Far From The Same ~Joshua Hong~

Chapter 3

Joshua parked his car in front of his apartment. He turned the keys and pulled them out of the ignition, and then just sat there in complete silence. He shouldn't have left, knowing what was going to happen to her.

He banged his hands on the wheel, angry at himself for everything. "Stupid! Stupid! You shouldn't have left her, Joshua. You shouldn't." He bowed his head, leaning it against his hands that were clenching the wheel.

How did it come to this? How? He should have fought harder for her, but honestly, he had already lost as soon as Joong-ki said hi to her.

He stepped out of the car and shut it, walking up to the front door of his apartment. He pushed the keys in and opened the door. Thank goodness it was Friday. He could relax and unwind from tonight with beer and then sleep in. He dropped his wallet, keys, and cell on the counter of the kitchen and walked towards his room. There, he took his jacket off, throwing it at the wall, still mad. He went to the bathroom, stripped, and took a shower. A hot one, where the water poured down on him, burning his skin.

He placed his hands on the wall and bowed his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Jin-ah. I'll be here for you. I'll wait." He whispered to himself.

Across the city, Jin-ah was doing the same thing. Letting hot water run down her bruised and aching body. She didn't know how she managed to get into the shower with how sore she was. Joong-Ki had left the house, enraged. She let the tears fall, her skin turning red from the hot water. She kept whispering to herself, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Joshua."

The next morning, Jin-ah woke up. She didn't dare move, knowing her body was not in good shape. It was Saturday, which meant she had the day off. She reached over to the bed stand and grabbed her phone. She noticed a message from Seungcheol. Probably asking about the wedding. Jin-ah was dreading that talk with Joong-Ki. Seungcheol was a family friend and was getting married to her college friend. So, Joong-Ki should let her go.

She closed her eyes, setting her phone down, and then, using her arms, she tried to sit up. She winced but managed. Once she was sitting up, she swung her legs over to the side and placed them on the floor. This was going to be fun.

"Okay, Jins. 1. 2. 3."

She pushed off and stood up, using the wall to balance. She limped her way to the door and opened it. She peeked her head out and listened. Nothing. Hmm, was he here?

She used the wall and walked down the hall. His bedroom was empty. Wasn't in the kitchen either. She walked over to the living room and saw another bouquet of flowers. Daffodils. Jin-ah walked over and saw a note attached to it. She picked it up and read it.

My dear, Jin-ah,
I love you. I'm sorry for getting angry last night. Please accept this apology and go out to dinner with me?

♡Your Joong-Ki

Jin-ah rolled her eyes. This was pathetic. Tonight, she was going to tell him that she was attending the wedding and talk about how he needs to stop being so controlling over her life. Was he going to like that? Hell no. Was she scared? Heck yeah. But it had to be done.

Ring, ring, ring!

Jin-ah pulled her phone from her back pocket and looked at the screen. Unknown number. Hm.

She answered. "Yeoboseyo?"

"Jin-ah! Where have you been! You better be coming to our wedding!"

Seungcheol. She chuckled. Freaking Joong-Ki. She sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Cheol! I didn't get the invite, and Joshua was the one who told me it's next week. I'll be there! Don't worry!"

Seungcheol scoffed. "Fuck Joong-Ki. I sent you the invitation months ago, and you're now just finding out. What is his deal?! We grew up together! We are family friends. Is he that worried that I'll go after you? I'm marrying your best friend. God, that guy. He's changed."