"Soojung! I need your help!" 

Soojung sighed as she tried to braid her tangle of brown locks, ignoring the intruder. Her eyes didn't so much as flinch as her fingers wove intricately. 

"Stop barging into my house!" she snapped, silently cursing as her braid went bumpy. 

"You wouldn't open your window, so I didn't have much of a choice." Jongin shrugged as he flopped onto Soojung's bed.

"Who let you in anyways?" she scowled as she watched Jongin spread his lanky body out over her tiny purple bed. The waistline of his Calvin Klein boxer shorts peeked out, his v-line clearly visible. Soojung huffed and continued to struggle with her hair.

"Your mom let me in. Don't blame me. You could've just opened your window, but no." 

Soojung gave up and tied her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck, tucking the stray pieces behind her ear. It was annoying to say the least. Jongin's house was right beside hers, their bedroom windows a few measly feet apart. When Jongin moved in next door when they were six, Soojung had greeted the sour faced boy and didn't think too much of him. Jongin eventually came out of his shell and came to pester her a lot. He would chase her with bugs, throw rocks at her window and tickle her until she cried. She said she hated him, but she secretly liked having a playmate. Sooyeon and her often fought and it was nice to have someone who didn't steal your favourite barrettes. Sometimes, they would open their windows and chat face to face about nothing in particular. He went to her house like it was nobody's business and she did the same. They fought and brawled like crazy, but were a lot closer than they were willing to admit. 

"Hey! Put that down!" Soojung shrieked as she looked over to see Jongin reaching under her pillow to pull out a leather notebook bound with a lock. It was old and dull from the years and the edges were fraying. 

"Wha-" 

Soojung lunged for the notebook, throwing herself at him. Laughing, Jongin played along, holding the notebook out of her reach as she pounced on top of him, reaching. In the spur of the moment, Soojung kneed him in the crotch painfully and swiped her notebook away. 

"You ..." Jongin hissed half heartedly. 

"It's your own fault for touching my stuff without permission." 

". That hurt. Is that your diary? It's not like I can read it. It's locked genius." 

"What do you want?" Soojung got up and stood over her bed, glaring down at Jongin. His brown hair was in complete disarray as he looked at her. 

"It's a little embarrassing to say." Jongin rubbed the back of his neck and sat up. 

"Jongin, I've seen you . What else could faze me at this point?" Soojung asked dryly, crossing her arms. 

"Er... I like someone. For real this time." Jongin said slowly, peering up at her reaction. 

Soojung raised an eyebrow quizzically, but maintaining her cool hard face. This was entirely new. Jongin was popular and he knew it. He had tons of girlfriends and was generally what her American friends called a "boy". 

"And what does that have to do with me?" Soojung asked briskly. 

"Well, you're a girl. I assume you know more about females and the way they think more than I do." Jongin shrugged. 

"Well? Who’s the poor soul whose going be receiving your disgusting love letters?" 

"Er, ah... It's...." Jongin fumbled with his fingers as his lips trembled to form a name. He whispered something incoherent. 

"Who?" Soojung bent down closer to hear. 

"She's... someone. She's... special. She really cute and I want to be with her all the time. She makes me want to protect her." Jongin said with a blush. 

Soojung bit her lip and turned away, pretending to suddenly be engrossed with organizing her desk. Jongin talking so delicately about another girl right in front of her was unbearable and she wanted to punch him for being so inconsiderate; but then again, Jongin had no idea how she felt about him. 

"How am I supposed to help with that? I don't even know who she is. She must have her own singular tastes." she shook her head in disbelief and pulled her sweater over her head. She felt her t-shirt ride up to her chest and was positive her red bra with white polka dots was on full display. 

Luckily, she didn't really care. 

"C'mon, Soojung. I'm practically on my knees begging you right now." Jongin crawled off her bed and fell on his knees, clasping his hands together and gazing up at Soojung with a hopeful expression.

Soojung rolled her eyes and flicked him on the forehead. 

"Forget it, Nini. Solve your own girl problems." 

Jongin didn't reply as he stood up, looking sour faced. She waved her hand dismissively and pulled out her phone, sinking into her desk chair with a sigh. She could feel Jongin's burning gaze on her and she tried to suppress the blush that she felt creeping up her neck. 

"Please? You're the only one I can ask to do this." he stepped closer to her. 

