- - - - -

Donghae laughed and looked up as Victoria sat down.

“What?” she wondered. “What’s so funny?”

“I’ll feed you until you’re full. Since you’re here you might as well not eat when you head back.” Donghae insisted.

Victoria frowned without question and ate the food in front of her. She was highly concentrated on her food that she barely looked up.

“I’m curious,” Donghae started, “why do you always eat your food so fast? No one’s going to take it away.”

Victoria swallowed, sipped some water, then wiped . “It’s become a habit over the past 14 years.”

Donghae stared at her as if he didn’t catch what she just said.

“It’s just…how things came to be.” Victoria replied. “Why aren’t you eating?”

“Are you hungry? You can have my share,” he offered.

Victoria took his plate without feeling embarrassed. He watched her eat with a kind of satisfied smile on his face.

“Have you always lived in Seoul?” he asked.

“No. I’ve been here and there.” her simple half truth - half lie.

“What about your family?”

“I’m on my own, remember?” Victoria paused. “I don’t know where my parents are now.” another half truth - half lie.

Donghae didn’t bother her anymore. He sent her back and before she got out he told her he’d saved his number in her phone. After the first door closed he turned back and drove home.

At the door he was greeted by the glare of his mother, something he’d been missing the last few days after coming back from work but he hadn’t literally missed it.

“Mom,” he greeted, “evening.”

“Where were you?” she questioned.

“Out. Work, you know. Stuff.” he finished walking into the expensive home.

“You’ve been out to see her, haven’t you?”

“Who’s ‘her’?” he asked.

“You’re still playing stupid with me?”

“Don’t slap me.” Donghae turned around abruptly half surprising her.

She took half a step back and looked up at him, “Tomorrow, don’t go out. You don’t need to go to work.”

“Why?”

“We’re meeting with your in-laws tomorrow. I’ve set up the date with them and we aren’t missing it.”

“What!” Donghae’s voice bellowed.

“Don’t scream at me, you runt.” his mother scolded. “You half killed my ears.”

“Mom! I told you the wedding is off, I thought I made it clear that she’s no longer my fiancée.”

“Is it so hard to say her name?” his mother protested.

“Fine, I already repeated myself millions of times. Yoona’s no longer my fiancée. Please, mom.”

“Are you afraid your second girlfriend will get a shock over this? But doesn’t she already know you’re set to marry someone else?”

“Mom!”

“Tomorrow. You’re not leaving the house.”

With that the woman walked away.

- - - - -

“Who was that?” Yoona’s mother backed away from the slit in the window curtains as she walked in through the door.

“Mom?” Yoona questioned surprised.

“You ditched me for some other man?” her mother asked.

“No.”

“Then was that Donghae? I’ve never seen him drive a car like that before.”

“It wasn’t Donghae.” Yoona replied walking into the kitchen to get a cup of water.

“Then who was it?” asked her mother.

“A friend.”

“A man.”

Yoona turned to her pestering mother then wiped her lips dry of the water she just drank.

“You ’re two-timing Donghae?” her mother suddenly suggested.

“Mom!” Yoona scolded.

“I’m just saying. I haven’t seen someone drop you off at home before, not even Donghae. Who is he? That man friend of yours.” her mother kept on wondering.

“Someone,” Yoona replied.

“Are you interested? Or is he interested?”

“Mom!” Yoona scolded again.

“Aish! It doesn’t hurt to let me in on some things once in a while,” her mother whined, “anyway you’re not busy tomorrow so don’t go out without telling me. We’ve got a meeting to attend.”

“Meeting?” Yoona repeated. “What meeting?”

“Donghae’s mother wants to have lunch with us.”

Yoona frowned as she closed the door behind her. She had mixed feelings about tomorrow’s scheduled lunch. It didn’t feel like quite the time to see his face again and talk to him as if nothing had ever happened between them. But yet, she also wanted to see him and see how he was doing. Just like that all thoughts about Taecyeon disappeared from her mind.

- - - - -

Victoria watched as Taecyeon spun around when she walked through the door.

“Yah!” he shouted sitting at the kitchen table. “You were with your oppa, weren’t you?”

“Oppa?” Victoria repeated. “I told you I don’t use that.”

“Psh! Still joking around,” Taecyeon muttered. “Don’t you come over here. The meat’s all mine.”

She shrugged, “I’m full anyway.”

“You ate with him, didn’t you?”

“Why?” Victoria asked then a smirk lit her face. “You sound like a person who’s jealous.”

“I what?! Yah! I’m just looking out for you!” he sputtered. “It’s not a thing to do with jealousy that you’re imagining.”

“I never imagined jealousy. You’re showing something which I know as jealousy. I see it a lot from where I came from.” Victoria expressed. “Why? Do you feel shame that you feel that way?”

Taecyeon stared at her for a long time.

“What?” she asked beginning to get confused with his long gaze with she couldn’t decipher from anger or if he was really putting her words into consideration.

“I…you and me don’t work.” he told.

Victoria shrugged, “Good.”

With that she walked off and set the bag she’d brought back with her aside. She couldn’t argue with him, not that man. Not Donghae, who, for some reason, easily won her over with his straightforwardness. No question and no answers given. He bought the black dress after she’d suggested it would fit just fine and after a few minutes he bought it along with some other accessories and a pair of heels. Exactly how much did that man want to waste on her?

Sitting from where she was on the bed she stared at the bag with the other clothes he’d bought her. She’d only worn some of then once.

“I just want to. Because I’m interested in you, I want to make you the best. Good enough?” his words flowed into her mind.

Just how was she supposed to react to that? She felt unsteady, her body temperature rise. Victoria supposed she felt good to hear it.

