#redemancy

Watch where I’m going? “Excuse me? You were the one who knocked into me?”

“Whatever.”

And with that, the guy went off. He didn’t even have the audacity to apologise. Sighing, she took out the extra hoodie she always had in her bag and changed just a few minutes before her lecture hoping that she wouldn’t have to see Mr Arrogant ever again for the remainder of the day. What would be the odds that he would be having the same lecture as hers? Odds were not in her favour. Mr Arrogant was in the same lecture as hers and the only seat available for her to sit was next to him. Cursing her fate, she walked and seated herself at the only available location.

“Please don’t go around knocking my things from my table too.”

She wanted to give him a fitting reply but before she even could, the professor walked in. And that was how her rivalry with Yoo Kihyun began.

Junior year was about to end and there were hardly any changes to her routine. But the few changes that did happen somehow seemed to change her life. Some nights in Toronto were so clear, they made Naomi want to just curl up inside a blanket and enjoy the trail of those gaseous balls moving around in space. For some reason, they always made her wonder why she was where she was. They always made her wonder why she destined to be here, at this very moment with two of her best friends and genuinely have fun. Naomi, a biology student, was friends with Min Yoongi, a music student, and Park Jimin, a dance major. She didn’t know what she did to be deserve those two dorks as her best friends, but she definitely must have saved a whole country in her past life. She did not know what made her place them so timely in her life. It was as if the stars had made them a part of her life. While the positives remained and she maintained to be ever so thankful for them, she didn’t want to believe she had to have Yoo Kihyun crash into her that eventful morning of freshman year. It was as if the stars willed for him to be a part of her life, regardless of the fact that he wasn’t in her class anymore but the barista that worked in the café she loved so much.

What hadn’t changed was how much he despised her. She never understood why but she never bothered herself with arguments. She didn’t want that complication nor had she signed up for it. Another reason was because Kihyun was Yoongi’s friend. When she initially found out, she wondered how the wonderful and soft hearted Min Yoongi was friends with the rude Yoo Kihyun. She later found out that Kihyun behaved that way only with her. She wouldn’t admit it out loud to anyone, but she quite liked seeing him interact with others because he would grace them with that beautiful smile of his and she wondered why she never got those. And as much as she loved Yoongi, she never could bug him with how Kihyun treated her. He always tried to make them get along and Naomi had even obliged once but Kihyun seemed to not budge from his hatred for her so she gave up. But fate definitely had something lined up for them; something neither of them were expecting.

It was a fine Saturday and Naomi wanted to take break. Mid-semester breaks were a blessing because all she did was relax. It was a task to maintain her rank in class and she wanted to keep it reserved for her, another thing that ticked Kihyun off. She made her way to her haven (read: café) and made her way to the counter. Kihyun was taking orders yet again but nothing and no one could have spoiled her mood. For some unknown reason though, Kihyun didn’t talk rudely with her. In fact, he spoke with a very even tone that surprised her but she didn’t show it. As she stood off to the side, waiting so she could take her order and sit peacefully while reading her book, her mind wandered. She didn’t realise a customer had stepped up and when she did, she saw a beautiful woman talking to Kihyun and for the first time, she saw Kihyun talk to someone else but her rudely.

“Jennie, leave if you aren’t here as a customer. I don’t want to create a scene here.”

“But Kihyun, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I was only with Wonwoo to make you jealous because you wouldn’t pay attention to me. I am sorry!”

“You could’ve asked for my attention in other ways, you needn’t have to cheat on me with someone else. Especially not with my friend.”

She cheated on Kihyun? No wonder he was in a bad mood. The girl, Jennie, however wouldn’t stop. She constantly kept talking and trying to get on his good side.

Now, Naomi isn’t the kind to intervene in other’s business, but within the span of the last 5 minutes, Jennie had managed to tick off her as well.

“Could you please take this conversation somewhere else? Because you aren’t just bothering him, you’re bothering other customers as well.”

