ONE

The air was suffocating, Ju-ne thought.

Every time he tried to breathe, his lungs seemed to refuse to accept it and forcedly push it upwards causing his throat to painfully clogged. Like a very painful and horrible sore throat. Or maybe the pain he felt didn’t come from clogged throat rather from the event he knew was soon to be unfold.

Heartbreak.

It hasn’t happen yet so that’s why it felt like a painful clogged throat.

He was sitting on his small kitchen table; his hands lifelessly laid on his thighs and his body slouched against the chair. Opposite him sat his boyfriend of twelve years. Park Minhyuk.

Minhyuk’s body language was mirrored to his except his hands were folded tightly on the table.

Their twelve years together was about to end. They knew that. Unspokenly, they had made that decision together. So, why can’t either of them say it out loud?

Maybe…

“Let’s break up.”

There. It was finally out. Those poison words.

And it was Minhyuk who said it.

Ju-ne closed his eyes as he felt them burning and started to formed tears. The clogged throat became more painful and this time stabbed heart became its partner. He clenched his hands into a fist, in a desperate bid to try to calm down the sudden pain that was quickly spreading fire all over his body.

“Eo. Let’s break up,” he found himself saying.

There was no use fighting; there was nothing to fight for anymore.

“I’m sorry.”

Ju-ne’s eyes flew opened and found itself looking into Minhyuk’s eyes. Minhyuk’s eyes that were sparkling with held, unshed tears.

Is this the last time, I’ll be able to look into those eyes? Ju-ne wondered.

“I’m so sorry,” Minhyuk repeated, this time his voice was almost to a whisper.

Ju-ne squeezed his eyes shut again and then open. “Me too,” he said.

And then Minhyuk stood up and left. The sound of the shutting of the door of his apartment thundered loudly.

Ju-ne found himself unable to hold his pain in any longer and let it out. He cried at his painful heartbreak that were hammering cruelly in his chest. He cried. And cried.

******

His front door beep opened and Ju-ne knew it was Jinhwan. Then, he felt his bed dipped slightly as Jinhwan sat on the edge.

Jinhwan laid a hand on Ju-ne’s duvet covered shoulder. “Ju-ne?”

“We broke up.”

“I’m sorry,” Jinhwan said quietly.

Ju-ne pulled the duvet around him further up and cocooned himself. “Hyung, I have a headache. I’m gonna sleep,” he said and closed his eyes. He just wanted this pain to stop for a while.

Jinhwan rubbed his shoulder. “Okay, go to sleep. When you wake up, I’ll be here.”