Step By Step

Fourteenth Step

After the whole incident, Hyunjin dropped me off at my house. Just to make sure I got home safe.

The police interrogated us back at the store. They asked me if I wanted to press charges against the girl who assaulted me, but I decided not to. I didn't want to cause any more trouble or be a bother to anyone. Hyunjin wasn't too happy with my decision but he respected it. I also hoped Kang-jun wasn't going to be in trouble at work because of this.

We took a cab and it was silent during the whole ride.

As the cab stopped in front of the apartment complex, I got out and closed the door behind me. Hyunjin opened the backseat window and I turned around to face him.

"Text me when you get home, okay?" I told him and smiled which slightly hurt my lip.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Is your lip okay?" He asked me and I nodded. My lip wasn't the only thing that was hurting. Several places on my body hurt as well, but I didn't tell him. He offered to take me to a hospital but I refused. I would check it out myself once I was inside.

"I'm really sorry, Hana, about all of this," he apologized to me and his face turned sad. I let out a sigh and took a step closer to the car. I reached for the door handle, opened the door, and asked for him to step out. The driver got a bit grumpy about us taking too long and I said that it wouldn't take much longer. I just wanted to say a few words to Hyunjin.

He stood in front of me, wondering what I was up to. I grabbed both of his hands and looked him in the eyes. His hands were cold. A little confused he was as I saw it on his face.

"Don't be sad. None of this was your fault. Despite the incident, I had a really good time with you. So thank you for that. You should get some rest when you get home. Cheer up, okay?" I said and waited for his response. After a few seconds, he chuckled, and all of a sudden he grabbed me into a hug.

It was something I did not expect. Unlike his hands, his body felt warm and his embrace felt so comfortable. I hugged him back and enjoyed this little moment by closing my eyes. He rested his chin on my head and we stood there for a minute or so. I felt this feeling I felt back then at the store, it was a feeling of safety. I felt protected.

When I let go, I gazed up at him. We didn't say much but it was not like words were needed right now.

He backed up and got inside of the cab. We waved each other goodbye and I watched it drive away.

Today was a long day.

I turned around and entered the building. I made my way up and when I got to my front door, I entered the code to open it. I got in and took off my shoes. I saw my dad who fell asleep, sitting on the couch in the living room with the tv still on. I silently walked past him and went into my room. I quietly closed the door behind me and put my stuff away.

I walked over to my mirror and checked myself out. The small wound on my lip didn't look too bad. I turned to the side to check for any bruises and saw I got one just above my elbow. I lifted my shirt and saw that I also got some on my back. It hurt when I slightly bent forward. I thought to myself that it would heal fast if I took good care of it and decided to take a shower before going to bed. I grabbed my towel and tiptoed to the bathroom. I turn on the light and undressed.

I stepped in, turned on the water, and waited for it to turn warm. Once the temperature was right, I stepped under and let the warm water run over my body. After a few minutes, I got overwhelmed out of nowhere and began to cry. The emotions I held back today finally came to the surface.

There I stood, crying till my knees got weak and I broke down. I covered my mouth to mute my crying and tried to calm myself down.

When I got back to my room after my shower, I saw my phone that laid on my bed lit up. I went to grab it and I read a text from Hyunjin saying he got home.

"I also had a really nice time with you. It comforted me and made me forget about Ayumi for a moment. thank you."

I guessed the break-up had some impact on him, but he hid it well.

I crawled under the covers and thought about Hyunjin. He must be going through a tough time right now. I wish I could do more for him but maybe that wasn't the smartest idea since he had to deal with this girl Ye-jin because of me.

I didn't fully understand why she attacked me but I suppose it had something to do with Ayumi and the fact that Hyunjin hung out with me today.

My eyelids became heavy and I soon drifted off to sleep.