Jiwoo.

As I danced in the mirror while I put on makeup for my exam day before spring break, Sooyoung was playing all of the songs from our high school days, trying to make me cringe. But, it wasn't working. I was in such a good mood. I had a good morning glow that was sponsored by the events of last night. I also had a wonderful breakfast on Sooyoung's balcony. For the first time, the bathroom door was open while I was in there, getting ready. I wondered if this was what other couples do. Maybe so. Just allowing their lover to see their imperfections. 

The weather had become a little warm, but the skies remained a little grey. I put my umbrella in my bag, in case. Sooyoung came out in one of the most sharpest suits ever, white buttoned down (but showing her chest a little), a Cuban link chain, with a black pair of dress slacks with a matching blazer. On the cufflings were little gold swirls, which were the Ha emblem. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and her lips were stained a nice red. My heart fluttered. I was dating such a cool woman! A businesswoman! She pulled out her camera and of course began to snap pictures of me, instead of her glamorous self. "You look ravishing," she rolls in English. 

"You look good, yourself," I say. I place my hands on her hips. "I promise I'll come to the exhibition once I'm done my exams." 

Sooyoung lifted my chin with a finger. "I'll see to it that you have a driver to the museum. I don't want you catching public transportation today." 

"Why?"

"Because you're too pretty. And it's a lavish event." Sooyoung held my hand and we walked out the apartment together. There was a car waiting outside. A man with his hair slicked back opened the passenger doors. "Hello, Yves," he says to her. He looks to me. "Oh. This is the infamous J-" 

"Keep your tight lips shut, Fabio," Sooyoung snapped. She let me go in first and then slid in beside me. There was a rainbow flag, hanging in the mirror. In the car, he was casually playing Diana Ross's "I'm Coming Out". Sooyoung sighed. "This is my lovely coworker and curator Donatio Ortiz, also known as Fabio. Fabio, this is my girlfriend , Jiwoo Kim." 

"Pleasured to meet your acquaintance, Miss Kim," he says in a singsong tone. "We're dropping her off at the school, first?" 

"Yes." Sooyoung crossed her legs. She was wearing loafers that exposed a tattoo on her ankle that said "libertad" in the form of a bracelet. She noticed that I was staring. "Got it when I first went to Barcelona. Means, liberty." She smiled, looking down at it. "I was a lost child without you, Jiwoo. I went crazy for a while." 

"I bet," I say. "You were with all those women...what did you expect to do when you first came here?" 

"Honestly? Be a bigger mess until my father saved me from it," Sooyoung said. "Which he did with this job he gave me. But, I miss photography...I think I'll go back to Korea to do it for a while...." 

I started drawing circles on their palm. "You want to move back to Korea?" 

Sooyoung shrugged. "I'll know when we go back for this short visit. I have to come back here, of course for work. But, I miss it a lot." 

I bit my lip. This would be a major decision. I had just fallen for the country called France because of Sooyoung, but now she may leave. I held their hand tightly. I could tell she knew I was sulking because she grinned. "Look, I'll come to France half the week and we'll spend time together. Or..you can come to Korea?" 

Fabio interjected. "We're here." I look at the clock of the car, making sure I wasn't late. 

Sooyoung opens the door and gets out. She grabs me by the waist. "It's nothing big to really ponder over. I've been thinking about it. It's not definite." 

"I don't wanna be apart from you," I whine. 

"Go finish your tests so we'll have more time together," Sooyoung says to me. She kisses my forehead. I walk off, rolling my eyes. "Hey!" I turn back, arms folded. "I love you!" She makes a finger heart before going to the car. I smile and then walk off. I see a familiar face, smoking a cigarette. Their eyes look up at me. I turn to see the car was gone. I toom in a deep breath. The person walks up to me and puts out their cigarette. 

They stand a respectable distance from me. "I'm on parole." 

I nod. I didn't really know what to say. I tried to hide that I was scared. Their hands that used to hit me were bruised and covered in tattoos. It felt like a whole eternity, rather than a simple 2 months. The person their lips. "You dating them now?" 

I nod again, folding my hands together. 

"Don't worry, I won't hit you again. I can't," the person says. "I experienced things in jail...that will last me a lifetime. They recently picked up some more charges about me, so I could be going back." They laughed a little, but then they sniffled. The person was crying. This person could experience sadness. "I'm sorry that I ever hurt you, Jiwoo."

I look down at my shoes. I didn't really know what to say.

"If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I will be free from some things that haunt me in my life. All the , I did...I hurt too many people. But, you...I ing loved you," the person said. "Just tell me...that you forgive me. And...and...we can possibly..."

"I forgive you. But not for you," I finally speak. I mustered all of my confidence. "I forgive you for me, because if I never forgive you, I'll be harboring the feeling that you gave me. All the fear, all the pain. I will displace it onto Sooyoung and that would not be fair to her. She's been good to me. I want to be good to her. But I can't continue to live my life in fear...fear that people will be like you." Max nods, slowly. "Now..I have some place to be...is that all you wanted?" 

Max shrugs and then I walk off. I hear footsteps quickly approaching and I start running off to my building. I close the door as the class was still talking and studying still. Not everyone was there yet. My heart was pounding in my ears. The professor comes up to me. "Are you okay, Jiwoo?" I shake my head. "They're outside." The professor calls the police and then places her hands on my shoulders. "Had you not pressed charges or an order on them yet?" 

"I didn't want to." 

"Then it will be harder to prosecute them." Professor Gardeniz was always there for me. She always knew when something was wrong. She looked worried for me. "Will you be okay?"

I nod. "I feel safe, here." I breathed for 10 minutes. I watched as Max got arrested outside. I turned back to my test. Never again will I deal with them. Never again will I love in fear.