“What was that for?” Chorong demanded as soon as he dropped her off in front of her room. Doo Joon was about to turn away,  not wanting and not knowing how to deal with her outburst. He knew what he did was out of the line, but he only had her interests at heart.

“Get some rest. We’re going home tomorrow,” was all he said.

But apparently, she wasn’t ready to let it go at just that. For the first time since he had known her, Chorong grabbed hold of his wrist and made him turn around to face him. It took him (and probably her too) by complete surprise.

“What do you mean by that? Why are we going home tomorrow? Doo Joon, you’re scaring me.” All the formalities were gone now. The soft-spoken, fragile Chorong he first met was replaced by a strong-willed woman who was challenging him with the fiercest stare he had ever seen.

He sighed. “Chorong…just trust me, okay?”

“Trust…is earned, Doo Joon,” she said evenly. “Why would you do what you just did just now? What is going on? What are you not telling me?”

“Fine!” he lost it. “You want to know so badly, fine. We’ll go back tomorrow and you’ll find out why.”

And with that, he stormed into his own room and slammed the door shut, leaving Chorong stunned.

Woohyun had wanted to chase after them and explained everything to her, but then he got a call from Jihyun telling him that he was needed back at home.

He had no idea why but throughout his whole journey back, he didn’t stop trying to get hold of Doo Joon. Woohyun needed to make him understand that he didn’t want any part of this – that he has no intention of hurting Chorong, ever.

He also wanted to be the one who break the news to her, instead of her finding it out from anyone else.

He needed to amend things before they are even broken.

For good.

Doo Joon was awfully quiet on their flight back to Seoul. Chorong, who was sitting by the window, threw her gaze out and let her mind wander to the day before – to the time when she was having fun with Woohyun. She smiled at the memory. It was nice.

Being with Woohyun makes her really happy.

As soon as they touched down, she was asked to wait while Doo Joon collected their belongings. When he came back, he wore a solemn expression as he gravely said, “I’ll take you home.”

Chorong was afraid. Not of him (probably a little since she’s never seen him so upset before) but of the things she doesn’t know. Of the things he wasn’t telling her, of the things he was hiding from her.

“Yesterday…” she started nervously, before clearing and speaking up in a louder voice. “You said I’ll find out why? What did you mean?”

He held her gaze for a moment long. It made her uneasy.

“I’ll help you,” he finally said. “Get a new job, or if you want to study, I’ll help you enrol in a new college. You can stay in the apartment for as long as you like. I’ll be here to help you move on.”

She didn’t like the way the last part sounded.

Chorong frowned. “Move on from what?”

Doo Joon let out a small sigh. “This…Woohyun. You need to move on and forget him, Chorong.”

“Why?”

“It’s for your own good – “

“Why, Doo Joon?”

“You shouldn’t be wasting your time anymore – “

“Damn it, Doo Joon – tell me why!”

It shocked him; the tone of her voice, the tears in her eyes, and her tight grip on his arm – everything about her was on the verge of breaking down.

He couldn’t imagine the pain if she were to really find out why.

They pulled up in front of the Nam’s residence about half an hour later. Doo Joon had his doubts about bringing her here, but he also knew avoiding the matter would only make things worse.

Just like what Woohyun was doing.

Chorong had no idea what they were doing at his house. It was the last place on Earth she would ever want to be. After being shamefully thrown out, she had vowed to herself to never step foot in the vicinity again.

“Come on,” Doo Joon urged her out of the cab.

Hesitantly, she stepped out and closed the door behind her. After taking out their belongings from the trunk, Doo Joon offered his hand out to her, which she took gratefully.

“You know, we can always turn back,” he said quietly.

She wanted to, really. But she also knew, if she wanted answers, she had to brace herself for the truth.

“No, let’s go.”

The party was in full swing. Guests were cheering and toasting to the newly engaged pair as they wished them all the best for the new commitment made.

Woohyun felt tired from all the fake smiles he was force to plaster on. He had to say his gratitude to every person’s wishes, with Hyuna tightly clinging onto his arm as they went round the room to meet everyone.

He saw his sister from the other end of the hallway, staring disapprovingly at the two of them. He knew Jihyun wasn’t exactly thrilled about this engagement, but she also understood there was nothing to be done against their mother’s wishes. For now, Woohyun could only buy time until he convinced her of Chorong’s presence in his life and how much he needs her.

Just as he was about to take another sip of his drink while listening to Hyuna entertaining one of his father’s business partners, he heard a commotion coming from the front door – his mother’s voice being the most distinctive one.

“Doo Joon!” she exclaimed. “I thought you couldn’t make it and…” her voice dripped with utter disgust. “ – what are you doing with her?”

All at once, the whole room went silent as all eyes in the room turned to watch the drama unfolding, including Woohyun himself.

As soon as he did, the glass he was holding almost dropped to the ground. And when her eyes met his, the touch of Hyuna’s hand on his arm felt as though it was on fire.

“She is…my date,” Doo Joon replied with such a clear and confident voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. “So I hope she’ll be treated just as well as your other guests, ee-mo.”

“Doo Joon, you know I can’t – “

“No.” This time, it was Chorong who spoke. And even though she appeared to be answering to Mrs Nam, her glistened eyes were fixed on Woohyun, realisation dawning upon her.

“I’m sorry. I should get going.”

Slipping her hand out of Doo Joon’s grasp, Chorong her heels and ran down the stairs in a hurry, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

Her heart had never felt so heavy, and her legs had never been so weak; but she couldn’t stop now. She has to keep running and running, until she was far away from here and from all these people.

Far, far away from Nam Woohyun.

Because at that moment, he was the person she hated the most.