Jonghyun hummed lightly while driving his car towards Sinsa-dong. Today his mood is in good condition, his energy is full after returning from Busan, his endorphin levels increase because he will spend a beautiful night together with Seungyeon.
Then his eyes glanced at his own fingers and wrists which were holding the wheel, watching the rings and wristbands of the pair he was wearing again. He shouldn't have let it go that time, not if it made the girl misunderstand. But, fortunately the situation is better. Jonghyun feels that their misunderstanding has been overcome. Thanks to Seungyeon who is always patient with his attitude which is often difficult to understand.
It is still eight-thirty at night, Jonghyun is sure Seungyeon hasn't arrived at the place they promised. Let it be, after all it should be the men who are waiting. He will wait for Seungyeon there without complaining.
The mood is still good, until in the middle of the trip, there is a call, from Jisoo. At first Jonghyun didn't answer the phone call, but after the first call was ignored, the second and third calls came in and so on, making him doubt and curious, what else would his ex-girlfriend want to say.
"Hallo?"
"Oppa?"
"What is wrong?"
A short pause, then sobs from across there. "I-"
Then, Jonghyun only listened in silence until Jisoo ended the telephone connection and both hands held the steering wheel tighter with his lips tightly closed.
What happened next, Jonghyun turned the wheel quickly, turned the direction, no longer going to its original destination. The neat man in a gray suit increased the speed of the car, as fast as he could, chasing other cars that he felt were blocking his way.
Until not long after he parked the car in front of a second-level house that is not too big. Jonghyun closed the car door with a loud slam, headed for the door of the house, pressed the bell several times, impatient.
"Where is that jerk?" Jonghyun asked when Jisoo had just opened the door of her house. There was no polite greeting like he usually did. There was also no smile on his lips, indicating the man was angry.
Instead of answering, Jisoo just hugged Jonghyun tightly. Then cry, saying she was hurt because of Choi Daehyun. Like she said on the phone before.
Jonghyun brought Jisoo to sit on the sofa to look more closely, and found the woman really hurt. Some parts of her face were bruised badly, the corners of her lips were bleeding, one eye was swollen, up to her neck where there were traces of hands clenched.
"What have you done that he hurt you like this?"
"I did nothing. Daehyun oppa suddenly came here and did all this. He tortured me for no reason. He always did."
Jonghyun sighed, he touched the bruises on Jisoo's right jaw slowly, "I told you not to contact him again. Stop loving him!"
Jisoo gasped, the woman looked down, and said doubtfully, "I've said that many times. But she never wanted to accept." She said in a low voice.
"Do you know where he is now? I will beat him up and tell him not to see you again. Or you can report to the police."
Jisoo shook her head hard, holding the pain that still felt in her neck. "No. Don't report it to the police."
"Why? Because he'll eventually pay an expensive lawyer to be free?" Jonghyun snorted in annoyance. "He thinks I can't do the same thing!?"
Jisoo sobbed again, "No, that's not it. He said he would hurt me worse than this if I dared report it."
"Don't be afraid of threats like that. You are brave girl, remember?"
"I don't want a career that I've been waking up to from the beginning just ended, I don't want to be expelled from the agency for dealing with the law."
Jonghyun grabbed his hair, feeling frustrated at what he was facing, "There will always be a way for your career. You have talent."
Again, Jisoo hugged Jonghyun tightly, buried her face in the man's chest, making him wet with tears. "I'm scared." She said quietly.
No one know what Jonghyun should do if he is dealing with a woman who is injured and crying. It feels like his mother or sister was injured and he feels responsible for it. So Jonghyun returned Jisoo's hug, hoping to calm down a little. Although it doesn't change things for the better.
"Do not leave me." Jisoo whispered, then felt Jonghyun's hand hugging her tighter.
Inwardly, Jisoo laughed. She is right. Jonghyun will always be her savior. Jonghyun won't leave her if she is hurt. Who cares about the heart and feelings, if only compassion can be given to her, no problem, the most important thing Jonghyun back to her.
