Three weeks earlier…

It’s 3 AM and Suzy is still busy indulging herself on the assignments her professors gave her when she heard her doorbell buzzing. She hasn't left her apartment for days, nor has she accepted any guests to come over, not even her siblings. She busied herself with school works and her new-found hobbies such as pastel paintings and making several troll accounts to talk about her ever so great of a mother.

Her twin sister doesn’t like how she's isolating herself, calling it a childish act, for she goes straight to her apartment as soon as her classes are over and rejecting any offers to her to hang out, but Suzy knows Krystal would very much prefer this than Suzy's usual impulsive antics.

Which is why it surprised her when somebody rang her doorbell. She's still hesitating whether or not to entertain it, because who would visit her in the middle of the night, but then the doorbell keeps ringing and so she had no choice but to check who's the person on the opposite side of her door.

She peeks into the doorview, and Suzy's eyes widen when she sees two familiar faces, probably the last people she’d expect to pay her a visit in the middle of the night. For a moment it looks like she’d seen a ghost, but she doesn’t waste another second and immediately swings the door open for them. A man sighs in relief as soon as she does so, but Suzy's eyes quickly turns to the male next to him whose arm is slinging onto the other for support, his head sluggish and crooked sideways. Suzy can tell he's still awake through his bleary eyes and her heart jumps in joy at the sight of him, but she holds her breath because she knew she's not supposed to feel that way anymore.

"Miss Suzy," the man supporting the other exclaims as soon as she opened the door.

"Jackson," Suzy mutters, and then followed by the furrow of her eyebrows, "what are you doing here? What is he doing here?"

Jackson adjusts the drunk male in his arms before wincing, "Can Baekhyun hyung stay here tonight?"

No.

No, he can't.

That's what Suzy's supposed to say. She’s practiced her refusal on anything concerning Baekhyun over and over before. She's supposed to decline, but the exhaustion in Jackson's eyes and the condition Baekhyun is currently in are what made her say otherwise.

"Yeah, sure, come in."

She welcomes them into her pad. She notices the poor guy having a hard time pulling Baekhyun in, so she tries to help him by placing Baekhyun's other arm around her shoulders and Jackson mutters a small thanks. Apparently, Suzy's supposed to regret ever accepting them into her little safe haven, too, only that she doesn't and she won't. She knows herself. Suzy wants this. She wanted him in her place before, and she will want him here now.

They both reek of alcohol and smoke, but Suzy can still smell the faint scent of Baekhyun's perfume in his suit, and she doesn't realise that a sad smile is already formed on her lips when she recognizes that Baekhyun is still using the same perfume that Suzy once suggested him.

Suzy motions Jackson to the couch and the two of them settle Baekhyun to lay there. She hears Jackson lets out a loud exhale then.

"I could get you a glass of water if you want,” Suzy suggests, but Jackson shakes his head and declines.

"I don't want to bother you any more than we already have. I'm sorry, Miss Suzy. We went to the club to relax for a bit, but hyung had drunk too much. He strongly refused to go home, and I only know this place so I came here without a word."

It seems like the journey to find Baekhyun a place to stay at for the night has sobered Jackson up, so Suzy gives him a dismissive wave. "It's alright, don’t worry. I'll take care of your boss. Can you still drive back home? You can stay here as well."

"It’s alright, Miss Suzy, I'm sober enough to drive," he declines once again.

Baekhyun is shifting uncomfortably around her couch, so she walks towards him to take off his suit and shoes. While doing so, she continues to talk to Jackson, "Drop the formalities, oppa. I’m no longer your boss’ girlfriend."

Jackson was Baekhyun's intern back then, Suzy still remembers. He's probably working for the man full-time now since he's still with Baekhyun. Of all the very few people who knew of Baekhyun's relationship with her, Jackson was the one who knew almost everything. He was Baekhyun's favourite employee, and Suzy can bet he still is.

"He speaks of you as if you still are, though," Jackson mutters, almost inaudibly.

There is a sudden pause when Suzy hears that and she stares fondly at the beautiful man in front of him who's now sleeping soundly.

