35 Do you hate it that much? (1/2)

”You remember everything?” Seo Tae Il asks, looking into her eyes. ”Everything?”

She becomes quiet and uncurls her fingers. ”Yes, I do.”

”I should go now.” Choi Min Ho realizes that nobody is listening to him now. He doesn't try to listen to anyone's mind and leaves quietly while humming a tune. He doesn't go too far though. He watches them from a spot where they can't see him.

Nam Ji Won is staring at Seo Tae Il with complicated emotions. Seo Tae Il is doing the same. They do not realize that Choi Min Ho is gone.

”Tae Il.” Nam Ji Won is the first one who breaks the silence. ”Don't tell my family that I remember. I will tell them when I feel ready.”

”What happened five years ago?” Tae Il asks her. ”How did you get hurt? Why did you leave?”

Nam Ji Won sits on the swing again. It's going to be a long talk.

”When my ex-boyfriend broke up for another girl, I felt that it was unfair. I wanted to teach him a lesson. So, I dressed up as a boy and seduced that girl. After she broke up, I stopped contacting her.”

She hears him sigh. He must have predicted this. She doesn't look at him.

”Second time, I pretended to be Ju Jimin for money. There were people who would pay anything for a couple to break up. Then, it became a hobby. It was fun. I thought that I was teaching a lesson to the boys who left girls for shallow reasons.”

She pauses for a moment.

”Five years ago, I realized that I was doing a wrong thing. Lee Hyo Rin confessed to me again that night. You were asleep. I felt tired of it. So, I left. I came back home and told my father everything. He was disappointed in me. He wanted me to apologize to all the people I have wronged. That's why we left home in a hurry. We met with the accident on the way.”

Choi Min Ho can hear her inner thoughts.

I wish that I could tell you everything. But, I can't make the same mistake that I did last time. Lee Hyo Rin is keeping watch on you because she knows that you are suspicious of her. As long as you are with me, you are in danger. A person like her can do anything. It's time that I let you go.

”It's not your fault,” Seo Tae Il tells her. He looks into in her guilty eyes. She is blaming herself for everything. He resists the urge to hold her. He wants to hold her, but her despondent smile stops him.

'Those are not the right words,' Choi Min Ho thinks. 'You should hug her and never let her go. Before she falls deeper into her darkness, you should hold her tightly. Can't you see her eyes? She is clearly lying. All she wants is you to hold her.'

”Thank you for being with me for more than five years.” She stands up and leans on his chest. ”Thank you for being a friend. It's time that I release you. Goodbye, Tae Il.”