If Only...

If Only This is Not the End

And you hurt me too much for me to care about burdening you...

"Take me away oppa... take me away to a place where people don't recognize me."

He never thinks he will see this but Sooyoung is almost pleading to him. How done she must have felt to feel this way.

"Who are we kidding. You are too cautious to do that."

"Let's."

Joy eyes widened.

"I'm here with you. I promise I will be here if you want to talk. Let's do it if it will make you feel better."

Joy felt her heart dropped at the sight of his reassuring eyes. The warm look that she had forgotten he had. Just like that, she felt a surging of feelings overcoming her composure.

She started crying. "Oppa... I am tired."

At that moment he saw her breaking down he is done with caring about his god damn image and his freaking reputation.

She was broken. His Joy was broken.

He spared no time as he pulled her close to his body. His big hand enclosing her head as he let her bury her face in his chest.

She was trembling. Just like a baby.

"I will take you away.." He muttered softly on her ears.

Joy just clutched in tighter, her nails were digging his back. Sungjae can feel how drenched his shoulder is by now. She was feeling desperate for any kind of warmth. Any kind of resemble being that pull her back down to earth. She wanted to feel.. she wanted to feel like she is everything to someone.

Not a toy.. not a machine.. not a celebrity.

Just a person.

***

They were just driving. Driving to oblivion... Driving to some gateway that won't remind them of how insane their world is. Frankly, Sungjae doesn't even know where he is going.

It was nighttime and Joy was just staring at him.. looking at his vibrating phone.

"Oppa.. your phone?"

"It is fine."

"It is not.. you can go if you want but just drop me off somewhere.."

"Joy.. just.. can you just not try to push me away now."

She can see how his grip on the steering wheel tightened.. she had never seen this side of him.

"I'm just frustrated okay. You used to.. you used to be so cheery. I don't know. I'm just. I should have been there for you."

"Honestly, I don't even know whether it is you the one who send me the text. I thought it was some strange number. But then... I saw a lot of 6 in the figures. I was kinda hopeful it was you.. apparently, it is you.." She slightly chuckled. "You and your 'yook' obsession."

"You can't seem to get enough of this Yook too." Sungjae teased her.

"Maybe too much." Her face suddenly grew dimmed again.

He didn't like it.. how her mood quickly changed from 100 to 0 really quick. It felt like he was losing her. He was scared. She seemed so broken.. it was such a gimmick to her celeb name.

Joy.

She is the exact opposite of Joy now.

He doesn't know where they ended up at but they were at a small inn and he is sure it was pretty further than Seoul so he doubted the ahjumma knows who they are.