"Why? Just 'cause you've known me since childhood? Don't be such a baby and go after the girl yourself!" Soojung snapped, eyes flashing. 

Jongin's nostrils flared in anger as he stormed out. He slammed the Jung's front door shut behind him, exasperated and slightly guilty for possibly scaring Soojung's parents with all the noise. Soojung was absolutely ridiculous. He only wanted her help with a girl and it wasn't asking much. At least he didn't think so. 

His phone started ringing and he picked up.

"Hello?" 

"Jongin! You're so mean! You haven't called in so long!" a voice whined on the other end.

"Sorry, baby. I've been busy." Jongin trudged back home, closing the front door and kicking off his worn out sneakers. 

"I'm free now. Maybe you could come over?" Seulgi sounded almost devious on the other end. 

"Oh, ah... Sure." Jongin finally replied after some hesitation. 

"See you!" she squealed and hung up. 

"Stupid Soojung." Jongin muttered quietly as he closed his eyes, leaning against his front door.

***

Soojung sighed as her phone buzzed with an incoming text. 

It was Taemin. 

Wanna come over?

Soojung sighed. 

I'll be there in ten. 

***

"What's up, babe? You're quieter than usual today." Taemin s a hand around her waist and pulled her close. 

"It's nothing." Soojung brushed it off as she closed the door to his tiny apartment. 

"You're lying." he murmured into her ear. Soojung shivered underneath his touch. 

"Am not." 

Taemin didn't answer as he pulled her in for a kiss. His lips were eager and she had no choice but to comply, wrapping her arms around his neck lazily. He swept her up in his arms and gently lay her on the couch. Trailing kisses down her neck, his hands roamed her body freely and Soojung squealed in surprise as she felt his hand sneak down her shirt. They've been in this position countless times. She knew he wanted her body, but Soojung wasn't that easy. She left him hanging a lot and although she felt bad, she wanted to hold on to her v-card. 

"You're beautiful." Taemin leaned back to admire her body and her red swollen lips with some sort of pride. 

Soojung let him plant one more kiss on her lips before she turned her head slightly, gently letting him know that she wasn't up for it. He seemed to have gotten the message as he climbed off of her and let her sit up. She felt guilty as she noticed the sad puppy expression on his face, so she gave him a chaste kiss. 

"So? Why'd you want me to come over?" Soojung asked as she stood up to go get water. 

"You're my girlfriend and I wanted to see you." Taemin got up and sauntered into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

"It's three o'clock on a Saturday and you called me over just 'cause you wanted to see me?" Soojung asked no vehemence in her voice. 

"You still came over, didn't you? I win." 

"Yeah. You win." Soojung laughed airily as she felt Taemin's lips twitch against the nape of her neck. 

Jongin's face suddenly flitted into Soojung's mind and she bit her lip in frustration. Nobody knew that she was seeing Taemin in secret. To everyone, she was just the goody two shoes with her small group of friends and Taemin was part of the wilder crowds. He had approached her with the simple intent of getting into her pants, but became attracted to her more so than any other girl he had ever met. She was just so interesting and she didn't flaunt her beauty for attention. He wanted to know her and to try to be serious about a girl for once. 

Soojung only agreed to be with Taemin to forget about Jongin. 

It was hard to keep their relationship a secret since Taemin wanted to go public and it was especially hard since he and Jongin were such good friends; for now, Soojung was safe.

Jongin's face was still swimming in the depths of Soojung's mind, so she spun around and mashed lips onto Taemin's. He stumbled back in surprise, but lost no time in falling into the rhythm of her heated kiss. He groaned as Soojung's knee grinded onto his crotch and he gently nudged her over to the kitchen counter. Picking her up, he hoisted her onto the surface, their lips never breaking contact. Soojung, lost and delirious with lust, mewled for Taemin to touch her. He was more than happy to comply as he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. 

***

" my life." Seulgi swore as she came back into her room, where Jongin was laying on her bed with his t-shirt off. 

"Monthly friend?" 

"What else? It's like the crimson war." 

"Spare me of the details." Jongin chuckled as he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. 

"And I was finally looking forward to having you to myself for a bit." Seulgi pouted as she traced circles on his chest. 

"All in good time." Jongin said solemnly, but smiled. 

"I want to be your girlfriend." she snuggled close to him. 

"Nah." Jongin had this conversation with countless girls, but he managed to brush them off most of the time.

