XVII

"ing bastard!"

A punch was thrown but the man it was directed at easily dodged it. His facial expression hardened as he glared at the person in front of him. It was like as if all of their history, the golden memories, had been tossed out the window the second he had left. They wouldn't listen to his explanation, or more so didn't want to listen. Well, the people that he once called his best friends at least. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

If looks could kill, the both of them would have burned up a long time ago.

"Show some compassion! JoJo, don't be unreasonable. It wasn't my fault that she snuck out and bumped into me!" he retorted, standing up for himself in front of the older male.

Although he was right, Jong Suk didn't want to admit it. "We told you to leave but you didn't therefore, it is your fault." he yelled back just as strongly.

This man, he was usually a very cool and collected person who rarely talked, showing absolutely no emotion most of the time. Many people misunderstood him to be an arrogant, cold young man but he was actually the total opposite once you get to know him. Introverted, you could call him. He couldn't express his feelings very well but there was one person that had brought him out of that shell. He was blind back then. Why he left in the first place, he never knew. It would be a lie if he said that he hadn't been thinking about her for the past 4 years.

"Let go of the past, Lee Jong Suk. What I did back then was wrong but now I'm back and determined to never leave her side!"

"She has Shi Hoo now, you moron!"

"I will not lose her again!"

That brought Jong Suk to the edge. It wasn't him that lost her but the other way around. The two men who were normally at peace was ready to blow up and beat each other into pulps.

"Don't mess with our lives anymore," he snarled, "and I mean it."

"Leave, Jung Taekwoon."

Hugging Shi Hoo; that was the last thing she remembered doing the night before after she ran away from the hospital. When she woke up, she was in a totally different atmosphere than her own room back home. It took her several seconds to realize where she was. White sheets and pillows were sprawled everywhere throughout the entire room, bringing back the memories from last night. If the room was this messy, she wondered if a hurricane had gone through the living room.

During her rampage, she couldn't control her actions. No one could.

There were dried tears on her face when she touched her cheek. Oh no. She stumbled out of bed, scrambling towards the door and flying out of it in a record amount of time. Hearing noises in the kitchen, she headed towards it.

Something was cooking on the stove meanwhile Shi Hoo was unlocking a cabinet. When he opened it, the cabinet held all of the knives. God, he didn't have to lock it.

She knocked against the wall, earning her boyfriend's attention as he spun around. "You look nice in an apron." she commented, slightly jutting her chin out towards it. He spread his arms out, motioning for her to come over. She willingly jumped into his warm embrace, snuggling her face into his broad chest as she let his sweet scent surround her.

He pulled her away, closely examining her face. She took the opportunity to do so also. They both had large dark circles under their eyes. She looked abnormally pale while he looked beyond exhausted.

"You should go back to bed until breakfast is ready." Shi Hoo suggested, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

Her cheeks slightly colored as she looked away, pulling herself out of his grasp and sitting on a chair by the counter. "Did I have a night terror?" she asked, resting her chin on the counter.

Shi Hoo started to skillfully chop up vegetables as he prepared whatever dish it was on his menu. "It didn't keep me up all night, so don't worry." he calmly replied, tossing the diced vegetables into the pot.

Rina could see right through his lies. She got up, walking behind him and encircling her arms around his waist. "I'm a burden aren't I?"

"Bull," he scoffed as he turned around to face her, "you're anything but a burden, babe." He pressed his lips against hers to convince the girl he wasn't lying.

Her heart fluttered in happiness as she eagerly kissed back, moving her arms from his waist to his neck as the lip lock deepened. It was only when they heard something boiling did they reluctantly pull apart. He gave her one last peck before going over to take care of the stew. The lass sighed in content, absentmindedly touching her lips with a dreamy look on her face. She stared at the back of his head, admiring him just like an immature high school girl.

He knew she was staring but decided to leave the child be. Anyways, it would be a lie to say that he didn't like her oogling at him.

As she watched him cook, everything that had happened before she woke up completely slipped her mind. This was her paradise, a place where she felt warm and loved.

By the time the stew had finished, she was dozing off with her head uncomfortably resting on top of her crossed arms which were propped up on the marble kitchen island. He smiled softly to himself as he set the bowl of stew to the side. He curled a loose strand of hair behind her ear, humming to himself as he admired her angelic sleeping face.

Rina actually had woken up when he placed the bowl down but didn't want to ruin the moment. On the inside, she was jumping and screaming like a lunatic. It was rare moments like these that made her the happiest, luckiest girl on earth.

"I know you're not sleeping so hurry up and eat before it gets cold," Shi Hoo suddenly said as he straightened himself up. She slowly opened her eyes, peeking out from behind her hands. He tenderly smiled at her, patting her on the head. "Eat lots, baby."

