a/n: be prepared for a long read ahead!!! 

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Yifan threw everything on the floor with just a swipe of his hands across the table. He was like a bull that saw red; he was unstoppable.

Sohee could only stand there and cry while the man she loved took out his anger on the breakables around the house.

At least she wasn’t the object of abuse this time.

“How could you go out behind my back with him!” He shouted furiously as another vase (that was bought just three days ago) flew across the room and shattered into pieces against the wall.

Sohee shook her head, sobbing between her words, making it hard for her to talk at all.

“What did you two do? Huh? Eat? Walk? Hold hands? Make out?” Yifan walked towards her slowly.

I didn’t do anything behind your back! She wanted to shout back. And you knew I was going out with him today, too! But all she could do was back away.

It was hard for her to be with such an abusive husband, but she loved him too much. When he grabbed her wrists to prevent her from running and slapped her so hard across the face that a red palm print was evident, she looked into his eyes, hoping to find any traces of the man she fell in love with; all she found was a stranger staring back at her.

 

 

 

She survived the night’s ordeal somehow, just like how she barely made it out of the previous fits Yifan threw. She sobbed in a corner of their room as Yifan knocked out on the bed.

He would always be like this after he drank alcohol, but it was unavoidable, as he had to entertain customers. She sighed as she collected her feelings and glanced up at the clock. 6.04am. She watched him as he slept; it was hard to believe that a person that looks more fragile than her when sleeping could hurt her so bad – physically and emotionally.

A tear fell from her eyes and she wiped it away hastily with the back of her hand, pushing herself off the ground after that. She went out of the room and saw the mess and decided to have a long, warm shower first, just to calm down.

She felt a pair of arms around her waist as she stood under the water motionlessly, and she had an idea of whom it might be.

“Hey, babe.” He kissed her left cheek, where there was still a bit of redness from the slap earlier. How ironic that the person who hurt her the most was kissing away her pain now.

He rested his head on top of hers and smiled contently. He always loved her height because she fitted nicely in his arms, right beneath his chin.

She sniffled unconsciously, and his smile dropped. Was she… crying?

He finally noticed the small dots of red on her cheek and he spun her around by her shoulders, so she was facing him.

“What happened?” His voice was filled with concern and none of the coldness from before. She dared herself to look into his eyes, and she saw that he broke a little inside seeing how broken she was then.

He caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes as another tear fell down. She felt a bit of pain from the slight touch, but what she was feeling inside was far more painful than the physical pain.

“Did… Did I do this?” He whispered, afraid to know the truth. She just continued sobbing, and that alone was enough to confirm his doubts.

“I’m so sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to and you know it. Mr Yoo kept pushing drink after drink to me, and you know I can’t refuse.” He kept apologizing, holding her in his embrace as if she was a fragile artifact.

He knew about his abusive side when he drinks, but because of his new job he couldn’t avoid alcohol. He was crushed knowing that the most beautiful girl he loved the most was hurt because of him.

“I want a divorce.” She said softly, and he pulled away from her.

“What?” He asked, wanting to make sure he heard something else instead of the words he dreaded the most.

She bit her lip and looked up at him. “A divorce. I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.” She shrugged his hands off of her shoulders and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself before walking out.

Yifan stayed under the running water, trying to comprehend what she had just said.

A divorce. A divorce? How could she say that so easily?

They say that if you love someone, you should let them go. But for him, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. When his mind clicked and the words finally sunk in, he rushed out of the bathroom door – forgetting about the running water and almost slipping on the wet floor on the way out – only to see her throwing clothes inside her pink suitcase.

“Y-you’re not serious, are you?” He followed behind her every step as she walked to and fro from the closet to the bed, where she placed the suitcase. When he got no response from her, he grabbed her by the arms, stopping her. She tried shrugging his grip off, but he held on tightly.

“Let go of me!” She struggled. “You’re hurting me again!” Her sentence made something click inside him, and he loosened his grip by just a bit.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t leave me,” He said brokenly. “I need you.”

