CHAPTER 12: BETRAYAL OF LOVE

During lunchtime, Seo-Joon sits in the corner of the dining hall to eat. However, as he takes the first bite, he feels unable to eat, deeply missing Arya's presence. He avoids eating, a change noticed by the bully gang leader Mi Cha Sang-hee.

Seo-Joon goes upstairs to try to feel free from stress, but he hears unusual sounds. Slowly, he goes to the rooftop and witnesses cuddles and kisses between Min-ho's girlfriend, Kim Jiin, and a senior guy. His face shatters upon realizing Kim Jiin's betrayal, and he comes down slowly, feeling sad for Min-ho.

The bully gang leader, Mi Cha Sang-hee, with a lowered voice, says, "Yaa! What happened to you? I feel something is bothering you. Why did you go to the rooftop? Did you see Kim Jiin's affair?"

Seo-Joon groans, "Ufff! For the first time, I feel sad for Min-ho, and he doesn't deserve this betrayal as he has already lost his strength. If he sees these trashy things, he might lose his life. How do you know about Kim Jiin's affair? If you knew it before, why didn't you inform Min-ho?"

Sang-hee laughs, "This is your first time worrying about someone. Hmm... Kim Jiin truly loves the senior guy for the past two years, and she used Min-ho because she was bored. Anyway, Min-ho hates my gang, but Kim Jiin supports me, so I didn't spill the tea."

Arya's father arrives at the hospital where his mother is admitted. With the help of the receptionist, he moves towards the female ward and sees his mother in a deep sleep. He approaches the doctor in charge, asks the doctor to discharge her, but the doctor denies the request, stating that his mother is suffering from viral fever.

The doctor advises Arya's father to stay at the hospital as his mother needs to undergo a few blood tests, and she will be discharged later according to the hospital management.

He slowly moves towards the hall, sits in the middle of the seat, and messages Arya that he may arrive home late. He also tells Arya to take care of Min-ho.

At the police station, Sam opens his fiancee So-yeon's phone. His fingers go through her gallery pictures, and everything seems normal until his eyes catch the "private pictures" option. Clicking through, he discovers So-yeon's dark secrets. Unusual pictures with the English teacher Hwa-Young unfold before him.

His eyes also catch a video clip where Hwa-Young asks, "Why did you choose to marry the police officer Sam Lee instead of me?"

So-yeon, with a heavily drunken voice, responds, "He is my future bank, honey! Do you know he presented me with a diamond ring on my birthday? It's tough to find an innocent dumper who believes me."

Hwa-Young laughs, "Darling, how did you get him into your dramatic life? Does he know you are bisexual?"

So-yeon kisses Hwa-Young and says, "Actually, once Sam's father visited my home as he was my father's close friend. He showed me a picture of Sam and asked me to marry him. On my way to meet him, I saw he was talking to a foreign girl wearing a mask. I started spying on him as he was dating her. Then I planned to remove her from his life, so I went straight to Sam's father and told him bad things about that mask-worn girl. The climax of his first love story went the way I wanted. Now I am going to marry him, but I truly love you." The video ends with So-yeon kissing Hwa-Young.

Sam raises his left hand to his forehead, feeling the weight of the betrayal from So-yeon's dark secrets. He realizes how clearly So-yeon used his innocent love. In frustration, he smashes the table with his hand, creating a noise that grabs the attention of the other police officers.

As Sam came outside for a coffee, he saw his friend Kim Yu-jeong approaching with an irritated face. She asked, "Yaa! What have you done? After several attempts at opening your late fiancee's phone password, your face is so dull. Is there anything else that disturbed you?"

Sam, with a betrayed mind, exclaimed, "Ahhhhhhh! Yu-jeong, she is not the girl who was true to me. She just used my love. Did you know what she said to her girlfriend? That I am a dumper. Do I look like a dump?"

Yu-jeong replied, "My dear friend, I understand your emotions, but once I told you to avoid her as she was not perfect for you. Do you remember what you said? 'She is the perfect girl who will never cheat on me.' Now you get to know her true colours. Just to maintain for your father's words, you lost the person who loved you without any expectations, and now you are feeling sad. What you sow is what you reap."

Sam, with a manic voice, says, "Anyway, So-yeon's case is closed as she committed suicide. But what still troubles me is those videos released on Instagram by an unknown person. The unknown person, who not only blackmailed those involved in So-yeon and Hwa-Young's case but is also the reason behind the deaths of the high school student Baekhyun and Yuri, the maid who worked at the Park family's house. I know about these cases, but there are others unknown. I must find this killer first, as he seem determined to erase Korea from the map."

At high school, after the end of classes, Seo-joon rushes towards his luxurious car, instructs the driver to drop him at Arya's home, and the driver nods.

Seo-joon smiles like an idiot, eagerly anticipating meeting Arya. During the journey, he stops the car and buys healthy drinks and chocolates for her.

At Arya's home, Arya is watching a TV show, but her mind is occupied with thoughts about Min-ho and his trauma as he is deeply depressed. To check on Min-ho, she slowly moves upstairs and opens his door without knocking. As he is changing his clothes, Arya sees the whole scene like a statue.

Even Min-ho notices her presence, and his face turns red. With rolling eyes, he comes closer to Arya and asks, "Why did you come to my room without knocking? Did you see everything?"

Arya, with a lowered voice, responds, "No! I just came to see you now, and you're questioning me like I'm a bad person. I'm really sorry for not knocking on your door. As I was preparing noodles for myself, do you need some?"