She gazed out at the scenery. The flat landscape panned by. Green trees lined the blue horizon, giving off a peaceful feeling. She was free. Alive. Happy. Nothing could wipe the smile from her face, including Baekwoon's voice as it thundered with fury in her ears:

"Don't give yourself to him!"