Chapter One

There was this voice that was chanting on her mind, telling her to back off and decline the offer. But there was also this voice telling that she would definitely be crushed by her mother if she ever had the gut to reject Mistress Park’s offer. That was how she ended up in the familiar luxurious apartment, having her luggage all by her side while stretching her lips into an exaggerated smile.

“I can’t believe that it’s only been two years! Look at you.” Mistress Park grabbed her shoulders. “You’ve become even more beautiful, just like what I’ve expected.”

She gave a soft chuckle before she used her right hand to rub Mistress Park’s hand. “Thank you,” she said warmly. Her black hair tousled down, passing her shoulders, and she just realized that it was incredibly inappropriate of her to do her hair that way. Apparently, Park Chanyeol used to say that he liked it when she let her hair loose. That guy must be thinking that she was doing this intending to attract his attention. 

“You really look prettier,” Mistress Park said, and Youngji just replied with a smile. “Come on; let’s go to your room.”

Youngji had expected for Mistress Park to push her to meet Chanyeol, so this invitation turned out to be really surprising. Nonetheless, she followed the house mistress’ lead gladly while pulling her bags. It was no wonder to her that the Parks had no care to keep any maid at home since she had known for long that Mister Park treasured privacy. 

“I’m so sorry that there are no maids to assist you with your bags.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“You are?”

“I lived alone at Canada.”

Mistress Park stopped in front of a door, and she turned the knob before she pushed the door open. Youngji managed to peek inside to take a look at the decoration, and she was greatly pleased by the fact that the room was fully accommodated. Though, she suspected that the room beside her was Chanyeol’s. The last time she went to this house, she remembered that Chanyeol’s room was at the west, the opposite of the location of her room right now. But there was no guarantee that Chanyeol had not moved to another room, so that left her no choice but to be sceptical.

“It’s beautiful,” she complimented, and she watched how Mistress Park’s lips curled into a smile. “I hope that I’m not distracting anyone.”

“Nonsense! You’re always welcomed here. Even my husband is so fond of your arrival.” Mistress Park rubbed Youngji’s back, and then she pushed her softly into the room. “Now go and make yourself comfortable. Make sure to be around for dinner, and don’t trouble your mind with unnecessary thoughts.”

Youngji nodded politely and pulled her bags into the room. She gave a bow to Mistress Park before she slowly closed the door, which resulted a soft bump and an almost inaudible click. The room finally got her full attention, and she observed everything closely as she placed her bags beside the wardrobe. She noticed how the purple curtain was hanging neatly, framing the window. Everything was in purple and white, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was taught to behave well, she would have complained about the colour choice. 

Luckily, the mattress was incredibly comfortable, and that erased a bit of her uneasiness of staying here. Just a bit, but she concluded that it was enough for now. Everything after that would be decided when she was to face her ex—boyfriend. Now when she thought about it, she really should just pack her bags and go somewhere but Korea. 

Ever since the moment she stepped her feet inside the house, she had been convincing herself that nothing much would harm her. Park Chanyeol was definitely included on the harmful list, and she even made herself to write a vow of never acknowledging the said guy’s presence. The only friendly moments they were gonna have was only when Mister and Mistress Park were present. Maybe that was why she was reluctant to let go of her blanket and made herself presentable for the dinner. She knew that Chanyeol was gonna be there.

She applied her lip gloss and then stared at the mirror for a few minutes before she took a tissue and wiped the glossy liquid on her lips grudgingly. The outcome was quite messy and there were sparkles on the sides of her lips, but she was satisfied that she actually didn’t look like she was trying to impress anyone. The applied mascara on her eyelashes received the same ending, and the black circles around her eyes made it look like she was beaten by somebody. She was scared by her own reflection—what’s not with the black colour around her eyes – so she quickly rinsed everything with water. In the end, she only wore her cream and nothing else. Her hair was tied into a ponytail with her red elastic, and that was when she decided that she was ready to go. She completely ignored the fact that she was wearing one of her best outfits—it was, after all, a dinner with Mister and Mistress Park and she needed to show her respect by dressing properly. 

She opened her door, and to her horror, there was a lanky man standing near her door.

Chanyeol cleared his throat. “Hi,” he greeted her. There was no reply, so he continued. “My room’s right beside yours.”

I knew it.