"He does?" she mutters quietly, afraid her voice may wake him up, but also because she's quite surprised at the revelation Jackson has told her.

"Yes, ma’am. We may or may not have talked about you while we were drinking. That's how I thought of you."

Suzy pouts slightly when she finally notices the frown on his face as he sleeps. Even while he's sleeping, he looks obviously tired and stressed, like he’s still working even in his dreams. A small memory slips inside her head—so abrupt and effortless it almost seem as though she wasn’t struggling to forget just a few months ago. The memory of the times when she used to kiss his frowns away, and how Baekhyun would smile at her as if all his troubles melted the moment she did. She can't kiss him anymore, though. Suzy brings her thumbs onto the crease in his eyebrows and gently touches it to relax. She then moves her fingers to softly trace the features of his face. She sighs inwardly. It's been a while since she'd last seen him. God, she misses being this close to him.

She wonders about what Baekhyun may have told Jackson about her, if he spoke of her and all the good things she once showed him, or was it her flaws that Baekhyun mentioned to his employee because Suzy’s certain she has so much of it under her sleeves that her ex-lover had already seen.

Jackson clears his throat, and Suzy snaps out of her thoughts. She clamps her lips together as she brings her hand down. She turns to Jackson and tries to smile at him. She doesn't make an effort to hide the sadness in her face, though. She assumes there's no point in concealing it with a charming smile since Jackson already knows, anyway.

"I should go," Jackson says, before he smiles back at her. Suzy nods and they both walk to the front door. Jackson bows at her politely and she returns the action. "Thank you for helping hyung, Miss Suzy."

"It’s just Suzy now, Jackson,” Suzy insists, chuckling.

Jackson apologizes to her awkwardly and says, “Okay Suzy,” and with his last smile, he begins to walk away.

Suzy chews on her lip as she closes the door, afraid to turn around and walk back to the man who once brought happiness to her life. If she's feeling like her typical self, it probably would be easier for her. She can yell at Baekhyun to wake him up and throw him out of her apartment once Jackson is already gone just to with him because he's her ex and he's hurt her before. She can think of something horrendous to do while he's still asleep so he can wake up the next morning aggravated along with a terrible hangover, if only she's in her usual mood, but no. Baekhyun just had to reappear in her life right when she's feeling unusually peaceful and sombre, so she can treat him gentler and with delicate care. So she can be sad and mull over how much she misses him. So she can recall their memories together while she watches him sleep. Suzy had always praised Baekhyun for his great timings. She's not sure if she should be praising him for this, too.

With a defeated sigh, Suzy pushes herself to come back to her living room. She's been alone in this apartment for several days that she feels unfamiliar having somebody else with her here. But then Baekhyun isn't just somebody else. He's someone special, he will always be, it seems. In fact, he was the one who gave her this apartment as a present. So they can have a place to stay in with just the two of them alone whenever they wanted to. This has been Suzy's safe place ever since. She thinks Baekhyun must’ve known that she needed it, a place of her own, and a place where she can find sanctuary without running away from her personal affairs. That may also be the reason why he let her keep this apartment even after they separated.

"Hey Baekhyun." Suzy begins to shake him awake.

Baekhyun hums softly in response and she wonders if he can still recognize her voice like he used to whenever she would randomly talk to him in the middle of his slumber for the juvenile reason that she wanted attention in which the man was more than willing to give her, even when he was exhausted and too knocked out to respond properly to her.

"Can you do me a favor?" Baekhyun hums once again. Suzy smiles and she continues, "Can you pull yourself up so we can go to the bedroom? It’s more comfortable to sleep there," she finishes, voice soft and surprisingly calming Baekhyun shoots his drowsy eyes open.

Baekhyun raises his arms, asking for assistance and Suzy willingly threads her fingers with his to help him get up. She feels him squeeze their hands together and she tries her hardest not to act indecent in front of her ex-lover. It doesn't matter if that indecent meant her reacting harshly upon his actions or mindlessly shoving her lips against his own, she will not let either of those attitudes take over her. Suzy guides Baekhyun to her bedroom and her cheeks are flushed pink as he won't let go of her hand even after he lied down