Chances

(Sequel to The Reunion)

Written by: Sara and Chi

Property of: Killing Me BTOB Team

Tumblr: killingmebtob.tumblr.com

Twitter: @killingmebtob

Choose:

Changsub’s Ex Wife

Minhyuk’s Ex Wife
Changsub’s Ex Wife
“(Y/N), let’s start over again.” Minhyuk said over what I thought was just a simple night walk going to my
temporary house in the province.

After finding out that I am staying here for a few weeks for an event that I am organizing, Minhyuk insisted to help
me, saying that he got a long leave from our company. I mean, from my former company.

He rented a place not far away from where I was staying and he was always ready to help whenever needed. Of
course, at first, I told him that I can handle it and that I don’t need his help, but he’s just too stubborn.

But honestly, my real reason is that I still have strong feelings for him that I do not want to acknowledge yet. My
mind is still trying to adjust with the changes that I’ve had in the past months —the divorce, the new job, etc. I am
still trying to build my life from scratch and I’m just not ready to dive into something yet.

In the end, I’ve let him drive me around the area. Well, given that he crushed my bicycle.

He didn’t mention anything at first and I felt like I gained a friend in him. We went out for lunch and dinner and he
gave me lots of advice about the event that I am organizing. Now, if this happened when we were still office
rivals, I would’ve punched him straight in the face. But the Minhyuk that I’ve seen in the days that I am in the
province is somehow different.

It’s hard for me to point out which part of him changed but I just know that it is there.

It makes me wonder if he already moved on from his ex-wife.

I never asked him and he never told me. In fact, we never really discussed what happened before we parted that
night when I saw him drunk in front of my house.

I still remember clearly telling him that we should think about where our heart really is.

I just wanted him to realize what really was the reason why he got drunk that night: was it because of his wife or
was it because of me?

I told him to find the answer in his heart and when we are both better and he had figured out how he truly felt,
then that’s the time that we can talk about what we are going to do in the future.

Couple of months passed and he found me to tell me he’s better now.

But is his heart with me?

That question bothered me. In the weeks that we are together to fix the event and the times we had fun together,
he never brought up that subject.

I came to a point where I just accepted it and told myself that maybe it is better this way, that we are just going to
be friends.

So, when he suddenly said those words, I stopped in my tracks and just looked at him with wide eyes.

No words formed in my mind as I grasped the real meaning behind what he just said.

Yes, I know it’s as clear as day. But a part of me, the pessimistic part, says that maybe what he meant was
to start over again as friends.

He waited for my answer, face filled with anticipation and nervousness.

But I can’t move. I just froze there still trying to sort out what I should feel.

Happiness? Nervousness? Relief?

It’s as if he read what’s going on in my mind as he took my hands between his.

“I know we’ve messed up big time.” He said while looking into my eyes. “I know that the way we started our
relationship is not right. So, if you let me, and if you still feel the same for me, I want to set things right.”

“M-Minhyuk.” I started to say as I felt tears starting to form in my eyes. “I don’t.. I’m not..”

“Do you still feel the same for me?” he suddenly asked.

Yes, I do! I love you.

Is what I wanted to tell him. But instead, fear and nervousness took over me. “Please give me time to think.” I said
as I took my hands from him and continued walking back to my place.

That night, part of me wanted to slap my face in regret. That was the m oment I was waiting for yet I chickened out
and walked out on him. But a big part of me wanted to make sure if his feelings are true and that it is not just
caused by his loneliness.

I am afraid that he might leave me soon and go back to her.

That was what I am scared of.

So, I gave myself time to think. At the same time, this is also the moment for him to think if what he truly wants is
a start with me in his life.

When we got back to the city, I was scared that he will change his mind and that he will jus t disappear.

But a huge thorn was plucked from my chest when he still constantly shows up in front of me and asks me for
lunch or dinner and takes me home from work.

He showed how sincere he is and I felt it. Not just with his words but with his actions.

And just like that, after a month of thinking, I told him that I am ready to start over with him.

God knows how wonderful that day is.

It’s like this move is a big step towards building my life back together.

//

I was awakened by the loud ringing that came from God-knows-where.

My eyes are still heavy and refuse to open to check what it is.

It is my day off and after working for five straight days I finally had the luxury to stay in bed the whole day. If only
the stupid sound would stop.

“I’ll get it.” I heard a voice beside me. I felt the bed shift and within a few seconds, the sound stopped. My mind
later on processed that the sound was from the alarm clock.

Great. Now time to go back to sleep.

I felt an arm snake around my waist under the sheets.

“Good morning.” A kiss on my shoulder.

Minhyuk.

With my eyes still closed, I smiled. “Good morning.”

I turned in the bed to face him and bury my face on his bare chest. He moved too and wrapped his arms around
me.

We stayed like that for a while; me listening to his heartbeat and him drawing lazy circles on my bare shoulder.

“Don’t you have work today?” I asked with a voice still hoarse from sleep.

I felt him nod.

“Go, prepare.” I said lightly pushing him from me.

But he just tightened his arms around me. “Let’s stay like this for a bit more.” He said with a mischievous hint to
his voice.

“You’ll be late.” I argued.

“No, I won’t.” He said.

I just smiled and shook my head. Hard-headed kid.

“You really should move in with me.” He said with a sigh. “So that we can be like this every morning.”

I lightly pushed him again to look at his face and I saw him grinning. His eyes are still puffy from sleep.

“Excuse me, Mr. Lee.” I said in mock disbelief. “We’ve just been dating for four months yet you are already asking
me to move in with you here in your apartment?”

I sat up to complete my drama with an eye-roll.

He laughed. “For someone who’s been dating me for just a few months, you look quite comfortable here.” He said
looking at my naked upper body. Well not entirely naked as I still have my under garments on.

I jokingly pulled the sheets and covered my body. “Pervert.” I said. “You lured me here last night with delicious
food.”

He invited me last night to his apartment saying that he bought food and would want to watch movie with me.

“But you stayed because of me.” He said with a haughty smile.

“No,” I defended. “I stayed because you made me watch a horror movie and I don’t want to be alone in my house
and be killed by a poltergeist.”

He narrowed his eyes like he just got a brilliant idea. “Maybe I should make you watch scarier movies.”

“Shut up.” I said, throwing a pillow at him. “Go take a shower. You’ll be late.”

“Shower with me.” He said with a pout.

“No.” as much as that is tempting but he needs to get to work. “I’ll prepare breakfast.”

When I am sure that he is already inside the bathroom, I got off the bed and grabbed one of his shirts. I was
wearing my office clothes when I came last night and I don’t have anything extr a to wear.

After that, I headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and coffee for him.

I stay in his apartment for some nights. Mostly when I don’t have work the following day. He bought a decent
looking apartment near where he works. Which is where I used to work too.

I never asked him what happened to his house. Their old house.

I was already done preparing when Minhyuk came out from the bedroom while fixing his polo.

He wore the one I prepared for him; a navy blue polo and black slacks.

He honestly looks good in anything he wears.

“Will you be staying here the whole day?” Minhyuk asked as he prepared to go outside after eating breakfast.

“Yeah.” I answered. “I might just finish the novel I’ve been reading.”

“Is that different from the one you were reading the other day?” He asked.

I nodded.

He shook his head with a smile. “I don’t know how many novels you’ve read in a week. How do you even do that?”

“I stopped counting. Just leave me and my novels alone.”

He laughed and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth.

“What time will you be coming home?” I asked.

“Not that late. I just have a meeting this afternoon for the new event I am heading.”

“Ok. I’ll try to cook something.” Pray that I won’t burn the whole kitchen do wn. “See you later.” I said as I waved
goodbye to him.

After cleaning, I claimed my place on the couch by the living room and continued reading the novel.

A few hours passed by and I finished reading. It was then that I realized that it was already afterno on and I
skipped lunch. Feeling hungry and lazy to cook, I decided to just eat outside.

Wearing my office skirt and one of Minhyuk’s polo, I went outside to find something to eat.

While outside, I also went to the mall to buy some art supplies and grocerie s. I recently went back to my old
hobby: painting.

I turned Changsub and my old bedroom to an art studio and transformed the guestroom to my room.

It was a hobby that I almost forgot when I started to be a career woman. My new job isn’t as toxic as what I had
before so I have more time for myself.
After buying stuff, and since I don’t have a car nor can I drive, I hailed a cab to go back to Minhyuk’s apartment
and cook before he comes home.

For some reason, the roads are almost closed because of a bad traff ic jam. The cab had to take a detour just to
escape that hell.

I was busy zoning out and looking at the streets when I saw a familiar figure of a man wearing a navy blue polo
and black slacks standing on a parking lot while talking to a woman beside a car.

It’s Minhyuk. Who is he talking to?

I was going to stop the cab and go to him but I felt myself froze on my seat.

The cab went by fast but I can’t be mistaken.

It’s her. Minhyuk’s ex-wife.

He’s talking to her.

He never mentioned to me that they are on speaking terms. And I never really asked him.

I felt my insides twist and my chest felt like it was stabbed repeatedly.

My mind is full of questions and I just found myself inside his apartment but my mind kept on replaying that blurry
image of him with her.

My whole body felt cold and I just sat there in his living room with one question that kept circling my mind.

Why are they together?

It took me some time to recover and pick myself up.

I can’t act like this. I can’t be like this.

I tried my best to forget it and act normal again. Be happy just like how I was this morning.

He came home a little after dark and I was able to calm myself down by focusing on cooking.

I looked at him while eating. At first he looks normal but I can sense that something’s botherin g him.

What have they talked about?

Is he ever going to tell me about meeting her?

Our dinner passed normally and he never mentioned anything about her.

I stopped my urge to ask him or tell him that I saw them.

I felt tears starting to build in my eyes. As an excuse, I took our plates to the sink.

“(Y/N),” he said as I reached the kitchen.

I heard him approach me. I bit my tears back and placed the dishes on the counter to face him.

“Yes?” I said with the most normal voice that I can muster.
Without a word, he hugged me tight. “I have something to tell you.” He said.

“What is it?” I asked. Is he–?

He held me at arm’s length and looked at me with those sad eyes. “Please promise me that you won’t get mad.”

I smiled. “What is it?”

He sighed and looked like he was trying to muster courage. “I met my ex-wife at the meeting today. She’s going to
cover the event that I am heading.” He looked at me and waited for my reaction.

Part of me is happy that he told me and he did not keep it a secret. But there’s also that p art of me that got
worried. But I did not let him see it. “Does it mean that you’ll be working with her?”

He nodded as he rubbed my shoulders as if reassuring me. “But I won’t if you don’t want me to. I can ask for
someone else to replace me. Just tell me.”

“Silly.” I said. “That’s unprofessional. There’s nothing wrong with working together with her.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with me working with her?” He said with worry in his voice.

No! I’m not okay. It will kill me.

“Of course.” I said. “And besides, you’re bound to meet her someday. Maybe this is the time to patch things up
with her. You were friends aside from being married. It’s not good to lose that friendship.”

And I mean it. Although I wanted to stop him, who am I? They were married before I came to their life and ruined
it.

Who am I to get jealous when I was the one who broke them apart? He was originally hers and not mine.

I tried to calm myself with those words but I am still hurting.

Minhyuk working with her? They will be close again.

And all I can do is wait and trust Minhyuk.

//

I appreciate that he tells me when and why he communicates with her through our casual talks and dinners. It’s
like he’s reporting everything to me.

I have mixed feelings about it. I am glad that he doesn’t keep anything from me but at the same time, I can’t help
but to feel hurt.

I know I don’t have the right to feel that way as a sinner.

He said that he really wanted to gain his ex-wife’s forgiveness and I understand that. Minhyuk still blames himself
and is guilty because he knows that she’ll be unhappy after the divorce. Maybe that’s also part of our “starting
over” process.

I can see how sincere he is in wanting to patch things up again with her.

I never failed to give him encouragement every day to show my support.

A few days after confessing to me about meeting her again, Minhyuk mentioned that he might go out of town for
the event he is working on.

We were lounging in the living room of his apartment while watching a movie that night. I was sitting while his
head is resting on my lap.

We weren’t really paying much attention to the movie as I was busy tracing his face with my fingertips while he
playfully try to catch it with his teeth.

He mentioned about the trip out of the blue that it made my stomach drop.

“Are you going with her?” I asked without thinking.

This time, I wasn’t able to hide my jealousy. My mind is screaming at me that I shouldn’t feel this way but I can’t
control my emotions. It suddenly dawned on me that we used to go to company out of towns too. He must’ve told
his wife before that he was going for work when in fact he was with me.

Is this how she would’ve felt that time? I suddenly felt like karma is going to hit me in the face.