She replied with a hasty nod before she walked towards the dining room. It wasn’t supposed to be problematic, since she was quite familiar with the house, but the presence of the walking giant behind her intimidated her a lot. She heard the loud footsteps trailing right behind her, and it took all of her energy to reprimand herself from turning her body to face Chanyeol, and say the thing that she had wanted to say since a long time ago. It was a thing that should be forgotten by now, and she got a feeling that saying it would only tear open the old wound.

“It’s been a long time,” he murmured, and she wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or rather, talking to himself. “Mom told me that you’re going to stay here for a while. She didn’t tell me for how long, but I got the idea that it’ll be a long time.”

There was a long pause after that, and it was only after a few seconds of the sound of footsteps filling the awkward gap that Youngji realized that Chanyeol had been holding his breath.

“I have a girlfriend.”

Youngji came to an abrupt stop.

“What?”

“I have a girlfriend,” Chanyeol repeated, this time with forced pressure on each word.

“I mean what – oh my God, Park Chanyeol. Why are you telling me this?” 

He hesitated, she could see it. “I just...” He took a deep breath. “I hope that you got the message.”

She lifted a brow, giving a cynical questioning look. “I hope that you didn’t misunderstand me – because clearly, you’re driving on the wrong road. One more turn from you and you’ll fall off the cliff.” 

He fell into silence, and so did she. They ended up putting their eyes away from each other as they headed towards the dining room. Youngji was hoping that Mistress Park would be thoughtful enough to make use of the large dining table and stop sticking her right next to Chanyeol. She didn’t know which part of the ‘broken up’ phrase that Mistress Park wasn’t able to comprehend, really.

“You’re finally here!”

“I’m so sorry for being late,” she said as she took a seat – the one which was far from Chanyeol, thankfully—before Mistress Park managed to point at the seat right beside Chanyeol. She gave a quick glance at the meals, and she gulped at the sight of Korean foods. Living for years abroad had its disadvantage, and one of them was not being able to taste the tasty Korean foods despite her longing to them. She inhaled slowly, making sure that nobody was able to notice her sudden excitement because that would surely embarrass her. 

When Mister Park started to reach for the foods, she began to relieve her thirst for the foods as well. Though, she still made sure that she was being well—mannered when she was using the chopsticks – which annoyingly felt awkward between her fingers—and gently placed the foods into her bowl. She glanced over at Chanyeol who looked nervous.

“Damn!” Chanyeol hastily screeched when the meat piece he was about to take fell on the table. His fingers were jittery, so he put his chopsticks on the table before he reached for the water. His eyes darted nervously at Youngji who gave a brief look at him before she continued enjoying her foods. Sometimes he wondered if Youngji ever felt anything when she was near him, because the girl definitely looked like she didn’t care that she was living under the same roof with her ex—boyfriend. The one that she had hurt, apparently. Wasn't there... guilt, at least?

“Why are you so clumsy?” Mister Park asked, his tone serious. “We have a guest here.”

Chanyeol glanced at Youngji who looked like she choked on something. “I understand, and I’m truly sorry,” he replied with the sincerest tone he could do.

“Well this reminds me of something,” Mistress Park began speaking, and then she took a sip of her water. “We all know that Youngji has finished her high school study two years ago, but I don’t think that it’s a problem for her to be admitted into high school again. After all, she never experienced the high school life in Korea. Am I right?”

Youngji could feel how she was tightening her grip on her chopsticks. “Yes, Mistress Park, but I don’t think that—“

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Mistress Park said playfully. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any hint of playfulness in Youngji’s heart. “Your mom asked me to take care of you as long as you’re doing your thesis in Korea, so I think that it’s only proper that I give you this kind of experience. Education is important, but nobody could deny the wonder of experience.”

Youngji wasn’t able to form any word after that, and she just continued chewing the piece of meat in . She wasn’t sure how long she had been chewing it—and how it was turning tasteless. “I see,” she muttered softly to conceal her reluctance. “Does my mother know of this?”

“Of course. She even supports it.”

She nodded. If her mother had nothing against this, then she must have no choice to but comply with those two women’s wish. 

“You’re going to your old high school. I don’t think that you’re gonna face any problem since I’m pretty sure that some of your old friends are still there. Chanyeol can help you, too.”

Chanyeol coughed violently. “Well, mom, actually—“

“No. It’s fine,” Youngji said abruptly. “I can handle it. I still could remember many of the buildings and the locations so I’ll be fine alone, I guess.”

