Present Time

(Narrator's POV)

A few days after his birthday, Jungkook came back to the cupcake shop to buy his usual favourite set of cupcakes. He stumbled into the store, walking past the tables and booth that were sitting on the left side of the store. As he reached the cashier desk, he glanced over to the glass cabinet that had all the cupcakes in store.

He frowned. All the cupcakes were sitting there, waiting for someone to buy them, but the only thing that wasn't there were the red velvet cupcakes. Out of curiosity, he tried to sneak a quick glance into the kitchen just to make sure that one of the chefs were making them. Ringing the bells on the desk, out came Chanwoo who was dusting off his apron.

"May I help you?" Chanwoo smiled, and Jungkook felt himself suspiciously look around the shop. Chanwoo looked at the boy as he searched for Seoyeon. "Are you looking for her?"

"Yes, and the red velvet cupcakes." He replied as Chanwoo's lips formed a small 'o'.

"She hasn't come to work since the first of September. I think she's sick?" He explained as Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Chanwoo pointed towards the kitchen as he started to explain more about the red velvet cupcakes. "And the red velvet cupcakes? I don't know the recipe. In fact, Seoyeon only keeps the recipe for her red velvet cupcakes a secret."

"Wait, she hasn't been here since Tuesday?" Jungkook pursed his lips as Chanwoo nodded his head in reply. He frowned even more knowing that the last time he saw her was on his birthday.

"Bora and I are kind of bummed out because most of her customers love the red velvet cupcakes," Chanwoo began, shaking his head. "We don't know the recipe, therefore, we can't provide them their cupcakes until Seoyeon comes back."

"Did you call her, at least?" Chanwoo shook his head again. "Why won't you call her?"

"Bora did, but apparently it's girl business." Chanwoo chuckled, "I guess it has something to do with us guys can't know."

Jungkook's shoulder slumped, and Chanwoo placed a hand on his hip. The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds and Jungkook turned away.

"Did you do anything to her?" Chanwoo asked defensively as Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

Jungkook shook his head to defend himself, "I never did anything—ugh, I don't know."