She let out a soft laugh of mockery. “Need me? What about me? Have you thought that I might need you, too?” She held back her tears as she let her words spill out. “Where were you when I passed my job interview two months ago? I wanted to share the happy news with you but you were out drinking with your clients till 3am in the morning. Where were you when I found out I was pregnant? Where were you when I miscarried? Oh wait,” She scoffed. “You were the cause of it.”

Yifan’s hands dropped limply by his side. Miscarried? Pregnant? Why didn’t he know of that? “What?” His voice cracked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sohee couldn’t believe this. “Tell you? How do I tell you when all you do when you come home was to accuse me of something I didn’t do and hit me!” She screamed. The tears that she tried so hard to hold back were now falling freely down her cheeks.

She wasn’t the only one; Yifan was crying, too. “Baby, please. I can fix this. I-I’ll stop drinking so much. I can- I can-“ I can change to another job that doesn’t require me to drink, he thought, but the words refuse to come out as he thought of how financially unstable they were now and how much he actually needed that job.

“You can what? Change your job?” Sohee challenged, as if she read his mind. “Face it, Yifan. You need this job as much as I need my sanity.” She took deep breaths and zipped up her suitcase. “I’m sorry, but I need some time alone for now. I think you need it, too.” She avoided eye contact with him and left the house without a glance back, fearing that once she met eyes with him, she’d break down again.

 

 

 

“Thanks for letting me stay here for the time being, Junmyeon.” She smiled lightly when he helped her with her suitcase up the stairs. “And I’m really sorry for bothering you like this. I know you have your own-“

“I told you, It’s alright,” he laughed and dragged her suitcase into the guestroom. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. Jaekyung would be thrilled to see you here when she comes back from school. And besides,” He placed the suitcase next to the closet and dusted his hands. “You’re my sister. If you didn’t come to me in your time of need, I’d be appalled and furious.”

His statement made Sohee laugh as she sat down on the bed. “I think you know my house well enough. Kitchen’s downstairs; bathroom’s across the hall, yadi-yadi-yada.” He shrugged. “If you need me, I’d be in the kitchen.” He smiled and ruffled her hair before leaving her to unpack.

Once the door slammed shut, the smile fell from her face and she looked around the room. It had a more homely feel compared to her own house. It had a different scent, but it was okay, since it was her brother’s.

He knew about Yifan’s abusive side, and when Sohee called him early in the morning, crying, even before the sun had fully risen, he knew what had happened and drove over to pick her up immediately.

She picked up a pillow and hugged it, inhaling the scent. It smelt like pine and rosewood, the way how everything smelt like in Junmyeon’s house. She was slightly taken aback when she smelt that because she was half-expecting it to smell like vanilla, but she realized she wasn’t at her house anymore.

It was only 8am, and there was only Sohee and Junmyeon at home. Jaekyung wouldn’t be back till 1pm, and Jimin went back to her hometown to visit her mom. He had taken the week off because of that to take care of his daughter.

Sohee changed into comfortable clothes and zipped up her luggage before descending down the stairs, where Junmyeon was cooking breakfast.

“Hey,” He smiled when he heard her footsteps and turned back towards the sizzling pan. “I hope your tastes haven’t changed yet.” He turned off the stove, placed the egg on a plate and gave it to Sohee. “Bacon and eggs – sunny-side up – and French toast, right?” Junmyeon’s warm hospitality made Sohee cry all of a sudden, and in a moment of panic, he threw the plate on the table and held her by the shoulders lightly.

“Why are you suddenly crying?” Sohee just blubbered some words before wrapping her arms around her brother.

He wasn’t good with crying women. The only times he had seen women cry was when he proposed to Jimin – that was tears of joy, mind you – and Jaekyung when she was young – but she wasn’t really a woman, she’s an 8 year-old girl.

Even when growing up with Sohee, she was always the strong one, although he was the older one. She didn’t need protecting from the bullies at all; Junmyeon did. When she fell from the bike and scraped her knee and elbow, she didn’t even shed a tear. Now, his beloved sister was crying – from the abuses or other factors, he didn’t know.

“I just- I- missed- you.” She said between hiccups and sobs and she bawled even harder, letting out all the emotions she had been keeping inside for so long.

