(A/N: Lol, a lot of you already hate Sehun, which is fair enough, I suppose. However, I promise there will be a redemption arc for him. Afterall, after this chapter, there are only two chapters left of Affair. I didn't even realise how close we were to the end. I'm kinda sad that it's almost finished...)

"Let's... let's stop this." 

Sehun stared at her carefully, heart pounding. "Stop... stop what?"

Areum sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "This. Our relationship. Whatever this is."

He gulped, feeling his stomach twist as something in his chest broke. "Areum..."

"No, Sehun. I'm sick of this. I thought we could get over it, but it doesn't seem like we can. You have Joohyun now and I'm..." she took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I'm fine alone."

'No... it's not like that. I don't like Joohyun that way...'

He clenched his jaw, looking down at the floor. "You're breaking up with me?"

"I wouldn't if I didn't think I had another choice," she said gently. "I still love you, Sehun. But I don't think I can do this anymore. I think we should just take a break... settle our differences, maybe. Maybe in the future, we can try again..."

'You know I still love you too, right?'

He closed his eyes, feeling his heart break. This was it. This was the end. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"I know you are. And I am too for doing this," Her eyes were teary as she gave him a final, soft smile. 

'I love you Kim Areum, but I don't want to hurt you anymore.'

**********************

"Hey, did you hear? People are saying Areum and Sehun broke up!"

"Wait, for real?"

"Yeah! I heard that Sehun's now dating Joohyun. That's why they broke up in the first place."

"What about Areum?"

"You know that new kid, Taehyung? Apparently, they were childhood friends and now he has the hots for her!"

"She's so lucky! She has so many boys chasing after her!"

Sehun tensed as he heard people whispering around him. Joohyun was by his side, looking completely unperturbed. They were on their way to the cafeteria for lunch and the rumours had been following him since. Areum, after breaking up the morning after he found her drunk, had tried her best to avoid him and ignored his presence.

He didn't blame her. He hated himself too. 

Suddenly, Joohyun tripped. Out of instinct, he caught her by the arm, blinking in surprise. "Woah, you okay?"

She nodded silently, gripping onto his arm. Nodding, he tried withdrawing his hand. To his surprise, Joohyun held onto it tighter, refusing to let go. She avoided his eyes. "Joohyun?"

"Just...don't argue, okay?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just.. trust me," she gave him an odd smile before entering the cafeteria door, him in tow. Confusion prevented him from realising what she was doing - and the consequences it would bring. 

The entire cafeteria stared at him and Joohyun, whispers already rising about their intertwined hands. He blinked, dread settling in his stomach as he tried to let go of his hand. Joohyun held on tighter, however, and flashed him a sweet smile before leading him towards their table. Everyone was staring at them except for one. 

Areum had caught a glimpse of them as they entered, hand in hand. She hadn't even reacted and just looked down, suddenly losing her appetite as her stomach twisted. She felt Taeyeon send her a worried glance but she just smiled back at her, forcing herself to remain unperturbed. She and Sehun were no longer dating, afterall. 

After their conversation that night, after she broke up with him, she'd immediately gone to Taeyeon's house, seeking consolation, tears streaming down her face as she knocked on her door. She'd cried harder than ever before that night after explaining what she'd done to Taeyeon. The latter had been furious with Sehun, but Areum had begged her not to do anything. It hurt too much. Reluctantly, the blonde girl agreed and allowed Areum to stay over, comforting her heartbroken friend with ice cream and sappy romance dramas. 

Even though they were no longer dating, however, it didn't mean the sight of them hand-in-hand didn't hurt. She looked away as they sat down across from her. The entire group was staring at them, faces ranging from confusion to indignation and, in Taeyeon's case, downright fury. 

"Uh, Sehun..." Junmyeon trailed off, eyes glancing over at Areum briefly. She pretended like she didn't notice and continued to eat. Her sandwich suddenly tasted dry. 

"What are you doing?" Baekhyun spoke this time, and like Taeyeon, he seemed angry. His voice was sharp as he glared at the maknae and the girl sitting next to him. 

"What's wrong, Baekhyun-ah?" Joohyun asked sweetly as Sehun looked away. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at the brown-haired girl. 