Minhyuk must’ve detected my tone as he suddenly sat up and faced me.

I looked down as it was hard for me to hide my emotions. I don’t want him to see me this way.

“Well, she’s going to be there.” He explained honestly. “She’s already th ere, I’m going tomorrow. The client
wanted me to check the product personally. I’m sorry. I know this is hard for you.” He said as he wrapped his
arms around me.

“I should have just dropped the project.” He said more to himself.

“No. Don’t think that way.” I said, still trying my best to be understanding. “I know that this is all part of your job.” I
looked up at him. “Also, maybe this is a chance for you to finally talk to her. You told me how you never really had
the chance to make things right with her in the past days, maybe this is that time.”

He was silent. Maybe thinking about what I said.

“I trust you.” I said as I stroked his cheek to make him feel that I support him.

“Thank you.” He said as he kissed my forehead.

We resumed watching the movie after that small talk. I tried to focus on the TV but my mind still wanders and kept
on thinking about that trip that he’s going to.

I kept on telling myself that he wouldn’t do anything wrong and that he already changed.

I have to trust him. I love him and I know that when we agreed to set things straight again, we really meant it. We
know how much of a mess we’ve made in the past and we do not want it to happen again.

I was too deep in my thoughts but I was brought back to reality by my phone ringing.

It was beside Minhyuk so he was the one who checked who the caller is.

I saw how his brows furrowed and how his lips pursed as he looked at the screen.

“Who’s calling?” I asked him.

“You never told me that you are on speaking terms with Changsub.” He said as he showed me my phone with my
ex-husband’s name flashing on the screen.

I took the ringing phone from him. “We started talking again a few months after the divorce.” I explained shortly.
“Last time I talked to him was before you came to the province a few months back.”

I can read his emotions and he doesn’t look pleased with it.

“Hello?” I answered the phone. I can still feel Minhyuk’s angry eyes on me.

“(Y/N),” I heard the cheerful voice of Changsub on the other line. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” I tried sounding normal. “Haven’t talked to you in a while.” I made sure that Minhyuk heard that part.

“Yeah. I was too busy these days because of the restaurant. Sorry for calling. Are you working? Did I disturb
you?”

“Huh? No. I’m just watching a movie.” Minhyuk coughed loudly. I know that was intentional.

“Are you with someone?” Changsub asked.

Shit! Should I tell Changsub that I am with Minhyuk? But that would be too awkward. I know that we are already
good but talking about your current boyfriend with your ex-husband doesn’t seem right. Given that we have a
complicated situation.

“Uhmm.. yeah.” I said. “I am with a friend.” I suddenly blurted out as that is the only thing that came to my mind.

“What the fuck?!” Minhyuk said loudly.

“I’ll talk to you later, Changsub.” I quickly said. “Bye.” I heard Changsub say something but I already ended the
call.

“I’m a friend?!” Minhyuk said in disbelief.

“I’m sorry.” I said to him as I came closer and hugged him like a child asking for apology .

“Why didn’t you tell him that you are with your boyfriend?” He sounded irritated now.

“Do you really expect me to talk about us to my ex-husband?”

He crossed his arm in front of his chest, clearly being like a child having tantrums.

I just shook my head as I smiled at his reaction. Sometimes it feels like I am raising a little boy instead of dating a
man.

//

Minhyuk still told me that his ex-wife already agreed to try to bring back their friendship.

I can hear the relief in his voice when he called me last night to tell me about it.

I’m happy for him but I still have a nagging feeling inside my chest.

I tried to not think about it and just focus on other things.

I went to a new coffee shop that I discovered last month. Minhyuk and I were always together so I did not have a
chance to revisit this place again. Being away from him for the first time after we dated gave me a chance to give
myself some time.

With a brand-new novel that I bought, I ordered an Iced Americano and sat by the window of the cafe.

It has a pleasant ambience and big glass windows where you can observe the quiet street outside. Like a little
peaceful place near the end of the city.

I tried to focus on reading but my mind still wandered and I was soon staring into nothing with thoughts of
Minhyuk and his ex-wife clouding my mind.

I have no idea how long I stayed like that but I was just snapped out of it by a light tap on the window beside me.

I looked at who disturbed me and I felt my eyes bulge out of its sockets.

Changsub smiled at me from the other side of the glass.

After recovering from shock, I waved at him to come inside.

He sat in front of me with a bright smile.

It has been a long time since I last saw him. It was when we finalized our divorce papers. After that, our chats
were mostly by call or text.

He changed a lot. The last time we saw each other, his eyes are full of sadness although he tried his best to hide
it with a smile.

It killed me seeing him like that. I almost didn’t want to continue the divorce. But I can’t be selfish.

He looks good now. His hair is slightly shorter. Kind of like a military style cut. He’s wearing the usual white shirt
and jeans that he loves wearing. I noticed a new watch on his wrist. It made me smile because he had always
been very frugal that he restricted himself from buying expensive stuff.

“You look good, (Y/N).” He remarked at me.

I can’t help but to smile. It feels good to hear him say my name again l ike this. Not over the phone but in person.

“So do you.” I said. “How have you been?”

“Busy.” He said with a shrug. “The restaurants kept me running from one place to another.”

“Looks like it’s doing well.” I teased, pointing at the wrist watch he has with my chin.

He laughed at this but got a bit shy too. “I just bought this impulsively. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Every time I look
at it I feel like I’ve just wasted money.”

“There you go again.” I said wagging my finger at him like a mom ready to scold her ch ild. “You work hard for that
money, you have to reward yourself. That’s what I’ve kept on telling you before.”

“Yeah, I can still remember you nagging at me. Saying: love, you can’t take that money to your grave!” He said while
doing a poor imitation of me with his hands to his hips and his eyes feigning anger.

“I don’t look like that!” I said in defense.

“Yes you do. And you don’t like losing to our argument so when you know that you can’t defend yourself anymore
you will just cross your arms and not talk to me for a whole day. I had to buy you ice cream and beg for your
forgiveness even if you were the one who’s wrong.”

“I did?!”

And we both laughed remembering our past. But behind the laughter, I felt us both suddenly look into nothing as
we reminisced the past. Those were such good times.

The atmosphere suddenly became sad that I had to find another topic to talk about.

“So,” I started. “Did you also buy that sports car that you’ve always wanted?”

“I haven’t… yet.” He said.

“What’s stopping you? You deserve to have it.”

He scratched the back of his neck like a little boy trying to find an excuse. “I don’t know. I’m still thinking if I
should. I don’t even know if it’s going to be worth it.”

“Stop thinking like that.” I scolded him. “Go live a little. Buy that car. It will suit you. Are you waiting till you are 60
before you buy it? Do it now.”

He smiled at me fondly. “Ok, I’ll think about it.”

I smiled back. It’s nice having a conversation with him again.

“Let’s stop talking about me.” He said. “What about you? How are you these days?”

“I’m good. Still working for that company that I’ve told you about. I’ve also started painting aga in.” I told him as I
sipped my coffee.

He did not say anything and just looked at me like waiting for me to say more.

“And,” I continued. “I’ve learned to ride a bicycle. That’s it.” I said.

He looked at me quizzically. “Is there something else you want to tell me?”

What else does he want to know? Should I tell him about Minhyuk?

I can’t. I don’t know how. I’m not even sure how.

I shrugged my shoulder and acted like there’s nothing that I can say anymore. “Nothing.”

He sighed. “I know you.” He said to me. “Even if I haven’t seen you for a long time, I’ve memorized each and
every detail of you. And I know that something is bothering you. When I saw you by the window you were biting
the skin of your lips and zoning out. I know that something’s wrong.”

I did not say anything and just looked down at my hands that are resting on the table, fumbling on the table
napkin.

“I am still your friend.” He continued. “You can tell me anything.” He said as he placed his hand on top of mine.

That familiar touch that has comforted me for years is here again.

It made me lose my control and tears started to fall.

“I don’t know.” I said as my lips tremble. “I’m not sure. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Are you and Minhyuk together now?” He gently asked.

I was shocked at his question. “I’m…I–” It became hard for me to form my words. I don’t know where to start. I
just nodded.

I felt his hand squeeze mine and release it again.

Silence passed between us and I was just looking down.

“Is he the reason why you are like this?” Changsub said. “Did he hurt you?” His voice was calm but I can sense a
trail of anger.

“No. No he didn’t.” I immediately said, looking at him.

I saw how he balled his fist turning his knuckles white.

“Then, what’s wrong?” He asked again.

“It’s me.” I said to him. “I can’t understand what I am feeling. Minhyuk told me that he and his ex -wife are working
together and he wanted to have her forgiveness. So, I encouraged him to talk to her. I know he needs it. He
keeps on being bothered by it. But, somehow, I don’t feel good about the whole set up. I feel…”

“Jealous?” Changsub said the words that I’ve been dreading.

“I know I shouldn’t. I have no right to be jealous.”

“What do you mean you have no right to be jealous? Both of you are together no w.”

I shook my head. “I can’t be jealous. I was the one who ruined their relationship. I was the one who ruined our
marriage. I am a sinner and I don’t have the right to feel this way.”

He did not say anything. He was quiet while I was crying my heart out.

Moments passed before he finally spoke again. “I’ve already forgiven you, (Y/N).” He said it like a whisper. “That
day when we last saw each other and you said sorry, I’ve already forgiven you. Even when I’ve let you go in Paris
I’ve already forgiven you. But have you forgiven yourself?”

I looked at him and was not able to say anything. Have I?

“Maybe that’s where the problem lies.” He said. “You are too harsh on yourself. You are punishing yourself by not
letting yourself feel anything just because of your past mistake.”

“But I am a sinner. I’ve hurt you. What I’ve done is unacceptable.”

“I also made a mistake.” Changsub said. “All four of us made a mistake. I’m not going to lie, it still haunts me. But
I’m not going to let it hold me down. Do the same for yourself. If I’ve let our past mistakes take over my life, I
would’ve stopped cooking and just sell the restaurant.”

“And I would’ve killed you if you did that.” I said. My tears already stopping.

He laughed. “See? I feel the same too. I want to see you continue your life. Allow yourself to move on. Feel what
you want to feel. Forgive yourself and try to live a normal life.”

I did not say anything.

What he said made a lot of sense. Maybe I was really being too harsh on myself.

Maybe it’s not just Minhyuk who needs to ask for her forgiveness.

I still have one loose end to take care of so that I can finally move on.

//

I checked my phone for the nth time and I felt nervous when I saw that Minhyuk still hasn’t called me.

He’s supposed to return from the business trip today but I haven’t heard from him yet. It’s already afternoon and
last time I talked to him was last night before going to bed.

He told me about how he thinks he had already fixed things with his ex-wife. I am happy for him and he sounded
happy too.

After that conversation, he just told me that he’ll be back in the city by lunch time. But there’s still no news from
him.

I tried calling him but his phone was turned off.

A bitter taste lingers in my mouth when I think about the reasons why he won’t r eturn my calls and I am dreading
that something might’ve happened to him already.

I can’t work properly. I hope that he’s alright.

I’d paced around my office trying to calm myself down but it’s hard. Images of him being in an accident flashed in
my mind that it almost made me pull my hair out.

I need to calm myself down.

I headed for the restroom to try splashing some cold water on my face. Maybe that’ll do the trick.

As soon as the cold water hit my skin, it did help a bit with the stress and nervousness that I am feeling. It’s
amazing how it literally cools me down.

“He’s so handsome. Is he a new client?” I heard two girls talking while they enter the restroom. Both of them are
giggling like high school girls as they went inside separate cubicles.

“Maybe.” One of the girls said to the other.

“I wish he is. Can you see the way he walks? He has a nice ass.” The other one answered back.

I shook my head as I reached for the paper towel to wipe my face.

The whole operations area is chatting noisily when I was passing by. Not the normal office chat, more like they
are gossiping and all of their attention is directed to where my office is.

What’s happening?

I immediately went to my office and opened the door only to find the object of everyone’s attention sitting on my
chair behind my desk. A cute boyish grin on his face.

“Hi.” He said.
Relief flooded me at the sight of Minhyuk inside my office. Thank God he is okay. But I also want to strangle him
for making me worry.

“So, you finally showed up.” I said with my arms crossed in front of my chest.

“Surprise.” He said as he walked to me and planted a kiss on my mouth.

I earned a few stares from my colleagues as Minhyuk and I headed out after my shift ended. It was the first time
that he picked me up from work and I definitely don’t know what to feel with all these girls looking at him like that.

I badly wanted to cover him with a sack until we reach his car.

“This is for you.” He told me as he handed me a small paper bag the moment we entered his car.

I rolled my eyes. “Is this for not calling me for almost an entire day and making me die of worry?”

