F I N A L

“What a sick, masochistic lion.”

One Year Later

The sweet, savoury aroma wafted through the cool autumn air. Joohyun’s stomach clenched with hunger at the thought of sweet, honey rolls. She could imagine the warm, fluffy bun dripping with amber-coloured liquid. Slowly and reluctantly, Joohyun opened her eyes. She blinked and closed her eyes again. She had awoken to soft sheets, with the morning light trickling in through the blinds. Shedding herself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, her eyes were still shut as she soaked in the blissful warmth of the sun before sitting up heavily.

The bedroom door was wide open and a sizzling sound could be heard coming from the kitchen. A natural smile made its way onto Joohyun’s face. In recent times, she has been smiling a lot more. And it may or may not be due to a certain man with newly-dyed blonde hair.

Joohyun swung her feet off the bed, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. Standing up, she inspected the clothes strewn across the carpeted floor. She picked up her boyfriend’s shirt and covered her starkness with it. She buried her nose into the fabric, hooked on absolute euphoria. It was, by now, a memorised sweet smell.

Joohyun ambled out the bedroom and was welcomed by the sight of the blonde’s muscular back view, his focus on the brown liquid he was handling. The familiar smell of filtered coffee rose and dissipated into the crisp air. Joohyun's nose tingled with the usual morning flavour. She watched the skilled hand of the barista pour just the right amounts of everything into the cup for a moment.

Stepping into the kitchen, pass the island, Joohyun carefully wrapped her arms around the waist of her boyfriend. She felt a small jolt of surprise from the man and snickered. The blond then chuckled and placed the cup onto the countertop. He spun around to capture Joohyun in a warm hug. Her body being accustomed to the act had almost immediately melded into the loving embrace.

Inching her nose a little nearer to his neck, Joohyun breathed in his scent which was nothing but intoxicating. He consisted of a scent that represented freshly cut timber, like the damp forest after a rainy day; he smelt heavenly, like fresh-scented pine and honey. His aroma was like a drug to her, she could not get enough of it.

‘Good morning, beautiful,’ the deep husky voice rumbled upon Joohyun’s chest, sending a shiver down her body.

‘Good morning, Jongin,’ she answered with a blissful sigh, admiring his tan skin. They relinquished and Jongin once again turned his back to her and resumed his breakfast making.

‘Did you have a good sleep?’ Jongin asked, and Joohyun could almost make out a smile in his question.

‘Yeah,’ she said, planting herself into a seat in the kitchen island. ‘The best ever. Slept like a dead log.’

‘That’s great. I would’ve thought you’ll be too sore to sleep in comfortably,’ he joked while unplugging the coffee machine, turning around towards Joohyun with two hot mugs in his hands.

Joohyun whined playfully while Jongin chortled with a mischievous smirk. He hands her the mug with a warning of being careful while settling the other one on his side of the kitchen top. Wisps of hazy white rose from the hot brown liquid. Joohyun took the warm cup into her hands, her tense muscles relaxing as she sipped slowly at her coffee. The smell of freshly grounded coffee beans stimulated every single feeling of bliss in Joohyun. She drank it slowly and admitted to herself that her addictive tongue whirled around the very existence of coffee.

Jongin then whipped out two plates of honey rolls, scrambled eggs sprinkled with salt and pepper, sausages and cutlery to place them on the kitchen top. He settled in next to her.

‘So,’ Joohyun started, slicing her sausages into half and taking a small bite. ‘I need to attend this high school reunion thing tonight. Can you pick me up at 11?’

’11?’ Jongin replied while stuffing a huge bite of honey roll into his mouth. ‘Sure, right on the dot.’

When Sehun first left, Joohyun would describe her heartache as like an insatiable fire that burnt all the oxygen in her body, leaving her listless and empty. But now, it is more like a thin layer of ice, cooling her insides, a gentle reminder of the pain that came before and a warning not to stoke that fire again. They say once bitten, twice shy, but Joohyun thinks for her it's more like forever shy. She can't see herself putting her heart out there again, she doesn't think it can survive another inferno.

She tried to forget. Leave the past behind. But how could she do it when she saw him from the distance, melting with the crowd, seven years after they last saw each other. She almost didn't recognise him, with a new hair colour and a happy smile he never wore with her on the last times they were together. But when their gazes intertwined like they used to, the waves of regret hit her like a rock eroded by the sea.

‘Joo,’ Baekhyun said, touching her shoulder. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I f... fine,’ Joohyun replied, knocking the hundredth shot into . The world around her no longer exists. It was just her, Joohyun, and the alcohol in front of her.

‘Yah,’ Chanyeol called out drunkenly. ‘Joohyun is just miserable that Sehun… over there on the dance floor… got a new lover. Seems to me like it’s his last one ever… Joohyun is just –‘ Baekhyun scrambled up straightaway to cover Chanyeol’s unfiltered mouth hastily, casting a worry glance at Joohyun.

Joohyun cries out in protest and slams herself back into the couch, eyes shut. The alcohol numbing everything away. It felt too good to be true.

The ache of longing to be with Sehun echoed through the very marrow of her bones. It was a chill wind trapped in the chambers of her heart. With every spare moment, her mind would rehearse a new letter to him. And as the allotted time for his return drew nearer, time itself seemed to slow to such a leisurely pace it seemed cruel to her, ringing out the seconds, so that the day felt like a chance in a millennium. She never knew that missing someone could take over every fibre of your being and wring you out like a wet sponge every day. It is a torment she was unprepared for.

When she feels the little prickle in her heart that suggested the sorrow returning, she took another shot of hard liquor, ready to get knock out soon. Someone stopped her hand. She lifted her heavy eyelids with much effort.

It was a different town, a different her, a different him, a different woman that really made him happy standing by his side. A woman who really made him smile. But his eyes were the same perfect brown, looking at Joohyun with that distress. And she knew it was not because he was sad, but because she is no longer a woman; she’