3 weeks later…

Ga Eul walked through the white sanitized corridor in the hospital in the early morning. She had an appointment with her doctor, where she would be sitting through the session, talking about things she avoided expressing to anyone, or even think about. Although not very sure, she did feel better, lighter after every session. And her nightmares were also getting less frequent.

It was getting colder. Christmas was just a couple of weeks ahead. Ga Eul pulled her coat closer, walking to the nurse station.

“Hi, I have an appointment with Dr. Park,” she spoke to the nurse at duty.

“Oh, Ms. Chu? Dr. Park will be a bit late today. He has requested you to wait for him,” the nurse replied.

“Oh, no issue then. I will wait,” said Ga Eul and smiled.

She walked towards the cafeteria. A warm cup of coffee was exactly what she needed in this freezing morning.

She bought her coffee and took a seat by the big glass window. There were not many people at the cafeteria at that hour.

“Ga Eul?”

She looked up to see Ji Hoo standing by her table.

“Oh, hello Ji Hoo! I came to see Dr. Park today.”

“I see. I spoke to him the other day and he said the progress is good. Do you feel better?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. Thanks to you for suggesting this treatment. I feel much better,” she replied with a smile.

Ji Hoo smiled and nodded his head. Ga Eul noticed the coffee mug in his hand.

“Why don’t you sit?” she asked seeing him hesitating.

“Oh, thanks,” he replied and sat opposite to her.

Ga Eul could see through him clearly. He wanted to talk but was hesitating.

“Last time at the end of the session with Dr. Park, I had to ask Ha Jin to pick me up. I was not feeling well, and the doctor had to give me some medicines to calm my nerves,” she spoke.

Ji Hoo’s eyes perked up briefly at the mention of Ha Jin, and then he quickly looked away. But not quick enough to avoid Ga Eul’s eyes. She smiled inwardly and kept continuing.

“To be on the safer side, I asked her today as well. But she said she would not be able to come. So, I called Jae Kyung instead.”

Ji Hoo nodded his head and looked down at his coffee mug.

“How is she doing?” he asked after few moments of silence.

He spoke so softly that Ga Eul doubted for few moments whether he spoke at all.

“Fine, she is doing fine. A bit busy these days with her wedding preparations,” replied Ga Eul keeping her eyes on him.

Ji Hoo’s face hardened. He grabbed the handle of the coffee mug tightly, the knuckles turning white.

“Good for her then. Anyway, I have to get back to work. I will come to check on you, once your session is over. I can take you home if needed,” he muttered, and pushed back his chair forcibly while standing up.

“Ji Hoo, wait,” spoke up Ga Eul.

He sighed and waited for her to continue.

“This whole situation is extremely difficult for her, if you can try to understand. She had never crossed the boundaries drawn by her parents before. And then she met you, and for the first time she gathered the courage to do things that were unimaginable for her before,” said Ga Eul.

Ji Hoo took back his seat and listened to her silently.

“She saw how deep you were in love and how it affected you. And somehow deep in her heart, she started imagining herself in that position. And then you told her not to fall in love with you. Can you imagine what kind of a shock it must have been for her?” asked Ga Eul.

Ji Hoo closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

“Ha Jin-ah thinks that she imposed herself on to you. And, that your worlds are poles apart.”

“But I told her that night at the exhibition that I was unaware of my feelings for her, and…”

“I don’t think she wants to believe in your words anymore, Ji Hoo,” interrupted Ga Eul.

He frowned at her.

“Why?” he asked.

“I don’t know. She firmly believes that you will always be madly in love with…with Jan Di, and she will only be an intruder,” answered Ga Eul.

Ji Hoo held his forehead and shook his head.

“I am sorry Ji Hoo, I am no one to judge you. But this is not right for me too. If she is convinced about your longing for another woman, who is happily married to someone else, even I have no words to make her think otherwise,” she continued with a matter-of-fact tone.

“So, she is happy to go ahead with this wedding with a guy who she does not even love? How does that justify this situation?” he asked heatedly.

“Are you sure about your own feelings, Ji Hoo?” she questioned back calmly.

Ji Hoo opened his mouth and closed again, unable to reply immediately.

“You do not need to answer me, Ji Hoo. Answer yourself. And once you know the right answer, convince Ha Jin-ah about your true feelings. It is not too late, yet. And if you need me and Jae Kyung, know that we will be always there to support you two. But if you have any doubts with your feelings, I would request you to stop everything here and now. Else, she will be devastated,” saying that she stood up.

Ji Hoo stared at Ga Eul from the back as she walked out of the cafeteria. Once she disappeared from his sight, he looked out of the window. The sky was overcast with thick dark clouds, perfectly reflecting his current state of mind.

His phone started buzzing. Taking it out of his pocket, he looked at the screen and his brows furrowed. He picked up the call immediately.

“Jun Pyo? What is it? Everything fine? Why are you calling at this ungodly hour?” he blurted out even before his friend could utter a word.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Woo Bin stared at the beautifully manicured nails tapping the table top, at an arm’s length away from him. He was expected to c