I kept calling her nonstop the next day, just hoping that she would answer even if she hung up immediately. I took a deep breath deciding to leave a message.

“Ah ra…I don’t know why you are so upset, but I didn’t mean to hurt you at all… Is it because I yelled? I’m sorry…I was just frustrated and missed seeing you… I feel like we haven’t talked in weeks and I miss your voice… I barely even see your face anymore and I was just really upset and I…I know that’s not a good excuse, but it’s the truth. Okay…bye.” Such a bad message…I sent it anyway, knowing that if I rerecorded the message, the result would be the same.

My phone beeped and my eyes widened at the text I got. She really replied!

Hyung, aren’t you coming in for work today?!

I tossed the phone on the ground, sighing when it was only Baro. I hadn’t gone for work today; what’s the point when I’m so upset with myself? And Shinwoo is there… I don’t want to see his face the most. I wonder if he would smile now…

My phone beeped again.

Hyung! Manager is getting upset at us! You have to come in today!!!!!!

I got up from my place on the floor, my legs sore and hurting since I hadn’t moved from my spot next to the door all night in hopes that Ah ra would come back home.

I trudged off to work, really not wanting to meet with Shinwoo’s eyes. “Jinyoung!” It was our manager… “Where have you been?!”

“Not feeling up to life right now.” I muttered, going into the practice room. The guys were already practicing one of our dances.

“Hyung, are you okay…? Shinwoo told us what happened.”

“He probably just said his thoughts. He doesn’t know what happened.” I spoke coldly, noticing that Shinwoo wasn’t in the room at the moment.

“Tell us then; your side of the story.” I faltered, but I told them everything that had happened last night. “Wah…She really went to Shinwoo’s?” Gongchan asked. I nodded bitterly. You'd think they would have realized, on account that they live in the same dorm. She must have gotten there late. “I’m sure she’s just a little upset about not talking much lately.” He tried to reassure me.

“But she said that I hurt her and ruined her image of me. I don’t know what I did…” My eyes caught Baro and Sandeul pushing each other quietly, both with conflicting expressions. “What…?”

“Uh…Hyung,” Baro started. “Sandeul has something to tell you.” He pushed Sandeul forward towards me. Sandeul looked like he was about to die or something with that expression.

“A-Ahhm…Hyung,” He scratched his head. “Ah ra knows about…” He was talking so quietly, I could barely hear him.

“What’d you say?” I asked him after he finished his mumbles.

“I-I said that…” He really couldn’t get it out.

“Hurry up and tell me!” I raised my voice.

“Ah ra knows about you and that stylist!”

I couldn’t keep my eyes from widening.

Shinwoo POV

“Are you sure you’ll be fine for the day…?” I didn’t want to hang up the phone when I knew Ah ra was in such a sour mood.

“I’ll be fine. You should go work.” She said it with an upbeat tone, but I know that on the inside she must have been really upset.

“Okay…” I went back into the practice room, my eyes narrowing when I saw Jinyoung there. “Jinyoung.” I walked towards him, about to get aggressive when I saw that he had tears shining in his eyes.

“H-Hyung…don’t cry…” Gongchan pat his head, Jinyoung turning away and rejecting Gongchan with his hand.

“I’m fine. I just didn’t know. Let’s get to practicing.” Was he really crying…? His voice barely showed it.

We started to practice one of our songs, but I could tell that all eyes were on Jinyoung. We went for a few hours until we took a break. “I have to make a call.” Jinyoung went over to his phone, siting still for a second when he got it.

The rest of us all glanced at each other until Jinyoung threw his phone at the wall, crossing his arms. “I-Is something wrong, Hyung?” Baro asked nervously.

“She doesn’t get it.” He said bitterly, walking out of the room.

When he thought it was safe, Sandeul quickly grabbed the now dented phone, looking at what made Jinyoung so suddenly upset. Jinyoung doesn’t get mad much, and he especially doesn’t yell, so now that he was in such a bad mood, it felt off.

“Wah…Ah ra’s really mad too.” Sandeul motioned over to us. It was a text.

You don’t know why I’m upset? Is that so Jinyoung? You know so much more than you pretend to. You didn’t mean to hurt me? What kind of man does that and then says that kind of response? You can figure that out. You’re frustrated and miss me? Wow. I never thought a cheater would miss his wife’s voice and image. You can’t make an excuse because you cheated on me. I saw you two kiss. You treat her better than me even. I don’t want to talk, so stop calling me.

“Oh gosh…” I muttered. “She’s really upset.”

“Jinyoung must be dying on the inside since Ah ra and him have never really had a big fight… They don’t argue much even.” Sandeul said sadly.

“But it’s his fault for cheating on her.” Gongchan mentioned.

“That’s true. There’s not much he can do about his actions.”

Jinyoung POV

I went back into the practice room. Everyone was gone and I was pissed off. “I didn’t mean to hurt you and I didn’t cheat!” I screamed in the empty practice room after everyone had left. “Do you really think I would cheat on you, Ah ra? Do you really think that I would go for some random stylist when I have someone like you, who I love so much?!” I took my phone, seeing that she didn’t call or anything. “You think you know it all, but you don’t. No one gets it. I’m not cheating…I’m doing everything for you!”

