Chapter 16 

 

"Are you sure you don't want to come, sweetheart?" Mrs. Kwon's voice was soft and understanding just as it has been ever since Yuri came home. She tried to go to class after the incident but the terrors kept coming. At night, they were worse and it woke up Taeyeon every single time. 

 

Speaking of Taeyeon, she was the first faced Yuri saw when she arrived in the hospital to get checked out for a concussion and head trauma. Yuri melted into her friend, almost instantly. Every word they exchanged over the phone was forgiven. She just needed her best friend by her side. 

 

She was there when the terrors began, too and as much as she tried to console her friend, the imaged of Jihoon and his knife never faded. Yuri ended up getting a note from her doctor which was sent to all her professors. They all worked out a solution where she could complete her course worked online and through email. 

 

It's been weeks since she left. Christmas was just around the cornered. With the holiday, lots of family gatherings come about which means that today is one of those family friend tea party. The one involving him. 

 

"I just don't think I can go today. I'm sorry mom." 

 

Her mom's hand gently soothed her shoulder, "Alright, try and eat something ok? I have leftovers from dinner in the fridge." 

 

Yuri nodded, sitting at her desk and returning to her textbook as her mom left the room. As she try reading about a revolution in her history book, her thoughts began to wondered to dark places. 

 

After Jihoon was taken away, Yuri was rushed to the hospital. Her mom rushed to the hospital too, with her brother, Hyukjun. It felt incredible to see them again. 

 

Kyuhyun showed up, too. When he got there, Yuri was too scared to asked where Jaejoong was. She knew he was taken to the police station but by the time Kyuhyun show up, he would have been out by then. 

 

An officer came into her room and beckoned for her mom. This made her feel anxious so she said, "I want to hear what you have to say, too." 

 

He stiffened in front of her. 

 

"I really think I should discussed this with your mom first and..." 

 

"I'm an legal adult. I want to know." 

 

Letting out a deep breath, he held out photo's, passing them to Yuri and her mom. Her mom gasped, hand over mouth. 

 

Yuri stared at the photo's in her hands. She tried to soak in what she held. Nausea roses in her stomach. 

 

"We found the young man's address and when we checked it out, we found an entire room full of photos." 

 

"O...Of me." Yuri spoke the words aloud, because she needed to hear them. It felt unreal. A terrible nightmare. She held photo's from when she was with Sihoo, when she was going to the gym and when she went shopping. Every moment of her life outside was documented. 

 

"Oh my god." Mrs. Kwon said, with tears in her eyes as she looked away from the photos, "I can't...I...My poor baby." 

 

The officer carefully took the photo's from her mom. Yuri swallowed and tore her eyes from the photos. 

 

"And Jaejoong? Is he alright?" 

 

He nodded in reply, writing something down onto a clipboard, "Yes, ma'am. He was sent home once we got our questions." 

 

Yuri squeezes the covers of her bed. It's not liked she expected him to come. She made it pretty clear where she stood with him. 

 

"Well, thank goodness he was there or I don't know what would have happened to my baby! He's a hero!" Her mom exclaimed. The officer went on about the investigation and other legal actions. 

 

Yuri remembered staring at her phone and now, as she stared at her textbook in her own room, she longed to see him. 

 

The week she went to school, he wasn't there. 

 

The second imaged hasn't been able to get out of her head was when she woke up and saw him next to the officer. She remembered screaming his name over and over again, but he was taken into the police car. The officer taking care of her wouldn't let her get up and run. It was too dangerous for her health she had been told. 

 

As she looked down at the pen in her hand, she realized she had been making random marks on her piece of paper. Leaning back, she dropped her pen onto her desk, sighing. 

 

She wanted to text him. She wanted to called him. She wanted to see him. What he did still hurt, no questioned about it, but the longer she thought about it, she couldn't think of a time when he progressively tried to mess with her. If anything, he had always been the person she could talked to in ordered to feel better about things. 

 

Then, liked magic, her phones buzzes on her bed. She races towards it, heart pounding. She tore her covers away to find her phone. When she found it, she clicked on her phone and saw Taeyeon's number and a message about whether or not she wanted to go shopping next week. 

 

Feeling disappointed, Yuri didn't reply. 

 

She fell back onto her bed. There were so many questions. 

 

'Damn it!' She rolled over and shove her face into the blankets. 

 

'Its probably Taeyeon worrying again.' Yuri thought, when she heard her phone buzzed again, before turning her phone over and saw his name. Sitting up, her thumb quickly unlocked her phone. 

 

'Are u hobbit?' 

 

'Hobbit? What does that mean?' She replied. 

 

'Hobbit?' He replied slowly, until it said 'Home'. 

 

'Yes.' She replied back, feeling her heart beat pounding in her chest. Was it because she didn't show up to the tea party? Did he noticed? 

