"Because it hurts. Because he's not here."

Minseok felt his whole world falling apart as Ae Ri sobbed out loud. It had came as a surprise when she finally broke down. After a year of begging and silently praying, she had finally uttered the words that he wanted and needed to hear.

But it wasn't him that she had finally confessed to.

It would never be him.

He still held onto that dim ray of hope that was slowly fading as time passed. Minseok knew, at the back of his mind, that the Ae Ri he used to love might never come back. It wasn't fair to him or her, that he kept holding onto that chance. He had to give up but he refused to let go. If there was even a 0.1% chance of having Ae Ri love him back, then Minseok would wait patiently.

His eyes grew heavier as he stared blankly at the door in front of him. Minutes seemed like hours as he waited for Ae Ri to come out. He turned to stare at his long, slim fingers, before wiping away his b tears. Minseok was tired. He was tired of never having time to sleep as he thought about Ae Ri at night. He was tired of slaving away at a job that he had grown to hate. Minseok was tired of being stuck in a stupid one-sided love that would never go anywhere.

He jumped up in surprise as Ae Ri stepped out of the door. His eyes wandered over her face when he caught sight of her red, swollen eyes- she had been crying. Ae Ri turned to face Minseok and turned towards the garage with a small bag in her hands. He followed after and smiled when she stopped in her tracks.

"I'm hungry."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Minseok felt his heart race as Ae Ri faced him with a bitter smile. It was forced and cold but it was enough for him. She glanced down at her feet as she mustered up the courage to speak. 

"I want to have some soup." Ae Ri softly said, "You know how to cook right?"

Minseok opened his mouth before closing it. He knew that she wasn't interested and that she was only doing it for his sake but there was no way he would let this chance go. He tapped his chin as he figured out how to respond while his eyes danced across her face. There was something different about Ae Ri, that much he knew; The way her eyes seemed to focus on him for the first time in a while. She had changed somehow.

It scared him.

"Well-umm-I can make some noodles?" Minseok stammered. "Ah... that's right. You hate noodles."

"What kind are they?" She sighed softly. "Minseok...ssi."

Ssi. Minseok's lips curled into a wide smile as he rocked back and forth. It was too good to be true. Her eyes drifted away from him and she lightly shook her head. What was the big deal about asking him for food? Ae Ri never understood why he was always so eager to please her. He seemed like a lost puppy every time he begged her to talk to him. The only reason why she even spoke to him was because of her therapist.

"What do you think Yixing-ssi would say if he saw you?"

The room grew silent.

"He would be upset."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

Ae Ri avoided her gaze and smiled bitterly to herself. People like her always think that you can easily forget about the person you love. To them it's as simple as counting numbers. They would never understand why she was always in pain. They would never understand the love she had for him, their love was simple and pure. 

But she also made a valid point. Yixing hated nothing more than for her to wallow in self-pity. It was the one thing he had hated about Ae Ri. The fact that she was always so scared and depressed. It was the one thing that she had desperately tried to change about herself but failed.

If Yixing was still alive, he would have yelled at her. If he was still alive, he would have left her.

"What should I do then?" Ae Ri whispered. "Should I change?"

"It's for the best." She smiled. "It's been a year already."

An entire year had passed. Time flew by but she was still the same. Her smile vanished as she gazed out the glass windows by the door. It was hard for her to stare at Minseok's figure through the blinds but she immediately noticed the dark circles that matched her own. He looked so pitiful that there was a pang of guilt and sympathy that flowed though her. Minseok had changed just as much as she did. How could she forget that he had lost Yixing as well?

He lost his best friend.

Ae Ri looked away when Minseok shifted in his seat. Her heart pounded faster against her chest when she could feel his eyes on her body. She heaved a sigh and stood up when the doctor reached out to grab her hand. She extended her hand and waited for her to place the bag of medicine in it. Ae Ri took a deep breath and forced a smile as she made a resolution to herself.

"I'll try my best." Ae Ri trembled. "Because he wouldn't want to see me this way."

"Exactly."

She reached out and tapped Minseok's shoulder as his face went blank. He jumped and almost fell back when he noticed Ae Ri's face. A small smirk escaped her lips before she snapped back into reality. Ae Ri tapped her wrist to indicate that there wasn't much time left. Minseok smiled back and unconsciously reached out to grab her hand.

He immediately let go when Ae Ri froze. He flinched when he noticed her trembling hands and the pale color of her skin. The damage was done and Ae Ri had ran away. She pushed past the group of people before falling onto the ground. She began to panic when she noticed the scrutinizing stares of everyone , crawling up into a tiny ball to avoid their gaze. Ae Ri snapped back into reality when she felt a warm touch on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice asked worriedly. "Are you hurt?"

She looked up to see a beautiful girl staring at her with concern. Hair that was pitch black contrasted with the rosy cheeks and pale skin. Lips that were thick and perfectly soft. Eyes that were so deep that they never seemed to stop. Ae Ri felt a pang of pain in her stomach as she stared at the girl. She was the type of women, men fell for.

"Please let go of me." Ae Ri mumbled. "Please don't touch me."

"I'm sorry." She quickly let go. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."

"Thank you."

She tried to get up but quickly fell back onto the ground. Ae Ri desperately looked for a way out when she saw Minseok running towards her. It was the first time that she felt grateful he was nearby. The lost puppy had finally found his owner.

"Are you okay?" Minseok urgently asked as he fumbled with his hands. He reached out to pull Ae Ri up but pulled back when he noticed the panic in her eyes. He crouched down and waited for her to stand up before glancing at the couple in front of him. "Take your time Ae Ri. I'll wait."

"Is she hurt?" The girl asked. "It was all my fault. I should have gotten out of her way."

"No." Minseok bowed in apology. "I should have been there."

He looked up to see a tall and handsome man walking towards them with worry in his eyes. Minseok bowed once more as he turned towards the girl in front of him. His eyes were a mixture of worry and pain as he examined the girl. Minseok couldn't help but envy the way he could stare at the girl and get the same response. It was exactly the same way he looked at Ae Ri but the only difference was the fact that she didn't look back at him. It wasn't anything new really.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. "Did you get hurt?"

"No." She shook her head. "Everything's fine oppa."

He turned to stare at the girl sitting on the ground and blinked in surprise. Her body shook as she tried to get up but failed countless  of times. Silently, he reached out to grab her but stopped when Minseok stepped in between them. The girl grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back.

"She doesn't like to be touched." She whispered. "That's why she's taking so long."

Minseok smiled softly as he turned back to stare at Ae Ri. He crouched down in front of her and leaned forwards as she tried to speak up. He glanced at the couple who bowed before walking away. His eyes flew open when he felt Ae Ri's soft hand reached towards his own.

"Get me out of here." She begged. "Please... oppa."

"Okay." Minseok whispered. "Let's go home."

He delicately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards the garage. He slipped her inside the car before buckling her seatbelt for her. Minseok reached inside his pocket to pull out his keys when a soft whimper was heard. He turned to see Ae Ri fumble with the medication bottle before swallowing two of them dry. She glanced up at him and closed her eyes.

"Thank you," She whispered, "Minseok."