“Yah. Stop seeing me often.” Minho chuckled as he sat opposite her at the table inside a coffee shop. “If someone we knew saw us, then it will really be the end of your marriage.” He said but implied it as a joke.

“What did you guys tell Soeun for her to run in the woods that day?” She asked directly – not even starting it off smoothly. For some seconds, Minho was speechless for he didn't expect that question from her. “I just need to know.”

“Well...” Minho thought for a while and tried remembering clearly what was said during that moment. Just when he remembered how they looked that day, he felt worried towards Yeojin. She never dared asking what did they saw that day while she was left in the car. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Yeojin nodded.

“Jinki hyung told Soeun and Jonghyun that they are doing the wrong thing. We asked Jonghyun to go to you because you are waiting and that you, two, should talk about things and fix everything. We felt sorry for Soeun, however, as what we told you before going there, Jinki hyung insisted that he won't tolerate the two of them simply because it was such a wrong thing to do.”

“So they were really cheating behind me?” She nodded and tried to ignore the hurt that she was feeling. There was something more important to figure out right now – more than what she was feeling. “So what did she say?”

“She said she tried forgetting him all these time but she just couldn't do it. When she found out that Jonghyun's married, she even tried harder so as not to be such a hindrance for your happy marriage. But then, no matter how she tried, she just couldn't get herself to completely forget about him, and it kills her.”

Yeojin nodded and looked blankly at the space, trying to sort out things and maybe solve something as if she was doing a puzzle problem.

“Is there anything wrong, Yeojin-ah?” Minho asked and that made her come back to reality. “Why do you suddenly want to know?”

“I just thought of something.” Yeojin told him.

“And that is?”

“You'll find out later on.” Finally, she fixed herself and hanged the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Anyways, I need to go. Thank you for giving me that information.” She said and stood up.

“Yah! That's all? You're not even buying me a cup of coffee?” He looked so dumbfounded and surprised. “I told you what you want to know and that's all I can get?”

Yeojin chuckled and nodded. “Well, I'll treat as soon as I come back.”

“Eh? Are you leaving?” Minho asked but then Yeojin started to walk away. “Yah! Ahn Yeojin! Running away won't solve anything!” He shouted and Yeojin turned back to look at him and smiled as she shook her head.

“I'm not running away! I'm going to Jeju for work and will be back after three days!” She shouted and waved at him before opening the glass door. “I'll treat you over coffee when I got my salary! See you!” She smiled one last time before finally leaving the coffee shop.

*** ***

Jonghyun was lying down on the bed with no energy to even go out and work. He filed another absence from the company but complied to pass three more songs when he comes back. Few minutes later, he heard someone coming inside. He flinched and grab a shirt to wear before coming out of the room.

Yeojin's bag was in the couch but she was still nowhere to found. He heard the rustling of the water in the rest room so he assumed that he was there. Jonghyun decided to sit at the dining table while waiting for her to go out.

They needed to talk. She told him she'll talk to him after coming back from work.

“Coffee?” She asked as soon as she came out of the restroom – still washing her hands. Jonghyun nodded simply so she went to the coffee maker to make two cups for the two of them.

Few minutes later, she brought the cups to the table and gave one to him. Jonghyun silently accepted it and took a sip while it was still hot. Yeojin sat on an empty chair beside him and sighed. There was yet another silence at the table – both estimating the atmosphere while waiting for someone to talk first.

Finally, it was Yeojin who broke the silence. “I am going to Jeju for three days.” She looked at him and smiled faintly. “There was a work offered and I thought maybe I should grab it or else someone else might take it.”

Jonghyun just nodded. He wanted to ask her why he didn't tell her beforehand before accepting the offer, but she already did, so there was no point asking why she decided prior to his opinion.

“Should I go with you?”

Yeojin shook her head. “This is the right time for us to think things over. Let's not see each other for three days, by then, I know you'll figure out what you really want, and we can settle things when I come back.”

“I'm sorry.” Jonghyun uttered in an almost whisper. “For all those times that I've hurt you, I'm sorry.”

“It's not like you did it on purpose, right?” Yeojin looked at him and chuckled bitterly. “It's not like you intentionally hurt me. I know you didn't, and I'm sorry for talking like that last night... maybe I was just... I was just tired and stressed and I couldn't handle the situation anymore.”

“I understand, and I deserved to have that from you.”

“You still love her?”

He had expected that question from Yeojin but he was still surprised to hear it from her. Jonghyun was speechless. He knew the answer, but didn't know how to say it.

“I knew it.” Yeojin bit her lower lip to supress a cry. She already had enough of being vulnerable, it's time to face everything bravely and accept whatever it was. “It's still her. All alone, it was still her.”
 

“Yeojin-ah...”

“I really knew it. This is why I was so afraid to believe your 'forever'. I knew this would come to end. I knew it.” She put on that hard expression on her face but her tears started to fall. But just like what happened with Minho, the tears only fell and she wiped it as if it was nothing. There was no any other expression on her face but just strength. She needed to be strong. She needed to face everything courageously.

“You know what, I could actually choose to live in a lie with you. I could ignore that fact, and I can act like I still believe you love me. I can do that. Now that Soeun has no memories of you, you just have no choice but to stay with me.”

“Yeojin-ah...” Jonghyun couldn't even say anything.

“I don't want to be sorry for myself, Jonghyun. I know you still love her, but I also know you have the tendency to just stay with me. I really don't know about your feelings, so I want you to decide about it. I told you I will never let go. If you feel like our marriage is still worth keeping for, then I can accept you back, but Soeun and Yoogeun need to stay out of our lives. I can give you chance to meet him, but not for some time. We'll go back to Boston. If you choose me, we'll leave the country and start moving on.”

Jonghyun looked at her. There were a lot of questions, but he never dared to ask even one of those.

“But if you stay with her, then we'll file a divorce so we can get each other free. It may take some time, but as we wait for the approval, I need to go away somewhere far from you. I can do all the adjustments needed, I'm just waiting for your decision.”

“But it's not that easy, Yeojin. We can't just make things like this.”

“It was never easy, Kim Jonghyun. It was never easy. The harm has been done. You can choose to either stop hurting me, or hurt me to the fullest to the point that I force myself away.”

“You have three days to decide. It's not about someone you can live with. It's about someone you cannot live without.”

She stood up. “I'm leaving first tomorrow morning.” She said and went inside the room leaving him in deep thought.

A/N: Attention: This fic will end after a number of chapters. Won't tell you how many chapters left, but... yeah.