Yeonwoo's mother was standing arms crossed outside the car with a stoic expression on her face when Jaehwan dragged Yeonwoo out of the building.   She knew the reason her daughter had gone inside.         "Please ride with me, Yeonwoo" Jaehwan said when they neared his car.   Yeonwoo yanked her hand off of Jaehwan's grip and headed towards her mother's car, leaving Jaehwan without a reply.       Coming face to face with her mother, she suddenly remembered how absolutely she didn't want to see her.   Her mother stared at her and Yeonwoo could see the scorn and contempt in her mother's eyes.   Yes, she had taken too long to say a simple goodbye and the tears that were pooling in her eyes weren't helping the situation get any better for her.   "Get in the car" Her mother muttered.  
Right then, Yeonwoo knew she'd choose to stand there forever than climb up onto her mother's car.   She sneezed again, wiping away her tears with her hand right after.     Jaehwan took off his muffler and slowly wrapped it around Yeonwoo's neck.
"Please ride with me" Jaehwan whispered.     In the background, Taeha had enough and walked into the dorm building. The remaining friends sensed the tension and remained absolutely silent. But only Hyebin understood in depth what was really going on.      
Yeonwoo turned and walked up to Jaehwan's car and sat in the front, taking deep calming breaths to calm her smouldering heart.      
The 20 minutes ride back home was very quiet inside Jeahwan's car unlike the noises in his head. Yeonwoo hadn't moved an inch and she had been staring out the window the whole way back.   Jaehwan finally pulled up.   "Wait" Jaehwan said before Yeonwoo could climb down.
"It changes nothing, right?" he started.     Yeonwoo wearily looked at him.
"I don't know what to say, Jaehwan" Yeonwoo said.  
"Please tell me nothing will change. You promised me Yeonwoo." he said.   Yeonwoo's eyes landed on the portion of red rashes that were visible on Jaehwan's neckbone right above his v-necked sweater, instantly reminding her of what had happened the day before.   She nodded once before she opened the door and walked towards her home.  
Jaehwan was far from convinced.
He needed to tell Yeonwoo's mother exactly what happened.       Yeonwoo's mother pulled up.   Jaehwan went down and helped her bring down the bags from the trunk.  
"You didn't really have to drive her home," Yeonwoo's mother said.     "It's okay. I wanted to." Jaehwan said.
He was right about to tell her but he stopped himself.
What if it makes Yeonwoo angry again? He couldn't have that.  
"Amma, can I please say something?" He asked.     "What is it, Jaehwan?" She asked.     "Can you please take Yeonwoo's phone and laptop with you? We're dating now but I am scared she'll change her mind if Nancy keeps calling or texting her."
Yeoonwoo's mother sighed. "I'll see to it" "What's on your neck?" She asked.  
"It's nothing, just some mild allergy" He replied. "I'll get going," He said bowing.        
Yeonwoo headed for the stairs as soon as she went inside.
"Ya, your sister is here waiting for you and you go and ignore me like that?" Yeonwoo's sister called from the couch cuddling with Yeoreum.   Yeonwoo stopped in her tracks for a while only to climb up without even looking over.     "Why is she acting so stuck up all of a sudden" Her sister mumbled.
"Come'on Yeoreum" she said lifting the dog to go and talk to her sister.    
"Wait, I need to talk to you for a second" Her mother said before she could reach the stairs.     "Where are her bags? You said she'll be moving out." Yeonwoo's sister said.  
"Her bags are outside"      
************************       The first thing Yeonwoo did upon reaching her room was: lock the door and get her phone out.   She plugged the charger to the socket right next to her bed and switched it on.   Tears suddenly coming out as soon as the lock screen came on, filling her entire being with an overwhelming amount of emotions.      
"Yeonu ya, open the door. Why are you locking this? " Her sister called.  
Yeonwoo hid her phone under her pillow and went to the door. "What do you want?" She asked, slightly openeing the door.     "Hi," Her sister said and pushed her way inside the room and plopped herself on the bed.
"I've heard news about you. I mean I was so shocked yesterday." She said.     Yeonwoo kept standing by the door.
"Unnie, please leave. I need some time alone"     "Right, I will. Give me your phone"  
"Why?"  
"Amma's orders. Nancy? isn't it? Amma's worried Nancy will call you or you'd call her."     "I am not giving you."      "Wait, about you and Jaehwan, are you really dating him or you forced him to date you to please amma?"     Only silence answered her.  
"Fine. I won't ask."
Her sister slid her hand under her pillow.
"Found it" She said "No internet and mobile phones for you. So sad" she said climbing down the bed. "And don't look for your laptop, it's in my room."  
"Please stop getting on my nerves and give me my phone back."     "talk to mom. I've got nothing to do with this." She said going out the door. "Look, you'll get your phone soon, okay. I told mom that you're probably only going through a phase and I showed all your K-pop guy idol photo collections on your laptop and she looked a little convinced."
"And although not related, she made me delete all of Kai's photos from your "doki-doki" folder." She added smiling a little.  
"It's not a phase," Yeonwoo said.  
"What?" her sister asked.  
"What I am going through is not a phase. So stop calling it that." Yeonwoo said closing the door.    
********************      
The next day, Nancy flew to Ohio with her mother to celebrate Christmas with her father and sister.    
Christmas was spent in a gloom. Seeing her father on a wheelchair didn't help in the slightest.  
Yeonwoo wasn't online on WhatsApp, she had her phone switched off and she wasn't opening the texts Nancy sent her on fb.        
Some days passed. Nancy went out with her old friends. It helped her lift some of the pain off her chest. She dealt with her annoying ex who tried to get back with her. She had sleepovers with her old friends. But there was always that void inside her that was threatening to get larger by the passing days.   She missed Yeonwoo