Seungwan sighed as she saw the written chit lying beside the tray again that morning.

Eat please. It won’t kill you. I’ll be back soon.                         –K

The guy really didn’t know when to stop, did he? It had been four days since she’d been stuck in this Godforsaken mess. Four endless days. That day too like usual, she left the tray untouched and went to the fridge and took an apple and a kiwi, that she’d bought on her way back yesterday, out to eat. Better them than taking his delicious favors.

It had become like an unspoken routine now. Kyungsoo woke up first, cooked and left breakfast for her, and then went out to do whatever, Seungwan didn’t care. After she hadn’t eaten the first time, he’d started leaving notes too, that she hadn’t bothered with either so she didn’t know why he kept leaving them. He came back in the afternoon usually, and by then she was ready to go out herself. She had been much warned about the hazards of logging into any of her social media accounts or contacting anyone back in Korea and though she’d pretended she couldn’t care less about it all, she wasn’t a fool. The thoughts of those strange looking men overpowering her, of inhaling through that foul-smelling gauze as she thrashed about behind a grocery store aisle and her muffled cries, haunted her well into refraining from any such act.

She went to the local library that she’d discovered on her tour out the first time around the small beachside town, issued some books and worked on a few writing projects that had been in her mind. She couldn’t even log into her college account to see if there were any new assignments that needed her attention while she was lazing around. To sum it all up, it was getting pretty frustrating. The only good part of her excursion was dinner, the only full meal she ate these days. She had thanked Sehun in her mind after discovering her credit card had made its place in her belongings, or she would have had to take Kyungsoo’s help. Which she didn’t want to. Not unless she was dying or something.

She didn’t know what the guy expected. That everything would be fine now that he hadn’t gotten married? That they would get back together? He did nothing to suggest so, but it still remained between them like a giant elephant in the room. He barely made eye contact with her, neither did she, even when they did have the chance to find themselves within visible distances of each other. And it wasn’t like she was complaining.

Because after all that had happened, she was barely holding up with the whole situation. She couldn’t ignore the fact that it had been Nayeon who’d taken the initiative to stop the wedding, that he had still chosen someone else over her and that they wouldn’t be there then if things had gone the way he had decided they should go.

A part of her reprimanded her, telling her she was being irrational and rude. But just this once, she couldn’t stop herself from being her pettiest self.

There were so many questions that kept ringing through her head, and at first she’d been so filled with them that she’d almost wanted to scream them at him. Why had all this happened? Why had he decided to mingle with mafia linked people? Why was she involved in this mess?

And most of all, had he never really felt anything for her? Had she really been this easy to fool?

But she didn’t. The answers would have to wait until she got back and then she would make sure she would know every single thing that the people she loved and trusted had hidden from her. Had she really seemed this weak to them? That they couldn’t involve her in anything, and not even have the decency to ask her when making decisions for her? Well she would show them. She wasn’t a little girl who needed their protection, and she sure as hell didn’t need anyone else deciding things for her.

But when would this misery end?

_

Kyungsoo knew something was off when Seungwan returned from her daily excursion that day. She had gone to the library again and then to that Italian cuisine restaurant she had come to probably like, and returned looking a little putt off.

He hadn’t been able to stop himself from following her the first day, and the days after to check, though he’d maintained a safe distance knowing how she would react if she found out. He couldn’t help himself. After all that the girl had been through, what they both had, he couldn’t just sit at home while she went out into a strange town alone, considering she didn’t even speak the local language and there weren’t many people who spoke Korean or English there.

He pretended to remain focused on the TV while she went and put whatever fruits she’d bought into the refrigerator. He internally sighed, wishing he could blame her for doing what she was. He had hurt her beyond measure, and though every time he found the breakfast he’d cooked for her lying untouched on the table he felt a stab to his heart, he couldn’t stop himself from repeating this gesture. He wasn’t expecting her to forgive him, but he still cared too much to stop. Still hoped, so damn much.

And as he watched her from the corner of his eye, he realized she’d gotten thinner since they’d been here. Of course she had, she wasn’t taking proper meals. He felt a pang of frustration. What should he do? What could he do to get her to understand he wasn’t doing all this to win her favor?

He wanted to talk to her, he really did. But words died at the tip of his tongue soon as he saw her. She no longer had the same warm, easy-going demeanor, and considering it had been difficult for him to talk to her then, it was an absolute nightmare now. He was afraid he would say something wrong, make things worse and that was how they’d been living for the past few days. Like two mute strangers who couldn’t be bothered to communicate in sign language.

But tonight something felt different.

“Seungwan shii, do you want to eat anything?”, His words rang in the apartment, with the low noise of the TV in background, they almost felt foreign. He swallowed, seeing her look at him in surprise. But it was replaced with the same bored, bordering on disdainful, expression. “No, thanks”

She went head, her steps slowing and then turned around biting her lip. She opened once, and then closed it, and then once again before sighing in frustration and going into her room, all the while he watched with bated breath.

Oh how he (desperately) wished they would talk.

_

Her credit card limit had been reached. She had tried again and again, and it hadn’t worked. She barely had enough cash to buy fruits for herself. She couldn’t even contact anyone back home to get any money transferred. That’s what eating out at fancy restaurants everyday did to your savings.

And she was hungry, she had gotten so used to depending on that one meal of the day that she felt hollow now that she hadn’t eaten anything. And every time her stomach growled, her frustration peaked. She couldn’t take it anymore. Taking a deep breath, she opened her bedroom door and came out into the narrow hallway. She could still hear the TV running in the lounge, and hoped Kyungsoo hadn’t fallen asleep on the couch.

Soon as she crossed the threshold into the living room, her nose was attacked with the familiar delicious aroma of her favorite Italian dish: Kyungsoo had cooked pasta for dinner. Her stomach turned in appreciation, and soon as he came into view eating on the couch, watered like it had never before. Praying desperately for patience, she walked up to him.

“When are we going back?”, She folded her arms, hoping her hunger wasn’t apparent on her face.

“As soon as Nayeon leaves a message”, he almost choked on the bolus he was chewing, his eyes turning to saucers.

“And when’s that going to be? Next year?”

He pursed his lips. “I am as desperate to leave as you are, Seungwan shii. Believe me”

The formal tone still surprised her. After the slip of his tongue that one time when she’d woken up to find herself in strange surroundings, he hadn’t addressed her informally again. And she wished it didn’t feel like a loss of something she’d cherished, even it had just been a stupid nickname.

Trying not to breathe in the torturingly tasty smells, she scrunched her nose in response and walked towards the fridge. She was assaulted with the sight of some other delicacies wrapped securely in boxes, that the guy probably hadn’t been able to finish, she fished out the last apple that was of her own and walked defiantly back to her room.

-----------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Baekhyun's enlisting. I'll miss him, knowing him has been one of the best thing that has ever happened to me. 

Also, a few more chapters to go. Hope you guys will like the end!