"Lalisa, please...talk to me," He tries chasing after her again the very next day. Her paces are usually swift and quick but today, it felt like she's trying to run (from him, of course).

"There's nothing to talk about, Jungkook-ssi,"

"Look, I know it doesn't matter much to you – what I say now or how it came about," Jungkook is adamant on speaking his mind. "But I didn't mean anything by it at all. That day...that day was the best day of my life! I mean...sure, I might seem nervous half of the time –"

"Half?" She chuckled and he's kind of grateful that she is actually listening.

"Most, most of time, yes – but it's only because I like you too much,"

"Oh, you're hilarious, you know that?" She turns to him, crossing her arms across her chest. "What you like, Jungkook-ssi, is the idea of me. Not me – you don't even know me –"

"Not that well but that's why I'm here! I spent days – weeks! – thinking about how I can get close to you, how to be at least one step closer to getting to know you! I - I stopped the girl from harassing you, I've gone all the way to a place I've never even been to find out about something –"

"No one's asked you to do that –"

"Anything about you, and I would've gotten that tattoo if I had to! No one's asked me to, yes – I did it all on my own and that's because I like you! Jeez - I got punches and kicks for you and as painful as it is, I still waited for you while you went off and let those random men dance with you! I was handcuffed!! I was handcuffed and dragged in a police car - I've never even been to a police station to file for anything at all and now what? I can't even get a second of your time?? We –" 

He huffs out as if he just ran a mile, then forces his voice into a whisper. "We made love...you made me the happiest man I could ever imagine that night, do you know that? Do you know how important that day was for me, Lalisa-ssi? I will never trade it for anything else,"

She clipped her lips together and squints her eyes...as if she's assessing (or planning a kill) over his honesty. Nervously, he continues to ask,

"What do you want me to say? Or do...to make us better?"

"What I want..." She sighed heavily. "...is for you to stop whatever delusions you have for me," It hurts his chest when she said that. "I'm not like what you have in mind,"

"How would you know what I have in mind?"

"Let's see if I get this right...you think I'm just some anti-social loner who just haven't gotten her fair share of opportunities to blend in in your world yet. That this distance and coldness are only a façade which you think you could fix. You think that by going along with whatever I say and agreeing with my thoughts simply cus I'd find comfort in it will get you to that one day...that one day when you'll hear me say 'thank you for being patient with me...for fixing me'...and in your world, you'd have created the perfect woman to bring forward to your parents. You think that they'll be even more proud of you for finding - turning me into a decent lady with good enough teachings from her family. Everything will be a happy ending for everyone, am I right?"

He scratches the back of his non-itchy head, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar vision far ahead. But wow...bring her to my parents? What a future that must be!!

"I'm not stupid. I know you didn't mean anything by it. It's nothing you can control anyway," Oh...she does? Then why is she still upset? "I can tell that you're a nice guy, Jungkook-ssi...and you probably deserve those good things coming for you," She puts on her helmet and fastens the strap. "But it won't be with me,"

What? Why the heck not?? Jungkook was quick on his feet this time, blocking her from climbing on her Ducati. "I'm only getting to know you...isn't it a bit presumptuous to decide something that quick?" He huffs at her amusement. "You haven't even got to know me yet! I can be better -"

"You're the heartthrob in our year. You're smart and nice to everyone who smiles or flutter their eyelashes at you, and you like to help the lecturers carry the extra weight whenever you can. From their cars to their offices...or their offices to classes...and you helped the batch wins in the annual sports day, two semesters in a row so of course, everyone loves you to death for it! You're probably already at the top of choice in anyone's list - professionally or personally. What's better than that?"

Wow...I didn't think she knew that much about me! "It wasn't everything,"

"Ahh...he who's greedy is always in want,"

Who said that? I know I've heard it somewhere... "Lao-Tzu?"

