Joon Hee lies in his bed, his face contorting with immense pain. I sit on the edge of his bed and hold his stomach to keep him from moving his shoulders. Thankfully, his internship supervisor, Dr. Jang, was around when the incident took place. He helped in setting Joon Hee’s shoulder back in the right place. Now Joon Hee has to take a break from his duties.

The earpiece of my phone is hot in my ear. Yoon Jae is not picking up any of my calls. I told him a while ago about Joon Hee. He seemed to register that and hung up on me.

“Shi Won-ah, Yoon Jae’s stuck in traffic.”

I press the end button hard and look at him.

“I want him to come here right now!” I say.

“Calm down, will you? I know he’s coming.”

I raise an eyebrow. “How?”

He gets his phone and shows me Yoon Jae’s text message.

“Here. He texted me two minutes ago. Stop fretting okay?”

My jaw drops at the rate things are going. He can’t stifle a smile despite the pain on his shoulders. I don’t know why.

“That’s two minutes ago, Joon Hee. I’ll beat the out of him if he doesn’t come now.”

Joon Hee chuckles. “It’s as if your shoulders got hurt, huh?”

“It’s as if you’re the one worrying, huh?”

The door flies open before he can answer. Yoon Jae catches his breath while looking at Joon Hee, worry written not just on his face but all over his body.

“What happened?”

I feel like I’m totally out of the view. As Joon Hee speaks, Yoon Jae rushes to hug him. Joon Hee screams when his injured shoulder gets touched and Yoon Jae backs off a bit. I draw out a sigh and focus on my phone instead.

I don’t want to assume, but there must be something I don’t know.

It takes a little more time before Yoon Jae takes notice of my presence.

“Shi Won-ah…” he says.

I try to find the right words to speak. “Is there anything you need?”

“Water please.” Joon Hee says.

I nod and leave the room, a thousand questions about what’s going on with them gnawing at me.

The door clicks shut. I release a relieved sigh and hold Joon Hee’s face on both hands.

“Thank God you’re okay.” I say.

“Yoon Jae-ah, there’s no need to worry. I’m alive.”

“What if that clay pot hit you on the head? You could’ve been dead by now.”

He smiles. “That’s only a theory. It didn’t happen.”

“But more serious things can happen after this.” I say these words with as much sincerity as I could muster. I mean it, and getting him hurt again is the first thing I wouldn’t want to happen.

His eyes never looked so apologetic. “I’m sorry.”

I kiss him hard. I don’t want to lose him, especially if it’s because of Tae Woong. He puts his hands on my shoulders, every crash of his lips are calculated with the pain in his shoulders.

I put my forehead on his.

“I love you.” I whisper in between kisses.

He runs his hand through my hair in response. His kisses are getting intense and hotter.

But a couple knocks on the door sends us flying to the opposite sides of the bed. He bites his lip when his back hits the wooden back rest. I compose myself before opening the door to Shi Won.

“Can you give this to Joon Hee?”

There’s a look of exhaustion and suspicion in her eyes but I ignore it. I take the glass and she leaves again.

I sip from the glass and flash a suggestive smile at him.

“Not now,” he says. “I swear I’ll make it up some other time.”

That leaves me waiting. I know it will all be worth it.

I turn to the other side and bite my lip. Pain shoots every nerve ending in my shoulder. I slowly get up from the bed. It’s five in the morning but it feels odd not to start my daily routing in going to the hospital. Dr. Jang told me to rest for weeks until my shoulder fully heals. I can continue my internship after this. Thinking it through, I could never be this thankful to him.

I head straight to the kitchen for my does of coffee. The early morning air calms all the worries inside me. I know it’s just temporary so I try to enjoy the moment.

I realized it’s been a long time since I felt like this.

And I don’t know when I will feel it again.

For these past few weeks, I’ve been too occupied with my feelings for Yoon Jae. I am too selfish for still wanting him when he’s with someone else. But then I hold on to his empty promises of getting together with me. They seem to fade day by day, sensing how this situation has gone from worse to worst. I’m trying hard to keep them all in my hands while they try to slip away.

The worst thing is Yoon Jae slipping away from me.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe his words. I don’t know how I always end up holding on to them. All I know is that I love him and I can’t stop it.

As I stir the coffee in the cup, I feel an overwhelming sense of danger in the coming days. Tae Woong has gone really far. Shi Won is starting to suspect about me and Yoon Jae. I’m terrified for everything I have to fall apart.

“Kang Joon Hee.”

My thoughts are cut short with the sound of my name. I turn and see Shi Won standing behind me. She smiles despite the dark circles under her eyes.

“I didn’t know you’d be up this early.” She adds.

