An unspoken awkwardness remained between the two of them after the night. Victoria tried her hardest to convince herself that Nichkhun hadn’t given up on their relationship but the fact that he had yet to call her made her feel more uneasy as each day passed. She understood why he’d be mad at her, in hindsight, she really did let her emotions take over that night and probably shouldn’t have been so rude. She didn’t really expect him to say yes when she asked if he’d marry her, but a little part of her had hoped he didn’t hesitate when she asked. She wasn’t sure what answer she was looking for, but whatever it was, it wasn’t the silence she had gotten from Nichkhun.

Nichkhun remained confused and frustrated all week since he last saw Victoria. Yeah, she was scared by the pregnancy, but he was too… she didn’t really expect him to marry her then and there, did she? Shouldn’t she have expected their love life to be difficult? They were idols, after all, and didn’t have the luxury of regular people. He thought she’d understand given the circumstances of their contracts and members, but apparently she didn’t understand. He had alsready told her a million times that he loved her… what more did she want? He didn’t know how to answer her when she suddenly asked about marriage, but he knew that “yes, I’d marry you” was definitely not something that came into his mind. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to… but the timing was definitely not right. He was relieved to know that they didn’t have to explain a pregnancy, but there was a certain degree of guilt and regret that came with knowing how much the baby meant to her. He was more confused than ever and didn’t know how to approach her. He had broken her heart, that was for sure, but he didn’t know how to fix it.

JYP entered the meeting room to find a group of dazed boys. 2PM had been practicing for their Japanese promotions and it was evident that they were tired. He gathered them there today to tell them that they were going to be based in Japan for the next two years, meaning there would be no returning to Korea in the time being. It wasn’t really a choice, but he held the meeting for sort of a heads’ up for the boys to tie up loose ends in Korea.

The thing that concerned Nichkhun the most was his relationship with Victoria. Being in a long distance relationship was going to be hard, and with their recent rocky status, he considered the possible options for the two of them. He knew he had to talk to Victoria soon to let her know that they’d be separating physically. If distance made the heart grow fonder, this time their hearts would for sure multiply ten times. This wasn’t like the last time though, two years was a lot longer than 5 months, and it concerned him how much harder it’d be to keep in touch given their busy schedules.

-

Victoria waited anxiously at the cafeteria of SME. Nichkhun had sent her a simple text saying “Lets meet up… I miss you.” , and she was afraid of what he was going to say. She wanted to apologize for being irrational and intended on blaming the hormones. She knew he loved her and she knew her feelings never changed throughout all this.

“Hey.” He said, sitting down across from her. He looked like he didn’t sleep for days, making Victoria guilty for putting him through this turmoil.

“Hey.” She replied quietly, biting the straw of her iced tea.

“Want to go somewhere private? I want to talk to you about something.” He sounded serious, making Victoria nervous. Was he still mad at her? She was hurt, but the little but of time they had apart made her realize how much she’d rather have him by her side instead of holding a grudge. Her broken heart would take time to heal but she was sure her and Nichkhun would get over this as per their other fights.

“Sure. Let’s go to the rooftop.” She smiled

He nodded and walked ahead of her, not offering to hold her hand.

When they got to the rooftop, Nichkhun say down on the bench and waited for Victoria to sit beside her.

“Vic…” he started. “I… need to tell you something.”

She held her breath.

“Is it good news or bad news?” she smiled, hoping to ease up the mood.

“Bad.” He answered dryly, refusing to make eye contact with her.

“Oh…” she took a deep breath before turning to look at Nichkhun.

His gaze remained on his shoes. “I… thought about what happened the other day… and…”

“I’m sorry.” She interrupted. “Let me go first. I’ve been wanting to apologize for being to bratty. I know it’s not the right time for talk of marriage and I shouldn’t have been so rude.”

“Don’t be sorry, it was my fault too… I should have… well to be honest, I don’t know what I should have done. Everything happened all too quickly… but… JYP hung just told us about our Japanese schedule… and it’s set for two years… so… we will be gone for the next two years…”

“Oh…” she thought about it in her head. “Well, two years isn’t too bad… I mean, we will both be busy so I’m sure time will fly!” she tried to make the most of the news, convincing herself that if this was the bad news he brought, it wasn’t that bad.

“Two years is longer than you think… and… I came today to... well, it’s never easy to say this and I want you to know that my feelings towards you have not changed one bit. I still love you for who you are and I love us together… but right now is not the right time for us… I think… we should take some time off… being a couple… and just… focus on our work for a little bit…”

Victoria’s head dropped suddenly as she tried to hold in her tears. The lump in became the size of an elephant and she didn’t know what to say. Her heart tore in her chest as she fumbled with her fingers. Did she hear him right? He was going to give up their relationship for work? How was she supposed to be mad at him for choosing s?

Silence engulfed the two like a bubble. Victoria put on a fake smile while Nichkhun’s gaze remained fixed. He knew he was a horrible person for doing this, but what good was it to keep a virtual relationship for two years? He knew he had no time to prioritize her and it was impossible for them to leave their idol lives behind to date... and he was sure she wouldn’t let him make such a stupid decision.

“You guys will be the biggest stars in Japan, I know it.” She said. “Work hard! Fighting.” was all she could say before standing up from her seat. She pulled the ring from her finger, the hidden initials now burning her skin, and placed it in Nichkhun’s palm, touching his hands for once last time before turning around and running off with tears warm on her face. She had no business in telling him her true feelings if he didn’t care anymore. Life wasn’t like the dramas she loved so much and she knew that no matter what she said he wouldn’t change his mind.

Nichkhun sat in silence for a little longer and wiped the single tear that rolled down his face.

-

Hello readers! The end of the story is approaching!! Let me know how I'm doing so far!