Suzy laid back on her sofa with the phone in her hands, letting Sehun’s voice fill in the silence of her apartment. She had been spending at least an hour listening to the voicemails he had left, repeating them over and over again.

“Suzy, please let me talk to you.”

“I can explain everything that you want to know…”

“Even if it’s just for a moment, please let me see you.”

She bit her lower lip as she heard the familiar words once more that Sehun would never forget to include in every voicemail.

“I love you.”

Once again, she was staring into nothingness. It had been days since she last saw and heard about Sehun. Her eyes had already grown tired of crying and her body was already fed up of the state of lifelessness it was in so Suzy decided to clear her mind. She knew that no matter how excruciating the desolation she felt, she needed to gather back all the energy she had lost for there are still battles she needed to fight and matters she needed to deal with.

Her trance was halted by a knock and Suzy got up to open the door which revealed the person whom she entrusted her vulnerability to for he was also the only one who perfectly knew about her situation.

“I’ve brought you ice cream,” Myungsoo smiled as he showed the shopping bag he was holding.

Suzy beamed and gestured him to come but then she greeted him by saying, “You don’t need to be worried about me. Do you not believe me when I said that I wouldn’t do something that would send me to the hospital again?”

“I do. I do believe you,” Myungsoo replied as he prepared some spoons and cups for them, “I am sure you wouldn’t go as far as that anymore, Su.”

“So you do believe my words,” Suzy confirmed.

“But it’s also because of something more,” Myungsoo retorted.

“Something more?”

He looked at her and gave out a thoughtful smile as he said, “I don’t know how to phrase it better but… I think the struggles that we’ve experienced helped you grow more. Now, I see you wounded but beneath all the pain is the Suzy that I’ve never seen so much stronger.”

Suzy beamed back and joked, “I should recommend this ice cream to those who suddenly want to be poetic.”

Myungsoo chuckled in reply but the conversation they were in was interrupted by the loud ringing of Suzy’s phone. As she looked at the caller ID, she chewed on her lower lip before silencing the call.

He asked her, “Is it Sehun again?”

“Hmmm,” Suzy nodded and mindlessly poked her cup of ice cream.

The call had ended but Myungsoo questioned, “Why didn’t you answer it?”

“I don’t know how,” Suzy whispered. “I don’t know how I would be able to control all the emotions once I start talking to him.”

“Suzy,” Myungsoo’s tone demanded for her to meet his gaze, “It is no use to seek for answers without asking any question.”

There was a long silence that resonated in the room but slowly, Suzy nodded with an understanding smile. Then she asked back, “How about you? Do you have all the answers that you need?”

“There is one question that I could only ask if that person already have the answers to her own questions.”

As Myungsoo gave her a sad smile, Suzy exactly knew what he meant.

“Suzy resigned.”

“I know,” Myungsoo answered as he twirled the can of beer he was holding, “She told me. She’s also planning to go back to her hometown for a while as she try to look for another work. She, apparently, wants to start anew.”

“Are you included in her new life then?” Howon asked as he opened a can of beer for himself.

“Spending the past few days well with her, I am almost sure that she would choose to keep me,” Myungsoo replied. “What I am not certain with is the role she’d allow me to play in her life.”

“If she and Sehun are over for a reason you would not tell us – “

“ – I’m just respecting Suzy’s decision to keep it a secret.”

Howon huffed before continuing, “Anyway, if they are over now and you’re seeing her, why are you not pursuing her then? You could’ve stayed in her apartment too.”

Myungsoo uttered, “I don’t want to impose. We’ve come a long way before we were able to establish back the ease between the two of us. I don’t want us to be entangled in a relationship that would only hurt us just because she needs someone right now. I could help her heal Howon… without messing with her heart.”

Silence followed before Howon commented, “I never saw you this mature before.”

Myungsoo beamed until Howon slapped him with a throw pillow as the latter male scolded him, “What I couldn’t understand is why you have to stay in my place! Yah! I want to invite my girlfriend home you know.”

“You’re so lewd,” Myungsoo squinted at him and as Howon flushed red, he laughed. He then answered, “Just a few more days, Howon.”

Myungsoo then teasingly hugged his bestfriend as he said, “Besides… you’re going to miss me when I’m gone!”