And she turned away with that to find her coffee served.

“Thanks, Jooheonie”, she said with a smile.

He smiled back with those cute dimples of his popping up and walked back inside but not without giving Jennie the stink eye. Naomi turned very carefully because her coffee was hot but what she didn’t realise that Jennie wanted to be a bitch and knock into Naomi and spilling the hot coffee onto her in the process. Naomi let out a wail of cry in pain while Jennie just looked at her in the meanest possible manner and said, “keep your thoughts to yourself and you won’t get hurt the next time.”

Naomi had tears spilling from her eyes as she looked at Jennie. Why would someone do that?

“This is why I broke up with you. You just have to be a bitch, don’t you?” Kihyun said somewhere near Naomi just as she felt his arm wrap around her.

Without casting Jennie a second glance he said to Naomi, “let’s get you treated, come on.”

With that Naomi and Kihyun walked into the back room of the café, not bothering with themselves with how Jennie was looking scandalised.

As the two of them walked in, Naomi felt the pain reduce slightly. Jooheon on the other hand was freaking out.

“I will kill her. I swear to god. How dare she hurt Noona!? Hyung why didn’t you kick her out before things went out of hand? Why did you even get with that bi-”

“Jooheon” Naomi said in a small voice. “Can you please get me some salt so I can clean up?”

“I’m such an idiot. Of course, I’ll be right back Noona.”

“There you go. Take my hoodie. I’ll leave so you can change”, Kihyun said handing over his hoodie.

With a small smile and a nod Naomi took the hoodie and saw Kihyun make his way out, closing the door. Why do I have to go through all of this? That was the only thought running in her head as she changed and Jooheon later came in with some salt and water.

After she was done cleaning up, Kihyun walked in with a bag to put in her now coffee stained clothes.

“You know”, she said jokingly to Kihyun so as to diffuse the tension between them. “I have to start associating you with spilt coffee.”

Kihyun on the other hand looked nowhere near less burdened. A very quiet yet loud apology left his mouth and Naomi looked at him in shock.

“It isn’t your-“

“It is my fault. Had I kicked her out, none of this would’ve happened. I’m so sorry. Not just for today. And thank you for calling her out.”

“It’s not a problem Kihyun. You looked uncomfortable. And I really was getting annoyed. I’ll return this to you this Monday in class, okay?”

He smiled very softly at that.

“Yeah, take your time.”

And with that, they parted ways.

After that incident in the café, things seemed to have evened out between Kihyun and Naomi, which was a little out of the ordinary for Naomi. She had kind of gotten used to Kihyun’s jabs, almost immune, if you will. It was weird to see him talk normally to her. It was also weird to Yoongi and Jimin. So when she told Yoongi about the incident, he was this close to going and bashing Jennie while Jimin was concerned and upset with Naomi for not having informed what happened a week ago. Naomi had to calm Yoongi and she could swear she saw his expression change into a knowing one for just one second before it went back to normal. She didn’t ask him about it though because she assumed that it was all in her head.

Funnily enough, she didn’t have too many run-ins with Kihyun either. They hardly saw each other and for some strange reason, she found herself worrying over the guy. He was cheated on and she knew what it felt like.

She hadn’t gotten hold of him to return his hoodie which meant that it was always in her bag now and unconsciously she ended up using it a rare few times, almost wearing it before she realised what she was doing.

The day that she’d see Kihyun came soon enough, the following day after seeing Yoongi and Jimin, in fact. It was pure happenstance that she came across him. She didn’t expect to see him where she did because people hardly ever visited the park Naomi loved so much for it was so quiet. She hesitated, not sure if she should talk to him. He looked like he wanted to be alone but then she decided that it was better that she returned his hoodie now. Who knew if she’d see him around again as he seemed to be MIA enough.

“Kihyun? I have been looking for you over a week now! Here’s your hoodie” she said holding out the hoodie over to him.

