I woke up in the morning with a raging headache, knowing fairly well already that I slept much longer than I intended to. I was too comfortable in my surroundings and my neck wasn't cramping from leaning to the side for hours. With that being said, I knew before I even opened my eyes that I slept through another night of planned studying.

 

Groaning I sat up in bed, and without even looking at the figure beside me, I got up. A sense of deja vu rushed through me when I felt a hand grab my wrist and a sleepy voice mumbled “don't go.”

 

Furious, I pulled my arm away from him, “don't touch me.”

 

That seemed to do the trick. The sheets rustled as he pulled himself upright in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

 

“Babe, what's the matter?”

 

“Don't 'babe' me Jongin. You know what you did wrong.”

 

“Yoonae.” He reached out to hold my hand again, but I pulled it away. He sighed. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Sorry isn't going to fix it! For goodness sakes Jongin. I ask you for one thing. One simple task and you can't even do it. Hell, all I wanted for you to do was to wake me up when we got back so that I could study. That's. All. I. Asked.”

 

“Yoonae, you were tired. You studied so much already, you probably know everything. I just wanted to give you a few extra hours of-”

 

“Sleep? I don't have the time to be sleeping! Don't you get it Jongin? I don't know anything on that mid-term. NOTHING! I read it over and over and over again but nothing was sinking in and the least you could do was wake me up so that I could study more.”

 

“But-”

 

“Honestly, every time I ask you to do something, you don't do it, instead you do the opposite of what I ask.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Really? Every time. When is 'every time' exactly? I always do stuff with your well being in mind.”

 

“MY WELL BEING?! Don't turn this against me Kim Jongin. You NEVER ask for my opinion before you act.”

 

He scoffed. “Oh really? Then tell me: when did I ever do that?”

 

“You didn't wake me up yesterday and instead you turned off my alarm when I told you already I'm behind in my classes because I spend every freakin' waking moment catering after you-”

 

“No one asked you to-”

 

“YOU not waking me up to study last night when this exam is going to make or break my mark and consequently my future. YOU avoiding all of our previous conflicts and kissing me to make up for it instead of listening to me, because apparently that's the way to solve things in the world. Wait, you would know since you were the one making out with Krystal back then and ruined everything between us. That's your way of making everything better, and acting for 'my well-being' right?”

 

I finally stopped. My head was pounding beyond belief and tears were threatening to fall. I could barely hold myself together. Slowly, my anger started to subside when I saw the look in his eyes. Regret started to take it's place.

 

All the words began replaying in my head as looked at each other in silence. The pain in his eyes was evident and it was almost too overwhelming to look at. All the while, I was stuck between the decision of wanting to hug him and apologize profoundly for the words I threw at him, and on the other hand, I also felt the urge to curl into a corner and cry.

 

“Jongin...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.”

 

He closed his eyes, bring his knees to his chest and burying his face in his arms. “Does it really still bug you that much?”

 

“No.” My voice cracked and I could feel the first tears of many starting to make their way down my face. “I didn't mean what I said. Jongin, please...”

 

I didn't know what to do. I shouldn't have said anything that I did. Especially not about the past. Going into the relationship, we promised we would leave everything behind us because really, we were both at fault. It wasn't his fault. None of it was his fault. But I could see from the look in his eyes, that he was still blaming himself for it all.

 

“I love you.”

 

I froze, not expecting that to come from him at all.

 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all my faults Yoonae. I'm sorry that I did all those things in the past. I love you, I really do. I'll listen to you more I promise. Just-just don't leave me.”

 

“What?” I quickly made my way up to him, prying his hands away from his face. “Jongin you idiot. I would never leave you. I shouldn't have ever said those things. It's not your fault.”

 

He looked up, his expression thoroughly wrecked. He was always the most vulnerable around me. “You're not mad?”

 

I pulled him into a hug, feeling the magic of his warmth around me. “No you idiot. I'm not mad. I shouldn't have brought that up. It was my fault too.”

 

I sighed. “I know you were just looking out for me. You've always been on my side...it's just...I am stressed...really stressed. But I shouldn't have taken that out on you. I'm sorry.”

 

“It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't wake you up.”

 

I shook my head, letting out a small smile. “You were right. I probably needed the rest.”

