"Do you like her?"

Jiyong didn't respond. He walked quickly, trying to lose Changmin and Kyuhyun, who were tailing right behind him. He pulled out his hotel key and opened the door. Once he stepped inside, the first thing he began to do was pack his bags. Changmin and Kyuhyun stared at him, but blocked the door incase Jiyong decided to run out.

"Jiyong, listen to me," Changmin repeated. "Do you like that girl?"

"I don't know," he finally responded. He raised his head up for a brief moment. "Does it matter?"

Did it matter? Changmin couldn't believe that he was saying such a thing. "Of course it matters! If you like her, then what about your—"

Jiyong shot him a quickly glare, threatening him not to finish his sentence. The two knew very well where this was going, and just one look from Jiyong made Changmin shut his mouth in respect. Jiyong resumed looking down at his bag and continued packing.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Jiyong muttered under his breath.

"Because you knew this was going to happen?" Changmin asked. Jiyong shot him another glare. "So I'm right?"

"What I can't believe is that you chose that shorty over a goddess of beauty," Kyuhyun exaggerated.

"He's a complicated guy, Kyuhyun," Changmin told him.

"I'm not!" Jiyong exclaimed.

"Then do you like her?"

"I…" Jiyong bit his bottom lip. "I don't know…"

Changmin threw his hands in the air. "Oh boy! That 'I don't know' excuse! Come on, Jiyong. Be real. You know."

Jiyong exhaled loudly and closed his eyes. He stopped packing and looked down at his hands. Then, he swung his head over to Changmin's side.

"I don't know," Jiyong repeated dumbly.

Changmin gritted his teeth, but Kyuhyun stopped him. He glanced at Jiyong while putting his hand on Changmin's shoulder to prevent him from throwing a punch.

"Okay, then," Kyuhyun said slowly. "What do you know?"

Jiyong gulped, and looked out the window. "All I know is that I'm screwed."

* * *

What was that?

The question ran through Jiho's mind. Anyone—even a fool—could tell that something was up. However, Jiho wasn't able to exactly point out the problem. All he knew was that something happened between Jiyong and Jieun, and that it wasn't good. It was very bad—

"Does this mean Jiyong likes me?" Jieun asked, her eyes full of hope.

Minah looked at Jiho and bit her bottom lip. "Let's talk about this somewhere else—"

"No," Jiho said quickly, stopping the two girls from entering their room. "I want to talk about this, too."

"But you won't understand," Jieun said. "It's a girl's topic."

His heart sank. Jieun was pushing him away. He didn't like it.

"You'll be talking about love, right?" Jiho asked. "Then let me listen. I can handle it."

"No," Minah said, "you can't handle it. You can't."

She gave him what looked like a glare, but Jiho clearly understood that she was warning him to stay back. She knew something more about the situation than him, and that only frustrated him more. Why were they suddenly keeping everything in secrecy?

Or had they been doing that since the beginning?

"Sorry, Jiho. Maybe next time?" Jieun said, giving him a faint smile. She walked away, closing the door behind her after Minah went inside.

Jiho stared at the door for a long time. He stood there, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what was going on.

Damn it! he cursed. He turned, and headed to the elevator. If the girls were going to shut him out, then he had no choice but to go ask the other party what was going on.

But when he looked out the window, he realized how dark it was getting. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tired. The commotion had stirred him up so much, it had caused him to feel drowsy.

I'll ask tomorrow, he decided, heading to his room.

* * *

That night, when Jiyong fell asleep at the hotel room (Changmin and Kyuhyun convinced him to stay for the last day), he had a dream. He was holding hands with Jieun, who kept smiling and blushing just by looking at him. He thought that she was cute, so he reached over to touch her hair. However, when he touched a strand of her hair, he was falling down until he pushed Jieun down to a bed. She was looking at him with firm eyes. The look of innocence faded as she pulled him closer to her.

"You love me," she had whispered seductively. Her red lips taunted him, daring him to come closer for a heated kiss. The same summer heat had had felt when he was conscious swept in, and soon he found himself bare-chested. Jieun finally pushed herself up, gently pressing Jiyong down to be on the bottom. Her lips trailed down his cheek to his neck, and he shivered. 

