Yongguk's POV

            Had I lied when I told Jieun everything was going to be just fine? I had ample time alone to think after that encounter with Himchan, and every thought that circulated my mind only led me to more and more fear. I wanted to know just who Himchan was, but I was too scared to find out. Even if I wanted to, how could I? It was only a matter of time until he made himself known again and perhaps to a bigger audience than just myself.

            Jieun and I still spent time together, but I noticed how much less I was talking. It’d be impossible for her to not have noticed, but the reason she probably stayed silent about it was because she trusted my promise to her—that I would stay with her no matter what, so she gave me space and always behaved as normally as she could. She ate her meals regularly and took breaks between rush hours, and she greeted the staff with a healthy smile every day. On the outside it probably looked like things had gone back to its regular life course… but I knew something was still wrong. We were here, stuck in the hotel performing our routine duties as the fateful day approached us. Time didn’t stop for anything, not even for our happiness. It was a day that didn’t need to be marked on the calendar for us to note, and it was just a week away now. We’ve already wasted so many days idly, how much could we change in a week?

            I started to really think about the warnings Daehyun and Himchan had both given me. Their common words predicted that I would hurt Jieun in the future, and before, I really couldn’t envision how. I love Jieun, and that is a fact, but maybe what they meant was that I didn’t have the power to protect her properly. I’d already failed at protecting her many times. I couldn’t protect her from her father’s demands, or Daehyun’s emotional abuse, or even pain from the loss of her grandfather. Emotionally, I could do so little for her. Was it a burden for her to always smile around me?

            I sat alone at a far table in the corner of the restaurant on my lunch break, just thinking to myself. I felt like I was cheating Jieun, because she loves me even without knowing everything. Just how long could I keep it all a secret? Every time I saw her face my mind wanted to blurt out everything without holding anything back, but when it came to it, my mouth would cower and I’d settle with sugar-coated words. I was scared to even admit to myself that I wasn’t the guardian angel Jieun’s grandfather wanted me to be—that I wanted to be for her.

            “You okay, buddy?” Junior sat across from me, pulling off his chef hat and laying it on the table in front of us. He was probably taking his lunch break now, too.

           “I’m fine,” I lied, looking away so that he wouldn’t read my eyes. Ever since I collapsed in the lobby that day, all the staff who’d heard about it have been acting extra friendly towards me. At first I didn’t notice, but now it felt a little irritating to be given special treatment out of pity. I was questioning the sincerity of Junior’s words and actions, and it felt completely wrong for me to have to doubt a friend like that.

            “If you say so…” He whistled; taking a bite out of a sandwich he’d brought with him from the kitchen. He ate sandwiches every lunch hour, though he could clearly afford for something better. He never minded making the most complex of dishes for other people, but when it came to himself, simplicity suited him the most.

            “I don’t know, you just seem really off. I know you’re not trying to make it obvious but, if I can tell I’m sure as hell Jieun can too.” He convicted me half a sandwich later, and it caught me completely by surprise. The period of silence after our conversation drifted had me thinking I’d fooled him.

            “You’re not… seriously thinking of leaving her, are you?” Junior was suddenly in my face, his eyes scanning mine almost robotically. His breath smelt mildly of onions and I pulled away.

            “No I’m not; I just… have a lot of things to think about.”

            “Is it related to your accident that day?”

            “Sort of,”

            “Are you okay with telling me?”

            “I don’t know.” I sighed, closing my eyes. I didn’t even know where my thoughts were leading me, how could I coherently tell Junior about what was on my mind? The truth was, there was one particular thing I wanted to let someone know just to get off my chest, but it wasn’t something easy for me to say. It’d be impossible for someone to stay neutral towards me after I’d said it too. But, the longer I kept my past in the dark, the more it felt like my past was coming back to haunt me, and the more scared I felt. It was like the black hole I’d once escaped had come back to pull me in, and this time, much more relentlessly.

            “If something happens,” I croaked, ready to break down completely, “I need you to promise me that you’ll help me.” Junior’s gaze softened as he nodded,

            “I swear it.”

