MY BOO┊hhj [ ✓ ]

46

"how long is the ride back?" she asked him.

minho gave her a gentle smile, glancing at the gps that was positioned in front of him. "about an hour before we get home. is there something wrong?" he saw how pale her face was and how she kept glancing at her phone.

forcing a smile, she shook her head, "no. i just needed to know when we'll get back home."

<--->

thankfully, sowon survived the way back home. she was able to set her head clear for a bit before she exploded in her seat. waiting anxiously to get home, she exited the car quickly, not bothering to get her suitcase out of the van, and then she entered her house.

minho confusedly looked at her, wondering why she was rushing. "well, i guess i'll drop you guys home first before i come back to drop off her suitcase." the others at the back tiredly agreed, nodding their heads. slowly, minho pulled away from sowon's house to bring the others home.

"mom?" sowon called out, biting her bottom lip nervously as she waited for her mother's reply. she grew more anxious when she didn't hear anything and took large strides toward the kitchen. "mom?"

she sighed in relief when her mother was sitting on the chair with a cup of coffee on the table in front of her. sowon walked over and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, hugging her gently from behind. she was glad that maci wasn't here, well, that's what she thought.

"you're back?" her mother said, however, sounding dazed.

sowon nodded her head, letting go of her mother as she sat on the chair in front of her. "yeah, i'm back though. did you miss me because i missed you a lot."

her mother smiled a little, forcing the corners of her mouth to stretch upwards. "i missed you." but sowon could sense that there was something wrong with the way her mother avoided her eyes and focused her gaze on the coffee cup only.

sowon narrowed her eyes at her. "what's wrong?" when her mother didn't answer her, sowon's blood ran cold. "did maci do something? i swear to god i will beat her up. mom, what did she do this time? mom, answer me!"

abruptly standing up, sowon ran a hand through her hair in a stressful manner. she hated how maci had a way to corrupt her mother's mind into thinking about something else.

"no," her mother softly rejected. "maci didn't do anything to me. she didn't threaten us. she came here to apologize for treating us badly on her father's behalf. you know how our family doesn't get along well with theirs. i'm just in shock when she got down on her knees and apologized."

sowon's heated stare immediately softened at her mother's gentle and firm tone. she peered over to see her mother looking up at her with tears glistening in her eyes.

"it must be hard to believe because we were treated like dirt when they were around. now that i think of it, maci was only scared of her father and became someone else. she was this innocent and sweet little girl who turned into some sort of brat created by her father," sowon's mother stated defeatedly. "all i could do was accept her apology and let her leave the house. she also told me she had a few things to discuss with you before she was leaving for france."

sowon shifted her gaze away from her mother and looked at the ground, finding it more interesting. she felt guilt eating her up, but she didn't know why she felt guilty. it was all maci's fault, right?

"why is she leaving for france?" sowon timidly asked, her heart feeling heavy.

her mother frowned slightly as she told her daughter, "her father forced her into an arranged marriage with one of the wealthiest family on earth to their son. they decided to place the young one's marriage in france where maci will be staying for a while."

sowon visibly gulped. "d-did maci agree to it? did she? why would she?" although maci and sowon were never on great terms, there were times when maci was there for sowon. sometimes those times when maci was there for her changed her way of viewing maci for a bit.

sowon had hoped that the old maci was still in her, but she never really received an answer because maci was hard to tell. everyone viewed her badly because of her actions, and sowon couldn't really do anything about it even if she could. maci was her own person. no one understands her like how everyone would never understand each other.

her mother's words left sowon speechless. "yes. maci agreed to it."

<--->

after hyunjin walked areum back to her house, he trudged along the sidewalk to return home. he was reluctant to leave areum after finding out her house was empty and her parents were gone, but areum had reassured her that she was fine by herself. but he could see it in her eyes how she didn't want him to go even if her words spoke the opposite.

hyunjin smiled a little bit to himself as he looked up at the clear sky. the sun was out, and it was shining brightly, but the clouds had scattered across the sky, desperate for an escape for a rain shower soon.

all while hyunjin was busy admiring the sky, he came to a stop at his house when he noticed a familiar figure hunched up in front of his house. his breath hitched and his heart began to beat crazily fast when he saw her.

it was maci.

not moving even the slightest bit when maci looked up from her knees to stand up and walk over to him, hyunjin remained frozen as she offered him a gentle smile on her pretty face. the smile he was used to receiving when he saw her and it gave him dejavu at how beautiful and peaceful she looked.

hyunjin tried hard not to let tears sting his eyes, but he failed to keep himself relax and calm under her soft gaze that he stared sadly back into hers.

"why... why are you here?" he couldn't recognize his own voice, feeling miserable and torn inside. his vision began to turn blurry as the tears had welled up, wanting to escape his eyes that dared to not shed any tears.

maci replied quietly, "i needed to see you one last time before i go. i need to explain everything to you. so, i just need you to hear me out and wait till the end when i'm finished with what i'm going to tell you."

hyunjin gulped, turning numb. he nodded his head reluctantly as waves of emotions took over his heart. he didn't know what to do. the girl he loved was standing in front of him. when he was ready to move on, she came back to him and it confused his mind. does he still love her? does he still need her? does he want her?

"do you trust me?" maci asked nervously.

and hyunjin had to ask himself inside his mind.

do i trust you?