Second Time Around

Chapter 22.

Han POV

Han stood outside the restaurant contemplating why he even agreed to be there. Pushing the doors to the restaurant open he walked in and saw her sitting in the chairs closest to the bar. Her long black hair pushed over her shoulders and the bored expression on her face were all too familiar to Han. He took a deep breath in and walked over taking a seat in front of her.

"Why did you call me?" He said cooly looking over towards her. He saw her brown eyes and hated how he could still recall all the feeling he thought he had gotten rid of. He knew deep down it would take a while to get over her, but he figured by now he could look her in the eyes and not remember the way she used to make him feel.

"Han.." Jia let out softly but he didn't give time for his heart to skip a beat at the mention of his name.

"What did you want to tell me? I have to leave soon to meet my friends..we have important things going on right now.." He looked down at his phone to check the time as well as his notifications. He wasn't lying, after the police report he and So-Hee had placed the day before they had to go in to give extra information and any leads they could.

Jia unfolded her arms and clasped her hands on the table in front of her. "I'm going to be leaving the country soon for college abroad. I just...wanted to apologize to you properly...I shouldn't have treated you the way that I did."

A look of surprise came over Han. This was the last thing he expected her to call him for. He saw the appologetic look in her eyes and knew that she wan't lying and that she was truly genuine.

"Thank you I appreciate that, but I really need to get going.." Han began to get up but Jia reached out and touched Han's arm before pulling away just as quick. She motioned for him to sit down which he did looking at Jia to continue.

"At first when I started dating you, it was for another purpose. Over time though I really did grow to like you. It just was that I....I had to separate myself from you so that both of us wouldn't get hurt in the end." Jia explained which caused Han to chuckle. He actually thought for a second she was genuine, how naive could he be he wondered.

"You call cheating on me separating yourself?" His tone caused her to wince. She nodded though agreeing with him.

"You have me there, that didn't come out quite how I meant for it to.." She sighed beginning to fiddle with her fingers. Han couldn't lie that she caught his curiosity with one part of her explanation.

"What about this 'other purpose' you were talking about?" Han asked and watched as Jia's posture went stiff and she stumbled over her next few words.

"My brother....he wanted me to start dating you. He wanted me to keep you away from someone and to keep an eye on them as well. He..wanted me to keep tabs on them and tell him about what was going on, and after a while I didn't like what I was doing so I decided I wanted to put a stop to it. It didn't matter what I did though, my brother would convince me keep doing it." She explained looking completely scared.

"Who is your brother?" Han sat back crossing his arms over his chest.

"....Kim Min-Woo. He works at a company as a consumer consult. He also has a side gig at a local theater." She explained as the waiter came by and dropped off a drink. She thanked him taking a drink before looking back over to Han.

"Okay and why would he have you use me to keep an eye on someone?" He raised his eyebrow wondering why he was tangled in all this.

"He wanted me to keep an eye on someone in your friend group..." She let out very carefully leaving Han to groan at the response.

"Who?" He said frustrated.

"Min-Sun.." She said quietly and Han could feel his chest tighten.

"What the hell, why would he have you keeping tabs on Min-Sun?" He breathed out remembering the feeling of hopelessness and the fear he felt the night before .

"...He was obsessed with her. He had this thing for her because she was at every play that he was working for. He saw her with you one day and figured you had feeling for her and it angered him. So he came up with a plan to get you both separated as well as get Min-Sun closer to him. All he needed me to do was keep you distracted and keep tabs on her to help him out." Han felt sick to his stomach. Jia's brother was not only a stalker but a psychopath.

"I know I am the scum of the earth right now. I didn't approve of my brother's plan, but he blackmailed me into doing this. He had me do almost all of his dirty work.." She looked down to her drink before taking another sip.

"How long has this been going on?" Han asked wondering how long both of them had been meddling in their lives.

"Longer than you would think.." She sighed leaning back this time crossing her arms over her chest.

"So the day of the festival you didn't mean to confess to me?" Han realized feeling slightly hurt knowing that he was being used.

"...No...I actually had feelings for someone else at the time but that doesn't matter now.." She fiddled with the straw in her drink not looking Han in the eyes as she continued. "When I confessed to you at the festival that was when I first started getting roped up in his plans. He heard from one of you that you planned to confess to Min-Sun that night and he wanted me to crash the plan. He had...other motives in mind.." She trailed off again but Han had enough of her discreet responses.

"Can you please stop beating around the bush and give it to be straight? That is the one thing I don't miss about our relationship." Han sat back groaning feeling like he needed to order himself a drink.

Jia gave him an annoyed look before continuing. "While I was distracting you at the festival, my brother was going to stop her to confess his feelings for her. He didn't know that she was going to be with Woojin and he..he made a mistake.." Tears filled her eyes as she continued to fiddle with the straw in her drink. 

"...He was the one who crashed into Woojin and Min-Sun..." Han figured and Jia nodded confirming his theory.

"He not only gravely injured Min-Sun...but the one person I had feelings for.." Han was taken a back with all the news but especially the fact that she had feelings for Woojin. He had seen them talk maybe a handful of times, but never imagined that someone like her would like someone like him.

Suddenly another thought came to Han. "Has...Has he been the one sending her all the letters too?"

Jia nodded guilt flooding her features. "He would write them and sometimes deliver them, but I delivered a good majority of them..."

Han nodded thinking back to the note from last night. "What about a typed out note. Did you ever deliver one like that?"

Jia looked at him odd before nodding no. "No he mainly wrote the letters and I delivered them. The only one that was different was the email I sent her that night at the library.."

He nodded a little disappointed in the response.  He then learned forward choosing his next words carefully. "Do...do you think he could be the reason she is missing right now?"

"Wait what?" Jia lifted her head to Han and he saw the panic that flooded her face.

"She is missing...She has been gone for at least a day now and we don't know where she is. I was going to talk to the police after our talk.." Han explained watching as Jia picked at her nails. She was being too quiet now to not know something Han thought.

"Jia? What do you know?" Han asked causing Jia's eyes to meet his.  He could see the guilt hidden in them, but also determination.  

"I...I don't know much, but I think I might know where she is."