Chapter 40: Chapter 40

●Nuri's P.O.V.●

Ray took me to a nearby cafe after that incident. I didn't really want to go back to the hotel I was staying at with Daniel because Daniel had his girlfriend back with him.

I tried to give excuses to myself for not going back to the hotel. But deep inside I knew, I was upset because Daniel had lied to me.

How could he tell me he was having an illusion of me instead of Yoonah when he clearly planned the trip to Jeju on his ex-relationship anniversary? How could he lie to me that he felt completed with only my presence around him?

And how dumb I was to fall for his white lies. How could I believe him blindly when I only knew him for a week?

I was having a deep conversation in my head. And I almost forgot that Ray was still there, sitting opposite to me.

Ray cleared his throat only to attract my attention to him. I glanced up at him.

"Actually, it's 10:30 pm.

Daniel Hyung must be worried for you." He said.

"Daniel?" I smiled bitterly.

"He needs some alone time with someone special. I don't want to be the third wheel in between them." I said, glancing down at the wooden table between us once again.

Ray's eyes widened.

"But you two---"

"Yeah, we said we were a couple.

It was an act which Daniel told me to do to return his favor he did to me." I tried to smile.

"What?" Ray was taken aback by my confession.

"Yes.

You can say I was his fake girlfriend.

A fake girlfriend to save him from other girls from hitting on him." I glanced up to suppress my tears.

Ray handed me a handkerchief. I glanced at him with confusion.

"I am listening." He said as he ordered another pair of coffee.

Ray felt oddly warm. I licked my lips and received the handkerchief hesitatingly.

"He was very caring and kind to me from the moment I appeared in South Korea. And not going to lie, he saved me from many dangerous situations you can't even imagine.

Some incidents happened so ironically as if those incidents only happened so we could meet each other again and again.

Each incident led to another, and I ended up living with Daniel. Though he was a stranger to me too." One teardrop escaped my eyes, and I wiped it soon, not to make Ray uncomfortable.

"Then ?" He asked while staring at me with concern.

"I was confused to find a man who was so kind a person could find.

He offered his bedroom to me, and he slept on his couch downstairs.

He made breakfast in the morning, comforted me when I was facing bad times.

He took care of me like a parent." In this sentence, I couldn't control the sting I was feeling in the corners of my eyes. And I broke down in tears.

People started staring at us. I could feel eyes at us. So I decided to leave. I asked Ray to leave the Cafe with our coffee.

The streets were not that crowded. We slowly walked without having any destination silently.

"So did he ever confess his feelings to you ?" Ray suddenly spoke up.

I scoffed.

"Never!

I also thought that Daniel was just a friend to me until a point when I felt extremely jealous of him.

I would even start noticing how he behaved around other women." I sighed.

"I thought that those were just because of hormonal imbalance." I let out a little giggle.

Ray joined me too. After having a little laughing session, Ray asked, " So what do you feel for him now?" He sipped his coffee.

My smile disappeared. I stared at the distance.

"Up until now, I really thought Daniel was just a friend. But when I saw him getting together again with his ex, I realised I had already drowned in the sea of the thing they call 'LOVE,' in between those little, beautiful moments I've spent with Daniel.

I can understand now that I'm already in love with him.

And now I can understand the thousands of love-pain posts on social media, which made me laugh in the past.

I didn't know heart aches more than bone aches when it breaks. Why though?" I said while rubbing my heart.

Ray and I again shared a good laugh.

"I am seriously trying to get concerned and worried about your situation, but how are you so funny even when you are sad?" Ray said, smiling.

"Because I don't want to look pathetic," I replied, smiling.

Ray glanced at me with confusion.

"Sooner or later, I need to return to the hotel where maybe I could see Daniel and his ex together.

I just don't want to look pathetic and desperate." I added.

Once again, I felt tears making their way through my eyes to my cheeks. I wiped them as soon as I could. Suddenly I felt a hand on my head.

I glanced up at Ray. He placed his hand on my head and patted lightly.

"Cry until you feel better.

Suppressing it won't decrease your pain." He said, tilting his head slightly to the right and staring directly into my eyes.

I remembered the times when Daniel bent down to my eye level to comfort me. I closed my eyes as soon as I could. I didn't want to remember his face. He wasn't mine.

And tears run down from my eyes without permission. I pressed the handkerchief on my face to hide my crying ugly face from Ray. Though, he didn't even try to look at my face. He just stood there beside me, patting my head without any consolation.

It was better this way.

Ray didn't give me any lies and just supported me like a true friend, which I needed the most at that time.

Soon, some raindrops dropped on us. We glanced up at the sky.

The sky was clouded. We both glanced at each other.

"Let's Run," Ray said.

"Where ??" I asked.

"To my hotel," Ray said as he started walking faster.

"But The hotel beside your hotel is ----" I tried to match Ray's fast steps as I said.

"I know. I know.

You also said that you can't hide forever, right?

So just let's go to my hotel and stay until the rain stops.

You can decide something until then." Ray explained.

I tried to think about what Ray said.

But watching the black cloudy sky, I just gave in and ran faster with Ray to his hotel. It wasn't very far from the place we were taking a walk. We reached his hotel in 5 minutes by taking a small run.

Before entering the hotel lobby, I checked the hotel surroundings where Daniel and I were staying. There was no sign of Daniel. I glanced at my phone, which I had turned off long ago.

"Nuri ?" Ray called me.

"Yes," I turned to him.

"Are you coming ?" Ray asked, pointing inside the hotel he was going in.

I glanced at Daniel's booked hotel for the last time before answering, "Yes."

I hesitatingly entered the opposite hotel of Daniel with Ray. The rain had already started heavily.