Taehyung POV
Listening to the steady rhythm of her breath, my heartbeat grows faster.
I should do it now.
My fingers trace the outline of her face down to her delicate neck & they linger there for some seconds until I abruptly retract them.
I can't do this. Not today.
Pushing my hair back in frustration, I get off the bed & quickly clean up the mess on the floor.
Then, I hoist my backpack & put my right ear on the door. No sound.
I straighten my back & glance at her one last time, before I take a deep breath & slowly open the door.
The corridor outside is dark & empty.
I close the door behind me & stealthily move across the hallway to the stairs. Adrenaline rushes through me, blood pumping loudly in my ears.
The security cameras are off as indicated by the unblinking black dots on them, but I still feel like I'm being watched.
In a swift move, I arrive downstairs & dash straight towards the exit. But then, a slightly opened door on my right side catches my attention.
Kang sajangnim's office.
I bite my lower lip, contemplating about what I should do. After a short minute, I brace myself & push open the door towards the office.

The next morning, Y/n POV
"Y/n! Y/n! Omg.. Y/n ah, please don't leave us. Y/n ah!"
The sound of someone loudly calling my name pulls me out of oblivion.
I try to open my eyes but I can't. My limbs are as heavy as lead & my voice won't come out. It's as if my living soul is trapped inside a dead body.
What's going on? Why can't I move?
Panic overcomes me.
"Miss Y/n! Miss Y/n! Wake up!" Another voice calls out.
I can feel the person lightly slapping my cheek but I can't react to it.
Y/n, you need to open your eyes. Focus.
I muster all my energy & finally feel my eyes fluttering slightly.
"She's awake! Miss Y/n, can you hear me?" The man shakes my body & asks.
A sliver of light enters my vision as my eyelids slowly part & Park Jimin materializes in front of me.
"Hana ssi! She's opened her eyes! Hana ssi!" He frantically yells towards the door.
"What? She's awake?" Hana appears beside Jimin, a surprised expression painted on her face.
"I'm going to tell Sajangnim & call the doctor." Jimin abruptly takes out his phone & leaves.
"E-Eonni.." I manage to croak, my throat as dry as a sandpaper.
"Omg, thank God you're awake. I was so worried. You were still sleeping when I came to your room this morning. I thought you were just tired, but then you didn't wake up even after your alarm went off. So I tried to wake you up & you didn't even budge. I thought- I thought you were dead. What happened?" Hana asks, eyes glistening.
"I- I don't know.." I reply, feeling similarly confused.
But then, it hits me.
Did Tae put something in my drink? No, that can't be. Why would he do that? But he asked me to grab some tissue & then when I went back, he'd already poured the drink for me. Wait, stop right there, that's crazy. He wouldn't do that to me. Maybe this is only the effect of alcohol, since I'd never drunk it before.
"What's wrong?" Seemingly noticing my troubled expression, Hana asks.
"N-Nothing. I'm thirsty, could you please get me a glass of water?" I decide not to tell her anything.
"Ok, wait a second." She rushes towards the table & comes back with a glass in her hand.
Right when she's finished helping me drink, my father barges through the door.
"What's wrong? What happened to you?" He barks, not an ounce of affection in his voice.
"A-Abeonim, I-" I try to lift myself up but fail to do so because my head is spinning like crazy.
"Jimin ah, didn't I tell you to watch over her? How could this happen?!" Abeonim turns to Jimin & slaps him loudly across the cheek.
Hana & I jump in shock at his sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry Sajangnim. It's my fault." Jimin readily bows at him like nothing happened.
"It sure is. Didn't I tell you to check the alarm & security cameras before you leave?!"
"I did check it, Sir. Everything was turned on when I left last night & when I arrived this morning." Jimin explains without lifting his face.
"Then you must have not checked it properly. Someone broke into the house again last night. And whoever that is must have poisoned my daughter!" Abeonim continues to shout.
My heart stops for a second hearing his remark.
No, there's no way..
"But the alarm was on this morning, Sir. I don't understand-" Jimin says in bewilderment.
"My watch is missing. I placed it inside a drawer in my office, but it was gone when I checked it this morning. The intruder must have stolen it when he broke in last night. You go check the security camera footage now. I want to know who he is & then I'm going to kill him. Now go!" Abeonim shouts at Jimin.
"Yes, sajangnim." Jimin bows again before striding away hurriedly.
"You." Abeonim turns towards Hana.
"Y-Yes, Sajang-" The rest of the word is cut off by Abeonim's hard slap on her cheek.
"Abeonim!" I gasp, completely startled.
"If you don't want me to ask someone to pull the plug on your mother, you better do your job diligently. Do you understand?!" Abeonim screams at her face.
"Y-Yes, Sajangnim." Hana bows as she clutches her face, tears rolling down her swollen cheek.
"And you, Kang Y/n. You watch yourself too. You're making me uneasy these days. If I find you doing anything indecent, I won't hesitate to punish you as well." He hisses at me, sending chills down my spine.