"What's wrong, Joohyun-ah, is that Sehun clearly has a girlfriend - whom, might I add, is also his fiancé - and yet he somehow walks into the cafeteria hand-in-hand with another girl," the small, spunky male enunciated carefully, voice aggressive. Areum pressed her lips together, trying hard to maintain her act of nonchalance when inside, she wanted nothing more than to break down. 

"They're no longer dating, Baekhyun-ah," Joohyun replied, in the same sweet, kind voice of hers. This time, it was laced with a smug victory. Everyone's eyes widened as their gazes snapped towards either Areum or Sehun. 

"What?" Chanyeol blinked, frowning. "When? Why?"

Joohyun shrugged, subtly sending the dark-haired girl a smirk. Something crumbled inside of her. "Who knows? Maybe they just weren't suitable for each other."

"You-" Baekhyun started angrily when suddenly, Taeyeon stood up furiously, glaring at Joohyun. 

"Alright, listen here you . Whatever you did-"

"Tae," Kai stood up, giving her a gentle look. "That's enough." His eyes flitted pointedly towards Areum, who genuinely looked like she was about to break down any moment, and Taeyeon followed his glance. Her eyes softened as she took in her friend's emotionally battered state. With one last venomous glower in the brown-haired girl's direction, she reluctantly sat down again. The tension at the table was so thick, one could cut it with a butter knife. 

"So, what do you have for lunch?" Joohyun asked casually, unperturbed. Sehun paused momentarily, glancing at the girl sitting across him, his eyes softening. 

"Nutella sandwich," he replied quietly, returning his gaze to Joohyun. The latter frowned, tilting her head. 

"But I thought you hated Nutella?"

He shrugged, eyes unconsciously straying towards Areum once again. "I guess... it's okay. Someone made it for me, so... it'd be a shame to throw it out."

Suddenly, the sound of a chair screeching across the floor could be heard as Areum suddenly stood up. Everyone fell silent as they watched her. She blinked, shutting the emotions out of her eyes, before turning to Kai. She smiled casually. 

"You like Nutella, don't you? You can have my sandwich," she said, handing him her barely-eaten lunch. Kai frowned in concern. 

"Areum..."

"I just remembered I've got a book I need to borrow from the library, so I'll be off first," she grinned and stepped away from the table. "See you guys later."

The table was silent as they watched her leave. Areum was an amazing actor, but everyone could see from a mile away the hurt she was trying to conceal. Just as she turned away, she caught eyes with Sehun, who'd stood up like he was going to chase after her. The look on her face stopped him, however, as he watched with wide eyes. She dashed from the cafeteria without another word. 

Another screech of metal on the floor filled his ears and he looked to see Taeyeon glaring at him angrily as she stood up. "You're a ing jerk, you know that?" she spat, before running out to follow her best friend. He could feel the disapproving stares of his friends pinned on him - in particular, Baekhyun, who looked like he was about to follow Taeyeon's example. He felt like the tiest person in the world as the haunting image of Areum's expression flashed across his mind. An empty hollow filled his chest. 

Areum, the girl with the infallible strength and determination, had given up. 

*******************

Areum was sitting in Jin's kitchen silently as he poured her a cup of tea. "Here," he handed her the cup. She took it, staring at the reflection of the water as the cup warmed her hands. Her hair was still wet from walking through the rain to Jin's house. She hadn't cried yet though, which surprised her. 

She took a sip, conscious of Jin's eyes on her. He remained silent, to her gratitude, as he waited for her. They'd been friends for long enough for him to know what was troubling her and that asking questions would only make her feel worse. Taeyeon, who'd texted him before, explained to him the situation that had taken place. 

To say he wasn't angry at Sehun would be a lie, but his first and foremost concern was Areum's well-being. The girl had shown up at his door, soaking wet after walking through the pouring rain to his house. He'd been alarmed and immediately grabbed her a towel, sitting her down by the heater. Soon after, he'd received a text from Taeyeon, asking if Areum was at his house. After he confirmed and asked what had happened, she explained the situation - about Sehun, Joohyun, their breakup and everything else. He decided dealing with Sehun could wait. 

"I'm guessing you don't want to go home today, which is why you came here?" he asked, causing her to nod. "Do you want me to prepare a room-"

"Sir, Miss Ta