Half an hour.

They have been sitting on a table without saying a word for thirty minutes. It was weird, Kai had a hard time in thinking through the situation. Needless to mention that Tao was just not coming. Sehun looked calm, which seriously irritated Kai. How could he, his own brother not tell him that he had been contact with Mirae? For a year? Why didn't he tell him about their business? "Like seriously, what's wrong with you?!" He didn't shout, there was no need. Kai was so pissed and betrayed that he found it useless to waste his voice.

"Sehun, I am leaving." Kai found himself breathless as he saw Mirae come out with a totally changed expression. Looking calm, reserved and...relaxed, she stood for a moment at the door, staring at them. Kai stared back, causing her to avert her gaze. He sighed.

Sehun suddenly smiled. Turning around to face her, he raised a brow. "Your ring." He pointed towards her neck where a silver chain was resting on her collarbone, with a small black ring hanging from it. Kai frowned as he saw her adjusting her chain so the ring would come forward, fully showing. "Thanks." Giving him a soft smile, Mirae waved at Sehun before exiting the restaurant.

"What's with the ring?" Kai glared back at his brother as soon as they were left alone. "I gave it to her." His brother smirked and after a moment of realization, Kai suddenly stood up, shooting a glare to the door. Sehun didn't even bother stopping his brother who stormed off after Mirae.

Rushing outside, Kai's first reaction was to run after Mirae, succeeding in grabbing her wrist in the end. Forcing her to turn around, he decided to ignore her shocked expression, wishing to spare all the useless time in arguing.

"Please, hear me out." He puffed as he tried to get some air. Placing his other hand on top of hers, he gripped her softly, mentally begging her to agree. "Let me go." She didn't want to hear him and he understood why. But why was she so stubborn? They were friends once.

"What do you want?" He mentally slapped himself as he saw her reaction to this stupid question. Turning away from him, Mirae tried to walk away, before being pulled again by him. "Oh God, that was a stupid question! I am so sorry!" He became frantic as he tried to calm himself down. Funny, this was making him even more nervous. "I haven't seen you in a year! You reject my calls, your parents haven't heard from you at all, you just vanished!"

"Why would I want to hear anyone? My parents left me, their daughter, so they could comfort the cheater of the family. This is not the first time Kai! I don't want to see you either, because I hate what I become around you! Why would I want to keep in touch with anyone of you?" She raised her voice and Kai felt the impact of her grim stare on him, it was making him feel even worse. "What do you become? What can you possibly become around me that you hate so much?" He already knew the answer, but somehow if he heard it from her, if she just said it, everything could become different.

Mirae raised a brow, staring at her first love as he refused to let her go. "Let me go, Kai. Spare me the embarrassment. Please, leave me alone." He refused to make the same mistake. "No." Gripping her tighter, Kai pulled her into a sudden embrace. Feeling her breath stopping, he smiled softly as he buried his head into the crook of her neck, listening to her heart beating, remembering how she smelles. It was fast and Mirae was getting warmer by each second. He sensed it all and wondered why was he so stupid.

Maybe if he noticed her a month earlier, if he did the first step, if he wasn't so clueless. Maybe if he didn't propose to Sera just so he would gain Mirae's attention, maybe if he came out of his comfort box and actually saw that she was feeling like this. Maybe if he wasn't afraid and had the strength to turn to his feeling and acknowledge t hat, indeed, he was feeling the same. If Kai chose not to ignore the thoughts in his head and actually admitted that she was his weakness, then maybe, things would be so different. Funny how a wrong turn can lead to a long path. "Don't leave again." He felt as she trembled when he spoke, feeling the need to pull her even closer.

Just like a year ago, when he was laying beside her, holding her in his embrace. Just like then, he felt real.

"A year was too long, Mirae, let's stop this foolish argument." Whispering in her ear, she gasped sharply. Feeling how she was on the edge of her breaking point, Mirae took a sudden step back, breaking free from him. "No, Kai. A year is not enough. At least for me." His expression could make her regret her words, however, she didn't see it. Not wasting a second, she turned her back on him and walked away, leaving him alone, staring at how the distance between them increased rapidly. He couldn't go after her, he had no right.

He finished work earlier on that day. At first he was headed home, but somehow he found himself in front of her restaurant, where he waited for her to finish. Ignoring his pride, after three hours of waiting, he was already getting in his car, where he drove off after her, following her to her apartment. The flowers he bought earlier were looking still fresh on the backseat, waiting to be delivered to her.

An hour later, he was at her door, with the flowers in his hand, pressing on the door ring. 

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The next chapter should be the last one. It was short, I know, but I can't possibly include more since I wanted it to be kept simple. Comment if Tao ever left you hanging for a date :D I will update soon, I promise. I know that I haven't updated in 9 days and I am sorry. Don't worry, I ain't leaving you hanging too long for the finale ;) Should I advertise this story? I have no idea. So who will be it? Kai or Sehun?!