Soojung didn’t want to go back to the empty mansion that used to house both her and Myungsoo. She couldn’t go back to her parents too for she did not know how to explain the situation she had caused and she was in. Fortunately, Sehun took her in. Sehun did not trust her to take care of herself; he made sure that Soojung was still, at least, surviving and dealing with regular daily activities.

However, with Soojung at his house, it made it difficult for Sehun to go to Suzy. She craved for company. Almost all of the time, Soojung would want to go out with him. Therefore, Sehun’s last resort was to sneak away while Soojung was sound asleep.

The days he spent away from Suzy had made the longing and yearning for her grow. Sehun was uncertain if Suzy would allow him to enter her life again but he did not want to give up without trying. Even if he would be unforgiveable for Suzy, Sehun still wanted to convey all his feelings and tell all the stories that he hid from the beginning. Anxiety and fear was eating him whole as he travelled to Suzy’s apartment but days spent away from her had made him gather all the courage he needed.

However, he was not even able to set foot in the building where Suzy lived at because he had met Myungsoo at the entrance. By the time that Myungsoo’s eyes landed on him, they were already blazing with rage. The male took hurried steps towards him while Sehun was frozen on the spot where he stood until he was shoved onto the wall with Myungsoo gripping his collar tight.

“Forgiving you is up to Suzy,” Myungsoo mumbled. “But let me at least ask for a little playback.”

Myungsoo’s fist then landed on Sehun’s jaw as the former grunted, “I need you to pay for ruining our relationship.”

It didn’t take long before another punch landed on Sehun’s abdomen, causing the male to cough hard. Myungsoo didn’t wait for Sehun to recover as his fist collided with Sehun’s jaw consequently three times, causing the male to sprawl on the ground.

Myungsoo then straddled him and panting, he muttered, “I need you to pay for breaking the heart of the person who I treasured more than myself.”

Then, Myungsoo was punching Sehun’s face endlessly and in between his punches, he uttered repeatedly, “Who are you to play on our lives like that?”

Myungsoo continued beating him as he yelled, “Just who the hell do you think you are!”

Sehun could already taste the blood on his lips. He could already feel the bruises that were forming in his face. His eyes were hurting as well but he saw how Myungsoo bawled while throwing punches. Sehun knew that it was not only Myungsoo’s bottled anger on him that was flowing at that moment but as well as Myungsoo’s tears.  

He worked hard to make Myungsoo pay for breaking Soojung’s heart countless of times but the devastation in Myungsoo’s eyes did not give any bit of fulfilment for him. Again, Sehun realized how revenge would never give him the happiness he sought for.

Despite the ferocity of the blows that Myungsoo gave, Sehun did nothing more than shield himself with his arms held up to protect his face. He let Myungsoo be because the pain had made him breathe, for he was suffering from being suffocated by guilt. Sehun thought that he would be sent into an eternal slumber that night and he was prepared to die in the hands of the man whom he had deprived of happiness. However, the brawl had caught the attention of the people around.

As soon as she heard about the news of Myungsoo being arrested by the policemen, Suzy wasted no time and went to the police station. She needed to solve the crisis immediately for Myungsoo couldn’t be imprisoned or else, the issue would be scattered by the media as wildfire and would damage the name of the Kims. She was already panicking as numerous scenarios were playing on her mind but what she was not able to ready herself for was the male who sat across Myungsoo in front of the police desk – Sehun.

He looked awful with all the bruises and cuts on his face but what made Suzy more curious was the absence of the same wounds to the obvious culprit whose hands were cuffed, Myungsoo. She was lost in a trance on how she would approach the two males, however, the daze she was in was quickly halted when Myungsoo called her.

“Suzy.”

As Myungsoo spoke the two-syllable name that had occupied everything of Sehun, the latter’s heart started beating loud and fast. He raised his beaten face and met the gaze of the woman whom he had been yearning to see. At the sight of Suzy in front of him, it took all of Sehun to control his desire to approach her right then and there and envelop her in his arms. He gulped when she started walking and he thought that she was going towards him. However, Suzy stopped a few feet away from him and stood beside Myungsoo. The girl then tore his gaze off him and instead, looked at Myungsoo, and the simple act crushed Sehun’s heart into pieces.

Fate seemed to be playful that night.

The clacking of heels echoed in the police station as Soojung arrived. Upon seeing them, Soojung had difficulties wiling her feet to move. The sight had confirmed her fear – Suzy and Myungsoo were indeed spending time together. She did not know how to face