Untitled, 2018

Chapter 70: What Really Happened

Three Days Ago, Friday, Riti
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I arrived at the cafe after getting her number and calling her. I had hoped she'd be free for such a request, honestly.

The cafe was quite empty. She had long dark hair and wore big sunglasses and a thick, stylish scarf. I sat across from her awkwardly, and we silently looked at each other for a moment before I started laughing despite myself.

"Is this supposed to be your disguise, Baek Hee?"

She harrumphed and looked away. "What do you want? If it's not important, I'm ready to leave right now."

I smiled and shook my head. "Please don't." I took the little flash drive I had and a little printout of the picture I had of her, and placed them in front of her.

"I took this the very first night I saw you. When you had come to my university to perform and didn't realize I was in the building. I didn't know who you were, and I thought nothing more of the picture. But now..."

"Now you're using it to threaten me?" She chuckled mirthlessly and with anger.

"Listen to me. Yesterday, I was told I had the chance to give this picture to a Dispatch journalist... strike first to make sure you can't harm Jimin." At the sound of his name, she looked up and glared at me.

"Well then, why didn't you? Why do you have to tell me this? Are you here to gloat?"

I groaned and rolled my eyes, "Hey, girl, do you never listen?"

She stopped talking.

"I came here to hand you the files instead. Gunho said it was stupid of me, but... here I am." I sighed.

"Is this blackmail?"
"No! No, I'm just... giving them to you. They're your pictures, your moments. You deserve to do what you want with them."

She looked incredibly confused, and then sat up a little straighter. "Why?"

I don't know. "Because... you have dreams too. You and Jihun. You have people who care about you, who are relying on you, who are rooting for you. You may be doing things to... embarrass them, but I can't. I thought that I couldn't sit around and do nothing while the person I cared for was being tortured like this. But..." My eyes were sore at this point, honestly, but I still squeezed them shut for a moment to gather my emotions. "But saving him shouldn't mean bringing you down. I have dreams too, you know? I wouldn't like it if I was collateral damage..."

The waiter brought me some water and a cup of coffee I'd ordered earlier.

I continued, "I don't think women should bring each other down. And I don't think you should be judged by the world because of your actions regarding one person."

I swallowed the lump in the throat. "Besides, I think if this leaked you would be vilified far far beyond what you deserve, or what Jimin would get."

Baek Hee's brows were furrowed, and she leaned in to my side of the table. "From what I saw... I thought you loved him."

That was it, I couldn't hold it in anymore, and my tears started spilling. My lips trembled, making it hard for me to respond, and I quickly tried to wipe my tears away with my gloves, but they kept coming.

"But I don't hate you." I tried to steady my breathing Baek Hee awkwardly cleared her throat.
Her hand tentatively reached out to touch mine, and she gave it a little squeeze before pulling away right away. "There there. Stop embarrassing me in public."
I pressed my sleeves to my eyes to hide them.