+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN+

Another week passed just like that. 

Emotionless. The more time it passed, the heavy the heart was feeling.

It wasn't someone that could go away so lightly. 

Jiyong was at his yard again sitting on a wood chair this time and not at the ground, like the last time. He was just watching the sky. He decided to stay sober, as the alcohol wasn't helping him in any way. His situation won't get better, and he had to deal with it everyday. He just wonders when it is going to be over. The agony, the pain, the frustration, the fear of what tomorrow is going to happen. But there's no tomorrow anymore, not for him. 

Today he felt the urge to go to her, run to her, talk to her, at least seeing her only if it's for a few seconds and then she will ask him to go, but at least he got to see her close. But he was thinking about her pain. He didn't want to make her feel worse. He would rather take all the suffering for himself, but know that she is happy. His whole world was spinning around her. 

Suddenly he felt a presence behind him. It was Hanbin. He was comming to his home every night telling him about Chaerin. 

'Sit down Hanbin.' he says and he sat down on another chair next to him. 'How was today going?' 

He asks and Hanbin leans his back on the chair. For already a week he had been carefully following Chaerin around with the car, ready to attack if something might happen to her. 

'As always. She is not going anywhere beside from the shop and home. Today I talked to some of the people who are working on the bar near her shop. The gossips are everywhere.'

'What kind of gossips?'

'From what people told me, her former assistant was hidden in the shop when you had the fight in her shop weeks ago, and she told everyone that she was dating you. Now everyone knows. Some believes it, other don't.'

'It's okay. I never really cared about what people are saying anyways.' 

'They also told me that her assistant quitted her job because she was now scared of Chaerin because she had been dating you.'

Jiyong exhales some air. He wonders how might Chaerin feeling about it. Is she already regretting meeting him? Being with him? That would hurt him even more to know that she regrets ever meeting him.

'How is she?'

Hanbin looked at him for awhile before talking like he was trying to be careful with his words. Jiyong noticed that and got nervous as thinking that the silence might be related to something bad happening.

'Is she alright?' Jiyong asks again and Hanbin can sense a lot of concern in his voice.

'Hyung, all this week I've been following her around I noticed that she was looking pretty sad and tired. I told you she is not going anywhere, only to her shop, but there's some days when she left the shop earlier and just go to her home.'

Jiyong didn't say anything, he was just thinking about what Hanbin said. 

'I don't want to mess into your stuff, I don't know what really happened. But, I would like to ask you something.' Hanbin says and waited for Jiyong's answer before keep speaking. 

'Go ahead.'

'It's more than clear that you are both affected by this whole situation. Why don't you try to fix things out while you both still have a chance?'

'I don't think I have a chance anymore.'

'From my experience, I learnt one thing. As long as you're alive you have got plenity of chances to make things right.' 

Jiyong was still looking up at the sky thinking about Hanbin's words. Because of the silence and his lack of reaction Hanbin started to think that he might said something that he was not supposed to. Even if he had been seeing Jiyong everyday in the past week, he still remembers that he is still the leader. 

'You're right.' Jiyong finally says, sighing once more time. 

'If something happens tomorrow and suddenly the one you love is not here anymore, the only thing you'll regret is not spending enough time with them.'

Hanbin says again, and Jiyong felt the sadness in his voice. He was aware now of his story. 

'How is your girlfriend?' 

'She is taking the treatment at the hospital. Really thank you. I will forever be grateful to you.'

'Just tell me if you need anything.' Jiyong says and Hanbin nods his head. 

After skipping dinner one more time, Jiyong got to his bed. He needed something to get distracted with, and this way avoid thinking. But that wasn't the point. 

He thought about what Hanbin just told him. He was right, they still got a chance, but he was afraid to show up in front of her. He was actually afraid if she will told those words to him again. He was more afraid of what he could hear from her, because hearing those words once already killed him, imagine if this would be happening again. Still, he wanted to see her again, to hold her again. 

Who would've said few months ago that she was going to make an impact so big in his life? He made a plan, he wanted to trap her, to make her fall for him, then to play with her, breaking her heart. He also fell for her so hard that he doesn't know how to do with his life now. He broke as well. He never played with her. Everything he said to her was real. He wanted to be with her for real. 
But will he really get that chance ever again? 

Chaerin was strong, independent, fierce. She overcame the fact that her mother left them, living aboard, being cheated on. She was stronger than him. 

'She will overcome this too. She doesn't need me at all.' Jiyong says walking to the window, watching the sky again.

'I think she will be better off without me.' and those kind of thoughts killed him once more. 

*****

Chaerin walks into her dad's house. She didn't come there since the awful dinner they had before. But she wanted to see her dad, she wanted to talk to him. She tried to compose herself, getting out from the bed one more day. She wore a black maxi dress ajusted to her body, her classic stilettos and a black jacket to complement the outfit. Her now honey color long hair was loose and she put it on the side. She can't explain it but she just felt like wearin