"I need to say something." Baekho still could not believe himself that he was going to do this. His mind was full of uncertainties. He knew that he was going to regret his action but he also had to be honest with himself, and the other man in front of him. Slowly, Baekho took the younger's hand, carresing it softly while he braced himself to look directly at the younger's brown orbs only to look away just a few seconds after.

"What is it?" Minhyun's voice was full of worries and sadness, as if he had predicted what Baekho was going to say. One of his hands grabbed Baekho's chin, forcing the older to make an eye contact with him.

"I'm really sorry to say this Minhyun-ah, but..." Baekho sighed, unable to continue his sentence. Actually, he had prepared a week long for this moment, the moment to face the harsh reality.

"You're going to break up with me, aren't you?" Minhyun continued Baekho's sentence with a bitter smile, removing his hand from Baekho's. Baekho avoided the younger's stare, looking at the door, guilt and sadness engulfed him. His mouth was dry, leaving him with the inability to speak. He fixed his stare on the door, knowing that he would break down the moment his eyes and Minhyun's met.

"Are you really going to do this, Baekho-yah? Are you really going to make me cry for the third time even though you promised to never make me cry again? Do you even still remember your promises to me?" Minhyun's voice was trembling, full of disappointment towards his lover who was soon going to be his ex. He knew that their relationship was strained due to their separate activities for a whole year, but he initially believed that they could work or at least try to mend it together.

"Minhyun-ah, listen to me. I love you, I really do. It's just..." Baekho tried to embrace Minhyun only to be pushed away by the younger.

"You promised me that you will always be there for me, that we will always find our way back to each other. And now here you are. I guess those promises meant nothing for you." Minhyun smiled sarcastically. His eyes were b with tears but he tried to be strong, to hide his weakness in front of Baekho.

"Listen to me, Hwang Minhyun. I will always be there for you, my feelings for you will always exist, and I won't stop caring for you. But during the past year, so many things happened, and I was not a part of your memories, neither was you." Baekho said, slowly regaining his composure. "To continue our relationship like nothing happened is not right. The gap between us is too vivid, too clear to ignore."

"Don't lie to me. Don't pretend that you care about me. If a break up is what you want, so be it. But stop all of this distance bull, because a distance can never separate us if both of us are willing to walk towards each other." Minhyun wiped his tears, not willing to waste his tears and emotion for someone who did not even try to repair their relationship. Minhyun was really tired being the only one who had to hold on to their relationship.

"I'm sorry. I really do. But maybe this is for the best." Baekho looked at his ex-lover once again before leaving the room quietly.

Meanwhile, the strong facade Minhyun had kept crumbled the moment Baekho left. He sobbed loudly, not caring about the sound he made. He wanted to hate the older, he wanted to curse the hell out of him, but he just could not. His love for Baekho could not fade away that fast. He thought carefully about what Baekho said, that the gap between them was too clear and he realized that he was not there during the most important moment of the older. When Baekho's father passed away, Minhyun was not there beside him. He could not give any strength to the older nor comfort him. He should have tried harder to be with the older, especially when he needed him the most.

At that time, Minhyun realized that Baekho was not the only one at fault. Minhyun thought too lightly about their relationship, that they could continue it rightaway after he came back. He thought that everything would be back to normal, exactly like when he left. He should have known that both of them are human who had emotions and feelings, and relationship was not like a game that could be paused and continued anytime. His hate for Baekho was slowly replaced by his hate for himself as he cried himself to sleep on the cold bed without anyone beside him.

The dorm was especially chilly the morning after when Minhyun opened his eyes. His face was swollen from all the crying and he did not dare to see his own reflection on the mirror. It was a good thing that they did not have any schedule that day. He opened his door slowly, trying to avoid a certain someone who had just broken his heart. The dorm was relatively empty, not a single person in sight before he reached the kitchen, where Ren was eating a cereal while playing with his phone.

"Morning. You look... unwell." Ren said carefully as he lifted his head from his phone to stare at Minhyun. Ren quickly stood up and approached Minhyun, trying to feel Minhyun's temperature with his palm. "Are you sick? Do you want me to accompany you to a doctor?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Are the others still sleeping?" Minhyun asked, showing a small smile to make Ren not worried.

"Are you sure? You looked fine yesterday. Did something happen?" Ren continued to check on Minhyun, guiding him to sit on one of the chairs surrounding the dining table.

"I'm really fine, Minki-ah. Maybe I just need more rest." Minhyun patted the younger.

"It's Kang Baekho, isn't it? He did something to you. Just wait here, I'll give him hell." Ren's eyes were filled with icy glares pointed at Baekho's room. He was about to left Minhyun when Minhyun stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Please, don't. I can't see him right now. Can you please just stay here with me? I really can use some company now." Minhyun begged quietly, preventing Ren from barging in to Baekho's room.

"Okay... I'll sit here with you. You don't have to say anything. Just tell me when you're ready." Ren sat back down, eating his cereal again in silence, this time focusing his attention on Minhyun. Minhyun only smiled weakly, gathering his courage to share his feelings with Ren, feeling grateful to have a friend beside him during this hard time. 

"Where are the others? JR slept with you, didn't he?" Minhyun tried to change the topic. He was not ready yet to talk about Baekho. 

"I don't know. He left before I woke up. I didn't even see him at all before I went to sleep." Ren said nonchalantly. Minhyun felt hurt seeing the maknae and the leader's relationship. He did not know exactly what happened but he knew that there must have been a misunderstanding between them. He even wondered if the reason for their breakup was as blurry as his relationship's downfall. Thinking about his relation made him sigh once more. He went to the fridge and tried to find something to eat, to make him forget about Baekho, even for one moment.