16

"It's really packed in rush time too."

"Really? Then I have to look for another apartment again."

"But the beginner's salary is not that much to afford a good one around those region though."

"Well, it's not like I have another options."

"Who says you don't have one?"

"Uh?"

"What about—you stay here with me instead?"

Swollen.

Jieun could feel how bad her eyes got swollen that she could barely opened her eyes after such a tiring sleep.

Without even swiping her fingers across her eyelids, she was still able to know she was crying in her sleep—and it felt so much worser because the pains were still left inside herself, without her knowing how to stop.

The only thing that she was able to clearly tell was, she was really tired.

And empty.

"Good morning,"

Hearing those soft voice made her turned her head around, later found it was Sunhwa whose walking closer to the couch where she used to sleep.

"Do you feel better?" Sunhwa asked, slowly placing a cup of hot chocolate she made herself.

After breaking up with Junhong and hurriedly left their apartment, Jieun didn't have any place to rely on but her only friend Sunhwa. She couldn't really remember how did she end up in front of that girl's apartment too but how loud her crying upon Sunhwa asked her what happened was still echoing in her mind somehow. And she truly sorry for Sunhwa—to bother her whose didn't like any distraction outside working place.

Though, actually, she was really sorry for everything.

"I'm sorry," Jieun whispered, a little hoarse due to hours of crying.

Sunhwa stared at her for a moment, trying her best to understand that girl's decision to break up with Junhong regardless so many regrettably things she truly felt regret of—only for the sake of her old crush, whose his existence was never clearly shown. In addition, they didn't even date before or kept in touch at all. It was strange—but she couldn't put all the blames on her as well. At least, she tried to love Junhong before. She really tried her best to make it true and it wasn't her fault if they failed on creating the future together.

Everything has a reason afterall.

"Listen," Sunhwa cleared her once before goes on, "you've already made a decision and you should be responsible of it. That's why, don't apologize and keep believing what you've did was the right thing instead."

Jieun didn't think she could do as what she told yet she knew the regrets would never be enough to fix what she has done. She knew she must begin to look forward, to what she truly aimed for—to something that she had to fight for.

Her happiness.

Even though everything was still bizzare in her eyes.

"So what are you going to do? Go to meet him?"Sunhwa carefully asked.

Meet him?

"I don't know where he is," she muttered, breaking a little to realize it.

"Well—you can ask someone like your friends who sent the reunion invitation or any of his close friends?" Sunhwa shrugged.

"He said he will move out from town,"Jieun sighed, running her fingers through her dark brown hair in frustation. "I don't know what to do."

"You should try every possible ways to find him. Remember that you have already let so many chances go before," Sunhwa calmly adviced.

Jieun nodded. "I will try to contact my former class monitor."

"Great," Sunhwa sighed, feeling a little lifted up to hear her positive response. "You can go to meet him today. I will tell the executive about your absence later."

Jieun looked at Sunhwa trying to find an excuse for her absence until her both eyebrows knitted into a perfect frown, obviously showing her confusion to face their executive whose infamous for his strict and arrogant attitude—which was something that she shouldn't be worry of. She had make a decision to shape her future, to find her long-lost happiness, and to ask for the unsaid truth. All this eight years was enough—and she didn't want to wait for a miracle to happen anymore.

"Sunhwa," Jieun called her, flashing a thin smile to prove that she was alright somehow. "I'll resign from my job."

"Yo, captain."

Junhong tilted his head back a little, finding that blonde girl was walking closer to his table in her usual casual outfit. A smile slowly formed on his face while gesturing her to sit in front of him, where a cup of coffee was already placed on the side of the table.

"Hey, what special day is this?" Hana suspiciously asked with a mean smile hanging on her face. "Are you going to give me invitation?"

Junhong chuckled to hear those teasing. It hurted him so much to realize everything was already over yet everytime he remembered the time they spent together, he couldn't help but to laugh. It seemed so unreal somehow—like there's nothing ever happened between them.

"What? Am I right?" Hana observed, both of her eyes were already sparked in hopes.

Junhong looked at her, smiling. "We've broke up."

Hana blinked her eyes, waiting for that guy to laugh his lungs out and said he was only kidding her before gave her an invitation—but he didn't do that. Instead, he was only smiling in bitter. Something that she never saw before.

"What—why, why?" she stuttered, not accepting it. "Aren't you two just engaged?"

"She wants to leave," he straightforwardly replied, now slowly losing his smile. "And I can't force her to stay."

Hana frowned, already getting mad at his submission to fate. He should have asked her to stay, he should have made up everything in order to make them survive but here he was, sitting in front of her, easily saying that they broke up without any efforts to win her back. She couldn't agree to any of his reason.

"Are you even a man? Can't you at least fight for someone you love?" her voice naturally raised upon her temper went up, yet she managed to take a break and control everything back before added, "I'm so disappointed with you."

Junhong stared at Hana, now completely lost his smile. "I do. I really do."

Hana crossed her arms, waiting for his explanation.

"I do fight for the one I love—and that's why I let her go," he said, letting out a soft chuckle later. "She needs to fight for her love too."

"What do you mean?" she hesitantly asked, not hoping for her suspiciousness to be fulfilled.

