"I love you, you know?"

He turns, a strange, almost sad, smile on his face.

"Yeah," he says quietly. "I know."

"But Howon," he continues, "it almost seems as if you love more the idea of me."

Howon stands frozen, a haunted, frightened look in his eyes, and Sunggyu pushes on.

"I know what you've said to them," he says, turning away. "Sunggyu is just an oblivious who takes care of me. He's great, but I need someone who doesn't argue with me over everything."

Sunggyu's voice trembles, and Howon can't help but take a step forward.

"And I thought you loved that we were so similar," Sunggyu continues, unable to hide his tears. "But things change, don't they? Isn't Dongwoo a much better fit for you? Isn't he?"

"Sunggyu," Howon begins, desperation creeping into his voice. Sunggyu shakes his head, a quick, dismissive jerk.

"If loving you means letting go," he says softly, regaining his composure, "then I'll leave."

And he does, sweeping out the door, and Howon is left grasping at nothing. His hand closes on empty air, and the silence presses in.

It's overwhelming, he realizes, without Sunggyu's incessant chatter. It's lonely, he realizes, without Sunggyu's persistent nagging. He's hurting, he realizes, because he never imagined how much he did love him.

But now Kim Sunggyu is gone, and Howon is only left with an infinite silence.