Chapter 57

Yeojin talked less on the way home, sighed every now and then and slumped her shoulders.

Something must have happened to upset her like this, Kris noted. He tried to ask her, but she said she was okay. When they arrived home, Yeojin busied herself with the final paper right after taking a shower. Kris could only let it go for now and worked on his own project.

The presentation of the hotel project with Suho and Luhan was coming up and he still had to figure out who helped Park Changsun with the Sehun-Yeojin incident at the hotel last month. He really had a lot in his hands right now; it stressed him. He wished he could just go on a holiday and take Yeojin with him. However, they wouldn't have a peaceful holiday if the problem with Park Changsun were still not resolved.

It was almost 7 when Yeojin came to his work corner. "I'm gonna step outside for a bit. I need to buy more snacks too."

Kris looked up from his laptop. "Do you want me to go with you?" He offered.

"Nah, it's okay. I'll just go to the usual convenience store." She gave him a small smile and walked to the door. "I just need some fresh air and more snacks," she told him while taking her coat off the hanger near the door and putting it on. "It won't take long." Having put on her shoes, she stood up and opened the door.

"Aright." Kris nodded and smiled when she waved and closed the door behind her.

He then focused back on his work when he noticed his phone lighting up with a message notification.

Suho [19.15]: We have a lead on who was helping Changsun.

Putting his phone down, he leaned back on his chair and momentarily closed his eyes with a sigh to flush out the stress. He then stared at the screen of his laptop before closing it with another sigh.

Yeojin stopped dead when she exited her house.

"Sehun?"

The guy who was about to put on his helmet paused and turned to her.

Yeojin blinked several times. "Why are you here?"

Deciding to unmount his bike, Sehun replied coldly, "I just want to tell you to stop approaching me at school."

Yeojin gulped. There was a slight twist in her heart.

"You wanted to talk to me because you feel guilty don't you?" Sehun sounded so distant; Yeojin felt like she was staring at a stranger. "Don't be. I've known it all for a long time."

"What do you mean?" Yeojin knitted her brows.

He straightened up and softly sighed to the side. "I've found out you are Kris Wu's wife long before he announced it."

"What?" She asked in a hushed voice. Her finger twitched at her side as her lips parted and her eyes widened by a fraction. "You knew?" She swallowed the lump in , but only felt more constricted. "Then..." She briefly closed her eyes to get herself together. "Then why didn't you tell the whole school?" Biting down her lip, she gave him a hard stare. "Wasn't that what you wanted to do once you find out?"

"Yes. That was what I wanted." Sehun took a step toward her but remained keeping his distance. When he looked down at her, she could almost see his cold mask slipping away. "But I didn't... for the same reason I can't be friends with you."

Yeojin's gaze wavered and her lips quivered as she stared up at him. "Why?" Her voice came out above a whisper.

Sehun threw his head back to scoff. "Ya, Kwon Yeojin." He clicked his tongue. "Why are you playing dumb? You know my feelings for you. Do you really think it will be easy to be just friends with someone you love who also belongs to someone else?"

For a second, Yeojin swore her heart stopped beating. She curled her fingers letting them dig to her palms to contain the sudden surge of emotions inside her.

Sehun stepped back, shaking his head. Looking away from her, he ran a hand through his hair. "All these months you were with me-" He looked at her again "-have you ever had the slightest bit of feelings for me? Even just for a short moment, did you fall for me?"

The sudden questions took her aback. Yeojn parted her lips to answer but wasn't sure what to say. She could only stare at him in the eyes with her rounded ones. Tears were stinging the back of her eyes. For whatever reason, she just wanted to cry. The mixed emotions were just so overwhelming; yet, she held them all in and clenched her fists tighter.

Noting her silence, Sehun heaved a breath and softly scoffed to himself. "I was stupid to think you did, aren't I? Well then-" He bobbed his head and turned away walking to his motorbike.

Yeojin just watched him mount his bike, put on his helmet, and drive away. Once he was out of sight, the tears she had been holding in poured out and she broke down. "I have. I have fallen for you," her quivering voice finally admitted. Crouching in front of her house, she hugged her knees and hid her face while crying. But I love Kris too and I don't want to lose him.
 

Kris leaned back on the wall. 

