Wolf Prince and Liar Princess [BANG CHAN FF] ✔️

60. The day you lied to me

- September 5th (late afternoon), Sunday, Seoul -

Jia was sitting on an empty terrace of a much classier restaurant in the Seoul city center. The warm wind ruffled her hair as she stared somewhere in the distance, nervously tapping her phone screen. Just two minutes ago, she sent Chan a message that she wanted them to meet up, using lunch at this restaurant as an excuse. Luckily, he agreed to come to the restaurant in half an hour and as the minutes passed by, Jia became more anxious about their meeting.

It was an understatement to say that Jia was nervous. She was scared, she was anxiously biting her lips, pulling the chapped skin, feeling dizzy and nauseous, still in disbelief as to what she'd have to do.

Tears would come to her eyes every time she'd remember Chan, his loving words and promises that he'll keep her safe and not let anything or anyone get in the way of their relationship. But this situation was different and he couldn't help her here. Jia was trapped so she had to do what Misoo told her.

It broke her heart to pieces. She truly loved Chan and because of that love, she wanted to protect both him and the boys. They didn't deserve any of this so if breaking up was the only solution for SKZ to have a bright future, then so be it.

"What did he say? When is he coming?" Misoo peeked behind a large rectangular flower pot and Jia sighed, throwing her a tired emotionless glance.

"In 30 minutes," Jia replied and turned her head to immerse herself in the Seoul scenery as this would probably be the last time she'd see it.

...

The door of the terrace opened and Chan walked out, dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a hoodie. He took off the hood but let the black ballcap cover his messy hair. He smiled immediately after noticing Jia sitting alone at one of the furthest tables.

"Hey, baby, I'm here!" Chan chimed and Jia's heart broke again. She pushed the chair and stood up. At that moment, he looked so comfortable and soft that all she wanted was to run into his arms and cry on his shoulder but she knew that she would never be able to do that again.

On the sound of his voice and the metal chair being dragged against the concrete floor, Misoo hid safely behind the flowerpot, having her phone start the recording of Jia and Chan's conversation. The smaller girl previously warned Jia that she would record everything so no sneaky words or moves were allowed.

"Stay there, please... I have something to tell you," Jia raised her hand, stopping Chan in his tracks. 

Her lower lip trembled and she couldn't meet Chan's curious eyes but she took a breath and looked up. That was a mistake as his sweet smiling face broke her to pieces and tears emerged.

"I'll cut to the chase, Chan. I... We..." a lump in her throat made it difficult for her to speak. Nothing happened yet but Jia was already choking on tears. She squeezed her eyes to stop them but to no avail. She looked up at Chan again, balling her fists, "Chan... we need to break up."

It was like a punch in the gut. Like a cold shower. Like a gunshot to the heart. Chan wasn't expecting these words to ever fly out of Jia's mouth. It took him a moment to comprehend but then he frowned, clenching his jaw.

"Why so suddenly, Jia? Give me one valid reason..." he said, his voice dark and deep with annoyance threaded in his tone.

She shook her head, her eyes closed to stop new tears from forming. But it didn't work - she was already fully crying. Jia stared at her feet for a few moments before meeting his now sorrowful face. Chan relaxed his jaw and his frown eased up after seeing her cry.

"Because I can't take this anymore... Because I care for you... I love you..." she bit her lips, a sob hitching in her throat as her truthful words needed to be lined up with a lie, "This kind of life isn't for me, Chan. I want a public relationship, I don't want to stay hidden anymore. Call me selfish but I want the world to know that we love each other. And we can't do that so... we should go our separate ways... I can't harbor these feelings anymore... the feelings I have for you and the rest of Stray Kids. The pressure finally got to me, converting into fear and anxiety."