No matter how many times he repeated the itinerary in his head, he still struggled to accept its conditions. When he enlisted a week prior, it had seemed like the perfect solution. Now, he was beginning to doubt his decision.

He took one last look around his room, marveling at how it had already begun to feel like it's waiting for his return. His parents had already begaun to renovate the area, highly anticipating his arrival in two years time. It was comforting yet disconcerting, how little disappointment they had shown about his leaving.

"You're doing this for a reason," Jonghyun mumbled to himself reassuringly. "You have done your job as an artist. There's nothing left for you there."

It was the truth.

At least to him it was.

Working at FNC Entertainment had always been somewhat of a dilemma. With the nonstop hustle and circulating rumors, it was still hard for him to get used to it. His work relationship with his bosses had grown considerably more toxic since he began taking a stand.

And Seungyeon.

Well, Seungyeon had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. She didn't trust him nor his decision skills and insisted that his impasse indicated the need for separation. He must have called and texted her a million times. He had even tried to stop by her new apartment. But for some god-forsaken reason, she refused to speak to him. 

And truth be told, it tore his heart into a million pieces.

She had been the first person he had truly trusted in his life; the one person who didn't view him as an insensitive, obnoxious rockstar.

But so much for that.

In the middle of his packing, he took out his phone and absent-mindedly scrolled through his call log. It had been a few days since he had atempted to contact her. He was trying to make it a point to spread the calls fewer and farther between; so as to make a clean break for himself. He wanted to say good-bye more than anything. But it would only complicate things further.

And he had the distinct ill feeling that he was the last person she'd want to see, anyway.

His finger hovered over the "call" button. He weighed his options.

And then he went for it.

One ring. Two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey... Long time no talk," he muttered nervously. "I need to ask you a favor."

A pause on the other end. Then a resigned sigh. "Sure. Whatever you need."

"Can you meet me at the cafe? It's important."

Anothe