~~~~~Jeongguk

I went to the doctor, and found out I have a deep bruise on my quadricep muscle. I also sprained a tendon in my knee. Now I'm home with a brace on my leg, waiting for the Hyungs. Noone has heard from Hobi Hyung or Jimin, so I don't know how the dance lesson went. My phone signals a message, but it's only Somi.

Since I met up with her, I have been messaging with her alot. She is super excited to reconnect with someone from Busan which mirrors my feelings. We were never close in high school, and I'd say that it was unlikely to happen now, if I were still with Haerin...

Haerin... I miss her...

Shaking the thoughts away, I pick up the phone and reply to her messages. She wants to meet for coffee, and since I'm all alone I decide to accept her invitation. We agree on a spot and I call for a car to pick me up since I can't drive for now. I'm surprised that the 2 aren't back from the kindergarten yet. It's actually dark out and I wonder if something is wrong.

They'd definitely call if there was an issue. I'm just feeling left out... I wanted to go with them, but knew I wouldn't be able to resist dancing. Hyung gets scary when we push too much, so I decided against it. Hobbling to my room, I change into a black hoodie and grab my bucket hat and mask. Taking the crutches that I'll have to use as soon as I'm out of the dorm, I head to the entrance.

After more effort than I'd like to exert to go for coffee, I'm finally in the van driven by a staff. He's new, so he doesn't talk to me. It happens every time... They get so nervous, and want to make sure they don't do anything that could harm us, that they are completely silent. I can't help but chuckle to myself while I play a game on my phone.

I climb out when we get to the cafe, and make sure I'm covered enough to get inside. I let Somi know I was on crutches, and asked her to find a table out of the busy area. Hopefully there will be one. I don't want any scandals just over a coffee date with an old hometown acquaintance.

I get through the door because a few people exiting were nice enough to hold it open. I bow a thank you and head in, looking for Somi. I see her waving to me and I make my way to the table, plopping down on the chair in exhaustion.

"You look beat! You didn't have to come. You could have slept or at least rested... Now I feel bad... It really would have been ok with me..."

She starts rambling and I begin to giggle at how cute it comes across. She continues without taking notice of my laughing, and soon I'm clutching my stomach with tears leaking from my eyes. When she finally realizes, her cheeks catch a pink tint and she gets quiet immediately. I settle down, apologizing for laughing, but occasionally choke back the snort that tries to escape.

A waiter comes to take our orders and we both get comfortable. She asks about idol life and I don't sugar coat it to make it glamorous, but tell her the truth only. I find out she relocated to Seoul for a job as a model. I'm suddenly reminded of the videos Haerin used to make when she was friends with Somi. Hae always made her the 'star' in her creations because she was so pretty.

"Where did you go? You zoned out."

"Ah, sorry... I was remembering the videos from high school..."

"The ones Haerin made? That was fun."

Not avoiding it anymore, I gulp some air and ask what I'm dying to know about.

"Have you seen Haerin since high school? I know you guys had a falling out, but did you make up?"

She looks suddenly nervous about something, and won't meet my eyes anymore. Maybe she thinks that I'll treat her differently because of the things that happened then. I don't hold grudges, and I'm sure Haerin wouldn't either all these years later... At least I hope not... I need to believe she won't.

"You don't stay in touch with her? I mean you were her boyfriend... If anyone would know about her, it's you, right?"

"No... When Jimin and I got signed, we had to cut ties until debut. After that we were insanely busy, and it was hard to find time to bathe, let alone give attention to others... I feel guilty about it, but I'm sure someday we'll meet again and catch up."

"You haven't heard anything about her?"

"Noooo... Why? Did something happen to her?"

My heart is racing in my chest, and I feel light headed all of a sudden. Jimin said she hates us for leaving...

"Well... I heard back then that her parents tried to arrange her in marriage to a business partner... The guy was older..."

"Did she marry him?"

I'm holding my breath now. If she's married then my belief that she and I would reconnect is over...

"No..."

The breath I was holding, whooshes out of my mouth and I relax a little.

"I guess that's good then. Arranged marriage is never good. I know her parents never cared what she thought though..."

