The weight of the world seemed to press down on me, each moment growing heavier until I could barely breathe. Everything was happening too fast, too suddenly. First, Jungwon—Jungwon, the boy who had consumed every thought in my head just weeks ago—had moved on. And now, my mom had decided to drop the ultimate bomb: we were leaving for the U.S. tomorrow. Tomorrow. I couldn't wrap my mind around it.

The news about Grandma needing treatment overseas should have been a relief, right? Knowing she would get the help she needed. But instead, all I could feel was this deep, gnawing ache in my chest. Like everything I knew was slipping away faster than I could hold on. It hurt so much.

I sat on my bed, clutching my phone like it was the only thing tethering me to reality. My heart pounded in my chest, and all I could think about was Jungwon and Haeun. The two of them together played over and over in my mind, like some cruel, never-ending loop.

I thought we had something special. I thought... I don't know what I thought anymore. He'd moved on so quickly, so easily, and here I was, left behind, still trying to pick up the pieces of everything that had fallen apart.

My fingers hovered over my phone, and before I even knew what I was doing, I opened Jungwon's contact. I stared at his name for what felt like forever, and then my fingers began to type, almost on their own, "Let's break up."

My hands trembled as I stared at the words on the screen, feeling their weight, their finality. I hesitated. My thumb hovered over the send button, and for a brief moment, I considered deleting the message, pretending like I had never written it. But that ache in my chest wouldn't go away, and before I could stop myself, I hit send.

For a few agonizing moments, there was nothing. Just silence. And then, the dreaded notification—seen. My heart sank as I watched the screen, seeing the little "typing..." bubble appear and disappear. He was thinking. He was considering what to say. Maybe—maybe he'd tell me I was wrong, that he hadn't moved on, that it was all just a big misunderstanding. Maybe...

"Ok."

That was it. One word. One single word that shattered everything.

I stared at the screen, numb. It felt like my heart had been ripped out, leaving behind only this cold, empty space inside of me. "Ok." That's all I was worth to him? Just... okay?

I didn't even realize I was crying until the tears blurred my vision. I wiped at my face hastily, but the tears just kept coming, silent and relentless. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't breathe in this room with everything closing in on me. Without thinking, I grabbed my jacket and bolted out of the house, barely registering where I was going. I just needed to move, to escape this crushing weight in my chest.

But as I rounded the corner, still trying to keep my sobs quiet, I ran straight into someone. I stumbled back, blinking through the haze of tears, and my breath caught in my throat. Of course, it was him. Jungwon.

For a second, everything seemed to stop. We just stood there, staring at each other. His eyes locked with mine, and I knew he saw it—the red, puffy eyes, the tears I couldn't hold back anymore. I sniffed, trying to compose myself, but it was useless. The pain was too raw, too real.

I wiped at my face furiously, not knowing what else to do. He didn't say anything. He didn't move. He just looked at me, and for a moment, I thought he might reach out, that he might say something to fix this. But he didn't.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand the silence, the way he was just... there, not doing anything. So, I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I ran away from him, from the hurt, from everything, because if I stayed one second longer, I would break even more than I already had. And as I looked back for just a split second, I saw him still standing there, watching me.

But he didn't come after me. He didn't call out. He just... let me go.

-THE PRESENT-

Despite my best efforts to maintain that distance, the news that Jungwon had hurt himself reached me, and I hated how quickly concern washed over me. I shouldn't have cared, but I did. My heart betrayed me, stirring up old feelings I thought I had buried long ago.

Rima unnie told me that practice was canceled because Jungwon wouldn't be able to dance for a few days, and as much as I tried to shake it off, I couldn't stop worrying about him. I found myself thinking about what might make him feel better, and before I knew it, I was picking up a box of his favorite strawberries dipped in chocolate.

It was a foolish idea, but something in me couldn't resist. Maybe it was guilt, or maybe it was the remnants of a connection we never truly resolved. Either way, I was standing outside the lounge area, my heart pounding in my chest, clutching the small box like it was some kind of peace offering.

When I walked in, he was sitting there, casually scrolling through his phone. The sight of him, so calm and unaffected, made my nerves skyrocket. I gulped, trying to gather the courage to approach him, feeling like the same uncertain girl I had been back then.

Finally, I took a deep breath and stepped closer. "J-Jungwon..." I managed to stutter, my voice barely above a whisper. "I, um, I brought you something."

He looked up, his expression unreadable as his eyes locked on mine. I quickly thrust the box toward him, eager to just get this over with and escape the tension that was thick in the air. "It's strawberries... with chocolate," I added, my words tumbling out awkwardly. "I thought... I thought you might like them."

I was ready to bolt, to leave before I embarrassed myself any further, but just as I turned to go, I felt a sudden warmth around my wrist. His hand. He had grabbed me, and it wasn't a gentle touch either—it was firm, almost as if he couldn't let me go. I froze, my heart racing.

The room seemed to close in on us as I slowly turned back to face him, our eyes meeting in a moment that felt like it stretched on forever. His grip on my wrist didn't loosen, and for the first time in years, we were close enough to really see each other.