Sohee eventually fell asleep after hours of crying and Junmyeon carried her up to her room. As he laid her down on the bed, he noticed how frail his strong sister had become, and she seemed to have lost weight, too. The eyebags under her eyes were evident, and blue-blacks were everywhere along the length of her arms and legs.

His heart broke for her, and thought that it was best she’d leave him. He pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, kissed her forehead, and left the room with a sigh.

 

 

 

When Sohee woke up, it was orange outside. She blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling and bed before sitting up in the speed of light. It’s Junmyeon’s house. Right. She let out a breath and yawned. When was the last time she’d actually slept so peacefully?

She smelt something nice and was attracted right into the kitchen. Junmyeon was cooking some green thing and Jaekyung, who was sitting at the dining table, noticed her first. “Aunt Sohee!” She screamed and abandoned her books to run into Sohee’s embrace.

“Hey, Jaejae,” Sohee ruffled the younger’s hair and crouched down so they were on the same level. “How’s my favorite niece?”

“I’m fine. I’m glad you’re here! Since mom left I have nobody to talk to.” Jaekyung pouted and Sohee couldn’t help but smile.

“You have your dad,” She shrugged.

Jaekyung made a face. “No way! I have girl stuffs to talk about, and daddy doesn’t understand at all.”

“I’m still here, you know!” Junmyeon complained and she just stuck her tongue out.

“Alright,” Sohee laughed. “You can talk to me then. Tell me later after homework and dinner, okay?” She held out her pinky and Jaekyung hooked her pinky with hers.

“Okay, okay. Jae, clear the table and set it; it’s time for dinner.” Junmyeon placed the vegetables on the table and moved the pot of soup from the stove to the middle of the table.

“I’ll set.” Sohee volunteered and began putting the plates on the table with chopsticks and spoons.

 

After dinner, Sohee was about to help Junmyeon with the dishes when she was dragged away by Jaekyung. “Sorry!” was all she managed to say before she was pulled into the living room.

“Aunt Sohee, I have a question,” Jaekyung paused. “About boys.” Sohee noticed how her cheeks blushed when she mentioned it and scooted closer to her.

“What about them?”

“Well,” Jaekyung wringed her hands together, thinking of how to phrase it while Sohee just waited patiently. “If boys teased you often, does that mean they like you?”

Sohee shrugged and smiled, thinking back to her younger days when she was around Jaekyung’s age. “Maybe. Why? Is there a guy that keeps teasing you?”

“Yeah. Minkyu keeps pulling my hair and calling me names, which I feel is very rude but my friends told me that he did all those because he likes me.”

“Maybe he did all that because he wants your attention.” Sohee concluded and Jaekyung looked up.

“Hey! That’s what my friends say, too!” Sohee smiled. There was a guy who was a grade higher than her last time did all those to her, too. She hated his guts but in the end he confessed to her when he was about to graduate.

She shrugged. “Boys are weird. They like to tease you because your reactions are fun to see and it’s a good way to get a girl’s attention, but even if the attention is something along the lines of dislike, they’re okay with it – because you finally notice them.”

“So… does that mean Minkyu likes me?”

“Do you like him?” Sohee asked her back and she thought for a while.

“Other than the annoying teasings, he brings sweets for me everyday, and I like hanging out with him. Does that mean I like him?”

Sohee stared at the little girl in front of her. If only things were as simple as that now. “If you feel empty – like something’s missing – without him in your life for a day, then yes, you like him.”

And that was exactly how Sohee felt like right then.

 

 

 

It had been two weeks since Sohee stayed at Junmyeon’s, and two weeks without contacting Yifan at all. Frankly, she was starting to miss him a bit, and she was thinking over the divorce idea.

Maybe she said that too casually; too flippantly. She hadn’t meant what she said, had she?

These two weeks had been quiet and peaceful for Sohee, considering there weren’t any breakables breaking every night and she could actually have a good night’s sleep – not without a few nightmares now and then.

Glancing down, she saw the blue-black at the inner corner of her wrist. It was fading, like her other bruises, and it wasn’t hurting as much anymore; the most painful bruise was the one in her heart anyway.