 

A moment later, 'Plz door opener.' 

 

'Pleased door opener?' Yuri was very confused until she felt her heart dropping into her stomach. It took her a split second to get to her feet and eight more to go downstairs. When she looked through the peephole, she saw him. He was swaying, staring at his phone. 

 

Her eyes widened before she turned her back to the door. What is she going to do? He was here and he was asking to come inside. Terrified, she turned around, hand wavering on the doorknob until her phone buzzes again. 

 

'Plz.' 

 

Only then did she opened it. When she saw him, it was relieving at first but then, she noticed a bottle in his hand, sloshing clear liquid in a clear glass bottle. 

 

"You are drunk." 

 

He seemed to be concentrating on what he was trying to say. Everything about him looked liked a guilty puppy. It should had made her angry but it didn't. It worried her. 

 

"I'm." He hiccupped, taking a stepped towards her but she took a stepped back, "I'm so sorry. I wanted to protect y...you. I." 'Yuri, what are you doing?' She thought to herself, as she stepped outside. 

 

"Come inside so no one sees you liked this." 

 

Jaejoong swayed back and forth before finding the right stepped. Shaking his head, he try to get closer to her, "I only care how you see me." He slurred, head nearly falling onto her shoulder. 

 

"Why aren't you with our families?" She asked, arms crossed as she took a stepped back. 

 

He eyed her for a long time and this caused her to avoid any eye contact, "Why aren't you?" He asked. 

 

"I think you should sit down." She glances up the stairs and back at the couch in the living room. It would be hours before everyone came back and it wasn't liked she had have him stayed long. Carefully, she took his hand and led him to the couch. He didn't protests as he followed her. 

 

"I'm so sorry." 

 

"You said that already." 

 

"I mean it." 

 

"I know you do. Will you pleased sit down and hand me that bottle?" 

 

It wasn't so much of a questioned as an ordered. He nodded his head, holding it out to her before stumbling onto the couch. Yuri went to the kitchen to dumped out the entire bottle, glad that he didn't have it anymore. Looking around, she saw that there was still some hot water in the kettle on the stove so she pour some tea and walked back to offered Jaejoong some. 

 

"Here, drink this. You will feel better." 

 

He took it, sipping it slowly but he was staring at her the whole time. 

 

"How did you get here?" 

 

"Walked." 

 

"All the way? Your placed is at least an hour away." 

 

"I guess it's been an hour then." 

 

She shook her head, taking the tea away from him. Silence followed afterward but he was still staring at her. 

 

"I don't understand why you are here." She whispered. 

 

"I needed to see you. Having Yuri withdrawals." 

 

"You can't get withdrawals from a person." 

 

"I be...beg to diff...differ." Jaejoong reached out and took her hand. She wanted to moved away but decided to stayed put, wanting and waiting to see what he was going to do, "I'm serial killer." 

 

Yuri in a breath, trying not to think about the way her chest stings, she said, "Jaejoong Oppa, I know. We already..." 

 

"No." He interrupted her, brow scrunched seriously, "I know you know. You need to hear me though. I may not be in the best state to speak clearly but I'm going to try." 

 

Yuri could feel his hands smoothing over hers, pulling her in. Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything, he took that as his cue to continued. 

 

"I was going to tell you that night. I wanted to but you were finally in my arms, ready for whatever we were going to be. Then I was selfish. I didn't want to ruined this. I was wrong. I should have given you the choice. I should have...God damn it. I should have told you the moment I figured out who you were." 

 

"Wait. You..." 

 

"Let me finished woman." He laughed a little awkwardly, clearly shaking with anxiousness. She could feel it in his hands as he held on tighter, "I didn't know who you were when I first got that text from you. That text from a girl who so clearly deserved someone who loved her just as much as she loved them." 

 

She looked down, pressing her light pink color lips together, a blushed rising over her cheeks. 

 

"I figured it out though. When I spoke to you at school. The responses were all too similar. I thought..., I thought I could make you fall for me if I had a secret way into your head. I ended up falling in loved with two version you. One that wasn't afraid to hate my guts and another who depended on me for everything." 

 

Yuri rolled her eyes until she felt what he said sank in. Her heart pounded in her chest as her hands slipped away from his. 

 

"You are drunk." 

 

"I'm drunk." He said, staring at her from the couch, "But I'm also in loved with you." 

 

She shook her head, stepping back, "No, you aren't. You are just delusional. You are saying things you don't mean and you are." She stopped, when his hands held onto her arm, gently pulling her down to sit on the couch. Liked a klutz, she fell onto his lap, decking his head with hers. 

 

He laughed lightly, "You have got a dense head, you know that?" 

 

She was ready to pushed him away when he lifted his head to pressed his lips to hers. He smell of alcohol and familiarity. 

