The image of Yunseong being taken away in a police car has been replaying in Jinri’s mind for the last 5 minutes since they got to the car. A part of her was relieved that he’s going to jail and the other was worried because she’s not sure if he’s really going to be punished for his actions.

“I told you people like him have a lot of dirt, right?” Sehun suddenly commented.

Jinri turned to him. Sudden realization hit her. “Was it you?” she asked with a surprised tone.

Sehun looked at her briefly. His eyes then returned to the road. “He was already being investigated by the police for dealing and using illegal drugs before I was even involved. I just pulled some strings here and there.” He paused then sighed. “It’s just the beginning. And from the looks of it, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“What do you mean?”

Sehun tapped on the steering wheel and stayed quiet for some seconds before answering. “You’re not his only victim.” He grimaced as those words left his mouth.

“W-What?” Jinri felt sick to her core when she heard that. She felt her heart beating hard against her chest. She shut her eyes as she focused on getting her breathing in control.

“Jinri.”

She felt Sehun’s hands on her shoulders.

“Kim Jinri.”

When she opened her eyes, she realized that he had stopped the car on the side of the road. Sehun’s expression reminded her of that night when he hugged her tightly.

“Breathe,” he whispered with a nod. “Inhale.”

Jinri followed his instruction.

“Exhale.”

After a couple more of such instructions, Jinri was able to control her breathing.

“Good job,” Sehun muttered as he tucked her hair behind her ear. The slightest contact of his skin on hers felt like the warm breeze of air. “You’re going to be fine,” he added.

She slowly nodded as she kept her eyes on him. She wondered if he could see the fear gradually eating her up once again. Her heart skipped a beat when he softly placed his hand on the back of her head. Her breath hitched when his thumb grazed her cheek. That’s when she realized that tears were flowing from her eyes.

“You’re going to be fine,” he repeated.

Jinri bit the inside of her cheeks, trying to stop herself from crying. Sehun moved closer as he pulled her towards him. She shut her eyes, waiting for his arms to envelope her once again into a warm hug. Then, she felt his forehead against hers.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Sehun had his eyes closed. His lips were pressed into a thin line as if he was suppressing his emotions. His close proximity did not feel invasive. It actually felt comforting.

Sehun drew a deep breath.

“You’re going to be fine,” he repeated once again. “I promise.”

She closed her eyes, hoping that he’s right – that she’s going to be fine.

Clunk.

The sound of the vending machine snapped Sehun out of his thoughts. He crouched and picked the drinks from the machine. He then turned and looked at Jinri who was sitting under a parasol. She was quietly staring at the horizon.

He looked at his watch. They should have been in the middle of filming by now. He had called the staff a while back to inform them that they could not make it due to Jinri feeling unwell. Even though Jinri insisted that she could participate in the filming, Sehun made the decision that she should just excuse herself for once. Luckily, the staff and even the PD understood that Jinri’s not in the best condition to be working.

He was about to make his way to her when his phone started ringing. He quickly fished it out from his pocket to answer.

“Hello, Attorney Lee,” he addressed.

“Miss Han agreed to testify,” the lawyer informed right away.

Sehun felt like a baggage weighing his shoulder down was cut off. “That’s great,” he said, nodding.

“And I got a call from the third victim, Miss Shin, a while ago.” Attorney Lee paused a bit. “It looks like she has a recording of her conversation with Ji Yunseong which we can use against him. I will meet her in an hour.”

Sehun took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just doing my job,” Attorney Lee said with a slight chuckle. “Your family has done so much for me. This is just a small thing compared to what I’ve received.”

“Still,” Sehun started with a smile. “Thank you.”