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Jin-ah felt a lump form in her throat at Do -yun's words. "...I don't know."
"Good. So, no more breaking promises," he declared firmly. "I want you to be happy, Boss. Just make up your mind already," Jin-ah smiled gratefully at him.
"I appreciate the concern, Do-yun," she said softly. "But I assure you I am perfectly capable of doing so."
"I just hope you can be. I can only imagine what would happen to me if something were to happen to you," he sighed heavily and stood up, walking toward the exit. "Don't let yourself get hurt because of him."
With that final sentence uttered by Do -yun, he exited Jin's apartment and left without waiting for a reply, leaving her alone and confused.
"Do I really make him worry this much?" she wondered aloud, staring at the door after Do-yun had closed it. 135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5CPhHicHc
The question caused a painful twinge in Jin-ah's chest. It was the first time that someone was really concerned about her wellbeing and she wished she could return that feeling. But she knew there was no way she could.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRD91eKY0u6
The conversation they had earlier flashed through her mind again. And she recalled the look in Do-yun's eyes during it. They held a lot of sadness and fear, and although she was surprised, her heart still hurt a tiny bit from seeing the look on his face. Then, she felt a lump in her throat.
Shortly after, her parents opened the door and ushered themselves inside.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs77PmM7a51
"Welcome back," Jin-ah croaked out, swallowing after. Suddenly, her parents hugged her tightly. She hugged them back, letting a few tears fall.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJx4M2OQqhr
She was grateful that they cared so much about her, and she loved them for showing their affection whenever possible. Jin-ah's mother looked at her, cupping her face.
"I'm sorry we didn't come back earlier. I don't care if you date that boy, Jin-ah. I just hope you're happy," her mother said gently. Jin-ah sniffled and tried to blink the tears out of her eyes. Her father chuckled, hugging her again.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkh78Fi7RU
After a few seconds, she broke free. "Thanks, mom."
"Now why are you crying, young lady?" Her father inquired playfully, patting her head. "Did something happen? I saw that Do-yun boy bike away from here. Did he do something?"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID3nFHbVZi
"Just...feelings. Don't worry, Dad. Nothing bad happened between us. It's better not to talk about it right now. We'll get to talk more later," Jin-ah explained, smiling lightly.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQGfQyWo4B
Her parents smiled back and nodded. "We trust you, Jin-ah." A small, sad smile made its way across Jin-ah's face. 135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniN52QkVMH
"Now, go get some rest. Did you eat? Are you hungry?" her mother asked, taking Jin-ah's hand and leading her upstairs.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMrkAjwZrf
"Yes, Mom, but I'm gonna sleep early tonight. I have school. Goodnight, guys!" She waved at her parents who smiled and waved goodbye to her. Once her bedroom door shut behind her, Jin-ah slumped to the floor in exhaustion.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHr6bIB3yX8
She stared up at her ceiling as images of Kang-dae filled her head. When he kissed her, she felt as if her entire body went numb. 135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO98ByQDBKY
Jin-ah sat quietly on her bed and stared blankly into space. The image of him kissing her burned onto the back of her eyelids. Jin-ah's heart liked him so much, but her mind hated him. Those words from Kang-dae replayed and replayed in her head.
'Jin-ah, I like you.'
She squeezed her eyes shut.
'I hate you, Kang-dae.'
~
MONDAY
The sound of the alarm echoed through Jin-ah's ear. She turned around and checked the clock, which read 2:30 in the morning.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQMpZGzBEn
Her phone buzzed beside her, indicating a new message message. She picked up her phone and unlocked her screen.
To her, something felt...off. Jin-ah looked at the notification, which read a message from an "Unknown Number".135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUsoIwS5F8
she thought, as she tapped the message icon. She pressed it lightly, bringing up the window. As the text appeared, she blinked.
[ Unknown: Look out for that Bora girl. (Attachment:1) ]
Jin stared at the message for a few seconds before opening the attachment. A shiver ran down her spine as she stared at the message. She wasn't sure if she should open the attachment or not. After a long while she finally decided to click it.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2X9blxyqu
The image opened on the top and showed an image of Bora and Kang-dae walking together, from a distance.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsIucHcTmY
She squinted her eyes, trying to understand what the photo meant.
[ Unknown: She's dangerous. Want my help or not? ♡︎ ] 135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCdrjshnhR
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Jin-ah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Who could the unknown sender be? Why were they warning her about Bora? With all these questions bombarding her mind, she decided to text back.
[ BOSS: Who are you? How do I know you're telling the truth?? ]
There was a lengthy silence on her end. Finally, a single message popped up on her phone, and it sent chills down her spine.
[ Unknown: You will see. Meet me at the top of the roof of the school, 5 PM today. =)]
She sighed loudly and threw herself backwards into her pillow. She couldn't go to the roof with a stranger. No matter how trustworthy he seemed, she couldn't accept his help.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAw9i9xIikv
A loud ding echoed throughout the room, pulling Jin-ah from her thoughts. Groaning, she grabbed her phone and switched off the alarm. She checked the time, which read 4 AM. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized she stayed up the entire time, ever since 2 AM. 135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYocY93O7yz
It took every ounce of strength in her body to drag her body off her bed and stumble towards the bathroom. 'Might as well get ready,' she thought. After brushing her teeth and splashing water on her face, she returned to her bedroom and began getting dressed.
It was 4:30. Jin-ah yawned, glancing at the clock again. 'Well, there goes my beauty sleep for tonight,' she groaned internally. She grabbed her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth. After spitting out the mouthful of water she was drinking, she put her toothbrush on the sink and started washing her hands. As she rinsed the suds off her hands, she suddenly became aware of the cold air against her skin.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4czwq5OiH
When she glanced out of the windows of her room, she noticed that it was completely dark outside.
"I have some time to myself today. I might as well use that time well."135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOAwt6Ggir
A few minutes later, Jin left her apartment. As soon as she stepped out into the night air, a chilly breeze swept past her, causing her to shiver a little.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOB0fX49f86
It took her awhile to find the stairs leading up to the roof of the building and once she did, Jin climbed them carefully in order to make as little noise as possible.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCslUK1MMIP
Once she reached the rooftop, she found herself standing under the stars. She felt a wave of relief wash over her, as she gazed at the stars above. There was nothing else she wanted than to just relax right now.
For a few moments , she remained silent. All of her senses were focused on one point: herself. If she could, she'd stare into the sky forever and listen to the calming music the wind created and hear the quiet chirping of birds in the distance. However, she was also afraid to leave the rooftop since she didn't want to lose track of anyone coming and going. So she chose to sit down on the edge of the roof.
Eventually, the time had already passed. By the time the sun rose, Jin-ah had lost count of how many hours had passed. She was now sitting cross legged and looking up at the sky above her.135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgzrfMDWpw
She let out a sigh of contentment when the clouds covering the skies dispersed and sunlight hit her face, signaling it was time for her to finally attend school. Jin-ah turned to get up and stretch before returning to the stairway to go downstairs.
Jin-ah quickly went inside her apartment and grabbed her stuff, then walked right out. She started to make her way to the main area, which was the center area of the apartments, where a fountain was seen, along with a bench in front of it. As she stood there, watching the flow of water in the fountain, Jin-ah heard someone calling out.
"Hey, Jin-ah!"135Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOJvvF9pag
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