"Hyunnie noona?" Hyun Wook called out as Hyun Ae closed the door gate behind her.

She let out a heavy sigh as she turned and stared at her brother.

"Come here," he urged, opening his arms for her, knowing that she needed it.

She quickly made her way to him and hugged him before she could feel something was about to explode in her.

"Hyun Wook ah... Kookie-"

"I knew. They had told me earlier," Hyun Wook whispered, patting her head. "That guy had feelings for you since we were kids. Wow."

Hyun Ae took a deep breath before she spoke. "I feel so guilty, you know? He's there, but he's seeing me dating his leader. I feel terrible!"

"No, no, no. You shouldn't," he said, then guiding her as they walked back into the house. "Let's get inside, I'll make you hot cocoa."

**The next day**

"Hm?"

Hyun Ae looked over to the coffee table beside her, as the ringing of her phone distracted her focus on the book she was reading in her library.

"Hello?" she called out after accepting the call.

"Hyun Ae ah," Yoongi said on the phone.

"Yoongi oppa? You should've joined us yesterday! It was fun!"

"I was busy. But now I have free time. Are you free today?"

"A-Ah, yeah."

"I'll pick you up at 12."

"Wait, what?!"

"Don't be too late!"

"Ah, Yoongi-"

Hyun Ae stared at the screen once the call has ended. She quickly bookmarked the page of her book and grabbed her phone, glancing at the time as she rushed out of the library.

"That's in one hour! Sheesh, this guy!"

*

"Ah, oppa!" Hyun Ae grunted, closing the car door behind her. "You should've informed me like... three hours earlier! You know girls!"

"Nah, you still look beautiful," Yoongi smiled, releasing the handbrake as he began to drive the car, leaving her house.

"So, where are we going?" she asked as he reached the end of the road, trying to exit to the left road.

"Well, let's see," he muttered, making the turn. "We'll do whatever you want to do."

"Um... We can just randomly walk around, just anything?"

"Let's have lunch first, then we will decide, okay?" Yoongi smiled, taking a look at her for a while.

He never expected her to wear a cute casual dress that matched her long silver hair with black roots and simple makeup on her face.

Almost similar to that day when he first met her.

"This is like a date," Hyun Ae suddenly blurted out, letting out soft laughter.

"Well, it is. Did I say it's a hangout?" Yoongi said as he stopped at the red traffic light.

"Then you decide. You're the guy," she giggled, then she propped her chin on her hand as she turned to him. "Since this is a date, impress me."

Yoongi bit his lips, fingers tapping on the steering wheel before he continued to drive after the traffic turned green.

And he said, "I have a place in mind. I promised that you'll like it. No, LOVE it."

***

"Thank you for today. It was fun." Hyun Ae smiled at him, tilting her head as they continued to walk down the sidewalk side-by-side.

Just like what he had promised, Yoongi had brought her to an exhibition with its largest planetarium in the country. Enough to keep her happy because she had always wanted to go there.

"Glad you liked it. Even though we just went to the exhibition, dinner and now," Yoongi paused, looking around as he remarked, "a stroll alongside this quiet road. I never knew that it would be this quiet at times like this."

"What to expect, it's almost eleven, but looking at the area," Hyun Ae too looked around the area where usually there should be more people around, even though it was late. "It's kinda weird that it's quiet now."

Both of them continued to walk down the street, just to spend more time together before the day ended.

"So... what are you going to do after this?" Yoongi began to ask.

"Well... focus on my business? I still got the final phase to complete."

"Then after that?"

"I'll see where my feet guide me. I've been thinking to upgrade myself. From a professional chef to a world-class chef. I'm aiming for the Michelin star."

"I know you can do it," Yoongi said, patting her shoulder which she responded with a giggle. He let out a sigh, and couldn't hold himself back from asking this one particular question.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Hyun Ae let out a heavy sigh. "I will be. It's just... for temporary, right?"

"Weeks, months, it might take years."

"I'm fine. You guys never know me before, remember?"

But I do know you.

Yoongi bit his tongue, trying to fight the urge to tell her the truth. And it was this time when he froze on his spot.

"Suddenly I remembered. I haven't seen your friend yet," she suddenly asked out of the blue. Yoongi felt a bit chaotic inside, his nerves began to tingle as she continued. "The one that I met a few years ago. Hah, how sad. I'll never get to meet him because we're not going to see each other for a long time."

Still not moving from his spot, Yoongi scratched his head and took a deep breath before he looked up at her.

"H-Hyun Ae. There's something that I wanted to say- Hey."

Yoongi was cut off by someone suspicious that had hit his shoulder hard as he passed by the idol. The guy then stopped beside him, and pulled down his face mask, revealing himself.

"Remember me?" he hissed, before grabbing Yoongi's collar and pushing him against the nearby tree by the road. "I told you that I would come back to you."

It all happened too fast, Yoongi could only try his best to free himself from the guy's hold by pushing the arm away, while Hyun Ae repeatedly hit the familiar guy.

"Adrian! Let him go!" she cried before someone grabbed her from behind and turned her around, receiving a hard slap on her cheek, sending her to the ground in shock.

"Who-" Hyun Ae winced in pain when a hand grabbed her hair, forcing her to stand, and finally faced her attacker.

"Hey hey, remember me?" she whispered, pulling Hyun Ae's head back by her hair as she stood closer to her.

"Seorim!" Yoongi yelled, finally got his energy back, and kicked Adrian with his knee, sending him to the ground, but he halted as Seorim placed a pocket knife against Hyun Ae's neck.

"One little move," Seorim warned, shaking the hand that had a handful of Hyun Ae's hair, causing her to yelp in pain.

