Joohyun couldn’t stop crying.

Even when she heard her front door opened and shut closed. She only realized someone else has entered her apartment when that someone handing her a cellphone. She can tell who this someone is and that’s when it hits her that she was alone in her apartment before this person came. She had been crying so much, pitying and regretting herself for things she had done.

Seulgi had left with her daughter.

“Seulgi wants to talk to you.”

Joohyun frantically takes the cellphone from the owner’s hand. “Where did you take my daughter, Seulgi?!” She yelled, somehow afraid that her daughter will turn against her because of how much she’s getting attached with Seulgi. She was afraid that Seulgi would take her daughter away from her, but all those thoughts were thrown out the window when Seulgi answered in a such a cold tone.

“She’s at my place. I just wanted her to sleep well tonight.” There was a short pause before she ends the call. “Get a hold of yourself, Joohyun.” Then the line went dead, Seulgi was clearly not expecting any reply from Joohyun.

Joohyun started crying again.

A sigh escapes the person who’s standing in front of her.

The person was Seulgi’s secretary, Seungwan.

Seulgi asked Seungwan to look out for Joohyun. Seulgi didn’t give her any details, but Seungwan can tell from Seulgi’s drained voice that something big and bad had happened between Seulgi and Joohyun and seeing how Joohyun’s daughter was absent, and from how Joohyun aggressively asked Seulgi of her daughter’s whereabouts, it’s obvious that it also involved the little girl.

In Seungwan head she wonders what horrible thing Joohyun did this time.

“So…what happened now?” Seungwan asked.

There was a part of her that pity the state Joohyun is in at the moment. Hair disheveled and her pretty face covered with dried and fresh tears. Joohyun didn’t answer to Seungwan. She doesn’t know if she should say anything at the moment. There is an on-going war inside her head and heart. They’re conflicting against each other and Joohyun feels so tired of it all. It didn’t help either that the woman in front of her right now is none other than Son Seungwan.

Seulgi’s secretary.

Seulgi’s right hand.

Seulgi’s trusted person.

Seulgi trusted Seungwan so much that she was willing to tell Seungwan about her past with Joohyun. And Seungwan used that knowledge to threaten Joohyun the last time. As if knowing about what happened thirteen years ago gives Seungwan the right to punish Joohyun now. Joohyun doesn’t feel safe. Seulgi was wrong to bring Seungwan to her apartment if she was meant to cool Joohyun’s raging mind.

Seungwan sees through Joohyun’s hesitation to speak up to her.

She didn’t blame her for feeling that way.

But right now, she comes on behalf of Seulgi. If Seulgi believes that sending Seungwan to keep a look out on Joohyun is the right thing to do, then Seungwan will do just as she was told. She thinks the best way to start is to have Joohyun open up to her. She knows it’ll be quite a challenge if she remembered the last time, she and Joohyun talked, but she will not give up without trying.

“I was only Seulgi’s secretary.” Seungwan started, slightly perking Joohyun’s interest. “I have so much respect for Seulgi as both my boss and an older sister. In return, she trusts me enough to tell me a few things in the past that brought her to where she’s at now. She never mentioned any name, even when she’s drunk or crying her eyes out, all I know was she missed this woman so much that she’s hurting emotionally. She didn’t tell me that it was you all along. I simply just connected the dots and I must say it’s not hard at all.”

“Why…” Joohyun’s voice sounded hoarse. “Why are you…telling me this?”

Seungwan only shrugs. “I figured it will help you to start talking. I know you’ve been dying to know just how much do I know about your past with Seulgi.”

The single-mom kept her silence after that.

Seungwan was right.

Joohyun wanted to know.

“When my sister was killed, I was accused to be the killer and at that time I gave up everything so I just told them to get it over with. Put me in jail or sit me down an electric chair, I don’t care. But Seulgi did… She took my case as a pro-bono case. She didn’t get paid for anything and when I asked her why she did all that, she said she just doesn’t want to lose anyone else. I told her, there was nothing for me to live for but she was persistent. She ended up taking me in under her care… Eventually, it came to a point where she told me that she lost someone important because she refused to be true to her feelings and that someone was taken by someone else. She admitted that she ran away from that life, she thought she’d be able to start anew. Unfortunately, that decision only convinces herself more that she was truly and deeply in love with that someone… Because of that, she decided to become a lawyer. So, she can fight for something or someone she believed she needed to protect. To win. To redeem herself in the past. To move forward and yet…she still couldn’t let go of this person. She told me she’s forgiven them, always reminded me to always forgive people who hurt you, especially those who you love.”