But when she hovered over his face, her face had changed. She was a completely different person, but it was a woman that Jiyong knew. The next thing Jiyong remembered was an old memory he had buried long before he had came to the small town. He found himself standing in a classroom while two people—two people he was damn familiar with—kiss in such a passionate way that it broke his heart. The girl who kissing the man glanced over to Jiyong, as if she was the only one who could see him.

"You love me," the woman murmured.

When the dream ended, Jiyong woke up with cold sweat trickling down his neck. He was panting hard; the pain in his chest caused his heart to pump loudly. He suddenly wasn't able to breathe calmly. His breaths were short and he kept looking around the room, finding something that would get rid of the annoying sound of his heart pounding against his chest.

Cigarette, he chanted in his head. He went over to the counter and took a cigarette from the pack. He quickly reached for his lighter and headed out into the balcony.

When he stepped outside, he felt the cool morning breeze brush against his bare skin. The sand grazed against his hair as the salty scene of the sea woke up him up. As he placed the cigarette between his lips, he calmly gazed at the dark scenery in front of him.

When did I become like this? he wondered to himself. He pinched himself, hoping that he was living a dream instead of reality. He sighed when he knew that he wasn't dreaming. When did I get too careless?

He was very careless. He let Changmin find him when he swore that no one else should find him, and he let Jieun trip him up. He let the kids run loose and happy, and in exchange for that, he had to face the consequences. He wasn't supposed to be involved with anyone. He was supposed to live quietly, alone, secluded in his own world. 

If I didn't save Jieun, Jiyong thought, then I would be living a normal life.

He felt his stomach churn at such a cruel thought. He almost regretted saving Jieun that night. Sure, he had helped her out, but he was beginning to wonder if it was okay for him to take her to his house. If he had saved her and left her in the snow, would things have changed for his own benefit?

And the age, he added. There's a five year age difference between me and her, and she's still a high school student.

If anything, he knew that their relationship wouldn't work. He'd have to wait for her to grow up a couple of years until they got serious. Even if they did get into a relationship, he wouldn't be serious about it. He probably would never be serious.

He rubbed his ring finger as he let out a puff of smoke. He looked down at his hands, with the cigarette hanging between his index finger and his middle finger. He gently closed his eyes and listened to the waves crashing against the land. It was like hearing his mind break down his thoughts to make things simpler for him; it was helping him clear his mind while he smoked to calm himself down.

When he opened his eyes, the sun was peaking through the horizon. Morning was coming, and everyone would wake up soon. He figured that Changmin would come and pick him up, but he wasn't sure what the kids would be doing. Would the kids be joining him today on whatever activity Changmin had prepared? He hoped not.

Let's just get ready for the day, Jiyong told himself, extinguishing the flame, and hope for the best.

He inhaled through his nose, then stepped inside the room to get ready for another long day at the beach.

* * *

As he had expected, it was awkward when Jiyong met the three again. Jiho was glaring him, but he looked at the adult as if he had lots of questions to ask. Minah was constantly observing Jiho, checking to see if he was okay. On the other hand, Jieun was looking at Jiyong, hoping that he would say something.

Changmin nudged his elbow on Jiyong's rib. "Whatever you do, be cool."

"Jiyong's always cool," Kyuhyun said. He bit his tongue. "Well, until last night, that is."

Jiyong shot the two a glare. "You guys sound like a bunch of high school kids."

"Maybe it's because you've been surrounded by high school kids," Changmin commented. He exchanged chuckles with Kyuhyun, leaving Jiyong clueless of what to do.

"Remember," Minah whispered to Jieun, "do not mention anything about last night to Jiyong yet."

"When do I talk about it?" Jieun asked her.

"A little later. When the timing is right."

She frowned. "But I don't know when the timing is right."

"Sure you do," Minah said. "Didn't you get Jiyong to kiss you? If you got him to do something like that, then I'm sure you have a good sense of timing."

Jieun blushed, but she didn't say anything else. Minah turned to Jiho, checking to see if he had heard anything. When she confirmed that he wasn't listening to them, she let out a sigh of relief and took the first step. She approached the adults, but she only focused her attention on Changmin.

"Today is the last day for this beach vacation, right?" Minah asked. She smiled. "Lots of things happened, right?"

"Yep, lots of things have happened," Changmin agreed. "Since it's our last day, do you have anything you want to do?"

"Nothing in particular." Minah turned to Jiho and Jieun. "You guys want to do something?"

