"Chae 💞 Where the hell are you? You know I saw you. WORKING??? IN A RESTAURANT??? It's been days—talk to me! Or at least pass a message through Dayeon... Your dad told me she brought you study materials. I'm getting upset now, Niki.
Just talk to me...
Read two days ago.
Are you serious?
I'm really trying to understand your situation, but you're making it hard.
It's your father, isn't it?
OMG...
I KNOW, I GOT IT.
HE TOTALLY HAS YOU ON SOME RICH-PEOPLE LOCKDOWN LIKE IN DRAMAS.
FUCK.
I'm right.
I know it.
FUCK.
I'm sorry, but I hate your dad right now.
Whatever, I'm coming to your work.
I gave you a heads up.
Read just now."
Chaewon’s breath hitched as she read the final message. There it was—Niki, alive and working just as she had suspected.
The idea that he might be avoiding her to be with Dayeon had been nagging at her, but seeing him working in a restaurant—of all places—made everything click. She thought back to their first kiss, the conversation they shared, and the way he had looked at her. She had been trying to figure out why he had been so distant, and now, she knew it wasn’t because of Dayeon. It was something much bigger—his father, the elitist who had likely caught on to something and was now controlling him. Chaewon felt a rush of determination.
She couldn’t just let it go. Whatever it was, she needed to talk to him.
The bells of the restaurant chimed as Chaewon pushed the door open, the familiar smell of food hitting her as she stepped inside. She didn’t know if Niki would be glad to see her or surprised, but she was past waiting. She needed answers.
A waiter greeted her, offering her the menu, but she was already beyond the pleasantries. "Can you please ask Mr. Niki to come take my order?" she said sharply, her voice full of authority. "Or I might just sue you."
The waiter, clearly intimidated, quickly backed off without saying a word. Chaewon sat at a corner table, waiting for Niki, her mind racing. She wasn’t going to leave until she had some answers.
As promised, Niki walked up to her table a few moments later, looking tired and slightly uncomfortable. "Your order, ma'am?"
Chaewon didn’t bother with formalities. "Don’t mess with me, Niki," she said, her voice low and firm. "Can you at least tell me what’s going on?"
Niki’s expression softened. He glanced around, almost as if checking if anyone was listening, before his hand gently squeezed hers. "Trust me, sweetheart," he said, his voice quiet but earnest. "I can’t afford it right now. Just wait for me, okay?"
Chaewon didn’t know what to say in response. It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes. After a long, heavy silence, she simply nodded. She ate her meal and paid for the food, her mind still swirling with questions.
A week passed, and Niki returned to school as though nothing had changed. He was back to being the same S-class asshole he had always been, hardly acknowledging Chaewon, not even a glance her way.
He was always with Jake or Dayeon, making Chaewon feel like a stranger in his life. She had wanted to trust him, just like he had asked her to, but each day it became harder. She could feel herself unraveling, and the pain of waiting for him was starting to become unbearable.
"I don’t think he’d do that," Jinni said, trying to comfort her as they sat together one afternoon. She had been a constant source of support for Chaewon, shutting down her overthinking whenever it crept in.
But Chaewon was tired. Tired of waiting. Tired of not knowing. She hated the uncertainty and the constant ache in her chest. Every time she saw Niki with someone else, every time he turned away from her without even a word, it stung. She hated the control his father had over him, how it kept him from being able to make his own choices.
"It's so difficult," Chaewon admitted, her voice shaky. "And it hurts so much to wait for someone who isn’t even there. I hate his father for doing this to him. I hate that I have to wait."
Jinni placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but it didn’t ease the turmoil inside Chaewon. She was torn between understanding Niki’s situation and feeling completely betrayed by his actions—or, more accurately, his inactions.
She wasn’t sure what was worse: the fact that Niki was pulling away, or the knowledge that it wasn’t entirely his choice.
The frustration was becoming too much to bear, and Chaewon was starting to wonder if she could keep waiting. Or if she even should.
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