You shuffled through the small store aimlessly, not looking for anything in particular. Really, you were searching for a distraction. Something to keep you mind from drifting to thoughts of him. His gummy smile, his amazing dancing, his obsession with dyeing his hair, the way he'd often surprise you with Hello Kitty trinkets because he knew you loved the brand. You shook your head to rid yourself of the memories. He had ruined it for you. He cheated on you. He was no longer in your life, and it was for the best.

    Returning back to the present, you noticed you had arrived in the toy aisle. You saw a few shelves dedicated to stuffed animals and plushes, and you were immediately drawn to it. As you bent down to examine a bear with “Kiss Kiss” embroidered on its stomach, something bigger on the bottom caught your eye. Your heart lurched when you realized it was a giant Hello Kitty plushie, almost an exact replica of the one Hyukjae gave you for your last birthday. All the memories you tried to push out came flooding back in, like the mental dam you build just broke into a million pieces. It was like you were reliving your entire relationship.

~.~

    “Oh, I'm so sorry sir, I wasn't watching where I was...” You looked up at the man you had jostled while frantically searching for your obnoxiously ringing phone. It totally caught you off guard how beautiful this random stranger was. His blonde, feathery hair softly grazed his eyebrow, allowing one to admire his striking jawline and warm brown eyes. No doubt about it, this man was gorgeous.

    “Going?” the man finished for you, a small smile gracing his features. You immediately blushed and nodded, looking away. Obviously you were staring at him, and he knew it. It was doubtful you'd ever see him again, so why not make the most of the opportunity to gaze at this beautiful creature?

    “Again, I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, sir,” you said, turning to leave, but a warm, strong hand on your arm stopped you from moving.

    “You can make it up to me by going to dinner with me tonight,” he blurted, sounding almost nervous. “I mean, if you're free and everything.” The warm color rushed to your face once again.

    “Umm...that'd be great,” you said, taking a chance and smiling up at him. He mirrored it with a wide, gummy grin of his own and pulled out his phone. As you told him the digits of your number, you could hardly believe the situation you found yourself in. All you did was bump into someone, and now you had a date with a dashing young man.

    “I'll call you later,” he promised, sliding his phone back into his pocket and catching your hand in his. He brought it to his lips and anointed it with a kiss. Even on your hand, his lips felt soft and pillowy, and you couldn't help but imagine how they'd feel on your own lips. Then it hit you.

    “You never told me your name!” He chuckled.

    “Hyukjae. Lee Hyukjae.”

-

    A rapid knocking awoke you from your much-needed sleep. Groaning, you rolled over onto your side to check your phone. 2:19. 7 missed calls. 12 messages. All of them from your boyfriend, Hyukjae. Five guesses as to who it was pounding on your door. Your body protested as you forced yourself to stand and shuffle to the door.

    “Yah, Hyukjae, you do know what time it-” He quieted your complaints with his warm, soft lips.

    “Happy birthday, jagiya!” he said excitedly as he could while concealing something behind his back. You had totally forgotten about your birthday, but apparently he didn't. Thanking him, you let him into your apartment, and he sat you down on your living room couch. “Close your eyes!” he cooed, and you complied, wondering what on earth he was doing with all the shuffling around. “Okay...open!”

    The first thing that caught your eye was the extremely large stuffed Hello Kitty doll he held. Then you noticed the silver heart pendant dangling from a delicate matching chain around the doll's neck. You gasped; it must have cost him a fortune.

    “Hyukjae, you really shouldn't have,” you said grasping the plushie as he fastened the necklace around your neck.

    “But why shouldn't I spoil my jagi on her birthday?” he asked innocently, kissing your cheek from behind, then moving to hold you protectively in his strong arms.

    How on earth did you manage to end up with the perfect boyfriend? A sweet, thoughtful, doting, perfect boyfriend? One you weren't afraid to lay around in sweats and eat junk food with. One who wouldn't laugh at your awful attempts to learn Kpop dances when he himself was an incredibly talented dancer. You never felt like you had to be anyone else but yourself around him. He made you feel loved, wanted, desired. You couldn't picture yourself with anyone else but your Hyukjae.

-

    “Hey Hyukie, it's me, don't know if you're at home or not, but I have your shirt that I borrowed, so I'm going to drop it off at your place. Call me when you get a chance. Love you!” You hit End after leaving a voice message for Hyukjae. The last time you were at his apartment, you had stolen one of his shirts for a project for one of your classes. You were in the neighborhood, so you figured you'd drop in and surprise him, though with his crazy schedule, you never knew when he was actually at home.

    You slipped the spare key he kept under the mat out and into the lock. Turning it slowly so you could surprise him, you opened the door. Two pairs of shoes were there: Hyukjae's sneakers and a pair of flats you don't remember leaving or even owning. You shrugged off the strange, ominous feeling in your stomach and strode through his apartment toward his room to put the shirt away. Unusual noises and movement met your ears and got increasingly louder as you closed in. His bedroom was ajar about four inched, so you sneaked a peek, wanting to know what the source of the noises was.

    In less than a second, your stomach dropped to the floor, the shirt slipped from your grip, and your heart was ripped out of your chest and thrown seven floors down onto the rainy streets of Seoul. There, on his bed, both half-, cuddling and kissing, was Hyukjae and some girl you'd never seen before. Your Hyukjae. The perfect boyfriend. The one who you thought was your soulmate. With another girl. Cheating on you. It was as if your relationship was a glass ball, and Hyukjae threw it on the ground, shattering it completely.

    Suddenly you were filled with an inconsolable, yet calm rage, and you did something you wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Picking up the shirt, you fully opened the door and walked in on them.

    You stoically strode to Hyukjae's closet to return the shirt to its original hanger, ignoring the couple's initial shock and the scramble to put their discarded clothing back on their flustered bodies. With the first task completed, you now walked to his dresser to rid yourself of the last article- the necklace. It hadn't left its place in between your collarbones since you received it. Now it obviously meant nothing, since the giver felt the need to go behind your back with another. Only when he grabbed your arm, pleading in apology right and left, did you speak to him.

    “Don't touch me.” Venom laced your voice, and he immediately let his arm fall. You continued unfastening the necklace and tossing it onto the glass top, as carelessly as he treated your heart. You couldn't bear to look at him for fear of bursting into tears right then and there. That could wait until you reached the safety of your own apartment. “We're done.” You stalked out of his room, his apartment, and his life.

~.~

    A stray tear flowed down your cheek as you sat on the floor in front of the Hello Kitty doll. To any ordinary passerby, it looked as if you were staring absentmindedly at it. Unless one had the power to read minds, no one would know the mental turmoil you were put through just by one stuffed plushie.

    Two brown shoes approached your slouched body and a kind warm voice asked, “Excuse me, miss, can I help you with...” You turned your face to look at him, totally forgetting your miserable state. Apparently it was quite shocking. “Miss, are you alright?!” The realization of how tear-stained and red your face was suddenly hit you, and you scrambled to your feet while wiping your eyes in an attempt to not look so pathetic.

    “Yeah, I'm fine,” you said softly, sniffling minutely.

    “Are you sure?” he asked again, his brown eyes clouded with concern and his cute mouth turned downward in an almost child-like pout. You nodded, noticing the name tag that read “Donghae.” It was nice though, to have a complete stranger care about you.

    “But thanks,” you said. “It's nice to know someone cares.”

    “Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, my name is Donghae, I'm here from seven to ten, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Saturday!” You both cracked a grin at the sincere, yet oddly amusing offer. Maybe you would come back sometime.