Choices | Kim Namjoon FF |

Chapter Thirty-Five: Author's POV

Namjoon is getting ready to leave to pick up some food before heading out to see Chae-rin. He has his keys and phone in hand when he hears a knock at his door. Did Chae-rin decide to come here instead? He smiles, walking over and tossing the door open. As soon as he sees her face, his heart begins to pound faster in his chest. What is she doing here? Why is she here for?

"Please, can we just talk?"

Ae-ra is standing in front of him, her eyes filled with tears, pleading for a few minutes of his time. What is he supposed to do? He wasn't expecting to see her at all. What more can she possibly want from him? He hasn't seen her, not really, since she told him...

"Okay," he nods, letting her inside.

It's awkward and he doesn't know what to say to her. She's the one that came here so she should be the one to talk. He sits at the dinner table, his hands folded and watch as she sits across from him, sighing. What could she possibly tell me that she felt the need to come to my apartment?

"So," she starts, "I just wanted to come and apologize... I get that our last encounter wasn't, well, ideal."

He snorts and replies, "Definitely not."

"Namjoon, I'm sorry." She sighs again and clears her throat. "I would never...I mean, I could never do that to you."

"W-what?"

"I didn't cheat on you," she mumbles.

Namjoon can't believe the word's he's hearing. She didn't cheat on him? Then why did she tell him she did? What the hell is going on right now? Ae-ra is confusing him so much more than she already has. What is she trying to pull here?

Ae-ra, on the other hand, is nervous telling him the truth. She didn't cheat on him. She didn't dispute what he said because what she did was far much worse. She doesn't know if he could ever forgive her if he knew, but here she is about to tell him... She loves him so much and she just can't let him go.

Ae-ra has seen him with Chae-rin and he looks so happy with her. Chae-rin seems to bring a brightness out of him, one that Ae-ra has always noticed only Chae-rin can do. She always knew that Chae-rin and Namjoon's friendship was special, kind of like hers and her brothers. Though, she sometimes would be insecure, Namjoon never gave any reason to doubt his love for her. She knew that and chose to trust him because Ae-ra knew he would never break her heart.

"What are you saying?" Namjoon says, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You didn't cheat on me? Then why did you say you did?"

"I never did," Ae-ra responds. "I just...I never said anything," her voice trails off quietly.

"Because of what?"

She takes one look into his deep, brown eyes and she caves in. "Because what I've done is far worse than that..."

Namjoon looks at her eyes, realizing that she is truly struggling with whatever it is that she's come to tell him. He wants to stay mad at her, but he can't. "Ae-ra," he murmurs, holding her hand. "Tell me what's going on. What's wrong?"

"P-promise me you won't hate me," she pleads, her tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please."

"I could never hate you," Namjoon says.

Ae-ra takes a deep breath in and lets it out shakily. Here goes nothing, she thinks. If there's one thing she knows about Namjoon, he is a good person and deserves the best in life. He is so genuine and his happiness is the most precious thing in the universe. She hates to be the person that is going to ruin that for him... God, please forgive me, she whispers.

---

All the while this is happening at Namjoon's, Chae-rin is currently steaming her dress for the wedding this weekend. It's a little early, but she wants to get ready with hair and make-up for the full effect. Her hair is currently in rollers and her make-up is already done. Namjoon said he'd be over in an hour, so that gives her enough time to also order some food for them. She turns her steamer off and walks over to the bathroom to take the rollers out. That's when she hears a knock at the door. She wonders if it's Namjoon because he's super early.