"Horace,"

And she says I'm the smart one! "I wasn't greedy for those things, Lalisa. But I guess you're right, maybe I am for this," She pursed her lips disapprovingly. "I just know that I wanna be with you. I haven't quite done the math fully of why that is yet, but I know that if I don't do anything, the future me will look back and regret it,"

"That's fucking sweet and all but I'm not that big of an accomplishment to have, Jungkook-ssi. Believe me, the 25-year-old you will thank me for this honesty,"

"He won't! He'll wonder if uh...of a lot of things! Look, you can chase me away if you want to, but I won't stop trying,"

"It's not my job to chase you away," The familiar smirk that he's gotten used to appears on her lips. "I believe you can do it by yourself so...fighting, Jungkook-ssi!!" She held up two tiny balls of fist, flustering him even more.

"I don't need to because I won't!" His determined stubbornness may ignite more than just the annoyance in her - seeing as how the smirk has disappeared - but if there's one thing he learned well by now, is that it's the same determination that had gotten him this far. It's the farthest that he had gone for any girl by miles - literally and figuratively speaking! 

"And you thought wrong. I didn't think you were an anti-social loner and I didn't think you needed fixing at all! I just...well, I thought I'd get to know you...maybe understand you and - and maybe you'll let me into your world...if you have the time," He stuttered a little because Lalisa's unwavering gaze is a little distracting.

She takes one step closer to him, and it's like he's back in her house. Everything about her draws him in. Her challenging eyes... "Careful, Jungkook-ssi..." And her pretty...pretty, pink lips... "You don't get any rewinds in your life..." And her soft, puffy-looking cheeks... "And I can hold quite a grudge if this turns out badly -"

Not waiting for his thought processes to waste any more time, his itchy fingers decided to take over. It takes a couple of seconds for Lalisa to digest or even respond to him.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Grimly.

Jungkook's eyes diverted onto his hand - with two fingers already pinching her right cheek. He was right. It's so soft and squishy - and she's freaking angry, oh no - no, no -

"The fuck do you think you're doing??" She slapped his hand off and grabbed the neckline of his shirt. The sudden and strong, furious force of her hands scares the hell out of him.

"I'm sorry –"

"Yahh!!" The sound of a high-pitched voice halted their interaction. Jungkook turns to his left, finding the frowning of his friends, Chaeyoung and Jaehyun. "Get your hands off him, you dirty Heulg!!"

Oh no...what have I done?!

"Say that again...I don't believe I heard you," Lalisa was about to release him - her shoulders already heaving with utter damnation as her body turns to face his friends - but in the nano-seconds of not-so-carefully-thought-out strategy, Jungkook held both of her hands in place. Right below his neck. It must've confused her too since her frown came back to him.

"This is none of your concern, Chae! Leave us –" He said out loud.

"Kook –"

"Just fucking leave us alone!!" 

Their gasps could be due to the cussing that just left his mouth, but their disappearance shortly after brought a little peace in his chest. Who knows what may entail if they continue to insult her – she'd probably burn the entire faculty down –

"You just saved your girlfriend's life, Jungkook-ssi," She rolled her eyes as her hands finally lets him go. "And yours,"

And she said I hardly know her! "I'm sorry, on behalf of them...I'm so, so sorry - please...they don't know any better –"

"Do you know why we'll never work, Jungkook-ssi?" She nudged him away from the seat of her bike. "It's because you're a fucking coward cliché. You will justify over the ignorance...and you apologize way too much, over the wrong reasons. You're scared of me. You can't handle me, let alone take care of me. I'm done with your little play-pretend. Go back to your friends, Jungkook-ssi. Go back to your life,"  

. . .

The following days after felt somewhat of a blur and no, it wasn't because Jaehyun and Chaeyoung had kept their silence to themselves after being scolded and dismissed over the topic of Lalisa. Well...not 'just' that, at least!

It's been 4 days and Lalisa hasn't shown up in any of their classes. Jungkook thought he was used to the times when he didn't realize that the girl was ever there but now...now he can't stop searching for her – worrying that he's the reason why she's missing.