She wondered how was he getting along with his life. Was he drunk every night still? Did he sleep well? Did he miss her as much as she missed him?

Her eyes flitted over to the drawer next to her bed, where her phone laid for the past two weeks. She hadn’t tried to turn on her phone at all, fearing that when he calls her to ask her to go back, she would oblige in a blink of an eye just by hearing his voice.

She sighed. What am I doing? She thought. The sky was dark when she finally came back to reality and she checked the time. Her eyes widened slightly. Had I really spent the past five hours here just thinking about him?

For a while, she thought the clock was spoilt – that it was actually just 11pm instead of 3am in the morning. She yawned, finally feeling the fatigue kick in and she left the window for her bed.

 

 

 

Yifan was a wreck, to say the least. Ever since Sohee left, he had been drinking more and more with his clients, trying to numb that pain in his heart. Every morning, he would wake up, not remembering what happened just a few hours ago. But the broken shards around the house said it all, and he’d spend his mornings cleaning the mess up.

He used to wake up to Sohee’s mouth-watering breakfast, her usual morning kiss for him and a clean living room, no matter if he drank the night before or not.

He sat down on the couch after making sure there wasn’t any broken glass hidden in it and heaved a sigh. He could always remember the day he first met her; he knew she was the one right then.

The moment she said yes, it was as if his whole life was a new chapter, a new beginning, waiting to be written.

He raked his fingers through his messy hair and let out a grunt of frustration. How did things end up like this?

He couldn’t lose her.

He won’t.

He refused to let things end like this. She belonged to him and him only. And without any idea where to go, he took his car keys and stormed out of the door.

 

 

 

Sohee woke up late that day and by the time she freshened up and went down, there wasn’t anybody at home anymore. She made herself some brunch and the television, flipping through channel after channel.

The doorbell rang suddenly and she wondered if Junmyeon was expecting any packages today. She slowly put down the plate and remote in her hands before heading towards the door. The rapping on the door sounded impatient, and she opened the door without even checking through the peephole.

“Can I-“ Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. He held the door open, making it almost impossible for her to slam the door shut.

“Just hear me out, please!”

“What do you want?” She glared angrily at him. Her heart broke when she saw how disheveled he became.

“I just- I’m sorry, okay? I need you to live; to breathe.” He was literally begging for forgiveness, and she looked away.

“Well, I don’t.” She whispered. “This isn’t something that can be fixed with an apology, Yifan.”

“I can change, I will change. I just need you back. Please. The past two weeks had been hell for me without you.” Neither party had realized that tears were already flowing down their cheeks.

“You always say that.” She looked at him. “I’m tired of listening to your lies, thinking that you’d really change and in the end it’s back to square one!” She screamed, letting all her emotions out. “Just be ready for the papers; I’ll file them tomorrow.” She took deep breaths and said as calmly as she could, not meeting his eyes. And just like that, the door closed, and Yifan couldn’t even find the energy to stop her.

 

 

 

Frankly, when he decided to find her a week ago, the first place he had thought of was her parents’ house, but ihe cancelled that place away because it wasn’t possible for her to go back there – if she did they’d have called him by now. A hotel was possible, too, but Sohee was a frugal woman, and she probably wouldn’t spend that much. Which brings him to her brother’s house.

He had been going over almost everyday since that day, hoping to talk things over with her, but she refused to open the door, so he waited outside for the whole afternoon, until Jimin and Jaekyung came back. He tried to talk them into letting him see Sohee, even if it’s for a short while, but Jimin refused under the orders of the former.

His job performance dropped, and was on the verge of being sacked. But because he was a valuable asset to the company, they decided to let him off on a no-pay leave instead.

Yifan had never felt the reality of Sohee’s leaving more real until the papers arrived a few days later. He stared at the papers blankly and wondered if he should find her again. The previous trips proved to be futile, and just the other day when Junmyeon answered the door, he said Sohee had moved out.

Where could she go? A part of him thought that she could still be in that house, but Junmyeon had answered that because she was tired of his constant visiting.

 

On a Thursday, Jimin opened the fridge to cook lunch. “Oh, damn.”

