My first reaction was to stand up in shock. The phone stared back at me, taunting me with the caller ID. Yoo Jin finally came out and his eyes darted between the ringing phone and me. Realization dawned to him and he walked towards me. 

"Eun Mi-"

I ignored him and ran out of the shop to my apartment. My mind couldn't think right now. All I could do was run.

"Eun Mi!" Yoo Jin caught up to me and grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stop. I flung his arm away and glared at him. 

"You've been lying to me all this time! How do you know him?" I spat. "He sent you here, didn't he?"

"At last, you finally find out." The friendly Yoo Jin I knew disappeared and his expression turned dark. "That's right. He sent us here to get revenge."

"Revenge for what? My life is already horrible as it is!" 

"Me and my sister have live in America for all our lives. Our parents abused us at home and nobody knew. We got sick of it and ran away, but we had no money. No food. Nowhere to go."

"I'm sorry to hear that... but what does that have to do with me?" I said.

Yoo Jin ignored me and continued. "Seohyun's father took us in. Even though he just moved to America from Korea, he found us, huddled together in an anbandoned alleyway, and took us under his wing. He's raised us ever since."

"Why are you telling me this?" I said nervously. 

"He was a good man, but we wondered why he didn't have a family. Later, we learned that his daughter recently passed away. After moving here, his wife was in so much agony because of her lost daughter that she died too." He met my glare, but with more hatred in his eyes. "When we found out it was because of you, we wanted to get revenge."

"So you're saying I killed his family? Is that what your trying to say?" I scoffed. "Does that even make sense?"

"He is a good man and doesn't deserve what you did to him. It's all your fault."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Mwuh?!"

"Ji Yoo and I don't even know how to repay him for taking care of us. He treated us like we were his own children. The least we can do is to help him get revenge."

"Wait, so you are the ones that are forcing me out of my apartment?" I exclaimed. 

He sneered. "You got that right. That thing is a dump, how can you actually live in it?"

"And your sister... L.Joe... All of that was just an act? You weren't really trying to be friends with us?"

"Of course not. It would just make things easier if you trusted us." He looked amused at this.

"Don't you think what you're doing is cruel? Isn't it a little too much?" I cried. 

"Shut up!" He slapped me and I slammed into the wall behind me. My eyes began to tear up. "You don't deserve a 'happy ever after' ending."

I clutched my stinging cheek and looked back at him. "L.Joe hates me now, and you've chased me out of my home. Are you happy?"

"Not quite." He smirked again. "Maybe I should go play around with L.Joe and have some fun."

My eyes widened and I got back up. "Don't hurt him! He has nothing to do with this!"

"Aw, isn't that sweet, begging me not to hurt him." 

"I'll leave! If I leave, promise me you'll leave him out of this."

"Fine. We'll leave that lowlife idiot alone." He looked amused. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pack my stuff so I can move into this apartment."

With that, he turned around and stalked off. 

Dazed, I walked into my apartment and slumped against the door, sliding to the ground. Why did Seohyun's father hate me? It wasn't my fault this happened... I wasn't the one who chose this outcome. I hate it too.

L.Joe... Why did you have to fall in love with me?

I wanted to return his love so that we could be a happy couple and hold hands and have fun. I wanted to hug him and tell him I love him. I wanted to tell him he was more than I deserve, that he was absolutely amazing.

But just like Yoo Jin said... I don't live in a fairy tale. It wasn't going to happen.

All I was doing was hurting him. And if this goes on, he'll get hurt even more. Both emotionally and physically. This was my problem, my problem alone, and I can't do this to him.

"Don't cry. Don't break down, you idiot." I said to myself, my voice cracking. But it didn't work. The tears spilled out and I couldn't stop them.

The next morning, I woke up with a headache and back pain, due to sleeping on the floor and against the wall. I groggily stood up and went into the kitchen, where my packed luggage was located.

If I hadn't rented this apartment, I wouldn't have gone to school here. That meant I wouldn't have met Seohyun or L.Joe. None of this would have happened. Seohyun would've become a singer by now, L.Joe would have fallen in love with a better girl, and Yoo Jin wouldn't be here trying to get revenge. 

I made my decision. A decision that I should have chose from the start:

Disappear. 

-- ♥  l.joe's pov ♥ --

The next day, Eun Mi didn't show up for school.

In my morning classes, her seat was empty and I didn't see her in the hallways during passing time. I was about to ask Sooyoung where she was but she asked me instead. We had no idea what had happened to her. 

At lunch, I didn't see her anywhere either. I was worried. Was it because of me? Maybe I was being stupid for talking to her like that yesterday and then avoiding her... 

I excused myself from our lunch table after Ricky maimed my lunch and walked outside. Changjo had given me a call last night from Japan and I had told him about what I had said to Eun Mi. Bad idea.

"Ya, are you an idiot? Would Eun Mi kiss that dude?" Changjo had shouted into the phone. "She would never cheat on you! Are you that dumb!?"

I cringed at the volume and held the phone away from my throbbing ear. "But I saw her and Yoo Jin..."

"YOU'RE. AN. IDIOT. How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"You know what? Go buy a ticket and fly over here to Japan so I can punch the crap out of you. Then I can kick your sorry little back to Korea where you can go apologize to her."

"Ya, Changjo!"

"I'm hanging up, babo."

"Ya, Choi Jonghyun-!"

"Your call has been disconnected."

I took a deep breath and sighed. Maybe Changjo was right... maybe I was the stupid idiot in this situation. 

I put my hands in my pockets and kicked a rock on the ground. It flew over to the right and I followed it to kick it again when I heard two familiar voices coming from around the corner. 

