"Jieun, would you meet me again?"

"...Alright."

She then promptly hangs up the phone. Yongguk follows suit with a sigh. She didn't sound very willing to see him again but that's enough. It's more than he could ask for, that she'll allow him to see her again. 

Despite putting up a front before Daehyun, Yongguk was actually slowly buying the boy's way of wooing Jieun back. He still thinks it's more a highschool boy's method of chasing girls but no other way actually better shows how much he still loves Jieun.

A few days later, Yongguk pulls up at a quiet cafe, heartbeat racing in his chest as he approaches the designated meeting place between him and Jieun. He pushes open the door, the bell at the handle ringing upon his arrival. Jieun's easy to spot in the mostly empty cafe. Yongguk approaches with a hopeful smile, a little timid on his lips. Jieun catches his eyes, no smile on her lips but that's okay. He gives a polite smile despite the nervousness.

She looks away from him and gives a smile at the man sitting in front of her at the table. Yongguk dismisses any insecurities and fear with the excuse that the man's just an acquaintance, probably a friend. But, no.

Jieun's smile was almost cruel. The two stands up from the table. She hooks an arm around his and they walk towards him. Jieun's stoney expression in her eyes collapses all hope inside of Yongguk. He retreats before she would have to go through the trouble of making it clearer to him whatever's already understood. 

He nods silently to himself as he leaves. Alright. A man should know when to give up when he needs to.

It's time to pack up his feelings once and for all.

"Help me one last time, Daehyun. I need to get all of this out of my house... out of my life... once and for all."

"W-what's wrong? What happened? Did you meet her already?" Daehyun follows briskly behind Yongguk who seems to be in a rush as he runs up to his room on the second floor. Daehyun closes the house door for the man, clearly worried about his boss's behaviour. 

Yongguk is already shoving things into a large cardboard box when Daehyun's made his way upstairs. The man's making a huge ruckus, throwing and probably breaking items into the box Daehyun assumes he's going to dispose of. There is a huge messy pile of CDs on the floor. Yongguk probably dumped all the records on the floor to empty up the box. It's frightening to see Yongguk like that. And Daehyun is concerned.

"Y-yongguk... Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Yongguk says as a picture frame shatters with its landing in the box. "just help me get rid of everything here. Anything that's hers. Every... thing..."

Daehyun creases his brows and sighs as the man before him slowly slides down onto the floor, sobbing out of his breathe with his head hung low. 

They actually sorted out the mess but Daehyun never thought that Yongguk would be the kind to discard things after a relationship, for he's always appeared to be cool and aloof. They sit in the lawn outside, drinking and Daehyun can't stop himself from sneaking glances at Yongguk who still look very much in grief.

Yongguk seems to be in deep thoughts, just staring straight up ahead, unable to be read.

"You know what, Daehyun." Said man jumps with the interrupted silence. He pays immense attention to Yongguk, like he's carefully tiptoeing around a man whose emotions may not be provoked even to the slightest at this moment.

"I don't know how... I could love somebody so much, but yet be in so much despair."

Yongguk ends his sentence off with a scoff, which sounded more hurt than he was letting go. Daehyun looks away. He can't look at Yongguk's face when the man's trying so hard to get over his pain yet could not. It's too painful.

It wasn't long before Yongguk crumbles under the alcohol. Daehyun shifts Yongguk back to the couch in the living room before he gets too drunk to get on his feet. Daehyun stares, and just can't help but sigh. Yongguk, almost as if he's heard Daehyun's voice, starts to call him by Jieun's name again.

Daehyun laughs a little. It was almost like the first time this happened. Yongguk seems to be smitten with the idea that he's Jieun whenever he's drunk. 

But... he can't help feeling a little sorry. Must be such a terrible feeling, to love someone so much, yet unable to properly do so. And it's always because of stupid little things...

Daehyun raises his hand, his palm hovering over Yongguk's shoulder and his fingertips almost touching the man's cheek. It's at the moment when his fingertips senses the warmth on Yongguk's cheek that he realises his pity for Yongguk might have crossed the line. He retracts his hand at the overflowing feeling in his chest and shakes his head.

What is he thinking? Getting all caught up in somebody else's drama...

Just when he is kicking himself out of the trance, Yongguk's phone starts buzzing loudly on the glass table. The noise almost made him jump out of his skin but he is thankful for the sudden jolt that shifted his attention away successfully.

The name on the screen reads 'Jieun'. And for a split second, Daehyun is torn between dread and joy which the latter eventually won. He is ashamed for hoping Jieun never called at that moment. It might be jealousy, it could be feeling of unworth for Yongguk, but either way, he's not in any position.

"Yongguk! Wake up!" He shakes the man but Yongguk doesn't repond.

Daehyun fears the ringing might end before Yongguk could get up. What if she thinks Yongguk's ignoring her on purpose? What if that was it?

"..." He decides to pick it up for Yongguk.

"Hello? ...Yongguk?" At the other end, Jieun sounds very reserved and nervous. And Daehyun can tell she was crying.

"Hello Jieun-sshi... Yongguk-sshi is not feeling very well now to pick up your call..."

There's a slight pause on the other side. 

"Oh. I see..."

"He's really not feeling well! He was drinking a lot just now so he's really not ignoring your call on purpose!" Daehyun explains quickly, pacing back and forth in the living room.

He listens carefully to Jieun's voice on the other side and the woman starts to cry, "I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to be this way.. I did that to spite him... I just wanted him to do something... I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to hurt him..."

Daehyun listens as Jieun breaks down on the other end, sighing. 

Why are they making this so hard?