Two day's later finds me on yet another, ridiculous date. Another that I loathe to admit I enjoy. This time, it's a date to the aquarium. Despite all of my valid reasons to distrust and report Taehyung, I am powerless but to do as he asks. And he doesn't even know it.

All of the steps I'd need to take to get my things back would be like giant beacons to Jacob and his goonies. If I called the bank, he'd know. Mother's sister would ensure it. Frankly, I'm surprised she hasn't given him my phone number yet. If I went to the police, well, there's a high chance that Jacob has fingers in a pot even this far away from home. A suspicion, true, but not entirely baseless if my experience with Officer Chu yesterday is taken into account.

Officer Chu is a regular at the diner, and of course he knows me by name. So when he asks me to sit down and chat with him for a few moments after the end of my shift I almost think nothing of it.

But then, he'd began talking about family, and how important they are. How sad my family must be without me. I immediately knew. He knows. Whether or not he's in Jacobs pocket is irrelevant, he knows and that's dangerous enough. It's past time to leave again, every day that I remain is tempting chance. I can feel it in my bones, something is coming. But I can't go anywhere without my wallet.

I sigh, frustrated to no end by my situation. I can't stay, but now I also can't leave.  What am I to do? Where would I go anyways? And why do I even have to keep running anymore? Why can't Jacob just let me go?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Taehyung inquires suddenly, startling me immensely. I hadn't even realized I'd become so lost in my inner turmoil, nor that the fish had all somehow been scared away.

We stand before a mostly abandoned section of the fish tank and I watch as Taehyung continues to tap the glass. Any fish that might have remained scatter quickly, clearly agitated by his seemingly careless intrusion. You know that you need therapy when you begin to sympathize with a fish, a realization that hits me with alarming clarity. But unlike the fish, I know that he isn't that kind of man. The kind that pokes out of cruelty. No. Taehyung is a man who is obviously in touch with his inner child.

And I'm not sure why, but I trust him. It sounds crazy, no, it is crazy. But nevertheless it is also true. Maybe it's the light in his eyes. It's almost as if everything sweet, pure, and good in the world is just overflowing within him and it spills over and out in the way that he smiles, or the way that his eyes simply shine with it.

I shake my head. None of this matters. Maybe, maybe if I explain to him that I am in danger he will return my wallet to me. He certainly doesn't seem like the kind of man who would put his wants above another needs. But how much could I safely tell him? For both of our sakes. It honestly doesn't seem as if I have a whole lot of other options at the same time.

Suddenly I feel the heavy warmth of a decidedly masculine smelling coat. Even the smell of his cologne puts me at ease, and I begin to hear Taehyung's voice and the panic within.

"Are you alright? Chloe!" I hear Taehyung fussing over me as I begin to fade back to reality. I hadn't even realized I'd become lost in my own mind.

"You were just standing there shivering, I kept calling your name but you weren't responding," he tells me gently.

He pulls me into a hug as I stand mystified, eyes large as  saucers, within his warm embrace. I blink a few times owlishly before sinking into the comforting feeling that he emits like a beacon in this moment.

"Can we just get out of here?" I ask softly. Right now a whisper is just about all that I can manage.

"Of course," he nods solemnly.

He leads me out of the aquarium and to the nearest bench outside. It's a little chilly out, so I offer him his jacket back, but he refuses it politely.

"I'm really not cold," I tell him defiantly.

"Then why were you shivering in there?" He queries.

"That's," I pause, unsure as to what to say. Just how much can I reveal to Taehyung? Can I even safely reveal anything at all? "What if I told you I was in a whole lot of danger?" I start with.

I look at him gauging his reaction carefully. His brow furrows and his mouth sets into a firm line.

"What kind of danger?" Of course, I can't fully answer his inquiry.

As silence takes over I begin to wring my hands. I shouldn't even have brought it up, but at the same time I just know that something is just around the corner. My instincts tell me that now is the time to flee. And my instincts are rarely wrong.

My instincts also tell me that Taehyung is someone who can be trusted, oddly enough. "I have a crazy stalker ex," I blurt out. My shivering only intensifies, it's been so long since I've trusted anyone with even partial truths.

My body, already in fight or flight mode, wants to flee so badly. But I force myself to hold my ground. If I trust nothing else I at least trust myself and my instincts.

"Why don't you report him to the police?" Taehyung asks, startled by this new revelation.

I shake my head before burying my face into my sweating palms. "It isn't that simple," I tell him emphatically "he's beyond wealthy. I know that he knows where I am and I have good reason to believe he's had a member of the police force here in Busan keeping an eye on me."