What she didn’t expect though was for Kihyun to look as tired and drained as he looked and she felt something she couldn’t identify in her chest.

“Oh god, Kihyun. Have you rested or eaten these past few days? What happened?”

His voice too hoarse when he responded with a, “Never been better.”

“You haven’t lost your sarcasm, huh. Well, I should get going.”

Just as she turned around after placing the hoodie on his bag that lay beside him, she heard a small, “Stay. Please. I don’t think I can handle my thoughts anymore.”

Naomi didn’t know what to do. On one hand, she didn’t want to stay. Why should she when all the guy ever did was hate her and throw harsh words her way? But on the other hand, she couldn’t refuse. For it wasn’t like her to let someone be alone when they explicitly say the need her. This was also why she found herself sitting next to him and her actions gained her smile as thank you.

“Since you have too many thoughts plaguing your head, why don’t you talk about them?”

“No offense, but I don’t think you’d understand how I’m feeling now.”

She chuckled at that. How typical of Yoo Kihyun to assume she wouldn’t know how he felt. He looked at her with a look that said what is wrong with you but she only proceeded to shake her head.

“You know how I’ve never responded to whatever you threw my way these past years? It wasn’t because I didn’t know how to. It was because I know how much words hurt and how actions speak louder than words. You think a person won’t be offended when you say that? You’re so horribly assuming of people that you think you’re the only one that undergoes pain. We all do. You’re not someone the world revolves around, Kihyun.”

A sudden silence fell upon them as she said those words and they hit him like a truck. She allowed him to fall underneath them and think of the words he said every time he spoke. And soon enough, she saw guilt cloud his expression.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

“You’re right; you shouldn’t have done what you did all these years. Better late than never.”

“So umm do you umm have you…?”

“Have I been cheated on? Yes. And he was my first true love. Unfortunately, I wasn’t his. I don’t think he ever felt that way for anyone. I was just another notch on his belt, I suppose. I was lucky enough to not have slept with him. But the feelings were still there. The pain is still there but somehow, I moved on.”

“Do you mind if I asked who the guy was?”

“You’d be surprised. The very man Jennie cheated on you with, Jeon Wonwoo.”

“So he’s been making people miserable since forever?”

“Kind of, yes. The worst part wasn’t that he destroyed what I knew of love; the worst part was that he was a great friend of mine. I lost a friend and a lover all at once. Unfortunately, I didn’t know of his tendencies to lead people on and break their heart.”

“Wow. What a small world, huh? Who knew that they’d cheat on us the way did?”

“I think it’s just a way of theirs to tell us that they’re done with us, albeit a little too harsh. Whatever excuses they come up with almost seem patronising at the moment we find out.”

“Were you as awfully calm when you found out as you are now? Because if I were in Wonwoo’s shoes, I’d be running to the other end of the world.”

Naomi laughed a sad laugh at that.

“I just went numb. I shut people out for so long, I somehow made it easy for Wonwoo to ignore me. But then again, I made it difficult for everyone else in my life. I lost so many people because of one useless and unworthy act by a person I truly loved, it wasn’t even funny.”

“Then how did you and Yoongi become friends? Because he doesn’t trust human kind either.”

She smiled at that. It had been difficult for both of them to get used to each other, her more than him. But she was so glad that Yoongi and Jimin both took the effort to wade their way through her barriers and find a place for them in her heart.

“Yoongi is persistent” was all she said.

And that began their nightly routine of venting. It was not something anyone knew. None of Kihyun’s or Naomi’s friends knew about their late night rendezvous at the park. Night after night they’d meet at the same spot and vent about their past and how their day was. Kihyun seemed to improve and slowly pull out of the darkness he had fallen into. His love for Jennie had somehow poisoned him and she was all he could think about for a while. The nights that he spent with Naomi, though, changed that.