Chanyeol looked a bit uncomfortable, but he didn’t voice anything. He continued to eat – or rather, playing with his foods as he noticed how his mother looked genuinely happy beside Youngji. He really had thought that his mother won’t make it into a big deal when he had broken the news about his broken relationship with Youngji, but it was actually otherwise. His mother was furious – disappointed, even, when she learnt that Youngji and he had ended everything. Their mothers were best friends after all, so it would have made his mom really upset.

He thought about his current girlfriend, and he suddenly felt sorry for her that his mother never opened her heart for his girlfriend. His mother kept saying things about Youngji even when his current girlfriend was presented, and it didn’t only make his girlfriend uncomfortable, but he as well. Who would feel comfortable when somebody talked about their past lovers? He and his girlfriend had fought regarding his mother’s frequent mentions of Youngji, and that’s when he made sure to never bring his girlfriend to meet his mother. Only until his mother had forgotten Youngji and learn to accept somebody else, of course.

But Youngji’s current presence ruined everything.

And he was one to blame as well. Really. Two years was nothing.

And the sudden figure of his girlfriend and a maid, which was specifically hired for celebrating Youngji’s arrival, in the dining room made it even worse. He stared at her, unable to distinguish if it was his hallucination or the reality. He averted his gaze at Youngji who was having a conversation with his mom, and then he watched how the conversation was halted when his mom noticed the presence of another person in the dining room. That was when Chanyeol knew how messed up he was now.

He stood up hastily, causing the bowl of rice in front of him to be flipped. “No, Jooyeon, please! Listen to me!”

He tried to catch up with his girlfriend, and he managed to get a grip of her wrist before he was pushed back roughly. There was hardly any anger in him, because for a reason, he felt as if it was partly his fault. It was his fault to be easy towards his mother when his mother had told him that Youngji would come. He knew that someday, this kind of situation will happen. What he didn’t expect was how quick it came and crushed everything.

“Let go,” Jooyeon said. Her voice was heavy, and there was sorrow and anger in it. “I said let go!”

“You need to listen to me.”

“What is it? That you feel happy that you’re living with her again? Do I not mean anything to you?”

“It’s not my own—“

“Everybody knows how much you loved her, Yeol. I know about it, too.”

He felt guilty. He knew that too.

With those words and tears streaming down her cheeks, she turned her heels and walked out from the house while sobbing. Chanyeol felt at lost, and it was only after a few minutes that he felt anger building up inside him. He could hear the sound of rapid footsteps approaching him, and he looked at the faces of the two people who appeared. He felt bitter.

He glared at Youngji who looked like she had caught up on the current occurrence—Chanyeol knew, because he could recognize the troubled expression on her face. He was about to snap, but then he remembered that there was something more important to be discussed about.

“Why did she come?”

“I invited her,” Mistress Park said calmly. 

Chanyeol breathed deeply. “Why?!” he exclaimed. “Isn’t it enough that I yielded to your decision on letting Youngji staying here?”

“You know how I disapprove her,” Mistress Park said. Her voice wasn’t as loud as Chanyeol’s, but it was enough to tell Youngji that this discussion was going to be really serious. It was fortunate that there weren’t any broken things in the house. Back then when they were young, Chanyeol used to throw a fit and throw anything that was within the arm—reach. 

Youngji secretly excused herself from the house and headed towards the front door. She slipped on a pair of slippers—she didn’t know whose—before she quickly went outside. The air at the outside was warmer than the inside. It must have something to do with the atmosphere, she concluded.

She walked towards the elevator, not really knowing of where she was going but she still waited patiently in front of it. She was willing to do anything to escape from the heated discussion between Chanyeol and his mom. Moreover, the discussion seemed to include her as one of the main topics, so she felt incredibly uncomfortable and displeased. The look on the previous girl’s face—who she guessed as Chanyeol’s girlfriend—made her feel guilty as well.

The elevator’s door was finally opened, and she was greatly surprised by the sight in front of her.

It was two men, groping each other and making out like there was no tomorrow. One of the guys seemed to have his pants down, and Youngji accidentally saw the private part.

“Damn! Jongdae, the door’s already opened!”

“It is?” the other guy asked playfully while letting go of his grip on the first guy’s nape. “Seems like you need to go,” he said, and then he glanced at the door. He froze. “We have an audience.”

“Audience—what the hell.”

“Yes." She gulped. “Bloody hell."