The next day, Wooyoung did not return.  Nor did he come by the following day or the day after.  By the time she was due to be discharged, AeRin had lost all hope of seeing and talking to him again.

"Let's wait a little bit longer," Min suggested as she helped her friend start packing.

"What's the use?" AeRin asked. "He's not going to show up, no matter how much I want him to."

Fei patted her shoulder and motioned for her to sit on the bed. "Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, alright? We still have a few more hours before you're due to be discharged."

Suzy looked up from her phone and smiled wildly. "Taecyeon-oppa says he's coming."

"Is he really? You said that yesterday and the days before, and he never did," AeRin deadpanned. "Look, I don't know why you want us to meet still. Whether or not he'll actually come no longer matters. The outcome will still be the same, even if we don't have the chance to meet beforehand."

"AeRin--" Min interjected before she was interrupted by a knock on the door. "See!" she stage-whispered to AeRin before she shouted a "Come in!"

Blonde hair poked out from the door as Wooyoung peeked his head in. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, "am I interrupting?"

"No, no, no," Fei said as she grabbed on to Suzy and Jia and walked them out of the room. "The room is all yours, Wooyoung. Don't mind us; we're going to grab some food before we come back up."

Min leaned over to her friend and grabbed her for a quick hug. "Talk to him," she whispered into her ears before she let go and walked to the door.

AeRin looked away and fiddled with her clothes as Wooyoung silently walked to the chair placed next to the bed. "I'm sorry for not coming these past few days, AeRin. I asked if I could end my promotions in Korea earlier but management wouldn't let me. I couldn't even cancel my appearances on shows either so I had to fly back."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Wooyoung. I've been with you for a long time...I expected that this would happen." 

He shook his head. "You shouldn't be used to these excuses...It's not fair to you."

She looked at him now, and smiled sadly. "No, it's not."

Silence engulfed the room as both AeRin and Wooyoung struggled to find the words they wanted to say.

"Wooyoung, I --"

"AeRin, I --"

The two stopped talking and laughed. They hadn't laughed together in the same room for a while, and at that moment, it felt nice. 

"You should start, Wooyoung."

He shook his head and smiled. "Ladies first."

She took a deep breath. "Wooyoung...I want a divorce."

His smile faltered and when it returned, it was one full of melancholy and sadness. "I know."

"It was what you had wanted to say, wasn't it?"