One knock.

Two knocks.

There’s still no answer.

He contemplates on whether he should knock again, and comes to a final decision. He lowers down his hand, and turns back to go down the stairs. The creak of a door opening stops him in his tracks, but he doesn’t turn around to face Jiyoon. Jiyoon peeks through the small opening, staring at his back.

“Yes?”

“I… I think maybe we need to sort this out. Talk it out, you know? Straighten things out, all of this is making me feel uncomfortable,” he announces, his back still facing her.

“Where… where do you want to talk?”

“We can talk about it while having tea. Come on,” he starts descending the stairs.

“I’m sorry, Yongguk oppa. I’m sorry you have to go through this because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, Jiyoon. We can talk about this later, okay?”

Yongguk opts for the small, cozy café not far from his house, as it’s the perfect place to discuss things out. If he ever decides that he couldn’t take it anymore, a walk at the nearby park might help him. He makes up his mind as he parks his car in front of the café. Jiyoon gets out first, and he takes a deep breath as the both of them step into the café. The tiny bell chimes as they open the door, inviting them. They take a table at the corner of the café, this time sitting opposite each other.

After ordering, Yongguk turns back to the woman in front of him. It pains him to see her being morose like this. Where’s the strong Jiyoon he used to know? Where’s the cheerful Jiyoon he fell for? He feels as if he doesn’t know the woman in front of him anymore. He knows her name, but he couldn’t quite grasp the fact that he doesn’t really know her. She’s hiding too much, but Yongguk is not the one who’s holding the key to open up the safe around her heart.

Sooyoung’s heart.

“You like Daehyun, don’t you?”

Both of them stare at each other, with Yongguk waiting for her answer. Although he knows he’s not ready to hear whatever she’s going to say, he gathers up his courage. He’s pretty sure it’s going to hurt like crazy, so he better prepare himself.

…

Daehyun fiddles with the phone in his hand. He throws it in the air, and barely catches it in time. He couldn’t describe the feeling he’s experiencing right now. Being rejected by his family is normal, but being rejected by a girl he barely knows is another thing. That’s it, he barely knows her, but he’s already announcing his love for her.

Had he gone mad?

It’s the same.

The fluttering feeling when he first met Sooyoung, he felt it again when he laid his eyes on Jiyoon. He doesn’t know whether it’s because the heart beating in her once belonged to Sooyoung, or he genuinely fell for her. Feelings… It’s better not having them.

How do you heal a heart that has been broken countless times?

Do you put a fake smile on and pretend as if nothing has happened? Or do you put on a straight face, to show the world that you’re strong? Perhaps do you hide behind a mask forever, refusing to face the world?

What can you do when you feel as if nothing is going the way you want them to?

What does he have left in this world?

His family doesn’t want him, Sooyoung’s gone and now Jiyoon rejects him. Fate, he wants to accept his, but he finds it hard to. When is fate ever on his side?

He goes over to his balcony, with the phone still in his hand. He looks down below; he’s not someone who’s afraid of heights, but he imagines if he falls, he wouldn’t even have the chance to survive… He grips the rail tightly, thinking about his possible next move. Is this what his life results to?

Absent-mindedly, he climbs over the rail and closes his eyes. He stands on the ledge, which is barely enough ground for him to step on. With his hand still gripping his phone, a tear rolls down his cheek. Soon, he starts sobbing. However, he still grips the rail, afraid of falling. Ironic, isn’t it? One wrong move and his life is over. But he chose to be here, feeling the air up here, only without anything to protect him from falling.

He needs one call to save him.

He needs someone to save him.

He needs to know that someone out there still cares for him.

Only, he knows it’s impossible.

Suddenly, his phone rings. With blurry vision, he puts up his phone in front of his face, reading the ID.

Private number.

He doesn’t want to answer it, but still, he feels as if there’s something bugging him to.

“Dae- Daehyun, I’m- I’m sorry for doing this to you. I didn’t mean to do this to you! I was so jealous of her getting close to you that I asked her to stay away from you. I know I asked you to move on but I didn’t follow my own words. I felt so attached to you that I felt as if I couldn’t let you go. It wasn’t Jiyoon’s fault; it’s my fault that you’re like this. I didn’t know that you like her that much; I didn’t know it would affect you until this extent. I know she likes you, but I was the one who asked her to make you hate her. I was the barrier between the both of you. Go to her, I know how much she means to you. Please don’t do this, Daehyun. Your life is worth more than this!”

Sooyoung. It’s Sooyoung’s voice. He knows it so well. He knows that he wouldn’t mistake it, ever. But this isn’t possible, he knows Sooyoung’s dead. Then whom is he talking to? Is he hallucinating? Is he so desperate that he starts to imagine things?

“Sooyoung, is that you?”

He doesn’t get an answer as the person –who seems to be Sooyoung- at the end of the line hangs up. “Wait-“ he doesn’t get to finish his sentence as he loses his balance, and slips. He hoped for that one call to save him, but in the end that one call caused him to fall.

The sky above seems so calming. He smiles when he sees Sooyoung’s face formed by the skies, smiling back at him. As he’s falling, he comes to the sudden realization that this is not the solution. He doesn’t want to end his life like this.

Only now, it’s too late.