[SJFF] Real Face - Chapter 17
Title: Real Face
Characters: Donghae, Heechul, OC
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama, Angst
Type: Novel
Summary: She finally managed to escape from the one place that she hates the most in order to begin a new life in Seoul, but is still unable to get over the hatred for the male species. Would her heart be softened eventually?
~ * ~
17
They were seated on the bleachers, just plain staring at the empty field in front of them without muttering a single word. The silence had settled in between them for the past hour, and all of them hardly moved a muscle for that duration of time. They weren't even bothered by the fact that the sun was shining almost mercilessly on them, or that the clothes that they were wearing were beginning to be soaked in sweat.
Heechul casted a worried glance at the girl seated on the row in front of him, wondering what she was thinking about at this point of time. Sanghee had her legs pulled close to her chest on the bench, with her forehead rested against her knees. He was frustrated that he couldn't even see her face, and hence, her expressions. Heck, he wasn't even sure whether she was in tears or just plain emotionless, which rendered him unable to make the next move - and for that, Heechul was feeling really agitated.
She had been incredibly shaken from the incident earlier even after the offending group of people had left the school grounds, and had refused to even move from the ground where she was seated on previously. He and Donghae had to come to a compromise to bring her somewhere else, as their position was open for all the other students to see. As it was, Heechul caught the wandering eyes of several students who were evidently not paying attention to their lessons, and were looking directly at them, probably wondering what on earth was going on below. In the end, he put on the most pissed-off face he could muster - Heechul had a reputation for having a very volatile temper and would give off an extremely intimidating aura when he was angry - and effectively sent them scurrying with his glare. 'Some people need to learn how to keep their noses out of other people's business,' he thought grumpily. In the end, Donghae was the one who carried Sanghee to the field on his back. Heechul couldn't deny that he was a little jealous at how she clung onto the back of his shirt and buried her face in the crook of Donghae's neck.
Donghae, on the other hand, was currently leaning against the metal railing right up front, with his head hung low. The younger boy would run a hand through his hair from time to time, probably still trying to let things sink in. Heechul had noticed how the confusion had flashed across the younger boy's face when he addressed Sanghee as 'Aeyoung', though Donghae's expressions immediately turned stern again within a blink of an eye. If anything, Heechul would commend him for not focusing on the wrong thing at the inappropriate time. Heechul swore that he would really inflict some serious hurt on the younger boy if he acted remotely out of line.
Suddenly remembering that Sanghee had scraped her palms after her fall earlier - courtesy of him and Donghae roughly shoving Gyeongjin and Shinjun aside - Heechul sighed and got up from his seat, intending to head to the infirmary to grab the first aid kit so that he could attend to her wound. By the looks of it, she didn't seem as though she wanted to move anywhere else any time soon, since she had been frozen in the same position for the past hour. Aside from that, Heechul also had a feeling that no one could suppress the curiosity gnawing at Donghae's senses with respect to Sanghee's real name, though he suspected that Donghae already knew about her gender from the start, since he had heard him address Sanghee as 'her'.
'So his jealous tendencies have a basis after all,' Heechul mused as he approached Donghae and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He swiftly took a step backwards when the latter inhaled sharply at the contact and swerved around from the suddenness of the event, narrowly preventing Donghae's elbow from connecting with his abdomen. That would really have hurt, especially for him who hardly worked out at all.
"It wouldn't do her any good if you are acting so jumpy right now, you brat," Heechul muttered darkly, shooting a sideward glance at Sanghee to see whether she was alarmed by Donghae's reactions. However, he was almost relieved that she still remained in her previous position. Almost. Sighing, he leaned against the railing next to Donghae, and shoved his hands into the pocket of his pair of khakis.
"On the contrary, it would do me some good if you hadn't tried to give me a heart attack, hyung," Donghae shot back, the frown evident on his face. "What's up?" he then asked, raising an eyebrow at the older male. He was curious about Heechul's intentions, especially when the latter had remained silent for one full hour; he had expected the vice president of the student council to go on a rampage, but he was oddly… calm. Nevertheless, Donghae immediately heightened his senses in case Heechul wanted to serve him an uppercut out of the blue. He knew full well about the latter's temper, and what he was capable of doing even though he seemed fine on the surface. Heechul had been showing signs that he heard what Donghae had said to Sanghee at her apartment, though Donghae suspected that Heechul was just holding his fist back for her sake. He could see how much the older male cared about his seatmate - it was definitely more than how friends should act around each other, though he wasn't in much of a position to say so himself.
