A couple weeks has passed since Su Bin's birthday party.

Baekhyun had taken Ji Eun straight home after their time out in the cold. As much as the short haired girl had complained that she needs to go back to the party and help Su Bin while she can, he had told her not to. The risks of seeing the ex were high and Baekhyun was not going to take that sliver of chance.

So, when the company car had come to pick Baekhyun up right at the time his manager told him it would, he asked the driver if he could bring Ji Eun home as well. With permission, Baekhyun had quickly gotten her into the amazingly heated vehicle and requested they drive back to the club house so he could get his things as well as Ji Eun's. The girl could only watch as the idol hurried back into the building, take about only ten minutes, and came back out with all of their belongings. Surely, he must've bumped into Su Bin while he was in there and talked to her about how they were leaving. And judging by the blank face, Ji Eun guessed they talked about something else.

But, she kept her lips shut and the ride to her home was a silent one.

Kang Ji Eun stayed indoors most of her days, either lazing about in the apartment or working in the restaurant, unless emergency calls for it. She didn't mean to suddenly reserve herself from the world, but could she help it? She recently found out that her ex-boyfriend had cheated on her with someone older than her for possibly months before their break up. Honestly, Ji Eun should move on, she should move on and forget about what Jong Hoon had done to her. She should be fueled with utmost anger and kick him to the curb.

But no.

Jong Hoon had acted in such a way that Ji Eun couldn't grasp. He still tried to be friendly, he had tried to smooth over the situation. He still obviously cared for her and that makes it harder for her to fully hate him. And lately, the boy had been trying to contact her through messages on her social media, whether it was to ask if she were okay or how she's been. Ji Eun wasn't sure how else to act except to ignore the messages.

The boy was trying so hard to patch things up.

If only she didn't have to be in this position.

Ji Eun found herself to be relying more in Baekhyun's messages in the the past few weeks. After he had come out into the cold when he didn't have to, and consoled her, Ji Eun felt like she opened a whole other self to the idol. At this point, Baekhyun had seen all her ugly sides; the emotional side, the pathetic side, the alcoholic side... and still, he stayed with her. He approached and confronted her when he had no business to.

She wished she could tell him how much he had changed her, how happy he had made her in the short time they've known each other.

But that sounds a bit embarrassing to say and, hell, no way Baekhyun needs that much praise.

Right now, Ji Eun was mixed with so much feelings, but she knows she's going to be okay. In due time, things wash over and she could finally move on now that she knew the reason to her and Jong Hoon's break up. Honestly, she might be able to now with a certain vocal of her favorite group always clouding her mind.

"Sweetheart, do you mind going out to the store and getting some tomatoes and onions? We might run out before the day ends," her father told Ji Eun while chopping away at the remaining vegetables he had for the dish he's making. With a nod, she removed her apron and made her way to the exit with the amount of money her father thought would be enough for the groceries.

She walked all the way to the farmer's market, with it only being a decent twenty minute walk away from the restaurant. Entering, she immediately went to the produce area and plucked off enough vegetables and such that her father would need. She hummed to herself as she grabbed bunches of onions and tomatoes from the carts to add into her basket.

It was a nice day out. It was about time she gotten some fresh air.

She paid for the produce and actually took her time to take a gander around the market, trying a couple samples from other stands and even buying some treats with the remaining money her father gave her. She paused at one particular stand, a flower stand with an array of colorful flowers.

"Excuse me, sir?" she called out to the owner of the stand. Once getting elderly man's attention, she bared him a shy smile, holding up her phone to him. "Do you mind if I take a picture of these? They're gorgeous."

"Go on ahead," the man beamed back her, gesturing for her to do so.

With a smile, she bent down to get a good angle of the gorgeous bouquet of forget-me-nots. She even took a couple more pictures of the daffodils and the carnations which were in full bloom. After taking the pictures, she checked them out in the gallery of her phone, highly pleased at how well they looked even on the poor quality of her phone. "Thank you so much, sir," she told the vendor with a small nod, as she stood back up.

"I see you still like taking pictures, huh?" The hair on the back of Ji Eun's stood on end at the familiar voice. Out of all days she went outside into the world, he just had to be here? She whipped her head at the man, a prominent scowl to her face. Jong Hoon held up his hands defensively, taking a step back at the threatening look. "Ji Eun, I'm by myself right now, I swear."

The short haired girl scoffed at him, gaze storming over. "You didn't follow me here, did you?"