“What’s wrong?” Sohee asked from the island of the kitchen counter.

“I need to go out for some grocery shopping; I totally forgot about that.” She sighed.

“Oh, do you need me to go with you?” Sohee asked, walking over to the fridge to see the condition, and she concluded that there’d be a lot of shopping bags later on.

“That’d be great!” Jimin beamed. “But I need to fetch Jaekyung in half an hour.” She bit her lip.

“How about this?” Sohee suggested. “I can help you fetch Jaekyung later and we’ll meet you at the supermarket.”

“I think she has homework. It’s no problem; I can buy the things by myself. Just help me fetch Jaekyung from school and come back home.”

Sohee shrugged. “Sure, no problem.”

“Thank you so much, Sohee-ah. I’ll cook something nice for you later!” Jimin thanked her sincerely. “Do you want anything from the mart?”

Sohee pondered over it for a while. “Just some apples will do.”

“Alright. If you need anything else just give me a call.” Jimin checked the clock. “Maybe I should go and buy now before Jaekyung complains of lack of strawberries.”

Sohee laughed and handed an umbrella to Jimin at the door. “The sky seems dark; just a precaution.”

 

 

 

Sohee prepared to go out when Jimin left the house. She glanced at the clock and reckoned she had about five minutes to herself before heading out; it only takes ten minutes to Jaekyung’s school anyway.

She decided to leave the house early and drop by the candy shop to buy some for her niece, and she remembered to grab a larger umbrella before heading out.

Browsing through the endless shelves of sweets, Sohee found a bag of lollipops for herself and a bag of gummy worms – Jaekyung’s favorite. After paying, she headed out of the store, the bell at the door tinkling as she went out, only to bump into the person she didn’t want to see the most.

“Oh,” was all she could say when she saw him again after last week. How long had he not shaved? She wondered.

“Sohee,” Yifan breathed, seemingly shocked to see her this way as well, but he’d accept any kind of meeting with her now. “I- oh god, I- gosh.” He stumbled on his words, not sure what to say and just did the only thing his brain was telling him to do.

“Let go of me!” Sohee struggled against his strong embrace and pushed him away. Sohee didn’t why, or how, but at the next moment, her hands connected with his cheek.

Her eyes widened in shock as well and stumbled a few steps back. “Sohee, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” Yifan was literally begging now. He needed her like he needed air.

“Just go away.” She looked away. The sound of thunder rumbled through the sky.

“What can I do to make you come back again?”

“I believe you received the papers already. Just sign them and mail them back, my lawyer will do the rest.”

“Sohee, I need you.”

“Well, I don’t.” She looked up at him firmly. A flash of lightning sliced through the air and another round of thunder roared. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” she sighed. “I love you, I really do. But we really need this break. I really need this. I’m sorry.”

“Do we really need to go until so far?” He whispered brokenly. The skies were getting darker by the second, and Jaekyung was going to be released in three minutes.

“Sign and mail them back,” she began walking away. “I got to go.”

Yifan held onto her wrist. She wringed away from his hold and sighed. “Maybe when you’ve really changed for the better, we can be together again.” With that, she left him standing there, with tears streaming down his face. Unknown to herself, she was crying, too.

 

 

 

Yifan did not know how he managed to get home in one piece, but he did anyway. Sohee’s words replayed in his head like a broken cassette tape, and he collapsed onto the couch. The house was still in a mess, and he had accidentally cut himself when he sat down, but he was too numb to feel any physical pain at the moment.

Change for the better? He had been drinking more lately, even though he wasn’t really an alcoholic. The house was always covered with broken furniture because of his outbursts after drinking, and on some days when he needed to take his mind off of Sohee, he’d clean the place up, only to mess it up that night again. It was the same cycle every time.

Maybe it was really time for a change.

Digging through the pile of scattered magazines and papers on the coffee table, he found the manila file that he’d been trying to avoid ever since he received it. He found a pen in the folds of the couch and taking a deep breath, he began reading.

 

 

 

“Jaekyung-ah, do you mind taking these apples to Aunt Sohee?” Junmyeon said during dinner when he saw that Sohee was still in the room. According to Jaekyung, she had been like this ever since they got back, and it’s been 4 hours already.

