I couldn’t hold in my scream. Hakyeon was asking me what was going on but I couldn’t hear him. The figure stepped closer, ready to silence me, and I could begin to see his features better. From the side it looked like the other man I saw at the restaurant earlier, but there was no way that was possible. I didn’t want to believe it was possible.

The man had dark brown hair and a muscular physique. I could have sworn I knew him from somewhere the more I observed him.

“Oppa, it’s nothing.” I lied to Hakyeon as I backed myself towards the wall as the man got closer to me. “I just scared myself is all.”

“No. Who’s there, Inhye?” Hakyeon asked.

“No one is here.” I winced as the man got extremely close to me and grabbed my phone. I tried to grab it away from but he kept me at arms distance as he placed the phone to his ear.

“Hakyeon hyung, is that you? I wouldn’t think Inhye-ssi would be calling Hongbin oppa.” The man said. His voice was deep and scratchy. I studied his face as he continued to keep me at bay.

How did he know Hakyeon and Hongbin? Was this really the man I saw at the restaurant earlier? And if it was that meant I did see Hongbin as well. I shiver ran through me and I felt myself lose all the strength that was keeping me calm.

“OPPA!” I screamed. “OPPA, I’M SCARED!”

The man laughed. “Hakyeon isn’t going to save you. You should have listened well to your oppa. If you would have stayed at his apartment, we probably would have never had to see each other. But now you’ve made things a little complicated.”

“Oppa said he called the Seoul police.” I told the man. “They should be here soon.”

“No he didn’t.”

“What are you talking about? Of course he did. Don’t talk like you know anything. You’re just trying to scare me.” I was proud of myself for sounding so brave for as scared less I was.

“Hyung knew I was coming. He wouldn’t call the police on me.”

“Stop lying to me! You’re friends with Hongbin! I saw you at the restaurant earlier talking to him.”

The man chuckled and squatted down so he could look me straight in the eye. “You think I would be friends with a piece of like Lee Hongbin? But it’s true. We were at the same restaurant earlier.”

“GIVE HER THE PHONE, WONSIK!” I heard Hakyeon yell.

Wonsik laughed and passed me back my phone before walking out of my room. I couldn’t piece anything together right now. So Wonsik was with Hongbin at the restaurant earlier, but he wasn’t friends with Hongbin. Hakyeon supposedly knew Wonsik was coming and didn’t call the police. So was Hongbin really out with friends from work or was he actually still back in Changwon?

“Inhye, are you still there? Inhye, answer me.”

“Hakyeon, please tell me you don’t know Wonsik. Please tell me he’s lying.” I clutched my chest. Everything hurt at the moment – my head, my chest, the rest of my body. I was so scared and shaking so much that I could barely hold my phone next to my ear.

Hakyeon sighed. “Inhye, I do know Wonsik.” My body began to rack with sobs. “Now calm down. Calm down okay? I used to be friends with him. I don’t know why he’s there okay and I did really call the police. The police should be there any minute now. Inhye-yah, I don’t know why Wonsik is there. I haven’t talked to him in years. You stay on the phone with me until the police get there okay?”

“Oppa,” I cried. “Why is this happening to me?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to come home tomorrow okay? I’m going to be with you and protect you. After the police show up, write Hongbin a letter or something telling him you have to move back in with me okay? You’re obviously not safe there.”

Wonsik walked back into my room carrying another shoe box. He smiled and waved it at me before sliding it across the floor towards me.

“This is my sister’s box.” He said. “Take a look. Go on.”

I watched Wonsik as I grabbed the shoe box and opening it. I hesitated before I looked inside and saw pictures just like the ones I had found in the chest and the shoe box with my name on it, but these were of a different girl. She looked younger than me and even younger than Hongbin. She was pretty though. Wonsik was also in the pictures. In most of them he would have a protective arm around his sister. Then I remembered what Officer Shim had said about Hongbin.

“Your sister is alive, isn’t she?” I asked him.

“My sister is in a coma because of your bastard of a boyfriend. I’m telling you right now, Inhye-ssi. Leave this apartment. Take all of your things and you and Hakyeon find a new apartment elsewhere. With all of this evidence, we can get that bastard thrown in jail TONIGHT.”

“Inhye, wait until the police get there. Do not do anything until the police get there.” Hakyeon advised me.

Sure enough after Hakyeon had said that, there was a knock at the door.

“INHYE-SSI! ARE YOU IN THERE? IS EVERYTHING OKAY? HAKYEON-SSI CALLED US!”

It was the police. I looked at Wonsik, who was waiting for me to make a move.

“This is our chance of redemption.” He said.

“This isn’t your first time in the apartment, is it?” I asked Wonsik. “You made the mess I walked in on.”

“INHYE-SSI ARE YOU OKAY?”

“You know the answer already.” Wonsik said. “So what’s your decision? The police are waiting.”

I looked back at the shoe box full of pictures and thought about Hongbin. Did he know? Did Wonsik warn him that he was going to turn him into the police? Was he really in Seoul right now? What if Hongbin was running away?

“Inhye, you have to answer the door.” Hakyeon said softly.

I nodded and got to my feet, scurrying past Wonsik and to the apartment door. The police looked at me with worried expressions, looking me over to make sure I wasn’t hurt. I stepped aside to let them in.

“Is that Hakyeon-ssi on the phone? Can we talk to him?” The one officer said. I nodded and handed him the phone. I couldn’t seem to find my voice. “Hakyeon-ssi, we’re here at Hongbin’s apartment. We’ve also contacted Officer Shim like you had asked and he should be on his way to get you.”

