“Come back with me to Seoul,” Yonghwa stood beside her inside her tiny apartment. She had been released from the hospital earlier and Yonghwa immediately brought her here to get some rest. She looked around her and saw the faded wallpaper, the worn out couch where she slept most of the time as it was more comfortable than the wooden bed she had, and the tiny kitchen which didn’t even have the basic necessities for cooking. It was indeed very small and dilapidated, but she felt a slight tug as she thought about leaving this place she was able to call as her own. She raised her eyes to meet his and nodded.

            “Alright. But first, you need to take this back,” she handed him the check he callously threw to her face when they broke up. She saw him gulp nervously as their minds visited the horrible break up they had, but she pushed the thought away. It was her that got hurt more, so she shouldn’t care much if he was uncomfortable remembering how cold he had been that day.

            Yonghwa wanted to refuse it but the determined look on her face forced him to reach out and take it back.

            “When will we be leaving?” she asked him thinking about the people she’d leave behind and the work she would have to quit.

            “How about Sunday?” he asked and she nodded. She still had two days to pack her meager belongings and say goodbye.

            “Okay,” she mumbled, she was too distracted by how near he was to her.

            “I’ll just go out to grab us some lunch and a few things,” Yonghwa quietly slipped away giving her some time to digest everything that’s happened.

            Seohyun grabbed her suitcase and crammed whatever belongings she owned into it. She didn’t have many clothes or shoes either. She’d left behind her old, fashion-conscious closet when they broke up. Back then, she knew that the clothes he bought for her wouldn’t fit in a few months time so bringing them didn’t matter. It was ironic that she was returning to the place where it all began and crumbled apart. Though her heart was torn, her mind told her this was the right thing to do. After packing, she cleaned the place up and decided to inform the Kim’s about what happened.

            “Unnie,” Seohyun beamed at Hyoyeon who hugged her tight and was checking her for any injuries.

            “What are you doing here? I heard you stayed at the hospital for some time,” Hyoyeon eyed her worriedly.

            “I’m fine unnie. Anyway, I came by to tell you guys that I’m quitting this job,” she thanked them and explained what had happened.

            “Are you sure about this Hyun?” Heechul suddenly piped behind the two and Seohyun nodded.

            “We could help you through this without you having to go back to him,” Hyoyeon insisted.

            “I can’t unnie. You’ve done so much for me for the past few months already,” she replied and her eyes were tearing up.

            “Hey, don’t cry,” Heechul handed her a tissue and hugged her after she blew her nose.