"Yeah," Jiho answered. His eyes were still on Jiyong. "I want to talk to him."

"Alone or with us?"

"Either way works," Jiho asked. "It's about last night, anyway."

Jiyong stiffened while Jieun turned red. Minah groaned, disappointed about how Jiho couldn't read the mood. Changmin cleared his throat.

"Well, that all depends if Jiyong wants to comment," Changmin said quietly.

Jiyong pressed his lips together. He tried to think of what to tell Jiho. He was aware that Jiho had feelings for Jieun, but he wasn't exactly sure how devoted he was. Either way, he was talking to boy in love, and he had to be careful with his words in order for Jiho not to feel hurt.

"Last night I reached for a bottle of wine and I slipped while I was reaching for it," Jiyong lied. He faked a smile at Jiho. "What? Did you think there was something else to it?"

Changmin and Minah dropped their shoulders, disappointed with his response. Kyuhyun remained calm, slowly nodding his head as if he thought Jiyong's response was understandable. Jieun looked down at the ground and began to sulk, while Jiho still kept his eyes on Jiyong.

The little boy knew that Jiyong was lying. He just wasn't sure how to get the older man to tell the truth.

"Actually," Jiyong said, noticing that Jiho was still suspicious over him, "I kind of wanted to talk about this in private with Jieun."

Everyone looked at him with surprise. They didn't expect Jiyong to wrap this up so quickly.

Jieun felt her heart race. Anxiety took over her. If he was giving her some kind of response this quickly, it only meant one thing: she was getting rejected.

She no longer wanted to talk to Jiyong. She just wanted to keep things as how it was right now. She opened to speak, to tell him that there was really nothing to talk about. However, Jiyong gave her those eyes—those charming, daunting eyes—that made her heart weak and her knees buckle.

"Do you mind if we talk right now?" Jiyong asked. He pointed out the hotel door. "We can go for a walk."

"Y-Yes," she blurted subconsciously.

"Jieun, what are you doing?" Minah hissed.

"I-I don't know," Jieun replied honestly.

"Can we follow?" Jiho persisted.

"No," Jiyong responded. He gave Jiho another fake, large smile. "I don't think there's a need for you to worry about something like this, right? It's my business along with Jieun's. No need to be so involved."

Jiho wanted to punch Jiyong's fake. He watched Jieun slowly walk over to Jiyong's side. The two finally left the lobby, leaving the other group alone. After a few minutes, Changmin began walking to the entrance.

"I want to follow him!" Changmin exclaimed.

"Same," Minah and Jiho said in unison. Minah looked at Jiho with her eyebrows raised, but Jiho stormed next to Changmin.

"Hold it," Kyuhyun said, pulling the three away from the door. "Leave those two alone. Besides, Jiyong will notice if you follow them."

Changmin pouted. "But that little girl is taking up my hang-out time with Jiyong…"

"Hang out with him later," the assistant told him. "Besides, I'm sure you'd like to give these youngsters a tour to your building, right?"

"But I was going to do that with Jiyong later—"

"Do it now and get over it. You have a meeting later, anyway," Kyuhyun said. forcing the three to take the limousine to Changmin's office.

* * *

In all honesty, Jiyong was expecting the group to follow behind them. However, they didn't follow him, and that only made the situation more awkward for the two. They were walking along the shore, keeping quiet and listening to the summer breeze along with the waves. The walk was quite pleasant, but they knew that it would be even better if they tried to talk.

As the two continued walking, Jieun glanced at him. She saw his hand swing next to his side, and she wanted to test something. Slyly, she reached over to grab his hands. Before she got the chance to touch his fingers, he had already retreated as if he sensed her presence. He stared at her with wide eyes, watching her pose awkwardly.

"What were you trying to do?" Jiyong asked sternly.

"I… I was trying to hold your hand…?" Jieun answered.

"Let's not," he said. 

She pouted. "Why not?"

"Because."

"Because?"

"Just because."

She frowned. "Is it because I'm a kid? I don't see the problem with holding hands if I'm just a kid in your eyes."

"No, it's not—Well…" His voice faded and he looked away. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. If it was just holding hands as friends or as close siblings, it shouldn't matter. It would probably be awkward, but it still wouldn't matter if it wasn't done in a romantic purpose.

