His name was Lee Hongbin, and he was a tortured soul. The reason for our intense encounter became clear as we began to date and things became serious.

He was the definition of intense. I think I'm still a little bit damanged from my relationship with Hongbin. 

I thought I would know to look for the signs of abuse, but I was blinded. Blinded by his good looks, blinded by his rare shows of overwhelming kindness, and blinded by my own naivety. I had no idea that he was emotionally and verbally abusing me, manipulating me to stay in our relationship even though it was doomed from the start. After all, I was heartbroken from how things had gone with Jaewhan, and was convinced that Hongbin was perfect.

He did have his moments where he would treat me like a prince. He would dote on me at times, showering me with affection and all the loveliest pet names. The next moment, he'd put me down, and blame his lack of success on me. 

One moment, he'd be running his hands through my hair, and telling me he loved me. The next moment, he'd be choking me, even though I'd said our safe word and begged him to stop.

It was Hakyeon who eventually saved me once he noticed mysterious bruises on my arm. To this day, I don't know what he said to Hongbin, but it was enough to stop him from contacting me ever again.