JESSICA'S POV

A stare off unfolded in front of me. I can feel the intensity released by both their eyes, it's like an invisible electric wave. It feels like a brawl is going to happen next.

Fortunately, it didn't happen. Thanks to Teuk's comedic comment, the atmosphere lightened and the gane proceeded.

"Truth or Dare?", Hae asked. It seeks like there's a hidden meaning behin sb that simple question, but I may just be over-analyzing the situation.

"Truth.", Taec said without breaking their locked gaze.

A smirk formed in Hae's lips, a very mocking smirk if I may say. I saw him mouth a word, but I can't really lipread it.

"Do you really like Jessica or is it just because of something... hmm, let's just say.. a bet?", still with a solid stare, he asked with much weight.

Taec seemed to have been taken aback by the sudden question. Even I was shocked.

Suddenly, I felt pissed off. I felt like it was an irrational thing to ask. Where could he have picked up such baseless accusation? Doesn't he know that it was an offensive question?

I wasn't able to hold my anger much further, so I bursted out.

"What kind of insignificant question is that? You're so insensitive, you know that?"

My sudden outburst shocked everyone twofolds. I don't know why I reacted that way, but I don't care.

Out of frustration, my tears just streamed out of my eyes, down to my cheeks and I let it fall on the ground. I'm mad, confused and frustrated, all emotions bottled up inside of me.

Everyone gave me a concerned look, and tried to approach me, but I waved them off. "Why are all of you like this to me? Just when I found a guy who truly appreciates me, you all go against him. Can't you just let me be? I know I've been hurt before and I've acted immature after, but don't you think I've already learned from it? You're just concerned, I know that, and I appreciate that a lot believe me, but I'm already a grown woman who is now willing to take the risk of finding someone who's for keeps and let go of those who aren't."

I continued crying, harder in fact. It was like I was a bottle of soda that was shook and opened, everything just came bursting out.

Despite the nearly-harsh words I've said, the girls still managed to cuddle me in their arms and tried to soothe away the wreckedness I was in. It didn't stop me from crying, but it helped my emotions stabilize.

The boys, I know, were in an awkward situation. They looked helpless, unable to decide what to do, so they just sat there and looked at me with pitiful eyes, especially Hae. Not exactly the expression I wanted to see at the moment.

The whole room turned silent as everyone awaited for my tears to stop falling. However, even before I control my tear ducts, another hurtful statement made its way to my heart and came stabbing it.

"I don't know if you'd be able to forgive me after this, but, I'd like to truthfully answer Donghae's question.

Yes. I courted Jessica because of a bet I made with a friend of mine. Actually, I didn't know him that well, but he said it'd be worth betting for. If he loses, he'd give me all the numbers of the girls inside the club. If I lose, I'd have to act like I was madly into you and court you until you completely fall for me, and he'd give me the signal as to when I'm supposed to leave you. Obviously, I lost.

But after everything you've said, my conscience couldn't take fooling you much longer. A girl like you, you should never be treated like this. I'm sorry for what I have done, I'm not asking for your forgiveness because I know it'd be hard to give right now, but I hope the time would come that you'd be able to forgive me. And maybe, you'd appreciate what I have done, 'cause me? I now understood the real purpose of this bet. I'm leaving it to you to find out.", he came close to me, wiped me tears and kissed my forehead.

"I hope you realize what I have just realized. If you do, you can embrace full happiness. Sweet Jessica, be happy. You deserve to be.", he said and stood, making his way out of the door.

One step before he's able to leave the house, Hae grabbed his collar. "How dare you?!"

Taec only gave him a smirk and whispered something, leaving Hae frozen. He grabbed the opportunity to finally make his exit. But before disappearing from my sight, he gave me a very sincere smile, and in return,  I smiled back. I wouldn't deny the fact that what he did hurt me, but I still trust him when he said that he did it for a reason he just later on realized.

Everyone wasn't able to react to the situation immediately. When I looked at them, they were all staring at the closed door where Taec has exited. Then a few seconds after, they turned their gaze on me.

Their expressions were so full of uncertainty. They looked like they were still thinking of the right thing to say for the moment, still thinking of the right gestures.

I lowered my head, unable to look at them directly in their eyes, "I'm sorry for what I have said. I'm sorry for ever doubting you guys when all this time, you were just trying to protect me."

Again, they all came to me and hugged me.

"Let's just forget it okay? ", said Taeyeon.

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement and smiled at me.

"You just stay here, okay? We know you're tired and all, so we'll just go upstairs and fix the rooms.", Yuri said.

The boys volunteered to help and went upstairs....

Except one.

I was about to turn my back and also go up, but I felt his strong yet gentle grip on my wrist.

"Wait.", he said.

I tried to shake my hands free from his hold, but I wasn't strong enough to do so. So instead, I said,

"Let go of me. You're hurting me.", even though I wasn't actually feeling any physical pain, just emotional ones.

I saw in his eyes an apologetic look. I grabbed the opportunity to increase the distance between us. However, he was persistent, he kept on coming closer to me, making me more frustrated. Who would have thought this night would turn out like this? One moment, we were enjoying, me and Taec, and another, it all came crashing down.

Another set of  revelation, and I would probably shut down. Information overload if you may say-- not just in my brain, but also in my heart.