"Jiyong, do you like me?" Jieun asked quietly. Her whole face was red, but her brown orbs were glued to his back.

He finally turned to face her, startling her. "I can't exactly say that."

"Why?" She held her breath. "Do you hate me?"

"No, I don't," he admitted. "But I can't like you."

"Because I'm too young?"

"That's one of the bigger reasons," Jiyong said.

She dropped her shoulders. "Isn't age just a number…?"

"It's not," he said, causing her to feel dejected. He sighed. "Look, Jieun. You're a great girl, but shouldn't you hang with someone around your age?"

"But I like you," Jieun confessed quietly.

"Maybe you're just confused. You're probably confusing yourself with gratitude and love. I mean, it makes sense to love someone who helped you out," Jiyong reasoned.

"But it's not like that," she said, shaking her head. "I've had other people help me out, but I still like you more than him!"

Oh. Jiyong was slowly beginning to realize that Jieun saw Jiho as her savior as well, but she didn't have any romantic feelings for him. Tough luck, Jiho.

"Well, there's that situation with Chanyeol, too. I heard that you two didn't officially break up," Jiyong pointed out.

Jieun grimaced. "I'm trying. I just need a little more time…"

"I'm sure you need time, but I still think you should be around people your age," Jiyong said. "It's for the best."

She wanted to cry, but she didn't want to cry in front of him. She wished that he would directly tell her that she was being rejected. She didn't like how he was indirectly rejecting her, how he was giving her alternatives. It hurt more to hear that he was helping her find different ways to love when she was trying to tell him that there was only one way for her to love right now.

Jiyong looked at her for a long time. He knew that she was going to cry. He wasn't sure what to do, though. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He was trying to make it easy for her, and he was hoping that she would listen to his reasons. There was just too much to risk if he got into a relationship with her right now.

He looked up at the sky. He was beginning to feel bad. Guilt was overtaking his true intentions. He was starting to think about backing down, to give her a chance. However, he knew that there were more consequences if he decided to date her. She was a high school girl, and things would go for the worst if people found out that she was dating an adult, especially one who didn't have a good income.

He inhaled through his nose and exhaled loudly. He looked down at the sand, then clenched his hands together.

For the moment, he thought, just to ease her pain, I can do this…

"Jieun."

Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at him, her eyes shimmering under the light. But when she saw his serious expression, her heart dropped as if she knew what was coming.

"Y-Yes?" she managed to stutter.

"Look," he started slowly, "I think you need to date guys around your age. Okay, yes. We kissed." Her heart skipped another beat. "However, you kissed Chanyeol, too, right? It's just the same. It's just a kiss."

She looked up at him, hurt written all over her expression. "But it wasn't just a kiss to m—"

"However," he quickly interrupted, "if you really think that I'm the one, then I'm asking you to wait until you're at the right age."

She stopped frowning and tilted her head a bit. "What do you mean?"

"If you're serious and if nothing happens to me, then I'm willing to give you a chance," Jiyong declared boldly. "I'll start dating you when you're twenty years old."

She dropped her jaws and began counting with her fingers. "That's three years away!"

"Yep. In three years, you'll be twenty and I'll be twenty-five." He patted her head and gave her a weak smile. "So, can you wait for three years or do you want to move on with another guy?"

Three freaking years. She wasn't sure what Jiyong wanted from her. Did he want her to give up? If he did, then he would've flat-out rejected her. It didn't seem as if he was telling to give up on her feelings. Rather, it felt like he was testing her, trying to see if she really did love him.

I'll have to keep my feelings buried in for three years, she realized. She could only imagine the pain she would feel throughout those three years: the pain of loving him, the pain of watching him, and the pain of waiting for him. But if I love him, I should be able to handle this, right?

"Three years, right?" Jieun asked softly.

"Three years if nothing goes wrong," Jiyong repeated, nodding his head.

She took a deep breath. Then, with a solemn look, she nodded her head. Her eyes were full of determination, as if she knew what kind of obstacles she would have to face.

"Okay, got it. I'll wait three years before we official date," Jieun promised. Jiyong smirked, and the two locked pinkies. 

Little did they know, the promise would be broken. At the moment they exchanged their words for keeping the promise, fate had rewritten their destiny into a split road.

They had forgotten that they were living in a complicated world, and in this world, life always goes wrong—especially with careless promises.