"No, that's creepy, isn't it?" the male uttered. He held up the few bags he had himself. "I just so happened to need to go grocery shopping just like you do."

"On the same day."

"Yes, on the same day."

Ji Eun bid a kind goodbye to the flower vendor, turned her heel, and stormed off the opposite direction from Jong Hoon. The guy, however, trailed right behind her, a string of apologies for his girlfriend's behavior and himself falling from his lips. Ji Eun tried to go on about her business, tasting a couple samples here and there, and stopping to admire the view at the piles of fresh fruit, but the boy didn't ease up. He was seriously at her every step, breathing her very air, begging for her forgiveness.

She stopped at one particular stand, which sold a bunch of mangoes, her favorite fruit. "Hello, can I have four of these mangoes?" she asked the vendor, despite feeling Jong Hoon's damn presence right behind her.

The man nodded and proceeded to pluck four mangoes from the pile and carefully putting them into a plastic bag. He then told her the price Ji Eun had to pay for them.

The girl paused, noticing how high the price was. Her lips formed a thin line as she looked into her wallet for change. It's not like she didn't have enough, but really, that much for four mangoes?

She fished out the right amount of change and was about to hand it over to the man, until a hand had grasped her wrist, stopping before she could. "Yah, what's your deal with grabbing my wrist like that lately?" She barked at Jong Hoon.

The male didn't pay her complaint any attention. "Sir, you're overpricing the fruit," Jong Hoon told the vendor, the tone of his voice deadly serious. "You shouldn't be scamming people, mostly innocent girls that might not know any better." Ji Eun opened her mouth to make a rebuttal in her defense, but was cut off. "I am working my way to be a lawyer and if I find out that you are, in fact, overpricing the produce, I'll have to take action."

The vendor shifted uncomfortably in his stand and then in a low voice, he uttered a price much more reasonable for Ji Eun. She paid the vendor, gotten her change, and the two bid an awkward goodbye to the fuming mango man.

Ji Eun wanted to curse the boy out for sticking by her for this long, but he helped her. She was positive that if she told her father about this, she would've gotten an earful for paying too much for things. Su Bin would definitely babble on about the matter if she knew. She did sense how expensive the mangoes seemed to be, but she was never one to voice out a mistake like that. Like if she gotten a wrong order from the neighboring bubble tea shop, she probably would have accepted it and try to enjoy the new flavor. She always ends up liking it in the end anyway.

"Thanks," the girl grumbled out as she teetered about with arms full of groceries. Without her muttering another word, Jong Hoon plucked off the two heaviest looking bags and carried it for her. Ji Eun gave him a strained glare before turning back and walking on. If only she weren't so weak, she would've happily declined this offer...

But maybe Jong Hoon was just used to this, assisting Ji Eun in every way possible.

Why hasn't she tried harder to push him away? That's the real question here.

"To the restaurant, right?" Jong Hoon asked her as they exited the market side by side. Ji Eun just nodded, hoping that their walk would be silent. It barely took two minutes until the male piped up again. "Ji Eun, I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now. And I know I've done you so much wrong. I really am sorry, I didn't mean for things to be this way. I know I deserve your hate... But I hope we can move on from this and we can be friends again."

Ji Eun bit down on her tongue, refraining herself from spouting any replies.

She wanted that. She really did. Jong Hoon had been such a big part of her life, but for her to accept and forgive him will take some damn time. For god sakes, he cheated on her. If that wasn't the worst betrayal to happen in a relationship, then what is?

But she's really thinking about it now.

Did she love him as a lover or just as a friend their whole relationship?

"I understand you wanting to give me the cold shoulder... Papa Kang probably hates my guts now, huh?" Jong Hoon continued to babble on. The girl stared on down the sidewalk, trying not to pay him any attention. He doesn't deserve my attention. "So, uh, that one friend of yours at the party... The... One that ran after you?"

Ji Eun stopped on her tracks and shifted her eyes onto Jong Hoon.

Baekhyun. He's talking about Baekhyun.

"What about him?" She snapped.

Jong Hoon's eyes blinked at the sudden outburst. A small smile then tugged at his lips as he gazed down at her. "I'm happy you met him."

"Huh?" Ji Eun uttered in confusion.

"He looked like he genuinely cares about you, Ji Eun," Jong Hoon replied. He then let out a chuckle, tilting his head up towards the sky. "I'm kind of jealous that you've found someone else to lean on. I know I shouldn't say that, but I really am. I hope he treats you better than I have."

