A loud squeal went off in the airport and heads turned towards the source. Some rolled their eyes in annoyance and continued what they were doing while some stared at the couple in a tight embrace with indifference.

"Oomph. You got heavier babe." He chuckled while trying his best to hold onto his girlfriend with both hands on her , holding her up. Her arms were around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist. She had practically ran and pounced upon seeing him.

"Yah! Choi Siwon! That's not a good way to welcome your girlfriend who flew past half the globe to be with you!" Tiffany pouted and got down from her boyfriend's hold. She then ran a hand through her messy hair.

"Just messin’ with you. Even if you were to become twice or thrice your size now, I'd still love you the same." Siwon held her hand and kissed her on the cheek. "Come on, let's get you settled down." He grabbed her luggage with his other hand and started walking towards the carpark.

She followed his pull and couldn't help but feel happy. Siwon had to move back to Korea for work, and since she’s not one to believe in long distance relationship, she suggested dropping everything in LA, California to move here with him. Well, she technically just left her job and the life she’s used to since young.

She had known Siwon since college. She was a fashion major while he a business major. Siwon was fond of taking pictures and he needed a model for the photography club then. They were introduced through a mutual friend and got along well since they both were from South Korea. Only difference was Tiffany migrated to LA while Siwon was sent there for studies since young. They had been inseparable since.

Sometimes she would think that this was it. Sooner or later they'd get married and have kids. She’d even imagine the looks of their future kids and would often gush at that thought. She was sure that they’re going to make gorgeous babies!

It was one of the reasons why she decided to leave LA. She thought it would be good to settle down in Korea, with Siwon, his family and well, their future kids. They could hold a wedding here, and maybe another one in LA for her family, or the couple could just fly them over; whichever works.

Once they arrived at Siwon’s apartment, Tiffany plopped down onto the couch and closed her eyes. He sat beside her and massaged her temples.

“Tired?”

“Yes, very. Urgh. I hate long flights.” She groaned and sank deeper into the couch.

“Go wash up and take a nap then. I’ll do some grocery shopping and we’ll have dinner later. How’s that?” Siwon caressed her cheeks lovingly.

“Mmm. Sounds great.” She opened her eyes and stared into his loving gaze. She shuddered a little, amazed that after 5 years he could still make her feel like a teenage girl having eye contact with her crush.

“Get some rest. I’ll be right back.” He pecked her on the lips and went out of the apartment for groceries.

---

"Are you out of your mind?!" The lady who sat in front of the man kneeling on one knee, with a ring in-between his thumb and forefinger, hissed.

Taeyeon looked around anxiously and saw people who were seated near them, looking at them and whispering to one another.

"What?" Inha frowned but did not move from his position, eyes not leaving the lady. "I find that we've been getting along well, and since we're the age to get married, I thought-"

"Just," she interjected and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Just get up, and let's get out of here. We need to talk but not here." She placed a hand on his arm and pulled lightly, hoping that he got her hint.

"Wh-wha... You're not saying yes to the proposal? You don't want to get married?!" His voice gradually raised and he was practically shouting towards the end of the sentence, which made her facepalm inwardly. The bustling restaurant became quiet instantly and she could feel eyes on them from all directions.

Taking a quick glance around, she gestured a waiter nearby for the bill. The man was still on one knee, staring at her as if she's out of her mind. Once the waiter came to their table, she threw her credit card onto the tray, not even caring to check through the receipt. She only had one thing in mind that was to get out of here, with him, quickly.

The restaurant resumed the usual clattering sound of utensils hitting the plate but it was obvious that people were still keeping an eye on them. The noise level was considerably lower compared to when the fiasco happened.

She signed on the receipt as soon as the waiter returned, took her card from the tray and dropped it into her purse. She then stood up, pulling the man up by his arm and walked briskly out of the restaurant with her head hung low. The man stumbled on his steps before following the lady out, with the ring still in between his fingers.

They walked straight to the counter and Inha gave his ticket to the valet. Both of them were silent as they were in deep thoughts. The man was clearly unhappy that he got rejected while the lady was embarrassed.

His car came and he tipped the valet before stepping into the car. She followed suit and he drove off almost instantly after she slammed the door shut.

The first few minutes of the ride were spent in silence but she could feel that he's annoyed, judging by the way he harshly overtook cars that were going too slow for his liking.