“But she said not to disturb her.” Jaekyung replied innocently, relaying what she was told. Junmyeon sighed and looked over at Jimin, but the latter just shrugged. She had no idea what happened earlier on either.

“I’ll go,” Jimin took the plate from Junmyeon. “Have some girl-to-girl talk with her as well.” He sent a grateful smile to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek. Even though Sohee was his sister, he was still unfamiliar with girl problems.

Jimin knocked on Sohee’s door. “Sohee? It’s me. Can I come in?” She bit her lip as she waited for a response. When the door opened, Jimin smiled and went in.

“Junmyeon cut some apples for you. Your favorite, right?” She noticed Sohee sitting by the window and looking very out of sorts.

“I don’t feel like eating right now.” She mumbled, and Jimin was glad that the room was quiet enough for her to catch it.

“Sohee,” Jimin sat opposite her and took her hands. “I don’t know what happened earlier, but we’re all very worried about your sudden change in behavior.”

Sohee sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just,” She hesitated for a while. “I saw Yifan again today.”

Jimin’s eyes widened but she waited for her to continue. “I was on my way to fetch Jaekyung and I ran into him. He looks so… broken,” Tears fell at the thought of her husband and she wiped them away hastily with the back of her hands. “And I started to question myself: am I really doing the right thing?”

“I can’t advise you on this since it’s your own marriage, but if Junmyeon ever hits me, I’d leave him too.” Jimin grabbed a box of tissues from the table and handed one to Sohee.

“But it’s Junmyeon we’re talking about.” Sohee laughed, unable to picture an abusive side to her gentle brother.

“I know,” Jimin grinned, happy that Sohee was smiling again. “I’m just saying if. Girls need to be pampered and loved. It hurts when you’re the only one giving in a relationship. If you feel like you’re hurting, stop it before it gets worse.”

Sohee let the words sink in. As much as she wanted to be with Yifan again, she knew that she’d get hurt. Instead of giving love, she should love herself more.

“I guess you’re right.” Sohee smiled at Jimin and gave her a hug. “Thank you.”

 

 

 

Three days after the encounter with Yifan, Sohee decided that if he did not want to sign the papers, then she’d file for divorce by herself. She changed her clothes and phoned her lawyer to inform him that she was going down.

“Oh, Mrs Wu. I was just about to call you. Do you have time today to come down for a while?”

Sohee raised her eyebrows at the coincidence. “Yes, I do. I was going to tell you I’m coming down in about a half hour.”

“You needed to see me?”

“Yes. I was going to tell you to file for a divorce anyway. I reckoned my husband wouldn’t want to sign the papers.”

“Oh, well, he signed it and mailed it back to us already.”

Sohee paused and transferred her phone to the other hand. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Mr Wu has signed the papers and mailed it back to us. We just received it this morning, so I was going to tell you that we can go ahead with it. Why not we discuss this further once you’ve reached?”

When he heard no response from Sohee, he tried again. “Hello? Mrs Wu? Ms Kim?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Sorry. Um, sure. Let’s do that, then. I’ll see you later.” She hung up and leaned against the car seat. She hadn’t really thought that he would sign it after all the drama he’d caused for the past few weeks, but this was for the better. She sighed and started the car.

 

 

 

The process of the divorce was easier and faster than Sohee thought, and she only saw Yifan once throughout the whole thing. Even after it was legalized, Yifan had never came to find her. To be honest, she missed him and wished they could at least still be friends or something, but from what she heard from a common friend, Yifan had left the country.

It had been a year since her divorce, and she moved into a simple apartment near her brother after her house with Yifan was sold. She found a nice paying job as a secretary in one of the major companies in Korea, and she couldn’t help but think that her life was changing for the better.

Occasionally, she’d think of Yifan and at the start, she still cried herself to sleep sometimes, but as time went by, she remembered him with a smile. This marriage helped her mature a lot as a person, and she still had feelings for him, but maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.