“I didn’t know it too. Let’s have coffee.”

She prepares her own as I sit on the chair. I put the coffee on the table. She leans on the kitchen counter while stirring her coffee.

“Are you going somewhere today?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No, I guess not. My shoulder still hurts.”

“You need to get well soon, Joon Hee. I’m too guilty to face you right now.”

“Shi Won-ah, you don’t need to worry. I did it to save you.”

“But – ”

“Trust me, it’s really fine.”

She sighs and sips her coffee. I take a sip from mine too. Her next question startles me.

“Joon Hee-ah, is Yoon Jae having an affair?”

I hold the cup tightly. It almost slipped from my hands.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t tell me anything. Why?”

She pauses before speaking, framing the right words to say.

“He’s been so distant to me lately. We’re fighting about it and he tells me I don’t have to think about it. But I think he has another woman.”

I take big gulps of my coffee in an effort to arrange my thoughts. I hope it won’t fail me.

“”If he tells you he doesn’t have an affair, believe him. You of all people should know how he behaves when he lies.”

She seems to consider my answer. But what she says next throws me off balance.

“Do me a favor. Tell me if he’s having an affair. You’re best friend so you should know.”

“So you’re asking me to betray him?”

“If that’s what you think it is, then yes.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

She grasps my hand. “Please Kang Joon Hee. If ever I find it to be true, I’ll kill them both.”

Her words give me the coldest of chills. I ignore it and answer her.

“You’re crazy, Sung Shi Won.”

Shi Won said she had to go early for a shooting. As part of the production team and a writer as well, her presence is badly needed. It’s funny she kissed my forehead before bidding goodbye. I just wave at her and savor my time with me and Yoon Jae alone in this house.

I flip the pages of the newspaper when he comes out of his room. His eyes are halfway open and halfway shut. I smile as I see him yawn and scratch his tummy. He grins when he sees me.

“Having a good morning?” I say.

He walks to the couch and rests his head on my lap. He stretches his legs on the expanse of the couch.

“I’m not having a good one unless I’m with you.”

Somehow that thought manages to cheer me up amidst of my worries. I tousle his hair and pinch his nose.

“Your morning becomes better if you take a bath.”

He swats my hand away and sits straight up.

“Can I have a kiss?”

I read on the paper. “No.”

“Please? Just one.”

“I said no.”

He pecks at my cheek and grins.

“I say yes.”

I pinch his cheeks and kiss his lips.

“There, you got it. Now go take a bath!”

“I can do that later. I have something to tell you.”

I put my hands away from him. “What’s that?”

“I’ll talk to Tae Woong today. I’ll clear it all up to him. I want him to leave us alone.” he says.

I swallow the lump building in my throat. I should tell him something he doesn’t know yet.

“Tae Woong knows how I feel about you.”

He looks away from me for a second then holds my hand.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do everything to keep you safe, okay?”

There it is again. A promise as empty as a barren field. I nod and pull him close.

“Thank you.” I say.

He kisses me on the lips and stands up.

“I love you.”

All I can do is touch my lips while watching him walk away.

I give my tie one last clench before I head out the door. I don’t bother checking out on Joon Hee, who said he’ll be having his own movie marathon while I’m away. I walk outside the apartment premises with my heart drumming frantically in my chest. Not knowing what to expect is something I’m always afraid of. Tae Woong is kind of unstable right now. What he’d done to Shi Won and Joon Hee us beyond what I can tolerate. I know I can be the only one who can clear up things with him.

The phone vibrates inside my pocket. Amid the frustrating traffic and my second thoughts, I take Tae Woong’s call.

“Oh, hyung?”

“I’m waiting.” He says icily.

“Okay, I’m coming.”

I step on the gas and go faster. When I see the coffee shop along the road where Tae Woong is waiting, I pull up the car to its parking space and climb out. I see him sip his latte while I walk in.

His eyes catch mine. I stop dead on my tracks.

This is what I’ve been waiting for.

“Goodbye.” I say while bowing my head to my workmates. Shoot is done for the day and I need a good cup of iced coffee so I can get my script done. I zip my bag after putting everything inside.

“Shi Won-ah, can I go with you?” Go Min Ji, my co-writer, asks me.

“Sure, let’s go.”

She links her arm with mine and we walk to the coffee shop I know along the road. I know Yoon Jae is a frequent customer there but I pray I won’t run into him today.

Or worse, I’ll run into Tae Woong.

I open the door with more effort than it was before. A man bringing a loaded plastic bag smiles at me. I didn’t expect any visitors or want one for today. He raises his bag a bit.

In the end, his kind gesture made me smile.

“Hyeon Jae-ah, come in.” I say.