“If you start missing me—remember this; I didn’t walk away. You were the one to let go of my hand.”

“Hello,” comes a husky voice that I do not have to look up in order to identify. It’s just obvious. He is here—Yoon Minjae.

Within a second, I immerse on the acting; I bite my lower lip in hesitation and slowly look up at him. Our eyes lock for a moment before I decide to look away.

I feel a jolt of rage. He is smiling to his heart’s content as if nothing’s ever happened.

“Can I sit here?” Minjae asks despite he’s already slumped in the seat facing my desk.

I persuade myself not to fidget and just stay put. He’s just Yoon Minjae, the guy who tore your heart by shoving you a web of lies. You have to act strong and face him like he were just a small ant.

“Your boss’s gone home. I happened to come across him along the way here,” he notes.

I still keep my lips shut; I have no intention to have a word with him. Now it’s all just useless.

Amidst the sheer silence, I realize something about him. Minjae does indeed possess a flaming charisma where everything that flows out of his lips would make my heart warm and completely forget what he’s done to me.

However, I have to remind myself not to fall for his trick today.

“Yoona, are you still not feeling well?” The tone of his voice does convince me that he’s utterly concerned about my health. Ah, he’s a guy who knows how to handle women. He’s a player, after all.

“What makes me wonder is you came back to office right away after you were fine,” he continues to ramble himself, knowing I give him nothing but no single response. “In fact, you didn’t even inform me about it.”

“Why didn’t you say a word when I called you the other day?”

I duck my hand right off the bat when he tries to reach mine. There’s no way I’d let him touch me. One of the reasons is because I’m honestly afraid. If I let him hold me, I might just let things he’s done to me slide.

His face contorts with irritation upon my impulsive act. He was not expecting it, perhaps?

I feign ignorance and continue finishing my work before I can leave the office immediately. Everyone’s left and there’s only me here. It’s really uncomfortable to be in the office with him.

Minjae sighs in exasperation. “I have no idea what’s wrong with you!”

“I have lots of work to do, so… please stop bothering me.” I finally open my mouth. “I need privacy.”

“I just suppose you don’t want to see me anymore, eh?”

“No, you’re wrong,” I say defensively. “It’s not that I don’t want to see you, Minjae. We can’t meet each other from now on.”

I know he can hear me, albeit the last sentence’s almost like a whisper.

“Why can’t we?”

“Because…” I break off, at loss of words. I rack my brain to find a suitable sentence. “Because… we are, uhm, no longer together. We’re done.”

“W-what? What did you just say, Sena?” He is gobsmacked. “Mind to repeat?”

I put my hand away from the keyboard and frantically swallow the lump that forms in my throat. “I said that… we have nothing to do with each other anymore.”

On the spur of the moment, he jumps out of the chair and the chair goes tumbling down the floor. However, he pays no heed to it.

He rushes to roll the scattered house plans and stack them in the assigned rack. Once he’s done with them, he keeps all my wide open files into the respective cabinet and tosses the stationeries on the desk into the pencil case.

“Now that you’ve finished work, let’s go out!” he instructs rashly and already had my hand in his firm grip.

“Let go of me, Yoon Minjae!” I bellow at the top of my lungs, struggling to disentangle the grip. “For God’s sake, I don’t want to follow you!”

At last, he lets me go. I guess he’s had enough of my strident scream.

“Tell me,” he grunts, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “What did I do wrong to the extent you wanted to break up with me?”

I take a calm breath and relax my muscles after thinking this fight wouldn’t settle if I speak indignantly and with pride.

“Yoon Minjae, listen to me.” I stare into his eyes. “We are officially over. There’s nothing left between us. I… I cannot pursue this relationship any longer. Everything has ended.”

To my horror, he bursts out laughing, as though he’s taking my words as a joke.

“I had no idea that we’ve officially over, Sena.” He keeps laughing. “That’s only from your side. Not mine.”

“Whatever you’re trying to say, hold it back. We are officially over. Now that we’re done, please leave the office at once before I call the security guard!”

