Y/n POV
Excitement & joy bubble up within me as I put my phone safely back in the drawer.
I can finally be free. I can finally be whatever I want to be & love whoever I choose to love.
A soft knock on my door distracts me from my daydream.
"Who is it?" I ask.
"It's me. Jimin."
My happiness a split second ago is thoroughly erased, replaced by anger & annoyance.
"Go away." I exclaim.
"Please, Miss. It will only take a minute." He pleads.
"Ugh.. What does he want from me?" I stomp towards the door & pull it open.
"What?"
"I'm sorry. I had no choice." Jimin bows at me, seemingly regretting his decision of ratting me out earlier, but I'm not going to fall into his trap again. Not this time.
"I thought you were good, but apparently you're really just one of my father's dogs like Hana eonni said." I spit at him.
"Dog? You're too gullible that you can't even differentiate who's good & who's bad, who has your best interest at heart-" He scoffs.
"Did you knock on my door just to insult me?!" I glare at him.
"You were the one who insulted me first! I was only returning the favor."
"What? Why you- Huh.. I don't want to talk to you anymore!" I furiously slam the door in front of his face & lock it.
Gullible? It doesn't take a genius to see who's the bad guy in this situation. Ugh.. I can't wait to get out of here forever.

Taehyung POV
The first thing I do is search for our destination, a place far away from this town where Y/n's father will never find us.
After a few hours of researching, I've found it. A small fish village on a small island at the Southern part of the Peninsula. Based on the information I found online, there are a few modest houses for long-term rent on the island. I've called one of the most-comfortable-looking ones & struck a deal with the land lady.
I'm sure no one will find us there. I smile to myself in satisfaction.

The next day, I go to the shop very early in the morning & hurriedly take out all the cash from the safe in the office.
We're going to have a sweet & peaceful life once we leave this town for good. No more complicated drama, no more irremediable heartache. I will protect her & treat her well.
But suddenly, my smile freezes.
What about her then? I still haven't found out where she is. What if she's still alive? What if she's waiting for me to rescue her? But she's been missing for so long. If she were still alive, someone would've seen her.
"Ya, Kim Taehyung! What are you doing? Why are you taking all the money?" Yongsan gasps in surprise as he sees the bag full of money in my hand.
"I need it for a very urgent matter. I promise I'll pay back all your share." I hastily shove the rest of the money into the backpack & zip it up.
"Ya ya ya, wait! What urgent matter? Why do you need so much cash? We need that money to pay for the rent & utilities this month! Not to mention the installment for the new equipments we're ordering." He blocks my way to the door.
"I said I'll pay it back! Don't get in my way." I push him away.
"Kim Taehyung! Kim Taehyung! You have an appointment today at 11!" Yongsan shouts to my back.
"Cancel it! I won't be coming here for the next few days!" I yell back without turning my head & rush out of the shop.
Then, I go to the bank & take out all my money there as well. By afternoon, I've finished taking care of everything & gone back to my apartment.

Eleven hours to the start of our journey.
I open the backpack filled with all the money I took & stare at it for a long minute.
This is it. There's no turning back.
I zip up the backpack, grab another empty bag & stuff it with some clothes & basic necessities.
The door swings open all of a sudden, startling me.
"Kim Taehyung! Kim Taehyung! Ah there you are. Why are you blocking my calls?" Hana exclaims angrily as she storms into my room.
Shit, I should've changed my passcode.
"I'm not." I lie as I hastily hide the bags behind me.
"I've been trying to reach you, but you never pick up my calls. My mother is dying! Do you even give a fuck anymore? I'm so stressed out, you have no idea. I don't even know how I can pay for her staggering hospital bills." She flails her arms in the air in frustration.
Guilt pierces through my chest, thinking that I'm going to leave her suffering alone soon.
"Here. Use this to pay for your mother's bills." I unzip the bag, pull out a thick wad of money, & put it in her hand.
"Where did you get this money from? Y/n? Kang sajangnim?" Her eyes widen in shock.
"No, it's my own money that I've been saving all these years."
"I can't take this." She shoves the money back towards me.
"Just take it Hana ya. Think of this as your payment for helping me-" I push her hand again.
"My payment? What the fuck are you talking about? I'm not helping you because I want your money. I do it because I love you!" She screams & throws the money onto the floor.
"Hana ya.." I'm at lost for words. I don't know how I should break it to her.
"Do you still love me Taehyung ah? Huh? Answer me." She grabs my hands & squeezes them tightly, her eyes seeking the truth in mine.
She's bound to get hurt no matter how I say it, so I should just tell her the truth.
"I'm sorry.." I avert my gaze & mutter.
Her grip instantly loosens as she staggers backwards in disbelief.
"You like her, don't you? I knew it. You'd changed so much ever since you met her for the first time. You never even reciprocated whenever I said 'I love you'." Her bitter tone makes me feel even more guilty.
"It's my fault. I've changed. It has nothing to do with Y/n." I try to appease her.
"Yeah right, as if I'd believe that. I shouldn't have trusted you at all. I shouldn't have sacrificed so much for you. Meeting you was the worst joke God could ever play on me. I hate you Kim Taehyung. I hate you!" She slaps my cheek with such vengeance that I can feel her hatred reverberating through my bones.
"I know you're extremely mad at me right now, but please at least let me help you pay for your mom's hospital bills." I insist as I wipe the blood off the broken corner of my lips.
"Fuck you! I don't need your money. I'm out of here. I don't want to see you ever again." She shoves me hard on the chest & then turns on her heels to leave, slamming the door loudly behind her.
I get down on my knees & pick the money from the floor as a heavy sense of guilt weighs on my heart.
I'm so sorry for using you, Hana ya. I hope you'll find someone much more deserving of your love than me.

Hana POV
Tears stream down my face as I stomp out of Taehyung's apartment.
He doesn't love me anymore. He likes her now. I hate him. I hate him!
But I know that deep down I still love him.
My steps come to a halt when I reach the elevator. I turn back around, hoping to see him running towards me, telling me that it was just a joke, that he still loves me. However, no one is coming. The corridor is as quiet as it was when I slammed the door to his apartment.
He's never going to come back to me, is he?
Another surge of fresh tears flow out of my eyes.
Just as I punch the down button on the wall, my phone rings.
"Yongsan? Hello?" I quickly sniff away my tears & answer the call.
"Hana ssi? Sorry for calling you out of nowhere, but do you know what's going on with Taehyung?" He asks.
"What do you mean?"
"He took all the cash at the shop this morning, saying that he has something urgent to take care of. And then he said that he won't be coming to the shop for the next few days. Do you have any idea what's the urgent matter & where he's going? It felt like he was going to leave forever."
The money. The backpacks that he was hiding behind him earlier. He's going to run away? But why? Has Sajangnim found out about his identity? No, that can't be. Or.. is he running away with Y/n? That was why he wanted to pay me. Because he felt guilty?
"Hana ssi? Hana ssi, are you there?" Yongsan's voice brings me back to reality.
"Yeah, I'm here. I'll ask him about it & get back to you again soon, ok? Talk to you later." I abruptly end the call.
I bite my lower lip & contemplate my options.
Then, I glance back at his closed door & make my decision.