Your Reminiscence

"I hope you haven't been hanging around him lately," Jake commented, his tone casual. "I wouldn't want you getting any... misguided ideas."

Eunha's heart skipped a beat as Jake mentioned her 'friend.' There was no doubt in her mind that he was talking about Sunghoon. She tried to keep her features neutral, not wanting to give anything away.

"I hope you haven't been hanging around him lately," Jake commented, his tone casual. "I wouldn't want you getting any... misguided ideas."

Eunha swallowed hard, barely managing to keep her voice steady. "I haven't been hanging out with him," she lied, feeling a pang of guilt as the words left her lips. "Don't worry about it."

Jake studied her for a moment, as if trying to gauge the truthfulness of her words. Eunha felt her heart racing, unsure if he could see the lie in her eyes.

"Good," Jake said after a moment, his voice laced with warning. "I don't want you getting mixed up with the wrong people, sweetheart. Understand?"

Eunha nodded reluctantly, trying to keep her expression neutral. "I understand," she said softly, hating the way the words tasted on her tongue.

Jake looked satisfied with her answer, his grip on her hand loosening slightly. "Good girl," he said, his tone patronizing. "I knew you would."

Eunha hated the way he talked to her, as if she was a child that needed to be told what to do. It made her feel weak and helpless. She tried to pull her hand away from his grasp, but he held on tightly, refusing to let go.

"Don't be so eager to leave, sweetheart," Jake said, his voice low and possessive. "Aren't you going to give me a goodnight kiss?"

Eunha's stomach churned at the thought, her disgust for him growing by the second. She didn't want to kiss him, didn't want to touch him at all. But she knew that if she refused, he wouldn't take it well. So she leaned in reluctantly, her lips touching his for the briefest moment in a cold, unfeeling kiss.

Jake smiled, clearly pleased with himself. Eunha pulled back quickly, feeling sick to her stomach. She couldn't wait to get away from him, to be free of his touch and his possessive gaze.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Jake said, his fingers lightly brushing her cheek. Eunha felt a shiver run down her spine at the contact, wanting desperately to slap his hand away. But she forced herself to remain still, offering a small, stiff nod.

"Goodnight," she murmured, hating how weak she sounded. Jake leaned in, his lips brushing her cheek as he gave her a lingering kiss. Eunha flinched at the contact, her skin burning with revulsion. She wanted to scream, to push him away and run, but she stood frozen in place, letting him touch her.

Eunha barely managed to keep her emotions in check as Jake finally let her go. She slid out of his car, feeling like she had just escaped from some kind of nightmare. Without looking back, she rushed toward her house, eager to be away from Jake and his possessive touch.

The moment she was inside and the front door was closed behind her, Eunha let herself crumble. She leaned against the door as tears spilled down her cheeks, her body shaking with revulsion and heartbreak. She felt trapped, hopeless, and terrified of the future ahead.

At that moment, she didn't know what to do or how to escape from the fate that had been so cruelly chosen for her. And, the most painful part of it all, was knowing that the person she loved the most would never see her as anything more than a friend.

Eunha stumbled into her room, feeling exhaustion and heartbreak heavy in her bones. She kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow as silent tears fell from her eyes. The silence of her room pressed down on her, filling her with an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

She hated how powerless she felt, how trapped in a cage of expectations and tradition. She wanted to scream, to shout at the world for treating her so cruelly. But all she could do was lay there, tears streaming down her face as she mourned the future she could never have.

She lay there for what felt like hours, her body trembling with silent sobs. And all the while, a single name played through her mind like a litany: Sunghoon. The thought of his name made her heart ache, her throat tightening with grief and longing.

Just as she was crying herself to sleep, her phone buzzed on the bedside table. Eunha reached out, grabbing the phone and wiping her face with the back of her hand. She saw that she had a new message, from none other than Sunghoon.

Her heart leaped, despite the weight of her despair. She opened the message with trembling fingers, not sure what to expect.

The message read: "Hey, are you free tomorrow?"

Eunha felt her heart skip a beat, a mixture of hope and fear coursing through her. She hesitated for a moment, torn between the temptation to see him and the dread that Jake might find out.

But in the end, the thought of getting to see Sunghoon was too powerful to resist. She typed out a quick response, her fingers shaking. "Yeah, I'm free. Why?"

She waited, her heart racing, as the little typing bubble appeared on her screen. Sunghoon was replying, and she held her breath as she waited for his response. Her mind was racing with possibilities, hope and fear battling for control of her emotions.

The typing bubble disappeared and then reappeared, and then the message came through: "Can we hang out tomorrow?"

Eunha felt a pang of both excitement and anxiety. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with him, but the risk of Jake finding out was always in the back of her mind.