“Inhye-ssi, we’re putting you under protective custody okay? Hakyeon as well. Are you here alone?” The other officer asked, holding me by the shoulders gently.

I shook my head. “Wonsik-ssi is here too. He came in after I did.”

The officer frowned. “Kim Wonsik is here?” He looked back at his partner. “That would explain this mess.”

“Has he been in trouble before?” I asked.

“Not serious trouble. How did he get in?”

“I let him in.” I lied. The officer could tell but he didn’t say anything.

“KIM WONSIK!” He called out.

Wonsik slowly stepped out of my bedroom, shoe box in hand, and smiled slightly at the officers. The officer that was talking to Hakyeon walked over to him and grabbed the shoe box.

“What’s this?” He asked him.

“The evidence that my sister was stalked by Lee Hongbin. There’s a chest and shoe box full of pictures of Inhye-ssi as well in his bedroom. Will this be enough evidence as well?” Wonsik pulled out his phone and started sliding through pictures that he had taken. I couldn’t see the screen very well, but it looked like pictures of Hongbin being at the restaurant.

“This evidence isn’t going to bring your sister out of her coma.” The officer sighed.

“BUT IT CAN CHARGE LEE HONGBIN PROPERLY, YES?” Wonsik was trying to keep his calm.

The officer nodded and walked over to me and his partner. He handed me back my phone and walked into the Hongbin’s room. He returned holding both shoe boxes and the chest.

“The rest of the evidence is on the floor here.” The officer said looking around at the messy living room floor. “Someone got carried away when they were snooping didn’t they?” He looked at Wonsik, who chuckled and scratched at the back of his neck.

“There should be a journal over there too.” Wonsik added. “It’s just a personal journal. He talks about both my sister and Inhye in there.”

“Wonsik, I think it’s time for you to go home.” The officer glared at Wonsik. “We can take it from here. We’ll call you once all this is processed.”

Wonsik nodded and headed for the door. He stopped at me and smiled. “Sorry for the scare earlier, Inhye-ssi.”

The officers both groaned after Wonsik had walked out of the apartment and piled up what they considered to be evidence that could be used against Hongbin. I watched them forgetting that Hakyeon was still on the phone.

“Inhye, are you okay with hanging up now? The officers are going to take you back to my apartment and guard you for the night okay?” Hakyeon told me, not sure if I could hear him or not. “Write Hongbin that letter before you go.”

“Thank you, oppa,” Was all I could say. My brain was not functioning at all. I was too overwhelmed and confused at the moment. “Oppa, am I doing the right thing? Bin-ah has no…”

“Inhye, this is for your safety and Hongbin’s. It’s best to end it here before things get worse. I’m saying that in respect to both of you.” Hakyeon said. “I’ll be home by morning. Officer Shim is going to stay with us until all of this is over, so you and I are going to have to share a room for a while okay?”

“But there’s the couch.”

“YAH! I’m not sleeping on the couch for who knows how long!” This made me laugh. “Look, just write your letter okay and I’ll see you in the morning. Try and get some sleep. I love you.”

“Thank you, oppa. I love you too.”

The officers smiled at me as I placed my phone into my pocket and I smiled back at them.

“So are you going to go to Hakyeon’s apartment? We’ll help you move if you are.” The one officer said.

I nodded. “I have most of my stuff in boxes still so there’s not much.”

“Show us what has to go and you worry about your letter to Hongbin.” The other officer said.

“What’s going to happen to Hongbin once all of this evidence is looked over?” I asked.

“We’ll arrest him and hold him until he’s tried and sentenced.”

This wasn’t how I wanted things to work out for Hongbin. He was so nice to take me in. He did so much for me in this short amount of time and look at me. I was going to help turn him in for stalking. Was this really the right thing to do? He’d probably think I was betraying him.

“Don’t worry about Hongbin. This will be good for everyone. If anything we can get him treated properly for his bipolar disorder. Last time all they did was schedule him a few counseling appointments and called it a day.”

I lead the police officers into my room and pointed to all the boxes that should be ready to go. I grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and set them aside before throwing the rest of my things into the boxes waiting for the officers to take down.

I told them the passcode to get in before I sat down on the couch and began writing my letter to Hongbin.

Bin-ah,

I’m truly sorry things are going this way right now. I never wanted to drag you into my drama. I can’t thank you enough for your hospitality. When I called you and asked to stay at your place, I was expecting you to say no. We hadn’t talked in so long and even then we barely knew each other. You’re a kind person, Hongbin. Never change that about yourself.

I know about your past, that you stalked and almost killed Ravi’s sister. That’s why I couldn’t come back the other night and went to Mihyun’s parents’ house. Hakyeon and Mihyun were worried that you would hurt me. But you’d never do that, I know. You picking me up from the café that one day I fought with Hakyeon, the fact that you were at the noraebang when we were and you and Ravi being at the restaurant in Changwon, I don’t care about all that. Sure it’s a little creepy…well okay, it’s really creepy, Bin. I feel terrible about what’s going to happen now.

Ravi was here at the apartment and the police were too. They have all of your pictures. They say you can get help for your bipolar disorder. I really wish I could get you out of all of this Hongbin but if this can help you better yourself then I’m supportive of it. I want what’s best for you.

You care about me a lot don’t you, Bin-ah? I know you do. I care a lot about you too, however we won’t be able to be together. No one will allow us to see each other anymore after things play out when you get back. I’m also moving away with Hakyeon. I’m so sorry, Hongbin. I don’t think I can apologize and repent enough. Please just work on getting better and take care of yourself, please?

                                                   I LOVE YOU, LEE HONGBIN

           Kim Inhye noona