 

“When is your exam anyways?” He asked.

 

I looked at the time and sighed. “In two hours. I should probably get up.”

 

He nodded. “Me too. I have rehearsal later. Do you want me to drop you off for your exam?”

 

I grinned, feeling a lot better just having his company. “Only if you want to.”

 

“I always want to be with you, love.” He leaned in, giving me a soft kiss. One that, again, made up for everything we'd been through that morning, the argument far behind us. But really, it was alright.

 

“I love you.” I said after we broke the kiss.

 

He gave me one last small kiss in return. “I love you too.”

 

With that, we both got up to get ready. As I was waiting to for Jongin to finish washing up so we could eat breakfast together, I got a call from my manager.

 

“Yobeosaeyo?”

 

“Yoonae-sshi. Do you have time to come into the office today? I have something to discuss with you.”

 

A feeling of dread started to spread through me. I had nothing against my manager. No, we were always on good terms. She was understanding and helped me through a lot from the time that I was instantly recruited to join the prep team to the time when I almost quit because of a fight between Jongin and I. She was the reason was to why I still had the job to this day.

 

No, I had nothing against my manager, but it struck me weird that she would be calling me in for a meeting. Nothing is ever usually that serious. My schedule was already decided as it was identical to the guys' schedule. There's usually nothing to discuss.

 

“I have an exam coming up but I can stop by around 2pm? The guys have a recording for a music show at 4.”

 

“That sounds good. I'll see you then.” I could tell she was about to hang up but I just couldn't get the unease out of me.

 

“Wait! Ms. Kim.”

 

“Yes Yoonae?”

 

I bit my lower lips in nervousness as I pondered whether or not to actually as the question. “Is...is something wrong? Did something happen?”

 

She sighed. “Don't worry about it right now Yoonae-yah. Just concentrate on your exam alright? I'll see you later.”

 

“Okay. Bye.” I said, still feeling unsure as I hung up. I let out a deep breath, putting my phone to the side. I had to get ready, the last thing I wanted to do was to be late for the exam. After quickly packing my bag and changing, I went outside to eat breakfast with Kyungsoo-oppa, Kris-oppa, Xiumin-oppa, and Jongin.

 

After breakfast, I pulled on my shoes and was about to leave but the guys pulled me back. Each of them was donning a friendly smile.

 

“Good luck with your exam!” Xiumin cheered as he pulled me into a hug followed by Kris and Kyungsoo.

 

I looked to the side to find Jongin putting on his shoes and then it hit me that I needed the car afterwards to drive to the building and the guys would be in rehearsal, therefore, there was no way that Jongin could drop me off for my exam today because the car needed to stay with me.

 

“Jongin, I forgot to say, I have a meeting to go to after. I need to take my car with me.”

 

He looked up with a disappointed expression but he nodded understandingly.

 

“You'll be there in the afternoon though right? For our performance.”

 

I smiled, “Of course. I'll meet you guys in the building, don't worry.”

 

He nodded and came forward to give me a hug and a kiss on the forehead. “Good luck on your exam, love. I'm sure you'll do great.”

 

I tried my best to maintain a happy expression but I couldn't. Despite his encouragement, I knew the truth. With everything going on around me, I didn't learn anything. As I walked out of the house, I could only hope for the best.

 

After the exam, I made my way to the SM building, feeling nervous all over again. From the moment the phone call ended until now, I was stuck in a nervous wreck, the meeting constantly nagging in the back of my mind. I caught myself snapping my mind out of daze several times during the exam all because I was thinking too much.

 

I greeted the receptionist and was sent straight to my manager's room. My heart began beating quicker as I remembered the past. The last time I was in her office, was to drop of my resignation letter after suffering from arguments and heartbreaks because of Jongin. The only time I had been in there before that was to do my interview...only a week after my mother had passed away.

 

Needless to say, I didn't have many fond memories of the place.

 

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door in front of me. My heart raced at a hundred miles an hour just thinking about what was about to happen.

 

There was a click, and the door opened, my manager stood behind it with a friendly grin on her face, however, it didn't reach her eyes.

 

“Yoonae-sshi, come in.”

 

She left me standing at the door and I consciously took a few steps in behind her before freezing on spot.