The male's words were so pure that it made Ji Eun's heart wither.

She should be furious.

Yell and shout.

Smack him across the face.

Make a scene that he's the worst person.

Ji Eun couldn't bring herself to do any of the above. She knew deep in her soul that she wanted Jong Hoon to be happy as well. Mona wouldn't have been her choice for him but maybe she had her reasons to act that way in the party. And surely, Jong Hoon fell in love with her with all the right reasons, rather than the bad ones. Of course. It has to be that way. 

"It's not like you've treated me badly," Ji Eun mumbled out, as her feet continued to trudge forward. "I just wish you were honest with me from the beginning."

Jong Hoon rushed after her. "I promise that from now on, that I will."

"Boy, don't think we're going to be too friendly yet."

"I expected that. I'm just glad you're sassing me again."

The two reached the restaurant  in no time. Slowing their pace to a stop, Ji Eun grabbed her bags back from Jong Hoon, since it'd be best that he doesn't enter the shop. "Erm, thanks again for helping me with this... and you know, with the vendor."

The boy ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, a chuckle leaving his lips. "The offer of being your personal lawyer still stands!"

"Ha, yeah, sure." 

"Gamja girl!" 

The butterflies burst in Ji Eun's stomach at the nickname. 

She turned around, a bright smile on her face, as she stepped closer to the only person that would call her that. "Bacon Bits!" she greeted. As Baekhyun finally made it to her side, he tilted his head, his gaze suddenly hardening at the person standing behind her. Ji Eun froze, realizing the predicament in hand. She glimpsed back and forth between the two males, already sensing something bad. "Hey, you want to help me bring in the--"

WHAP.

"BAEKHYUN." The bags of groceries crashed onto the concrete floor as Ji Eun pounced on the furious idol, holding him back from landing another punch to Jong Hoon's face. "YOU. RESTAURANT. NOW," she demanded of Baekhyun, shoving him towards the doors of the building. Once she gotten him inside, she hurried back over to Jong Hoon, who now sported a busted, bleeding lip. "You, also in restaurant!"

"But, Ji Eun, I can't--"

"Shut up, yes you can. Go."

Jong Hoon reluctantly entered the restaurant with Ji Eun following behind with the groceries. 

Absolutely everyone in the restaurant were confused at the scene, their eyes trained on the three that entered the building. Mister Kang, who had poked his head out at the sudden commotion, spotted Jong Hoon instantly. "What is he doing here?" the older man sneered at the very sight of him. Jong Hoon winced at the harsh tone. Just to think that months ago, that he was treated like part of the family. 

Ji Eun dropped the needed groceries on the counter by Sun Woo at the cashier. "Here's your onions and tomatoes. I'll be back, okay?" she simply said to her father, before turning away to go back to the two boys with the remaining groceries. From her pants's pocket, she took out the keys to the apartment and tossed it into Jong Hoon's hands. "Jong Hoon, go up and get the first aid kit. I'll be with you shortly."

In a trance, her ex turned and trotted up the stairs to the home. Ji Eun turned towards Baekhyun and pointed over to the extra room, urging him to hurry on inside. "I'm not letting you be alone with him in your apartment! I'm going up too." The idol quickly trailed after Jong Hoon and entered the Kang abode without Ji Eun's permission.

"Oh my god, what is happening?" Ji Eun hissed as she hurried after the boys. 

Once inside the apartment, she closed and locked the door behind her. She watched as Jong Hoon found the first aid kit from the cabinet in the kitchen and bring it over to the living room. Baekhyun stood by the door, expression filled with anger and disgust for her ex-boyfriend. Jong Hoon glanced up at Baekhyun, a nervous laugh leaving his swollen lip. "You, ah, got quite the punch, man."

"Jong Hoon, don't provoke him, oh my god," Ji Eun uttered as she stepped forward to face Baekhyun. "You, sir, say sorry."

"Wait, what? " Baekhyun replied, flabbergasted by the request. "Do you not remember what that asshole did to you?!"

"I know what that asshole did!" Ji Eun shot back.

"Yup, I deserve that too," Jong Hoon's voice mumbled out from behind. Ji Eun shot him a glower that shut him up on the spot. 

The girl let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair out of her frustration. The vocal had good intentions, but what would happen if he were caught punching people by the media? That's just a scandal just waiting to spread like wildfire. Ji Eun will not be having that on her damn conscious. 