Seungwan scoffed. “When I think about it now, it’s stupid, isn’t it? But that time, before meeting you, I always think just how great of a person they are that Seulgi is so…deeply in love with. I used to look up to them but when I found out that it’s you…”

“I was so disappointed. Because Seulgi deserves so much better than you. Seulgi is so kind-hearted and maybe borderline naïve too, but she is always true to herself. She knows where she stands, she didn’t push nor pull. She simply stays, even it’s hurting her and you… You’re taking her for granted, Joohyun.”

“No…” When Seungwan looks at Joohyun, the woman was already crying her eyes out again. “I didn’t know it will…hurt her.” Seungwan almost scoff at that. “She told me she was okay with it… and I didn’t want her to leave… I don’t want to lose her again, but I just can’t…if I have to accept my feelings for her…”

Seungwan’s brows creased. “Why?” She couldn’t help but stand on her two feet, towering Joohyun’s crying state. “Is it your daughter? Isn’t she already accepting Seulgi for a mother figure? What else made you refuse to accept her? I won’t buy it if you’re telling me that you have no feelings for Seulgi.”

“This is wrong…” The way Joohyun said with such a disgusted look only fuel Seungwan’s anger.

“Where was the wrong?! All this time you only say that this is wrong, but what is wrong?! Because you’re both women?! Is that it?!”

“Yes!” Joohyun’s voice matched Seungwan’s and followed with a softer broken one. “Yes… Because Yerim—”

Joohyun stopped when she felt her head thrown to the side, her cheek stings and burns.

Seungwan had landed a hand on her cheek.

A hard slap.

“Wake up. Before everything is too late.”

With shaky hand, Joohyun graze the stinging cheek, flinching from the pain. Yet her eyes remained on the floor, she couldn’t look back at Seungwan at all. Somehow feeling ashamed and so small compared to Seungwan, even though by height they’re pretty much the same height.

“Seulgi often time think to leave you again, especially now that you’re legally divorced from your ex-husband. It should’ve been so easy for her to leave. But she never did and it’s all because of your daughter.” Seungwan had to look up the ceiling, preventing from tears to escape her eyes. “Even when she was a child born out of your relationship with a man Seulgi hated the most… She can never hate your daughter. No, she accepted her and she loves her just as much as she does to you and I don’t think you’re aware just how much… Because you couldn’t even see any of it.”

Seungwan then turns around, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and tried hard to not sob. She didn’t want to appear vulnerable after her earlier outburst.

“Rather than teaching your daughter right from wrong, it would’ve been better if you learn from her instead. At least, that way you’ll be more honest about your feelings. Stop being so naïve… You never know when someone has reached their limit and I bet you don’t want to see Seulgi run out of her patience.”

Without as much as good bye, Seungwan left the apartment.

Seungwan didn’t care if Seulgi would scold her for leaving Joohyun alone in her apartment. She really couldn’t stand being in one room with that woman without actually beating the out of her. It angered her knowing that even after letting Joohyun know what Seulgi went through, she still chose to be a close-minded woman she had always been. Denying her feelings because the society still refuse to accept relationship between same-. Forcing her idea on her own daughter because she thinks it’s the best? God, Seungwan had enough. Joohyun is such a lost cause.

She hoped that hard slap on the face was painful enough to finally wake her up.

Meanwhile, Joohyun was still drowning in a sea of self-pity.

She can only cry her eyes out. Frustrated at herself, at the situation she’s in, at her dependence on Seulgi, at her whole fate that took her to where she is at the moment. She couldn’t even get up from where she was sitting… She can only sit there, hugging her knees and still crying. Eventually, exhaustion starting to catch up to her and she lost count of how many minutes (or hours) she spent just pathetically crying there on the floor.

The sun is starting to rise, evident by the light streak from the window.

Joohyun hadn’t slept at all.

And her cheek was still hurting so much. Her voice had gone and her head was pounding.

When the clock hits 6.30 AM, Joohyun’s phone rings.

Her gut tells her that it was Seulgi. Yet Joohyun couldn’t find the strength to pick it up. She was so ashamed of herself; she wouldn’t been able to even talk. She’d just cry harder than she is now. Even so, Seulgi tried to call again until a total of five times and still, Joohyun didn’t answer a single one of them. Seulgi also left a few messages that obviously will go unread as well. Joohyun starts to cry again when her phone stops ringing for good.

She wished she would run out of tears to let out soon because it’s tiring and she still couldn’t do anything but cry. She then curls down on the floor, trying to hold herself together. Not long after, she heard her front door opened and someone entering her apartment. A part of her sent an alarm to Joohyun’s head, telling her to get up and check b