***
Jonghyun walked into the kitchen, took a bottle of water from the fridge, opened the lid and immediately gulped down half of that. His eyes glanced at Jisoo who was watching his every move from the sofa with eyes swollen from hours of crying.
"Do you want to drink or eat something?"
Jisoo blinked, shaking her head softly, "No, I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat. I can see that you lost a lot of weight."
"I will, but later."
Jonghyun shrugged his shoulders briefly, as if answering 'whatever', and his eyes now glanced at the ring that was coiled around the ring finger of his right hand. Shit! He forgot something important. Instantly he looked at the watch he was wearing, the needle was already showing twelve o'clock at night. Gong Seungyeon! The man forgot Seungyeon!
In a hurry, Jonghyun walked quickly back to the living room, grabbed his suit which was draped over the arm of the sofa.
"What is wrong?" Jisoo asked in surprise.
"I have to go."
Jisoo holding back Jonghyun's arm who had just turned around would leave him. "Wait. Oppa! Where are you going? I said don't leave me."
"I promised to meet someone tonight. Sorry." Jonghyun tried to let go of Jisoo's hand grip on his arm.
"Who? How if Daehyun comes again?"
Jonghyun turned around, now really facing the woman and holding his shoulders. "Jisoo, listen to me. You can change your house code so he can't enter. Or if he comes, call the police immediately. Don't be afraid. I can't here with you all the time."
Suddenly, Jisoo closed her ears and screamed loudly. "No! Don't say that!" She shouted.
Jonghyun was confused by Jisoo's attitude which changed drastically, the woman covered her ears with both hands, closed her eyes tightly and shouted like someone who was hit by severe shock. What did he just say wrong?
"Hey, calm down." Jonghyun tried to touch her shoulder again, but the woman took two steps back.
"Don't say things like that again to me! Don't say you can't accompany me anymore! You must stay here!"
"Listen to me-"
"No! I don't want to hear any more nonsense! I just want Oppa to stay here!" Now the screams increased with sobs. "Oppa will always protect me, right?"
At that moment, Jonghyun blinked. Now he know of what he has done for Jisoo too far. It's gone too far. Jisoo already depends on it. And this is not true. A glance at Seungyeon's face was smiling across his head, delivering a guilt feeling to his heart.
Lee Jonghyun advanced slowly, with all the remaining calm in him, trying to make the sobbing woman listen, when he was right in front of her, he began, "Hey, listen to me-"
Jisoo stood on tiptoe and pulled Jonghyun's neck closer to her, until their lips touched. A lightning touch because Jonghyun caught her wrists and then pushed her, "Are you crazy!?"
Jisoo nodded, "I'm crazy because of you. So we have to be together."
Once again Jisoo tried to kiss his lips, and this time Jonghyun managed to dodge. "You must end all this. I have a girlfriend, and there will never be 'us'."
"You're dating another woman to make me jealous, right?"
Jonghyun shook his head firmly, "How if it's not like that?"
"If not, then I will be very hurt, Oppa. I will be very hurt if you leave me again. You know I cannot live well without you. Forever." She revealed the long hair covering her neck so that the man in front of her could see again -more clearly- Daehyun's strangled scars. "Oppa, you will never leave me."
Jonghyun's breath roared as he looked down at the wounds. His face looked devastated.
"I know that Oppa still loves me. I do too. We both understand that. This time I will always be yours, so you will always be mine."
Jisoo's tapering fingers touched Jonghyun's chin, forcing him to look up. Jisoo's eyes filled with tears, her eyes were so hurt and her face was pitiful.
"Oppa, you can't leave me, that's why you came here. Ever since and until whenever, you will always come to protect me, because you understand me the most. We will have each other, Oppa. And Seungyeon, she will never be able to have the bond as strong as we are. "
Jonghyun was silent for a long time. Did not deny anything else she said, also did not dodge.
***