You Thief!

[Two Years Later]

As far as Haewon was concerned, being in college wasn't much different from being in High School since nothing much had changed about her lifestyle apart from her living arrangement and, of course, the fact that she was finally allowed to have her own car now at the age of nineteen.

Since her school was in a different state, she had moved away from the house she shared with Selena and Ivy into an apartment of her own off-campus which was also very close to her school, and Charlotte lived with her.

Charlotte's benefactor had offered to sponsor Charlotte through college regardless of the school she chose, so Charlotte had decided to apply to Princeton alongside Haewon, and in return, Haewon had asked Charlotte to move in with her instead of living separately in the campus.

Thanks to this arrangement, Haewon still did not have any other friends apart from Charlotte, who, even though they weren't in the same apartment, always made sure they spent all their spare time together.

Her relationship status had not changed either as she had thought it would. She was still every bit a single Pringle now as she had been back then in high school. But it wasn't for lack of admirers.

She had even more admirers now than she had back then in high school, but because she was a strong believer in chemistry and love, she was yet to feel the needed spark that would prompt her to date, anyone.

She desperately wanted the sort of chemistry her parents shared. The same spark she saw in her aunts and uncles that kept them all so deeply rooted in love with their partners despite all the years they had spent together.

Although, for a moment, she had thought she found it two years ago after the spark she felt between her and Jake during their dance on prom night, but as fate would have it, that had been the last time she set her eyes on Jake. So, he was canceled.

The jerk had completely disappeared after that night without a word and had not even shown up for their graduation.

She would have thought something terrible had happened to him, like Nath, had she not heard from their Homeroom teacher that he had taken permission to travel and was going to pick up his certificate when he returned.

"You've done it again," Charlotte said, snapping her fingers in front of Haewon to get her attention.

"Done what?" Haewon asked as she tried to focus on Charlotte, who was standing in front of her.

"You zoned out," Charlotte said, and Haewon flashed her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. What were you saying?" Haewon asked as she looked down at the clothes which Charlotte was packing into a bag to go visit her parents for the weekend.

"We were talking about Leo. I said he will never be able to look anyone in the face after getting rejected by you that way," Charlotte said as she gave Haewon a mildly scolding look.

"What else would you have had me do? I already told him I wasn't interested several times, so you can't imagine how dismayed I was when he asked me again in front of the whole class. It was his decision to embarrass himself, not mine," Haewon said, and Charlotte shook her head, amused.

"I understand. If you hadn't done that, then everyone would have assumed you have something going on with him," Charlotte said, and Haewon scowled, annoyed by the memory of it all.

"Exactly! It serves him right. Next time, he would think twice before trying to coarse anyone into being his girlfriend," Haewon said, and Charlotte giggled.

"But you do realize that at this rate, no one is going to want to ask you to be their girlfriend, right? I mean, no one would want to risk being embarrassed by you," Charlotte said, and Haewon rolled her eyes.

"Who cares? I know the right guy for me will show up. And our chemistry and spark would be too difficult for him to resist. Just as it was with my parents," Haewon said with a dreamy smile, and Charlotte bobbed her head.

"Yeah. I'm sure it would happen," Charlotte said with an encouraging smile.

"I think I'm ready to leave now," Charlotte said as she closed her bag.

"You are only going away for the weekend, yet your bag is so filled up. Between the both of us, you know you're not going to put on most of the clothes in there," Haewon said, and Charlotte giggled.

"Unlike you, I can't always make up my mind so easily on what to take or not take. So, it's fine. I'll wear the ones I can," Charlotte said as Haewon rose.

"Alright. I will change my clothes and drop you off at the airport," Haewon said before going to her bedroom to change.

By the time she stepped out of her bedroom a moment later, Charlotte was waiting by the living room door.

"You seem eager to leave me," Haewon said with a pout, and Charlotte looked at her incredulously.

"Eager? You know I wouldn't dare leave you alone if Selena and Ivy were not coming to spend the weekend with you. I could have dragged you all the way with me. You know that, right?" Charlotte asked, and Haewon giggled.

"Yeah, I do. I have no idea what I ever did to deserve you," Haewon said, grateful for Charlotte's friendship.

"I will tell you what you did. Existing. Your existence is what you did. Now come, go drop me off. I know you can't wait to go get your art supplies and bury yourself in your painting," Charlotte said, and Haewon grinned.

"You know me too well."

After dropping Charlotte off at the airport, she headed directly for her favorite bookstore to get her painting materials since she needed new ones.

Yes. She was still very much into her art. Nothing had changed in that regard. She might be studying Economics in school for the sake of her future at JK Group, but Art was still very much her passion.

After she arrived at the bookstore and got out of her car, she threw the car key into her purse and headed for the store, but after taking only a few steps, a guy walked into her, and before she realized what was happening, he snatched her purse and ran off.

Without wasting a second to think about it, she chased after him. Her phone, car key, apartment key card, school ID card, and bank cards were all in the purse, and she couldn't afford to lose it.

"Help! Stop him! Please, stop him!" Haewon cried to passersby as she continued to run after him.

She almost fainted from relief when a guy who was coming from the opposite direction ahead of them joined her in the chase, and he was fast enough to set his leg in front of the purse thief, causing him to trip.

"You thief!" Haewon said breathlessly as she kicked the guy, who was now on the ground.

She snatched her purse from his clutch and used it to hit his head repeatedly until her savior held the purse to stop her.

She looked up at the face of her knight in shining armor, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the familiar face.