Gayoung got up from her seat in the hallway, deciding that she would simply come back later to visit Seungsik. She'd arrived after Yejin had already entered, and judging from the happy laughter from the room, she figured the two should be left alone. She was happy for them. This would give them much needed space to talk and work things out between themselves. 

She was hoping that this visit meant that Yejin was going to give Seungsik a chance. It surely seemed that way. 

She got up, turning to find Byungchan walking down the hallway towards her. He smiled when their eyes met, but his eyes didn't smile with the rest of him. He didn't look happy. He looked like he had a world of worry resting on his shoulders. 

"You better be taking care of yourself," she told him when he got closer, surveying him in concern. Truly, she'd never seen him look like this. His eyes looked sad and exhausted. "You don't want to be the next one to end up in the hospital." 

"I know. Are you leaving?" 

"Yejin is in there with him. I came to visit but I think I'll just come back later. I wanna give them some alone time." 

Byungchan nodded, closing his eyes briefly and pressing his fingers against his temples. "I'll come back later too, then. I know how he likes her." 

"Grab a meal with me?" she questioned, tilting her head at him and smiling. She was trying to appear unconcerned but in reality, she was really worried. His condition looked similar to Seungsik's and she didn't want him fainting too. 

"I'd like that," he said softly, reaching into his pocket and taking out a black mask to match his black hat. "I'm ready," he said, putting it on. 

"Wow, going into stealth mode?" she teased, bumping her shoulder against his playfully. 

"I'm invisible like this," he joked back as they exited the hospital. "Now, where do you want to eat?" 

"Somewhere with no people, so you're not caught." 

Byungchan laughed, a real laugh this time. He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Don't worry too much. You wanna just go grab something from the convenience store? And then we can sit in the park and eat?" he asked, pointing across the street. "Hardly anyone's ever there at this time. It's very peaceful." 

"Hardly anyone... you sure? You sure that's not risky?" 

He nodded vigorously. "I've only ever seen old people at this time, and they won't know who I am!" he said brightly. She was relieved to see him looking happier, and nodded in agreement. 

A few minutes later they were sitting on a part bench, eating cup noodles together. 

"How are you feeling?" she ventured. 

"About what?" he said slowly, a guarded look coming to his eyes. 

Gayoung frowned down at her food. "About... you know... the thing with Chaewon. Being forced to date her outside of the show for publicity. Are you okay?" 

He sighed, tilting back his head. "No. Neither of us are. She's furious, and so am I. But hey... what can you do? It's not like I have any power to go against my company. And my parents are in agreement with the company, so there's that." 

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "That must be really hard." 

"I hate it," he grumbled. "Now I have to act all the time, in front of everyone." 

She smiled sadly at him, putting her hand over his. "Not with everyone," she whispered. "You don't have to act around me. And you certainly don't have to around the others." 

Byungchan blinked at her, tears filling his eyes. He flipped over the hand that was under hers and interlaced their fingers, squeezing her hand tightly. 

"Thank you," he whispered, a single tear tracing his cheek. "I'm lucky to have you guys in my life." 

She smiled, reaching forward to brush the tear off of his face. "We're here for you. Never forget that."

***

A/N 

I did have a plan but I low key don't even know who I ship her with at this point. Let's see if I can end up sticking to my initial plan lol. 

Who do you ship her with? And is there anything in particular you'd like to see from this book?