Chanwoo giggled, "girls and their love life, pretty hard to read, huh?"

~~~~

He kissed her. That was the problem.

She tossed around in her bed once again for the billionth time, wiping away her tears that were streaming down her cheeks. He kissed her. The memory was haunting her to death.

Jungkook was someone who always kept her thinking, someone who would let her reconsider things in a different perspective. But that's what she hated about him. She hated how he changed her thoughts about him.

She hated how he stopped her from moving on. She hated how one kiss, how one act of kindness could make her fall in love with him again without hesitation.

She hates how she loves him so much that she let all her threatening feelings to come back into her heart without permission. It took one look, one visit, one minute, one second, just for her to fall in love again.

She was never supposed to love him again after the last time they saw each other. She was supposed to let go of him. She was supposed to move on with her own life knowing that she'll never see him ever again. But seeing him again completely destroyed her plan of moving on from her strong feelings for him.

Seoyeon feared that if she fell in love with him again, she would only get hurt just like the first time. She feared that if she fell in love with him again, all of it would be fake just like the first time.

She feared that maybe what he felt for her right now wasn't real at all.

She feared that maybe down the road he'll realize that he's really not in love with her and it was all just a cover up to make him forget about Haeun.

She feared that she would just be a rebound girl.

"Why are you so fussy about a kiss?" Bora entered into the room with a new set of tissues that she got from her basement. "It's not like it's a big deal."

"It's a big deal, Bora." Seoyeon argued, and Bora wiped away her tears with her two thumbs. "Knowing that I kissed someone whom I tried to move on from for a year, it's a fucking big ass deal."

"Why are you so afraid?" Bora asked, and Seoyeon glanced at her. "It's not like he's still in love with Haeun who's happily married to her second high school lover."

"That's what he thinks, Bora." Seoyeon replied, her voice barely a whisper. "He thinks that's he's not in love with her anymore, but he clearly is still in love with her."

"How do you know about that?" Bora questioned. "Has he told you that he still loves her? Did he object their wedding? Did they even get a second chance in their relationship?"

"No," she muttered. "But he ran after her. He ran after her, got his heart broken when he got invited to his own ex's wedding. He ran after her, Haeun, and not me."

"He did run after you, Seoyeon." Bora bit her lip as she combed through her hair with her fingers. "When will you understand that?"

"Yeah, he ran after me after a year—"

"After a year of realizing how much he loves you." Bora cut her to the chase. "Seoyeon, I know exactly why you're holding up walls against him."

"I'm not closing my heart on him, I just—"

"You're just afraid of loving him again." Bora mumbled. "You're just afraid that once you start loving him again, he's going to leave you. You're afraid that you're just his rebound."

Seoyeon fell silent, a tear escaping her eye and Bora caught it with her thumb. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"I think it's just a matter of opening your heart up for him, again." Bora smiled. "Why would he start running after you if you let him go a year before?"

"But I'm scared, Bora." She whispered and Bora pulled her into a hug. "What if he's really not in love with me?"

"I'm sure that he's deeply in love with you, Seoyeon." Bora chuckled. "If coming back for you doesn't explain it, then I don't know what does."

(Seoyeon's POV)

It has been almost a few days since I've came back to the shop. Most of the time when Jungkook had come to buy some cupcakes, Bora would serve him. I knew that if I saw him again, he would probably beg for an explanation.

I couldn't talk to him.. yet.

I took the keys from the hook that was located in the kitchen, turning off the lights and making sure I didn't forget to turn off any ovens or put any cupcakes into the fridge. I walked towards the door, turning over the sign to indicate that the store was now closed. But before I left the shop, I looked out the window to make sure not a single Jungkook was in sight.

I stepped out of the store, locking the door and making sure no robbers could enter by pushing as hard as I could. Satisfied, I put my hood up and looked down on the sidewalk as I started to head home.

I didn't even bother to go to the cafe to buy a drink knowing that Jungkook would be there.

I didn't even bother passing the pier because I knew Jungkook could've been there as well.

I didn't even bother passing by the side in which his office is located, I could bump into him.

I was almost home, the condo a few metres away from me. It was almost dark outside, but it still felt safe. Rushing over to the condo as fast as I could, I looked left and right to make sure there were no suspicious kidnappers or rapists or someone of some sort. The silence was a bit eery, but I felt like it was as if though the silence was normal—

"Eep!" I screeched, being tugged to the side of condominium into a dark alley.

I felt an arm wrap around my waist and a hand cover my mouth as I was being dragged away into a dark alley without being heard because of my muffled screams. I bit the man's hand, and he let out a loud yelp.

My face went blank, and I took the man's arm and attempted to twist it. The yelp sounded so familiar that I could guess who it came from in a large crowd of people. I raised an eyebrow as I turned around to see none other than.. Jungkook.

"You know, if you were going to kidnap me, you should be stronger than that." I rolled my eyes, taking off my hood to get some air flowing into me.

"But doing this was the only way to talk to you," he mumbled, and I placed a hand on my hip. "Can we talk?"

