"We need to talk."

He couldn't explain it, but for some reason, there was a sense of dread when Hyuk heard those words from her. 

As he stopped for the red light, his brain went berserk with thoughts that didn't make sense. It had been three days since she broke down, three days since he last saw her. During those three days, he attempted to get in touch with her or visit her, but she was always out or her phone was always off. At first, he thought she was just busy, but he knew that she was out for two weeks. 

Was she avoiding him?

If so, that didn't make sense.

Then, just three hours ago, she called him. She didn't even call him; she just left a voicemail telling him to meet her at the cafe. Her voice was devoid of any emotion -- very much unlike the Sun Hee he knows. Whether she was sad, happy, troubled, or angry, there was always a sense of urgency in her tone. But today, it sounded dead. 

That was unlike her.

A car horn alarmed him of the light turning green. The detective stepped on the gas, his mind still in the clouds.

This sudden change in Sun Hee's tone was the root of his dread. He didn't know what to think of it. If he were to evaluate the past week, he knew he did nothing wrong and that they were okay. 

So why did he dread?

He kept his eyes on the road.

He was about to find out.

Sun Hee sipped from her cup of iced coffee, eyeing the entrance of the coffee shop. 

As much as she hated to admit, she was already getting nostalgic feels from the surroundings. A lot has happened here.

She recalled watching Hyuk from the corner of her eye when they first had coffee here. He was just the detective assigned to protect her back then. He'd be busy sipping his iced coffee, reading the news on his phone while they waited. Sun Hee, on the other hand, would always stare at him. But he would always ignore her. 

Eventually, he revealed that he noticed whenever she did and that he pretended to ignore her because he was too flustered. 

There was also that time he finally confirmed his feelings for her. It didn't begin in the most romantic way; he just admitted when she asked. But eventually, he sealed the deal with a kiss. 

After that, they spent countless moments in this very cafe -- resting, chatting, teasing, and eating. Sun Hee remembered each one of them. 

She felt awful for doing this.

"Remember, you promised."

She wanted nothing more than to get out of this cafe. It was already 1 AM and there wasn't much people; no one would notice if she left. But that promise kept her rooted in her seat, despite her breaking heart.

She hadn't said anything for a while and it started to worry Hyuk. 

When he first came to the cafe, he expected her to throw her arms around him. It was her usual greeting whether she was happy, sad, or tired. But when he came in, she just smiled weakly at him and told him she got him his coffee (dark, no sugar or creamer). She didn't immediately babble about her day either, which left Hyuk to do that job. 

"...and we almost lost him," he was saying, "Fortunately, Gook Doo was smart enough to block them."

"That's great."

That's all she had been saying -- short one-liner replies, very much unlike the Sun Hee he knew. 

She was really quiet. Apart from that, she had this weird look in her eyes. Whenever she stared at him, he didn't know if she was bored, disinterested, or distracted. She would often look at her cup of coffee or on her phone. She would only look at him again when she sensed the awkward silence. Hyuk knew there was something wrong. 

"Sun Hee?"

"Yes?"

She looked up from her coffee. 

"Are...you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He pursed his lips. "Then why aren't you saying anything?" he asked, "Aren't you supposed to say something?"

She was silent again, checking her phone.

"Sun Hee."

He couldn't understand why she was so distracted. 

The actress heaved a deep sigh and parted her lips, about to say something. But for some strange reason, she couldn't say it. He noticed that she was holding her cup of coffee tighter, a stark contrast to her calm aura. 

"I...I..." she stammered.

"Yeah?"

She bit her lip. Bitting of lips was never a good sign -- that's what Hyuk learned in all of his years serving as a detective. It meant she was hiding something or about to drop a bomb. 

"Sun Hee?"

He touched her hand. That's when she stood up. 

Hyuk was startled with Sun Hee. She stood up and stared at him.

"I have to go," she announced, taking her bag and scurrying outside of the cafe, leaving Hyuk confused. He couldn't let her go like that. Immediately, he stood up and ran after her. 

He reached her under the solitary street lamp outside of the cafe. He was surprised with how fast she ran; he was almost out of breath when he caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm. She grunted when he pulled her back and held her by the shoulders.