"I'm going to the nurse's office to grab the first aid kit. Wouldn't want her wound to get infected and have her screwing us over for it later on when she gets her mood back," Heechul muttered half-heartedly, not really intending it to come out as a joke, but it did make Donghae smile a little. "I'm sure you have a lot of things that you want to clarify with her. I'm not saying that she'll be willing to tell you everything about her life in the past - you're lucky if she would, but don't push your luck either if she intends to keep her mouth shut. You should know better than to go against her wishes, right?" he then added, casting yet another look at the girl who was almost curled up into a ball on the bench. Donghae followed his line of vision, nodding silently in acknowledgement of the older boy's words.
"But hyung, don't you want to be the one to stay here instead? I mean, I can always run to the infirmary to grab it if you want me to," Donghae said, turning to look at Heechul, whom merely flashed a tight-lipped smile at him.
"I know for a fact that she wants you to be there for her, Hae. I think it's better for you to hang around, but I'll have you know this - if you make her cry, I'll fulfil that vow I sent to you the other day," Heechul warned in a dangerously low tone, making sure that Donghae understood that he was serious about keeping Sanghee happy. Without even waiting for his answer, Heechul merely squeezed Donghae's shoulder lightly, and stalked off in the general direction of their school's main office building.
Donghae remained in his position, looking at Heechul's back until the latter was well out of sight, before he returned his gaze on his seatmate, whom was still oblivious to the things that were happening around her. Sighing, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, and jogged up to her. Sanghee finally looked up for the first time in a long while when he greeted her with a soft 'hey', though Donghae was taken aback when he noticed how puffy her eyes were. She had definitely been crying quietly for the entire time that she was left alone by him and Heechul, and Donghae could feel a sting in his chest.
Sitting down next to her, he observed Sanghee for another moment, before he reached up to cup her face with a warm hand. "Sanghee - or should I call you Aeyoung? - I'm sorry for what had happened earlier, but you don't have to go through this alone. Heechul hyung and I will always be here for you no matter what happens," he said softly, causing her to lock her gaze with his again. He had to fight back the overwhelming urge to kiss her silly right then and there, and reprimanded himself for even thinking about things like that at times like these. He shuddered at the thought that he was definitely going to end up with a huge bruise on his face if Heechul ever finds out about it.
"Don't ever mention that name in front of me," she hissed, the anger and resentment deeply reflected in her eyes as she pushed his hand away. Donghae mentally smacked himself for his mistake and raised his arms in front of him, telling her that he got the point. He felt more at ease when Sanghee's expressions seemed to soften a little, and in the next moment, a quiet "Why do you always help me out even though I'm treating you like crap? You don't have the obligations to do so, Hae…" came.
Donghae bit his lip at her comment, contemplating how he should respond to it. In the end, he let out a soft sigh, and sat on the bleachers next to her. "Despite what you may believe, Sanghee, I actually have the responsibility to look over you. My mother told me that a friend of hers made a request for me to take care of you while you're schooling in Neulparan. To be really honest, I might not have cared about you at all in the beginning if my mother hadn't made me promise to it," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up at the blue skies above, squinting when the sunlight was a little too bright for comfort.
"Who is that friend of your mother's, and how did she know that I'm attending school here? I don't recall telling anyone else about my plans…" Sanghee queried, casting a confused look in Donghae's direction. Never, for the life of her, did she expect that Donghae was supposed to be taking care of her under orders from someone else.
"Your Aunt Myoungsun, apparently," he shrugged.
"So you knew that I was a girl from the beginning…?" she asked again, then continued when he nodded in response. "Why did you address me with 'he' when you're with your group of friends, then?"
To her dismay, Donghae chuckled at her query. "You didn't seem as though you wanted anyone to know that you're a girl, judging from how you're dressed and how you act around others. Since the gang thinks that you're a guy like us, I was just going with the flow," he replied, flashing a soft smile at her which made her heart skip a beat. She turned away to hide the blush that was slowly spreading across her cheeks, not wanting him to find out about the effects he had on her mind.
"Uh… thanks, I guess…" Sanghee muttered, though her head snapped up in response when the words finally sank in. "Then… does that mean that you know about my past…?" she gulped, suddenly worrying about how Donghae would perceive her for everything that had happened to her.
