Jiyul watched as that petite figure raced towards G.O, throwing her arms around him as if it was the most natural thing to do.



"What brings you here, Jaeyeon?" G.O asked, pulling away from her with a look of panic.





"What do you mean, oppa? I come here all the time." she tilted her head in confusion.
 

G.O cleared his throat, looking towards the guys for help.


 

"Jaeyeon ah, since you're here, let us introduce you to that lovely lady over there." Chundung stepped up and said, putting his arm around Jaeyeon's shoulders, "This is Jiyul. She's G.O's girlfriend."





Jiyul stood up, greeting the stranger with a bow.





"Jiyul noona, this is Jaeyeon. She lives around the corner so she watches us play sometimes." Chundong explained while the rest of the guys stood scattered across half the court, watching the awkward exchange of greetings.





"Hello, unnie. My name is Jaeyeon. Kim Jaeyeon." she spoke. Even though her smile was bright, her eyes surveyed Jiyul from top to toe, making Jiyul really uncomfortable.





"Let's start the game." Joon whispered, eager to stop the tension in the air.




The younger girl settled herself beside Jiyul without a word as she waited for the guys to start their game. And as soon as their focus was entirely on the ball, she spoke.





"How long have you and G.O oppa been together?" she asked in a sweet voice.





"About 3 years." Jiyul replied politely despite her dislike to the topic.





"About 3 years? Is that less than 3 years or more than 3 years?" she asked again, this time with a hint of mockery.






"3 years and 10 days." Jiyul answered in detail, annoyed by the fact that she was being interrogated by a younger girl who seemed to be harnessing intentions towards her man. Yes, she still thought of G.O as her man, even if she was the one who requested a break up countless of times. And she was going to continue with that tiny bit of possessiveness inside of her until they officially separated.





"How old are you, unnie?" the little devil asked.





"I'm the same age as your oppa." she reluctantly replied with a tinge of bitterness.

"Really?" she gasped, "I always thought a guy like G.O oppa would fall for younger, cuter girls."

"Oh yeah? Well I guess you were wrong." Jiyul retorted, not even bothering to look the girl in the eye.





"How come I don't ever see you here? Don't you ever watch them play basketball?" she questioned, "I guess you're not really a sports person, huh?"





Jiyul kept silent, watching Mir retreat in fear as Seungho stared him down for trying to intercept his pass. A smile unknowingly crept up her lips as she realized that even though she hadn't watched them for the longest time, some things just never change.





"Maybe you watching him makes him uncomfortable. I mean, why else would he not bring you? Most guys love flaunting their athletic abilities to their girlfriends. But it's okay, unnie. Not everyone can appreciate a good game of basketball."



Jiyul's grip tightened against the edge of the bench. She noticed how G.O constantly looked over to check on them. It only proved to her further that there were things going on between them. Things she didn't know about. Why else would he be panicking?
 

"Being oppa's girlfriend must be really nice. He's so sweet and caring. He really knows what to do to make a girl smile. You're so fortunate."



Jiyul flinched, hearing an outsider describe her own boyfriend almost as a stranger. Her heart ached and her lips started trembling as she thought of the things he could have possibly done for this girl, to earn such praises. Things that he never did for her. She took a deep breath, relaxing every nerve in her before turning to the little devil beside her.

"Yes, I am. But you probably know better than me, don't you?"




"Guys, let's stop for tonight." G.O suddenly said, killing the remaining spirits of the four guys. But instead of disappointment or frustration, worry and concern were written over all of their faces as they saw the way G.O looked at Jiyul.



"Jaeyeon ah, it's late. You should go home." Chundung said, approaching the two girls. Unlike before, his tone sounded more commanding.




"Ok then. See you next time, guys!" she cheerfully waved, her gaze landing on G.O.




"Bye, oppa!"
 

"Bye." he muttered in response, faking a smile.
 

"I'm tired. Let's go home."




All their eyes landed on Jiyul, who smiled sweetly as her hand rested on G.O's arm. G.O's brows furrowed as he took her hand in his.

"Yeah." he replied, forcing a smile, "Let's."

They went separate ways after bidding goodbye. And as soon as the guys were out of sight, her smile faded and she took a step away from G.O. She wasn't oblivious to the guilty look on G.O's face as he constantly glanced her way. But she was too tired to care. Completely drained, in fact.

When they arrived back home, Jiyul simply headed straight for her new room, closing the door behind her. A million questions were running through her head, yet she couldn't find the courage to ask them. She lay in her bed, trying her hardest to figure out where she had gone wrong to have lost the heart of G.O so easily.

"Jiyul..." G.O's voice sounded from outside her door. She held on tighter to her blankets, as if afraid to hear what he was going to say next.

"Good night..." he whispered, "Saranghae."

He knew he wouldn't get an answer. But he still wanted to say it. He hoped she understood, even if those words that were so difficult to get out of him now seemed like a meaningless routine.

The truth was, Jaeyeon meant nothing to G.O. To him, she was merely a little kid who had a harmless crush on him. He found it cute, but there were never thoughts of reciprocating those feelings, even if he found no interest in his relationship with Jiyul. But now that he did, he wished he hadn't been so nice to Jaeyeon. Perhaps even nicer than he was to his own girlfriend. He wished he could apologize. He wished he could explain everything and confess all the things he felt for Jiyul. But G.O was a prideful man. And there were a million things his ego wouldn't let him say. Especially not to someone that meant so much to him.

'Are you ok?' Jiyul read from the text she just received. She let out a heavy sigh, her eyes tearing up as she finally gave in.

'No, Seungho oppa... I can't take this anymore.'

'Then do something about it, Jiyul.'

She let her phone slip through her fingers and fall onto the tiled floor.

"I can't." she whimpered to herself, "I don't know how."

G.O stood outside Jiyul's door with his head hung low, listening to her muffled sobs. He was determined before, to show her how much he really loved her. But it's been awhile, and it seems like Jiyul just didn't want to see it anymore. All she wanted was to be free. So as much as it killed him inside to even think about it, G.O was going to grant her that.