Jeonderstand? 3: Test Of Love

Undressed

Hye-Rin's POV

________

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?"

My aunt begged for hours on end while we attempted to watch a drama together.

She wanted to know what had me so gloomy lately.

I bargained with my brain about the possible outcomes and benefits of telling her

For reference, the outcomes consisted of:

- Seohyun forcing the relationship again

- Her judging me for my actions

- Questioning how the situation even came about

- Prolonging her snarky comments about Hal-Sha

If you're wondering, that last outcome was on the list because I wanted to hear absolutely nothing about that man. Good or bad. He needed to be gone from my brain.

The benefits included:

- Getting it off my chest

- Telling her why she wouldn't be seeing her favorite "son-in-law" ever again.

With all these options thought through, I saw it best not to reveal a single piece.

"C'mon, Hye-rin~ At least give me a minor detail. While in a mom's position, I would like to know about your life. I know you're older and deserve privacy, but can you trust the fact that I would never do anything to hurt you?"

I tilted my head slightly, to look at her beside me on the couch. "I know you wouldn't purposely try to hurt me, Sena~ but sometimes you get too emotional about things and force me to act in ways I'm unfamiliar with.

She leaned forward. "Enlighten me."

"For example, you always tell me I should do something instead of what I feel—mostly when it comes to Jung-Wook. Before we got together, I told you that I wasn't sure if I should fall in love again. But because you loved him so much, you just had to influence him with your beliefs and comments."

My aunt arched her eyebrows in thought. "Did I really?"

"Yesss~" I replied.

"Well, anyway, you should know that he did most of the work. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have asked you out. Whenever he and I talked, he always asked about your well being and deliberately liked you. My intuition told me so. Even when he saw you in the hospital after your accident that day...he observed you with so much love."

I only listened, still at odds with current events.

"This isn't about him though, is it, Rin?"

"No..." I lied.

She sighed again and faced the screen. "Then, you should probably give him another chance. I don't know what happened but...he's a keeper. I know that much."

My eyes pointed downward as I adjusted my blanket.

"I think I might quit my job too..." I included, feeling bittersweet.

Acting is my dream but I feel like everything else has come to shit because of it.

And I do feel like I'm reverting as he said.

I don't want to be the old Hye-Rin anymore.

"You're lying, right?!" She asked exasperatingly.

"No, I'm not. It's starting to tear me apart. Some guy at my job has been harassing me."