Chapter 1
Watching The Devil.

Sipping hot coffee on a cold Saturday afternoon wasn’t my ideal date idea. However, the moment Jaehyun wanted to ‘talk,’ I knew something was up. He was into the whole idea of warming up, going out and was generally a down-to-Earth type of person. I, on the other hand, was not. I preferred to stay at home and binge-watch Netflix and dramas, until one of those annoying pop-ups came up, but that was beside the point. He wanted to talk and here I was, listening to him talk.

I was worried. I really was. Fiddling with that little straw thing they give you with the coffee, I struggled to open the paper wrapper. Maybe, I wasn’t listening to Jaehyun. I was totally focused on opening the wrapper and waited for the feeling of success to fall upon me like rain on a stormy night, but that little drizzle of success was nowhere to be found. I kept my head low, as well as my attention span, and tried to drink the rest of the coffee. It was bitter. I was not a fan of coffee but I guess it was alright sometimes but not when your boyfriend here is complaining about something you do not care about.

Jaehyun was talking with a gentle tone, but you could tell he was obviously angry. His words seemed like a blur to me, or you know, when you mix paint together and the colour turns a weird brown and you don’t understand what it’s meant to be. Again, I was off-topic. I tried to focus on Jaehyun but it was so so so boring. I just wanted to go home and finish my drama—

“Hey, are you listening?” Jaehyun places a hand upon mine, snatching the straw with one swift tug. And not to mention interrupting my train of thoughts that were on a smooth railway.
“Yeah, sure.” I flash a genuine smile with ingenuine words. Wow, great going, Jieun.
“What did I just say?” He raises an eyebrow, attempting not to laugh.

I recall the words ‘Dad’ and ‘game,’ but that’s probably it. I try to jog my memory by taking frantic sips of coffee, which only results in me panting, due to the hotness of the drink. Maybe, I was just avoiding the question. Yes, that seemed more fitting.

“Watch out, you’ll burn your tongue,” he chuckles, light-heartedly. But he doesn’t know I already had, therefore I was in no condition to speak and answer his question. Thankfully.
“Jae…hyun, it’th haaat.” Like I said, ‘no condition to speak’.
“Sorry?”
“I said it’th hath. I fink I hath to go.”
“Do you want me to take you home then?” He doesn’t contain his laughter, letting loose, “At least get you some water?”
“Watar will-th be fine but pease hurrryyy.”

He gives me one final smile and peck on the cheek that never failed to make my heart flip in circles. It felt as if a circus held a billion shows in there. Resting my arm on the table and flipping my hair back, I place my head onto my arm, probably looking like the most idiotic person in the world. On my face, stood prominently a goofy, dreamy smile that no one failed to notice. That was love. What do they know? Besides, there were only middle-aged people that came here. Let me rephrase, only single middle-aged people came here.

We were far away from college, so there were no students crowding by and blocking off even this coffee shop. But I wish they did. I didn’t want to be here. I could practically hear my roommates watching the new episode of 13 Reasons Why, without me. Though, I never did fancy Hannah’s character, but I won’t go into too much depth about that. The thing that was bothering me now was Jaehyun. Why was he taking so long to get some water? I could feel my tongue swelling as the warmness from my heart travelled to my head and potentially, my mouth.

After my long-awaited sit, Jaehyun finally returns with no water, leaving me in a deadpanned-state. He was honestly the best boyfriend, but he had his moments and right now, he was having one. I didn’t take him as the forgetful type, but he never fails to surprise me.

“My water?” I try to speak coherent words for him and amazingly, it worked.
“Oh, they said I had to pay for it,” he rubs his back, sheepishly.
“And you didn’t? I paid for your drink last week,” I narrow my eyes, astonished. I did pay for his drink, yet he can’t buy me a bottle of water. Just trying to speak was killing me.
“Yes, babe but you know my state and look—you’re speaking just fine,” he smiles, trying to lighten the mood. Trying.

With one final sigh, I grab my bag and purse, leaving behind a confused Jaehyun, who do