“Are you happy now?”

“Yes.”

He glances sideways at her, analysing every inch of the strong facade she has put up. Her voice betrays no emotion, and her expression is as calm as the deep blue sea before them – but Seyong knows inside, the heart is in a turbulent mess no ocean could ever weather.

“Liar.”

He sees the small smile tugging at the corner of her thin lips. They part slightly as she begins to speak, turning to meet his eyes.

“Funny, you’re still the only one who can see through it all.”

“You know I didn’t let you go just to see you stranded like this. You told me you’d be happy. You promised me, Eunyoung.”

She shifts her gaze back toward the sea. The distant, listless look in her eyes is hard to miss, even if he were to force himself to not look at her.

He’s lost her. She’s gone – the Eunyoung he knew is gone and the worst part is that, he had let it happen. He was the one who had caused this and he allowed her to get hurt, again (for the umpteenth time).

“I’m sorry,” is all he can say now, even though he doesn’t know what good it does. He’s already lost her.

“What are you apologising for?” she muses, chuckling lightly as she nudges him lightly by the side. “You’re the last person I actually expect a sorry from.”

“I could’ve stopped you back then and I should’ve...but I didn’t,” he says regretfully, ignoring the stabbing pain in his heart when he heard her careless laughter. God, bring her back. Please bring her back to me. “If you had stayed with me – “

“Shh,” she pushes a finger up his lips to stop him from saying out loud. “Stop being so hard on yourself. I begged you to let me go, remember?”

And because I loved you so, I relented...

Of course he couldn’t say that. Because to her, in Eunyoung’s eyes – he’s only someone she had, but wasn’t capable of loving. He was only in her life because of pure chance, and that no real feelings ever existed between them. She believed so, because he had let her.

“You know...I can actually kill him right now.”

Again, that ghastly chuckle. “Oh Seyong...”

You will never let me. No matter how many times he has hurt you, no matter the heartbreaks he’s put you through, you’d still defend him to no end. You’re a fool, Joo Eunyoung...you’re such a fool...

<< >>

He has always felt this sort of responsibility towards her ever since they were both introduced to each other. The first time he met Joo Eunyoung, she was in her most fragile state, broken and shattered. She smiled for all of their sakes, but whenever the two of them were left alone, would the tears flow.

He saw her crying for the first time on the night of her 19^th birthday. On the same night, did he learn about the existence of an ex-boyfriend who cruelly hurts her over and over again (and of Eunyoung’s undying love for him that she can never walk away from).

Ever since that night, Seyong swore to protect her and look after her for the rest of his life. He wasn’t sure if he could ever fill the void in her heart that had been badly tarnished, but he promised to try and make her happy in the ways that he could.

Seyong is no angel and he, just like any other humans, is burdened with his own problems. Matters of the heart is one, very complicated thing but unlike Eunyoung, he is able to start each day with a positive mind and a smile.

He was the one who had taught her how to build the walls around her, putting up the strong facade to protect herself and also bring back her beautiful, radiant smile. Because, oh boy, when she smiles, Seyong falls in love yet again - just like the first time.

<< >>

He knew, that even though she had agreed to the marriage arrangement – her heart wasn’t in it. Her heart wasn’t with him and it will never be his.

He has never once blamed her, because he too understands the pain of loving someone so deeply you can’t even see anyone else.

Even if the person right in front of her has been loving her  sincerely all these while.

Seyong was able to move on from his first love because of Eunyoung, but he wasn’t enough reason to make her leave him.

Thus, just a day before the ceremony would take place, he granted her the one wish she had always wanted from him – “This engagement is off.”

<< >>

Seyong bore full responsibility for his actions. It took him months to mend back the relationship he had with his family. It took a lot to gain back their trust, but eventually everything turned out fine.

He kept in touch with Eunyoung (who was so grateful to him that she told him she is forever in his debt) and occasionally asked about her well-beings. Their conversations were mainly through calls, because he didn’t think he’d be able to look at her without falling in love with her for the nth time.

She’d always tell him she was doing well (in that annoying chirpy voice of hers Seyong knows too well that she’s faking). He let it slid for the first few times, because a part of him was convinced that Eunyoung wasn’t his responsibility anymore. But alas, what can you do when the heart already knows what it wants?

<< >>

Now, as she sits next to him, with a smile gracing her lips but tears glistened in her eyes – Seyong wondered just how different her life would turn out if they had gone ahead with the arrangement.

Could he actually make those tears stop? Would she actually allow him to?

Would she ever give him the chance?

“Leave him.”

She blinks slowly in surprise, as though his voice had just snapped her back to reality. Or perhaps, it’s just the two words dawning upon her.

“Leave him, Eunyoung,” he says more urgently and naturally take her hand in his. “Leave him and come back to me.”

“But I – “

“This isn’t love, Eunyoung!” he snaps irritably, unable to hold back his frustrations any longer. “You’re just barely hanging on a thread and if you force yourself to endure for just awhile more even, you will really break. You, and not him.”

To his surprise, she gently slips her hand out of his grasp and patted the back of his hand lightly.

“You’ve always been really sweet, Seyong. But I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

She smiles up at him, and even when she’s broken and beaten up like this – her smile is still as beautiful as ever and her sad smile just makes him love her even more than he already has.

“You’re a fool, Joo Eunyoung,” this time he says it out loud. She needs to hear it and she needs to realise it. “You’re the biggest fool I’ve ever met.”

because this ship is so tragically beautiful ~

as you can see, this is from Seyong's p.o.v