He laughed. “No. I bought that yesterday. And I already told you, my phone’s battery died and it won’t charge no
matter what I do. Here, look.” He handed me his phone and it really is already damaged.

“Do you forgive me now?” he said in a warm voice.

I sighed as I reached up to touch his cheek. “I’m not mad at you. I just got so worried. And I missed you so much.”

He smiled and hugged me. “I missed you too.”

Being near him again gives me a warm and gentle feeling. It’s hard to explain it but I suddenly felt good again
after many days of thinking.

//

I told Minhyuk about my worries, what I truly felt and how I was dying of jealousy. Of course, he scolded me and
said that I shouldn’t keep such things from him.

It made me feel good, to finally open up about the things that I felt. I am not going to be that po ssessive and over
jealous girlfriend. I was never like that with Changsub.

The next days were easy and I felt lighter. I know that Minhyuk still works with her and that they are already good
now. But I’ve stopped thinking about other things. I trust Minhyuk and that’s what is important.

“Hi, do you know where Minhyuk is?” I asked one of the staff that I found outside the venue of Minhyuk’s project.

He told me that he’ll be checking the place for planning. I see that they went with the trend as the venue is a big,
closed tent, the ones that are used in most events these days.

I plan to surprise him as payback for surprising me last time too. Also, I a m quite curious as to how the event is
going. I plan to tease him and maybe give my inputs too if needed. He did the same for me when I handled that
event in the province.

The staff I asked looked at me from head to toe. I was wearing a simple denim pants and blue shirt. This is what I
normally wear when doing oculars and not the suffocating office attires.

“I’m his girlfriend.” I said.

The staff’s face changed into a friendly one. “He’s inside the tent.” He said with a smile.
I went to the tent and saw how big it is inside. The whole place is still empty and there are a few people arranging
wirings and other things inside. I looked for Minhyuk and found him at the opposite side of the tent talking to
someone possibly about plans.

Smiling, I immediately went to him.

I was about twenty feet away from him when I froze in my place. I can’t move and shock took over my whole
system.

It’s her. I didn’t recognize her a while ago. It’s his ex-wife. They are both talking casually.

“Maybe we should do two proposals for the layout?” Minhyuk said to her. “Then let’s present it to the client
tomorrow.”

“Very well. You’re the lead marketer.” She said. I haven’t heard her voice in a longtime. She seemed happy while
talking to him. “I have no choice but to follow.”

I watched and heard them talk to each other and I can’t help but to feel bad again. Here are two people who had a
wonderful life together and I ruined it. I broke them apart. Guilt started to eat me again and my feet are pulling me
away from that sight.

I was about to turn my back and run far away from them when I heard Minhyuk say, “What are you doing here?”

Too late.

I tried my best to calm myself and put on a smile. Minhyuk walked over to me, his face bright at the sight of me. “I
wanted to surprise you.” I said with a normal voice that almost surprised me.

Minhyuk leaned closer to me to give me a kiss but behind him, I saw her look at us and my head automatically
turned away from him at the last moment, so instead of my lips he just kissed the corner of my mouth. I felt
ashamed to show her this kind of scene I had to look away from her.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Minhyuk so he squeezed my hands with his and looked at me as if reassuring me that
everything is alright.

I managed to smile at him and I tried my best to look at her again. She did the same too and we smiled at each
other before she turned her back and continued working on what looked like a sketch of something.

“Don’t you have work today? Minhyuk asked me, his hand still holding mine.

“I do. I am doing an ocular in a place nearby and I just thought that I should drop by and surprise you.” I said,
trying my best to sound as normal as I could and forget the guilt I feel inside. I have to remember Changsub’s
words.

“Well you succeeded in surprising me, Miss.” He said. “Did you come here to really see me or did you come here
to criticize my planning?”

“No.” I said, denying what is actually my plan.

“Really?” He arched his eyebrow at me. “I know you, (Y/N).”

I laughed at this. Damn he found out my plan. “Ok, yeah. Just a bit. I couldn’t help but do it. Sometimes your
ideas aren’t…” I tried to search for words appropriate.

“Aren’t up to your taste?” he supplied.

“Yes.” I said with my arms crossed and feeling haughty. From the corner of my eyes I saw her walk towa rds the
entrance.

“Okay, so you think you have better ideas than me?” He said in a competitive voice.

“Maybe.”

He laughed at this.

“Show me the plans, coward.” I challenged him.

He shook his head in defeat. “Fine. I will show it to you but just because I want you to know what a great marketer
I am.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

The next minutes were filled with Minhyuk explaining the whole event to me and us exchanging banters. I gave
him some of my inputs and I am surprised that he did take some of them. My worries were all washed away
because of him. It’s like we have our own little bubble where just the two of us exists.

“Do you need to go back to the office now?” Minhyuk asked after we’ve discussed his plans for the event.

I glanced at my watch. “Not yet. Why? Do you want to go somewhere?”

“I haven’t eaten anything yet. Let’s eat together.” He said.

“Ok.” I said with a smile as we headed for the exit. His hand was at the base of my s pine. A gesture that I’ve
become so familiar with.

My mind was filled with warmth from his touch that I got surprised when he suddenly stopped walking.

I was about to ask him why when I heard a familiar voice.

“Oh, You didn’t tell me…” I looked at the owner of the voice who’s standing in front of us.

Changsub.

He was standing, surprised like us, with his arm on the shoulder of Minhyuk’s ex-wife. Both of them are headed
for the entrance too.

Why are they together? Are they…?

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Minhyuk’s arm that was behind me go around my waist and pull me
closer to him.

Changsub’s lips pursed but he held his gaze at Minhyuk who did the same too.

A heavy tension hung in the air. All four of us didn’t say anything. I just wanted to run aw ay from this feeling.

“Uh,” she was the first one to break the silence. I wanted to loudly say thank you to her. “I’ll send the tentative list
of people I’ll take with me to the event before the week ends. I’ll double check with my boss first.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Minhyuk said in a business-like manner. “Let me know once you’ve sent it.”

She smiled at both of us and I did too. “We’ll go on ahead. Have a good day.” With that, she pulled Changsub to
the ext.
“That was awkward.” I finally said when they were gone.

He chuckled lowly. “Yeah, it was.”

“Do you think they are together?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Minhyuk shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Yeah, maybe.” I said as we started to walk outside.

“Changsub already knows.” I suddenly said making him look confused.

“Huh?”

“About us, I mean. I told him a few days ago when we met in a coffee shop.” I answered him.

He looked at me and arched his brow. A gesture that can be both cute and irritating. He has so many gestures
that I’ve come to learn as we spend time together. “You two met?” He said with a hint of what looked like
jealousy.

“Yeah.” I said trying to sound casual and brush away that cute and child-like jealousy of his. “When you were
away.”

He stopped walking and faced me with his hands on his hips. Trying to look angry but a shadow of a smile is on
his face.

I shook my head and stood on the tip of my toes to give him a peck on the tip of his nose.

He immediately smiled and shook his head too.

//

The event came closer and Minhyuk spent most of his time at work or planning. I didn’t have any problem with
this as I know how busy he will be for the next days.

Despite him still wanting to spend almost every day together, I told him that it’s okay not to since he will just be
more exhausted. But he was too hard-headed and still insisted on picking me up from work, something that he
now likes doing more often. I saw how tired he was but he still won’t stop. In the end, I ended up staying in his
apartment. I told him that it is just temporary and that I will still go back to my house when the event is done. He
just shrugged and suggested that I move in with him again.

I like being together with him. This way I can take care of him through his busy schedule.

I took a leave from work two days before Minhyuk’s big event. I wanted to help him out and make sure that he’s
not too stressed out. Also, I want to take a break too and start sketching.

It was a good thing that the early afternoon weather was nice. The breeze wasn’t too chilly nor warm. It’s perfect
for outdoor activities.

I changed into one of Minhyuk’s blue shirts and my denim shorts to go to the park. I love wear ing his shirts. They
all smell like him and it’s comfortable to wear.

Using my new bike, which Minhyuk gave me because he broke my other one, I went to the park in the middle of
the city.

I like that park. It’s like a safe haven in the midst of the busy streets.
With my sketchbook and pencil pouch in hand, I walked on the gravel stones of the park’s pathway, looking for
the best place to start my sketch.

It was then that I saw her. I stopped on my tracks and froze. There, sitting on a bench a couple of step s away
from me is Minhyuks’ ex-wife. She was softly smiling as she flipped through the pages of her notebook.

Memories of that night during the reunion flooded in my mind. The way he held her, the way he smiled at her, the
way they talked lovingly. They love each other and I was an intruder that ruined it.

I wanted to turn my back and leave, shaking and feeling what a total trash I am, but something clicked inside my
mind.

Forgive yourself.

I battled with my own self inside my mind until I’ve come to a final decision.

Throwing all the hesitations out, I moved my feet and crossed the distance between us. I willed myself to muster a
smile. I want to talk to her. I don’t care if she lashes out on me. I don’t care if she slaps me or shout at me. I don’t
care. I want to ask for her forgiveness. I was the one who made a mistake. I have to do this. I want to do this.

I was standing next to her but she didn’t show any reaction as her mind is deep in her thoughts as she looked at
her notebook.

I cleared my throat to get her attention. I don’t know. That was what came to my mind. I felt like I don’t have the
right to even call her name.

She looked up and I saw the shock and confusion register on her face. For a split second, she looked at the shirt
that I am wearing before she looked up at my face and finally smiled. Relief flooded inside me. For a moment, I
thought she was going to chase me away.

“Do you mind if I take a seat?” I asked.

She shook her head and gestured to the empty space beside her. We sat in silence as I searched for words to tell
her. I didn’t know where to start or what is the right thing to do anymore. I felt the awkward atmosphere and I
suddenly thought that maybe this was a bad idea.

“Nice shirt.” She finally said, breaking the silence.

I looked down at the shirt and remembered that I am wearing one of Minhyuk’s clothing. A heavy feeling settled in
my stomach. I looked for words to say until finally, my mouth automati cally said, “Y-Your dress is nice too.”

“Thanks.” She smiled again. Her smile is so pleasant and warm and it made me feel at ease

I looked in front of us, at the children playing on the grass as another moment of awkward silence passed
between us. From the corner of my eye, I saw her pick her pencil up and start writing something, only to stop
again. She must’ve felt the strange atmosphere between us.

“Uhm…” I said, trying to break the silence this time. “The weather’s nice.”

“It is.” She said. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” I said, finally feeling myself relax a bit. “How about you? Been busy because of the event?”

She nodded. “That’s good to hear. As for me, aside from being busy for the event, I’ve been okay too.” I was
waiting for her to say something more. I don’t know what I was looking for, but somehow her answer was a bit
vague. There was just so many questions in my head but I don’t know where to start.
“Uhm.” I gulped and asked for the heavens to give me courage to do this. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to
you. It must be fate that I got to meet you here.”

She looked at me. Suddenly, the weight inside my chest started to weigh my whole soul down again. I wanted to
run away and just pretend that none of this happened. But I can’t move.

“About what?” She asked but something in her voice tells me that she already knew what I meant. It’s as if she
was just waiting for me to finally say it.

I looked at her and met her eyes. “About…” I started, trying to find the right words to say. “About what happened
in the past. About what happened to you and Minhyuk,”

I saw how her emotions changed. How hurt flashed in her eyes and how she bit her lip at the sound of his name.

For a moment, I did not say anything and I just waited for her to say something. “Oh. Okay. ” She finally said.

“I’m..” I tried to say but it’s like there’s a huge lump in my throat. My eyes stung and I felt the first wave of tears
starting to well up. I tried to blink it away but it somehow just managed to drop. “I’m sorry.” Finally, I managed t o
say. “I know that what I’ve done is beyond anyone’s forgiveness. I know that it is a mortal sin. I know that I’ve
ruined your relationship. I’m so sorry.” I was looking down at the sketchbook on my lap and I saw my tears wet its
surface. “I’m sorry.” I said again like a whisper.

She was silent as if absorbing what I just said.

“I never realized that this was also difficult for you until today,” she finally said. “In my head, I have this image that
you and Minhyuk are happily living your lives with no worries. I was wrong about that.”

I never thought that she had that idea in her mind. Normally, others would’ve been cursing us or asking for our
bad karma and unhappiness. But not her.