"I told her how Seohyun's father wanted revenge on her."

"Really? What did she do?"

I crept up against the wall and peeked from behind. It was the Jung twins, Ji Yoo and Yoo Jin. They were speaking in English, but thankfully I could understand.

"You should've seen her face. So pathetic."

"Where is she now?"

"I can honestly say I have no idea. All she said was to leave L.Joe out of this because it's not his problem."

"Wow, is she that stupid?"

"Apparently."

"Seohyun's father will be happy to hear this, dontcha' think?"

"Yeah. But what are we going to do about her apartment? No way are we going to move in."

"Just leave it. As long as she's forced out, she won't be coming back anytime soon."

What were they talking about? Seohyun's father? Revenge? Forced out? I stepped out from behind the wall, went up to Yoo Jin, and grabbed him by the collar. "What did you just say?"

"Why, isn't it L.Joe! We were just talking about you!" Yoo Jin grinned cheekily. 

"What did you do to Eun Mi? Answer me!" My voice was rising with every word. "Where is she now?"

"Molla." He smirked and I raised my first up to his face.

"Don't lie to me! What did you do to her?" I didn't let go of him, but Ji Yoo didn't look scared at all and just crossed her arms haughtily. 

"Nothing." She repeated simply. "What we came here for is done. We don't have to tell you anything."

I could feel my blood start to boil. I tried to resist the urge to punch the smirks off their faces, but raised my fist up to Yoo Jin's face anyways. I was just about to swing when one of the teachers came out of the building.

"Ya, what do you think you're doing?!" The teacher came over and I let go of Yoo Jin's collar, pushing him away. "No fighting on school grounds!"

"You, come with me to the principal's office." The teacher pointed at me. 

I ignored his orders and gave Yoo Jin a glare. Then I turned around and ran to find Eun Mi.

"Ya, where are you going! School isn't over yet!" I heard the frustrated teacher yell after me. "You're going to get in a lot of trouble, young man!"

I didn't care what that idiot said. I had made a mistake, and I had to find Eun Mi to talk to her. 

"You're a stupid idiot, L.Joe." I said to myself as I ran to Eun Mi's apartment. I will never forgive myself if those evil twins had hurt her. 

Even worse, what if she hurt herself?

Her apartment finally came into view and I rushed to open the door. Strangely, it was unlocked. I called out her name and rushed into her room. "Eun Mi!"

She wasn't here. Her bed was neatly made and the room seemed really weird. Then I realized all her stuff was gone. The pictures, the boxes, her closet full of clothes.

"Eun Mi? Where are you?" I walked into her kitchen and even her bathroom, but it was empty. No toothbrush, no towels, no nothing.

Where did she go? I panicked and ran to her workplace. Maybe Grandma Kim knew where she went. I ran all the way to Namsan Delights and didn't stop. I went in and to the counter where Grandma Kim stood. 

"Excuse me, do you know where Eun Mi went?" I said to her, out of breath.

She looked up at me from behind her spectacles. "Are you L.Joe?"

I nodded. How did she know my name?

Grandma Kim held out a piece of paper to me. "This is for you. It's from Eun Mi."

I gratefully accepted it and bowed. "Grandma, do you know where she is?"

"I don't know. But she resigned from her job and I saw her take a bus to the nearby beach."

"Thank you." I ran outside and read the note. There were two words written on the slip of paper.

I'm sorry.

Grandma Kim said Eun Mi had gone on the bus to the nearby beach. So I put the note in my pocket and went to the bus stop, waiting for the next one to come. When it pulled up, I went in and sat down by myself in the back. Why was Eun Mi going to the beach? There wouldn't be any people there, since it was a weekday day and during school hours.

The minutes on the bus passed by freakishly slow. I took this time to stare at the note she had given me. Just those two simple words, I'm sorry. What was she sorry for? I was the foolish one.

Eun Mi... I thought about her for the rest of the ride. How she used to be a bubbly kid, how she used to be a friendly person. How she changed after that, and into a cold and distant nerd who ignored everyone. I didn't know she had suffered so much pain all alone. I admired her because she was strong; if I was in her shoes, I would have broken down a long time ago.

The bus halted to a stop and I went down the stairs when the driver yelled back at me. "Hey, you haven't paid the fee yet!"

"Fee?" I didn't know they charged you on this bus. I checked my pockets but I had left my wallet at home. "I don't have any money."

"Then why'd you take a ride?" He hollered at me.

Frustrated, I took off my really expensive shoes and chucked them at him. "Fine, then take these! They're probably worth more than your monthly pay!"

He ducked as one shoe flew by his head and hit the window behind him. "Hey, kid-"

I ran off, barefoot, into the entrance of the beach, not really caring what he had to say. And sure enough, the place was deserted. The waves quietly rolled onto the empty shore, which was littered with candy wrappers and other whatnot garbage from tourists.

I scanned the sand and started walking to the right side of the beach.  I kept walking along the shore until I saw a pile of stuff straight ahead. I ran towards it and saw it was a black suitcase and some other few items. On the ground was a pair of nerd glasses and a necklace. I picked up the piece of jewelry, the one I had given to her, and slipped it into my pocket. This belonged to Eun Mi, so that means she had to be close by.

I looked at the large area of beach sand behind me but there wasn't anybody in sight. So I peered at the ocean and saw a figure standing knee-deep in the water. The person was slowly wading outwards, deeper and deeper until the water got to their waist. A sudden thought flickered through my mind and I began to run after them, ignoring the growing pain in my foot.

What if Eun Mi was trying to drown herself?