Yongguk’s POV

            When we came back from Seoul, Jieun quickly indulged herself in work. It was her defense mechanism against the searing loss she endured, but I was scared that she would hurt herself in the process. Some days she wouldn’t eat much, and some days she’d come late to work with red, puffy eyes. There was so much for her to be stressed about, and I didn’t know how to lessen any of it for her. There were only three weeks until her forced marriage with Daehyun, and she was nowhere near on good terms with her father to negotiate. Though I was Jieun’s boyfriend, it felt wrong for me to confront Daehyun. The two of them shared a bond I couldn’t interfere in, though he’d argue I’d already broken that. When I thought about it, Jieun choosing to lose herself in her work made perfect sense. She was typing away on her computer, filling in her monthly reports and reorganizing her bookshelf. I could tell she wanted to be alone. I decided to go for some fresh air, so I walked over to the side of the hotel, the exact spot I’d met the homeless man who’d touched my heart. It was foolish, but I was half hoping to bump into him again if I went back to that spot. He wasn’t there.

            “I think we just got off on the wrong foot.” I turned around quickly to see Himchan, leaning against the side of the building with his hands hidden. What was he still doing here? I fell on the assumption that he was angry for losing his job and wanted some kind of restitution. I found myself transitioning into a defensive position, my eyes watching his every move.

            “What’s wrong with you? I’m not here to fight you.” He was smirking at me, and his expression didn’t align with what he was saying. Still, he looked too smug, just resting his back against the wall’s exterior.

            “Why are you here?” I demanded, when I fired him I’d abandon all sentiments I’d ever had towards him as a friend. Compared to how he was before, I got the feeling he was a lot more dangerous now.

            “I’m here to warn you.”

            “About what?”

            “About the dangers you pose by staying next to Jieun’s side.” Mentioning Jieun’s name signaled red flags in my mind. These were similar words to Daehyun’s from before, but coming from Himchan, I was more than terrified that he’d do something to hurt her, and the thought made me angry.  I knew without a doubt that no matter what spite Daehyun and I had towards each other, he would never intentionally hurt Jieun. Himchan was different; he acted on his own will.

            “You’re going to hurt her some day.” He was smirking at me with his hateful glare. “Someday soon,” I wanted to shove him and tell him he was wrong, but I found myself frozen, glued to the ground I stood on.

            “You know it yourself—how imperfect you are. I still laugh at how happy you were when she confessed her pitiful love for you.” My eyes widened in shock. Was he spying on us that night? How did he know about her confession? Or was he just playing with my mind? There was more to him than I initially thought. He was more than just a burnt out ex-employee.

            “Who are you?!” I was shaking, though I couldn’t identify whether it was because of fear. He moved closer towards me and folded his arms, the same senile grin plastered on his face.

            “You know who I am.” His voice grew softer but it didn’t lose its vicious sting.

            “You’re lying!” I sounded almost hysterical, and he chuckled deeply in delight.

            “You’ve known me long before you’ve known anyone else—long before you’ve known Song Jieun and before you’ve ever met Song Jihoon.” He was having the time of his life messing with my thoughts. I’d never seen his face before! How could anything he was saying be true?

            “Bang Yongguk,” He spat as he spoke my name, “It’s not that you’ve forgotten me. You’re choosing not to remember.” His arms fell back to his sides, and now he was the hysterical one. The fact that he wasn’t holding a weapon only comforted me for a short moment. He was getting ready to withdraw.

            “Leave that girl. You’re going to leave her, the same way you left me behind all these years. I’m going to make sure you understand that inexplicable pain.” He threatened finally, before disappearing around the corner. When he was finally out of sight, I panicked and ran back into the hotel to make sure he hadn’t done anything. I was panting in the middle of the front lobby, the walls were spinning around me and I felt as if I would faint at any moment. The receptionists worked peacefully at their desks, picking up phone calls and redirecting them. The greeters were gossiping carelessly near the doors. There were no signs of anyone suspicious coming in, so I assumed Himchan had actually left. Relieved, I felt my legs turn to jelly. The last thing I felt were my knees slamming onto the floor and my eyes closing shut. There was an all consuming darkness in my heart before I finally lost consciousness.

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I woke up in a random room at the hotel; the bed was newly cleaned and smelt of artificial lavender. It was so strong it made my nose sting. I sat up a little too quickly, and my head started throbbing, wanting to be flat against the soft pillow again, but I fought it off. It was as if I had a hangover, though I hadn’t drank anything since the funeral.

“Take it easy!” Jieun’s worried voice coaxed me, and her hands forced me back into a horizontal position. She then placed the cold towel back on my forehead; it had fallen when I forced myself up. She was smiling at me, but her eyes were worried.

“I’m so sorry.” Her eyes were tearing, and she placed her forehead on my chest to hide her face. I didn’t understand why she was apologizing. My loss of consciousness was not her fault.

“There’s no reason to be.”

“I shouldn’t have ignored you so much.” She was speaking into the blanket, making her already shaky voice harder to hear. She was evidently deprecating herself over something small. I placed a hand on her head.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t mean to drag you down with me.”

“Jieun, it’s okay.” She breathed heavily and then sighed. When she found the courage to look back at me, I gave her my brightest smile to show her that I was perfectly fine, and though I was still lying awkwardly on a bed, she leapt towards me and placed her lips on mine.

“Promise me you’ll be okay.” With both my arms my held her close to me, and our foreheads touched.

“I’ll be fine, I promise. How about you?” Up until now, her grandpa’s death had still been eating at her conscience. She needed to let go of that grief once and for all.

“I’ve mourned enough. Grandpa would want me to move on too.” She concluded, nodding to herself. I pulled out the pocket watch Song Jihoon left with me and opened it.

“If you ever miss him too much, just listen to this.” She smiled at me and nodded, humming along to the tune. Her voice was sweet against my ear, more soothing than the lullaby itself, as if it could be the remedy for all my problems. I closed my eyes and pretended I was asleep, and after a few minutes of humming, Jieun closed the pocket watch and placed it next to my pillow. She sat back up on the stool beside my bed and held my right hand.

“Promise me you’ll stay…” Her forehead touched the back of my hand, and I assumed she thought I was sleeping. I thought back to the moments before I lost consciousness and remembering Himchan’s face caused the hairs on the back on my neck to stand. I still couldn’t understand any of it. I couldn’t recall him from my childhood, and I’d never met him before Jieun’s trip to Australia. The most disturbing thought was I knew I would have to see him again.

A/N: SOOOOO....Who missed Himchan? LOL The plot is really picking up now. I'm not going to write anymore filler chapters anymore--everything you read from now on is crucial to the ending. Thanks for sticking with my story!