Unexpectedly Falling For You

twenty-eight

Sunghoon opened his eyes and realised he had been sleeping on the couch all night. He frowned at the sun shining through the window and stood up. He walked to the entrance door and opened it. To his surprise, Daeun was sleeping on the floor next to the door.

She let out a few soft snores and still hadn't noticed he was watching her. He squatted down and chuckled, feeling his heart melting. He reached to move a few strands of hair from her face and admired her.

How her chest moved up and down, signalling that she was breathing calmly and enjoying her sleep. He could even watch her sleeping all day and admire her beauty.

He heard her move and she let out a yawn. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him in front of her.

"Good morning," she greeted with a cheerful voice.

She examined his face properly, seeing his eyes red and puffy from all the crying. His lips looked plump as usual and she averted her eyes to his chest, seeing him breathing calmly.

She opened her arms and pulled him into a warming hug, "There, there."

She patted his back gently and rested her chin on his shoulder, "You're going to be alright, Sunghoon-ah."

He pulled away and helped her stand up. "Did you sleep here all night?"

Daeun nodded and dusted off her clothes, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"You shouldn't wait for me. It's cold out here!" He scolded and led her into his house. He let her sit in the living room before rushing to the kitchen to make some hot coffee.

After waiting for a while, she decided to go to the kitchen and watch him. She recalled his conversation with his mother. She took a deep breath and asked, "There's a picture of your graduation day in your office. If you don't have a nice relationship with your parents, may I ask who the people in the picture are?"

Sunghoon sighed and poured her some coffee he brewed. "They are Jay's parents. We graduated together. Since I graduated alone, they decided to take one with me," he smiled to himself, "It felt nice."

She tightened her grip around the cup and breathed out, "You can always come to me if you're having problems. If your mother bothers you again, come to me. I'll protect you. If you feel like crying and being alone, just remember that I will always be there for you."

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Thanks. But you don't have to do that. It's not like we're dating for real."

His words made her heart shatter but she tried to put on a smile. "Yeah..." she laughed along.

•

"It's not like we're dating for real."

Sunghoon's words kept bothering her. She wore her wireless earphones and kept jogging around the park. She chose to ignore her surroundings as her chest started feeling heavier and heavier.

I want to be yours.

I want you to be mine.

How?

Her legs started giving up as she panted heavily. She continued to run and didn't hear a bike coming from behind her. "Move!" The man who was cycling shouted and almost hit her.

She moved to the side and twisted her ankle before falling to the ground. "Ahn Daeun!" A voice called from behind her. She rolled her eyes and groaned frustratedly when she realised the voice belonged to Doyun.

She gathered her strength to stand up and winced in pain, limping her way to the nearest bench.

He ran to her and suddenly carried her bridal style without her consent. "Let me go!" She freed herself and punched him in the face.

"I was trying to help you!"

"I didn't say you can touch me! Get away, you bastard!"

She didn't care if the other people stopped to watch them both. All she wanted was for him to go away.

"Why do you hate me so much–"

"You told me to die!" She interrupted his words and breathed in and out heavily. His heart dropped, "What?"

"How do you think I know you're the one who hit me with your car that night?" Her jaw clenched out of anger, "You told me to die. You thought I would immediately die but I heard you. And I heard you laugh."

"Daeun, I didn't laugh–"

"Get away from me, you sick jerk. Don't ever dare to show up in front of me ever again."

She left him alone at the park and limped her way back to her house.