8. He Asked for It

Seulgi was now at the back of her apartment building with some gasoline in her hand and a match in the other. She wasn't planning to set everything on fire, only what Jongin had left her.

She took out the pieces of paper that she had put in a tiny plastic bag and threw them in the old metallic trash can that nobody used anymore after cats started pissing in it.

Seulgi sighed and poured the gasoline.

"Past is in the past," she mumbled as she lighted a match.

The fire started the moment the match touched the wet paper and sparkles started to come out of the trash can in a matter of seconds. Seulgi took a step back as she watched the ink fade and the paper burn. Purifying. It was well known that fire could heal and kill at the same time. Cure and hurt.

It was brutal but warm. She watched it all being taken away from her. The memories and the feelings. It felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders but something at the bottom of her stomach reminded her it wasn't the end. A strange feeling that told her she was far from solving her problems.

Which was true because she would have to talk with Jongin again. Honestly what did he think he explained in the first place? Seulgi got mad again just thinking of their talk earlier.

"Is that how people break up?" she asked herself with a frown. "That's unfortunate but I can't love you," she mimicked Jongin's voice with a grimace. "Hope we can still be friends."

Yeah right.

Seulgi killed the last bit of fire left by spraying water on it and made sure that Jongin's letters really disappeared. They were gone.

"Well that's it my friend," she sarcastically said before taking out her cellphone. "To four months of delusion and years of tears! Bless me!"

Maybe the can of beer Seulgi drank before taking this radical decision had influenced her actions but at same time she felt completely sane. And she felt great. She only drank half of the can anyways, Seulgi was still watching out for her alcohol intake.

She dialed the number that had been occupying her thoughts since Jongin left her apartment and started to walk back inside. Nights were getting chillier and her pajamas' shorts were not going to protect her from the cold.

"Hello?" she said after she heard someone pick up the phone.

"Yes, who is it?" a low voice responded her. Seulgi's heart started beating faster and she finally realized what she did. She never thought he would really answer.

"Sehun? Is it you?"

"Yes it's me, who is it?" Sehun repeated.

"You don't recognize my voice?" Seulgi asked feeling a bit offended. How could he not recognize his ex?

"If I did I wouldn't ask," he deadpanned. "Once again, who is it?"

"It's me, Seulgi."

There was a small pause where Sehun didn't answer and Seulgi heard something in the background that looked like some classical music.

"Sehun are you there?"

"What do you want?"

"Are you busy?" she hesitantly asked.

"What do you want?" he repeated obviously not amused by her sudden phone call.

"I just wanted to ask you something," Seulgi answered now regretting having even thought of calling him. "Can I?"

"Why don't you just ask your question instead of asking if you can ask it? We're both wasting time."

Seulgi frowned.

"Did someone hurt you?" Seulgi asked. "I don't remember having said anything offensive yet and you're already mad. Guess why we can never talk."

There was another pause and Seulgi was about to end the call when she heard him again.

"I'm sorry, I was just taken aback," he sighed. "I didn't expect you to call me at all."

It was Seulgi's turn to remain quiet through the call.

Did Oh Sehun just apologize to her? Did she hear that right?

"How did you get my number?" Sehun said after seeing that she wouldn't say anything.

"I a-asked Jongin," Seulgi slightly stuttered. She honestly wasn't used to this tone with him. He was being considerate for once and it was surprising to not say unusual.

"That's right, I forgot about that. Did it go well? How are you feeling?" Sehun said with a hint of concern in his voice.

Considerate and thoughtful... Seulgi thought of trying her luck at the lottery tonight for once.

"I-I'm fine I guess. Does it really matter?" Seulgi asked before entering the elevator. "I think it went well."

"That's great for you. And Jongin too," he simply said.

An awkward silence followed and made her really uncomfortable. Seulgi guessed it was her cue to end the call.

"Yeah um b-bye..."

"What was your question?" Sehun cut her in the middle of her goodbye.

"Huh?" Seulgi blurted as she got off the elevator. "What question?"

"You said you wanted to ask me something."

"I forgot what I wanted to ask," Seulgi honestly answered. His change of behavior took her by surprise and she seriously couldn't figure out why she even called him in the first place. "It must not have been important."

"It definitely was since you never call me," Sehun pointed out.

Seulgi could swear Sehun sounded like he just tried to reproach it to her and she certainly would have if she wasn't talking to Sehun. Because she was never sure of anything with him.

You never call me either, she wanted to say. But she remembered he didn't have her phone number and she just got his too. Whatever.

"Where are you?" Sehun asked while Seulgi noticed that the weird background music was gone.

"Home."

"Don't move."

"Where do you want me to go, it's almost 11 PM Sehun," Seulgi reminded him with a confused expression. "Why?"

"I'm coming."

"W-why would you come?" Seulgi panicked. She facepalmed herself for being transparent about how his last sentence destabilized her. "It's late, go home or something I don't know."

Sehun didn't answer again but Seulgi heard a door being closed and some keys tingling.

"Sehun, you're not serious are you?" Seulgi said with a trembling voice. Was he nuts?

"Yes I am. See you in a bit."

Sehun ended the call on her before she could protest even more but the only thing Seulgi could think of was:

"But you don't even know where I live?"

She walked back to the elevator and pressed on the lobby button with a frown.

"I've only dated madmen in my life," she concluded.

Seulgi waited for Sehun on the couch of the lobby where there was absolutely nobody since it was late and the building was filled with people who had to go to work early in the morning tomorrow. She only waited for about 15 minutes before she saw Sehun walk trough the main entrance with keys in his hand and the usual calm expression he always had on his face.

He didn't notice her sitting on the couch and was about to take on the elevator when Seulgi poked his arm. Sehun turned around to look back at her and his eyebrows raised as he smiled.