"Why are you here? Are you done with your schedule today?" she asked Baekhyun in a calm voice. 

The idol continued to eye Jong Hoon, like if he looked away for one second, the other male would do something, but he still replied. "I just have a late night practice left today."

"Alright." She grabbed onto Baekhyun's hand and dragged him over to her bedroom. "You stay in here until I'm done with Jong Hoon." 

"What?!" the older boy burst out, his thick eyebrows furrowed. 

"I swear to god, Baekhyun, you better listen to me this time," Ji Eun hissed at him, stabbing her index finger to his chest. "I can not deal with the two of you being in the same fucking room. So stay in there until I'm done." The boy still hesitated to enter the room.

Because if this douchebag makes Ji Eun cry or does something one bit suspicious, not even his company or the others would be able to hold him back on what he's gonna do to him. 

"Jesus Christ, Baek, I will scream bloody murder if he does anything slightly disturbing to get your attention," Ji Eun told him, pushing him further into her room. "Would that make you feel better?"

"Yeah, okay, fine," Baekhyun grumbled out in defeat. "Keep the door open, though?"

"No. Door closed."

"Ji Eun-ah, you're killing me here."

"And I will seriously kill you if you don't listen to me, right now."

Intense stares sparked between the two, neither of them wanting to back down, but Baekhyun broke the eye contact. 

Fine, he thought. If this is what Ji Eun wants.

He quickly made the gesture, waving his index and middle finger from his eyes to Jong Hoon, that he had his eyes on him. With that, Ji Eun finally closed the bedroom door on Baekhyun. She hurried over to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer before returning back to Jong Hoon on the couch. 

From inside the first aid kit, she grabbed all the supplies she'll need to take care of the lip. But now that she had a better look on the male's face, she could see a purplish bruise forming right at the corner of his mouth, more than a inch large. 

For a boy who claimed to have nutella abs, Baekhyun really could pack a punch. 

Ji Eun soaked some alcohol into a cotton bud and gingerly, she dabbed the lip. Jong Hoon flinched at first by the sudden sting but then eased into it, letting Ji Eun take care of the wound. 

The next couple minutes were quiet. Ji Eun's eyes were trained on his lip, now applying ointment with a cotton swab, while Jong Hoon's mind was clouded with the recent events. He had many questions in mind, mostly of the mysterious boy who acted so sudden for Ji Eun's sake. "So--"

"Don't talk just yet," Ji Eun commanded in a harsh whisper. "I'm almost done." Once she gotten every corner of the cut lip, she handed him the ice pack. Jong Hoon shot her an appreciative smile as he pressed the cold goodness to his bruise. He sighed, the throbbing pain he had in his jaw finally relinquished. "Okay, now talk. Try not to stretch your lip too much, though." 

Jong Hoon's eyes averted over to Ji Eun's closed door. "For such a flower boy, he's actually pretty scary when he's angry," he tried to joke, but the smile wiped off his face at Ji Eun's serious aura. "He cares a lot about you." The short-haired girl glanced away, feeling her cheeks burn at the simple statement. Jong Hoon noticed this right away, and he laughed at the shy reaction. "What is this? Is there a little something, something going on between the two of you?"

Ji Eun instantly shook her head at him, her cheeks burning more than before. "No way," she muttered in hush tones, her eyes darting back and forth between the closed bedroom door and Jong Hoon. "Keep it down, will you? He'll hear you."

He laughed louder and then replied in the same whisper, "You like him though."

Ji Eun's heart leapt. 

"Why would you say that?"

"Because when you heard him call out to you, your face changed into an expression that used to only be reserved for me."

"Oh."

She really did hate it now that Jong Hoon could read her like an open book. 

The two talked for a decent five minutes, until Ji Eun mentioned that Jong Hoon should be heading back home with his groceries. With a mutual agreement, she walked him to the door and handed him his groceries. "Ji Eun, I know that next time we meet, it might be a little awkward, but today turned out to be nice. I'll seriously talk to Mona about what happened." His face fell at the mention of his girlfriend's name. "She really is nice once you get to know her."

Ji Eun nodded. "I'm sure she is, or you wouldn't have..." Her words trailed off awkwardly, and really, she had to laugh at how this all came to be. She was seriously crying about him only a week ago, but she couldn't care less about how it all changed so unexpectedly. 

