Ever since that night, Yujin had changed. She was constantly on guard when they were together. When they were apart, Yujin would try to contact Xiaoting much more often and always ask her whereabouts. Yujin also started taking her to and from work. Don’t get her wrong. Xiaoting was grateful for seeing the attentive side of her girlfriend but this was getting out of hand. She could see the toll it’s taking on her Yujin. She could see the exhaustion in her eyes. It’s even more worrying because Yujin wouldn’t tell her what had happened. Xiaoting had tried asking what happened that night but her lover answered with ‘she just had a scary thought’. Xiaoting didn’t want to push Yujin, so she gave her some space to sort out her thoughts. But it seemed that she had to confront her lover. This couldn’t go on anymore.

She was sitting in her dressing room, getting her hair and make-up done for today’s photoshoot. The commotion behind her caught her attention. From the mirror reflection, she could see Mashiro talking seriously with the staff members. Something serious must have happened. They kept discussing until Xiaoting’s hair and make-up was finished. She called out to her manager.

“Shiro, is something wrong?”

Mashiro looked conflicted for a while but decided that Xiaoting needed to know the situation. “The staff here had a slight problem. There’s a lot of fans waiting outside right now. It’s getting quite rowdy and the director is worried about going through with today’s outdoor shoot. They weren't prepared to handle a crowd that big. They even asked if someone from our side had leaked information about today’s shoot”

“What? Could there be someone?”

Mashiro could only sigh. “At this point even I’m suspicious. I don’t want to doubt our own team members but this isn’t the first time, Ting. We have been getting larger and larger crowds for a few days now. I thought it was a one time thing but this seems intentional somehow. We need to be careful. Should we call today’s shoot off?”

“How about we just change it to an indoor shoot? Or switch the outdoor schedule to another day? We should at least get something done today”

“Okay, I’ll talk to the director”. Mashiro exited the room and left Xiaoting to her own devices.

It looks like today is a tough day. She still needed to talk to Yujin tonight. As if the girl occupying her mind read her thoughts, her phone buzzed. It was Yujin asking how work was today and what time she should come get her. Xiaoting decided to call her lover instead. 

“Hi, darling”. A cheery voice answered.

“Hi you too. Hope I’m not interrupting anything”. Xiaoting couldn’t help but smile hearing her lover’s voice.

“Not at all. Why the sudden call? Is everything okay?”

Xiaoting sighed and told Yujin what Mashiro had told her. 

Yujin listened to her lover’s worries and offered, “Should I send my security team there?”. Her girlfriend is very famous and has a lot of admirers. Her employer should be familiar with handling a crowd. It speaks volume on how many fans had gathered. That got Yujin worried. She was still trying to figure out her uncle’s next move. Could this be one of his schemes?

“What? Who’s going to protect you then?”

“I have another security team. Besides, Yongeun is capable enough to guard my office door today”

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother”

“Ting, you could never be a bother to me. I’d feel better to know that you’re well protected”. Yujin asked for the address and wrote it down on a post-it. She called Yeseo into her office and asked for a security team tobe sent to the address. She turned her attention back to the call, “They should be there in 20 minutes”

“Thank you, love”. Xiaoting hesitated a bit before continuing, “Yujin, can we talk tonight?”

Yujin started getting nervous. XIaoting only calls her by her name or ‘unnie’ when there’s something bothering her. “Of course, darling. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no, it’s just that-”. Xiaoting’s words were cut off by a voice calling her. “Sorry, the director is calling me. I have to go. See you tonight?”

“Okay, see you tonight. I love you”

“Love you too”

Yujin ended the call first. She had a feeling about what Xiaoting wanted to talk about. She had not explained to her lover that her uncle was basically threatening her and everything she cared about for the sake of revenge and succession to the company. She thought she could handle it by herself. At first she thought it was simple jealousy from her uncle. But ever since she talked with her grandfather, things weren’t that simple anymore. For the past week, she was constantly watching over her back, making sure her lover and friends weren’t being followed or harassed. She had to admit she was starting to crack under the pressure. How should she tell her? What could she tell her? Yujin rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. Maybe it’s time to tell the truth.