I heard her sigh. I looked up at her only to be met with her kind eyes. In that moment, I saw why Minhyuk fell for
her. Her eyes showed her soul. Her pure soul that gives and never asked for anything in return. Despite her
tender her heart, she tried to show a brave façade to me, but I know how deep inside she’s hurting. “I forg ive you.
I’ve forgiven you and Minhyuk when I handed him back my ring,” she mumbled as a tear finally fell from her eye.
“I could’ve tried to live with it but I knew that he would be happier with you. You don’t have to say sorry because
all I want for him is to be where he’s truly happy. That night, I realized that it wasn’t with me but with you. I wasn’t
wrong,”

I couldn’t help but to imagine what she just mentioned to me. That night. She must’ve been in pain. She had the
choice to keep him, and I know that he would’ve agreed too, but she chose to let him go.

Hearing her side of the story and how things ended with them, knowing that she let him go with his happiness in
her mind made me think about a lot of things.

“Thank you.” Was all I managed to say. It felt good to finally be able to talk to her like this. Is this what Minhyuk
felt when she forgave him?

Without a word she placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me as if reassuring me that she really did forgive
me.

“Be happy with him,” she said with a smile. “You may have thought that you don’t deserve it but everyone in this
world deserves happiness. Making him happy is the best thank you that you can give to me,”

I smiled back. I promise to make him happy.

I nodded. “Yes. And I hope that you’ll be happy too. Both you and Changsub. I hope both of you will be happy.” I
said. “Are both of you…?” I started to say. It’s the first thing that came to my mind.
She blinked in shock before she burst in laughter. “Oh God, no,” she chuckled. “We’re not together or anything.
Was that how it seemed like?”

Heat started to grown on my cheeks.

“Yes. I really thought.. I mean, that can happen. He’s a great guy. I’m sorry I really thought both of you are..” I
started laughing because of embarrassment.

The mood became lighter. We’ve said what we needed to say.

I left the park that day feeling better than when I came there.

//

When I watch movies or TV series, the bad guys always gets the bad karma at the end. I know that in this lifetime,
I became one of the bad guys. Although I’ve received forgiveness, I know that what I did was wrong. If people
knew the story of our lives, I would be condemned or be hated like there’s no tomorrow. I accept that. I know that
that is how society views our situation.

I waited for the bad karma. Yes, I did pray that it won’t come, but there was still that nagging feeling in the back of
my mind telling me that it would come. But I was ready. I am ready to face whatever it is. I know that for as long
as Minhyuk is beside me, I can face whatever life throws at us. He’s my strength, my life. I offered my heart to
him and in return he gave me his.

Time passed by and we did have a lot of ups and downs. We experienced troubles in our relationship and our
careers, but we still stood together and faced it. Our bad karma came in many forms but we still chose to hold
each other’s hands despite wanting to give up a couple of times.

//

“How many times do you have to watch that series?” I heard Minhyuk say from the kitchen as I switched the TV
on and played Doctor Who.

I did a marathon of the first batch of Doctor Who series last week and I decided to just do all of the series as I
can’t help but be more addicted to the Whoniverse.

Minhyuk sat down beside me on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in his hand. It was a Saturday night and he took
a one week leave from work for me.

“I can’t believe you are watching this again.” He said as he placed the bowl on the table.

I rolled my eyes. “You can choose not to watch it with me, you know. I love this show and I just want to watch it
again just to make sure I didn’t miss any important detail. There could be an Easter egg lying somewhere there.”

He shook his head but his face was full of amusement as he looked at me. He knows that no matter what he says,
he will not stop me from watching Doctor Who.

“Does this have MSG?” I asked, pointing at the popcorn on the table.

“No.” he said. “Just salt. You can eat that.”

I was about to grab the bowl when he suddenly said, “Or not. I’ll just make you some snack.”

It took him just a few minutes in the kitchen before he produced delicious tuna sandwiches which I enjoyed while
watching.
Despite him protesting that he’s getting sick of the series, he still watched it with his arm on my should er as we
both sat comfortably on the couch.

When the screen showed a tall alien creature with long arms and big eyes, Minhyuk almost jumped up as he
placed his hand over my eyes.

“Don’t look at it.” He said.

I almost laughed at his reaction as I remove his hand but he only placed it back over my eyes again. “Don’t be
ridiculous. That’s just a raxacoricofallapatorius.”

“A what?” he asked as he looked at me with his curious and questioning face. He looks like a child who just heard
a foreign term. Well, yeah. It is a foreign term.

“Raxacoricofallapatorius. A type of alien.” I explained to him. “They kill people and get th eir skins and use it to
disguise as people.”

I saw him cringe like he’s imagining it. “Whatever that is, don’t look at it anymore. Our baby might look like it.” He
said as he placed his hand on the bump on my stomach.

This time, I laughed. “That isn’t true. Our baby wouldn’t look like that even if I look at aliens.”

But he wasn’t listening to me as his focus was on our baby. His face was full of wonder and his eyes reflected
warmth that I never knew existed until we found out the blessing that we received.

“Does it hurt?” he asked me with concern in his eyes. “You carrying our baby around, does your body hurt?”

I thought about it for a while. “Not really. But sometimes my feet hurt and it’s kind of getting swollen these days as
my due date is getting near.”

He regarded me then he kissed my forehead. “Thank you.” He softly said.

Just two words but the feelings when he said that made my heart warm.

My mind went back to that time I talked to her in the park. That moment never left my memory.

All I want for him is to be where he’s truly happy.

I remembered her words. And on times where I thought I wanted to give up, I look back to those words and
remember that lesson it thought me; that love is the greatest power a person can possess and that true and pure
love means looking out for the happiness of the person you love.

From my mistakes, I’ve learned and I became stronger. I will use that strength to go on with my life and give
happiness to the people I love; Minhyuk, our baby, and to myself.
Minhyuk’s Ex Wife
Smile.

I sighed to myself as I stared at the mirror. It was a free day for me at work, given that I’ve submitted all the
articles I was tasked to do. I guess that’s one thing that was going right for me. I’ve never been more in love with
my work than I am now. Though, some of my friends do tell me to take a break because I’ve been drowning
myself in my workload.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I huffed. My eyes glanced at the photo I taped to the side. A small
smile made its way to my lips as I felt a tug in my heart. Somehow, I’ve finally managed to open the notebook in
my car recently and look at the photo tucked in between the pages. It was difficult at first. It’s still difficult now but
I had to start somewhere. I believed that maybe seeing his photo on a daily ba sis would help my case. So far, I’ve
been getting used to it so maybe it’s working.

“I hope you’re smiling as brightly as you did that day,” I whispered, fondly gazing at the photo of my ex -husband
and I. With a small smile, I turned my back and grabbed my things so that I could go out and relax.

My phone rang as I was about to leave my apartment. I frowned when I saw the caller ID. It was my day off but
my boss was calling me. Sighing, I answered, “Hello?”

“Hi, (Y/N). Sorry for calling you on your day off,”

“It’s okay. Is there anything you need?”

“Well,” she sighed. “We got a call earlier asking if we could be a media partner for a launching event. The other
team members are all booked and you’re the only one who’s finished with her deliverables. Would it be fine if we
send you as our representative?”

I pursed my lips. ‘A launching event?’ I thought. Why did it give me shivers? Why did it make my heart race? “Y-
Yeah. I can do that. Is there anything I need to know?”

“There’s a meeting at their office today at 2 in the afternoon. Are you free then?” My boss carefully asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, looking at my watch. I inwardly sighed, seeing that it was already almost noon. “Please
send me the address. I’ll head over today. I’ll report in tomorrow what happened,”

“Thank you,” I could hear a smile in her voice before she dropped the call.

Grimacing, I dropped my arm beside me and turned back to my bedroom to change into something more
appropriate. It was a launching event so I’m guessing that it’s a corporat ion that we’re partnering with this time. I
pulled out the simplest white dress I have and a royal blue blazer with folded sleeves that reached my elbows. I
kept on my sneakers and just grabbed a pair of white heeled sandals to change into later on.

I clicked my tongue as I took my keys from the bowl on the counter. I was planning to spend the day walking
around but I guess I have to put that aside for now. I just hope that I still have some time for myself after this
meeting that was weirdly sending my nerves into a frenzy.

//

I pulled up at the designated open parking lot in front of the building that they directed me to. I was feeling
extremely nervous and I have no idea why. Repeatedly, I kept on giving myself a pep talk, saying that this was
going to be another normal meeting. Well, hopefully. I’m just praying that I wouldn’t be talking to the seasoned
executives because they’re sometimes difficult to deal with.
I gathered everything I needed and got out of my car. I was trying to double check my a ppearance through my
car’s dark tint. I did my best to keep my hair tamed and not all over my face. I was still trying to get used to styling
my new hair. It’s been a while since I’ve had it cut short with the ends reaching just below my chin.

“You look okay,” I smiled to myself. Sighing, I started to make my way to the building. When I got to the lobby,
someone assisted me all the way up to the 17 th floor. We would make small talk, mostly about work, until we
reached the meeting room.

“Ms. (Y/N) is here,” the person said.

I sighed in relief when most of the people were around my age. I placed on my professional smile and shook
hands with everyone.

“Most of us are here. We just need to wait for our lead marketer who’s in-charge of spearheading the launching
event,” the client professionally stated after he asked me to sit.

My eyes studied the place and everyone present as the client started explaining to me what the launching event
was about. Apparently, they’re a laptop company and they’ll be launching their newest gaming laptop along with a
VR unit that was created specifically for their product. It was interesting because it was unlike the existing VR
units in the market that made users wear huge goggle-type machines. What they were offering was something
similar to the eyewear Cyclops has in the X-Men comic books.

A knock interrupted the conversations we were all having. All our eyes were on the door as it opened and
revealed the last member of the team. I almost dropped my pen when he finally looked into t he room after
nodding to the one who led him to the floor.

My heart stopped as he smiled. It was such a familiar yet foreign sight. I heard their chairs moving and I
immediately snapped out of it and stood as well. I kept on pursing my lips as I watched hi m.

He looked amazing, as usual. His hair was a bit longer now. The way he wore his navy -blue button-up polo that
was tucked into his black slacks were so familiar. In my head, a memory of me fixing his tie before he heads off to
work played. His eyes shone brightly. His smile was perfect, like before. I watched as he looked at all of us. When
our eyes met, it was like I was brought back to that time I stood in front of him at our front door with my bags in
my car. I felt as if my lungs had shut down.

How can fate be so cruel to make our paths cross once again while I’m still in the process of getting over him? I
know I’ve been trying to look at his photo as a means of numbing myself but seeing him up close and in person
made those efforts go to waste. I felt like I was deluding myself from what I was really feeling.

I couldn’t breathe. I wanted the ground to swallow me and never bring me back up.

His eyes were staring intently into mine while his lips were parted in mild surprise. Different emotions were
swirling in his eyes. As much as I wanted to drown in them, I knew I couldn’t. I tore my gaze away and stared at
the table.

“We’re all here. Let’s start the meeting,” the client stated as he gestured for us to take our seats.

Of course, being the last two people to arrive, we were seated towards the end and in front of each other. It was
difficult. I would find myself glancing at him from time to time. My chest would tighten whenever our eyes met
briefly.

My ex-husband was seated right in front of me and we would be working together for a launching event that was
set to happen in a month and a half. The thought of it made me worry for my own state of mind.

It was only a couple of months ago that I stopped crying myself to sleep at the thought of missing him. Now , I’m
going to have to deal with this. It was as if the gods weren’t done playing with me. How much more do they want
to hurt me until they’re satisfied?
The meeting went smoothly. Somehow, we were both professional enough but neither of us addressed the o ther
when discussing. He never questioned my points while I did the same for him.

I was one of the first to leave once the meeting was adjourned, saying that I was being asked to head to our office
for an emergency meeting (which was a total lie). I just wanted to be away from him.

My hands were trembling as I fumbled with my bag to find my keys once I got to my car. I wanted to go back to
my apartment. More than that though, I wanted to go home. I wanted to go back to a place that was filled with
warmth.

Seeing him just brought back memories of us together. He made the good and the bad times resurface when I did
my best to bury them all in the deepest and darkest depths of my mind.

I started my car but all I got was its dying sigh. I tried again but I got t he same response. Of all the days that my
battery had to die, it just had to be today. Although, I did know that it was going to die soon due to my lights being
a little dimmer, I honestly thought that it could go for a couple more drives.

I pulled the latch to open the hood and grabbed my phone from my purse before calling my mechanic. I had to
check what kind battery I needed so I lifted the hood and hooked the metal bar to keep it in place.

A sigh left my lips after I informed my mechanic. He said it’d t ake him about 20 to 30 minutes tops to get to where
I am because he was out dealing with another client. I didn’t really have another choice.

“Need a ride?” A cautious yet familiar voice called from behind me after a while.

My heart jumped as I stiffened. My hold on my phone tightened as I slowly turned to see Minhyuk. I bit down on
my lip.

“It’s fine,” I mumbled. “It’s just my car battery,” I shortly answered. Before I even got the chance to turn away from
him, he chuckled.