"We are talking," I muttered as he pursed his lips into a line.

"Are you avoiding me?" He asked and I looked away from him, trying to avoid the stare he was giving me. "Because if you are, I pretty much got the goddamn message for a week now."

"Does it matter to you, Jungkook?" I questioned him as I advanced towards him. "Why do you suddenly assume that I'm avoiding you? What if I'm not?"

"I know how you act, Seoyeon." He replied. "You're surprisingly quiet for the past week, you haven't been replying to my texts, and whenever I come for a visit to your shop, I end up only seeing you behind that stupid door that leads to your kitchen."

"What if I am avoiding you?" He let out a sigh as I shook my head.

"Why?" He asked. "Why are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?"

"You kissed me," I replied softly. "That's what's wrong."

"Come on now, just because I kissed you doesn't mean the true reason as to why you're avoiding the shit out of me." Jungkook cussed. "Do you know how worried I was about you?"

"You wanna know what's really wrong?" I spat as he winced at my tone. "I fell in love with you, that's what's wrong, Jungkook."

"But Seoyeon, I'm in love with you too—" He looked extremely confused.

"I fell in love with you, Jungkook." I repeated. "What's wrong is that I fell in love with you, told you that I'm in love with you, let you go, tried to move on, and after a year you come back telling me that you're in love with me as if nothing had happened."

"I don't know what you're trying to say—"

"What I'm trying to say is that after a year of trying to move on, you come back telling me that you love me, and all the time of trying to move on from you has gone to waste." I explained. "You're making me so confused with myself, Jungkook."

"Are you listening to yourself?" He whispered. "I'm deeply in love with you, Seoyeon. When will you understand that?"

"No, Jungkook." I whispered. "When will you understand that? Are you sure you're in love with me?"

"Of course I'm sure, I'm more than sure—"

"Or are you just using me as a rebound to get over Haeun?" I cut him off as he fell silent. I chuckled bitterly. "That's what I thought."

"Why are you being so dense?" He whispered harshly. "Why are you being so selfish and cold? All you do is push away all of the people that you love."

"I'm not being dense, I'm just trying to save myself from getting hurt again." I shook my head, "from the same person and the same reason."

"If that's the case then," he started, "I'll give you space."

I felt my heart grow weak at the look on his face. He turned away from me, a tear escaping his eye. I felt my face soften at how hurt he looked in front of me.

"This is what you wanted in the first place, right?" He smiled sadly. "You want space? I'll give it to you. But just know that I can't stay away from you forever, Seoyeon. I need you."

He walked past me, bumping my shoulder in the process. I turned around to look at him as he stopped walking a few metres away.

"Jungkook, wait." I said softly as he turned over his shoulder to look at me.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly.

"If you really love me," I said, as his eyebrow quirked a bit, "prove it."

(Narrator's POV)

She didn't run after him, and that's what hurt Jungkook. He turned around to see nothing but the sidewalk, Seoyeon nowhere to be found. He winced in pain as he started to head back home. Some droplets of rain started to come down from the clouds, making him speed up the pace.

Every now and then he would turn around just to make sure that she wasn't running after him. It hurt that she wasn't, and she was sure of it.

He arrived back home at his office, and tossed his jacket to the side. He walked into the room filled with all of the precious pictures he took of Seoyeon. He turned on the light and started to walk around the large room, cherishing each picture.

But her voice always seemed to be echoing throughout his whole mind.

"Are you sure you're in love with me? Or are you just using me as a rebound to get over Haeun?"

He was sure. He was so sure that he could go up to the highest mountain and scream it over a packed city filled with people. He was sure that he was deeply in love with her, so sure that he couldn't find a way to stop loving her.

He was so sure about being in love with her that falling out of love wasn't an option.

He was so sure about being in love with her that if Haeun came running back to him, he would simply reject her right then and there—

"Hello?" He picked up the phone and listened to the lobby receptionist on the other line.

"Mr. Jeon, you have a guest that wants to visit you." The lovely woman said softly. "Should I let her up?"

"Sure, whatever." He rolled his eyes, hanging up on her as he started to clean up his place a bit.

He grabbed his keys and locked the door to the room filled with Seoyeon's pictures, walking towards the room near the entrance door just in time as the guest knocked. He sighed, grabbing his coat and hanging it on the coat rack. Walking over towards the door, he didn't even bother opening the door and when he did, his eyes widened.

He was crashed into a tight hug, the impact so strong that he stumbled back a bit. He awkwardly patted her back, as she suffocated him with such a tight embrace.

"Jungkook, oh my god I—I'm so sorry." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, only to pull away from the hug to see none other than—

"Haeun?" His face went blank, and she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Jungkook, I've been trying to get a hold of us since last month!" She exclaimed, reaching out for his hand, and when she did, Jungkook didn't feel that spark he felt when they were together.

She placed her hand on his cheek as he stiffened at her touch. It was an awkward feeling that he didn't really like at all. He tilted his head in confusion, in hopes of moving his head away from her hand. "Are you drunk?"

"Me? Drunk? You're silly," she giggled. "I came here because.. I want you back, Jungkook."