 

It didn't take me long to realize there was another presence in the room. He sat there with a smile on his face, one that I knew had an ulterior motive behind it. He reached out his hand which I shook, trembling in response.

 

“Nice to meet you Yoonae-sshi.”

 

The meeting was brief, but by the time I exited the room, I felt drained of energy. The last 24 hours had just been too much for me. Studying the whole day before, arguing with Jongin first thing in the morning, receiving the phone call, writing a three hour exam, and last but not least, having to deal with the people inside the room.

 

I was walking absentmindedly down the halls of the SM building when I bumped into a familiar figure. A pair of arms reached out, holding me in place while I regained my balance.

 

“Whoa there love. Gotta watch where you're going.”

 

I looked up to find Jongin standing in front of me, fresh out of a shower from hours of practising. The guys were required to shower to freshen up themselves before the stage so that they at least looked presentable.

 

I stepped back a bit from him and fixed my hair, feeling his arms drop to his side again. “Sorry I wasn't paying attention.”

 

He frowned. “Is something the matter?”

 

I shook my head, “no. Nothing, I was just thinking about my exam. Don't worry about it.” The hall was filled with voices of the remaining members as they filed out of the change room and conversed freely.

 

“We should get going now. Don't want to be late for your recording right?” Before long, we were joined by the rest of the members as we made our way to the exit where the van was waiting. I cringed when I looked out the door to find fans crowded around the entrance.

 

I stepped back away from the view through the glass doors. “I need to go take my car. It's in the basement parking.” I told the rest of them.

 

Jongin asked to ride with me but I shook my head. “The fans will notice if you're gone.”

 

With that, I left to go to the studio on my own.

 

Arriving to the studio first, I began to set up on my own. One at a time, my assistants and coworkers started filing in, and then finally, the boys. I stayed concentrated on my work throughout the next half hour, making sure no outside thoughts would be intruding on my peace for the time being. I didn't want to think about any of it.

 

For the most part, everything was going well. That is, until Jongin took a seat in front of me, “how was your exam?”

 

“It was okay.” I replied, making a point to not elaborate or continue the conversation. He seemed to get the point. The entire time, I could feel his eyes probing mine, trying to decipher my thoughts, but I wasn't having any of it. I needed room to think myself.

 

After the show, I watched as the guys filed into the van and Jongin looked expectantly at me, questioning whether or not I would invite him to take ride with me.

 

Taking a deep breath, he finally asked the question. I shook my head, “I'm not going back to the dorm tonight. I need to go back to my apartment to grab some clothes and stuff.”

 

His expression fell, disappointment evident in his eyes. “Oh. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then...”

 

“Yeah.” I replied with a small smile.

 

He stepped up to me and enveloped me in a hug, setting a quick kiss on my forehead before I could say anything. “Goodnight Yoonae. Drive safely.”

 

“I will.”

 

“Love you.”

 

“Love you too.”

 

I hoped he didn't hear my voice crack in the end.

 

After the van left, I was still in the parking lot, slumped into the driver's seat. With a heavy heart, I drove back to my empty apartment.

 

Everything was still the same when I got back. My fully furnished rooms, the air conditioning evening out the summer temperature, everything was where I had left it. But nonetheless, it was still empty.

 

Mindlessly, I got ready for bed, pulling the covers tightly around me. For a moment, I reached out to try to grab at least my teddy bear to keep me company but I realized that was in the dorm as well. I was all alone.

 

Slowly, I drifted off to sleep, clutching at nothing but emptiness as conversations from today turned into nightmares, haunting me for the rest of the night:

 

“Nice to meet you, Yoonae-sshi.”

 

I shivered at the sound of my own name. There were hundreds, if not, thousands of workers under this company. But he knew me. And at this point, I wasn't sure if that was a positive thing or not.

 

“Take a seat.” He said, motioning to a single chair in the room facing him and my manager. After I stiffly sat down, he spoke again. “I assume you know who I am.”

 

“Yes, Lee Soo Man-seongsaengnim.”

 

He smiled, sitting up in his seat. “Good. Now, Yoonae-sshi, do you know why you were called in today ?”

 

I shook my head, “No sir.”

 

In stead of answering me, he reached behind him on the desk and grabbed a manila envelope. “Tell me, Yoonae-sshi, how are you liking your job so far?”