“The last time I saw you with car trouble, you were clueless,” he mused and it was painful because I remember
calling him that time. I was in the middle of a highway driving home from an interview when my car just broke
down.

Not wanting to dwell on that, I pushed the memory away. I gave him a tight smile. “Ah. I had to learn somehow,” I
stated. ‘One of the many things I had to learn when I left,’

He bit down on his lip, probably thinking of what to say. “You said you were going to an emergency meeting. I c an
drop you off,”

“I told you it’s fine,” I crossed my arms in front of my chest, trying to shield myself from him, as I huffed.

“I mean… It must be important. It’s really fine—,”

I glared at him. “Stop. For the third time and last time, it’s fine. I’m fine,” I didn’t mean to snap but I ended up
raising my voice a bit. ‘I’m fine,’ I almost scoffed. It was like I was trying to prove something. But I was far from
fine. I was nowhere near fine. Not after seeing him like this.

“Are you?” Minhyuk questioned a bit harshly, his jaw tightly set as he stared straight into my eyes. His question
left me shaken to the core. How was I supposed to answer him? I couldn’t just say “Yes, I am,” when I’m not. But I
also couldn’t tell him the truth about how I’m still trying to cope with how my life is now.

I opened my lips to answer but no words came out. All I could do was turn my head away from him.

“You should go,” I weakly sighed.

He loudly huffed in annoyance. “Can we at least talk?”

“About?” I scoffed. “Just because we have to work together doesn’t mean we have to be back in each other’s
lives,”

“What if I want you back in mine?”

I couldn’t help but look to see if he was being serious. His brown eyes were piercing as he waited for my answer.
As if on cue, my mechanic came in his motorbike with a battery replacement. I was so thankful that he came
earlier than expected.

“I can’t,” that was all I said before I turned my back on him.

As much as I wanted to, I don’t think I’m ready to be back in his. Sure, it was nice seeing h im look great and
happy. He looked like life was being good to him. A huge part of me was jealous because Minhyuk was probably
living a happy life with her while I’m still trying to remove myself from where we left off. Besides, I left because I
didn’t want him to think of me while he was with her. I wanted him to focus on just her. I guess, it was a way of
also protecting myself from seeing both of them together.

In the distance, I heard the familiar revving of an engine. He drove past me in the car that I was so familiar with.
Memory after memory invaded my mind—him holding my hand, singing as he drove with the windows down, and
even that time I was crying silently on my seat after we yelled at each other for something so trivial.

“Oh yeah… Your battery’s dead,” my mechanic mused, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Let me get this changed
and you’re good to go,”

With a weak smile, I said, “Thanks.”

//

I was more prepared for the next meetings we had together. I was able to condition myself every morning before
meeting him and the rest of the team. I’m sure that he was surprised because I took a complete 180 -degree turn
from our initial meeting. I was more like myself before we split up—smiles and pleasant tones with a friendlier
vibe. To be honest, it was exhausting. I had to pretend to be fine in front of him. I had to make it seem like his
presence wasn’t affecting me in any way. Whenever I get to the confines of my car, that façade would drop.

I could only sigh in relief when the initial meetings were done. Most of us would be working remotely and on our
own time. Given that he was in-charge of leading the marketing team for the whole event, he would most probably
be staying in his office or with the client. As for me, my main task was to create articles and p ublicity posts. I was
going to work behind the scenes, even going as far as traveling to where they’ve developed the prototype and
mass-producing the products.

The only time that we had to talk now was mostly through e-mail, which was good. I could work with that. It was
rare when we had to call each other. Those times were really just for urgent matters.

If you ask me, seeing him was somehow good but at the same time, it made me feel terrible. If he truly was with
her, then I shouldn’t even be around him. I mean, for the sake of wherever their relationship was going to, I
should be staying away. Somehow, in my head, I knew that she wouldn’t like it if my ex-husband was around me.

But I tried. I asked my boss multiple times to have me switched with someone else but all I got was a shake of her
head. Even if I’ve told her that the lead marketer was my ex-husband, she still didn’t give the project to anyone
else. Heck. She told me,

“Grow some balls. It’s been more than a year and a half since then.”

I almost punched her in the face at her insensitivity but I held it in with a graceful smile and, with no choice,
agreed to “grow some balls”.

And because I decided to follow my boss, I’m now driving to the location where they started developing the
product. It was a 5-hour drive, according to my GPS, and I’ve been on the road for 3 and a half hours. I wanted to
be ready for a pre-launch article so I decided to go on ahead after informing our client. Just our client. It may have
slipped my mind to inform our lead marketer.

Almost as if on cue, his name flashed on my radio screen as my phone rang. 1, 2, 3. I breathed deeply before
answering the call.

“(Y/N) speaking,” I spoke in a formal manner.

His sigh echoed in the car because my phone was connected to the radio. “It’s Minhyuk,”

“Yeah, I know. That’s what caller ID’s are for. Anything you need?”

“I need an article ASAP to hype up the product launch. Think you can do it?”

I hummed as I turned to exit the freeway. “When do you need it?”

“By this weekend,”

“Sure. I’ll have it e-mailed to you before Thursday evening for checking,” I stated, making a mental note of the
deadline I’ve set. It was just Monday morning anyway.

“I’ll be expecting that then,”

“Okay,”

I was waiting for him to cut the line or at least say some kind of parting words but all that happened was dead air.

“Anything else?”

“Well… Where are you?”

His tone changed from his clipped and professional tone to one that was warm and friendlier. It made my heart
hurt a lot as a bitter smile formed on my lips.

“On my way to do what you just asked me to,” I answered. “If there’s nothing else, have a good day,”

I heard him tell me to wait but I dropped the call. I wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say nor was I ready to
converse with him about anything other than work.

//

It was past noon when I got settled in the small hotel that I rented for a week for this trip. Aside from the laptop
and VR feature, I was thinking of going around. I heard there was an underrated night market here so I was
planning on checking that out when I finish with work.

My life for the next few days was going to the plant and their headquarters to interview the engineers and the
heads of the production teams. It was almost like I was an employee there because I had to learn the inner
workings of their products. It was cool how they made me test the finalized product.

I was getting used to how it was—spending the mornings with the engineers and spending the afternoons to write
everything that was needed for the pre-launch article. I almost forgot who was spearheading the project because
it was as if I was working for the client itself. Aside from that, I was enjoying the produc ts so work didn’t feel like a
hassle.

Thursday morning came quickly. I was finished with the article but I wanted to check on some details again with
the head of production before I submit it. I couldn’t help but smile at the good weather. It felt like fat e was smiling
down on me today because of the bright sun.
When I entered the testing center, I realized that the smile fate was donning was an evil one. My eye twitched in
annoyance as I looked at the man who was discussing with the head of production. The hand that was gripping
the strap of my bag tightened its hold as I tried to calm myself.

“Ah, you’re here today too,” the head of production smiled when he finally noticed me.

I gave him a tight smile as I approached the two. “Yes. I just wanted to finalize some details for the pre -launching
article while checking if the specifications are correct. I wanted to make sure that everything was in order,” I told
him as I pulled out a printed copy from my bag and gave it to him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Minhyuk as I waited for the response.

“The client recommended that I see the product with my own two eyes and discuss with the engineer for a better
understanding. He also said that you were here. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I told you I was on my way to do what you asked me to,” I shrugged.

“I meant why didn’t you tell me before I called you,”

“I report to the client, not to you,” I mumbled immaturely. I had to make sure that he was the only one who’d hear
my comment.

Before he even got to respond, the head of production smiled at me and nodded. “Everything’s good. Reading it
made me excited for the response of the people,”

I returned his smile, “Thank you. I do have some questions though.”

I started to discuss with the engineer some of the details I wasn’t sure of. There were times when Minhyuk would
join in and give his input. It was weird. To be honest, it was the good kind of weird. When we were still together,
we never really worked on a project together. Being in this situation, it made me wish that we had done something
like this before.

I left the two once I was done. As much as I wanted to stay, I couldn’t. The more I stayed beside him, the more I
kept on wishing for time to go back. It made me think over and over again about my decisions in life, not just that
night when I gave him back the ring.

As I was on my way to the café I stumbled upon earlier this week, I kept on thinking about how I’ve been spending
the past year and a half. Aside from traveling to different countries and cities for work, there really was nothing
much I’ve done. If I wasn’t out with my friends, I was either being dragged by Changsub to try another one of his
experimental dishes or being lazy in my own apartment, drowning in my own thoughts.

After our divorce certificates were given, never did I think that we’d meet again. But I guess this is how life
decides to play with you. While you’re still wallowing in your own self -pity, you’ll see the person who once used to
be your life. You’ll meet with the one who you let go. Could it be the way that the universe keeps everything in
balance?

A sigh left my lips as I drank from my cup of cold tea. Hours passed as I worked on finishing up the article. I kept
on rereading it to make sure that everything was perfectly written. I read it until I couldn’t find anything more to
edit.

Just as I sent the file to Minhyuk’s e-mail, he appeared right in front of me by taking the empty seat across me.

“Still working?”

“Yes,” I uttered, pretending to continue working on the finished article when I’ve actually sent it. “Do you need
anything?”

He didn’t answer my question though for he asked me another one. “Until how long are you staying here for?”
I turned my gaze towards him. There was no hint of mischief in his eyes so I knew that he was seriously asking.
With a sigh, I averted my eyes away from him.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Why can’t you just answer my question?”

“What good would that do?” I grimaced. “I told you, just because we’re working together doesn’t mean we have to
be back in each other’s lives. Can’t we just live the way we’re living now?”

I heard him sigh before he closed the lid of my laptop. I yelled at him in protest, garnering the attention of the few
people in the café. Minhyuk chuckled at the embarrassment that was clearly painted on my face.

“I was working!”

“No, you were done. I got the e-mail you sent,”

“I was working on something else,” I countered even if I really wasn’t. “What do you want anyway? W hy do you
keep on doing this when I’ve made it clear that I can’t be a part of your life again?”

He pursed his lips. “Why, you ask? Because, at some point in my life, you were the most important to me. You still
are important to me. Besides, weren’t you the one who said that when we meet again, you hope that we could
greet each other as friends? Is this how you greet a friend?”

A frown was forming on my face at his persistence. “I’m sorry but I can’t,” I uttered as I started to pack my things.

“You can’t or you don’t want to?” The man continued to push. His words made me stop what I was doing.

“Does it matter?” I stared at him blankly, trying to figure out why he was being extremely persistent. Why was he
being this way now when we’ve separated ways? Why didn’t he do this that night? I could only shake my head.

“Can you tell me something? Did you find her?” I finally asked the question that was running through my head
since a year ago.

“I did,” he whispered as he fondly smiled, not looking at me. He was probably remembering that time they met
again.

Somehow, it hurt a lot seeing him this way but I knew that it was my fault. I knew that this was what I wanted.
There shouldn’t be a reason for me to get hurt because he got what I wanted him to get.

I placed my laptop into my bag and stood. I was about to leave but his statement had me frozen.

“But just because I found her and I’m with her doesn’t mean that I want you out of my life. I don’t know where you
got that notion that for me to be happy, you have to stay away. I want you in my life because before we got
together, you’re one of the friends I treasure a lot,”

I heavily sighed, trying to keep myself from tearing up. I shook my head as I pursed my lips.

“Let’s try, please. I know you’ll be here until the weekend. That’s what you usually do when you go for trips like
these. Can we try to patch up our friendship in the next few days that we’re here?”

It was tempting. We were somewhere that no one knew us and about us. It seemed like the perfect place to start
over. The look in his eyes and the way he spoke his words made me feel like he knew that it was more difficult for
me than it was for him.

“Just until the weekend,” I sighed. “If this doesn’t work out, then maybe things were meant to be the way th ey
were before this project,”
Minhyuk sadly smiled but he nodded nonetheless. “Okay, I’m fine with that. There’s a night market just a few
blocks away, do you want to go?”

“I was already planning to,” I tried to smile.

“Then let’s go,”

We walked together but it still felt like we were both far from each other. My lips felt dry as I thought of what to
say. I wanted to ask about her but maybe it wasn’t time yet. I’m sure if I did I’d back out from this patching up
thing that was going on because I’d keep on thinking about her.

For a few days, should I be selfish and think of myself too?

“You look like you’re about to drown in your thoughts,” he commented as he looked at me from the corner of his
eyes. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. I didn’ t notice earlier that he was wearing casual
clothing. “Talk to me,”

“About what?”

Minhyuk shrugged. “Anything. Hm. How about your work? How’s it going for you? Are you still working there?”

I nodded. “Obviously. I mean, the client contacted my company,”

“That was a stupid question,” he laughed. “How is it? Still having fun?”