Sanghee let out a sigh of relief when Donghae shook his head. "I only know of the Sanghee who had entered Neulparan, since I'm only under the request to take care of the new student that would be transferring into my class from another school. Like I've said before, it's fine if you don't want to reveal your past to me, or if you want to take things at your own pace. I'm not going to deny the fact that I would like to know what had happened to you, and about the group of people who were trying to drag you all the way back to where you came from. But at the same time, I'm not going to force you into revealing things that you would rather keep bottled up within you," he explained as he fiddled around with his own fingers.
"No, it's fine. After all you've done for me, I think it's fair for you to know," she concluded, earning a surprised look from him. Nonetheless, he decided to remain silent when Sanghee sucked in a deep breath, and started to recount to him every single thing that had happened while she was still in Suncheon. Donghae's fists were clenched tightly next to him as he listened to her story, unable to bring himself to believe that there were such despicable people in the world.
Apparently, Sanghee was engaged to Shinjun against her own will when she turned 14, because the latter's family was rather influential in the business industry, and her parents wanted to have a cordial relationship with them by having her marry into the family. When she tried to protest, saying that she didn't want to get married to someone she didn't even love nor know, she ended up with multiple bruises scattered all over her body, courtesy of her father who was adamant that she followed his words and accepted the marriage arrangement without kicking up a huge fuss. Being the stubborn person she was, Sanghee continued to be defiant and went against her parents' will, even trying to run away from home on several occasions. Nevertheless, her plans were foiled every single time, and she would end up with more horrid beatings after that. She hated her mother, who merely watched on the sides, and did not even attempt to stop her husband from mistreating her.
Two years went by in the same routine for her, living a life of constant abuse because she still wouldn't accept her parents' decision, but in the end, Sanghee couldn't take the abuse any longer, and she finally caved in. Initially, she even began to think that her fiancé wasn't such a bad person, because at least Shinjun had tried to talk to her nicely and even attempted to get to know her better. That was until she found herself naked next to him in her bed one fine morning, after a dinner party hosted by her family the previous night. It turns out that her brother, under their parents' orders, had laced her drink with some drugs, and allowed Shinjun to bed her - so as to 'seal the marriage deal', or so they claimed. By then she was completely repulsed by the actions of her entire family and the one person she thought she could trust, but still they continued to make her life miserable, as if it were the ultimate mission of their pathetic lives. The beatings and the abuse didn't stop, and they even-
"That is utterly disgusting!" Donghae snapped, standing up in anger when Sanghee told him about her father coming home drunk one night and had raped her in the comforts of her own room during Valentine's last year, and how his disgusting act would continue every single time he was under the influence. Sanghee laughed dryly at his reaction, causing him to look at her in search of an answer for her response.
"Trust me, I know that well enough. I don't blame you if you can't look me in the eye after finding out about all that, though. I wish I could just jump off a building right now and stay dead. That way, I wouldn't have to live with these thoughts any longer," she commented softly, the negativity thick in her intonation. Sanghee gasped in surprise when Donghae suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders and held her gaze seriously.
"Kwon Sanghee, I'm not letting you utter things like that on a whim. I never said anything about wanting to push you away. I'm sorry to hear about the things that had happened to you in the past, but I'm not going to let you experience that again if I can help it, you hear me?" Donghae reiterated sternly, determined to tell her that he was being serious with his words. He didn't see the need to shun her because of her past; it wasn't as though she could do anything about it. Sanghee had told him about her attempts to make a police report on many accounts so that she could turn her father in for his abusive tendencies, but each and every single time he found out about it, he would lie his way through by telling everyone that she slipped and fell off the stairs. Of course, that was accompanied by a huge stack of cash under the table for the police officer. Her father controlled her life like a puppet, that much she was sure.
"You don't have to do this for me, Hae... Both you and Heechul sunbae… just stop. I don't deserve all this kindness," Sanghee retorted weakly, though her body was already shaking from her attempt to prevent herself from crying.
When the tears started flowing out of the corner of Sanghee's eyes, Donghae immediately pulled her into his embrace without giving his actions a second thought. He wanted nothing but to make her feel protected from her family who had ruined her life, and to make sure that she would live the joy-filled life that she really deserved. He didn't even realise that Heechul was approaching them when he muttered the words "I'm never going to leave you alone, Sanghee. I love you" to her.