"Why not?" she sat up and stared up him, hurt and confusion in her eyes. 

"You know that I'm not looking for a relationship. And I don't exactly see you that way. I thought we were just having fun." Jongin sensed the tension and pulled his shirt over his head. 

"So you're saying that you don't even like me one bit? Not even a little bit?" Seulgi climbed off the bed and put her hands on her hips. 

Jongin sighed internally.They start off as friends with benefits and somewhere along the line, hits the fan and the girl develops feelings for him. It didn't always happen, but when it did, it was annoying. It made him sound callous and cruel, but he always made it clear that the relationship wouldn't involve any "feelings" or crap like that. 

"No." Jongin said firmly as he stood up and attempted to brush past her.

"Get out! Don't come back! Don't call me!" Seulgi shouted as she slapped him across the face, her long blue pastel fingernails leaving three red streaks across his left cheek. 

"You always called me." Jongin said calmly as he wiped the blood of his swollen cheek with the back of his hand. 

Jongin sighed as he left, ignoring the string of obscenities that Seulgi was shouting after him. He ruffled his hair, frustrated with the development. He never meant to become one of those guys that had a flock of girls at his every beck and call. Honestly, it wasn't his intention to lose his ity to Jinri at the athletics ceremony last year. Although both were only sixteen and underage, someone had spiked the fruit punch and they were thoroughly drunk sooner than expected. It was difficult since she was Soojung's best friend and he was friends with her prior to the incident. She had moved to Busan last year. 

Jongin ignored the strange stares he got on the bus, his sharp glare effectively making everyone uncomfortable. His face stung as he clutched one of the poles to keep his balance.  

In all honesty, Jongin felt like . 

***

"What the hell took you so long?" 

Soojung looked up in surprised as she nearly kicked Jongin, who was crouched by the entrance of her house. His bag dangled off his shoulder and his necktie was loose. His left cheek had three thin red lines trailing across. Soojung guessed he dumped yet another girl.

"Why are you waiting for me? You could've just gone ahead yourself." Soojung said as she walked one without waiting for him. 

"You didn't come over to wake me up, so I had to get up myself. We always go to school together. Many girls would kill to see me at their front door first thing in the morning." Jongin said smugly. 

"I'm not one of those girls."

"What's up with you? You're colder than usual, which is saying something." 

"I don't need you to wait for me." 

"Geez. Why're you like this all of a sudden? Do you have someone you like or something? You don't want them to misunderstand?"

Soojung's heart stirred. Stupid Jongin. He never considered her feelings. 

"Yeah. That's right. I have someone I like.  I don't want him or anyone else to get the wrong idea. I'm going ahead." Soojung said, trying not to yell before she sped ahead. 

"Someone you like, huh?" Jongin murmured behind her and didn't bother catching up.

***

Soojung waited for Sunyoung as she sipped on her mango juice box. She thought about how she left Taemin hanging once again. It was worse this time because one, they were both stark and two, Taemin had already taken the out of the package when Soojung started resisting, fear rising in as she cried and begged for Taemin to stop. Surprisingly, he was fine as he slipped his boxers back on and wrapped a blanket around a trembling Soojung. Taemin had told her he understood that it was her first time and that he would wait until she was ready. 

Soojung hated that Jongin's face was what was on her mind at that very moment. She had Taemin, who was attractive, caring and gave up his lifestyle for her, but she was still stupidly in love with Jongin. It was unfair to Taemin that she was using him as a distraction, but she couldn't see any other way out. 

"Soojung? Earth to Soojung!" 

Soojung blinked as she saw Sunyoung waving her hand in front of her face. 

"What?" 

"I asked if we had any math homework. You're spacing out. You okay?" Sunyoung knit her brows as she studied Soojung. 

"Yeah. No, um. I'm okay. Just... blanked out for a sec. Sorry." 

"Oh, I see." Sunyoung stabbed the thin white straw into her orange juice box, humming as she and Soojung traveled down the hall back to their class. 

"I wish I was cuter." Soojung suddenly sighed as she bit down on her straw. 

"You're kidding right? Don't you see those seniors looking at you?" Sunyoung rolled her eyes as she not-so-discreetly pointed at two older boys who were looking in their direction. 

Soojung elbowed Suyoung in the arm as they passed the two boys. Sunyoung was way too excited and Soojung just wanted to play it cool. 