"Y-you're not going to eat?" she asked in confusion as she too straightened her posture.

He shook his head, taking off the apron from around his waist. "I already ate earlier."

She pouted in disappointment. She was hoping that she would be able to eat with him, just the two of them, but that apparently wasn't going to happen.

He chuckled. Only he was able to see such an adorable side to Rina Kim, the falsely labeled rebel. It was just that no one could control her. "I'm sorry, Nana. I have to go to work. Companies don't run themselves, you know."

That only made her lips come out further as she pouted even more. Her eyes were glistening as though tears were about to pour out.

Oh gosh, stay strong, Park Shi Hoo! He gulped, giving her a compassionate look. He quickly ran into his room to change before he could be won over by the dang girl's cuteness. Men aren't supposed to fall for such things!

When he came down, he found his girlfriend curled up on the couch watching a variety show while the food was completely gone. He heard her bell-like laugh ring throughout the apartment, making him want to just jump her. It took him so much willpower not to do anything to her for the past few years. This girl just drove him crazy. Everything about her was perfect to him.

She noticed his presence by the door and beamed, jumping off of the sofa as she bounded up to him like an excited puppy. He bit down on his lower lip to stop himself from cupping her face and kissing her right then and there.

"I'm only going to say this once and only once but, you look hot in suits." Rina commented with a smirk, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks for everything," she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly off of the ground before spinning her around. She squealed, digging her face into his neck. "I swear," he said in the iest low voice she'd ever laid ears upon, "you're going to kill me one day."

No words could explain how red she turned afterwards.

"S-screw you!" she yelled, pushing him away from her. "W-w-who g-gave you p-permission to say that?"

He smirked, knowing that he got her also. He wiped his bottom lip with his thumb in a teasing manner before pecking her cheek and heading towards the doorway, not forgetting to grab his keys also. "I'll pick you up for lunch, if you want!" he yelled. "Oh, and make sure to lock the door if you're going to leave!"

Rina laughed as her boyfriend disappeared behind the door.

Dork.

With time left by herself, it allowed her to swim around in her thoughts without getting interrupted. It soon led to unpleasant thoughts which she would rather not think about and so, she started to gather her things to head home. She wondered how much trouble she would be in once she got home. Probably grounded, but she couldn't let that happen. She hoped Shi Hoo had made a perfect excuse to not get her in trouble or else that man was going to get his whooped(although it be very unlikely).

Being the smart person she is, Rina decided to take the bus so that she could take her sweet time, ultimately stalling the nagging she would be greeted with. She even got off three stops before her actual one; that was how much dread she had in going home.

After grabbing a Starbucks™ Mocha Frappuccino®, then did she actually trudge back to her house. Despite the freezing cold weather, she was still able to down the whole ice blended frappuccino before she even reached the richer parts of her neighborhood. Since it was the time when people would usually start heading for work, she was able to catch glimpses of many foreign residents residing in the neighborhood that she could recognize. Holy crap, is that---no way!

She gasped as she instinctively followed the car with her eyes. Damn, her boyfriend was good. Maybe this was why taxi drivers would always give her looks whenever she told them her address; there was definitely an unquestionable gap between the rich and poor in this world.

When she reached her street, she took a deep breath before sprinting towards her house.

"Hey! That's totally unfair, mom! Rie stays out all the time!" Rina whined, raging because of the punishment she was given.

"That's because she's an adult, dear." Mrs.Kim firmly stated.

The teenager pressed her lips together before rudely stomping away. Jong Suk, who had ditched work, ran after her. He grabbed onto her wrist, yanking her back until she bumped into him. He hugged her in comfort while rocking side-to-side which made her smile. "Are you okay?" he asked with concerned eyes.

She nodded.

She had been too weak nowadays and it was time to cover that image up again. Beyond embarrassed couldn't even describe how she was feeling. She let her walls down and this is what happens; she turned into a weak female individual who couldn't stand up for herself and instead ran away from everything. She hated it.

"Look, I'll buy you food so cheer up, okay?" Jong Suk bribed with a sly smirk.

Rina scoffed with a small smile tugging at the edges of her lips, pulling away from her best friend as she headed towards the door. "Don't back out now, pretty boy."

He skipped after her while laughing, scooping her up into his arms. "Darn it, I should have recorded that and bragged to hyung!"

"Too late," she giggled, "I already called him hot this morning."

The shock was evident on his face but he soon replaced that with a fake look of hurt. "T-that's not fair!" he pouted.

"Shut u---"

Before she could finish her sentence, the doorbell rang.

Their eyes snapped towards the front door in confusion. Since Jong Suk was the closest, he headed towards it.

The door opened.

World War III erupted in the high-class house of Pyeongchang-dong.