Right, I think I am moving on. 

"Still a bit weird mentioning her," she replied.

"Yeah, that's expected."

With that, Jong Hoon finally left the apartment. Hopefully, he would be able to get past Ji Eun's father and the others... Or he's going to get an ass whooping. Ji Eun heaved out as she walked over to her closed bedroom door. From inside, she could hear her playlist playing, so Baekhyun must've turned it on in the middle of her and Jong Hoon's talk. She cautiously opened the door, poking her head in.

Baekhyun's back was towards her, the sweater, face mask, and hat he wore now hanging on the back of her desk chair. He was looking at her bulletin board of worthy pictures she had taken through the years, most of either scenery or of people in her life. He was holding on in particular, and as she stepped forward to look over his shoulder, she noticed it was a picture of her and Jong Hoon on Valentine's Day three years ago at the very beginning of their relationship. Filled with so much joy, love, and hope for the future, it's just a little too saddening to look at now.

But, for some reason, Ji Eun couldn't take it down along with the other pictures of the two of them together. She even still has the teddy bear he gave her that day on the highest shelf of her book shelf. Really is sad, if you think about it.

She watched as Baekhyun pinned the picture back onto the bulletin board. He turned towards her, the expression on his face unreadable to her. It was mixed with so many emotions. She could pinpoint the anger and the disappointment, but there was more to it. "He's gone?" he asked her. Ji Eun nodded at him. "Before you say anything, that dude deserved that punch."

"Not really something I was expecting you to do," Ji Eun chuckled as she sat on the edge of her bed, and he joined her. "I can only hope no one took a picture of you punching Jong Hoon. That's something you shouldn't be known for. Just punching random guys. I will honestly go insane if news about this came out by an hour."

"Don't worry about it. I'll make sure that you'll remain anonymous, just like the fainting incident."

The song Tell Me What is Love played peacefully in the background, as the two sat on the bed in silence. She wasn't sure what Baekhyun was feeling, but she was beginning to get paranoid about a whole different matter. The song had became a quick favorite the moment she heard it, its lyrics seemingly perfect of her break-up and Kyungsoo and Youngjin's voices honestly reverberating into her soul. {A/n: i COULDN'T HELP IT. I love this song too much.}

She side-glanced over at Baekhyun to see if there were any changes in his expression. It was more blank than before. Either that he had calmed down over what had happened or he was thinking about something completely different. 

He then looked back at her, their eyes meeting. Ji Eun was caught off guard at his gaze but couldn't bring herself to avert her eyes away. It was then Baekhyun did, a soft smile to his lips and he scanned her bedroom. "I really like your room and your apartment in general. It's nice. You also take a lot of nice pictures," he said, as he pointed his thumb to the bulletin board. 

"Well, I was in college for my photography, after all," Ji Eun mumbled as she looked at her pictures. There were so many to the point that some were barely hanging onto the board by its corner. Majority did consist of Su Bin, Jong Hoon and her father, while a few of other friends. One right in the middle, one that she had gotten the most praise for in high school, was of an older woman with long, flowing brunette hair and a simple, rose-colored dress, her back towards the camera while she looked into the distance of the sunset. "I won a couple national awards in high school."

"I noticed," he quipped as he nodded his head to the book shelf, where trophies and plaques proudly stood. "Would you mind if I hung out here until it's time for me to go?" 

"What are you going to do? I'll have to go back to work," Ji Eun told him. 

"Maybe, I'll just chill in here," Baekhyun answered. He plopped back onto the bed, stretching his arms and legs and cuddling up to the comforter. "This is nice."

"Fine." She stood up from the bed and reached over to pat his head. "I'll be back in a couple hours, maybe three, since I've been cooped up here for too long." 

"You should convince your dad to miss the rest of today to hang out with me."

"My dad ain't that nice."

"I'm an exception."

"No you're not." Before she turned to leave, another thought crossed her mind. 

For the past week, Su Bin had been oddly quiet herself and as much as Ji Eun had tried to squeeze something out of her, her best friend didn't crack. That itself was odd, since Su Bin would tell Ji Eun anything and everything in her life. And it was a gut feeling that maybe it has something to do with Baekhyun.

She glanced back at the idol and paused. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. He just looked too precious right now... What an exhausting life.

Ji Eun pulled the blankets to cover the sleeping puppy and placed one of her pillows under his head. Once it seemed like he was comfortable enough, she then left to go back to work.