He had run out of the house to catch up to Yeojin because he figured she actually needed someone right now and he could use some fresh air too. But before he opened the door on the wall surrounding their house, he heard Sehun's voice and he stopped. He heard Sehun's question but Yeojin didn't answer at all. Not until he heard the sound of his motorbike revving up and leaving.

"I have. I have fallen for you," he heard her sob.

Kris curled his hands into fists at his sides and squeezed his eyes shut. His heart was shattering hearing her sobs on the other side of the wall, but he thought it would be good to give her space and time to calm herself down. If he came out now, his presence might be too overwhelming for her. Thus, he just stood there against the wall silently listening to her cry and feeling himself slowly breaking down at the sound of her sobs.

Sehun slammed the door to his bedroom shut and leaned back against it. His heart was racing as if he had just run a distance. But it wasn't because of that. He was angry. Not at Yeojin. But at himself. Why did he have to stop in front of her house? If only he didn't meddle with her life from the start, maybe this heartache wouldn't exist. But if he didn't, maybe he would still be drowned in a former heartache.

His childish hatred towards Kris Wu and his inability to forget about his first love Emi who inflicted heartache on him was the start of it all. Yeojin just reminded him so much of the person he thought Emi was that he started disliking Yeojin for no reason but foolishly falling for her in the end. Just like how he foolishly fell for Emi back then.

The thought of Emi suddenly reminded him of something. He pushed himself off the door and opened the bottom drawer of his bedside table. The envelope Xiumin gave him lay inside. He had seen the content before: information on this man named Park Changsun who he was sure was Titan Wu's own Vice Chairman, pictures of Kris and Areum kissing at a bus stop, and pictures of Areum and his brother.

He didn't know what was going on between Kris and Areum, but it concerned him more that Xiumin had sold this information to this man. It didn't take a lot of turning of the wheels for Sehun to realize that this Park Changsun was trying to take down Kris. He could understand why he himself and Yeojin was set up; nonetheless, he didn't understand why his brother and Areum had to be dragged into this too (whatever her relationship with Kris was). Unless...

"Unless he wants to take down our family too," he spoke out his mind above a whisper.

Just then, someone knocked on his door and a moment later Luhan entered. "You okay, Hun? I heard you slamming your door earlier."

Sehun quickly put back the envelope inside his drawer. "I'm good." He turned to his brother who was standing at the door with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

"Alright." The older one shrugged. "Mom's calling you to go down for dinner."

Sehun rolled his eyes.

"Areum is here too."

Sehun paused. "She's here?"

Luhan nodded with a smile. "Come down when you're ready." He exited the room.

"Hyung!" Sehun called when Luhan was about to close the door.

"Hm?" Luhan popped his head in and raised his brows.

Sehun itched to take out the envelope and give it to his brother. His brother deserved to know what Areum had done with Kris.

"Lu, what's taking you so long?" came Areum's voice from downstairs.

Luhan looked back over his shoulder. "You miss me already? I'll be right down, angel!" He hollered then chuckled before turning back to Sehun. "So what did you want to say?"

Seeing the smile on Luhan's face, Sehun didn't want to be the one igniting a fight between the couple. He sighed and shook his head. "Nothing. I'll be right down. You go on ahead, Hyung."

"Ok."

Once Luhan left, Sehun plopped down on his bed and tousled his hair in frustration. He couldn't bring up Park Changsun to his brother without bringing up the pictures. Grunting, he stared at his closed drawer where the envelope was kept.

I'll have to confront Areum noona first and let her come clean to Hyung herself. He sighed.

He then buried his face in his palms. If he were thinking of himself, he would really like to show Yeojin the pictures and break the couple up. However, remembering the date printed on the photo, he recalled that it was around the time he had Yeojin cry on his shoulder. He guessed she cried because of it. If she knew about it but her relationship with Kris seemed to be doing fine now, then it could only mean the couple had cleared things up. Sehun realized showing the pictures to her wouldn't give him anything.

Besides, he thought, there were more important matters. Park Changsun and his schemes.

Raising his head from his hands, he stared at the drawer again. "I better give that to Kris."

Kris was setting the plates of double decker pancakes down on the counter just when Yeojin came back.

"I'm home."

"Hey." Kris grinned when she entered the kitchen with two plastic bags full of snacks. "Dinner is ready!"

Yeojin slightly frowned seeing the pancakes as she put the plastic bags on the counter. "Pancakes for dinner?" She raised a brow at him. "Why? And most importantly, why are you cooking?"