I really am stupid. I bravely said those words to him, but deep within, I am actually wounded. I feel a stab of pain. What is wrong with me? I should be glad that we’re now over, shouldn’t I?

“Let. Me. Go.” I enunciate loudly as he grabs my arm again.

He’s being deaf. “You owe me an explanation, Jung Sena! I won’t leave the office until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you!”

I smirk evilly, flipping my hair in distaste. “I don’t need to explain anything because apparently, you’ve got the answer.”

“I’ve got the answer?” He grimaces, bewildered. “What are you saying, Sena?”

Our attention suddenly falls upon Miyoung. She suddenly barges in the office and is terribly shocked to see us in this fierce condition. Gingerly, she heads to her desk and takes her cell phone, which she left it earlier.

Before she scurries to the exit door once she’s picked hers up, she shoots me an apprehensive glance.

My gaze turns back to Minjae. “Minjae, please… just get me over with. Don’t walk into my life anymore. If you still don’t realize we’ve broken up, then just consider… I’m already… dead.”

“Why?” A simple question pops off his lips. He massages the back of his head softly. “Is it because of I couldn’t make it to our date last week… or are you upset I couldn’t come over to your parents’ house the other day?”

“No.”

“Then why?” he asks again. “Have you found my replacement, Sena? Is that why you wanted us to break up?”

I’m willing to swallow all his—it’s better than having to admit the truth. I couldn’t bring myself to speak up.

Only him.

From the bottom of my heart, I do not love anyone else except him. It’s always been Yoon Minjae and would always be him.

“Even if I’ve found your replacement, I believe it’s none of your business to tend, Minjae.” Once again, I literally stab my own heart.

“Tell me… is he richer and nicer than me? Is he capable of doings things I couldn’t?” He is taken by a huge blow of surprise. I always knew the fact he has this inferiority complex when it comes to money. Matter-of-factly, he doesn’t come from a well-off family.

My lips quiver and I shut my eyes close. “For all this time we’ve been together, I never realized the fact I’d been deceived. I thought you were really sincere and honest with me, Minjae.”

“I never thought there’d be a day I realize that I’ve been deceived by you!” I am on the verge of tears, but I hold it back. I don’t want to look weak in front of him. “You lied to me, Minjae!”

Minjae’s speechless. His lips tremble to explain, but words don’t come out of his lips.

“Yoona, listen to me,” he speaks up at last. “I have no intention to deceive you. I… I was just waiting for the right time to confess…”

I swear my heart’s going to burst. He’s eventually come to admit the truth—the one he’s been hiding all the time.

“Just… stop everything here,” I say. “I don’t want to hear anything from you anymore, Minjae. We were just not meant for each other right from the start!”

“Sena, I don’t know how you actually knew about this and who told you, but seriously, that’s right. I didn’t tell you that I actually am a—”

“Stop!” I snap. “I don’t want to hear any words from you anymore!”

“But you’ve got to hear my explanation on why I lied to you and—”

“Go home, Minjae,” I mutter, looking out of the window. “And don’t look for me again in future. Everything ends here.”

He stares at me with an indignant look. Letting out a helpless groan, he later bobs his head down. He must have not expected the tables were turned in the end—truth has eventually prevailed and he is left dumbstruck.

“Sena, are you really serious about wanting to break up with me?”

“Of course I am.” I let out a shrill scoff. “I’m not that dumb of a person who’d still accept you even after what you’ve done to me.”

He looks astounded, but does not bother saying a word in return.

With the last nod, he pivots to the exit door and voices out of his last speech, “Just because I lied to you about a trivial thing doesn’t mean I don’t love you, Sena. I really, really love you so much. But… even if I said that, I bet you won’t believe me.” He stops for a feeble chuckle. “Anyway, I hope you will lead a better life without me from now on, as in without having to go out with a big liar like me.”

 He walks out of the office, leaving me a bit flustered of his last words. It’s as though he’s trying to tell me something.

Nonetheless, I feel a wash of relief. Everything’s gone smoothly today. No more Yoon Minjae in my life and no more lies.

“Minjae,” I whisper his name as I steal the