“As fun as it could get,” I vaguely answered. “I mean… It’s fun when I’m going around to discover new places but
at the end of the day, I come home and—,” I stopped myself from continuing my statement. ‘I come home and
there’s no one to share those fun stories with,’ was what I wanted to say. I just smiled despite the pang in my heart.
“You?”

It took him a while to answer. When I glanced at him, Minhyuk was biting down on his lip while h e was slowly
nodding. With just one look, I knew he understood what I was trying to say. “It’s great. I’m set for a promotion
soon if things go well,” he said moments later.

It made me feel proud of him and his achievements. “You deserve it. I know you wor ked hard to get there,”

“Ah,” he shyly laughed. “Thanks,”

Before I got to respond, the sight of the night market finally greeted us. There were a bunch of stalls —both food
and retail—lined up at the sides of the street. I was sure that both of us looked like eager kids who wanted to try
everything they could get their hands on. Thankfully, due to its underrated nature, there weren’t that many people
so it was easy to navigate around without losing each other.

For a night, we forgot about everything that happened between us and enjoyed going around. For the first time in
a long while, I managed to smile without pretense. It felt like everything was the way it was before. Hearing him
laugh and seeing him smile made my heart soar. In that moment, I felt like I was okay.

That night, I slept with a smile on my face.

The next morning, he picked me up at the hotel saying that there was still a lot to do in this small town. Both of us
were just traveling either by foot or by their public transportation. I let him lead me to wherever our feet would go.
I couldn’t count how many times we took photos together while I tried to look for places to feature for my work. He
was patient enough to go with me after making me promise that we’d go have fun after.

There was a bittersweet feeling that was building inside me. This was how I imagined we would be if he went with
me on one of my field works before. All that lacked now were the wedding bands, the holding hands, and the
kisses in between. I knew, deep down, that it wouldn’t happen again. I wouldn’t let myself do that to his current
girlfriend even if I want to be with him again.
I left for them to be happy together. If I came back wanting another chance, then I shouldn’t have l eft at all.

Our last day together came faster than expected. He said that we should go for a drive to the beachfront. Without
thinking, I agreed but maybe I shouldn’t have. The moment I opened the passenger’s door, my heart dropped at
the sight of a novel on the seat. I knew it wasn’t his so there was only one other person who would own it.

Changsub’s words about how his ex-wife loves to read books while traveling to places rang in my head. I pursed
my lips, second guessing myself and this situation. The past days were filled with just memories of us and this
was a wake-up call for me.

I wanted to back out.

“Everything okay?” He asked from inside while he was trying to look at me.

“Y-Yeah,” I breathed, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. Carefully, I gr abbed the book and sat inside. Once I
was settled in, he started the car and drove. I did my best not to look around and study how his car changed.

“The forecast said that the weather’s going to be great today and I heard that they have good beaches around so
I thought that it would be worth the hour and a half drive,” he stated, eyes on the road.

“I see,” I simply stated as I stared out the window. I was starting to question myself and what I was doing.

What happens after today? Tomorrow, we’re both going back to our lives in the city. I’ll be going back to my lonely
apartment and he’ll be going to his home with her, if they live together now. Will this just be another painful
memory for me to bury?

The past days, we never brought up what happened to us. Is this how patching up works? Because, honestly, I
feel that tomorrow I’ll just be another crying mess on my way home. Heck, when we part ways tonight, I feel like
I’ll be back to trying to forget him. I don’t feel healed at all. It feels like a bandage was placed on the wound and
that same bandage would be harshly ripped off.

When we got to the beach, I couldn’t appreciate it as much as I wanted to. It was beautiful. The sands were white
and the water was a sparkling blue. The sight looked like it was taken from a magazine. I would snap photos but
my mind was elsewhere.

‘Just get through this day then we’ll figure out what to do,’ I did my best to encourage myself but I was scared.

Why did I play with fire when I knew that I’d get burned in the end?

I was absentmindedly walking behind him along the shore. It seemed like there was something in his mind as
well. From where I was, I studied him. I looked at how familiar yet unknown his figure to me was. A year and a
half away from him really did blur out the details that I used to know like the back of my hand.

He led me to a restaurant that was recommended by a local. We ate but there was a silence above us that wasn’t
present the past days. Even when we were going around the shops near the beach, we barely talk ed. I had to
watch him buy a souvenir for her.

Was this how she felt before when he was still with me and they were going around?

I won’t lie. I was jealous beyond comprehension. I wanted to leave him then and there but I chose to stick around
and get hurt even more. Maybe, just maybe, seeing him look for things for her would wake me up from this dream.
Maybe the pain would snap me out of this illusion in my head.

“Is there anything you want?” He asked. I couldn’t look at him.

“No, I’m good,”

“Are you sure? You used to dance around souvenir shops before. You’d even dangle the things you want in front
of my eyes,” Minhyuk stated, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

“Before,” I mumbled with a sigh. “I’ll wait for you outside. Take your time looking around,”

“Hey. Are you—?” He softly called out but I didn’t wait for him to finish his question because I wasn’t okay.

I made my way out of the shop as I tried to blink away the tears. Why did he have to bring up what we used to do
before while he was buying things for her? I never realized how painful it was until today. I quickly dried my tears
just in case he rushes out.

“You need to wake up, (Y/N),” I reminded myself. “Stop deluding yourself,”

In my head, I was shaking myself awake from this dream.

I watched Minhyuk as he jogged out of the store with a small bag in hand. He gave me a closed -lip smile before
speaking. “We’re just on time to catch the sunset. Let’s go?”

With a tight smile, I nodded and followed him back to the beach. We found ourselves sitting by the shoreline, the
water lapping at our bare feet. Our sandals were placed beside us.

“It wasn’t so bad, was it?” He started. “I mean, spending time with me,”

“No,” I slightly lied. It really wasn’t bad but I knew that from tomorrow on, it would be a bad idea. “It’s been a while
since I had fun,”

“I’m glad but,” Minhyuk sighed. “Are you okay? And I mean really okay,”

There’s the dreaded question, I inwardly sighed.

“Do you want an honest answer?” I chuckled, trying to mask the pain, as I leaned back and propped my hands
behind me as I looked up at the sky. “Or do you want an answer that would put your mind at ease?”

“(Y/N),” he warned, as if telling me not to lie to him.

I huffed and thought about what to say. I thought about lying to him but what good would that do? So, I decided to
be honest. “The past days, I’ve been great. I felt great. I felt like I could be hap py until I die. But today,” I shook
my head. “I keep on thinking about what happens after today. Tomorrow, we’ll be going back to our own lives.
You’ll be going back to her,”

The sadness in my voice didn’t go unnoticed by him. I couldn’t even look at him as I said those words.

“I don’t know why that doesn’t sit well with me when I know I let you go to be with her. I should be happy. I should
be,” I whispered, as if trying to convince myself.

“You can talk to me, you know that, right?”

“I know but that doesn’t mean it’s not tough for me,”

“Why? I’m just me. I’m still me. I’m still your friend from before. I’m still the guy I was before we got married,”

“I know you are. But I’m not like you,” I uttered. “If talking with me is easy for you, then great. To me th ough, it’s
so hard to even think of you. Imagine how difficult it was for me to see you at that meeting. It was like I couldn’t
breathe. I thought that I’d be able to move on the same way you did but I couldn’t. Just because you seemed to
have moved on rather quickly doesn’t mean that it’s the same for me,”
Minhyuk let out a deep breath. “But letting go of me seemed like an easy task for you that day. You made it look
easy,”

I shook my head. “It was nowhere near easy. I was letting go of the one person who I knew would always have my
back. I was letting go of the person who I love with all of me. Do you even know how hard it was for me to tell you
to choose and then hearing you tell me that you couldn’t lose us both?”

“Didn’t you also think that I was also losing the girl I first fell in love with? The one who was always with me when
I was in my highest and in my lowest? The one who was always looking out for me even when she wasn’t around?
Trying to live without you wasn’t easy for me either. It wasn’t easy for me to move on quickly but I knew I had to. I
knew that that was what you wanted me to do,”

“You’re right. That’s exactly what I wanted you to do. I wanted you to pick yourself up and be happy with her,”

“But what about you?” He mumbled. “Didn’t you think of what you wanted?”

“What I wanted?” I bitterly laughed. “I wanted you to tell me not to leave. I wanted you to tell me that we’ll try to
work it out. I wanted you to choose me,” I weakly responded, finally feeling my walls breaking down. “I wanted you
to say that you’d end whatever was going on between you. I waited until the day I left. I was waiting for you to tell
me to stay,”

“Then why didn’t you fight for what you wanted? Why did you choose to be selfless?”

“Because I wanted it to come from you. I wanted you to be the one to tell me that you still want to be with me. If I
fought for what I wanted… If I made you stay with me, do you think you’d be happy? Do you think we’d both be
happy?”

“Maybe we would be! Maybe we could’ve tried!”

I shook my head. “Then what? We’d both be hurting inside because you realize that in the long run, it’s not me
anymore? You’d realize that it’s her? Believe it or not, you were so lost whenever you came home in that one
month that I tried to make things better. Do you know how much it fucking hurt to watch you and to be with you
while feeling that you’re both emotionally and mentally absent even if you’re just there right in front of me?

“I wanted to try,” I mumbled through my tears. “I wanted to try so har d but your happiness matters more to me
than my own,”

“And yours matters to me as well,” he argued. “I know I was a jerk for cheating on you because you weren’t there.
I was an asshole for what I did but your happiness also means a lot to me. Seeing you li ke this… Seeing how hurt
and in pain you still are makes me double think my choices. When I saw you laugh and smile that time at the night
market, I wanted to keep seeing that. I wanted you to keep on being that way,”

I couldn’t tell him that it was only him who could bring out that part of me. I couldn’t afford to be selfish when I let
him go. I didn’t have it in me to make him choose me now because I keep on thinking of how she’d feel. I don’t
want her to go through the same pain as I did. If there was even going to be a happy ending in our entangled
lives, then they should get it no matter how unfair it may sound to everyone else.

“Sometimes, I wish you’d think of what you want too. There’s nothing wrong with putting yourself first,” he
whispered.

I wanted to dispute his statement by saying, “How could I put myself first when someone else’s happiness was on
the line?” But I kept silent.

“Be honest with me. What’s really stopping you? What’s holding you back? Why is it so hard for you to let me
back in?”

I pursed my lips as I thought hard. “Because it still hurts. As much as I want you back in my life, I can’t yet
because when I look at you I end up thinking that maybe I made the wrong decision when I let you go. A part of
me still wishes that things would go back to the way they were,” I uttered. “When I said that I hope we can greet
each other as friends, I wanted it to be in a way where I wouldn’t question the choice I made. I wanted it to be in a
time when I’d look at you and feel nothing but happiness that you’re doing well. But not like this… Not when I’m
still trying to forgive myself for not being there for you,”

“(Y/N),” I could feel his eyes on me when he called my name. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry because you’re hurting this way
because of me. But I hope that you’ll also be able to forgive yourself. Somehow, part of me knew that you’re
blaming yourself for what I did. I know that you stillthink that if only you were around, then maybe this could’ve
been prevented,”

My heart felt heavy at his words.

“But this isn’t on you. It was a choice I made. It was my choice that destroyed what we had. If anything, out of the
two of us, you’re the one who should be happier,”

A smile cracked on my lips. “That’s just how life is,” I faintly mumbled. “It was never fair any way,”

No more words were said as we sat on the sand. He didn’t say anything as I did my best to cry in silence. He just
let me cry it all out until my tears have dried and ran out.

The sun had set and the stars and the moon were shining above us. It reminded me of that time he took me to a
surprise date by the beach. It was like this too—the two of us sitting under the shining stars.

“Are you happy?” I asked out of nowhere. “Does she make you happy?”

“She does,” he answered. I didn’t have to look to know that he was smiling as he spoke. “She’s just… I can’t
explain it but she makes me happy. Really, really happy,”

His words were like knives to my heart but I was relieved.

“Take care of her. Take care of what you’re trying to build with her. Don’t make the sa me mistake twice,” I
whispered, despite the lump in my throat.

//

The following morning, we separately headed back to the city. The five-hour drive was difficult for me because I
have no idea about what’s going to happen now that we were going back to our normal lives. For a few days, he
made me smile and laugh harder than I have the past year and a half. He made me tell him what’s really in my
head.

It was somehow liberating but I felt terrible. I felt bad for pouring my heart out to him when I should’ve b een
focusing on telling him to be happy with his girlfriend. Although I wouldn’t deny that I felt better —almost like a
weight was lifted off of my chest.