Kris smiled and in just two long steps had her enveloped in his embrace. "I'm sorry."

Pressed to his chest, Yeojin quietly asked, "For what?"

"Hmm..." He hummed and rested his chin on top of her head while thinking. "For being a lousy friend, boyfriend, and husband all together, I guess."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well... I must be lousy enough for you to not trust me with your concerns."

"What?" Yeojin pulled back her head and knitted her brows when she looked up at him who was softly smiling. She glanced at the pancake and pursed her lips. 

He flicked her forehead and she winced. "Do you think I don't know something has been bothering you the whole day?" Yeojin pouted while Kris continued, "But I know I lack a lot. And I don't blame you if you don't want to tell me your problems." He patted her head and smiled.

Yeojin sighed. "It's not that-" 

"Just know that I'm here." Letting out a short chuckle, he lightly pinched her nose. "Geez! You're really bad at hiding your emotions, you know?" He let her go from his embrace. "Now, let's eat. I'll get the drink for you." He turned around and stopped when a pair of arms suddenly circled his waist from behind. 

Yeojin pressed the side of her face on his back as she hugged him tighter. "Idiot! Why do you have to feel unnecessarily guilty? It's not that I don't trust you." She paused and Kris knew she was holding back her tears. "It's just that-" she cut off herself when a drop of tear escaped her eye. "It's just so stressful!" She hiccuped a sob squeezing her eyes shut.

Kris placed hand on her arm, gently caressing it with his thumb. "What is?"

"The final paper." She sniffed.

"Hmm." He hummed and nodded as he looked down at the arms holding him tight. "Anything else?"

Yeojin didn't answer for a moment. She rested her forehead on his back when she finally revealed with a soft sigh, "And Sunhee too."

Kris' eyes rounded by a fraction. "Sunhee? What about her?"

"She's been avoiding me."

"Why?"

"I don't really know."

He heaved a breath and patted her arm. "Anything else bothering you?" His heart suddenly felt a little heavy remembering her cry earlier outside the house.

Silence greeted him. Only soft sniffs from her could be heard. One of her hands clenched his shirt in a tight grip. Kris bit his tongue and briefly closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what he wanted to hear from her by asking the question. A part of him was glad she was opening up to him, but he didn't want to hear her cry because of another guy again. He didn't even want to hear Sehun's name at the moment, yet the name slip out of her tongue in a soft whisper in the end.

"Sehun...," she whispered while Kris bit the inside of his cheeks. He heard her took a long shaky breath before she admitted, "He's avoiding me too. And I don't like it."

Kris gulped the lump in his throat. It took him two seconds late to utter, "Ah..." He slowly nodded.

The pressure on his back was gone and the arms around his waist slipped away as Yeojin quickly moved to stand in front of him. Looking up at him, she wiped away her tears. "I-I-I mean- It's not that I want his attention- It's just that- I-" She stuttered. "I mean I just..." She huffed and lowered her gaze. "I just don't like it when people I know are getting away from me. I don't like that feeling of loss and being left behind," she sadly admitted almost crying again.

Kris smile sadly and pulled her into his arms again. "I know." He patted her head. "I'm sorry I can't be there for you at school. I'm sorry if I don't know how to cheer you up when you're troubled."

Yeojin hugged him back with a sigh. "You don't have to feel sorry for that. Just as long as I come home to you, I'll be okay. I'm sorry I made you worry. I just didn't want to stress you out with my worries." She tilted her head up to look at him. "You have a problem at the company to take care of."

"Even so-" Kris stared at her in the eyes; a hand cupped the side of her face "- I want you to tell me your problems too. You're my priority."

Yeojin finally managed a small smile before resting her head on his chest again. "I feel better now. Thanks."

"Say, should we go for a date this weekend?"

"This weekend?" She tilted her head up at him again.

"Yeah. Maybe Friday? I'll pick you up after school."

Yeojin smiled wider. "Sure."

"Alright." He then chuckled. "We should really eat now."

"Really though?" She raised a brow then glanced at the pancakes. "Pancakes for dinner?"

"I was feeling guilty. Pancakes usually worked on you," Kris defended.

"Still." Yeojin shrugged. "Pancakes for dinner?" She giggled and Kris rolled his eyes.