~~~~

"You did, what?!" Bora yelled, dropping her fork onto the ground just as she grabbed it from the cabinet.

Seoyeon stared at her with a hopeless look, her eyes weary at Bora's sudden outburst. Bora sighed frustratingly, picking up the fork and throwing it back into the sink to get a new one from the cabinet.

"I was stuck in the moment that all of the words just.. came out." Seoyeon answered, covering her face with her hands as she let out an exasperated sigh. "I fucked up, I know."

"Well, you sure did!" She exclaimed. "Jungkook's is a hopeless romantic, and you know it, Seoyeon. What you did, what you told him.. he's probably sad as fuck right now."

"I know, I'm such an asshole." Seoyeon bit her lip to stop herself from crying. "But, all the words that I said.. I didn't mean. Well, half of it."

"You know, he probably thinks you're selfish." Bora sighed, "is what he's doing not enough, Seoyeon?"

"It's enough, Bora." She started to sob. "More than enough, actually. I'm such a jerk, you don't need to tell me."

"You better talk things through with him, because if not, he might give up." Bora warned her, walking over to the hopeless girl who was crying into her hands. "And you don't want that to happen, right?"

"I don't, I love him." She whispered, hiccupping in between her sobs. "I can't lose him again, Bora. I lost him the first time, and I'm not losing him the second time around."

"Well, if you think about it, Jungkook is a smartass." Bora hugged her. "If he's still asking for a chance and still runs after you after tonight, then he truly loves you.. to death."

Seoyeon looked up at her, and wiped a tear. "Are you sure he'll do that after what I said to him? I'm afraid, Bora. All of my troubled thoughts brought me into this huge mess, now he thinks I'm an absolute nightmare."

"He won't, in fact, he gave you space.. and that's the best thing he could offer you." She smiled. "He understands you, Seoyeon. He even said that he can't stay away from you forever.. unless he gives up and gets impatient."

"I can't let that happen," she whispered as she grabbed her empty plate to put it into the sink.

Suddenly, thunder struck and the sound was so powerful and loud that it made Seoyeon drop her plate. The glass shattered all over the floor, all around her feet as the two of them looked up at each other with a nervous look on their faces.

Bora walked straight over towards her and pulled her into a hug, "we'll clean that up later, let's go sit on the couch."

"Is that a thunderstorm?" Seoyeon asked nervously as Bora walked the two of them over to her couch.

"Just sit here and let's watch a movie," Bora insisted, forcing her onto the couch to sit.

Seoyeon's phone started to vibrate and Bora gladly took it, smiling to see Jungkook's caller ID on the screen.

He never gives up, does he? Bora thought to herself as she answers the phone.

"Bora?" Jungkook called out, not even giving Bora an opportunity to greet him with a 'hello'. "Where's Seoyeon? Is she alright?"

"She's alright, I got it all handled." Bora replied as she smiled. "You really care about her, huh?"

"We didn't split ways on a good note, but I just hope she's alright." Jungkook smiles sadly.

Bora sighed, "she's actually feeling really bad about it right now—Jungkook, you there?"

She pressed the phone closer to her ear as she hears another voice on the other line, but this time, it was a feminine voice. She called out Jungkook's name a few times only to giggle as she realizes that he forgot to hang up.

She glanced over towards Seoyeon and grins, "I think lover boy's ex is over."

"Hm?" Seoyeon raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Haeun." Bora wiggled her eyebrows. Seoyeon's eyes widened and Bora giggled even more.