The first thing I did when I got back was to head to the office to turn in the articles I wrote about the night market
and the other things I’ve discovered in that town. My boss was surprised because she knew that I was there only
for the pre-launch article. It was my slight pay back for her insensitive comment on how I should “grow some
balls”.

Work became easier after that. Talking and discussing with Minhyuk and the team didn’t feel awkward like it did
the first time.

“I think we should put the displays on either side,” I commented as I drew on the blank layout of the venue. “A mix
of the laptop and the VR demo units would be nice on both sides so that the crowd will be dispersed,”

He took the clipboard that held the paper and pen from my hands as he looked up at the empty space in front of
us. We were checking out the venue of the event. I went with him because I wanted to see the size of the place
so that I could prepare how many team members I have to bring with me to the launch. There were a few others
with us as well.
“No. We can probably concentrate the displays here,” he said as he drew a long ellipse near the entrance. “Then
we’ll push the VR demo in this corner while the laptop demos units will be lined up here,” Minhyuk made a circle
towards the right of the stage for the VR units and another one near it for the laptops.

“Then what else are you going to put here? You also have to think that if everything is on this side, people might
get discouraged to try because of the crowd,”

“Maybe we should do two proposals for the layout?” He suggested. “Then let’s present it to the client tomorrow,”

I rolled my eyes. “Very well. You’re the lead marketer. I have no choice but to follow,”

“Then stop arguing with my points,” he huffed.

“Your points were terrible. I couldn’t help but argue,” I joked, grabbing my clipboard and pen from him. “Anyway,
I’ll take a look around more,” I waved and turned away from him.

I was only a few paces away when I stopped walking because I heard him excitedly and happily say, “What are
you doing here?”

A familiar voice rang in the empty venue. “I wanted to surprise you,”

I didn’t want to turn. I shouldn’t have but it seemed like my body was out of my control. Just in time, I saw
Minhyuk move to kiss her but she turned her head at the last moment, cau sing him to kiss the corner of her lips.
From where I was, I saw the hesitant look in her eyes. I wondered why she quickly averted her eyes when they
met mine.

I tried not to make it seem like I was hurt and jealous by the display of affection but I probab ly failed when I
sighed as I directed my gaze to the floor. I kept on telling myself that it was okay and that this was how things
were supposed to be. This was what I wanted anyway.

I raised my head, her eyes meeting mine again. Before she even got to look away, I gave her the warmest smile I
could muster as I nodded my head.

The moment I turned my back on them though, the smile on my lips dropped along with my heart. I didn’t bother
the two of them as I worked on my own proposal for the layout. As much as I tried not to mind them, it was
difficult when their voices echoed in the empty hall.

I couldn’t help but think of the last time I saw her. It was when she was walking out of the reunion with Minhyuk
beside her. A bittersweet feeling filled my heart the more I thought about that time.

‘Stop it,’ I hushed my thoughts.

I did my best to work quickly and thoroughly while trying to avoid being in the same area as the two of them. But
given how hushed the whispers of everyone else was, I could hear him saying h er name sweetly. Whenever I
turned, my eyes would gravitate towards them.

I’d see Minhyuk gesturing as he explained something to her. Then they’d enter into some sort of discussion which
would sometimes end in what seemed like a playful banter.

The scene tugged at my heart but despite how painful it was, I managed to smile to myself. Once I was able to
pen down my proposed layout on the paper, I started to pack up my things. There really was no sense in staying
when I’m finished with what I have to do.

I was debating in my head if I should say goodbye to Minhyuk and his girlfriend but when I looked at them, it was
like they were in their own world. I didn’t realize that I was watching them until my phone loudly rang.

Embarrassed, I quickly answered it without looking at the caller ID, “Hello?”

“Are you free right now? I made something new. I thought you might like it given that you have a knack for
sweets,” Changsub’s voice came from the other end of the line.

A soft smile made its way to my lips as I picked up my bag. “Sweets. Exactly what I need,” I chuckled. “I just
finished checking out the venue for a project. I can do the rest of my work when I get back to my house. So,
where do I go?”

“Great. I’ll text you the address,” I could almost see him smiling. “Are you driving? If you are, I’ll reserve a spot in the
parking lot,”

“Ah, no. I’ll just take the train. I left my car,”

“Eh? Well… Where are you? I can pick you up,”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I can take the train,” I argued.

“No. Text me the address and I’ll be there. Okay? Okay!” Changsub laughed and then ended the call before I got to
respond. I rubbed my forehead in annoyance but I was thankful, nonetheless. I quickly sent him the address of
the venue and he immediately responded that it’d take him about half an hour.

‘Half an hour,’ I sighed to myself as I sat down on the floor by the side of the venue near the entrance. Thankfully,
I decided to go for my trusty jeans so it wasn’t awkward sitting on the floor. Half an hour is a lot of time that I
could use to work or to watch the couple on the other side of the room.

Hastily, I pulled out my laptop to work. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore when I get home. I
connected my headphones to my laptop and plugged them into my ears to drown out everything around me. Too
engrossed in my work, I didn’t notice time ticking by.

Just as I hit the save button, someone pushed the lid of my laptop closed. A vein almost popped on my
forehead. ‘What is it with people and rudely closing my laptop while I’m working?’ I glared at the person in front of me
only to see Changsub squatting with an amused smile on his face.

“How rude,” I commented as I removed my earphones and stuffed it in my bag.

“Rude?” He scoffed. “How about you? I’ve been texting you repeatedly,”

I quickly checked my phone. A sheepish laugh escaped my lips at my own mistake. True enough, there were
multiple messages from Changsub. “Sorry, my bad,”

“I’ll accept your apology if you do a write-up for my new creation,” Changsub grinned as he helped me up to my
feet. I had to roll my eyes when he slung his arm around my shoulder before we started to walk out of the venue.

“Just make sure it won’t kill me,” I shuddered, remembering that time I literally choked on one of his experimental
creations. I couldn’t look at food the same way I used to for days.

“No, no. This one’s really good. You’ll like it,” he answered confidently.

I was about to question him but the words felt like they got stuck in my throat as we stopped walking.

“Oh,” Changsub sounded surprised as he looked at me then at the two people who were also about to leave. “You
didn’t tell me…” He trailed off as he watched his ex-wife and Minhyuk who were standing in front of us.

I was watching Minhyuk the whole time. I had to stop myself from frowning in jealousy when I saw his arm around
her waist tighten as he pulled her closer. I watched his scrutinizing eyes that were on Changsub before they
trailed to the arm around my shoulder, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. It made me wonder what was running
through his mind but the protective stance he was holding drowned that wonder away.
I could feel the tension between the two men start to rise. I wanted to bury my face into my palms in
embarrassment. ‘Boys,’ I thought.

“Uh,” I awkwardly started. “I’ll send the tentative list of people I’ll take with me to the event before the week ends.
I’ll double check with my boss first,”

“Oh. Yeah, sure. Let me know once you’ve sent it,” Minhyuk responded, trying to put on his working guy façade.

I tried to smile at his girlfriend and him as I said, “We’ll go on ahead. Have a good day.”

With that, I quickly pulled Changsub away from the scene. My eyes scanned the open parking lot, trying to look
for his car but I couldn’t see it.

“This way,” he finally spoke, leading me to a brand new white sedan. It was one of the luxury sports cars available
in the market. I was gaping at him and his new vehicle. “Flies might enter your mouth if you keep it opened,”

“You… You’re filthy rich,”

The man shrugged. “It’s one of my dream cars… She encouraged me to buy it,” he responded a little
absentmindedly while entering his car. With a sigh, I did the same.

We were both silent on the way to his restaurant. Both of us were drowned in our thoughts. Even when he gave
me the slice of a normal looking chocolate cake, he had this distant look in his eyes. I couldn’t even take a bite
because I was getting bothered.

“Okay. What’s on your mind?” I asked, placing my fork down.

Changsub sighed as he leaned forward on the steel island in front of me. “You didn’t tell me t hey were there…,”

“Didn’t you know about them?”

“I knew,” he frowned. “I was just surprised. It was only recently that I knew about them. I mean… You do know
that my ex-wife and I talk sometimes but it’s kind of weird seeing her with him,”

I pursed my lips. “I guess so. Looking at someone you’ve spent most of your life with and shared dreams with in
the arms of someone else is weird,”

The man in front of me sighed before he clicked his tongue. “How are you? How do you feel about it? Last time
we talked about him was in Norway and I had a difficult time trying to get you to talk,”

I ran my fingers through my hair as I remembered that time in Norway. It was a day after we saw the Northern
Lights. The two of us were in a pub and I ended up pouring my heart out to him. It was humiliating but no one in
the pub cared anyway.

With a deep sigh, I told him about the first time we met again until the last day we spent together by the beach. I
told him about how we were trying to work out being friends again. I told him everything I’ve felt in those days —
happy, sad, grateful, jealous, and everything else in between. Changsub listened intently withou t saying anything.

“I’ve come to terms with it that day by the beach. I think I’ve accepted that the idea of an us won’t happen
anymore. I mean, I have but there’s always this nagging thought in my mind that maybe it’s still possible,” I
mumbled. “I guess hearing him say that he’s really happy with her made me realize that I did the right thing even
if there are days when I regret letting him go and not being there for him,”

He nodded, a small smile directed my way. “The trip out of town and the time you sp ent must’ve been good for
you. I’m glad you gave him the chance. Maybe being friends with him would help. It may also be the way for you
to forgive yourself. I’m not saying it’s going to be an easy ride from here on out. I’m sure it’ll be difficult and
painful for you in ways that I can’t imagine but you’ll pull through,”
The vote of confidence from him made me smile. “I hope so too. I want to get out of this never -ending cycle. If
he’s happy, then I should be too, right? That’s what I wanted him to be anyw ay. I let him go because I wanted him
to be happy,” I mumbled the last part, as if convincing myself.

“We let them go because we wanted them to be happy,” Changsub reiterated.

I nodded in agreement.

“Then we owe it to ourselves to be happy too, right? And,” he smiled. “You need to forgive yourself too about what
you did and what you lacked. Aside from patching things up with him, maybe that’s what you need to do for
yourself,”

“Maybe,” I uttered before making a weird noise as I shook out the negative feelin gs in my system. “Enough of this.
I came here for the cake,”

“You’re unbelievable,” he laughed as he watched me take up the fork and eat.

Changsub earnestly watched as I took another bite, trying to taste whatever it was that he added.

“Weird. It tastes sweet but there’s this spiciness biting at the tip of my tongue,”

He grinned in pride. “Good, right? I can’t tell you the secret ingredient though,”

“You placed wild peppers into this, didn’t you?” I nonchalantly stated.

The grin on his lips dropped. “How…?”

“I’ve been spending too much time with you in the kitchen and you might’ve forgotten that I can cook too,”

“Okay. I’m really through with this friendship of ours,”

//

With the event coming closer, the team was getting busier. I was getting called in for m eetings left and right. I
guess this was why I never took part of articles that dealt with event partnerships before. I do admit that it’s fun
because I can get around to different places while meeting different people too.

Despite the hectic schedule, I finally had some free time to myself. It was nice out so I headed for a park in the
middle of the city. Thankfully, despite it being early in the afternoon, the sun’s rays weren’t punishing to the skin.
The light breeze felt nice as I walked wearing a black summer dress with floral prints on it and white sneakers. It’s
been so long since I was able to have time like this for myself.

I found an empty bench under the shade of a tree. Around me, I could hear the laughter of children running
around. There was also a faint sound of a dog barking playfully. A smile was on my lips as I took out my old blue
notebook.

I thumbed through the pages, looking at the drawings and short blurbs that I’ve written in the past. Some of my
work notes were also here too and it was nice to read them again.

“That doesn’t look like me,” Minhyuk’s voice rang in my head when I stopped at a particular drawing. A chuckle
escaped my lips at the sketch of a squirrel I showed him before. As much as he heavily denied it, he did look like
the squirrel.

I kept on browsing, each page reminding me of a different scene. I thought it would hurt a lot to remember those
moments but I couldn’t help smile at each memory that would play in my head. Sure, there would always be a
pinch in my heart but those were precious memories. Instead of turning them into something that would make me
sad, I’ve realized that I should treasure them by keeping them as happy memories.
I was about to grab a pencil in my bag when I heard someone clear their throat causing me to look up. The first
thing I noticed after I saw her was the shirt she was wearing. I knew it was his. How could I not when it was the
shirt I got him from one of my trips abroad?

“I’m not saying that it’s going to be an easy ride from here on out,” Changsub’s words rang in my head. In that
moment, I realized that it really wasn’t. I’m going to learn how to live with and to suppress the bouts of jealousy
that I was feeling.