It feels as if a huge load has been lifted from my chest. I almost can't believe that I've actually told someone. Of course, I don't dare look up and into Taehyung's eyes at this point. I'm more than a little surprised when I feel his arms wrap around me gently.

"How long have you been on the run?" He asks softly, chin resting atop my yet lowered head.

After a brief pause, during which I weigh my words carefully, "A long time. Years in all honesty. It's why I came to Korea in the first place."

Taehyung's next words don't surprise me as much as I would have expected them to. "How can I help?" He asks as he lifts my chin up with his thumb and forefinger. By forcing me to look him in the eyes he allows me to see the genuine concern in his expression.

"I can't go anywhere without my wallet and I need to flee," I tell him quietly.

Of course that means that I'll never get to see Taehyung again. I was never meant to get involved with anyone anyways, so why does it hurt so much to think about? What reason do I have to miss this man that I hardly even know?

"I don't have it with me today, so here's what we'll do," he tells me firmly. "I'm going to take you home, you're gonna pack all your things, while I go and get your wallet for you."

For a moment fear and panic course through me. What else would he be getting aside from my wallet? How can I trust his word? Then again, it was my decision to trust Taehyung in the first place. I nod my head once, a simple show of acquiescence.

"The sooner the better," I say resolutely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time we reach my apartment the sun has begun to set in a spectacular show of reds and golds. The lighting almost makes Taehyung look like an actual angel and for just a second I let myself how I could have been happy with him. It would have been all too easy. Too bad that it was doomed from the start.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," he tells me.

I believe him. For once I feel as if I am not alone. As I open the car door to get out, I feel his hand grip my arm firmly. I am in shock as he pulls me back to him and places his lips over mine. Maybe it's because I know that once he brings me my wallet I will never see him again, or maybe it's the pent up years of lonliness. For whatever reason, I not only allow him to kiss me, I kiss him fervently in return.

My breath is stolen away by the passion behind his kiss. His hands cup my face so gently that I'm afraid I might break. Time stops in all of it's entirety as our lips glide against each other's in an ageless dance. And then he pulls away with a groan.

"Call me immediately if anything happens while I retrieve your wallet okay?" He tells me weakly. He sounds almost broken, and the way that it makes me feel in return isn't something that I want to think about over much. Of course, I'm still reeling from that kiss.

I nearly trip straight out of the car, such is the rush that I am in to get my things packed and get out of this place. I don't know if it will be today, but I know it will be only a matter of time before something bad happens.

I unlock my apartment swiftly, and drag my suitcase from my closet with ease. I never fully unpack, so luckily there isn't much to actually pack. Just a few essential items and whatever food will keep for the longest. I don't have much money saved up, but it'll be enough if I'm sparing.

Will I actually have to leave Korea? The only reason I'm able to be here is because of my student Visa. Going to college isn't an option anymore, however, and if I gmdon't attend my visa is less than useless. On the other hand, I can't afford to leave Korea either. I'm certain that the moment I book a flight to any other country Jacob will know. Of course, going to another foreign country will require time and funds that I don't have. And going back to America is no option at all.

I sit on my bed as I wait for Taehyung to return. How far away does he live anyways? I check the clock in the wall, startled to realize it's only been twenty minutes since he left. My one suitcase is already packed and there's nothing more to do but sit and wait.

My mind wanders to my job and the amount of time that I've spent there. There was a lot of people that I couldn't stand, true, but there was a few that I genuinely liked well enough. I have to admit that I'm actually a little sad to be leaving the job behind. I wonder if my manager will still worry about me when I disappear? And if so, for how long?

Maybe just this once it'd be okay to call and quit, instead of simply vanishing. Best to do it now before I leave, and before I change my number. I pull my phone from my pocket and navigate to my speed dial list with ease. My manager is the only name on the list and I hesitate for only a fraction of a moment before I decide that I owe him at least this much.

The phone rings for what feels like forever, but no one picks up. Without even thinking about it I leave a voicemail. I don't reveal much of course, just that I quit and that I apologize for any inconveniences that it might cause.

I throw myself back onto my bed, tension eating me away inside. No matter how much I try to rationalize and calm myself my heart refuses to slow. It's painful thumping in my chest is pumping me full of so much adrenaline that it's wonder I'm so fidgety.

Twenty more minutes pass and I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have trusted Taehyung after all. Another ten minutes and I am startled by a rather loud banging against my apartment door.

"What took you so long Tae-" I begin as I throw my apartment door open, suitcase trailing behind me, only to stop as I realize that it is ,in fact, not Taehyung in front of my door.

"Jun Ho? What are you doing here?" I ask, disbelief flooding me. There's something wrong about this, I just know it. My suspicion is confirmed when he opens his mouth.

"I'm afraid that I can't let you leave Chloe."