"Sun Hee," he said, "What's going on? Why are you running away?"

She removed his hands from her shoulders a bit harshly before gazing up at him. 

"I want out."

"I'm sorry?"

She looked at him indignantly.

"I...I want out."

"Out of what?"

The actress gulped. 

"This...thing between us," she told him, "I want out."

He stared at her.

"Are you...kidding me?" he asked her, "Is this a joke? Did you drink?"

"No. I'm sober," she replied, "And...I'm serious."

He looked at her eyes. 

"Sun Hee," he began, "You don't go around joking about this."

"I don't," she answered, "Because it's not a joke."

Under the street lamp, Hyuk gazed at her, trying to determine whether she was pulling his leg or not. This doesn't make sense; how could she suddenly want out of their relationship?

"Why?"

Sun Hee sighed and looked at the empty alleyway nearby. "I...I just think that this isn't going to work in the long run," she explained, "I mean...we barely see each other and when we do, there's always trouble."

"Trouble?" he asked, "You mean your stalker?"

"That and other things," she continued, "I...I don't know, but there's this feeling inside of me that says this is all wrong."

"How can it be wrong?" he asked again, "We've been doing good these past months. We work hard to see each other."

"It's getting tiring."

"Because?"

"Because of everything," she said, "My schedules are getting more hectic than usual and to be honest...I don't think I can keep up with breaking it just to see you. I mean...don't get me wrong, I love seeing you. It's just..." she paused for a moment, "I've thought about it and I...I can't hamper you like this anymore."

"How are you hampering me?"

"When I broke down, you weren't supposed to see that," she said, "I...I didn't want to cramp your schedule with things like that. You have lives to save, I have...a growing career. Thinking about it, we might end up resenting each other because we make too much sacrifices. You'll hate me...and I'll hate you."

Hyuk frowned at her. "But we...try our best," he reasoned, "Don't you think it's a little early to pull the plug just because of that? And how sure are you that I...will hate you? When you broke down, I didn't think you were a waste of time. I needed to be there, that's why I was there."

"I know that," she said, "But I want it to stop."

The tears started to bead in her eyes. 

"I...I know I'm going to be really busy and I have a lot on my plate and I...I can't seem to fit you in anymore," she explained, "I can try, but along the way, I might fail you. And you will hate me for it."

"I don't want you to hate me."

The first tear dropped. 

"I know that doing this will make you hate me," she continued, "But this fresh hatred is better than a hatred born from months or years of resent."

Hyuk couldn't help but feel that heaviness he hadn't experienced in a long time. She was serious.

She really wanted out. 

"Don't do this," was all he said. 

Sun Hee looked up at him, a sad expression in her eyes. 

"Everything about me is wrong," she said, "I sincerely hope that this choice...is the right one."

"I said stop."

"It's not going to end well."

"Stop."

His voice came out too strong for his liking, but he couldn't help it. He held her shoulders again. 

"Don't do this," he said, "You don't know what the road will bring. Who said it will end in a tragedy?"

"I can feel it," she answered, "And...I don't want to waste your time or you to waste mine. I thought about this weeks ago and I figured...it's not fair for you anymore. I don't want you doing things for me. You deserve someone better."

He choked.

"But you are that someone better."

"I'm not it," she replied, "You think I am. But I'm not."

"Sun Hee."

"I'm sorry, Hyuk."

He saw Sun Hee shed another tear, but tried to keep it composed. She looked so hurt; how could she be doing this to him? No matter how much he tried to reason, however, he knew that some of her arguments made sense. 

But he thought life with her would be different. 

The idea of that ending sent a painful stab to his heart. He could feel his tears threatening to fall, but he kept them in.

"Look into my eyes, Hyuk."

Her small hand touched his face and directed it back to stare at her. The light, despite being so faded, emphasized her sadness. She was sad, yet firm. 

"Leave all the happy and shinning memories of us," she said, "And forget the sad ones."

"Also, forget about me," she finally said. Her small hand caressed his face. "I hope that...you at least have a happy ending."

