"Seunghyun..."

The pain in his eyes led me to believing that this was really Seunghyun. I'd recognize that look anywhere. The same look he had back then that I chose to ignore time and again. The look when I talked to him about other guys, the look when I pushed him away, the look when I told him I'll be leaving.

"Taeyang, will you give us some time alone?" he spoke, so soft, so deep.

"Hyung, don't do anything you'll regret." Taeyang reminded. And upon hearing his words of advise, I trembled. Something that he'll regret? A million possibilities flashed pass my mind in that instant. Was he, perhaps, going to chase me away? Away from him, away from this family I just found. Or was he going to tell me things I didn't want to hear? Things I've been trying to avoid getting to.

"Who the hell are you?" I spat, glaring at the stranger before me. He took one step closer, and I immediately backed away.

"Haerin cutie-"

"Stop it, Top!" I screamed, tears building up in my eyes. He kept his eyes fixed on mine, seemingly hurt by how I let this unfamiliar name escape my lips so cold.

"For an hour, no, just ten minutes, can we please... Please just go back to how we once were? Ten minutes is all I need." I begged, hot tears trailing down my cheeks.

"Haerin, I'm getting married in a month's time."

"I just need ten minutes!" I pleaded, "I just want to speak with Seunghyun. I miss him so so much. I promise, I promise that we'll forget everything that happened after this ten minutes."

"Haerin..." he called, his voice trembling, hurt by what he was seeing.

"Even if it's just pretend, Top, please." I cried helplessly.

He watched as my eyes begged so distressingly to go back into the past. And from the look in his eyes, I knew that he pitied me. He pitied Cinderella, who was so helplessly lost in figuring her own story out. So he nodded uncertainly. And upon seeing that, I took a step closer, gazing up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Seunghyun?" I doubtfully asked.

He smiled that innocent smile he used to give whenever he saw me.

"Rin..."

Without a second thought, I wrapped by arms around his waist, hugging him as tight as I could. At the moment, I found the comfort I've been missing for seven years and also the emptiness I lived with unknowingly. With my ear against his chest, I could hear the violent pounding of his heart. I closed my eyes, salvaging the moment for the future, where the only thing left of him would be the lingering memory of his scent on me, and mine on him.

"I missed you so much." I winced, as if the words pricked. Until I felt his arms wrap around me too. And instantly, the pain subdued.

"I missed you too, Rin. You've grown prettier. I think you've surpassed the sparkling sea..."

I giggled at that, glad to have heard something I knew only Seunghyun could say with such innocence. We both stood there in the silence, clearly aware that this could be the last of us.

"I'm sorry I lied, Seunghyun."

He gently pulled away from my hug, looking at me confused.

"Lied about what?" he questioned.

"I can't forget everything after this ten minutes, Top. I can't forget our memories. I live in them."

He flinched upon hearing my words.

"Why?" he whimpered, "Why are you hurting so much?"

I looked away. All the words I couldn't say dissolved into worthless ash, disguising themselves as selfish excuses made up by someone who wasn't willing to let go of what used to be hers. I let my tears fall freely, tired of removing them from where I know they'd probably find their way to later that night, and the next, and the next. Like the promises that chained us to the soil of the memories we stood on from the very beginning.

"It's okay," Seunghyun said, filling the dreadful silence with comforting words, "I understand."

"No, Seunghyun," I gasped, " You don't...."

Before I could explain myself, he interrupted with a proposal that could potentially get us tangled even further.

"Can we extend this ten minutes, Rin?"

For the next hour, we sat on the floor of our living room, just talking about all the things that have happened in these 7 years. About how he finally felt like he's doing something for himself when he decided to move out and live with Jiyong. And also how he wished he had the same courage before I left. And I told him about America...the books I've read to numb the longing and a few that I knew he'd like for sure. Throughout our chat, it was obvious that these seven years never really passed. Or rather, we stood still through time. We never really forgot anything about eachother. It was always the little things that accumulated into regrets, keeping us from moving forward. Yet there were no complains about that. As if it was a gift in disguise, we willingly dealt with the pain...just so we could have a little more time before this fairytale ended.

"Are you happy, Seunghyun?" I asked, desperate to be assured that he was leading his life with meaning.

"I'm happy if you are, Rin." Seunghyun replied with a small smile. I looked down at my feet, deep in thought. This was Seunghyun. It really was. All of a sudden, the tough and cool Top seemed like a pathetic joke. Seeing how he was so much more relaxed after dropping the act, I knew how intently determined he was to being Top. But this was the guy I needed after all.


"Rin, will you be at my wedding?" He asked all of a sudden, shattering my dream in an instant.

"Do you want me there?" I returned the question.

"I want you there if you want to be there. But if you don't, then I'd rather have you be happy some place else."

"You know I can't be happy some place else, Seunghyun." I muttered, hugging my knees against my chest. He kept silent, unable to reply to that.

"Seunghyun," I spoke again, "Do you love Hwayoung?"

The amount of courage I mustered to ask this question was unbelievably vast, and yet I had none left to prepare myself for an answer.

"I like her, Rin. I'm marrying her." he replied, pausing for a moment before continuing, "But ever since you've returned, all I've wanted was to be the perfect man for you. I wanted so badly for you to see me as more than a kid. I wanted you to feel the same way I felt whenever I saw you. I didn't care if the entire world, including Hwayoung knew. I just... kept trying...and trying..."

My lips started trembling, a sign that the tears were b up fast. Something inside of me cried out so tragically, I couldn't ignore it's voice. I knew it was wrong, and yet I couldn't help but wish...that he'd tell me he's calling off the wedding. That he suddenly realized, just like I have, that we're both on the wrong path. That we actually belong together. And that if we were both willing, we could elope. Leave everything behind and start all over again...from the very beginning, where he was just Seunghyun, and I was his Rin. I knew it was wrong. I knew these thoughts were horrible, and awfully selfish. But I so desperately wanted to rewind and undo all the wrong choices I've made. I wanted so badly to feel complete.

But none of that mattered. Because instead of any of those words I hoped for, all I got was...

"I'm sorry."