In that time frame, he’d also taken a break from the coffee shop. As he started becoming better, he re-joined the café and that’s when both their friends got to know that there was something more to Kihyun and Naomi’s relation than what they knew. There was something more friendship and less hate. They still bickered and sassed each other but it wasn’t like before.

What also made Naomi happy was that on some days, she’d get the infamous Kihyun smile which she found adorable. His cheeks would push up and his eyes would almost disappear as a result and that never failed to make her giggle. When Jooheon saw them talking in a friendly manner, he almost dropped a customer’s order. He couldn’t believe his eyes or ears when he saw them conversing.

Yoongi and Jimin were surprised too. Later in the day, the two of them cornered her and asked her what was happening. She wanted to tell them about the nightly routine but she felt as if she’d jinx what Kihyun and she had. What she did tell them about, though, was the first night. Jimin seemed convinced but Yoongi, the ever perceptive human, was not. Naomi knew he knew that she was keeping something form them but he didn’t push her to talk about it. He was well aware that he could ask either of them later on. But Yoongi seemed happy whenever he saw his two friends get along as well as they did and it seemed as if there wasn’t a lot that could change their relationship.

Change is inevitable. Change is somehow the only constant the world knows. Change was also what made humanity mortal. And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

Just as night changed to day, so did the dynamics between Naomi and Kihyun. Somewhere along the line, they changed their points of view about each other. From strangers to enemies to acquaintances to friends, it really was a roller-coaster ride for the two of them and everyone around them. Naomi was happy that this kind of positive change happened in her life. Somehow, Kihyun had wedged his way into her life and while she was hesitant, she slowly allowed him in.

It scared her though. It scared her that she let him in so soon while it took her so much longer with Yoongi and Jimin. Wonwoo had to struggle a lot too to become her friend. But for some strange reason, it didn’t take Kihyun long.

A part of her thought it was because of them venting about life to each other but the more rational part knew that it was because she was slowly falling for him. How ironic was it to have your logical side realise that you were falling for someone who’s hated you for years and then managed to befriend you? And she knew it was because every time she’d see him smile, she’d feel content. She always wanted to hear him talk. She never was the kind to give thought to what people vented out to her. She’d lend an ear to listen but she never thought over people’s problems except for Jimin and Yoongi and now Kihyun. She realised she didn’t look at Kihyun the way she looked at Yoongi or Jimin. It was different, what she felt for Kihyun and she knew she was in trouble. Because why would Kihyun like her the way she did, right? Why would he look at her and want to be with her? She was just one of the stars in his night sky; a dim, softly glowing star that remained small in front of the ones glowing brightly. There were a million women who could like him better and do him better than she ever could.

Little she did know that Kihyun had had enough of the harsh brightness. He wanted her warmth and gentleness and no one else’s and Naomi was about to find this out in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

It was a regular Friday for Naomi. She was done early with her classes and she made her way to her favourite place next to the library; the café. She knew Kihyun wouldn’t be there and that kind of dulled the idea and charm of the place, but Jooheon would be there and that made her happy enough. So it would be lie if she said if she wasn’t surprised to see someone else at the counter that wasn’t Jooheon or Kihyun.

The guy was handsome. She could see that as soon as she walked in and his smile shined so bright, she had to pause for a second.

“Noona!” a loud voice called out and suddenly her feet were off the ground and the world was spinning.

“Jooheon stop! I’m getting dizzy, you goof.”

“Sorry! I just got excited” he said with a giggle. “Noona meet Hoseok hyung! He likes to be called Wonho though. Hyung, this is Naomi Noona!”

“Hi! You’re Jooheon and Kihyun’s friend, aren’t you? It’s nice to meet you” he said with a smile and a gentle look in his eyes that made her soft.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Wonho” Naomi said before she proceeded to place her order.

“Noona! I’m hosting a party along with my hyungs next friday. Please come! Yoongi hyung and Jiminie are coming too!”

“Jooheon, you know how I feel about parties, right?”

