S POV

            I was a man who knew when he had lost. I thought it over for a good two weeks before reaching my conclusion. I see that she’s happy with him and so far I had no evidence that in the two months they were together, he was cheating on her. I knew that even though my feelings may never die, I need to let it at least seem like it did. I hung my head and swallowed. I need to break all ties with her.

            I knew that seeing me around may be painful for her. I had to make it clear that I didn’t care and would never care. I need to tell her I moved on. So many movies chastise the boy for letting a girl go because he thinks that breaking off a friendship would solve all romantic messes. But in this case, I didn’t want to keep hurting.

            It was selfish of me. I didn’t want to hate my brother. I didn’t want to hurt myself. And I knew that if I stayed away, she just might learn that I had no interest and she would be happier knowing or at least believing that she was no longer causing me pain.

            I was a coward. I waited and plotted the way I would do it and couldn’t bring myself to do it multiple times. She sometimes still called me and I would answer, against my better judgment. I knew that I was only prolonging the inevitable.

            One day, right before we embarked on a three day Super Show in Taiwan, I decided to do it. She wouldn’t be going and helping because she had to take care of some personal business. Not that I would know. She tried to tell me but I pretended I was too busy.

            So I knew that now, when she came over for dinner, would be the best time to tell her that I no longer wanted anything to do with her. It would make everything so much easier.

            After dinner and the dishes were washed, we lounged around the living room. She got up to get dessert and I followed. I saw Eunhyuk narrow his eyes but I didn’t say anything and continued on.

            “Sungmin!” she tried to appear happy and perky but the dark circles that suddenly appeared under her eyes didn’t fool me. She was terrified and nervous of being alone with me. That made me sad. I was definitely doing the right thing. Our relationship has become so strained, she physically was repulsed to see me.

            “Hey, I just wanted to say that you don’t have to keep avoiding me.”

            “I wasn’t!” She protested.

            I held up a hand. “No, I just wanted to say that any feelings I had for you are gone. But I still think, that for the sake of my brotherhood with Eunhyuk-shi, you just keep away from me. Let’s just be colleagues or acquaintances. Don’t message me anymore, and don’t try to befriend me. It’s over. I’ll be fine.”

            dropped and she closed the refrigerator door. “But why? If you no longer have feelings for me, why would you want to break off our friendship? Why must it be all or nothing?” Tears were starting to form.

            In a perfect world, my response would be to cup her cheek and wipe away the pain. But this wasn’t a utopia and I had to remain through with my conviction.

            I shrugged and forced myself to turn around. “That’s how life works.”

J POV

            Without meaning to, my heart broke. I didn’t want to face the facts. I didn’t want to face the truth. He was doing what I knew he would be doing. He was breaking off all ties with me. For some unknown reason, I was affected more than I wanted to be.

            I choked a little on my spit and didn’t move until Leeteuk came in. “Jasmine, are you okay?” he was genuinely concerned.

            I wiped at my eyes. “Did Sungmin say anything to you?”

            I shook my head. “Nope, I just slammed the fridge door on my fingers and it hurts like crazy. Don’t worry about me.”

            He chuckled and threw me an ice pack. I held it to my finger, knowing that no amount of any remedy would sooth the throbbing of my heart. I didn’t think I liked him, but this reaction was too much. A friendship I had cherished is over.