"Oppa..." She broke the silence and turned to look at him, the guy she had been dating for slightly over a year. His frustrated look didn't go unnoticed and she felt guilty for not saying yes. She had to admit that things between them were well, but she just couldn't see a future with him. She didn't expect him to propose without dropping hints or whatsoever. She panicked when she saw him going down on one knee and she would be lying if she said she's not embarrassed. Other women would have been thrilled if they were in her shoes. This is one romantic movie gone wrong.

He kept his eyes on the road, but she noticed him gripping the steering wheel tighter. She sighed inwardly and placed her hand over his right hand that was on the gear. He didn't pull his hand away and she thought of it as a good sign, that he's still willing to listen to her.

"Oppa," she called out softly. "I'm sorry. It was too sudden and all and I just... I'm sorry. I should have reacted better." She apologized as sincerely as she could and gave his hand a small squeeze. She knew that she had hurt his ego, being rejected like that in public.

He kept quiet and looked ahead, ignoring her stare and small gestures to soothe his frustration. She looked out the window and thought of the reasons to put him at ease. She didn't want to continue speaking and annoy him even further.

The car abruptly came to a stop and she snapped out of her daze. She looked around and realized she's home. The person beside her killed the ignition and took his hand off the gear, letting her hand slip off. She fiddled with her fingers while stealing glances to her left.

"Taeyeon-ah," he called out after a sigh. He turned to look at her and she did the same. His expression was unreadable and she felt even guiltier. She kept quiet and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Let's be honest with each other and not waste any more time, shall we?" He managed a small smile that failed miserably. She gulped and nodded her head, unsure where this conversation was going.

Inha held onto both her hands and took a deep breath while staring at them. "I love you," he started, staring straight into her eyes. She wanted to say something but stopped when she felt him squeezing her hands.

"Although we haven't been together for long, but I want to build a future with you. I'm not young anymore and I've passed the age to explore or look for a fling. I'm planning to settle down, Taeyeon-ah, and I want to settle down with you." He went back to staring at her hands that he's holding onto.

"So tell me honestly. You rejected me back there because of shock, or you can't see yourself being with me for the rest of your life?" He gently brushed his thumbs across the back of her hands slightly above her knuckles then looked up at her.

"I-I..." She stuttered and avoided his gaze, shocked that he knew what was going through her head.

"'Cause if you can't see yourself settling down with me, then it's better if we end this now, Taeyeon-ah. Like I've said, I don't want to waste any more time." She jerked her head up and stared at him with wide eyes to see him looking at her with a sad expression and glistening eyes.

"O-Oppa..." She whispered, feeling her own tears surging up. She couldn't see herself with him in the long run, and she knew it's inevitable that they would eventually breakup. But she did not expect it to be that soon. She thought she could still grow to love him more, to see him as the person she would want to spend the rest of her life with. Guess not.

"It's okay, Taeyeon-ah." He quickly wiped the tears that rolled down his cheeks and reached out to wipe the tears off her face. He cupped her cheeks and gently caressed it. The gesture made her cry harder and she was soon sobbing.

"Well, at least the jeweler has this 7 days refund and exchange policy so we're good. No losses here." He tried to joke to lighten the atmosphere. She took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Oppa." She sniffed and wiped her tears. "I'm really, really sorry," she continued, feeling another batch of tears surging up.

"Hey, don’t cry. I'm hurt, but at least we set things straight early. I should be glad I took the plunge to propose tonight, huh?" He chuckled. "Look at the bright side. At least we know we're not meant to be." He smiled and patted her head gently.

"Thank you for the past year, Oppa." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "And I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. Stop apologizing. I'm at fault too, for putting you in this awkward position. It's getting late, you should head up." He gestured towards the building beside the car. "Take care of yourself, Taeyeon-ah." He ruffled her hair and smiled albeit shakily.

"I will. You take care too, Oppa." She took one last look at the man she had dated for a year and stepped out of the vehicle, turning back to wave a little before walking into the building.

They both knew they couldn't stay friends. They talked about it before dating and came to a conclusion that it's almost impossible to stay friends with your ex, no matter how much you loved the person, or how well you're doing without said person.

She closed her eyes while waiting for the elevator and took a deep breath. I am sort of the cause of this breakup. But why does it hurt so bad? I'm sorry.

---