"I wonder... It was probably rebellion that made her do everything then..."

"Huh? Do what?"

"Nothing... Let's talk about something else. How's Jimin? Does he still hate me?"

"No, wait... What did Haerin do? Please tell me."

"I heard she started going to clubs after graduation, sleeping with random guys. The last thing I heard about her was she... Well... That she was pregnant."

What's left of my heart, shatters in my chest. I feel the pieces pricking my body as they run through my veins... Nausea takes ahold of me and if I wasn't on crutches I would have run outside for air. I stare at my hands which are trembling suddenly, and a tear makes it's way down my cheek.

"Pregnant..."

"It was the rumor back then. I never saw her to ask though. She probably wouldn't have told me anyway...... I'm sorry... You clearly still care for her."

My eyes meet Somi's look of disappointment, and I feel guilty for letting my past interfere in our evening.

"A part of me always will... She was my first love... But it's been ages, so what's to be upset for? She obviously moved on... Hopefully she's happy..."

The smile on my face for Somi is completely fake, but she seems satisfied.

Haerin would have known it was fake...

The rest of the time we're here, we talk about Busan and the things we miss. She talks about some of our other mutual friends and where they are. I want to end this torture, but can't bring myself to be rude. It's not Somi's fault Haerin fucked around... Damn it... Did she really turn into a slut?

Forcing myself to drop it, I ask Somi to go for ice cream at the nearby park. We head out together, and I finally have an excuse to not talk for a bit. I'm lost in my own thoughts about Haerin... Is it my fault? Would she have cheated on me if we'd stayed together? No... She loved me, I'm sure of that...

When we arrive at the park, I sit on a bench, resting my leg. Somi walks to the vendor to buy the treats. My head and heart are at war right now. I try to pack away the past so I can just enjoy hanging out with a pretty girl, but it's difficult. Somi arrives back and hands me the ice cream. Her smile is genuine and she sits next to me, lifting my leg to rest on her lap.

A cute chuckle escapes her lips because her move makes me blush. The hand she is resting on my thigh, makes me tingle. I'm suddenly aware that maybe she is thinking this 'friendly date' is more. I don't react but look away to hide my blushing cheeks. We're silent while we eat next to one another.

Her hand on my leg becomes hot. It's not that she's moving it, but it's presence in such a spot is starting to cause me an issue. I clear my throat and move my leg away, standing... Somi jumps up and gets in front of me, looking me in the eyes. I'm confused at what she is doing until she places a hand on my cheek. I feel frozen as she leans in and places her lips on mine. My grip on the crutches tightens, but I don't move.

A giggle escapes her lips as she pulls away from the one sided kiss. I'm about to open my mouth to speak when a feminine gasp is heard from next to me. I turn to see a woman, just outside the glow of the street lamp. She has dark wavy hair and she's stunning. She looks familiar in a way I can't pinpoint because she's in shadow and I can't see her features fully. She is standing, frozen, staring at Somi and me.

I don't know why I want to push Somi away from me. I want to tell the mystery woman that it's not what it looks like... In the end I only move back from the position I was in. Suddenly, I hear running footsteps, and the dark haired girl takes off sprinting in another direction. I'm more than confused when I see Jimin Hyung running towards me. When he sees me, he stops. He takes in how Somi and I are standing, and mutters something I didn't catch. His panting breaths are shallow and he looks frustrated.

"Gguk... Which was did she go?"

"If you talking about the girl with the dark hair, she ran that way."

I point the way, and he is about to run again.

"Hyung... Who is she? Why are you chasing her? Did she steal something from you?"

"Many things Jeongguk-ah... She is Haerin..."

Saying that, he began running in the direction I pointed out to him. I'm left lost in my own world... Haerin was 5 feet from me, and she saw Somi kissing me... Is that why she gasped? She didn't even look the same...

"Jeongguk? Are you alright?"

Somi's voice brings me out of my thoughts. Sighing, I answer her honestly...

"Not really... Thank you for hanging out Somi... I just need to go home and wait for Jimin."

I pull out my phone and call the driver letting him know where to find me, and move away from Somi. My thoughts are scattered, but they're all about Haerin... What did Jimin mean by she stole 'many things'? Why was she running away? Does she really hate both of us, or just Jimin? Aaaargh... So frustrating!!