He touched her hand. 

"But I don't want it to end."

It sounded like the plea of a child.

"This doesn't make sense, Sun Hee," he told her, "Don't do this."

She said nothing more after that. She just tipped on her toes and leaned closer, closing her eyes. He wanted to say more, to object her decision, but as her lips touched his, he couldn't say anything more. He felt the tears fall from her lashes unto his cheeks. 

It was a sweet yet sad kiss. 

It was a sudden farewell. 

Before Hyuk could even open his eyes, she was already gone. He could hear her footsteps walking away from him in the darkness, but he couldn't see her anymore. All he could see was his own shadow under the fading street lamp. 

Everything happened so fast. This morning, Hyuk woke up thinking that he would face another day at the station: it would be a day of catching suspects, going through files, and filing for overtime. There was bound to be a chase and he would be tired, but it was going to be okay. Because at the end of the day, Hyuk knew he would see Sun Hee. It didn't matter, as long as she was there.

But now, she wasn't.

It just ended.

Why does this feel so familiar?

He wanted to cry; the deities know that he wanted to badly. But for some reason, all he could do was shed a solitary tear. He didn't know if it was due to the jumble of emotions and questions, but Hyuk felt as if this has happened before.

Of course it has, he thought, Twice.

Memories of ex-girlfriends came back to him -- of how they came and left. Remembering them no longer sent stabs of pain to his heat; the recent one was too fresh for his liking. He thought that the unpleasant nostalgia came from these memories. Strangely, the pain didn't radiate from these past breakups. It was almost as if his mourning stemmed from some other incident.

Something he can't remember. 

All he knew was that he wasn't okay.

"I hope that at least...you have a happy ending."

What was that supposed to mean? 

Things didn't make sense right now and Hyuk was desperate to have some explanation. But as he stood alone under the street light, he felt so helpless. 

Sun Hee unlocked her car door and immediately got inside. Once she sat on the driver's seat, she started to cry.

She had been holding back her tears since this morning. Despite the fact that she had spent the last days bawling her eye out, it seemed as if Sun Hee didn't run out of tears. She firmly held on to the steering wheel as she allowed all the kept tears to flow freely. The confined space of the car allowed her to sob as loud as she could. No one would hear her and she had every right to cry.

She had just lost the love of her life.

And it wasn't her choice to let him go.

She could remember the look on his face when she told him she wanted out. Anyone could see that Hyuk didn't see this coming; how his eyes widened in shock, when he asked her if she was drunk -- he clearly didn't expect this. And how could she blame him? She left him out in the dark for days and when she came back, she dropped this bomb on him.

She didn't want this to happen. 

To be fair, she had a point. Not everything she told him was a lie. But in a nutshell, the truth was simple: they couldn't be together.

The pain she felt was similar to that of someone walking over her heart. Her hand touched her aching chest as she coughed and teared up. She wanted nothing more for the pain to stop, but her decision brought this on. 

Her phone started to ring.

Through the blur of tears, Sun Hee could still the name on the screen. The sadness she felt was immediately replaced with resent -- resent for the past that finally caught up with her. She thought she got away from it, but now she was paying. 

She picked it up.

"I've done it," she said, hoping her voice could relay all the anger.

There was a smile on the other line.

"Good girl," he said, "You kept your promise."

"Now you have to keep yours."

She pressed the phone tightly against her ear, awaiting the reply. All she got was laughter on his end.

"Ahh my sweet Kim Sun," he said, "Unlike you...I keep my promises."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he chuckled.

"But like you, Kim Sun, I can also break them."

A/N: So, what happened? How did you get there? Why?

Ah, the next chapter will speak for itself :D  In the meantime, I'm racking my brains for a new project soon. Since I'm obsessing over BTS, I might write one involving Jimin, V, and some OC (me? LOL OK NO KIDDING). All things must come to an end but don't worry, I'm trying to come up with a jaw-dropping ending for all of you. For now, let me sort my feelings, dear readers. This author-nim is going through a lot of changes but I shall power through. 

Love lots forever!

** I edited some parts, which is why it re-updated! :D