After hours of staring blankly at nothing, Hyori finally shifted in her seat. All she could hear in the room are her sniffles. It's empty, but deafening. She knew it was the right thing to do, but why did it have to be so hard? Not only did she lose her boyfriend, she also lost Zico as a friend because there's absolutely no way they could remain friends after this. It hurts too much. And it won't be fair.

She pulled out her phone and saw several text messages from Chen. Ignoring what he sent, she typed a reply.

Can you be here soon? She keyed in her address. Within seconds, she received his reply.

Arasso, noona.

The doorbell rang 30 minutes later. Still weak, Hyori mustered all her strength to answer the door. As soon as she saw Chen's worried face, she couldn't help but smile a little. How could he still look cute looking like that.

Chen's heart sank when he saw Hyori. Immediately, he suspected that she broke up with Zico, but he didn't even care what it meant. He was only concerned about Hyori. Without saying a word, he pulled her into a hug and she started sobbing again. They remained that way until she had calmed down again.

"Noona, I found this on the doorstep," Chen said, holding up a white envelope. Hyori took it and turned it over, immediately recognising Zico's handwriting on it. "Do you need to be alone?" Chen asked quietly.

"No I-I can read it later," Hyori replied with a crack in her voice. She beckoned him to enter and Chen gasped, amazed at the interior and wonderful view.

"This is so beautiful noona! It's perfect for you," he grinned. Hyori managed a tiny laugh. Keeping herself distracted, she showed him around the house and then made hot chocolate for them. As they sat comfortably on the couch, Chen cleared his throat.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" He asked. Hyori paused, and then she sighed. Slowly, she told him everything that happened earlier and he listened attentively.

"I'm sorry that it has been difficult for you noona, I feel like I'm at fault for this," Chen whispered. Hyori smiled genuinely.

"You have nothing to apologise for."

"So what does that mean, noona? What does it mean for us?" He held her hand and searched her eyes for answers. Hyori bit her lip.

"I just got out of a long-term relationship .. I think I need some time to get back on my feet before we can talk about us," she mumbled apologetically. 

*

"I think I need to be alone for awhile, I'll see you tomorrow or something?" Hyori said absent-mindedly. Chen opened his mouth to insist on staying the night, but he knew he shouldn't push her buttons. "Goodnight noona," he kissed her forehead quickly before leaving.

Hyori sat down on the couch and pulled out the envelope she had kept earlier. With trembling hands, she opened it and found a letter. One last handwritten letter from Zico to her.

Dearest Hyori,

I wish this letter will never make it to your hands, but for me to even write this, I guess I knew our time's coming to an end. I have loved you for the longest time, and I realise now, that my biggest mistake was not letting you know how I feel about you much earlier. I've watched you get your heart broken by Jihoon and I did nothing. I've watched Chen enter your life and knew he was going