 

“I-It's good. Everyone is nice and the work is interesting and enjoyable.”

 

“That's good.” He replied. “I hope you are getting along with everyone. Making friends?”

 

I nodded.

 

“Ah, I see. And the EXO boys are treating you well?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He narrowed his eyes, “I see. I've also heard that a certain member has been treating you exceptionally well. You two seem...close.”

 

He leaned forward, passing me the envelope. I took it with shaking hands. “Go on,” he encouraged, “open it.”

 

I reached in, feeling a thicker stack of papers than I expected. I pulled them out and upon seeing them, I went numb and dropped everything. The contents scattered on the floor. They weren't papers. No. Thirty, maybe forty of them, laid out in front of me, all of which looked too familiar. I felt sick.

 

“H-how...”

 

Lee Soo Man sat back, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “I'm sure you know how. Take a good look. This is the damage you've caused.”

 

Pictures. Piles and piles of them, from as many days as I could remember. They were all different. Different situations, different locations, different outfits, different days. But in the end, the subject was all the same.

 

Jongin and I.

 

The oldest of photos I could see from the pile dated back to a month after we started dating. Jongin and I were getting out of my car in the underground parking lot of EXO's dorm. It was after we went on a small dinner date.

 

The latest one was the one that scared me the most. We were in the parking lot again, but this time, we weren't alone. The rest of the guys had just gotten out of the van as they were returning from the radio schedule. I recognized my unconscious body in Jongin's arms as he carried me back to the dorm.

 

The rest of the pictures were from times of us in deserted movie theatres as we had movie dates in ungodly hours of the morning, some from restaurants, some outside the dorm, my apartment, school, the SM building. Everywhere.

 

I shivered, curling up into a ball. Someone had been watching us the entire time. I expected the time to come when someone would find out, but not like this. Not this soon.

 

“The envelope was sent in this morning, sitting on my desk bright and early.” The chairman's voice shook me out of my reverie. I looked up, terrified of the consequences, but he continued without answering my unspoken questions.

 

“Jongin doesn't know about it yet, but we thought to contact you as soon as possible - for several reasons of course. Ms. Kim here tells me that you are good at what you do. It's a shame really, because I know. I know you are a great addition to the team. At first I was questioning it when Jongin – Kim Jongin who never put in any extra effort to look out for others but himself – came into my office and personally asked for you to join the prep team. I was tentative at first because you had no experience on your resume and the reason for your employment was for nothing but financial assets; however I could see from monitoring the guys' performances that I was mistaken. You work well in your field Ms. Park.

 

“Before you lose your mind thinking about this, I'd like to inform you that the current situation has been solved. The stalker was arrested just an hour ago as the police were involved due to the violation of privacy and blackmailing. The memory on his computer had been wiped, and the culprit is now being sentenced. The only copies left are the ones in front of us now.”

 

I let out a small breath of relief, but only enough to last me for a moment because I knew there was more to the story.

 

“But I can't simply disregard the problem as a whole and move on. This can't happen again. Jongin isn't going anywhere, and in fact, he won't hear about any of this.” He looked up, the glint in his eyes making me feel as if I was two feet tall and helplessly trapped in a corner.

 

“Like I said before Ms. Park, you work well in this field...it would be a shame if you couldn't work for us anymore wouldn't it?”

 

I watched, frozen in my spot as he stood up and opened the door. He gave me one last look before he left.

 

“Jongin is like a son to me Yoonae-sshi, and I can tell you two love each other a lot.” He paused.

 

“But if you want what's best for him, you know what to do.”

 

 

---

A/N: 

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update. It's been like...over a month. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find the time to write and I really wanted to do this chapter really well and as realistically as possible. So it took some time to release it. With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed it.

 

As always, comments are much appreciated! I reall enjoy reading them. 

 

If you like the story, subscribe, upvote, etc. Up to you!

 

Also if you are wondering what Yoonae was going off about in the first part ofthe argument, you might want to read the prequel which is "It's A Love/Hate Relationship" and that particular part was only found in the extended ending "It's A Love/Hate Relationship-Extras."

 

Thank you for your time!

 

-Ryeowook, Sungmin, Taemin, Luhan, Jongin, Kyuhyun, Sungjong, Sehun, and Chen's Wifey