"Yes, Abeonim." I nod at him.
He storms out of my room & slams the door behind him.
"Eonni, are you okay?" I immediately tug Hana's arm & ask in concern.
"I-I'm fine." She stammers, obviously not fine.
"I apologize on behalf of my father. It wasn't even your fault, yet he-"
"It's alright. Is it Taehyung again this time?" She shakes my hand off & looks away.
"No. It wasn't him." I lie.
"Are you sure? You aren't lying to me, are you?" She frowns at me suspiciously.
"I'm not. I didn't ask him to come here." And that isn't a complete lie.
"Huh.. Fine. Let's just go get ready." She heaves a deep sigh.
Sorry eonni, I can't be honest with you, because I don't want you to suspect him as the thief who stole Abeonim's watch. But if it wasn't him, who did it?

I attempt to chase away my suspicion towards Taehyung, but it keeps haunting me all day.
I need to ask him. I can't rest until I hear him deny it himself.
So, I excuse myself from class, hide myself in the restroom, & start texting Taehyung.

Tears of frustration sting my eyes.
How can I suspect him of stealing? And accuse him of poisoning me? What the hell was I thinking?! He's not that kind of person. If he'd wanted to harm me, he would've done it when we met at the secret beach. I have to apologize to him.
I dial his number but it goes straight to voice mail.
"Shit." I curse lowly.
I need to see him. But how can I do that with Jimin & Hana tailing me all the time? Arghh, I don't care, I need to go now.
I put the phone in my pocket & take a peek out of the restroom. Hana & Jimin are nowhere to be seen.
This is my chance.
I run as fast as I can, but then suddenly I hear Jimin calling out to me.
"Miss Y/n, where are you going?"
Oh no, what do I do now?
My feet screech to a halt for a second as cold sweat drenches my palms. I can hear Jimin's footsteps approaching.
This is your only chance. You have to go now.
So I pick up my feet & start running again.
"I'll be back soon!" I turn around & yell at Jimin, who seems too stunned to make a move.
I keep running until I reach the sidewalk & quickly hail a cab. Not knowing the exact address of Taehyung's tattoo shop, I give the driver the name of his shop which I often heard from the girls in my school. Luckily, he knows where it is so I reach there in no time.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I stand in front of the glass entrance of his tattoo shop. I don't even care anymore that people will see me & report it to my father. I just want to see Taehyung now.
That's how much I'm crazy about him.
The smell of smoke hits my nose as soon as I open the door.
"Welcome." A bald guy in black T-shirt & black leather jeans greets me, a snake tattoo decorating the left side of his skull.
"H-Hi, I'm looking for Taehyung?" I nervously ask.
"Yeah yeah, like most girls do. He's with a client at the back. Just go straight in." He signals me the direction with his thumb.
"Thank you." I politely nod at him & walk straight ahead.
A woman's giggles can be heard as I get closer to where Taehyung is supposed to be, causing unease to sneak into my mind.
Who is he with? Another female client?
The unease in my mind swells as their chatter grows louder. Then, I see them & my heart instantly sinks to the ground.
Taehyung is hovering over a topless female, tattoo pen in hand, painting something on the skin in between her breasts. He's wearing a mask but I can tell that he's smiling from his eyes.
I stumble backwards & my foot accidentally bump into a trash can, causing a loud clanking noise.
The room goes silent right away. Taehyung lifts his face, eyes widened in surprise, when he finds me standing there like a scared kitten.
"What are you doing here?" He puts down the machine in his hand, a deep frown furrowing his brows.
"I-I just want to talk to you." I timidly answer, afraid that I've angered him even further.
"As you can see, I'm busy now. Come back another time." He looks away & picks up his pen again.
Hearing his heartless dismissal hurts me immensely. He should know how difficult it is for me to come here, yet he doesn't seem to care at all.
Is it truly over between us?
"O-Ok.. S-Sorry for bothering you. Good bye." I force a smile on my lips while suppressing the tears that are about to fall.
He doesn't even bother to reply, so I dejectedly stagger out of the shop & hail a cab back to the university. My tears flow out like a broken dam once I get into the car.
"Miss, are you alright?" Noticing muffled sobs, the cab driver asks.
"I-I'm alright."
"Boys problem?" He asks again.
I choose not to answer & wipe away my tears.
"Ahh, my guess was right. You seem like a nice girl, so I'm going to tell you a few tips. Boys don't like girls who are too clingy. They need to chase after you, not the other way around. So ignore him for a few days, then maybe he'll come back to you. If he doesn't, then that means he's not that into you in the first place."
His nosy attitude irks me, but I can't help but listen to his advice.
"How do you know?"
"Because that was how my wife got my attention. I'm not saying all guys are the same, but most of them are. You can give my suggestion a try & see what happens." He smiles at me through the rearview mirror.
