The difference between nature and love is that nature is a cycle, what is gone comes back but once love is lost, there is nothing one can do but prolong the void because even the coldest of ice will melt eventually.

Hyukjae woke up with cold sweat blistered over his face. His heart palpitated unusually, high in frequency but low in rhythm. Nevertheless, he's up; and checking the digital clock on his bedside, he only sighed shakily and eased his rigid body back into the artificial warmth when it read 6:17 a.m. Work didn't begin until ten so he had plenty of time to spare on his part.

As he lay in bed, arms stretched over the cool cover of the bed sheets, his mind started racing ahead. Turning his head to the left, his lips twitched in an attempt to smile; to say and show the world how happy he was. Without that person. Two years ago, he would've been graced with the sight of a sleeping angel sharing their bed; two years ago, he would have woken up to butterfly kisses littered over his pale cheeks and tinted lips, two years ago, he wasn't alone in the big apartment complex, and two years ago, he wasn't out of love.

Goose bumps arose on the surface of his skin when he carefully brushed his arm across the empty space occupying the other half of the bed; empty, for quite a while now.

Two years.

Two years.

Seven hundred and thirty days, eight seasons flying past; and, a plethora of time to learn to bury your love for someone.

For Hyukjae? It didn't affect him that horribly, depending which perspective you looked through. The male was satisfied, empty, yes, but content with the knowledge of his lover returning to his side in the future. But for his friends and mother? The time dripping away was lethal and lifesaving at the same time. It was shocking how loyal Hyukjae was, to choose to believe his husband’s words of reuniting soon—not a definite time and place or guarantee, but soon—because really, anyone with a slight waver of doubt would have signed the divorce papers and found somebody new.

Anyone, not Hyukjae.

His stubbornness must be a trait of his father’s, and his mother is fed up of it. Why should she stand on the sidelines and watch her son suffer the pain of loss of love? All mothers want the same, and that is for their children to live healthily and happily. Yet with Hyukjae moping around whenever he visited, it was heart wrenching for a mother to bear.

And it wasn't like she hadn't tried dissuading Hyukjae from waiting, because come on, two years passed and still no sign of him? It'd be more accurate to describe the other as dead. Mrs. Lee wanted her son to start his footsteps in life and value the time he has left instead of waiting around a vacant vow. But every time she mentions the topic, Hyukjae would smile and shake his head, eyes downcast and fixated on something rather than hearing her speak.

Because really, if he honestly love (or once upon a time, loved) Hyukjae, then he should know to let go. Because if he's moved on with his life, then Hyukjae certainly deserve to do so.

Because, he's been missing from their lives for two years.  And, they may have been hopeful in the very beginning, but now? There's no point for him to come back. She doesn't want him back.

Donghae looked at his soon-to-be-hectic schedule. Only three more days until he would see his first client. Excitement pulsed heavily like the bass of a song, as he laid paralysed on his bed, imagining what this ‘Mr. Lee’ would look like, considering they've got the same surname.

To be frank, he was very nervous, and at the same time absolutely overjoyed to come back to Korea from studying and traveling abroad. He had decided it was nearer the time to fly back into his home country, although not after he found himself a steady job first.

And he loves it.

He loves his job, a marriage counsellor; to be able to ease knots in relationships and marriages, if not loosening them once and for all. Helping other people’s relationships, detecting flaws and solving tricky problems all made Donghae realise and become extra aware of his actions when he decide to enter a relationship.

Looking and judging other people's marriages had Donghae mentally taking notice of what is tolerated in a relationship and what isn't. Because, nobody can master a relationship, or even have or be in a perfect one; because that is either made up of imperfections or just unrealistic. In some forms, Donghae think it is actually nice to experience hardships when it comes to your loved one because it brings two together and solidifies the foundation of the relationship with something sturdier than love itself: trust.

More than three quarters of the problems of marriages root from lack of trust and faith; there's always one question too many, one doubt too heavy, and one voice too steady. Accusing the other and shutting down functions of the ears, not listening to explanations. The worst thing anyone could do is to not believe someone you want to spend a lifetime with; growing old and supporting each other. But it seemed that at moments during arguments and fights, first dates, shy fingers entwining, the gentle touch of lips against lips were all forgotten.