 

"I will say it all over again, when I'm sober but can I just kissed you now?" 

 

She didn't answered him but instead, she leaned in to pressed her lips to his once again, while circling her arms around his neck. He groaned softly, moving his lips slowly over hers. So immersed into the kissed, she didn't realized they were both on their sides, kissing slowly and tentatively, "I still have questions." She whispered into his mouth, and felt him grinning. 

 

"I know." He breathes out, "I will tell you anything, everything." His lips moved slower and then he flicked his eyes opened lazily, "Just a bit longer of this though ok?" 

 

"Ok." She whispered, and then he stopped, eyes closing. Both of their chest slowly moving up and down steadily. Yuri told herself that they can't sleep now. Not when her mom would come back home to this but she hadn't been able to sleep well in the past weeks and it felt too good. So she surrendered into an unconscious state, wrapped up in Jaejoong's arms. 

 

Yuri woke up, startled, flashing image of swerving cars and a shiny blade. 

 

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Jaejoong's voice mumbled sleepily, beside her. It was dark in the living room. There was no more sunlight seeping through the window but there was a soft shine of the moon streaming towards them. Yuri sat up, ignoring his questioned, "What time is it?" She twisted her head, rummaging for her phone until she found it on the floor. Reaching down, she grabbed it and gasps lightly. It was three in the morning. 

 

Why didn't her mom wake her up? An embarrassing image of her mom walking in and seeing them curled up on the couch appeared. She was not looking forward to that conversation. 

 

"You are thinking too much." Jaejoong interrupted her thoughts, "I can hear your thoughts and they are very loud and it's not helping my hangover." He pulled her by the waist into his warm embraced. 

 

It took her a moment to comprehend the entire situation. Jaejoong's here. He came to her house, very drunk and then he...Her eyes widened as she pushed him away. 

 

"Hey, hangover, no sudden movements, darling." 

 

Her eyes transition into a wider shape, "No. No. No. This...No." 

 

He shuffled, sitting up with his elbows on the couch to finally looked at her, "Ok. I didn't drink enough to forget what happened and you clearly weren't drinking so I don't know how you forgot what just happened." 

 

She stared at him, reddening, thankful for the darkness, "Yo...You said." She paused, scared to say it. 

 

"I loved you?" 

 

"Yes." 

 

"I know I did." 

 

"You were drunk." 

 

"I was." 

 

"So then that means..." 

 

"I still loved you." 

 

"N...No, you don't. You were drunk." 

 

"Yes, I do. Yes, I was and I'm not anymore." 

 

She frowned, "You shouldn't have said that." 

 

This time, he frowned at her, confused "Why the hell not?" 

 

"Because I'm so mad at you and you can't just tell me you loved me when you haven't shown up in weeks. You haven't tried to contact me and I have so many questions that are tearing me apart inside and I missed the guy I have text for months and I have been so scared, Oppa. I can't stopped thinking about it. About his face. I didn't want to die. I can't sleep or..." He interrupted her when he grabbed onto her to pulled her into a gentle but firmed hugged. She clutched onto his adidas trefoil white t-shirt roughly as she sobbed. 

 

"Shhh." He soothes her, her back. 

 

"You just left. You never came back." 

 

Jaejoong was feeling shame and guilt running through his veins. Every time he replayed what happened, he curses himself for ever leaving her at the gas station. If he stayed, she would have never had to go through what she did, "I'm sorry, darling. I should have stayed. I was so stupid. I made stupid mistakes starting with the first day of high school." 

 

Yuri sniffed, collecting herself as much as she could to pulled away and looked him in the eye. 

 

"Tell me everything. From the beginning." 

 

Jaejoong took in a deep breath and began to speak. He told her how he always felt something for her. Ever since they were kids. He told her how he never wanted to see her get hurt. Then he told her about Jihoon threatening to ruined her life. He threatened to used her insecurities against her. Threatened to take away any happiness she had. He told her that he decided he had rather she be hurt by himself because at least that meant he could controlled how much. He explained how he was a stupid kid who didn't see any other solution. He wanted to protect her. 

 

"I had no idea how far he was willing to go. I should have said something. I should have done something that day. I could have saved you. God, I want to turned back time so badly Yuri." 

 

Her lips curl in, reaching out to hold onto him. She didn't know what to say to him. The fact still terrified her. Jihoon had been watching her for so long and here Jaejoong was, telling her about when it all started. Sure, he didn't know the deep disturbing facts but something had been off a long time ago. He was just too naïve to understand and in truth, she's not sure she would have thought someone could do something so invading and disgusting, "Keep going." She murmured, because she knows she has to hear everything. 

 

"When I found out who this drunken girl was, I saw an opportunity." He explained, with a sighed, smiling a little sadly, "I thought that this was it. This was how I could find my way back to you. I saw that you didn't completely hate the me now, at least you didn't when you thought I was someone else. You have to know that I never pretended to be anyone but myself. I only said things I meant." 

