a/n: i made no promises which way the ending would go, but I guess you can find out now? hehehehehehe I want to say a cheesy message, but I know you all just want to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved HAHAHAHA so without further ado, here you go~ o/

Seungcheol sits in the car outside the courtroom, where he’s to lodge the document. He's got half an hour until the court closes. He left work early to lodge it, but it's been an hour and he hasn't gotten out of the car.

In his hands, he holds the power to end his connection to Jihoon forever. At least, the most meaningful connection - the one that would probably cut everything between them, because no matter what they claimed, they couldn’t be friends after this. It was an all-or-nothing kind of thing with Jihoon.

Seungcheol pulls out his phone and stares at the wallpaper. He only really looks at his phone to answer calls or to check for meetings, but he now realises he hasn’t changed his wallpaper in years.

It’s still a picture of their two hands, matching wedding bands gleaming in warm summer sun. He remembers taking the photo with Jihoon, the two of them setting it as their wallpaper at the same time. He wonders whether Jihoon ever changed it.

After a moment, he calls one of the few numbers he knows by heart. It rings and rings and rings, then Jihoon’s voicemail comes up. Seungcheol calls again, listening to Jihoon’s ringtone - the first song they made together. Seungcheol laughs to himself that Jihoon, a nationwide famous composer and producer, famous for countless hit songs in the past few years, still has his ringtone as one of his first works - made with his then-boyfriend using second-hand, third-grade equipment in their dorm.

By the seventh ring, Jihoon finally answers, snapping out a grumpy, “What?!” and Seungcheol feels the fondness swirling in his chest again. He forgot all the little things he knows - like how Jihoon hates being interrupted at work. He remembers how he used to be terrified of Jihoon when he’s grouchy from getting interrupted when he’s focused.

“Do you know it’ll be seven years tomorrow?” Seungcheol asks, looking at the blue sky outside. There isn’t a cloud in sight.

Jihoon’s sigh is audibly annoyed. “Seungcheol, I don’t have time for this right now - ”

“Did you know that you can forget something as burning, as consuming, as love?” Seungcheol takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know where he’s going with this, but, like the time he proposed, he knows there’s only one answer that makes sense. “Did you know that you can forget how to feel that, because you lose your sense of direction and your sense of purpose? That you can lose all of that.... when you think you’re losing the one who gave you those?” He pauses, takes a breath. “I thought I was losing you, Jihoon. I thought there was nothing left of us anymore.”

Jihoon is quiet, and Seungcheol rambles on.

“I forgot, Jihoon. I forgot so much, but in the last thirty days, I remembered what it was like again. I remembered how much love I felt when we met, when we dated, when we got married. I feel it again.”

“But now I don’t know. What will happen from now on? We’re going back to work, and then what? Will we be like how we were before? Will we just be ghosts in the apartment to each other again? If so, then I should just lodge this application. I should let us walk our own ways and move on in life. But if there’s even the slightest chance we can be like before…. then I think I might want to give it a chance.”

Seungcheol hears Jihoon’s breath hitch over the phone and he forces himself to continue.

“But I’m not the only one in this marriage, and for a long time I’ve been selfish. I’ve looked for the easy way out and only ever thought of myself - so I’m asking you, Jihoon. Do you want to give us another chance? Do you have it in you to keep trying? Because we promised