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, I’m going to be sober. I’m the designated driver for the night so we can hang out” Wonho said. “If you say no, he will become pouty and give you those puppy eyes and you don’t want that.”

Naomi laughed and gave in when Jooheon immediately gave her the infamous puppy eyes on cue.

As she received her order, she said, “I guess I’ll see you guys in the evening then.”

Jooheon smiled but Wonho gave her a wink and said, “I’ll be waiting!”

Friday evening came soon enough and for some absolutely unknown reason, Naomi was stressing over what to wear. Well, she knew the reason but she just didn’t want to admit. She had Yoongi and Jimin come over to her place as she whined about being confused.

“Naomi, really, you just have to choose a pair of clothes to wear. Why. Are. You. Stressing.”

“I wish you knew the pain of not knowing what to wear, Yoongi. You just have to throw on a pair of jeans and shirt and you’re done. You’d look good even if you wore a trash bag.”

“Okay Noona, let me help, yeah?” Jimin asked and she vigorously nodded yes. As Jimin proceeded to look through, she sat beside Yoongi only to have him look at her with a smirk.

“What?”

“You’re fretting because Kihyun is going to be there.”

She didn’t want to blush but she did and that was a dead giveaway about her feelings for him which, of course, Yoongi picked on.

“You both are so pathetic, it’s tiring.”

“I’m sorry? Pathetic?”

“You’re both whipped for each other but what do you do? Keep it to yourselves and make everyone miserable.”

“Yoongi. Seriously. You think Kihyun likes me like I like him?”

“Naomi, I don’t think. I know.”

“Why would you-?”

“Noona! Why haven’t you ever worn this!?” Jimin popped up with a black sequin dress with a sweet heart neckline. Naomi had absolutely forgotten about it.

“This will go great with these wedges!” he said, pointing at the shoes he held in his right hand.

“Thanks Chim! You’re the best, unlike some people” with a look at Yoongi who just chuckled.

“I missed something, didn’t I?”

The party was raging by the time Yoongi, Jimin and Naomi arrived at Jooheon’s place.

“I don’t think I’m going to last too long you guys.”

“Naomi, shut up. Enjoy, will you? This isn’t my scene but it’s Jooheon.”

Sighing she made her way into the loud place and made her way straight to the kitchen along with the two boys. Jooheon spotted them almost immediately and went over to hug the three of them, thanking them for coming for which Yoongi flicked his forehead.

Naomi felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to see Wonho standing behind her.

“Hey” she said with a smile.

“Hi! You look stunning, Naomi.”

Naomi felt happy but she didn’t feel anything else. Nonetheless, she thanked him. Yoongi and Jimin came to give Wonho a hug and started talking to him. With nothing to do, Naomi’s eyes wandered and unconsciously, she found herself looking for the red haired boy that had her heart.

“Looking for Kihyunnie hyung, noona?” Jooheon said with a very knowing smile. Naomi couldn’t respond with a solid response because she knew she was caught. Before she could say anything though, Wonho intervened and asked Naomi, “Shall we dance together?”

Naomi, to say the least, was surprised. She wanted to go look for Kihyun and spend her night with him because all they would do was judge people together and laugh at the lame background stories they’d make up about strangers.

(They did this day in and day out and especially when Kihyun was free during his shift or got off work at the café. The best times were when the two of them would laugh so much, their laughs would become silent and they would become unable to continue the story.)

Reluctantly, she said yes to Wonho for one dance. The smile that he awarded was too cute and it made her giggle.

“Enjoy noona” Jooheon said with a teasing smile.

Wonho was a complete gentleman. He made sure people weren’t crashing into her as they were dancing and also made her laugh. Naomi seemed to forget her surroundings for a while and completely let loose. One song turned into two and two turned into four. What she didn’t realise was Kihyun’s longing gaze on her.

“You should tell her, man” Yoongi told him.

“And spoil the fun she’s having? She seems so happy and carefree with Wonho hyung, I don’t want to spoil it for them.”