- - - - -

Donghae looked up when Yoona and her parents arrived. They sat in front of one another at the table. Mother in front of mother, father in front of father, and Yoona in front of Donghae. Very ordinary.

The room that had been specially reserved for them was very bright because of the white walls. Not because of the sun shining in through the large window that filled the size of a wall. A waiter came in and took their orders after setting a cup of water in front of them each.

“It’s been a long time,” Donghae’s mother started.

“It has. It’s so nice to have us all here together.” Yoona’s mother agreed.

“Donghae, aren’t you going to greet your mother and father?” his mother questioned with a stiff smile on her face.

Donghae glanced at her then turned to Yoona’s parents, “Good afternoon, aunt and uncle.” He made sure to emphasize ‘aunt and uncle’ just in case his mother wouldn’t get it.

And indeed his mother shot him a stern glance. It satisfied him.

“Are you gals going to be scrapping and putting the wedding preparations back together?” Yoona’s father wondered.

Donghae’s mother laughed, “Sure. We’re working on it right at the moment. Whenever Yoona gets time off from work we’ll get right down to business.”

Yoona looked up then glanced at Donghae uneasily. He avoided her gaze.

“I’ll ask the Chief about that.” Yoona tried.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll talk to him if you don’t have time. It’s very hard to put off work during busy times,” her father sympathized.

Yoona just nodded. What could they say against the four adults there?

“When is the wedding again? It’s not this week is it?” Yoona’s father intended a joke, but no one found it funny.

Donghae’s mother laughed to help the failing atmosphere, “Donghae we’re in the process of thinking about it right now. Or if Donghae doesn’t have time my husband and I will go to a fortune teller and look for a good date.”

“That works,” Yoona’s mother chimed in. “I’d like to come along whenever there’s time.”

Donghae glanced at his mother. He thought everyone knew that the wedding would never happen. But Yoona’s parents seemed clueless. Confused and frustrated he grabbed his cup of water and chugged half of it down.

“Excuse me for a bit,” Donghae said and got up walking out of the reserved room.

Instead of heading to the bathroom as the adult thought he was he stood at the front doors letting the cold wind whip his face.

“It kind of feels good when you can feel your face freeze from the cold.” Victoria had told him that the first time they’d gone ice skating together.

Because she enjoyed it he was trying to enjoy it the same way she did but he didn’t quite enjoy it. He wondered what the reason behind it was. His face just felt plain cold and he just simply withstood it. No joy behind getting his face whipped from the cold wind.

“What are you doing out here?” Yoona’s voice broke his train of thoughts.

Donghae turned to see her walk out.

“Where’s your jacket?” he wondered.

“If I took it they would get suspicious, don’t you think?” Yoona pointed out.

Donghae didn’t say anything but turned away to stare off into the street as if searching for something, someone.

“Sorry,” Yoona began. “I never said anything about the breakup…I didn’t know how they would take it…”

“And so you just drew back from it.” Donghae seemed to finish. “You fear they’ll pity you or you’ll feel shame from it? Why should you be embarrassed because of a breakup?”

Yoona looked at his side profile, which was what was only visible to her at the moment. He wouldn’t look at her, she realized. But he did speak the truth.

“I remember I told you it’s fine and I’m ok with it. I’m contemplating now, whether I just said that out of the blue during that moment,” Yoona started, “because I really want to go back now. I’m not sure if I can keep my words.”

“Were you one to keep your words?” Donghae asked.

He had a point, Yoona decided.

Donghae sighed then turned to face her at last, “I know. But you’re not the only one hurt now. Have you thought about me, how you ignored me, and the reason behind why I ended it? Why you wouldn’t tell me certain things that I had to find out myself. Maybe you should think about it once more.”

Yoona waited and stared at him as if the answer would come out of his mouth.

“I won’t hate you, I won’t pretend that I don’t know Sheriff Deputy Im Yoona. I’ll still be here as Lee Donghae, a friend of yours.” Donghae softly told. “Don’t hang on, Yoona. At the last minute when you finally realize something, the answer isn’t about hanging on. It’s about accepting and moving on. We all have to fall and get up by ourselves once in our lifetime.”

A painful ache lurched inside Yoona. Burning tears tried to rise up in her sore eyes but she urged them back.

“Lets head back in. They might be wondering what we’re doing.” Donghae said and paused. He glanced at her, “I’ll go in first.”

The door closed after him and Yoona, the only standing there now, felt the cold wind hit her face as if it were slapping her.

Yoona walked in, was greeted with chatter, and returned to her seat.

“Donghae, there’s the Board’s banquet this weekend,” his moher started, “why don’t you and Yoona go together again?”

“What?” Donghae and Yoona asked in unison turning up at the same time to look at his mother.

She stared back at them confused, “What’s with your tone of voices? And why are you so surprised?”

Donghae and Yoona glanced at each other wondering what the other had meant by ‘what’.

“We’ll talk about it,” Donghae lied.

“I’ll have to see if my schedule’s clear first,” Yoona also lied.

After the meal while the adults headed off to the restroom Yoona and Donghae met outside again. As their family cars had been parked next Yoona unlocked hers and turned to look over at Donghae.

“Are your parents going to be at the Board’s banquet?” she asked.

“They’re going to be out of town.” he replied.

“You’re going with someone else, aren’t you?” she knew the answer but wanted to hear it from him anyway.

Donghae nodded.

“Are you still going? You’re always invited as usual,” Donghae reciprocated the question.

Be truthful. There was no need to lie and try to make him jealous, Yoona told herself.

She nodded her head.

“I’ll see you there,” he said then got into his car.

Yoona watched him start the engine not surprised that he wasn’t even curious about who she would go with. Oh well, soon enough they’d meet each other’s partners at the banquet. And she’d finally meet the girl who changed her Donghae.