Of course, Jongin had to ruin it. 

"Is that mango?" he asked as he grabbed Soojung's wrist and shoved the straw into his mouth. 

Soojung didn't even have time to react as Jongin slurped the juice box dry. She pried her wrist free and glared at Jongin, who had the empty juice box dangling from his mouth with a eating grin plastered on his face. 

"All gone." Jongin smirked as he let the box fall into his hand. 

"My juice! Jongin! That cost me 800₩!" Soojung whined. 

"Fine fine, here." Jongin dropped a package into her hand. 

It was custard bread. Squashed. 

"Your favourite. Sorry. It's a bit mashed. Now we're even." Jongin said as he disappeared down the hall. 

Soojung clutched the package, a blush working its way up to her cheeks. She ignored Sunyoung's gushing ("Oh my God! An indirect kiss! That was so cute! Childhood friends really are the best!") and the strange looks she got from the other students loitering down the hall. Her heart was pounding and she cursed Jongin for making her fall even deeper. 

Funny thing is, Jongin doesn't even like mango. 

In fact, he hates it. 

***

"The , Jongin." Soojung drawled as she came into her room and was greeted by him raiding her drawer. 

"You're a closeted ." Jongin smirked as he dangled a red bra with black lace from his index finger. 

"Yeah. Some of us know how to keep our pants on so our inner doesn't penetrate through." she rolled her eyes as she swiped the piece of undergarment from his hand and tossed it back into her now completely messed up underwear drawer. She made a mental note to organize it later, although she was 99% sure that she wouldn't and would do so once Sooyeon comes home from university. She's a complete neat freak and Soojung could already hear her squawking to clean up. 

"Ouch." Jongin clutches his chest and feigns pain. 

"Lock yourself out again?" 

"How'd you know?" 

"Isn't the first time." 

Jongin shrugs and once again seeks refuge in Soojung's soft comforter, burying his face in her pillow. Soojung grimaced, imagining his scent on the pillowcase; a musky sweet scent with a hint of his aftershave. She always found it amusing how hard Jongin tried to be butch. He had cut himself to ribbons trying to shave the nonexistent hair on his chin. Soojung had laughed when he had shown up at school with band aids and nicks on his face, claiming that he had gotten into a fight. 

"Shouldn't you be with one of your call girls?" Soojung asked as she sat in her desk chair, spinning aimlessly on it.

"And why should I?" Jongin's muffled voice asked. 

"Well, it’s a Friday night. Your dad's in Shanghai and your mom, Hyejin and Minjin are out of town visiting your grandparents, so I assumed-" 

"How'd you know that mom and them were out of town?"

"Minjin came by with her boyfriend yesterday to ask if I wanted any souvenirs." Soojung said as she flipped her hair.

"Is that...?" Jongin inquired carefully. 

Soojung realized all too late and frantically tried to cover the nape of her neck.

"... a hickey?" 

"No, its... a bug bite!" Soojung stammered stupidly as she tried to use her hair to cover up what Taemin's mouth left on her from their after school date. 

"I'm not stupid Soojung. You have a hickey. More than one, in fact." Jongin deadpanned as he rose from the bed. 

"No, I don't." Soojung squeaked as Jongin brushed the hair off of her neck. 

His long fingers brushed her skin lightly, his touch lingering on the spots dotting her pale skin. Soojung trembled as he did so, her breath hitching. Jongin didn't seem to notice as he tugged the collar of her loose t-shirt, the thin material sliding off of her shoulders.  

"Who did it?" Jongin asked in a hushed tone. 

"I told you they were bug bites." Soojung was almost whimpering as she felt Jongin, his exhaled breath warm on her exposed shoulder. 

Jongin didn't respond, his lips pressed into a thin line as his tongue poked out to moisten them. His placed his hands on Soojung's shoulders gripping them tight as if to tell her that she was under his control. He blew a stray piece of hair from his face and leaned over, his lips connecting to her pale skin in the crook of her neck. Soojung cried out, bewildered by Jongin's hot, wet lips on her cool skin, the contrast making her shiver. A garbled moan emerged from the back of as she felt Jongin on the soft patch of skin, his teeth nibbling lightly at the spot. It might've only been 30 seconds, but to Soojung, it felt like an eternity. Jongin was experienced and knew what he was doing with his mouth and Soojung could only let him, her breath ragged and uneven. She was making strange and embarrassing noises even she didn't know she was capable of, the delicious sounds driving Jongin to continue and lust for more. 