And then there are the lies.

The reassuring yet bewitching messages any person could foul up another’s mind with, drive them into a haze of sweetness, but in reality a tangled web of deceitful punches.

Just thinking of it made Donghae sigh, shoulders slumped forward softly as he leaned the weight of his top half on his desk.

But, hopefully, he can help Mr. Lee when they meet.

He didn't realise his mother would go this far. Knowing the past few months hadn't been easy for him to communicate with her, because she'd bring up him in every conversation, he still tried his best to be the son before everything happened; just to please her.

But to book him an appointment with a marriage counsellor?

That is crossing over the line. It was like he was back to his teenager self, the period where everything he did was seen as an act of rebellion and procrastination. He loves his parents, he really do, but years ago during his mid to late teenage years he seemed to inevitably hate them. Now, he is thrown back into his old self, one whom was unable to produce an identity of his own in society; instead, he mingled around the orders of the family.

Reasoning with his mother wasn't easy, and in the end, he had no choice but to go to the appointment she booked, which was only two days from now.

He sighed in frustration as he got home, throwing his car keys on the dining table, aiming for the basket of letters and whatnots but missed. Slow on his feet, Hyukjae treaded across the wide living room and collapsed on the sofa, limbs too heavy and brain too clogged.

Yawning mutely, Hyukjae wiped the tears gathering in the corner of his eyes and felt a wave of drowsiness hit him hard. Good thing he only has a few sketches to complete tomorrow, meaning there's not a need for him to go to the company, the male decided to wash and go to bed early. It's times like this that make Hyukjae proud of his own hard work and achievements during his youth for getting a luxurious job with the best working conditions he could ask for.

He went to the bathroom and stripped off layers of clothing, before stepping inside the showers and twisting the knobs to come to the right temperature. Sizzling hot water coaxed his tight limbs to loosen and mitigate from their earlier soreness, and within minutes his pale white skin had turned bright pink. He made this repeated and simple task very fast and scrubbed himself quickly, rinsing the bubbles off his hair also.

He still used the same shampoo because it’s his favourite. The rich vanilla scent wafting to his nose brings back old memories, dusted and re-opened. Hyukjae remembered the past, where they would stand in the shower together doing nothing but cuddling despite their , sharing the warmth of the water with each other. There are those occasions where the two would find themselves wrapped in two fluffy bathrobes and sipping on wine; although not to romanticise the situation, but they really did do all those cheesy things that people thought only occurred in movies.

Heaving a sigh of a mood similar to his heart’s, Hyukjae stepped out and dried himself quickly; ruffling his short white hair that he had dyed recently before putting on some clothes and underwear. Then, Hyukjae slides into bed with ease, and reaches out for his laptop by the bedside.

For a whole minute, the only sound present in the grand bedroom was the crisp keyboard; consistently pressed by Hyukjae's long and slim fingers. Soon, after he logged on, an alert sound pinged sweetly at Hyukjae. A pop up email flashed upon the screen, followed by the male groaning loudly.

It was a confirmation email sent automatically by the marriage counseling therapy sessions his mother paid and booked for him to remind him of his appointment time and date.

Days passed too quickly. Before Hyukjae could rip the paper calendar to the correct date, it was already the morning; the very morning he had a therapy session in the afternoon. His mother even made sure to remind him through a call that had disrupted his sleep, and hence woke up the male. in a deep breath, the male ruffled his hair and stretched his muscles, before stalking to the bathroom to have a morning shower.

An hour had passed before he was finally ready to leave the house. Hyukjae had staggered inside the bathroom after realising it was already eleven and his session starts at one. He chose to go with a shower, and finished in record time before putting on a jumper and comfortable trousers. He had breakfast; a small cheese flavoured bagel and he is on his way, car engine grumbling smoothly as he set off on the road. Now, he sat in the driver’s seat, hands stiff and back straight, thinking about the therapy.

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