Seeing her in pain had begun to hurt him too, and Yoongi was in confusion state when suddenly Adrian grabbed him again and this time he held Yoongi against the ground.

"Seorim, put that knife away! Don't you dare to hurt her!" Yoongi shouted as he struggled to shove Adrian away, but he was too strong for him.

No, seeing Hyun Ae in pain and danger had made him weaker.

"Or what? Hm?" Seorim evilly smiled, tracing invisible lines on Hyun Ae's neck with the tip of the knife, causing Yoongi's breath to hitch a few times. "Besides, your problem is there. She is MY problem."

"Adrian, stop!" Hyun Ae cried out when Adrian suddenly moved his hands around Yoongi's neck, beginning to strangle him on the ground.

Her tears began to escape as she watched the idol choking for air while slapping away Adrian's arms. And when she tried to move forward, the cold tip of the metal object felt so ready to cut through her skin.

"Shh... Don't you value your life?" Seorim whispered into her ear. "Everyone around you is always there for you. Always saved you. But now... look at him. Helpless. Dying too."

"Seorim, why are you doing this?! The court gave you a restrained order!" 

"Hah! You asked me... 'why'? Did you just ask me, 'why'?" Seorim let out a maniac laugh before she answered her. "I lost my job because of YOU! I lost everything! I lost my job, I lost my fans, I lost EVERYTHING because of YOU!!!"

"It's all your wrongdoings! You had dug your own grave!" Hyun Ae shrieked, mustering up the last of her energy and courage that she had plucked from nowhere.

Hyun Ae took a deep breath to calm herself before she swiftly grabbed Seorim's arm which had the knife away from her and began to give her a back kick, just like what she had learned once.

"Argh!!!" Seorim yelled, falling back to the roadside and the knife was now nowhere to be seen.

Hyun Ae took this chance by using her whole body and ran towards Adrian, knocking him over to free Yoongi from his chokehold. The idol took a sharp, deep breath of air as he sat up, coughing violently.

Hyun Ae was startled when she saw blood coming out from Adrian's head, a result of hitting his head on a brick by the road.

"Yoongi!" Hyun Ae called out, trying to pull Yoongi that was too weak now back to his feet quickly.

But not quick enough.

"Hyun Ae, watch out!" Yoongi alerted her, but it was all too late.

Hyun Ae lost her footing when Seorim pulled her back to the ground. Hyun Ae had no choice, but to use all her self-defense knowledge.

When Seorim was about to grab her, Hyun Ae quickly pushed her away with her feet, sending her aside.

She quickly stood up back when Seorim hastily rushed towards her and tried to grab her hair again. Everything happened too fast, and the same pain came again.

Hyun Ae once again yelled in pain when she fought back as Seorim began to drag her off the sidewalk towards the road.

"Go die!" Seorim shouted, using all her strength to do her final hurl.

Unexpectedly, Hyun Ae was thrown to the road, wincing in pain as she felt something burning on her left arm and knees.

She began to stand up, and checked on her injuries, without realizing a big car was coming towards her.

Her mind went blank when the car headlights blinded her and the sound of the car honking didn't affect her. She froze on the spot with one thing on her mind: die.

When the car was just five meters away, the time seemed to slow down.

Suddenly, a hand pulled her off the spot, and she realized being in someone's hug.

A familiar hug.

He threw himself to the roadside with Hyun Ae in his hug, with his hands behind her head, protecting her.

Like that day.

Yoongi?

"They ran away! Damn it!" Yoongi grumbled, sitting up as he looked around for Seorim and Adrian, still hugging Hyun Ae.

Hyun Ae was still quiet, her eyes went wide and her body trembled. The near-death shock still overwhelmed her, and only the sound of her staggering breath could be heard.

"Hyun Ae? Hyun Ae?" Yoongi called out, shaking her softly. "Are you okay- oh, your arm."

The car that was about to hit her parked on the side of the road a few meters away from them and the driver went out of the car and ran toward them.

"I am so sorry! Are you okay? I was so careless, I was on the phone!" the driver explained, feeling scared. "Let me take you to the hospital!"

Yoongi agreed with the driver and began to help Hyun Ae back on her feet. And she began to cry as he helped her to follow the driver to her car.

"Hyun Ae, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Yoongi whispered, tucking her hair behind her ears, and tears won't stop streaming down from her eyes.

"Y-Y-Yoongi..." she sobbed, as she grabbed his shirt tight and brought herself even closer to him, clinging to him.

As if she really needed him by her side.

I don't want to let you go. Not this time.

"I'm here, don't worry," Yoongi whispered as he opened the back door of the car. "Let's get you to the hospital, that wound might need treatment-"

"No, no more stitches! I don't want-"

"But you must check it first."

"Unless you come with me and check your shoulder as well!" Hyun Ae suddenly blurted out in anger.

"Fine! Then we need to file a report on them. They need to be arrested for a murder attempt," he said as he looked around the area. "There are surveillance cams around this area, so it will be easy."

*

After they arrived at the hospital, Hyun Ae got her minor injuries treated, and as promised, Yoongi also had his shoulder checked.

The driver kept on apologizing to both of them for her driving carelessness and they forgave her, letting her go home after sending both of them back to Yoongi's car which was parked somewhere else.

"Hyun Ae? You're okay?" Yoongi softly asked, patting her hand as he pulled up in front of her house after they went to the police station and filed a report on Seorim and Adrian.

"I'm sorry that the day ended like this," he said apologetically. "You're still sad about that?"

She stared at his hand on hers, and said, "not that."

"Then what is it? Tell me."

Once again, a single tear fell from her eye as she spoke up.

"Why did you never tell me?" she asked, her words came out trembling and she turned to him.

"It was you, right?"

********************************************************

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