Somehow, Woohyun and Sunggyu found themselves at the same spot beside Han River again. They had walked silently towards the place, side by side, a familiar that Sunggyu realised he sorely missed. 

They sat for another 10 minutes without another word. Woohyun watched quietly as Sunggyu gulped another cup of tea. The feeling of the cold china against his lips felt surreal to Sunggyu. He hadn't drunk tea for a long time. The way his fingers unconsciously twined around the ear of the cup was almost amusing - some memories just don't leave. Your body remembers the little things that matter. Woohyun stared at the reflections in the river, while Sunggyu was just watching him do so. The way the river lights twinkled in Woohyun's eyes was mesmerising, and was something he never noticed before. Perhaps it was right that absence makes the heart go fonder, or as Sunggyu would like to add, open your eyes wider. So many things become visible only when someone is gone. So many things that you only pay attention to when something is gone. 

"I'm sorry." Woohyun finally broke the silence with a whispered apology. 

"What are you sorry for?" Sunggyu knew it sounded slightly aggressive, but all the emotions in him were compelling him towards a load of questions. He desperately needed them answered. 

"Firstly, I need to say that it's not Alina's fault. It was my idea." Woohyun looked down, averting Sunggyu's piercing gaze. The writer did not reply, waiting for the fairy to continue. It wasn't hard to guess that Alina was simply following what the boy suggested. 

"It actually started a few weeks before you collapsed." Woohyun looked up to meet with Sunggyu's gaze, and was stumbled by the hurt and surprise in his eyes. He knew what was going through his mind right now. 

"Not the plan. I meant the idea of leaving you." 

The air was suddenly heavy, and both of them held their breaths. Someone finally mentioned the elephant in the room. Sunggyu had thought that if Woohyun were frank, he would be less hurt about it. It didn't matter to be honest, he was pained either way. "Mmhmm?"

"I could feel that your health was ailing, and that I was the cause of it all. It was actually really scary to realise how much damage I could do to someone's life. I've always thought that I was the victim of so many people's will and wishes, their decisions and all. Then suddenly I was watching you fall deeper into this addiction because of me. You were shaking, you couldn't sleep, you were obviously having some form of gastric as well...Everything was so painful to witness. I knew it was a problem the night you confessed. The moment you said, that you might feel the same way as I did about you." 

Sunggyu's head shot up. Not only because Woohyun knew about his feelings, but also because the fairy had just indirectly confessed to him as well. He wasn't sure what to feel anymore. Relief? That he felt the same way about him? Or angry? That he knew and yet put him through this great ordeal?

"I was really really happy when you told me you liked me. Honestly. Sunggyu, with all my heart, I love you. And that is why I have to let go. When Alina tried drinking tea on the cup that day, I appeared and explained everything to her. The initial plan was to buy an exact replica of my cup from a shop and break it, and then she would throw me away or sell me off. She didn't." Woohyun sighed. "We belong to separate worlds, literally. If me growing old with you means drinking 20 cups of tea a day and screwing your health, then we simply cannot....I simply have to let go." Woohyun's voice was choking slightly. He closed his eyes and a tear that was threatening to fall finally did. "I cannot be selfish." 

Sunggyu drank another cup of tea before Woohyun could reach over and stop him. As the fairy tried to reach over to stop him, Sunggyu grabbed his hand and intertwined his fingers with the younger male's. Woohyun looked at him, puzzled, but did not let go. "Woohyun, I haven't had tea in ages. You can trust me on this one." 

The fairy did not let go. They let the momentary bliss sink in a little, as if knowing that this would never last. The end was so close, and it was so hard to let go. Sunggyu was almost walking out of his tea addiction, and yet here he was drinking it again. Woohyun was almost letting go of Sunggyu fully, and here he was refusing to let go. 

"So what did you do in the few months not appearing in the human world?" 

Woohyun was surprised by the change in topic. He inspected Sunggyu's face closely for signs of distress. Sure, the man was sad, but he wasn't breaking down. He's matured so much, Woohyun thought. 

"I stayed in tea world mostly. Alina called me out once of twice to convince me to meet up with you again, especially when you refused to meet her. She had a hard time trying to help you, and I felt so bad having done this to her. Sometimes it was to update me about you. About how your book was a great success, about the pain that you were going through...I felt hopeless since I couldn't do anything, but I guess she did it on my behalf." He looked at the human to see if he wanted to comment, but all Sunggyu did was to nod silently. He found that oddly comforting, to know that this conversation and pained reunion was not going hysterical. Woohyun genuinely felt that Sunggyu wanted him to stay and was trying to prove to him that he could be of the right mind too. It was a very indirect way of showing his love and trying to instill confidence in Woohyun. When Sunggyu did not reply, he continued. 

"In the tea world, I mostly hung out with other fairies who would come and go between their summons. I also met a bunch whose tea cups have not been used by humans for a long time, and have almost never been summoned. You know? Like tea cups used for display, put in museums, buried, lost...They just stay in the tea realm for forever. I mean, the tea world is practically just an alternate universe, where all tea fairies live and we have all of what we need, so it's totally fine. They help out with the affairs of other tea fairies, and give advice to those active ones. I hung out with them a lot. I wanted to try, or at least start to understand, how it might feel like to stay in the tea realm for forever. What it felt like to never be summoned again. I guess it can work."

Sunggyu squeezed Woohyun's hand. "And would you prefer that? Prefer being in the tea realm forever, as opposed to staying with me?" 

"If it's going to hurt you less." 

Sunggyu smiled when he realised Woohyun was not, or rather could not, answer the question directly.Their feelings were, and still are, mutual. In fact, it was stronger tha