The only good thing about seeing it on her was that he still kept it. The thought that he kept something that was
from me made me a bit happier. I do wonder if she knew that it was a gift of mine.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I smiled at her.

“Do you mind if I take a seat?”

I shook my head, my hand gesturing for her to take up the empty space. We were both silent for a while. It was
starting to get awkward so I blurted out the first thing that came into my mind.

“Nice shirt,”

I watched her look down at it and stumbled over some words. I probably caught her off -guard and she was most
likely trying to tell me that it wasn’t hers. She settled with a weak thank you. “Y-Your dress is nice too,” she
added.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

Another awkward silence fell around us. I tried to draw again but I couldn’t. Not when I was feeling conscious
around her. To be honest, I wanted to pack up and run but if I do that, then it’d be doing that for the rest of my
life. I need to get used to this. I need to stop running.

“Uh,” she mumbled. “The weather’s nice,”

I chuckled as I closed my notebook. “It is,” I agreed with her as I glanced at her from the corner of my eyes. I
could feel the awkwardness radiating from her so I asked, “How are you?”

Now that the question was out, I didn’t really know what to expect. Would she answer that she’s fine and happy
with her life now? Even if she didn’t seem like the kind of person, would she rub it into my face that she’s happy
with Minhyuk?

“I’m good,” she responded. I saw her visibly relax on her spot. Was I intimidating her? “How about you? Been
busy because of the event?”

I nodded before responding, “That’s good to hear. As for me, aside from being busy for the event, I’ve been okay
too.” I knew okay was a vague answer but it was the best word I could come up with at the moment.

“Uh,” the girl beside me mumbled once more. “Actually… I’ve been meaning to talk to you. It must be fate that I
got to meet you here,”

I did my best not to scoff at the word fate. I never disliked it until it decided to play with our lives. Who knows
though… Maybe fate was being this way to save us from a greater pain that was supposed to fall upon us. Maybe
this was life’s way of correcting things. Maybe there’s something to look forward to once again when we’ve all
forgiven ourselves and moved on from the pain of it all.

I turned to look at her, brushing away my distaste for fate. If she was nervous earlier, now she looked like she
was about to run away at any time. By the sound of it, I already had an inkling of what she wanted to talk about. I
pursed my lips as I deeply exhaled. “About what?”
“About…” She trailed off. I could see it in her eyes that she was trying to properly word what she wanted to say.
“About what happened in the past. About what happened to you and Minhyuk,”

I bit down on my lip at the sound of his name. Sure, things have bee n better between us but having to talk about
what happened to us with his current girlfriend was something I never really imagined I’d do in this life. My heart
felt heavy with pain because this was the girl he chose over our marriage. No matter how hard I try to forget it,
that fact would always make its way into my head whenever what happened to Minhyuk and me gets brought up.
Aside from that, I had no idea what to say to her.

Should I tell her that it’s fine and that there’s really nothing to worry about anymore? Does she need some kind of
assurance that I’m okay with them being together? Is she asking me for some kind of blessing?

Even if my mind was producing so many responses, I could only say, “Oh. Okay.”

“I’m…” The girl started but she had to take in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I know that what I’ve done is beyond
anyone’s forgiveness. I know that it is a mortal sin. I know that I’ve ruined your relationship. I’m so sorry,” she
hung her head in remorse. “I’m sorry,” she repeated in a whisper.

I listened to her and to every word she said. I noticed her tears that were dropping on her sketchbook. The image
of her made me think of so many things but I realized that I wasn’t the only one going through some kind of pain.
Even if she was happy with him, I felt that she wasn’t a hundred percent happy because she was still harboring so
much guilt from what happened. To hear her say that what she did was a mortal sin made my heart ache for her.

“I never realized that this was also difficult for you until today,” I whispered. “In my head, I have this image that
you and Minhyuk are happily living your lives with no worries. I was wrong about that.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I deeply sighed. My throat was starting to close in on me as I tried not to
show her that I, too, was close to crying. “I forgive you. I’ve forgiven you and Minhyuk when I handed him back my
ring,” I mumbled shakily. I took in a deep breath when I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “I could’ve tried to live
with it but I knew that he would be happier with you. You don’t have to say sorry because all I want for him is to
be where he’s truly happy. That night, I realized that it wasn’t with me but with you. I wasn’t wrong,”

I really wasn’t wrong. When he shared something about her, it’s lik e his eyes held the stars. Maybe that was how
he was with me before. Maybe until now when he would remember memories of old. But it was different with her.
I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. It was like watching the moon orbiting around the earth. They wer e in sync.

As much as it hurt, I was happy with that. Others would tell me I was stupid for letting him go but if he wasn’t truly
happy with me, then why shouldn’t I let go? I promised him that his happiness would always come above mine.
Minhyuk told me it was stupid because he’d only be happy when I was. Neither of us really knew how heavy that
promise meant until that night.

“Thank you,” was all she said but I felt her whole heart with it. I couldn’t help but smile at her as I placed a
reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Be happy with him,” I told her. “You may have thought that you don’t deserve it but everyone in this world
deserves happiness. Making him happy is the best thank you that you can give to me,”

She nodded, the smile on her face never leaving. “Yes. And I hope that you’ll be happy too. Both you and
Changsub. I hope both of you will be happy,” she paused. I wasn’t sure if she was seeing the confused look on
my face but the woman continued, “Are both of you…?”

I repeatedly blinked before I burst out laughing. The weight on my shoulders disappeared as I shook my head.
“Oh God, no,” I chuckled. “We’re not together or anything. Was that how it seemed like?”

I felt like I was about to shed tears due to laughter this time.

I was surprised by her genuine answer. “Yes. I really thought that… I mean, that can happen. He’s a great guy.
I’m sorry. I really thought both of you are…” She trailed off as she laughed.
I could only shake my head as we laughed together after I denied it once again.

“Are you going to call him or not?”

I glared at the man in front of me. I was holding his phone as I contemplated if I should. I’ve been putting it off
until I found myself in the airport, about to pass through the immigration. I knew that the moment I walk through
those gates, I wouldn’t call him because no one would nag me about it anymore.

“Should I?” I sighed. “I mean… We’re friends but does he need to know? Does he even want to know?”

“Well, if I were him, I’d still want to know where my ex-wife will be going if she’s going to disappear for a year,” he
responded. “You’re practically going to be unreachable for half of your trip because you’ll be off hiking up
mountains in foreign countries.”

“I’ll be back in a year. A year’s not that long,” I argued but he just gave me an unamus ed look. “Besides, won’t it
just be a bother for him? He’s living his own life that’s separate from mine,”

“(Y/N)… Even you’re not sure if you’ll only be gone for a year or for forever,” he frowned. “So, think about
yourself. What about you? Do you want him to know? Will you be able to take it: not saying goodbye and then
ending up not coming back at all?”

“I…” His words made me think. The plan was that I’ll be going to go hiking up mountains for the first six months of
my trip. After that, I’ll be flying to New York to take a special class for one semester. Supposedly, I would go back
after that but if I find a better opportunity for me there, I might not come back here. If I realize that that was where
I belonged, then I might stay there for good.

“I can keep on telling you reasons as to why you should call him but it’s all up to you if you want to. I’m not going
to rub it in your face when the time comes and he says that you should’ve told him. It’s your life,”

“I know,” I mumbled. “I know we’re friends but I always feel like I’m walking on a tight rope whenever I decide on
things that concern him. I’m just… I’m scared of crossing a boundary that I don’t even know,”

My companion smiled at me comfortingly, “She won’t take it against you if you let him know. You two did talk
about things and you’ve both cleared whatever bad blood was there between you two.”

I sighed. It’s wasn’t just that. He has other things to worry about like his work and his relationship. I’m not saying
that it’s for certain but if ever, I don’t want him to worry about me too.

But I want to say goodbye, just in case.

I gathered all the courage in me and called him. It only took three rings before he picked up his phone. I couldn’t
help but smile when his voice rang from the other end of the line.

“Changsub, what’s up?” He greeted.

I suddenly remembered that time when Changsub and Minhyuk crossed paths during the ocular of the venue. The
two looked like they were sizing each other but now, they’re back to being good friends. Of course, it too k them a
while.

Boys, I rolled my eyes.

“Changsub?”

Right.
“It’s (Y/N), actually,” I responded.

“Oh. Is something wrong? Why are you using Changsub’s phone?” He quickly asked. From his side of the line, I heard
him excuse himself before I heard the shuffling of feet.

“No, no. Nothing’s wrong. Uh… Were you busy?” I tentatively asked. Maybe I should’ve just sent him a text.

“No, no. It’s fine,”

“Okay,” I mumbled. How do I even tell him? How do I begin?

“Are you okay?” Minhyuk worriedly asked. Even if we’re now living separately, I guess he never really changed
when it came to caring about people.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I breathed. “I just called because I wanted to say goodbye,”

“What do you mean?” His tone was clipped, like he wanted me to quickly explain what I was saying.

“I took a leave from work… A one-year sabbatical leave,” I told him. “I’m leaving today. Well, in a few hours,”

He was silent. I wasn’t sure if he was mad because I only told him now or if he was just plain surprised. It took
him a while to respond, “Where are you going?”

“Here and there,” I joked. “I’ll go hiking for six months and then I’ll study in New York. But,”

“Why do I feel like you’re about to say that you’re not sure if you’ll be coming back here?”

I hummed. “Because that was what I was going to say. I wasn’t sure if I should let you know but if I’m not coming
back, then I want to tell you a proper goodbye,” I whispered. “I know that things aren’t the same between us. I
know that we’re still trying but Changsub made me realize that I wouldn’t be able to take not saying goodbye to
you if I end up leaving for good,”

“Then what about your work? They’re still expecting you to come back when your sabbatical ends, right?” It was like he
was trying to give me a reason to come back here.

“If ever, they’re letting me work remotely in New York,” I briefly explained.

His heavy sigh filled my ear. “Go for it,” he encouraged after a while. “Go and do all the things you’ve wanted to do
that you couldn’t before. I’m really proud of you. I just wish that we could’ve seen each other before you leave,”

His encouragement made my heart swell. It felt nice to hear him say those words to me. It made me feel like I
could take on the world.

“Thank you and sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. I didn’t want to bother you,”

“You’re not a bother,” he chuckled. “You’re my friend… One of my best friends at that. You need to get that drilled into
your head. You’re never a bother,”

I smiled. “Okay, okay. I got it,”

“Take care of yourself. If ever you need anything, you can always count on us. You can count on me, you know that,
right?” Minhyuk softly said. The warmth in his voice radiated through the phone.

I felt tears prickling my eyes at his words as I nodded silently. My gaze landed on Changsub’s consoling smile
after he patted my shoulder. I took in a deep breath to calm myself.
“You can count on me too. Always,” I sincerely told him. I wanted to tell him t hree more words but I didn’t. I kept
that to myself. “Thank you, Minhyuk. I hope that we’ll all see each other again,”

“We will. Somehow, somewhere,”

We exchanged a few more words and well-wishes before we cut the call. I thanked Changsub when I gave him
back his phone.

“So,” he smiled. “Do you feel like you can go with no regrets now?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks,”

He shrugged. “Well, I just didn’t want you calling me in the middle of the night just to cry about not saying
goodbye to him,”

I rolled my eyes as I huffed in defiance. “I was about to thank you for coming to see me off even if you didn’t have
to but never mind,”

Changsub chuckled as he shook his head. “I figured that no one would see you off so I’m just being a good
friend,”

“Remind me again why we’re friends,” I joked. The two of us shared a laugh but it was somber after that.

This was it. I’m going to leave for a while, or maybe for forever.

“I never really told you how thankful I am that we bumped into each other in Norway. It was awkward at first
because it was the first time we saw each other again after that night. But I’m really happy that we became good
friends. Thank you for being someone I could lean on,” I honestly told him. “After all that happened, I just didn’t
think that the four of us would be this way,”

He flicked me on the forehead as he said, “Stop talking like we’re never going to see each other again. Besides,
it’s not like I can’t fly to where you are when you start studying.” Changsub sighed, a small smile on his lips. “I do
agree with you, (Y/N). I guess we’re all mature people who only want what’s best for the people who used to
mean the world to us,”

“Right,” I nodded. “Thanks again for seeing me off. It’s comforting to see a familiar face before I leave. We ll then,
I’ll be going,”

The man nodded. “Take care,”

“You too,” I smiled before I turned my back towards him.

I stared at the large text that spelled out ‘IMMIGRATION’ on the wall in front of me. I deeply breathed before
nodding to myself.

You can do this, I encouraged myself to step forward. I took it one step at a time until I found myself not dragging
my feet towards the immigration section—towards the unknown that the future holds.