She knew that if Jake found out about her hanging out with Sunghoon, it would be a disaster. He was already jealous and possessive of her, and if he knew that she was spending time with another man, he would fly into a rage.

As she sat staring at Sunghoon's message, the thought struck her. What if Jake was going on dates behind her back, too? Or worse, what if he had other women on the side?

If he was playing around with other people, didn't that mean she could, too? Why should she be the only one suffering, the only one stuck in a cold, heartless relationship?

The more she thought about it, the more her resolve hardened. It was just a friend hang out, after all - far better than Jake's possessive and controlling behavior. Besides, her relationship with Jake was fake, and he couldn't dictate who she could spend time with.

With a newfound sense of determination, Eunha typed out her answer. "Yeah, that would be great," she wrote, her heart racing. "Just text me when and where."

And with that, the decision was made. She would go out with Sunghoon tomorrow, and nothing - not even the threat of Jake finding out - would stop her.

The feeling of relief and excitement was overwhelming. Sure, there was the threat of Jake finding out and going into a jealous rage. But at that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. She just wanted to be with Sunghoon, to feel the rush of being free and alive with someone she cared about.

The following morning, Eunha woke up feeling strangely apprehensive and excited. She couldn't quite believe that she had agreed to hang out with Sunghoon. It was thrilling and dangerous all at once. As she went about her morning routine, she was constantly checking her phone for a message from him.

Eunha made her way to the lunch room, her mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Sunghoon and their planned meeting. She tried to act normal, but she was sure her parents could tell that something was on her mind.

Eunha's mother noticed her expression, and commented, "You seem cheerful today, sweetheart. Did Jake take you out on a nice dinner last night?"

Eunha forced a smile, trying to mask the mixture of irritation and guilt she felt. "Yeah, it was nice," she lied, hating how easy it was for her to deceive her family.

Her mother smiled, clearly pleased with her response. "That's wonderful, dear. Jake is such a good man, and he treats you so well."

The words stung, and Eunha felt a pang of anger at her mother's blind acceptance of Jake. She wanted to yell at her, to tell her that Jake was manipulative and possessive, that he didn't really care about her at all. But she stayed silent, forcing herself to nod in agreement.

Her father, who had been silent up until now, spoke up, his voice gruff. "If Jake ever gives you any problems, you just let me know, sweetheart. I'll take care of it."

Eunha's heart skipped a beat at her father's words, but she forced herself to smile and nod. "I will, Dad," she said, her voice calm despite the turmoil in her heart.

Eunha knew that when her father said "take care of it," he was referring to a harsh talking to, not actually calling off the wedding. Her father wasn't someone who made empty threats. If he said he would talk to Jake, he would do it, and it would be a rough conversation.

But that wasn't enough for Eunha. She wanted the wedding called off altogether, to be free from Jake's possessiveness and manipulation. But she knew that it was an impossible dream. Her father cared more about the family's reputation and business connections than her happiness.

Eunha sat silently, hating the feeling of being trapped in this web of expectations and obligation. She wanted to scream, to tear down the walls of tradition and expectation that had been built around her. But all she could do was sit there, listening to the idle chitchat and false smiles, and pretend that everything was fine.

After a moment, Eunha spoke up, trying to keep her voice casual. "I'm meeting some friends later," she said, her words carefully chosen. "Just for a little hang out."

Her parents nodded, seemingly unbothered by her plans. Eunha's mother even commented, "Just be sure to be home by curfew, sweetheart. We don't want you out too late."

Eunha's heart leapt at the mention of curfew. She quickly pushed back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. "Of course not," she assured her parents. "I'll be back on time."

She was sure that if Jake had been there, he would have thrown a fit at the idea of her going out on her own. But to her parents, it was a normal, insignificant comment. Eunha felt a pang of resentment toward Jake, and a flare of rebelliousness. She was a grown woman, not some child who needed his permission.

She forced herself to keep her features even, not wanting her parents to sense her anger. "I'll see you later tonight," she said, standing up from the table and heading out of the room.

As she left, she could hear her mother's voice calling after her. "Don't forget to wear your good coat, the weather is cold!"

Eunha couldn't help but let out a small sigh at her mother's comment about the coat. "It's just the rainy season, Mom. Not winter," she called back, her voice tinged with annoyance.

Her mother didn't seem to catch the underlying irritation in her tone. She just called back, "Well, you still need to keep warm, sweetheart!"

Eunha nodded, even though her mother couldn't see her. "I will, Mom," she responded, her voice slightly strained. "Don't worry about me."

She hurried out of the house, feeling a sense of relief as the door closed behind her. She didn't like being around her family sometimes. Their expectations and rules felt stifling, especially when it came to her future and her relationship with Jake.

She took a deep breath, letting the cool autumn air fill her lungs. It was a beautiful day, and the sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. She felt a pang of excitement as she thought about hanging out with Sunghoon later.