Jiyong glanced at the computer screen in barely muted annoyance, the pounding in his temples only growing more harsher as the seconds in the clock ticked by loudly. He must’ve been a sight, really—all bloodshot eyes and ruffled hair and gritted teeth. The headache wasn’t helping any, especially since now the brightness of the monitor just made everything made even hurt more, prickling in the edges of his eyes as tears involuntarily formed at the strain. The bars of notes and melodies pre-recorded and set, the blues and greens and yellows of the different channels, the blinking lights of the mixer, all just seemed like a blur through the glaze on his eyes now, and that was never a good sign. It meant he was approaching his limits or that he was already there.

“.” He groaned quietly, glaring at everything and nothing. The ticking of the stupid clock in the back only succeeded in putting him on edge more than ever. He could even feel the ugly cramps he was going to be stuck with if he didn’t loosen his shoulders any second.

The silence was loud and unwanted.

His eyes involuntarily fell on the black device thrown haphazardly beside his computer, the screen still lit obnoxiously bright at the last app he’d been on, or more importantly, the last message he’d read from that one person that could still affect him like no other. His emotions, his state, his everything, and it didn’t even seem like she had a clue.

I’m sorry. Maybe we should take a break for a while. I don’t know how else to go about this anymore.

No ing clue.

How could a person be so oblivious? Or maybe another question would be, how could he have let a person have so much power over him? It was ridiculous is what it was. How many times had he preached to Youngbae about not letting Hyorin have so much control over him all the time, and here he was, having a woman have so much control over him, the person who gave the goddamn advice to others in the first place.

It was even affecting his work this time, and not in a good way for a change, because didn’t that message seem like some sort of finality in their pitiful state of affairs? One of the things Jiyong could’ve held onto with a vice grip was how even though the relationship was hanging on by a fraying thread, both of them persevere. They were tenacious. It was a constant, however twisted that was because a healthy relationship wasn’t supposed to have the relentless pull and push as a constant, but instead have trust and compromise and love as the constants instead.

Then again, they never claimed to be an ideal relationship anyway.

Rubbing his palms over his weary face harshly, Jiyong looked back at his phone, now completely black, the screen off from disuse. What did he even reply to that? Should he reply to that? Because it seemed like she’d made up her own damn mind about it long back, he thought bitterly.

A ping cut through the heavy air, startling him slightly from the hole he was slowly but steadily descending into again. His phone was alight again, with one new message notification seen.

Eye-Smile Tiffany.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly at that, though he wasn’t really surprised. They did sometimes text at these times, especially recently since he knew the other had intense rehearsals these days for her upcoming concerts as well. He could feel his mind clearing up slightly as he sat up straighter and unlocked his phone, slightly relieved he had something else to direct his attention to, even though his headache was still painfully present and he definitely had to decrease the brightness of it to its lowest setting.

From: Eye-Smile Tiffany

Hey you~~

Dress rehearsals finally over! Yay!

Anyway, it’s way, way too late right now so I just wanted to wish you goodnight!

(And by that, I mean get off your and go to bed, mister. Work can still be done tomorrow, you workaholic.)

(Received—2:06 a.m.)

Involuntarily, a smile lit up his face at the words. But soon enough, the smile dissolved into an empty frown as the ticking of the clock only got louder and louder and soon he was typing away at his phone, not willing for such a welcome interruption to be the only one, even if she was retiring for the night. It may have been selfish, Jiyong could testify to that with the slight guilt he felt at keeping her awake for his needs even though he knew how tiring her day was, but he just couldn’t let go of the only thing that made him want to move even a little bit after that previous bomb from his girlfriend? Ex-girlfriend?

(He didn’t even know anymore.)

Anything to keep her talking for a few minutes more. Just a few.

To: Eye-Smile Tiffany

Are you really sleepy right now?

(Sent—2:07 a.m.)

From: Eye-Smile Tiffany

Man, that was a quick reply, lol.

Um, no, not totally. I can be up for a bit more.

What’s up?