“That stuff is gross.”

He shrugs in response, keeping his eyes focused on the child running around with her big dog. The little girl grabs the tennis ball from the dog’s mouth, waving it up in the air as if the animal couldn’t reach it just on its’ four legs.  He brings his hand up to his mouth, in a huge breath from the cigarette wedged between his fingers. She stares at him for what seems like a long time. He feels her piercing stare burning holes yet he still doesn’t budge. He watches the little girl throw the ball with all her strength and the black hound runs after it. He hears her sigh deeply.

“Still not talking to me, huh?” She mumbles, raising her eyebrows. She fiddles with her fingers as she continues to stare at the side of his face. He silently grits his teeth in irritation. Dara couldn’t just leave him alone. She was the one who decided to end things between them, the one who moved out of his life like it was no big deal. Yet she has the audacity to call him after two months, asking him to meet up for a “little chat like old times”.

“What’s the whole point of agreeing to meet me when you don’t even talk?” She sighs in frustration, finally casting her eyes down to her lap.

His hands twitch at her comment and he turns to glare at her. Frankly, he doesn’t really know what to say. What can he say to her? Initially, he thought that he would be able to say everything that’s built up inside him for two months; all his anger about leaving him, his questions why she left him, and his pleas to take him back. Yet sitting with her outside of the bistro where they had their first date just makes him want to vomit.

“You know this is the bench where we first kissed?” She sighs again, sounding almost happily this time. He watches her place her hand gingerly on the empty space between them, a blissful smile on the corners of her lips.

“Why are you bringing this up?” He finally speaks, his voice rough. He clears his throat softly and inhales another puff of smoke. He looks back out to the child and her dog, watching the two in a game of fetch.

“I don’t really know,” She trails off. She fumbles with her fingers for a few more seconds before letting out another resigned sigh. She looks up at him again, the weight of her gaze solely focused on him. “Actually, I’ve been thinking. Well, thinking for two months now. And I miss you. I feel like—“

She stops short when he takes the cigarette and put it out by smashing the burning end to his wrist. She watches with wide eyes as he throws the dead cigarette to the floor and crushes it with his foot. He looks up at her with raised eyebrows, taunting her. “You were saying?”

She chews on her bottom lip, a habit that seems like she never got to get rid of. “I was saying that I feel like we should give this another shot. I’m sorry for running out on you like that. It was unforgivable, and I’ll understand if you would hate me for it. But…” She trails off as he rummages through his jacket pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He taps the box on the palm of his hand three times before sliding a fresh one out. He glances sideways at her, waiting for her to continue. She shakes her head, obviously trying hard to not be affected by his actions. “But if you’ll have me, I’ll try my best this time around. I know I tend to pick fights with you for every little thing and I blame you all the time for it. I’m willing to make this work, you know. I made a huge mistake so—“

“So, I guess Minwoo left you?” He abruptly cuts her off. She stiffens quickly. He scoffs and twirls the cigarette between his fingers a few times before lighting it. He breathes in a heavy amount of smoke before letting it seep through his chapped lips slowly. The little girl and the dog dive for the tennis ball at the same time. Their head collide softly and the child starts to giggle, lovingly petting the dog’s shiny black coat.

“Minho.” She corrects and he inhales another puff. She didn’t deny it. “He has nothing to do with this, though. Nothing to do with us.”

“What about us?” he roll my eyes. “There’s nothing between us.”

Her eyes were as big as saucers when he takes a glance at her. He almost smirks at her expression. But he doesn’t. Instead, he brings the poisonous stick back to his lips.

“You don’t mean that,” She whispers.

He lazily lifts one shoulder as a shrug. “You made it pretty clear two months ago.”

“Well…” She mumbles. “I didn’t mean it.”

He almost laughs. It sounds ridiculous to his ears, as if she started speaking a whole different language. He shakes his head and finishes off the cigarette once more. He lets out an inaudible sigh; he never finished cigarettes as quick as he was now. He figures it must be because of the woman sitting next to him, the same woman who broke his heart. He kills the cigarette with his wrist, leaving small circular burn marks against his skin. As she watches his pale white skin inflame, she loses it.

She snatches the bent cigarette from his hand and throws it onto the ground, standing up. “What is wrong with you?” She yells, her eyes suddenly watering. “Why are you being so…so harsh? And since when do you even smoke?”

He doesn’t answer, keeping his eyes on the kid-and-dog combo across the street. His fingers itch for another stick.

“Jiyong!” He whips his head towards her, eyes hard. She flinches at first before squaring her shoulders and meeting his eyes confidently. “Well? Aren’t you going to answer my question?”

He finally lets out a small chuckle, almost sounding sinister. He stands up, stepping close enough to tower over her. “I started smoking when you left me.” He growls under his breath. A shiver runs through her, as she smells the nicotine. “Why?” He continues. “Because it seems harmless and it was the only thing there to help me through my misery at the time. It stuck with me, and I didn’t mind. What’s a harmless little stick going to do to me?”

“Kill you.” She replies back quickly, sharply.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He says, straightening up. As she lets out a deep breath, he pulls his pack of cigarettes out. He puts a stick between his lips lazily, inhaling as he lights it up. He angrily throws the rest of the pack on the floor between them while she watches him with saddening eyes. He shakes his head and runs his burnt hand through his hair. He starts to walk away as he adds, “I thought you were a harmless little thing and look where that got me.”