"Nice outfit," he commented with a simple approving nod.

Seulgi looked back at her clothes and remembered she was in her goofy pajamas with embarrassment. She was wearing a beige tank top that matched her shorts that matched her bear printed socks. On top of all that, she had put on a silk yukata that was falling off her shoulders and wearing fluffy slippers instead of real shoes. She just needed to go outside for two minutes to burn letters, she didn't know she would meet with her ex.

"I was going to bed," she mumbled to explain her attire. "But thank you anyway," she added before blushing a bit. Seulgi figured she might as well pretend it was a real compliment. "Do you want to go upstairs? Or maybe we can talk here."

Talk about what anyways? Honestly she didn't know what she was doing. Seulgi also didn't know why Sehun was there at all. Sehun scanned the empty place around them before pressing on the lift's button to open the doors. He shrugged and let her pass first before stepping inside the elevator.

"I'll take that as an answer," Seulgi said before bending over to press the button of her floor. Before she could, Sehun pressed on it and calmly watched the doors close. She looked back at him incredulously. "What the..." Sehun chuckled but Seulgi didn't find this funny at all.

"You're really creepy," she finally said after coming back from her shock. She never told him where she lived.

"It's not that deep, I have a friend who lives here and I saw you coming out of your apartment not too long ago," he explained with a curious smile.

"Who is that friend? One of my neighbors?"

"You don't know her," Sehun simply said.

Seulgi looked back to her feet and stayed mute as Sehun glanced at her. She didn't have anything else to add to that.

They got off, Sehun let her pass first once again and she thanked him. She did because she was well-mannered and polite, it didn't mean anything.

Seulgi started walking slowly in front of Sehun who didn't notice the change in her pace until she let him pass in front of her. She eyed him suspiciously but Sehun didn't do anything about it and continued to walk all the way to her door. He didn't lie, Sehun knew where the hell she lived. Seulgi scoffed when he stopped in front of the door and waited for her to open it.

"It surprises me that you don't know the code yet," she sarcastically said before entering her passcode.

"I don't stalk you Seulgi, I have a life," Sehun rolled his eyes.

Seulgi opened the door and let him step inside before closing the door after her. That made 2. Two exes in one day who visited her place. This was getting crazy.

"So," she awkwardly started. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"I don't plan on staying for too long," Sehun answered as he scanned the apartment. "Isn't it a bit too big for one person alone?"

"Do you want to bet that yours is twice as big as mine?" Seulgi said before passing next to him to go to the kitchen.

"I have a dog," Sehun defended himself.

"Right! Vivi," she exclaimed after remembering about the said dog. "How is he?"

"He still hates you."

Seulgi pursed her lips before turning to open the fridge. Her love for Sehun's dog had always been unrequited and she still didn't know why the animal despised her so much.

"So you only live with Vivi?" Seulgi asked as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"If by that you mean if I have a girlfriend, I already answered you at the wedding," Sehun said after joining her by the kitchen stool. "The answer is no."

"I didn't ask," Seulgi shrugged. "But if you want to tell me about your love life, I'm all right."

Sehun didn't find it funny and just gave her his usual disinterested face.

"How is Taeyong?"

"Fine, I guess," Seulgi shrugged again before taking a sip of her warm drink.

"He's a nice guy?"

"Depends on your definition of what a nice guy is," Seulgi observed. "I would say he is. Maybe you wouldn't after what he did."

Seulgi tried to read Sehun's expression but he was good at this: no emotion betrayed him after her snide remark.

"I think he's a nice guy," Sehun nodded. "Trying to protect you from me and all that. It was cute."

Seulgi almost spilled her tea on the counter.

"You knew?"

"I guessed the moment he started eating your candies. Only someone who hated me would use my hard work like that," Sehun ironically pointed out. "I spent at least 5 minutes on that damn cup."

"Taeyong honestly didn't know," Seulgi smiled. "But I will tell him that he really hurt your feelings because of cookies."

"You better do," Sehun scoffed.

A laugh involuntarily escaped Seulgi's lips that brought her to fully giggle. She hid her laugh behind her hand when Sehun raised his eyebrows at her. Now that was an unusual reaction. They rarely laughed in each other's presence, as sad as it sounded. Seulgi stopped herself as soon as she could and regained her straight faced composure.

"You were at a restaurant earlier, weren't you?" she hesitated to ask while he looked at her a bit surprised. How did she know? "I heard the background music through the phone call. Classical music is usually for restaurants. Expensive restaurants," Seulgi explained.

"Yes I was."

"It was a date?"

"No it wasn't," Sehun answered.

"You should have stayed."

"Didn't feel like it."

There was a strange moment where Seulgi and Sehun exchanged a long eye contact but it was interrupted as soon as Sehun cleared his throat and looked away.

"Do you remember your question now?" he asked.

"Yes," Seulgi anxiously nodded before walking over to where he was but still keeping a good distance between them. "I wondered if you knew what Jongin meant in his letter."

Sehun's brows furrowed.

"I mean, you're his best friend he must have told you something right?" she continued. "There's a part where he says 'You will find someone better' and I wondered, but really that's just a thought," Seulgi hesitantly said as she watched Sehun's expression turn sour. "If he knew something about you..."

"What about me?"

"You know how we... we started dating right after he broke up with me... But you couldn't have suddenly started being interested in me right away, right?"

"So what are you implying?"

"O-once again I am probably overthinking this and finding things where there's nothing but m-maybe Jongin thought I would be better with you and..."

"And that's why he broke up with you?" Sehun scoffed. "Because I was supposedly interested, you think Jongin broke up with you?"

"No... but at the same time, it's not impossible is it?" Seulgi asked while Sehun looked like he was ready to snap at her anytime soon. "I-I might have had too much time to think about this," Seulgi fidge