"Give me that."

~~~~

"You want me back?" Jungkook managed to let out as Haeun looked into his eyes, hope filled within her heart as she hoped for him to answer her with a second change.

She nodded her head, "yes, Jungkook. After all of this huge mess, I realize how much I need you, how much I still want you back."

"But you're married," Jungkook shook his head, pointing towards her ring that was shining underneath the light. "You're married to someone else, we can't be together."

She let her head hang low, fiddling with her fingers as she looked back up at him. "But he doesn't understand me, Jungkook. He never does what you do, he never listens to me the way you do. Jungkook, I miss you so much."

"And what are you going to do, break his heart as well?" Jungkook scoffed, Haeun's eyebrows knitting together. "Will you break his heart just like how you broke mine?"

"Jungkook, I—" She began as he held up his hand to shush her.

"You're married to someone else, Haeun." He simply said. "We can't be together, we'll never be together, Haeun."

"Never?" Her heart sank as Jungkook slowly nodded his head. Her eyes started to scan his hand for another ring. "But you're not married, Jungkook."

"I'm in love with someone else, Haeun." He pursed his lips into a line. "I can't love you the same way I did back then when we were together."

"Is that why you didn't attend my wedding?" She whispered, and Jungkook shook his head.

"I chased after you, Haeun." She gasped, her eyes widening. "I chased after you, went all the way to America just to fulfill Seoyeon's wish. But when I did, I only found out that you were engaged to him."

"But that doesn't explain why you didn't attend my wedding." She muttered. "I was waiting for you to object it, Jungkook. I waited for you to get me back, Jungkook."

"But you had me chasing after you all my life, Haeun!" Jungkook took his hand away from hers as she reached out to touch him. "You even laughed at me for chasing after you, do you know how much that hurt?"

"Jungkook—"

"Of course you don't know." Jungkook chuckled. "You're just a little too late, Haeun. I'm in love with someone else."

The thunder struck and Haeun jumped at the loud sound. He immediately ran over to his cellphone which was sitting on his desk. Haeun stared at him as he dialed a few numbers and paced back and forth.

"Bora?" Jungkook called out, surprised to see that Bora had answered Seoyeon's phone. "Where's Seoyeon? Is she alright?"

Seoyeon always had a fear of thunderstorms, and Jungkook had definitely comprehended that fact. He knew that he always had to make sure she was alright whenever there was a thunderstorm.

"She's alright, I got it all handled." Bora replied as she smiled. "You really care about her, huh?"

"We didn't split ways on a good note, but I just hope she's alright." Jungkook smiles sadly and Haeun feels her heart sink even more just at how happy he looked.

After the phone call, he walks back over to Haeun who looks at her with a sad look. Jungkook blinks twice, a blank expression still washing over his face.

"You're in love with her?" Haeun whispered. "So you two ended up being real, this time."

"She taught me how to be happy with myself first, unlike you." Jungkook shook his head. "I spent a month trying to chase after you all the way to America, a whole year to be in a fake relationship just to make you jealous so that you'll give me a second chance. And yet, you treated me like trash."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Just give me a second chance, I promise you, Jungkook. Let me love you, please."

"I don't think I can do that, Haeun." He shook his head, letting her hold his hand. "I've moved on, and I know who to love.. and that's Seoyeon."

"You can't just let me go!" She exclaimed as he flinched at her tone. "Jungkook, I waited so long, I was waiting for you!"

"But you had me chasing for so long." Jungkook shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we just weren't meant to be together. I gave up on you, Haeun."

"Will you ever give me a second chance?" She asked, cupping his cheeks with her hands. "Will you?"

"I don't think I can or ever could." He replied, prying her hands away from his cheeks. "You're married, Haeun. Have you lost your mind?"

Haeun fell silent as Jungkook watched her start to shed a few tears. She looked up at him, still hope in her eyes as he sighed. The two of them stood there for almost five minutes straight.

"Please, just go." He pursed his lips into a line, "you're just wasting your time, just like how I wasted mine chasing after you."

She sighed, gathering her things as she hit him hard on the chest. She huffed out a large pocket of air, leaving his house with the door slamming shut. He let out the loudest sigh of relief, falling back onto his couch, shutting his eyes.

He pulled out his phone and turns it on, only to feel his heart stop.

The phone call has never ended.