“Sohee,” Aeri, her colleague, called her and Sohee just hummed in response. “Do you wanna go grab a coffee? I’m dying here.” She pouted and Sohee just laughed. She saved her work and stretched herself. Glancing at the time, she realized that she’d been typing away for 4 hours already. Perhaps a short coffee break wouldn’t hurt.

“Sure, let’s go.”

They decided to get coffee from the nearby Starbucks and Aeri sighed in content as she tasted her coffee. “God, I love coffee.”

Sohee laughed as she drank hers. “Don’t drink too much. It’s bad for your health.”

“But I need it. Without coffee, I’m like the walking dead.”

“Well, I can’t-“ Sohee’s comeback was cut when she bumped into someone. She gasped when the impact caused her coffee to spill onto the passerby and she fished out a packet of tissues from her skirt. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?” She was silently glad that she got an iced Americano instead of some other hot drink and tried to wipe the stain away. But it was coffee on a white shirt, so it was pretty hard.

“I’m fine.” She detected a hint of laughter in the stranger’s voice that she found so familiar and she looked up.

“You !” Sohee’s attitude changed when she saw who it was. “Why didn’t you see where you’re going!” She slapped his shoulders and he winced in pain.

“Hey, that’s family abuse! And you were the one that bumped into me. See this stain?” Junmyeon pointed at the light brown patch on his shirt.

“Whatever,” Sohee rolled her eyes and took a sip of whatever that was left in the cup. “I’ll try to wash it tonight, okay?”

“Just kidding, that’s your sister-in-law’s job anyway.” Junmyeon grinned and ruffled her hair. “I’ll see you tonight at dinner?”

“I might have to work OT, so just leave some food for me.”

“You need to stop working so hard.” Junmyeon shook his head. “I’ll see you later!” He waved goodbye and Sohee carried on with Aeri.

“Boyfriend?”

Sohee looked at her as if she had three heads and grimaced. “Ew, No! That’s . He’s my brother.”

“Well, just checking,” Aeri shrugged as she pressed for the lift. “I’ve never seen you date before.”

“My dating life doesn’t need to be seen.” Sohee grinned.

“Wait!” Sohee heard someone shout and immediately pressed the button to open the door. “Thank you!” The guy huffed as he went into the lift breathlessly. Sohee just nodded in return. She couldn’t help but feel that this guy seemed very familiar, but she couldn’t be too sure since his head was lowered.

“Did you finish the report on the new project already?” Aeri’s voice dragged Sohee back to Earth and she nodded.

“Yeah, just finished it yesterday. I have to print it for the meeting later on.” She sighed as she mentally made a to-do list for the day.

She faced the front, only to find the guy staring at her. They locked eyes for a second, and Sohee cleared awkwardly. “Um, can I help you?”

“Do you… not recognize me?” She stared at his face again – longer this time – and made a connection.

“Ah! You’re Jingook, right? From university?” He nodded and grinned. “It’s been so long! You work here?”

“Nah, just passing a document. How are you?”

“I’m fine; tired of working, but fine.” She laughed. “What about you?”

“I got married recently.” He showed the wedding band on his finger proudly.

“Wow, congratulations!”

“Thanks. I heard you and Yifan tied the knot after you guys graduated? How is he?” Sohee froze a bit at the mention of his name and smiled sadly.

“We… kinda ended things.” Jingook’s face fell and he cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry to hear that. You guys looked really good together.” The lift stopped at the 17^th floor with a ding and Jingook glanced up. “Oh, that’s my stop. I’ll catch you later!” He waved and stepped out of the lift and into the office.

“You’re married?!” Aeri accused.

“Was.” Sohee corrected.

“Same thing! You never told me!” Sohee shrugged as the lift stopped at the 25^th floor.

“You never asked. And like I’ve said,” she raised her eyebrows and gave Aeri a smile. “My dating life doesn’t need to be seen.”

 

 

 

Sohee stretched herself as she saved the document and glanced around the office. As usual, she was the only one left there and it was already dark outside. She checked her watch and was shocked to find that it was already a quarter to nine, much later than usual. She sighed and packed her things before leaving the office, not without turning off everything.

The lift doors opened when she was texting Aeri, and she was a bit startled when she noticed a man inside the lift since usually everyone would’ve left the building by then. Nonetheless, she thanked him for holding the door and stepped in.