~~~~~Haerin

"Jimin"

Standing in front of me is someone I've tried to forget. He just had his hands, and his mouth, on my body in a very intimate way. I'm still panting from the need coursing through my body from the X and his touches. He is silent, but holding onto my wrist. I can see his pupils are dilated from lust, and I'm very confused.

Tugging my arm away from him, I take a step back. I adjust my bra to cover my exposed breast, and fix my shirt. He moves forward again, but I place my hand on his chest to hold him back. His heart is pounding and I feel it through my fingers. My hearing is muted, but the bass still vibrates my body. I need to get away from him.

"Hae... Don't..."

I turn my back to him, and start running towards the back where he can't follow. I stop in the locker room, clutching my chest and fighting my tears. Why is he here? Did he know it was me, or was he just looking to get laid by anyone? When I hear a commotion from the bouncer who is stationed at the door between the club and the employee space, I grab my things and head out.

Once I'm in the alley, I take gulps of fresh air, trying to cool down. The alcohol and the X still impairing me, I stumble towards the street. When I'm out into the flow of people walking on the sidewalk, I let a few tears fall. My mind is a jumbled mess, and I don't know what to do.

As I pass the front entrance to the club, the door bursts open and the bouncer is holding a struggling Jimin by his collar. He pushes him away into the passing crowd and I freeze on my spot. Jimin is angry, and he turns back toward the door that was just shut in his face. I walk quickly past, but he catches my movements and starts to follow me.

"Haerin! Stop!"

His loud voice makes the whole sidewalk look at him, and then they turn to me. Not wanting to be stared at right now, I start to run. The alcohol has numbed me enough that I am able to keep a fast pace. I sprint across the street, against the walk signal, gaining horns blaring and people yelling at my actions. I just need to get away...

I continue running until I enter a park. Not hearing footsteps behind me, I slow to a walk. I'm exhausted now, and my whole body is covered in sweat. I wander aimlessly for a while trying to get my head straight. I really want to go back to the club. I lost all the money I was going to make tonight because of him, and it hurts. That, coupled with the X making me needy, really burns me.

I start to walk a little faster, and get ready to circle back when I see a couple kissing under the street lamp. Something about the sweet scene makes my heart hurt. As they pull apart I get a good look at their faces and I can't hold the gasp that escapes my mouth.

Jeongguk and Somi... Kissing...

The pieces of my heart are in my throat, I back up into shadow a little more. He looks at me confused, and I can't lie that I find him beautiful. He's become more everything in the last 5 years. My urge to run into his arms is only stopped when I flick my eyes to HER... Perfect Somi... I'd heard she is a model now, and I've even seen her pictures on billboards around Seoul. The idol and his model girlfriend... Of course...

Before I can break into ugly cries, I turn and sprint away. Why is my life this way? I've moved on... I got over them... I don't need them anymore...

__________________________

So, I got a great comment from someone who expressed that they aren't a fan of the back and forth before/after of my book. I really loved that they told me, and I admit that I've never done a story this way. It's been a little frustrating for me to write it, but I feel like I committed to it, so I'm stuck. I just want to thank everyone who is reading, whether or not the time skips bother you. I will say that after a few more 'before' chapters, everything will be in the ' later (current) timeline.

Thank you all for bearing with it, and please let me know if you liked something in the comments, or even in a private message. I want to improve, so I welcome constructive comments always!!

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