I think about what he says. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should stop being so desperate & run to Taehyung like he's the only thing that matters in my life, although he in fact is.
"Thank you Ajusshi." I mutter gratefully.
"You're welcome. We're here. Now good luck." He grins as I pay him & get off the car.
I check my watch & run with all my might back to my last class.
2:57 PM. I've been gone for an hour. What should I explain to Jimin & Hana eonni? Eonni will understand, but Jimin?
The classroom is already dark & empty when I arrive. My bag is not on the chair where I left it anymore.
Shit. Where are they? Have they left without me? Have they told Abeonim?
The magnitude of my recklessness dawns on me. I might have ended my own life without even realizing.
"Y/n ah, what are you doing here? Are you done meeting with your professor?" Hana's sudden entrance startles me to the core.
Meeting with my professor? What's going on?
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did you hear my question? Is something wrong?" She looks at me, confused by my silence.
"I-"
"Miss, you're back. How was the meeting? You told me to hold your back earlier because you were going to meet with Professor Kim, right?" Jimin appears beside Hana & asks.
I stare at him, puzzled, as I have no idea what he's talking about. His gaze is unwaveringly straight, like he honestly believe what he said.
Wait, is he covering up for me? Or is he genuinely confused? Let's just say yes for now.
"Yes, it went well. Hana ssi, could you please get me an iced Americano? Jimin ssi & I will wait for you outside." I say smilingly to Hana.
"Oh. Yes, of course." She seems rather surprised that I asked her, not him.
Once she's gone, I turn to Jimin & he instantaneously nods at me.
"What was that? I didn't tell you that I was going to meet Professor Kim. Why did you lie?"
"Lie? I didn't lie. That was the impression I got when you told me that you'd be back soon. Did I misunderstand? Where did you go then?" He looks at me quizzically.
I become even more confused now.
Is he stupid or what? I clearly never said that I was going to meet Professor Kim. Whatever, his testimony actually saved me so I should just let him be.
"Sorry, I was a bit confused. I guess I did tell you that I was going to meet Professor Kim."
"Yes, Miss." He nods again.
Pheww, thank God for the misunderstanding, otherwise I would already be dead by now.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur because my mind keeps darting back to Taehyung & his female client. I anxiously anticipate his call or text, but it never comes, no matter how many times I check the phone.
Is he really mad at me for suspecting him? Or is he only using that as an excuse to get rid of me? Has our relationship ended or not?
"Y/n? Did you hear what I said?" Abeonim's call snaps me out of my daze.
"Yes, Abeonim?"
"I was asking you how you are feeling. You refused to see the doctor but you've been spacing out since just now. I think we should give him a call & tell him to examine you tonight." He frowns.
"There's no need to bother him. I probably had a migraine this morning, that's why I couldn't wake up. But I'm perfectly fine now." I try to convince him.
"Alright then if you say so. I've assigned two people to guard the front & back entrance of the house, so I'm sure there will be no more intruders. You can sleep soundly tonight."
"Have you found your watch?" I ask, hoping that he'd only misplaced it so that I could fully erase my suspicion on Taehyung.
"Unfortunately no, but I'm not worried about that. Sooner or later I will find it. What concerns me is the identity of the thief. He seems to be an expert with alarm systems. Our house has one of the most sophisticated systems in the market right now, yet he could disable it so easily. I'm starting to think that someone in here is working with him. That's why I told Jimin to stay here starting tonight. He'll sleep in the guest bedroom right next to yours."
"What?!" My eyes widen in shock at his announcement.
"Why do you look so displeased? It's for your own good. If the thief comes again, Jimin will be able to protect you."
"B-But Abeonim, what if he's working together with the thief? You never know-"
"No. I trust him. He would never do that. His father was a very trustworthy man, so I'm sure an apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He flatly disagrees.
I've never heard my father compliments or defends anyone before. Jimin's father must be his very loyal servant that he thinks so highly of him.
I need to keep a distance from Jimin. I'm sure he's going to report whatever I do or say to Abeonim. Fortunately, he's not that smart.
I walk heavily back to my room after dinner & just as I expected, Jimin is already waiting for me outside of my door.
"Have a good night Miss. If you need anything, I'll be right next door." He bows at me.
I ignore him & step into my bedroom.
There's no way Tae will be able to visit me now. Speaking of whom..
I rummage through my bag & fish out the phone.
Still no text or call from Taehyung.
Should I call him? No. Remember what the cab driver ajusshi said. Men don't like clingy women. Let them chase after you, not the other way around. But what if he doesn't look for me even after I ignore him? Arghh, why is this so complicated?
I throw myself onto the bed & open up Taehyung's profile picture in the messaging app.
What is he doing now? Is he still with that girl? He's surrounded by so many gorgeous female, why would he pick me? His interest in me must have worn off because he realizes how boring I am. But I love him, I can't let him slip away just like this.
Tears fall from my eyes as myriads of ugly thoughts run through my mind until I fall into a restless sleep.