Jongin finally detached his lips from Soojung's body.

"Don't argue with me, Soojung. I know a hickey when I see one. The ones from before, the one I just made; they're the same. So don't try to prove me wrong and don't try to avoid the subject. Who gave you those?" he turned the chair around with one rough push and looked down at a furiously blushing Soojung.

"That's none of your business."

"If someone tries to mark my property, I-"  

It was like the elastic of Soojung's conscious and sanity snapped as she stood up and jabbed a finger into Jongin's chest. 

"What the . When did I become your property?" 

It took Jongin a moment to register what he had just said, ignoring the pain of Soojung's finger burrowing through his chest. He hadn't really meant it like that, but the thought of another man with his hands and lips on Soojung's body made him sick. 

"That's not what I-" 

"Then what did you mean?" Soojung could feel Jongin's heartbeat vibrating much like her own. She withdrew her finger and sat down, her eyes on his face. Jongin was making it harder and harder for her to fall out of love with him and he had someone he liked. Why did he pay so much attention to her and say he was hers? 

"Forget it." Jongin mumbled as he brushed past her and shut the bedroom door behind him. 

Soojung stood in her place, wondering what he meant. Was she his property just because she's the only girl's he's known for most of his life? Was that all that there was to it? Did he mean that he only treasured her as a childhood friend and viewed her as a little sister that needed protection? 

That's right. Jongin does this with a lot of girls. He's used to it. The fact that he did it to me is just proof that he carries no special feelings for me. If it were a girl he liked, he would hold back and treasure her. 

All Soojung knew was that the mark one Jongin left on her burned more than the dozens that Taemin left. 

***

"Taemin." 

Jongin found Taemin talking to Minho by the vending machine. He and Taemin were close friends. Extremely close. Outside of Jongin's own group of friends, Taemin was the only one he knew as long as them. He had asked Jongin about Soojung once and Jongin had gone all defensive because he knew about Taemin's intention of getting close to girls, since it was fairly similar to his own. He had made it very clear that Soojung was off limits. (" all the girls you want, but Soojung is off the table.")

"Kim Jongin. To what do I owe the pleasure of your glorious presence?" Taemin tossed him a lopsided grin as Minho was swept off by Jonghyun.

"I believe this is yours." Jongin grunted as he stiffly threw an object at him. 

Taemin cocked an eyebrow and swiftly caught the item with one hand. It was a brown leather wristband; the kind that was made up of stringy leather frays connected by two buckles. Taemin's wrists were never empty of bracelets and wristbands. Beaded, leather or string, he usually had a couple on each wrist. Jongin knew that this particular one belonged to him since he was the one that bought it for him on his birthday. 

"Oh. Thanks." Taemin slipped the bracelet onto his right wrist and turned back to the vending machine. 

"Aren't you gonna ask where I found it?" Jongin bit out, inching closer to him. 

"Why does that matter?" Taemin replied as he slipped a bill through the machine. 

"Oh, it does." 

"Fine, where did you find it?" Taemin pushed a few buttons while rolling his eyes. The sarcasm in his voice was unbelievably irritating, but Jongin clenched his fist and ignored the persisting urge to sock Taemin in the stomach. 

"I found it in Soojung's room." 

Taemin didn't reply as he bent down and grabbed the carton of milk. 

"So?"

"I told you that Soojung was off ing limits. What part of that didn't you understand?" 

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down! I'm serious about her, okay? I'm not playing around. I got rid of all the others. Ask anyone." Taemin held up his hands defensively. 

Jongin stepped closer to Taemin, anger bubbling in his chest and fury clouding his judgement. 

"I don't give a . Stay away from her." Jongin hissed through his teeth as he grabbed Taemin's collar with one hand, the other one curled into a fist that was ready to strike at any given moment. 

Taemin's eyes flashed with panic as he noticed Jongin's stance and his fist. 

"I'm not giving Soojung up. She's mine." Taemin said firmly as he looked Jongin in the eye. 

"I told you-" 

"And who the hell are you to decide who Soojung gets to be with?" 

"I-"

"Ah. I see. You're jealous, aren't you? Jealous that she chose me and that she can't see you to be more than a childhood friend." Taemin was rarely snarky and snide, but his tone and sneer, rare as it may be, came out as mocking and taunting. 