Characters: Donghae, Heechul, OC
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama, Angst
Type: Novel
Summary: She finally managed to escape from the one place that she hates the most in order to begin a new life in Seoul, but is still unable to get over the hatred for the male species. Would her heart be softened eventually?
~ * ~
17
They were seated on the bleachers, just plain staring at the empty field in front of them without muttering a single word. The silence had settled in between them for the past hour, and all of them hardly moved a muscle for that duration of time. They weren't even bothered by the fact that the sun was shining almost mercilessly on them, or that the clothes that they were wearing were beginning to be soaked in sweat.
Heechul casted a worried glance at the girl seated on the row in front of him, wondering what she was thinking about at this point of time. Sanghee had her legs pulled close to her chest on the bench, with her forehead rested against her knees. He was frustrated that he couldn't even see her face, and hence, her expressions. Heck, he wasn't even sure whether she was in tears or just plain emotionless, which rendered him unable to make the next move - and for that, Heechul was feeling really agitated.
She had been incredibly shaken from the incident earlier even after the offending group of people had left the school grounds, and had refused to even move from the ground where she was seated on previously. He and Donghae had to come to a compromise to bring her somewhere else, as their position was open for all the other students to see. As it was, Heechul caught the wandering eyes of several students who were evidently not paying attention to their lessons, and were looking directly at them, probably wondering what on earth was going on below. In the end, he put on the most pissed-off face he could muster - Heechul had a reputation for having a very volatile temper and would give off an extremely intimidating aura when he was angry - and effectively sent them scurrying with his glare. 'Some people need to learn how to keep their noses out of other people's business,' he thought grumpily. In the end, Donghae was the one who carried Sanghee to the field on his back. Heechul couldn't deny that he was a little jealous at how she clung onto the back of his shirt and buried her face in the crook of Donghae's neck.
Donghae, on the other hand, was currently leaning against the metal railing right up front, with his head hung low. The younger boy would run a hand through his hair from time to time, probably still trying to let things sink in. Heechul had noticed how the confusion had flashed across the younger boy's face when he addressed Sanghee as 'Aeyoung', though Donghae's expressions immediately turned stern again within a blink of an eye. If anything, Heechul would commend him for not focusing on the wrong thing at the inappropriate time. Heechul swore that he would really inflict some serious hurt on the younger boy if he acted remotely out of line.
Suddenly remembering that Sanghee had scraped her palms after her fall earlier - courtesy of him and Donghae roughly shoving Gyeongjin and Shinjun aside - Heechul sighed and got up from his seat, intending to head to the infirmary to grab the first aid kit so that he could attend to her wound. By the looks of it, she didn't seem as though she wanted to move anywhere else any time soon, since she had been frozen in the same position for the past hour. Aside from that, Heechul also had a feeling that no one could suppress the curiosity gnawing at Donghae's senses with respect to Sanghee's real name, though he suspected that Donghae already knew about her gender from the start, since he had heard him address Sanghee as 'her'.
'So his jealous tendencies have a basis after all,' Heechul mused as he approached Donghae and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He swiftly took a step backwards when the latter inhaled sharply at the contact and swerved around from the suddenness of the event, narrowly preventing Donghae's elbow from connecting with his abdomen. That would really have hurt, especially for him who hardly worked out at all.
"It wouldn't do her any good if you are acting so jumpy right now, you brat," Heechul muttered darkly, shooting a sideward glance at Sanghee to see whether she was alarmed by Donghae's reactions. However, he was almost relieved that she still remained in her previous position. Almost. Sighing, he leaned against the railing next to Donghae, and shoved his hands into the pocket of his pair of khakis.
"On the contrary, it would do me some good if you hadn't tried to give me a heart attack, hyung," Donghae shot back, the frown evident on his face. "What's up?" he then asked, raising an eyebrow at the older male. He was curious about Heechul's intentions, especially when the latter had remained silent for one full hour; he had expected the vice president of the student council to go on a rampage, but he was oddly… calm. Nevertheless, Donghae immediately heightened his senses in case Heechul wanted to serve him an uppercut out of the blue. He knew full well about the latter's temper, and what he was capable of doing even though he seemed fine on the surface. Heechul had been showing signs that he heard what Donghae had said to Sanghee at her apartment, though Donghae suspected that Heechul was just holding his fist back for her sake. He could see how much the older male cared about his seatmate - it was definitely more than how friends should act around each other, though he wasn't in much of a position to say so himself.