What Lalisa last said to him wounded his little heart deeply. For nights, he went through her voice, over and over in his head. He can't stop concluding how right she was, as much as it pains him to admit it...but by God, he wasn't going to let that be the end of this. I told her I can be better! And I want to be better!! 

Setting foot at the entrance of her apartment lobby, he takes a moment to gather himself fully...strategizing on his choice of words for Lalisa to at least listen, if not accepting. It's driving him crazy to feel this much guilt over something he has no control of, but he knew it's partly his fault. His friends aren't like him –

"Yahh!!" A loud shout of a man made him turn. "Don't you dare take them from me!"

It sounded rather hostile but he can't see the man whose voice came from behind the large pillar. Jungkook frowns as his nosy self takes over – walking discreetly to see what it's about...and then his eyes widened. Is that...

Lalisa is standing tall in front of a man, shielding Jisoo who seems terrified while hugging her daughter. Across the street, a few bodies have also halted their tracks to watch the scene unfolding. The guy looks dishevelled...and drunk. But it's only 4 in the evening –

"I warned you before, didn't I?!" Lalisa shouts back. "You're a lousy piece of shit, you know that?? I told you that whatever the hell you wanna do, go and fucking do it behind her back! I told you to never raise your hand on her –"

"Whatever I do to my wife has nothing to do with you – haistt what the fuck is wrong with this bitch?!"

"This bitch provided your wife and daughter a safe fucking shelter cus your pathetic ass can't even find another place to fuck your dirty women! Go cry about it to those lowlife bitches –"

"Lisa-yaa..." Jisoo cried, pleading enough to get her to turn around. Lalisa gapes at the friend, who is cupping her palms on both of her crying daughter's ears. "Just let it go...please..."

Jungkook didn't know when his feet had taken the steps forward but he is now visible behind them. Lalisa's eyes widened even more when she spotted him standing there...but she drifts them back to the man.

"You're gonna walk away –"

"The hell I am – not without my wife and –"

"Leave!!" It's by far, the loudest scream he's ever heard coming from Lalisa.

A sense of chill swept across his body at the intensity of the situation before him. Jungkook hurried more steps until he reaches Jisoo and the shivering Ji-yoon and when the elder looked up to him, he saw the red marks across her right cheek and a darker one on her lips. My God...what has he done to her?? Jisoo's pale arms is also showing striking black and blue marks, with little scratches -

"Who the fuck is that – don't fucking touch my –"

Jungkook flinched back a little when he heard the thud of a kick in front of him. Lalisa is still standing (thankfully), while the man has gotten on the tarred ground, holding onto his pained ribs.

"I said leave!! You're not gonna see them, or touch them – not now, not ever, or I will make your life a living hell, Suho!"

"Do you want to die?? Yahh!!" 'Suho' got back up and huffs. "It's just a call away, you bitch! I can do much worse to you than you can do to me!"

The threat sounded so serious that it's tripled up the nerves he felt inside. Please, stop...let's just run - we'll run back to Geum -

"Yeah? Keep talking your shit while I pay your friends to fuck you up first, how bout that?!"

It's obvious that Lalisa is not even slightly intimidated by this 'Suho' guy and Jungkook wants nothing more than to shake her into reality. Out of everyone who stood to watch this heated argument, not a single soul is coming forward to stop it. It's alarming to think that no one will be of help when Lalisa needs it the most. 

"You're gonna regret this..." The man chuckled, clutching his hair as he contemplates on staying or leaving. "You're so gonna regret this!"

Jungkook sighed when the guy finally turns around. We're safe...she's safe – at least for now! Lalisa sighed before she turns to face the three, and in the quick seconds that he thought he should help pick Jisoo up, he noticed the guy coming back in full charge.

He didn't know what came over him but in a split second, Jungkook managed to shield Lalisa off from the guy...right before he felt a slicing pain at the back of his left shoulder.

Well now...this isn't what I had in mind at all!

. . .