I actually decided to post this chapter later this week, but I decided to put this up today because I want to make it up since I didn't post for a long time. I'm sorry it took so long because I went away for vacation u_u Anyway, I'm happy that I'm getting some feedback from my lovely readers! To all my lovely readers, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and like how it's developing. To my silent readers, how are you doing? /waves/ Thank you for reading this note, you may continue reading the story ^^

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“What are you watching?” Daehyun sits next to Jiyoon on the couch. She distances herself from him, but he stays put. He just finished eating the bowl of porridge, and he came to see what she had been doing for the past few minutes. He expected the television to be on; instead he only finds her staring at the black screen. The remote control is still beside the television, and she’s sitting on the couch, staring into space. She’s crossing her arms, and she pays no heed to his question.

“Are you watching the news?” he jokes.

“I am, can’t you see? They’re reporting about the new drama they’re going to film,” she replies sarcastically.

“Do you want to go out with me?” he suddenly asks.

“Go- go out? With- with you?” she stutters.

“Yeah, go out as in accompanying me to go to the grocery store.”

‘Ah so that’s what he meant,’ she contemplates. “I don’t have time to follow you. I have other things to do.”

“Really? Like what?” he leans in, raising an eyebrow.

She inches herself away from him, avoiding eye contact. “Like… like…” she trails off as she realizes she has no idea on what she can do. This is not her house, so what kind of freedom can she afford? She doesn’t even have spare clothes; she forgot to take her bag out of Yongguk’s car boot. To ask him to give it to her means facing him, so she’s stuck in yesterday’s clothes, with Daehyun’s dried blood on it. She doesn’t have any means of transport, and she doesn’t have any money so getting anywhere is a problem. She doesn’t have any home now, so where, does she actually belong? She’s homeless now, and she’s basically crashing at a stranger’s house.

“See? You have nothing to do so it’s better for you to accompany me,” he grins while wiggling his eyebrows.

“I don’t have any spare clothes. I can’t go out like this,” she finally replies.

“You can wear-“

“-Sooyoung’s clothes?” she finishes off his sentence while shooting a glare at him. He nods, and she continues talking. “You really miss her, don’t you? Every single thing I do just reminds you of her, doesn’t it?”

“I do miss her, but I didn’t mean to see her in everything you do. I just can’t help it.”

She sighs. “I understand the pain of losing someone you love so much.”

“You know, when I received the news that she’s gone, it was after I bought the ring to propose her. I planned to propose her the next day, but it hurts that one phone call destroyed everything I have planned. It’s a trauma to me; how can I go on when this thing people always call love, tore down my whole life right in front of my eyes? She’s not here anymore for me to say that I love her, nor does she’s here for me to share everything. It feels weird always having someone by your side, but suddenly they aren’t there anymore. It’s like I lost my shadow,” he lets it all out, and breaks down after that.

Jiyoon, after hearing his heart’s contents, becomes speechless. She didn’t know. She didn’t know that Sooyoung means so much more to him. All of the feeling of dissatisfaction before this disappears. Seeing how fragile the man really is without the girl he loved so much by his side breaks her heart. His sobs can be heard clearly, but she didn’t know what to do. Hugging him seems a little bit too much since they’re not that close. However, doing nothing just shows how heartless she is. She results to pulling out a few tissues from the box on the table in front of them and hesitantly gives it to him. He takes it, wipes off his tears and crumples the tissues.

“I’m sorry you have to see me in this state. I’m sorry you have to see a man crying,” he expresses.

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” she replies shortly.

He looks at her with red eyes, his lips trembling, wretched. He takes the cushion near him, hugs it and buries his face in it. His shoulders are shaking, but she can't think of any words of consolation. After careful thinking, she opens her mouths to offer some consolation, but is cut off by the sound of Daehyun's phone ringing. He checks his phone, looks at the ID but throws his phone on the couch. The phone bounces off, and it lands on the ground. If not for the thick carpet, his phone might break into pieces. 

"Yah!" she hits the back of his head. 

"Ouch! Why on earth did you hit me?"

"I know that you're sad, but it's not a reason to throw away your phone like that. Do you know how expensive that thing is?"

Daehyun just disregard her by saying, "I just don't feel like answering the phone."

"Who is it?"

"No one important," he slowly reaches for his phone, worried she might check the missed call.

The doorbell suddenly rings, followed by a series of knocks. Since Daehyun looks like he doesn't want to move, she has no choice but to get up and check the monitor. Yongguk's sharp face fills the screen, and occasionally he will glance at the camera, seemingly edgy about something. She’s intrigued by why Yongguk came again after being chased out countless times, so she just decides to open the door. Plus, she’s starting to feel culpable; is this the way she’s supposed to treat a doctor that has been so benevolent to her the past months?

She doesn’t have time to ask what he’s doing her when she opens the door, because he basically swoops her in and picks her up. He carries her bridal style; she’s bemused by his brave action and tries to struggle free. “Put me down!”

“If I put you down, you’ll run away from me for sure, so just stay still.”

“I said, put me down!”

“I’m not going to let you stay in a man’s house anymore. Yesterday was an exception but I won’t tolerate it now. You’re coming with me and you’re staying at my family’s house.”

They’re in front of the lift at the moment, with Yongguk still carrying her. She stops fighting back, and instead she just scowls at him. She feels helpless in that position, and she’s starting to get embarrassed from his actions.

“Oppa… you- you- can put me down now. I promise I won’t run away,” she assures him, but she doesn’t look at him. She feels flustered and her cheeks are getting hotter by the second. This is the closest she has ever got to a guy, and it’s making her feel uneasy. He unwillingly sets her down, and she scurries away from him. Yongguk, having expected this to happen, reaches out and succeeds in clutching her wrist. He turns her around, and pulls her closer to him. He embraces her tightly and she doesn’t fight back.

Yongguk wraps his arms around her, securing her. “Please don’t run away,” he muffles into her hair.

“I… I won’t, I’m sorry…”

Daehyun is standing a few meters away from them; he was just about to chase after Yongguk after hearing the commotion. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the two people hugging each other. He is disillusioned when Jiyoon doesn’t even push herself away.

He can’t seem to fathom his own feelings when he sees Yongguk and Jiyoon getting closer to each other, lost in each other’s embrace…