I didn’t want to break anything because I felt like I really needed to punch something. I sat down with a stack of recyclable paper. “This is for my yelling.” I ripped a piece of paper in half, letting is fall. “This is for me not giving you all the love you deserve from me.” I ripped another piece. I’m just blaming myself… “This…” It’s not only my fault. “This is for not believing in me!” I tore all the paper with shouts. “How can you just leave me without knowing the full story?! I do so much for you, not all the time, but I was doing it all for you!”

Shinwoo opened the door, seeing me ripping up tons of shreds of paper. “Jinyoung…I think we should talk.” He sat next to me after closing the door.

“What? Are you going to rub it my face now that Ah ra has gone to you? Huh? You just want to make me feel worse about everything that’s happened.”

“No. I wanted to tell you to stop cheating on Ah ra; it’s obvious that you don’t like that stylist more than Ah ra.” I let an angry breath out of my nose.

“I don’t like that stylist at all! I hate her a lot!” He shot me a confused glance. “I only pleased her because she found out about Ah ra and threatened to hurt her and reveal her to the public!” I couldn’t stop myself from yelling everything out. “I had to keep that stalker happy before she hurt Ah ra and did something stupid! You don’t even know; I’ve seen that stylist outside my house at night and Ah ra is alone so many times during the day and night, I just don’t want anything to happen to her!”

“Whoa whoa, calm down Jinyoung!” Shinwoo pressed his hands on my shoulders.

“I can’t! It’s all for Ah ra and now she’s upset and she’s even alone at your house! You think that pestering stylist doesn’t know?!”

“O-Okay, but don’t start to cry!” I wiped my moist eyes, hitting him away childishly.

“But she’s alone! At our house I could at least make sure the locks were good and that she knew where the knives were!”

“Sh! She’s perfectly fine, Jinyoung. Take a few deep breaths, okay?” I tried calming down, but I couldn’t.

“I’m going to your dorm.” I stood up, already on my way out the door.

“You can’t just leave during work.” He reasoned as I walked down the hall.

“Well, I am. I have to make sure she’s still safe.”

“Has that stylist tried to use violence before or something…?” He asked.

“Yes. I can’t have Ah ra getting hurt now especially. I just want her to be okay.”

“I’ll drive…” He said sadly.

“If you come, the manager will only get more upset.”

“You won’t be able to get in without my key.”

“Then give it to me.” He just stared at me.

“Let’s go.” I sighed, feeling like I could drive faster right now. He started the car, going pretty fast, but I would have driven at a quicker speed. “So, tell me, what happened between this stylist and you? I know you’ve been talking to her for the past month at work.”

“You want the whole story right now?” He nodded. “Well, about a month and a half ago, that stylist was dying my hair and she was just casually talking to me. As the conversation went on, she started asking a few personal questions, like, ‘Oh, I noticed that you don’t live with the other members. Where do you live?’ I didn’t really answer because I was a bit surprised that some stylist even knew that I didn’t live with you guys. Then all of a sudden, she asks, who the girl’s name is. I sort of stared at her, not knowing what she meant. She just smiled a little and finished my hair.”

“Go on.” Shinwoo listened attentively.

“When I went home, she was outside! I was shocked, wondering if she just really really wanted to know who I lived with, but then she said that my girlfriend was cute! I didn’t know how to respond, so she showed me a picture even… It was just a side shot of Ah ra, but then over the days, it got much worse. She would come in after you guys left to the practice room and would keep asking about Ah ra. She had so many pictures…it was scary because all of the photos were of Ah ra inside the house! There is no way to get that type of photo without being inside. That’s when I changed all the locks and made only two keys; one for Ah ra and the other for me.”

“Okay, then what?” Shinwoo stopped at a red light.

“I thought this stylist would just leave Ah ra alone, but then she was waiting outside the house again and I questioned her about her intentions of everything. Do you know what she said? She said it was because she wanted to be my wife! I just, I didn’t even know what to do. This person was obviously stalking me and Ah ra. I thought maybe if I just ignored her or was extra careful, I could avoid everything. I…I was completely wrong.”

“So…what’d she do?”

“Do you remember that bandage I had on my arm about three weeks ago?”

“Seriously…? She did that?”

“She was trying to pick the lock with a credit card and I pretty much ran up and tackled her down. She looked happy, disgustingly… It was a bit of a battle from her, since she was the one who grabbed me then. I think she was trying to kiss me, but I obviously fought back, when I felt in my arm that she had a knife on her…”

“Geez…She hasn’t even met Ah ra, right? Like in person.”

“I’m sure that this stylist has, but Ah ra doesn’t know. Now, drive faster!”

“You…just…keep protecting Ah ra before I have to intervene.” I knew Shinwoo was serious and so was I.

“Just keep driving before I need to take over.”