            So I told him everything that was bothering me, from the events leading to my collapse in the lobby, to the dark recesses of my past I’d promised to hide away and never dig back up again. I gave him the conditions of my request, conditions I’d thought of over and over again while praying that it wouldn’t have to lead to it, and Junior undoubtedly agreed to everything I suggested. He wasn’t looking at me with pity in his eyes, but with confidence.

            “I know you, Yongguk. You may have slipped up when you were younger, but you’ve come out a lot better than you were. Personally, I don’t think you’d do something you regret, but in the case that you mess up again, I’ll make sure it ends there.”

Jieun’s POV

            I knew that Yongguk was acting more distant than he used to, and it didn’t start just since the accident, but since my grandfather passed away. It was like something about him died along with my grandfather, and I’d spent this whole time patiently waiting for it to reawaken, but time was no longer on my side. Every day that passes, we near closer to the wedding date, and no action was being taken to counter it. I knew Yongguk didn’t want to accept it and watch it happen anymore than I did. Perhaps neither of us brought it up because we were scared that there’d be no solution, that in the end we’d be forced to yield to my father’s expectations. But since Yongguk walked into my life, I felt for the first time, confident in defying my father. We had about a week left. We needed to do something, and I decided we’d have to face the truth today.

            I waited for the evening hours to dwindle away, until most of the guests were in their rooms and settling down for the night. It was extremely early in the morning, and in these quiet hours of night we had the front doors locked for safety. Most staff had gone home, and those on night shifts were busy fulfilling their duties. I’d told Yongguk to come to the lobby when he was done with his tasks, so I waited on the opposite side of the reception desk, almost falling asleep on one of the couches.

            “You called for a meeting but here you are dosing off.” Yongguk whispered in my ear, and my eyes darted open right away. He was chuckling at me, taking a seat on the sofa across from me. I was still blushing from embarrassment and it took longer than I thought to calm down.

            “We need to talk.” I began, and immediately, Yongguk stiffened. This was how most serious conversations began; this was how problems were confronted. An eerie silence befell the lobby, and only then did I realize there was no receptionist at the desk, or greeters loitering by the door. In the giant lobby of my hotel, there was only Yongguk and I to share the silence.

            “About the marriage, right?” Yongguk took the words right out of my mouth; his eyes were locked on the floor, as if he was scared to meet my gaze. He was gripping the arm of the sofa with his hands like claws.

            “Mmhm…” I sighed, not sure where to begin. I kind of had a plan, but my plan wasn’t fool proof, and the success of it relied mostly on my father. I hated that I couldn’t come up with an independent solution, that in the end my fate still lay in my father’s dirty hands.

            “Maybe if I go to Seoul and discuss it with him face to face… Or maybe if you came with me it’d be more convincing…” I found myself mumbling bits and pieces of my ideas, and I sounded like an illiterate child trying to read sentences off a chalkboard. It didn’t look like Yongguk was quite following me, and I didn’t know how to word anything clearer—it was all a mess in my mind as well.

            “Take a deep breath and then try to explain it.” Yongguk suggested with an understanding smile. I nodded and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. I felt a calmness overflow within me, but when my thoughts caught up to me, I felt dizzy again. When I reopened my eyes, Yongguk was no longer looking at me. Perhaps I was boring him with my speech incompetence.

            “If speaking to him face to face in Seoul doesn’t work, at least it may put a delay to the wedding date…” I hadn’t been planning all this on my own, though it started out that way. I knew Yongguk had other things to ponder in his own mysterious mind, but when Hyosung came back from her vacation it was easy for me to fill her in on the happenings. Hyosung was an intelligent young lady, and she understood me better than any friend. She was the one who suggested this, and I could think of no better. If my tyrant of a father still held onto any small ounce of love for me, he’d listen to my final plea, wouldn’t he? 

A/N: The truths are going to start revealing themself from here on out. The next chapter is going to be the , please look forward to it. (: You'll also find out what Yongguk told Junior in the next coming chapters.