"I'm going to the nurse's office to grab the first aid kit. Wouldn't want her wound to get infected and have her screwing us over for it later on when she gets her mood back," Heechul muttered half-heartedly, not really intending it to come out as a joke, but it did make Donghae smile a little. "I'm sure you have a lot of things that you want to clarify with her. I'm not saying that she'll be willing to tell you everything about her life in the past - you're lucky if she would, but don't push your luck either if she intends to keep her mouth shut. You should know better than to go against her wishes, right?" he then added, casting yet another look at the girl who was almost curled up into a ball on the bench. Donghae followed his line of vision, nodding silently in acknowledgement of the older boy's words.
"But hyung, don't you want to be the one to stay here instead? I mean, I can always run to the infirmary to grab it if you want me to," Donghae said, turning to look at Heechul, whom merely flashed a tight-lipped smile at him.
"I know for a fact that she wants you to be there for her, Hae. I think it's better for you to hang around, but I'll have you know this - if you make her cry, I'll fulfil that vow I sent to you the other day," Heechul warned in a dangerously low tone, making sure that Donghae understood that he was serious about keeping Sanghee happy. Without even waiting for his answer, Heechul merely squeezed Donghae's shoulder lightly, and stalked off in the general direction of their school's main office building.
Donghae remained in his position, looking at Heechul's back until the latter was well out of sight, before he returned his gaze on his seatmate, whom was still oblivious to the things that were happening around her. Sighing, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, and jogged up to her. Sanghee finally looked up for the first time in a long while when he greeted her with a soft 'hey', though Donghae was taken aback when he noticed how puffy her eyes were. She had definitely been crying quietly for the entire time that she was left alone by him and Heechul, and Donghae could feel a sting in his chest.
Sitting down next to her, he observed Sanghee for another moment, before he reached up to cup her face with a warm hand. "Sanghee - or should I call you Aeyoung? - I'm sorry for what had happened earlier, but you don't have to go through this alone. Heechul hyung and I will always be here for you no matter what happens," he said softly, causing her to lock her gaze with his again. He had to fight back the overwhelming urge to kiss her silly right then and there, and reprimanded himself for even thinking about things like that at times like these. He shuddered at the thought that he was definitely going to end up with a huge bruise on his face if Heechul ever finds out about it.
"Don't ever mention that name in front of me," she hissed, the anger and resentment deeply reflected in her eyes as she pushed his hand away. Donghae mentally smacked himself for his mistake and raised his arms in front of him, telling her that he got the point. He felt more at ease when Sanghee's expressions seemed to soften a little, and in the next moment, a quiet "Why do you always help me out even though I'm treating you like crap? You don't have the obligations to do so, Hae…" came.
Donghae bit his lip at her comment, contemplating how he should respond to it. In the end, he let out a soft sigh, and sat on the bleachers next to her. "Despite what you may believe, Sanghee, I actually have the responsibility to look over you. My mother told me that a friend of hers made a request for me to take care of you while you're schooling in Neulparan. To be really honest, I might not have cared about you at all in the beginning if my mother hadn't made me promise to it," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up at the blue skies above, squinting when the sunlight was a little too bright for comfort.
"Who is that friend of your mother's, and how did she know that I'm attending school here? I don't recall telling anyone else about my plans…" Sanghee queried, casting a confused look in Donghae's direction. Never, for the life of her, did she expect that Donghae was supposed to be taking care of her under orders from someone else.
"Your Aunt Myoungsun, apparently," he shrugged.
"So you knew that I was a girl from the beginning…?" she asked again, then continued when he nodded in response. "Why did you address me with 'he' when you're with your group of friends, then?"
To her dismay, Donghae chuckled at her query. "You didn't seem as though you wanted anyone to know that you're a girl, judging from how you're dressed and how you act around others. Since the gang thinks that you're a guy like us, I was just going with the flow," he replied, flashing a soft smile at her which made her heart skip a beat. She turned away to hide the blush that was slowly spreading across her cheeks, not wanting him to find out about the effects he had on her mind.
"Uh… thanks, I guess…" Sanghee muttered, though her head snapped up in response when the words finally sank in. "Then… does that mean that you know about my past…?" she gulped, suddenly worrying about how Donghae would perceive her for everything that had happened to her.