 

"All this time you...but wait, Jihoon left senior year and you were still a jerk." She pointed out, poking at his chest. He scratched the back of his head, nodding "Yeah, well, how could I get in the way of you and that Sihoo guy? You were so stupidly happy and I hated seeing you that way with someone who wasn't me. I'm sorry. It was really ing selfish." 

 

"You were jealous?" 

 

He blushed, looking away before turning back to stared into her eyes, "So ing jealous." 

 

A small smiled began to formed on her face, "You really need to worked on that mouth of yours." 

 

Jaejoong perk his brows and tilted her chin back, "What? You don't liked the way I ing talked?" 

 

"You are so rude." She shook her head; still smiling as she let her head fall into his chest. 

 

"I think you mean cute." 

 

She laughed, playfully hitting his chest and rolling her eyes, "Maybe that, too. When you try though." 

 

This made Jaejoong laughed as he nuzzled his head into her shoulder. The scent of her neck smells of vanilla and he couldn't helped but breathe her in. 

 

"Di...Did you just...?" 

 

Jaejoong frozed, moving back, "What?" 

 

"Oh my god, you just sniffed me." 

 

"I didn't. You just...I mean.... You smell good ok?" 

 

Yuri giggled and pulled him back to her by his shirt, "You are so weird." She grinned at him, feeling light and happy for the first time in weeks. 

 

Her laughter was liked music, beautiful and uplifting. Jaejoong couldn't helped but stared at her until his gazed lowered to her lips. 

 

She noticed as her laughter faded away. 

 

"It's three in the morning." She pointed out. 

 

"Why do you keep stating facts?" He asked, leaning in. 

 

"I'm not and it's important because it's late." 

 

"Why is that important?" He leaned in closer, making Yuri pulled back to breath her own air again. 

 

"Be...Because you should be going, right? Do you need a ride?" 

 

Jaejoong pressed his lips together. That's right. He walked all the way here, "I can walked." He said, but he was mentally begging for her to say no, that she can take him. 

 

"I can take you." 

 

He hid his grinned and nodded, "Ok then. We should go, right?" 

 

As the two of them walked out, Yuri grabbed her keys from the key holder, trying to be as quiet as possible. Even though she's sure her mom saw them and didn't do anything about it, her mom wouldn't approved of them leaving at this time in the night. 

 

She ushered him out of the door before turning to locked the house, "I don't think she will wake up and..." 

 

Before she could finished, Jaejoong pulled her back and twisted her around until her back was gently pressed against the door, smashing their lips together. 

 

"I'm sorry. I had to do that." He pant, running his fingers along her cheek. 

 

"I should, uh...drive you home." 

 

Jaejoong nodded, letting her go to followed her to the car. Both of them were silent as they got inside. She didn't put on any music as she drove. The night was clear and the stars were bright against the navy blue sky. 

 

"Do you still mean it?" Yuri asked, as they approached his home after a long accompanied silence. 

 

Jaejoong shifted in his seat, curious about what she's hinting at, "Mean what?" 

 

As she pulled into his driveway, she turned to meet his eyes, "Do you loved me?" 

 

"Oh, that." Jaejoong sort of chuckled to himself before pulling his phone out. 

 

"Why are you pulling out your phone, you idiot? You know what? Fine, just forget it. It's stupid." 

 

Her phone buzzes between her thighs and she stopped to looked at it. When she glances down, she saw serial killer's name. 

 

'Maybe if I text it to you, it will finally sink in. I loved you, Yuri.' 

 

She didn't looked at him but kept her head down, fingers hovering over the screen. 

 

'Promised?' 

 

'I promised you. I'm promising you liked the day I told you I wasn't a serial killer and looked where we are now. Haven't killed a single person.' 

 

She laughed and god damn if it's not the most beautiful sound he's ever heard. The only sound he's ever wanted to hear when he sent each of his messages to her. 

 

'There's still time.' 

 

'I guess you will have to give me that time then.' 

 

Yuri bit her lips and looked back up at him. He was already watching her. 

 

"Yes." 

 

"Yes?" Jaejoong asked, hopefulness in his eyes. 

 

"Yes, but you have to be patient with me because you still have a lot to make up for, Oppa and I think that we really need to talked more." 

 

He leaned over, taking his seat belt off to crawled over her body, "I think we have talked enough tonight." Then he kissed her. She took off her seat belt to get closer. Clumsy as always, she pressed on the steering wheel, causing a loud honked, "You are such a little klutz." He grinned as she hit his shoulder, "But I still loved you." 

 

"One more time and I will believe you." 

 

"Oh, just shut up already." He closed in the gap between them to kissed her again.