“You’re not spoiling anything. If you don’t tell her though, you will spoil what you have.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Besides, Jooheon mentioned she was looking for you. If she wasn’t interested, would she be looking for you?”

That somehow encouraged Kihyun and he decided that it was now or never. The thing with Kihyun was that this wasn’t just a fleeting crush on Naomi. That first night at the park made him realise that he never had hated Naomi. He felt something he didn’t understand which he assumed as hate and acted on it. Ever since they started spending time though, he realised just how amazing she was. He also realised why Yoongi was her friends with her. She radiated beauty, if you knew her well enough. She was open minded, intelligent, adorable and beautiful inside out. Sure she wasn’t the prettiest woman he’d met, but her intelligence was unparalleled. She didn’t have the usual boring opinions that he had heard from other girls who had only objective in mind and that was to impress him. She was the type to listen to every word you said and genuinely try and understand your troubles. She was genuine warmth that anyone would love to have in their lives. She was the kind to get excited over cats and dogs roaming about. Even as he stared at her dancing and enjoying herself, he couldn’t help but smile. He never did objectify anyone, he never was the type of guy to do that. But god damn did she look hot in that dress. But her smile took the cake in his eyes. She was beautiful. 

Kihyun had missed out on that beauty. He had missed out for two years when he could’ve had it all two years before. But now that he did have it, he didn’t want to take her for granted. He wanted to make sure she knew how he felt about her, whether or not she felt the same. He wanted her to know just how wonderful she was. And he made his way to her when he saw them stop dancing for a moment. It was time he came clean to her.

Naomi saw Wonho look behind her which made her turn around only to see Kihyun. Her heart which was racing from all the activity suddenly calmed down. She smiled from ear to ear as she tackled him in a hug.

“You’re here!” she said in his ears for it was too loud.

“Yes I am”, he said pulling back with that oh so beautiful smile on his face. He leaned in again and said to her, “I needed to talk to you about something. Want to go out? Please?”

She looked at him worried. No one had ever felt right after they heard the words ‘we need to talk’. A frown etched on her face and yet she said yes. She held up a finger and asked Kihyun to wait as she turned around to apologise and thank Wonho.

“You don’t have to apologise, Naomi. I had fun tonight” he said with a hug.

“I did too”, she said and smiled.

She then held the hand Kihyun had held out for her and safely made her way out of the loud party with him hoping that it was nothing too serious.

“Is everything okay, Hyunnie?”

“Naomi I need you to listen to everything I have to say, okay? Please just wait for me to finish and then say what you have to. Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

“I am so stupid, you know”, he said with a chuckle. “So completely stupid because I missed out on the most wonderful person I have ever had the fortune to meet. It was such a happenstance that day when I crashed into you back in freshman year. I wanted to apologise but I was late and I took out my worry on you. It was only when I walked off did I realise what I had done. I wanted to beat myself up so bad. And then you had to be in the same class as me in freshman year. Hell, I was regretting taking biology not because of you, but because of what I did. But you made me feel something ever since I saw you and I couldn’t understand what it was. What transpired between us made me think it was hate. Two years of me being utterly and terribly confused and so assuming of how I felt stopped me from being your friend.

“And then the incident at the café happened and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. The thoughts that I mentioned that were troubling me? They never were about Jennie. What Jennie did didn’t affect me as much as it should have. The only thing I could think about was why you would do what you did especially after I gave you so much shit in all those years.

“And then the first night at the park happened. And, my goodness, were you so strong that day. You were like fire itself and I realised I was captivated by you. And every day that followed was a surprise for me. You are an enigma, Naomi and somehow I can’t seem to get enough of you. I don’t think I ever can get enough.

“At first I thought maybe I was obsessed. But as the days passed, I realised that it was all you. You being yourself is so god damn attractive, it makes me feel like I’m nothing.

