I stepped out of the plane awkwardly.

With a guy. Holding me.

I could feel so many pairs of eyes staring at us and it wouldn’t take me a second to know what was on their mind.

“They look cute together, don’t they?”

“Omo, that guy is so kind.”

…and many more similar comments. I lowered my head, embarrassed of my own situation. The thing was the guy didn’t seem trying to let go of his hold, which all the more made me nervous. I dared myself to look at the guy. And when I found his clear brown orbs were staring into mine, my heart stopped for a split second.

He was so close. Too close.

I quickly turned my head but it was too swift that I unconsciously twisted my body.

“Ouch!” I writhed in pain. Damn him and his eyes.

“Hang in there. I think the clinic is somewhere near here.” He held my shoulders while scanning the area.

I smiled softly towards him. “Thanks, but I think I’ll catch a cab. I’ll be fine.”

I was pretty sure that he wasn’t convinced at all, and I was quite glad that he didn’t object further. He merely asked me whether I was sure about it and deeply apologized. By rejecting his generous offer, I didn’t actually intend to be rude.  Frankly I just wanted to go home faster because my mom and dad were waiting for me, and I still couldn’t believe they invited the entire family to our new house today when I was dead tired after the flight. God knows how much longer it would take if I went to the clinic.

After finishing all immigration procedures, he hailed a cab for me. I appreciated his every attention; at least I felt he was being caring enough. When he was about to close the cab’s door, he stopped and looked at me with sincere eyes. I thought he wanted to say something, but he was silent.

“Sorry for all the trouble. Get well soon, Sooyeon-ssi.”

I raised my head, surprised that he knew my name. I didn’t mention my name before, did I? I realized I didn’t know his name as well. Okay, I was being totally rude.

He knew what I was thinking by reading my expression, thus said, “Oh. I accidentally saw your name tag on your bag awhile ago.”

I nodded. “I see. Gwenchana. Thanks for accompanying me, uum… What’s your name by the way?”

 He smiled. “It’s Hoya.”

“Oh. Thanks Hoya-ssi. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Then he closed the door.

The ride to my home seemed endless. Every road, every view I passed by reminded me of the memories I had in high school. I remembered the day I left Korea. Although I didn’t cry a lot that time, I was very quiet. I struggled to contain my sadness and reluctance to say goodbye to all my friends, especially Soonhee. She was the one who was drenched in tears, hugging me so tightly until I couldn’t breathe. And even though it made my shirt soaked in tears, I couldn’t care less. It was horrible enough to let myself leave her, and seeing her sobbing and saying I should return soon saddened me even more.

However, what made my heart wrenched in grief was the fact that I had to leave him.

Junhyung.

The day before my departure, I asked him to meet me. We watched a movie then ate together at a park, and that was when I called off our relationship out of a sudden. At first he thought I was joking but after seeing my serious and unwavering expression, he knew I wasn't joking at all. He was so shocked and asked for the reason why I suddenly wanted to break up with him. How could he not, through the past one year that we were together, despite some small fights and arguments here and there, our relationship went well. Too well that I suffered quite a bit to find the reason.

-Flashback-

We were eating together at the park, sitting on a bench under a tall, shady tree. The weather was cool and breezy, but I was sweating and my heart pounded loudly. It's now or never.

I put down my chopsticks and place my rice box on my lap. “Junhyung-ah, I have something to tell you.” I took a deep breath.

Junhyung stopped eating his rice box and looked at me. “What is it Sooyeon-ah?”

I hesitated for a moment, trying to speak out the words that I had practiced for a million times. But my mind blanked. I forgot what I wanted to say, so instead I blurted out, “We.. Umm.. I think.. We should break up.”

Oh dear. So much for the practice. Now I had just made myself sound stupid.

Junhyung became confused. “Huh? What are you saying?”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “Let's break up, Junhyung-ah. I think we are no longer compatible with each other. Lately I am quite tired–”

"Wait. Hold on for a moment. What do you mean you want to break up? You’re kidding, right?”

Please don't make it hard for me, Junhyung-ah. You just don't know how much I struggled to say those words... “Yes, I want to break up with you. And no, I'm not kidding at all.”

Please don't ask anymore...I silently prayed.

“Why, Sooyeon? Did I do something that made you unhappy? Or is it because sometimes I’m too possessive for you? I'm trying to fix it so please forgive if I—“

“It's not because of that. It's just that lately I'm thinking that our relationship isn't going anywhere. I know that we're both happy together, but it becomes tedious.” I hoped I said it well enough.

“So you're saying you're bored of me?” He began to wear a hurt expression on his face, which sent me a pang of guilty.

“Well, you can say so.” Oh my, I did not just say that.

“Sooyeon, please tell me if something is making you uneasy. I will make it up to you. I promise. Just don't leave me, I beg you...” He touched my hand, his eyes bored into me with tint of desperation. I could feel my tears forming on the corner of my eyes. I fought back to prevent it from falling. I couldn't show him that I was as weak as him.

“Please... Don't make it hard for me. I've thought about this for a long time and I won't go back on my words...” My voice trembled as I pulled my hand away from his hold.

“Sooyeon-ah... Don't be like this. Give me another chance okay? I promise I'll be a better man for you.”

No, Junhyung. You don't have to ask for another chance. You didn't even do anything wrong. This is all for your sake. For your sake, Junhyung-ah...

“That won't do. I've made up my mind. I'm sorry. I think... I think this is a goodbye.”

Unable to hold back the b tears, I abandoned the rice box and started to walk away. I couldn't face him anymore. My heart hurt so much only by looking at him. I wiped off my tears quietly while walking towards the bus stop. But Junhyung grabbed my wrist and made me turn around to meet his face.

“Sooyeon... Do you still love me?”

Yes, I love you so much.

“No, I don't love you anymore. So please let go of my hand.” I yanked my hand and started running. Running away from him. Running away from the person I loved the most. Running away from the other half of my heart...

I'm sorry, Junhyung-ah. This is all for your sake.

-End of flashback-

My head hurt whenever I was reminded of the scene that was so familiar and vivid to me. The rest of the ride was a blur; my mind was completely taken away by the fragments of nostalgia. When the driver called me, I shook my head and returned to reality.

I walked a bit towards my house, arching my back as I dragged my luggage with one hand. I observed my new home. It was a built in a minimalist style which looked decent and homy. Large windows decorated the stoned walls and a small pond rested on the small patch of garden.

When I stepped inside my new house, all my relatives were already there. They greeted me one by one and they noticed me walking weirdly. Seeing that I wasn't in my best shape, the dinner was held quickly with warm conversations. They praised my fluency in English after staying in California for a few years. I was glad and enlightened by the warm laughter and chit-chat that filled the room. That way the house didn't seem empty.

As soon as my relatives left, I immediately climbed the stairs and entered my new room. My mom apparently did a wonderful job of decorating my room. The floor was made from hardwood and the walls were painted soft blue. There were some of my photographs which were framed and hanged on the wall. There were also a wide desk, wardrobe, some books which my mom took from US, and a small sofa with a rug underneath. I didn't take the chance of marvelling the room any longer as I hit the pillow as soon as I lay myself on the bed. I stared at the ceiling suddenly realizing that I was so tired. Out of nowhere, a name popped in my mind regarding today's events.

Hoya.

A name that I discovered this afternoon but soon I'll forget.

Or maybe not.

Shrugging it off, I closed my eyes, sleeping my fatigue and stress away.

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So the guy whom Sooyeon met earlier is Hoya :) I noticed I didn't mention his name in the previous chapter lol.

Anyway, please drop a comment and subscribe! :D