Sanghee let out a sigh of relief when Donghae shook his head. "I only know of the Sanghee who had entered Neulparan, since I'm only under the request to take care of the new student that would be transferring into my class from another school. Like I've said before, it's fine if you don't want to reveal your past to me, or if you want to take things at your own pace. I'm not going to deny the fact that I would like to know what had happened to you, and about the group of people who were trying to drag you all the way back to where you came from. But at the same time, I'm not going to force you into revealing things that you would rather keep bottled up within you," he explained as he fiddled around with his own fingers.
"No, it's fine. After all you've done for me, I think it's fair for you to know," she concluded, earning a surprised look from him. Nonetheless, he decided to remain silent when Sanghee sucked in a deep breath, and started to recount to him every single thing that had happened while she was still in Suncheon. Donghae's fists were clenched tightly next to him as he listened to her story, unable to bring himself to believe that there were such despicable people in the world.
Apparently, Sanghee was engaged to Shinjun against her own will when she turned 14, because the latter's family was rather influential in the business industry, and her parents wanted to have a cordial relationship with them by having her marry into the family. When she tried to protest, saying that she didn't want to get married to someone she didn't even love nor know, she ended up with multiple bruises scattered all over her body, courtesy of her father who was adamant that she followed his words and accepted the marriage arrangement without kicking up a huge fuss. Being the stubborn person she was, Sanghee continued to be defiant and went against her parents' will, even trying to run away from home on several occasions. Nevertheless, her plans were foiled every single time, and she would end up with more horrid beatings after that. She hated her mother, who merely watched on the sides, and did not even attempt to stop her husband from mistreating her.
Two years went by in the same routine for her, living a life of constant abuse because she still wouldn't accept her parents' decision, but in the end, Sanghee couldn't take the abuse any longer, and she finally caved in. Initially, she even began to think that her fiancé wasn't such a bad person, because at least Shinjun had tried to talk to her nicely and even attempted to get to know her better. That was until she found herself naked next to him in her bed one fine morning, after a dinner party hosted by her family the previous night. It turns out that her brother, under their parents' orders, had laced her drink with some drugs, and allowed Shinjun to bed her - so as to 'seal the marriage deal', or so they claimed. By then she was completely repulsed by the actions of her entire family and the one person she thought she could trust, but still they continued to make her life miserable, as if it were the ultimate mission of their pathetic lives. The beatings and the abuse didn't stop, and they even-
"That is utterly disgusting!" Donghae snapped, standing up in anger when Sanghee told him about her father coming home drunk one night and had raped her in the comforts of her own room during Valentine's last year, and how his disgusting act would continue every single time he was under the influence. Sanghee laughed dryly at his reaction, causing him to look at her in search of an answer for her response.
"Trust me, I know that well enough. I don't blame you if you can't look me in the eye after finding out about all that, though. I wish I could just jump off a building right now and stay dead. That way, I wouldn't have to live with these thoughts any longer," she commented softly, the negativity thick in her intonation. Sanghee gasped in surprise when Donghae suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders and held her gaze seriously.
"Kwon Sanghee, I'm not letting you utter things like that on a whim. I never said anything about wanting to push you away. I'm sorry to hear about the things that had happened to you in the past, but I'm not going to let you experience that again if I can help it, you hear me?" Donghae reiterated sternly, determined to tell her that he was being serious with his words. He didn't see the need to shun her because of her past; it wasn't as though she could do anything about it. Sanghee had told him about her attempts to make a police report on many accounts so that she could turn her father in for his abusive tendencies, but each and every single time he found out about it, he would lie his way through by telling everyone that she slipped and fell off the stairs. Of course, that was accompanied by a huge stack of cash under the table for the police officer. Her father controlled her life like a puppet, that much she was sure.
"You don't have to do this for me, Hae... Both you and Heechul sunbae… just stop. I don't deserve all this kindness," Sanghee retorted weakly, though her body was already shaking from her attempt to prevent herself from crying.
When the tears started flowing out of the corner of Sanghee's eyes, Donghae immediately pulled her into his embrace without giving his actions a second thought. He wanted nothing but to make her feel protected from her family who had ruined her life, and to make sure that she would live the joy-filled life that she really deserved. He didn't even realise that Heechul was approaching them when he muttered the words "I'm never going to leave you alone, Sanghee. I love you" to her.