“I am so aware of how you deserve so much better than someone who used to  talk you down. You deserve someone that can treat you right. But I can’t help the way I feel. I like you, Naomi. I like you so much, it’s crazy. I won’t call it love, not so soon, but I definitely like you enough to know that I want to spend my life with you.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, you don’t have to force yourself. I promise you that absolutely nothing will come in the way of our friendship.”

Naomi was stunned. She had tears welling up in her eyes. She had not heard anyone talk about her the way Kihyun had and she wanted to cry so hard but she held it in because she wanted him to know that she may not be as good as he was at words but she loved him just as much.

“What if I don’t want that? What if I want more? Kihyun, you don’t know how happy I am right now. I like you too. I like you a lot more than I should and do you know how much that scares me? Do you know how afraid I am that I’ll have my heart broken again? But the part of me that absolutely adores you wants nothing to do with those thoughts. All it wants is you and to be with you and call you mine.”

“Naomi, are you sure?” He looked like couldn’t believe his ears.

She didn’t know any other way to respond so she just tip-toed and pressed a chaste soft kiss on his lips.

“Is that an answer enough?”

He gave her the biggest smile and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug and whispered, “thank you, baby.”

And then they kissed and Naomi had never felt happier and safer than she did at that very instance. 

Epilogue. The years that followed the day that Kihyun made his confession were amazing to the two of them.

They took their time in confessing their love for each other. It was ironic how it came spilling out from Kihyun when he realised he was almost about to lose Naomi after a major fight. Neither of them remember the reason but they went on and on and Naomi finally broke which made Kihyun stop short. He quickly came to his senses and apologised for even raising his voice at her. He was the reason she was crying and he had to do something. He didn’t want her to feel as if she didn’t matter to him and that was the first time he confessed his love for her. And Naomi, as if it was a reflex, responded back with the same. They didn’t leave each other’s side that night.

The first time he made love to her was on the evening of their fifth anniversary when he asked her to stay with him for the rest of their lives. It was raw, passionate and so blissful, neither of them wanted to stop.

The first and the last time they made promises to each other was at the altar the following year. By the time the both of them had spoken their vows, there wasn’t a single dry eye in the room.

The first time they both cried in happiness was two years later when the both of them held their little baby girl who had the prettiest eyes they had ever laid eyes on.

At the end of it all, Naomi had only said this to Kihyun, “Thank you for loving me the way I have loved you and the way I will always love you.”

“So why are we being called in on a case where there’s only one victim?” Spencer inquired.

“Well, there’s only one dead victim.” Garcia said pulling up another picture onto the screen. “This is Katherine Jennings. The day after the first victim was discovered, poor Katherine here was found in a bathtub full of ice, with her kidney removed.” Her face was warped in disgust as she finished the sentence.

“Like the urban legend.” Ella mumbled.

“What was the cause of death on the other victim?” JJ asked.

“Blood loss.”

“When was Katherine found?” Luke finally piped up and Ella looked to him, hoping he would turn to her, but he didn’t.

“Two days ago.” Penelope replied.

“Which means he probably already has another victim. Wheels up in 30, let’s go.” Emily said.

Ella rushed to stand up and catch Luke, but he was already half way down the hall. She sighed a heavy sigh and grabbed her tablet off the table.

“See you in a couple days Garcia.” Her friend pulled her into a hug.

“Stay safe.”

“Alright when we land we’re going to head to the hotel for a few hours of sleep and get started right away in the morning.  Tomorrow I want Spencer and JJ to go to the precinct and get set up, start the geographic profile. Rossi and Luke go talk to the victim. Ella and I will go check out the crime scene.” Everyone nodded in agreement when Emily finished her instructions and we got ready to land.

“Hi, I’m Agent Emily Prentiss, this is Agent Ella Hills.” They shook hands with the detective on scene, as they entered the hotel room. “So what are we looking at?”

