“Thank you.”

Hyeon Jae raises his eyebrow as he drinks his can of soda. We are inside his office. It's been three days since Lee Hyun Mi was arrested. I just woke up and Hyeon Jae said I've been sleeping for two days. I feel my energy has been totally renewed.

He smiles. “It's nothing. At least we'll get your Joon Hee out.”

Your Joon Hee. I swear Hyeon Jae never sounded this cheesy. I smile despite the cloudiness my mind is making me see now.

“My Joon Hee. Really?”

Hyeon Jae shrugs.

“He's yours right from the start, Yoon Jae. I love him, but I totally lost him to you. To a good person like you. There's nothing I can do about that.”

I look down at the sound of his words. They're hitting me hard and softening me at the very core. He sounds defeated and exhausted.

“Hyeon Jae,” I say.

“Can I still be his friend, right? You'll take him away from me, I bet.”

I smile weakly at him. “Of course, you'll still be friends. You were there in my absence. You filled in the space I left. Who am I to deny you of such good thing?”

He wipes a tear that rolled down his cheek. He puts the soda can on his table. Spreading his arms wide, his glassy eyes invite me for a hug.

I stand up from my bed and wrap my arms around him. In one way or another, Hyeon Jae is a brave man. He did everything for love, even if nothing comes to him in return.

“Thank you.” I say.

The afternoon sun never felt this good on my skin. After a long time of living behind bars, I am now able to enjoy my life and pick up the shattered pieces of my life. I walk down the street with a renewed heart. Finally, this happened to me.

I take the cab to my apartment. I want to rest so badly, given all the stress I was forced to put through in the last few days. The cab stops and I pay the driver so I can go upstairs.

I won;t expect anyone, not even Yoon Jae, to give me a warm welcome. There's no need for that. I've already accepted everything – he'll look at me like a monster forever. I'm looking forward to being alone.

The door opens after I enter the pass code. I walk my way inside the apartment. Nothing has changed since I left, but I hear a sound of someone working in the kitchen. The smell of boiling ramen wafts in the air, tickling my nose and drawing me in.

And then there's Yoon Jae. I stop on my tracks and watch him cook ramen while humming a song. Chau Chau by Deli Spice. My favorite.

He turns and our eyes meet. For a moment the whole world stood still, everything frozen and precise. I feel tears welling up in the corners of my eyes as he walks toward me.

Everything goes fast. The seconds are chasing each other. In a swift motion, I'm wrapped around his arms. His lips crash mine and all I could feel is his love, enclosing around me, making me whole. This deep kiss patches up every damage we both left on each other.

He kisses my forehead and nose. He whispers the words I've been longing to hear.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

I nod, forgiving him and myself after all that happened.