I don't think I deserve to be treated this way, to be played with like this. I haven't done wrong to someone to deserve this. I did my best not to have enemies (well that excludes Yoona), but why? Of all people, why me?

Wasn't my first heartbreak enough? My heart has been damaged so bad already. Just when I was starting to heal, pain made a u-turn and crashed into me again.

I ran into the kitchen, totally increasing the distance between the two of us. I leaned on the counter, losing all my sense of balance and strength --letting myself collapse.

I heard his footsteps coming in my direction. I no longer have the energy to resist nor shoo whoever that is away.

I'm wishing that I'd be able to turn myself dumb and deaf to whatever he or she is going to do or say. I don't want to hear anything, I no longer want to feeo anything.

My impulsive mind is going suicidal again, but my conscious mind is taking over, telling me that ending my life wouldn't be a  plausible thing to do.

I remember what my uncle told me when I was a child, "Life only gives us challenges that we can learn and gain strength from. Consider these challenges as walls, evey wall are destructible, no matter how strong they say a wall is, it always has a weak spot you can take advantage of. So remember, princess, giving up shouldn't be an option."

I felt a pair of hand envelope mine. That mere touch gave me an unexplainable feeling that is so close to comfort.

I looked up, only to see a teary-eyed guy looking back at me. Right then and there, I felt my heart soften at the view of Hae.

"I'm sorry.", he kept on repeating as tears stream down his face.

I'm split into two emotions-- anger and sympathy. You couldn't take the part of me that is angry, after all that I've been through, I have every right to be.  However, despite the rage, my heart melts at the view of this guy in front of me.

My heart might be broken, but at least, I still have one.

I thought I no longer had enough tears to let out, but I proved myself wrong when I started to cry with.  Like a sorrowful melody, we sobbed together, letting out the negative emotions bottled in.  Like a soda drink that has been shook, the pressure and frustration inside us just exploded.

He kept on crying, while I already took control of my tears. His cries seemed to have no end. He placed his head on top on my hands which were still held by his hands, only this time, his grip loosend.

The rest of our friends haven't come down yet. Maybe this is their plan all along. Or maybe they just felt the need to not come back. But I'm thankful. I'll grab this oppurtnity to clear things up with Hae, and possibly, end my lousy day dream about finding true love with him.

"I'm sorry. ", he kept on repeating. "I don't know why you suddenly turned cold towards me. I don't know why you suddenly had someone beside you when days before I thought you had the same feelings as me. One moment, I thoght I had you, the other, I already lost you. I thought ruining the thing you had with that guy would give me the chance to have you back again, but it only made it worse. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry. I'm sorry for being clueless. I'm sorry for being a jerk. I'm sorry for everything."

I was lost for words.

"F-feelings? W-what feelings?", I struggled to find the words to say.

"Maybe because you suddenly left that time that you didn't hear my confession or permission. I was about to confess to you at that time, I like you Jess, and ask your friends' permission if I could court you, but you left. You didn't let me finish. And then the next day, I saw you riding that guy's car and acting like I didn't exist."

"Y-you like me? Like? Me? As in me?", I said, pointing to myself.

"Yes. Of course you. No one else but you.", he tugged me closer.

I was dumbfounded for quite some time-- my brain still buffering, still trying to process the statement that left his mouth. I was hoping and dreaming that this day would come, already planned what to do next, but why is it that when it actually happened, it felt like I suddenly had a mental block?

Unable to think other ways to respond, I hugged him. It didn't take long for me to feel him embracing me back. It felt like I yearned for this, for my body suddenly showed signs of satisfaction.

"You don't know how much discipline I had to put myself into just to stop myself from hugging you these past few days. I don't want to let go, please don't let go.", he said while he burried his face in my hair.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I'm sorry if I made you feel sorry because of my mistakes. I'm sorry of I made you feel like trash, just easily thrown.", I said, feeling so much guilt.

"Shh. Don't say sorry. I'm the man here, I should be the one feeling that. That sounded ist, but that's just what I could think of.", he ended with a little giggle.

"No. Let me have a share of the apologetic feeling. I deserve to. I put you aside, when the truth of the matter is....

I also like you."

I heard gasps from what seemed to be a number of people. I guess I wasn't the only one who heard it because I felt Hae chuckle. "Let them be please. Allow me to treasure this moment if you may. Just stay like this with me.. forever."

I gave off a soft chuckle and a tiny nod in response.

No matter how much they tried to make their way up of the stairs as soundless as possible, it was still to no avail. But I granted his request and just didn't mind them.

"Just to let you know, I don't see you as an easy girl, so if you may allow me to do so, can I court you? I'm willing to wait for the time when the both of us can say that our feelings for one another is no longer just a mere crush or attraction-- that time when the both of us can say that it's already love.", he said as he tightened his embrace.

"Of course.", I said as I looked up. "I'd be really stupid if I rejected you. Just promise me one thing... you're never going to hurt me the same way the past guys in my life had."

"I promise."

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Here it is. Sorry if it took long for me to update. I hope you would understand.

To my new followers and readers, don't be shy to leave some comments. And I would gladly recommend you to vote, not only this chapter, but also the past ones. It inspires me to update the soonest time possible.

Much love,

DM.