“Well there was no sign of a struggle. As you can see, it looks like the kidney was removed here, and the victim was dragged and place into the bathtub.” He spoke grimly, showing the pool of blood which was then smeared all across the floor, a trail leading to the bathtub.

Ella and Emily looked around the crime scene for any kind of clue as to what the hell was going on.

“There were no prints found?” Emily asked turning to face the detective who shook his head. “So why would she come to a hotel room with someone who was wearing gloves?”

“Well in the Urban legend the victim is drugged. What if she was drugged at a different location and brought here?” Ella suggested.

“I’ll call Luke and see if they got anything out of Katherine.” Emily offered and Ella nodded.

“Looks like you were right.” Emily said removing her gloves. “She was drugged at a bar the night before and woke up here the following morning.”

“Next think you know we’ll be getting called to scene where aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the lights is painted on the wall.” Ella couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Is this person so strapped for cash they had to steal a bunch of kidneys to sell on the black market.

“Hello?” The detective answered his phone and his eyes shot directly to Ella. “We’re on our way. A girl at the local university just woke up and found her roommate dead in her bed.” Ella could feel the blood leave her face and the detective nodded. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light.”

“Why don’t you go to the crime scene. I’ll had back to the precinct to work with Spencer on the profile and send JJ to you?” Ella suggested. She had a million thoughts running through her head. Emily nodded and tossed Ella the keys.

“Garcia.” Ella pulled out her phone on the way to the car, “I need you to look up a few things for me.”

Ella gave Garcia a list of all the Urban Legends she could think of. Hook man, headlights, pop rocks, murderer in the backseat. Each one of them returning empty. Ella hung up the phone and walked into the precinct, freezing when she saw that Luke and Rossi were back from visiting Katherine at the hospital. She took a deep breath and head into the conference room.

“JJ, Emily wants you to head over to the new crime scene.” Ella tossed her the keys.

“I’ll go with you.” Rossi said, ushering her out the door.

“I called Garcia and there’s no other Urban legend murders around here that she could find. That’s the problem, there’s so many out there who knows which one he’s going to go with next.” Ella looked at the map that JJ and Spencer had begun working on.

“What do you see?” Spencer stood next to her.

“I mean, it’s total speculation here but this is the hotel where Katherine was found and this is the university where the next victim was found. In between there’s a mile of forest and there’s no other forest within the area, what if the next murder is the hook man?” Ella turned to face Spencer and Luke.

The team was dressed in their bullet proof vests, patrolling the forest later that evening. Ella, this time had been paired with Luke. Normally when they walked in silence it was comfortable and this time, it was horrible. She didn’t even try to have a conversation with him, giving him space.

They had spread apart, but were still within eyesight of each other. Ella felt her eyes continuously glancing back over to Luke and she was aware that her defenses were down, but she still didn’t expect what happened next. A gun cocked behind her head and she froze. Slowly she began reaching for her own gun.

“If you touch your gun, you’ll be dead faster than you can turn around.” His voice sent a shiver down her spine, and she moved her hand back to where he could see it. “Walk.”

Ella did as she was told and frantically searched to the side with her eyes, looking for Luke, but she couldn’t see him. Her heart started racing frantically. At this moment she realized she couldn’t hear his footsteps behind her and more and she stopped. Gradually she turned her body around and noticed that he wasn’t there. Desperately she began looking around the area.

“Luke!” She called out, afraid that maybe the UnSub had found him now. Footsteps started running toward her.

“Ella!” He called back and her heart skipped a beat, knowing that he was safe.

“I thought I said walk.” She whipped around, staring the UnSub in the face who had a gun pointed right at her head. At that moment things seemed to be moving in slow motion. She heard the click of the trigger and she squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a scream. If she was going to die she needed to be sure they found her.

The next thing she knew something had hit her from the side, or rather someone, tackling her to the ground. In this moment Ella reached for her gun and swiftly raised it high, hitting her target square between the eyes. Her eyes fell to the figure beside her.

“Luke?... LUKE!”