With that said, Jinri stands up from her seat and excuses herself, leaving Luhan without a second glance.

Her more rational mind, though, is much satisfied now that Luhan has clearly left her. Jinri knows that relationships are supposed to be based on trust and honesty. Therefore, when Luhan can’t let her have those, it would be better for her to make a quick exit, since their bond would end up to be standing on delicately threaded lies and carefully crafted façades otherwise. Besides, her parents wouldn’t approve him, if anything between them ever grew into something more serious. His intimidating red hair and piercings are already enough to turn them off, and if she mentions that he smokes and drinks a lot, he would definitely be on their blacklist. It’s not that his name hasn’t been written there in the first place, though. They have once walked into him making out with their underage daughter when they were still in Seoul, and it was enough to vanish all of their respect to the guy they have previously adored. If they found out that now Luhan has taken their precious daughter’s ity as well, they would want to have his head on a platter immediately.

On the fifth day since their last meeting in the bar, Jinri has lost all of her faith on Luhan that she doesn’t expect anything when she hears a well-known honk from behind her. She, who is walking on her way home from her internship, stops her steps on the paved sideways and turns back, only to be greeted by a red BMW that she knows too well. Luhan raises his hand and waves at her; a soft smile is planted on his thin lips. He rolls down the window on the passenger seat as the car slowly reaches her side.

“Would you like a ride?”

The nonchalant tone in his offer doesn’t surprise her. Luhan has always been a master of pretense, after all. Jinri, however, is never good in faking. She can only stand still, thorn between the reasoning of her rational mind and her emotions. When she doesn’t give him a proper respond, he prods her.

“Come on, we are living in the same surrounding, right?”

There is a palpable, recognizable gentleness in his statement that she unthinkingly opens the door to the passenger seat next to him, out of reflex. Jinri is stunned when the familiar scent of his car enters her system, disbelieving that she has, once again, disobeying her logic and going back to Luhan. But then, nothing has ever been rational when it comes to her relationship with Luhan. She sighs before she sits and buckles the seat belt, all out of habit.

“How is your day, Jinri? Did Yixing treat you well?”

Jinri has no idea how Luhan can keep everything so casual, as if nothing big has ever happened between them. Or maybe he does think that their relationship is of no importance, she couldn’t figure it out. However, she knows that she is sick of all the pretending.

“Can you stop being so laid-back about us, Luhan? We have just broken up, in case you forget it. Maybe it is not a big deal to you, but it is to me, so, could you respect me for a while?”

“… I understand.”

The rest of their ride is only filled with the soft, familiar jazzy tunes played by the audio system. Everything about the ride is familiar, anyway. Jinri glances to the driver seat, unconsciously admiring his side profile. Sense of nostalgia surrounds her as her eyes fall on his warm, chocolate orbs that are focused on the road. His slender fingers are tapping the steering wheel along the rhythm of the music, just like how she has always remembered. The quietness between them reminds her more of her last ride with him in Seoul, rather than those she had in the past three months. There is the same solemn atmosphere, instead of the usual cheerful and, occasionally, passionate ones. There is also a similar feeling of farewell, of a possibility for the ride being their last one, for a reason she can’t quite comprehend. Could this really be the end for them?

She exits the car after a brief ‘thank you’ and a bow, which he replies with his typically, gentle smile and a nod. She is the one who feels that there is an unseen but clear distance between them, she is the one who is uncomfortable with the current Luhan, and she is also the one who broke them up, but after two weeks, why it seems that she is also the only one who is still severely affected and broken?

Jinri is pretty puzzled when she finds a bouquet placed on the doorstep of her apartment. A dozen of purple hyacinths are arranged alongside a few strands of red roses, with baby’s breath serving as the backdrop of the bunch. When Jinri picks it up, a card slips out and falls onto the doormat. She hesitantly takes the card, secretly hoping that it is from Luhan but also realizing that it couldn’t be him since he has just driven her home and is probably still in the lift heading to his own penthouse. When she flips the plain, white card open after she closes the door behind her, her eyes are widened in bewilderment as she is greeted by a familiar handwriting that she has recognized since her teen.

Jinri,

I know I haven’t treated you well for the past three months of our relationship, and for that I’m really sorry. I realize that an apology is not enough for all the damage I have inflicted on you in our short-spanned togetherness, but I can only promise you that I’ll be better than before.

What I said to you last Saturday night is the truth; whether I’m drunk or not I will still feel the same way to you. However, it took me this long before I make this because I’ve been thinking that, although I love you, are we being together is really the best for us?

Nevertheless, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll be knocking on your door in an hour, to ask for your hand once again. I promise you that I’ll try to be more honest with you, so please let me in only if you want to give me a second chance. Otherwise, don’t answer the door because only that way I’ll stop pursuing you.

I love you.

Luhan

The curves and lines of the word 'love' seems to be a little shaken, as if the writter was forced to write it. It takes a lot of courage to say 'I love you' and for someone like Luhan, it would have need a lot of effort to write such letter. Jinri reads the letter over and over again in disbelief; her hand covering , leaving the bouquet falling from her grip. She leans on the door for support as her legs suddenly become weak. Her shoulder slowly slides down, bringing her to sit on the carpeted floor. Her trembling fingers reach for the bouquet, slowly feeling the delicateness of the flower against her shaking skin. She rests her head on the firm, wooden door pensively.

The next time the door is knocked, should she open it?