But when he smiled at her with such hurtful gaze—Hana knew it was nothing besides that guy.

She knew it better than anyone else—moreover because she saw it herself, the way Jieun stared at Yongguk that night.

"I asked you to come here because I have something to tell," he said, before slowly looked at her with such pleading stare. "Please help her."

Hana raised her eyebrows, wondering. "Help her?"

"I said something bad to her before," he paused for a while, remembering what happened that time. "That's why I can't help her anymore."

Hana leant against the chair with both eyebrows perfectly knitted, didn't really understand his intention. "Why do you want me to help her?"

"She will need help. And I trust you more than anyone else because you know how much she loves him," Junhong slightly clenched his teeth, dealing with every bitterness that he sensed from saying it. "I just want her to find her happiness."

"How can you expect me to help her when you already clearly know that I hate him so much?" she hissed, rolling her eyes in anger.

A smile appeared through his lips, already knowing she might refuse it somehow. "Because you are her best friend. I know you want her to be happy too, right?"

As much as she wanted to deny, Hana had to admit that Jieun's happiness was the most important thing no matter what. She didn't have any reason to against those statement.

"You know, I can't make her happy. Even after all this years," he stated, being fully honest. "That's why—I'm begging you, please help her to find him."

"I want to believe in us."

We'll be alright no matter what."

Junhong closed his eyes, sweeping those echoing voice away from inside his head. It was enough for both of them. He was already so thankful that they ever created memories together so, that was why, he had to let her go now.

It was enough.

"Please, help her."

"So, you really don't know where Daehyun lived?"

"Yeah. I just ever heard that he works somewhere near Daegu but I'm not really sure."

Jieun lowered her head in tired, didn't even care what the latter said afterwards and quickly hung up the phone right after exchanging a rush farewell. Her eyes went through her old class contact book again, hopelessly finding some that were still available even though her excitement was already went down the hill since then.

No.

She needed to find him. No matter what.

It was when she just shook her head once to earn her focus back that she heard the doorbell rang through the corridor. She turned, wondering whether she should opened the door or not since it wasn't her own apartment but before she could make her decision, a familliar voice whose calling her name made her ran outside the living room and quickly opened the front door.

And she was right. It was indeed a very familliar voice.

"Jung Hana!" Jieun squealed in disbelief. "How can you know I'm here?"

Hana smirked in such over-confidence attitude, looking proud of her ownself. "Do you forget that I have a very large relation?"

"Of course I know it," Jieun rolled her eyes, laughing. "Come in."

Hana's eyes slowly wandered around the apartment the moment she walked inside, wanting to know whether she was alone or not. "Where's those Sunhwa?"

Hearing her question made Jieun turned in one quick move, looking a little confused. "How can you know about Sunhwa?"

Hana pressed her lips for a short while, blaming herself to spill out those name from but it didn't take that long until she cleared and fixed a straight expression on her face back. "I know it from your fellow worker."

Jieun doubted that her fellow worker knew about her staying at Sunhwa's place yet she chose not to question it instead. Perhaps, Hana met Sunhwa there and she told her everything.

"She's working," Jieun shortly replied, pouring a cup of cold water for her friend.

Hana nodded, began thinking of the best way to start the main topic—about her decision to chase Bang Yongguk again. "Well, do you guys get into fight?"

Jieun put the cup in front of Hana while showing a full of curiosity face. "Who?"

Hana shrugged, trying to look casual. "You and Junhong."

Hana watched her having some seconds to pull her smile back, not yet giving an answer. Pretend to know nothing, Hana could only lifted her eyebrows and patiently waiting for her honest answer, wasn't able to jump into the point yet.

Moreover after she saw how that girl looked like having her own hard times as well.

"We've broke up," Jieun finally replied, still hanging a thin smile on her lips.

And now, Hana didn't think she could pretend to not knowing a thing anymore.

"Because of Bang Yongguk?" she guessed, not necessarily requiring an answer. "Why?"

"I don't know whether I really love Junhong or just using him for escape. I really don't know," Jieun sighed, biting her lower lips for a second before goes on, "He belongs to a better woman."

A soft scoff escaped Hana's lips, didn't have any interest of covering up her vexation. "A better woman? Don't say such nasty thing."

"I have to find my own feeling," Jieun cut off her statement, straightly. "Even if I took a wrong decision—it will be my own consequence. I won't regret it."

Hana felt like losing all of the words she prepared before to against her decision after seeing her determined gaze—somewhat way different than how she used to be. That girl really sacrificed everything in order to confess her feelings to him. Literally everything.

But Hana couldn't let her heart broke once again. She should told her the truth, no matter what. She needed to know.

"You can't do that, Jieun-ah," she shook her head, weakly.

Jieun frowned, didn't understand her friend's reason at all. "I'll go find him myself so you don't need to—"

"He got married five years ago, Jieun. He's already a married man!" Hana shouted, wanting her to wake up and face the reality before everything's too late.

Jieun blinked her eyes, wasn't able to process what just that girl said to her. Everything's slowly leaving her mind—getting empty, not allowing her to wonder what should she do after hearing that.

She couldn't believe that.

"Stop it, Jieun. Forget him, just like how he forgets you."