Oh no. This cannot be happening. This doesn’t look right, he can’t see me like this.

     Panic struck as you noticed Sungyeol in your vision’s periphery. He must have gotten out of work early, but why? Junsu continued to chat with you, oblivious to your sudden change of expression. He paused mid-sentence and you felt Sungyeol’s presence right beside you.
     “Who’s this?” asked Sungyeol in a deep voice. You swallowed.
     “Sungyeol! What a pleasant surprise,” you said, trying to prevent him from assuming the worst. “This is Junsu, he’s an old friend of mine.” Junsu looked him up and down. “We were best friends growing up, before he and his mother moved to Yeoju.”
     “Do you take me for a fool?” asked Sungyeol, his voice sounding scarier by the moment.
     “No, it’s—”
     “And you, what are you doing with her? Huh?” shouted Sungyeol, “Old friends? Are you sure you’re not just trying to get in her—”
     “Sungyeol, wait!” you cried.
     “Let me handle this,” Junsu intervened calmly as he stood up. He outstretched his hand to Sungyeol. “I’m Jung Junsu. It’s a pleasure meeting you, I’ve heard so much about—”

     You gasped as Sungyeol punched Junsu square in the jaw. Junsu stumbled over his chair and fell to the ground, attracting the attention of nearby customers. The waitresses looked over, too shocked to ask any of you to leave. People passing by on the street began to walk quicker.
     “Sungyeol, stop!” you begged. “Don’t hurt him!”
     “Don’t hurt him?” he shouted, “Why shouldn’t I hurt him? He’s already hurt me!”
     “Sungyeol, please, it’s not what you think. I’m telling the truth, we really are just friends!” you explained as you broke into tears. Sungyeol was looming over Junsu, waiting for him to get up so he could strike another punch. “Please don’t hurt him again,” you cried.
     Junsu pressed the back of his hand against his lip and looked up at Sungyeol. He didn’t dare get up, knowing what would happen if he did.
     “Dude, she’s telling the truth.” he spat. “She’s not cheating on you or anything.”
     “Oh yeah? And why should I believe you?” asked Sungyeol.
     “Because she’s really, really into you. Believe me. You’re a lucky guy.”
     “Then how do you explain the roses?” he asked, nodding at the bouquet.
     “Those were for you,” you explained to Sungyeol, voice shaking. “I bought them on my way back from the supermarket. I was going to make us a fancy dinner in celebration of… Your meeting…” You wondered how it went, but didn’t ask.
     At this point, the people who were watching whispered amongst themselves.
     “There’s no way he can believe that lie! What a load of crap.”
     “Poor guy, he didn’t even see it coming… Ouch.”
     “I feel like I’m watching a soap opera!”
    Sungyeol was breathing heavily now, too enraged to know who to believe. All he could think about was how much he wanted to pulverize the guy for stealing you away from him. That guy must be the reason why you’ve been acting so distant lately. There was no other explanation.
     “Sungyeol, she’s telling the truth,” said Junsu, now brave enough to get back on his feet. He wiped the blood off his lips and dusted off his clothes. “I just bumped into her today, she didn’t even know I was in town.”
     “Yeah? And were you planning on dropping by, had you not bumped into her?” Sungyeol accused.

     “Um, Sir?” one of the waitresses piped up from a few tables away. “Please, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave. You’re frightening our customers.”
     Sungyeol said nothing as he looked back at you and Junsu. He waited for an answer, but neither of you spoke up. Feeling hopeless, pathetic, and betrayed, he turned to leave.
     “Sungyeol, please wait!” you called, catching up to him.
     “Don’t come home.” he muttered, looking you dead in the eye. He pushed past you, but was stopped by Junsu’s hand on his shoulder.
     “Don’t talk to her like that,” threatened Junsu.

     The thought of having a guy like Junsu tell Sungyeol what to do made Sungyeol’s blood boil. He balled his hand into a fist, ready to punch, when he was stopped yet again. This time, you had wrapped your arms around his waist from behind, pulling him back as hard as you could.
     “Let go of me!” he shouted.
     “I won’t!” you sobbed. You couldn’t let Junsu get hurt again, and you couldn’t let Sungyeol cause any more damage. You felt like it was your fault for not being aware of your surroundings, so you did what you could to stop things from falling apart further.
     “Please, listen to me Sungyeol. Junsu wouldn’t hurt a fly, and he certainly wouldn’t hurt you or me! Why won’t you trust me? When have I ever given you reason not to trust me?”
     Sungyeol quit pulling away from you and let his arms relax. Junsu watched the two of you with clear concern on his face. Sungyeol didn’t mean for things to get this way. He lost control, he let his insecurities and fears take over him.
     “Okay,” Sungyeol said quietly, “Okay. I believe you. I trust you.”
     You loosened your grip around Sungyeol and his shoulders dropped. He had finally calmed down enough that you didn’t feel worried for Junsu’s sake anymore.
     “I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances,” said Junsu. “I’d say the three of us should meet up for coffee sometime, but it looks like you two have some things to work out.”
     Junsu gave you a worried look, but you nodded to assure him that you’d be okay. He left without saying good bye, leaving you and Sungyeol to work things out on your own.