Sehun left the office before the bruise on his face became noticeable.  Although he had a lot of things to do, he knew that it was best if he left work on sick leave.  Instead of going home, he drove around Seoul mindlessly.  All he really wanted was to see Minah even with the trouble that will arise from his desire.

            A lump formed in his throat as he took the ramp heading towards her part of the city.  His eyes started to burn as he held back the tears.  God, why can’t I just let her go?, thought Sehun, as he let out a hoarse cry.  She already moved on with Jongsuk.

            Once he walked through the hallways of the elementary school, he contained himself well even with the urge to cry.  Once he reached the door of the classroom, he hesitated to knock.  Why was he being so selfish?  Just because he wanted to see her didn’t mean that she wanted to see him.  The reason why she left him in the first place was because the only person he cared about was himself. 

            Sehun felt a tear roll down his cheek as he took a last, long look at Minah.  As much as he wanted to be with her, he knew that it was probably best this way.  He was going to take this moment in time to remember her face before leaving for good.  Although they weren’t meant to be together in the way that he wanted, he was still happy that she was at least a part of the life he once had.

            Suddenly, Minah glanced up from the papers she was grading and looked over to the door.  Their eyes met, causing Sehun to panic.  He quickly turned to walk away as his heart started to drum in his ear.  He could hear the classroom door slide open with a low bang and then footsteps following him.

            “Sehun.” she called out.

            No, MInah, he thought.  No.

            “Yah, Oh Sehun.” she continued as he felt her hand on his elbow.  She spun him around and their eyes met.  It took her a second to observe what happened and she let out a small gasp.  “Sehun, what happened?  Are you OK?”

            It made him happy and sad to see how worried she was, as he pushed a stray hair out of her face.  She pouted and grabbed his hand, making him smile even with his aching bruise.  Her hand still perfectly fit in his even after 10 years, making him smile.  She led him back into the classroom and made him sit on the small chair in front of her.  He watched as she observed the bruise with a frown.

            “Why aren’t you telling me what happened?” asked Minah, as she stepped in closer to him.

            Sehun wanted to grab her and kiss her so badly, but he knew if he did that then she’ll tell him to leave and that was the last thing he wanted right now.  He pulled his eyes away from her lips and looked into her eyes.  “Nothing happened.” he lied, after a long silence.

            There was nothing for him to really say to her regarding what happened with Jongsuk.  It was his fault anyways.  If he wasn’t so persistent about wanting to be “Naeun’s” friend, then the man wouldn’t have done that.  But, if he didn’t do what he did, then he would have never found out that Naeun was really Minah all along.

            Sehun’s eyes fell back on her lips.  They were moist and looked soft…  Well, they were soft from his memories.  A wave of nostalgia washed over him as his eyes traced the outline of her lips.  He had done that so many times before as he watched her sleep next to him every night.  Even when his affair with Kyrstal was at its peak, he still stared at those lips as a ritual before falling into a slumber.

            Minah’s lips parted to say something when Jongsuk said, “You sure have some guts, Oh Sehun.”  The two men locked eyes and, yet, Sehun felt surprisingly calm even though Jongsuk was seething in anger.

            “Jongsuk!” yelled out Minah, as she stepped away from Sehun.  She quickly approached him.  “It’s not what you think.  He probably came to-”

            Sehun’s eyes widen as Jongsuk casually pushed Minah out of the way like she was nothing.  She let out a small scream as she fell onto the floor.  Sehun stood up so quickly from his seat that it fell backwards as Jongsuk approached him, as his blood started to boil.  He tried to walk past the older man to help Minah off the ground, but he quickly grabbed his forearm. 

            Jongsuk smirked at him.  “So you’re declaring war now?” he asked.

            Sehun didn’t bother to answer him as he quickly pulled his arm out of his grasp.  He tried to walk past Jongsuk again, but was stopped by him.  “What do you want, Lee Jongsuk?” he asked.

            “You just declared war, Oh Sehun.” he simply replied.

            “Stop it, Jongsuk.” said Minah, as she came out of nowhere and latched onto his arm.  “Just let Sehun go please.”