Jongin's jaw locked with anger and the next moment, Taemin had stumbled back with a swollen cheek and a broken lip, his mouth still pulled into a triumphant sneer. Jongin could tell that his reaction only solidified what Taemin had said, but he was too angry to care. He launched himself at Taemin, tackling him to the ground. The hallway was soon flooded with spectators and several students went to fetch teachers. Sehun and Yifan tried to pull a thrashing Jongin off of Taemin. Hr had taken several blows as well, his lip cut and bleeding and his body aching from all of Taemin's kicks. 

"STOP IT!" 

A voice rang out louder than all the shouts and hollers that filled the hall. In the moment, Yifan managed to haul Jongin to his feet while Minho and Kibum pulled Taemin off the ground. The two staggered as they glared at each other, but the moment was soon interrupted. 

"What's going on?" 

It was Soojung. Her eyes darted from Jongin's face to Taemin's as she placed her hands on her hips. 

Jongin looked away, unable to face her. 

***

"Jongin and Taemin are fighting!" Yeri had burst into their classroom, her eyes as wide as saucers. 

Soojung stopped as she heard the news. Her boyfriend and her best friend were fighting? 

"Come on, Soojung!" Sunyoung pulled on her arm as Amber motioned them towards the door. 

The hallway was thrown into utter chaos, with people looking on from the sidelines and some trying to get to the center of the fight to stop them. Soojung noticed Kyungsoo shouting along with Baekhyun, while Yifan's tall build was thrown into the brawl. She pushed her way to where Jongin and Taemin were, confusion spiraling in her mind. The two finally came into view, with Jongin pounced on top of Taemin, throwing punches and insults. Taemin attacked as well, flailing his arms and kicking his legs. Soojung couldn't fathom why on earth the two were fighting. They were close friends; best friends to some extent. 

Stop it. 

Jongin sent a hit straight to Taemin's left cheek. 

Stop it. 

Taemin kicked Jongin in the ankle. 

"STOP IT!" Soojung screamed, her hands shaking. 

Taemin and Jongin froze at her outburst and that’s all it took for their friends to separate them. Soojung collected herself and put on her stoic mask, her face hard and unyielding, the previous vulnerability gone. 

"What's going on?" Soojung demanded as she glanced at the two disheveled boys. 

Taemin coughed as Jongin ran his thumb over his lip. Neither boys spoke and Soojung was losing patience. Finally, Taemin spoke up. Soojung wished he hadn't.

"What happened was that Jongin was jealous. Jealous that your my girlfriend." Taemin enunciated the words clearly as he glanced subtly at Jongin, who was fuming. 

Soojung's eyes dilated as the whispers arose. She closed her eyes as she bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating what to do. Jongin or Taemin. She had to choose. She took a step forward.

"Can we talk?" she asked with a lowered voice. 

Taemin shooed away Minho and Kibum as he pulled Soojung close, wrapping an arm around her waist. 

"Yeah." he said as he once again looked over to see Jongin's uneasy expression. 

Jongin watched as Soojung lead a staggering Taemin down the hallway, her arms around him and his around her.

"Oh my God! Those two are dating?" 

"No wonder Taemin stopped sleeping around. I heard Juhyun was freaking because Taemin stopped calling."

"And Jung Soojung of all people? She's so quiet and serious. Seems unlikely." 

"But they do look pretty good together." 

Jongin ground his teeth together as he shook off Yifan. His friends all threw him concerned glances as he took off down the hall.  

"Where are you going?" Luhan and Sehun shouted after him.

"Home." 

***

"I thought that we needed to talk. Why are we going to my place?" Taemin turned to Soojung as she gazed out the window on the bus. 

"You're injured and I need a place where no one can eavesdrop." she replied simply as they arrived at their stop. 

Soojung helped Taemin back to his apartment. He wasn't too badly injured, but used it as an excuse to keep his hands on Soojung, who was too preoccupied to do anything about it. He sat on the couch as she closed the door and went to the washroom to gather first aid supplies. She dressed his wounds in silence, bandaging his cuts and applying ointment to his bruises. After he was nicely patched up, she crossed her arms. 

"Why'd you do it?" 

"Why'd I do what?" 

"I told you very clearly that I wanted out relatio