Back in the shooting studio, the director had gathered everyone. He apologised for the delay in shooting and how unprepared his team was for the shooting location to be leaked. He was going to cancel the shooting for the day since he did not want to risk the model’s safety. Xiaoting came forward and said a security team from Yujin would be arriving soon. The news was a saving grace for them. The director thanked Xiaoting for her help profusely. With that, the shoot would be able to continue safely. They were able to finish on time despite the setbacks. Xiaoting was in a car driven by one of  the security team members, on her way to Yujin’s apartment. 

A few minutes passed, Xiaoting started to realise, this wasn’t the way to Yujin’s apartment. She glanced around the road again, making sure she wasn’t mistaken. She didn’t want to doubt the people her girlfriend sent but she had to make sure. 

She braced herself and asked, “Excuse me, where are you taking me?”

“We are heading to Ms.Choi’s residence. Apologies for not informing you ahead, Ma’am.”. The driver glanced into the rear-view mirror to meet Xiaoting’s eyes.

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Ms. Choi has many residentials under her name. We are heading for the one on the outskirts of the city as instructed”

Xiaoting could only blink in surprise. “Did she say why this one in particular?”

“I’m afraid she didn’t, Ma’am”

“I see…”

Silence filled the car throughout the drive. Xiaoting didn’t know Yujin had multiple apartments. The couple have been staying at Xiaoting’s apartment whenever they go home together. DId her girlfriend move apartments? And why didn’t she say anything? Xiaoting was very confused now. She thought she knew her girlfriend well. It seemed that she was wrong. Xiaoting sighed. She had more questions than answers right now. It was going to be a long talk tonight. 

The car finally stopped in front of a medium-sized house. It looked relatively new and modern with big windows, white walls and black roof. The driver let Xiaoting out of the car and handed her a card key. She walked up to the front door and unlocked it with the card she received. She walked inside and put down her bag onto the living room couch. Judging by the silence, Xiaoting had arrived first. She decided to look around. The inside of the house was clean and neat. Everything looked new and bare. There weren’t any personal decorations that she could see, very different compared to the apartment Xiaoting used to visit. 

As Xiaoting arrived back in the living room, the front door beeped and opened. She turned around and smiled at the person who entered.

“Hi, did you wait long?”. Yujin smiled back. She approached her lover and gave her a peck on the lips.

“No, I just got here”. Xiaoting sat them down on the sofa before continuing, “Mind telling me why you kidnapped me to the edge of the city?”

Yujin knew where this conversation was going. She nervously played with her fingers, “I’m actually staying here”

“Oh? Since when?”. XIaoting stared at Yujin. Her lover wasn’t meeting her eyes.

“Since the accident…”. Yujin’s voice trailed off.

Xiaoting reached out to hold Yujin’s hand, stopping her from fiddling with it, “Why didn’t you tell me?”, Xiaoting asked softly.

“I wanted to but then..”. Yujin sighed and continued, “But then I’d have to explain the reason why”

“Does it have anything to do with what happened that night?”

Yujin knew which night Xiaoting was talking about. She could only nod.

Xiaoting brought up one hand to cup her girlfriend’s cheek, “Yujin, please talk to me. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here for you. Tell me, love, what’s scaring you? “

“It’s… I…”. Yujin looked up and stared into those soft brown eyes that always brought her comfort. It was always always full of affection and attention. She relaxed and leaned into her lover’s touched, “It’s going to be a long story, Ting”

“We have all night”. XIaoting caressed Yujin’s cheek and smiled. She leaned in for a kiss.

The couple was startled out of their embrace when Yujin’s phone rang. Yujin apologised and picked up the call. She stood up and walked towards the window. Meanwhile, Xiaoting started looking through her phone for tonight’s dinner. Then, she heard a clatter of something falling. She looked down and found Yujin’s phone fell near her feet. Xiaoting glanced at her girlfriend, confused at first, then concerned. Her lover was wide eyed, her hand was covering and unmoving. Xiaoting picked up the phone and walked up to Yujin, handing the phone back. She tried to ask with her eyes ‘what happened’. Yujin turned to her lover with tears starting to well in her eyes.

“My grandfather died. They want me to go settle his will”