Aeri asked Sohee to introduce Jingook to her and the latter stifled a laugh when she received the message.

He’s taken, remember? She replied. Come to think of it, she had been seeing familiar faces everywhere that day. First Junmyeon; then Jingook; after that when she was in the cafeteria for a quick lunch, she saw her high school classmate as well. Seemed like everyone was working in the same building, but weird how she’d never saw them before.

She thought back to Jingook and Yifan, and she let out a soft sigh. She had been seeing so many people that day, maybe she might bump into him, too. The lift reached the first floor and she almost laughed at the absurdity of her thoughts. How could she bump into him if he wasn’t even in the country?

She adjusted her bag and checked the message Aeri replied earlier.

Well, it doesn’t hurt to have a new friend! He might have cute friends too.

Sohee shook her head at her colleague and was about to reply when the man from the lift stopped her.

“Is this yours?” He handed her an employee card with her name and picture on it and she checked her bag. It must’ve dropped out somehow.

“Ah, yes! Thank you so much!” She took it from him and bowed.

“No problem, Kim Sohee.” She looked up and her eyes widened.

“Yifan…” Her voice came out as a whisper.

“How are you?” He asked in a friendly tone but she wasn’t paying attention. She only noticed his hair had been cut and dyed brown in contrast to his blond hair last time, but she liked it. He seemed more mature now, too. She was too busy taking in the fact that he was standing in front of her that she forgot to reply him.
“Sohee?”

“Huh? Oh,” She tried to remember his question. “I’m fine. What about you?”

“I’m alive, so I guess I’m fine.” He laughed.

“I didn’t know you worked here.” She pointed out and he shrugged.

“I was at the States after everything and I got a job there as well. They decided to post me to their branch in Korea two weeks ago so here I am.” She couldn’t believe the coincidence and laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just, I was just thinking if I would bump into you today since I’ve been seeing people I know everywhere, and here you are.” He smiled and it sent her heart into frenzy, just like last time.

“Me too. Jingook came here to send me a document today and, yeah.” Her eyes widened.

“Me too!” She exclaimed and they laughed. What are the odds, really?

“Um, Sohee,” he began and he looked down, unsure how to start. “The past year I’ve been thinking a lot after the whole,” He paused. “Divorce thing, and you’re right. I was a jerk and I shouldn’t have done that to you, under alcohol or not. Nobody should be treated like how I treat you, and you leaving me was the right choice. But do you think,” He looked into her expectant eyes. “We can start over?”

His words made her heart do flip-flops. “I’ve stopped drinking completely, and this job doesn’t require me to do that anymore! I’ve been to a camp that-“

“I’d love to.” Her words cut his sentence off and he was momentarily shocked. Did she just say yes?

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, she started first. “Hi, I’m Sohee, and thanks for returning my employee card earlier.” She held out her hand and Yifan glanced between her hand and her.

She gestured to her hand and gave him an encouraging nod. He smiled and held it. “I’m Yifan, and you’re welcome.”

“Is there anything I can do to repay you for helping me not get locked out tomorrow?”

“Hmm,” he pretended to be deep in thought. “You can always have dinner with me.”

She opened to reply, but her stomach grumbled as a response instead and she chuckled sheepishly. “Sure, dinner sounds nice. But I think it’s going to be supper soon,” She stepped into the parking lot with Yifan trailing behind her. “Did you drive?”

“Nope, but you trust a complete stranger in your car with you alone?” He raised an eyebrow as he opened the passenger door.

She gave him a grin. “Seeing that you returned my things, you can’t be that bad, can you?” It was fun to get to know each other again, and she was pleasantly surprised he still had the same effect on her. “Hop in.”

 

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thankyou for reading this ((longass)) oneshot!! It was kind of written in a whim at the start bc I didn't want to do my assignments and somehow it got longer than expected and frankly, I personally like this story somehow. It's not perfect and i feel like there's actually a lot of things missing in between but oh well. I didn't really read it over again so pardon any mistakes and I hope you enjoyed it!! and do comment :DDDDDDD