            “No, babe.  He wants war.” smiled Jongsuk, without taking his eyes off of Sehun.  He quickly pushed Minah off of him. 

            Sehun quickly reached out to her and grabbed a hold of her before she could lose her balance.  “I can leave if you want me to.” he stated, as he quickly let go of Minah’s arm.  He stared at the ground, unwilling to look at her.  He didn’t want to see the expression of her face because he knew that this would be the last time he would cross paths with these two people again.

            “If you really wanted to leave,” laughed Jongsuk through his gritted teeth.  “Then you wouldn’t have come here.”

            “Sehun, le-.” started Minah before Jongsuk threw a hard punch into his face.  Sehun fell backwards and onto the little desks, as Minah let out a bloody scream.  “Jongsuk, please stop!”

            Before Sehun could get up, the older man kicked him off of the desks and onto the ground causing Minah to scream again.  She started to yell something again, but it became incoherent as Jongsuk grabbed his collar.  He flashed a bright smile, confusing Sehun as he stared at the man in front of him.  If he wanted to, he could fight back but he chose not to.  He was the one that got him into this mess so he would be the one that would bear through it all until the end.

            The older man threw a punch into his ribcage, knocking the wind out of him.  Before he could breathe again, another punch was thrown into his face.  Sehun was ready for another blow when Minah suddenly came out of nowhere and used her body as his shield.  He could see the expression of Jongsuk’s face as he hit her left temple.  It was of disbelief, shock, and anger all at once and then his arms fell to his side in defeat.

            Sehun quickly pulled Minah into his arms as he examined her face.  She was in tears as she held her head with one hand.  “Please just stop.” she cried, pushing him away.  “Stop.”

            Jongsuk frowned.  From the way his eyebrows knotted, it was obvious that he was hurt.  “After these 10 years, you still would choose him…” he mumbled, looking straight at Minah.  His pouty bottom lip started to quiver as he swallowed hard.  Then, his eyes were cloudy with a veil of hot tears.  “So you were still in love with him this whole time?  Oh Sehun, the one that cheated on you and only came back to you when became pregnant.  The same Oh Sehun that you wanted to run away from 10 years ago because of all that he made you go through………  You still love him after this long?”

            Minah was silent for some time as the two men waited for her answer.  “I-I’m sorry, Jongsuk.” she managed to say, making Sehun’s heart race.

            The other man nodded his head silently as his tears rolled down his cheeks.  He didn’t say anything as he turned to observe the mess he had caused.  He quickly helped fixed the little chairs and desks back into place.  Then, he stood awkwardly in front of Minah and Sehun.

            “I’ll be heading back home now…  But I think it’s best if you stay with Sehun for awhile.” suggested Jongsuk. 

            “Jong-” started Minah, but he quickly interrupted her.

            “I’m sorry, but I need some time alone to think.” he said, as he finally glanced into her eyes.  “And, I’d rather you not be there right now.”

            “Jongsuk, I’m so sorry.” apologized Minah, as she started to cry.

            He just simply shrugged, pretending not to care when he really did.  He seemed so broken and lost as he started to inch towards the door.  Minah reached out to grab his forearm and he dodged it.  “Please don’t touch me.” he muttered, in a low and weak voice.

            Minah let out a cry as he slipped away then out the door.  “I’m really sorry, Jongsuk.” she said.  “I really am.”

            Unsure of what to do, Sehun stood there like a fool.  He wanted to pull her into an embrace and hug her tightly.  He wanted to feel her hot body against his like 10 years ago.  He wanted to kiss her and explore for old times’ sake.  He just wanted to be with her.

            “Minah.” said Sehun, softly.  Even though he tried to be as gentle as he could, he startled her.  To his disappointment, she probably forgot he was there.  His hand reached out and helped tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.  He quickly leaned across the space between them and kissed her forehead tenderly.  “My Kim Minah.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

            Hmm…..  So much going on in this chapter…..  >_<

            Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed~~  Sorry, I took so long.  T^T  I was still deciding on who Minah should end up with: Sehun or Jongsuk.  OTL  And, it was Sehun in the end.

LOVE,

loveFORyunho