"Wait," he said, his voice low, carrying a weight that made my breath catch in my throat. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure Jungwon could hear it. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist, his grip firm but not uncomfortable. I tried to steady my breathing, but it felt impossible under his gaze.

I hadn't been this close to him in so long, and now, with his touch grounding me to the spot, all the words I had rehearsed in my head vanished. "Uh... I..." I stammered, my mind scrambling for anything coherent to say. "I-I just... wanted to, um, give you something. You know, since you... got hurt."

My words came out in a rush, and I mentally kicked myself for sounding so awkward. Why did I think this was a good idea again?

Jungwon's eyes softened, and he let out a small chuckle—low and warm, the sound causing my cheeks to burn even more. His hand was still holding onto me, and he hadn't let go even after I had finished my jumbled explanation.

"Thank you," he said gently. He glanced down at the box of strawberries and smiled, a real smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. "You remembered."

I blinked, trying to keep up with the fact that he was... smiling at me. "Of course," I mumbled, feeling a bit flustered. "I mean... you always liked them, so... yeah."

His thumb brushed against my wrist lightly, sending a shiver down my spine. The touch was so simple, yet it felt so intimate after all this time apart. I could feel my heart doing somersaults, and I cursed myself for reacting this way. We were supposed to be keeping things professional, and here I was, standing like a wreck in front of him.

"Bella," he said softly, his tone filled with something I couldn't quite place—something that made my heart skip a beat. "You didn't have to do this."

"I-I know," I stuttered, my voice shaky. "I just... wanted to. I didn't know if you had anyone... to, you know, bring you stuff."

It was a stupid thing to say, but the words were out before I could stop them. I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from saying anything more embarrassing.

Jungwon tilted his head slightly, still holding onto my wrist, his gaze never leaving mine. He stood up, stepping closer to me. "You always did worry too much," he teased, his lips curling into a playful smile.

I felt a blush creep up my neck and spread across my cheeks. "I-I'm not worrying!" I blurted out, sounding defensive even to my own ears. "I just... thought it'd be nice, that's all."

He laughed, a soft, melodic sound that made my heart flutter. "You're still as cute as ever, Bells," he said, and this time, there was no teasing in his voice. It was sincere, and it threw me off guard.

My breath hitched at his words, and I suddenly didn't know where to look. His eyes were so intense, so full of... something. Something that made me want to forget all the awkwardness between us, all the years of distance and hurt. But I didn't know how to handle it.

"I—um..." I tried to say something, but my mind was blank. All I could focus on was the warmth of his hand on my wrist and the way he was looking at me, like I was the only thing that mattered in that moment.

"Bella," he said again, pulling me closer by my wrist. "You don't have to be so nervous around me."

I let out a shaky laugh in disbelief. "Easier said than done," I muttered, though I didn't mean to say it out loud.

His smile widened, and he finally let go of my wrist, but not before his fingers lightly grazed my hand in the process. "You're adorable when you're nervous, you know that?" he teased, as he gently intertwined his fingers with mine, our faces really close. The last time we were this close was the day we kissed.

I wanted to sink into the floor, but at the same time, I couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at my lips. "Stop teasing me," I mumbled, trying to avoid his gaze by looking everywhere except him, though the smile still lingered on my face.

Jungwon just grinned, his eyes twinkling with that familiar playfulness I remembered from so long ago. "I'm not teasing," he whispered, his voice dropping to a soft murmur. "Or am I?" he added, inching closer as his thumb lightly rubbed against my hand, making my heart skip a beat.

Our moment, fragile and precious, shattered when Ni-Ki and Sunghoon oppa's unmistakable laughter echoed through the lounge. I instantly tensed, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Jungwon and I instinctively pulled away from each other, as if we'd been caught doing something we shouldn't have. My heart was still racing, the echo of our close proximity lingering in the air, but I tried to compose myself, even though the teasing smirks on their faces made it impossible.

"Woah, what's going on here?" Ni-Ki teased, his voice full of mischief as he approached us, that signature playful grin dancing on his lips. He tilted his head slightly, eyes twinkling with a teasing glint. "Are we interrupting something?"

Sunghoon oppa, ever the instigator, chuckled and gave Jungwon a gentle nudge with his elbow. "Looks like someone's getting cozy~" His grin widened when Jungwon shot him a glare, and I could feel my face heat up instantly. Oh no. This was not happening. I looked down at my feet, silently pleading for the ground to swallow me whole. Ni-Ki and Sunghoon oppa weren't going to let this go easily, and I could already tell they were relishing every second of our embarrassment.

Jungwon, always trying to stay composed, grumbled, "Yah, cut it out." His voice was low, slightly annoyed, as he crossed his arms over his chest. But even his best attempt at being serious couldn't hide the faint blush creeping across his cheeks, and that only seemed to make the teasing worse.

"Aw, come on, hyung," Ni-Ki continued, flashing us both a cheeky smile. "We're just having fun. You two looked pretty close just now."

"We were just talking," Jungwon replied, trying to sound firm, but I could hear the defensiveness in his voice. He wasn't fooling anyone.

Sunghoon oppa raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Just talking, huh?" He gave Jungwon another playful nudge. "You sure you don't want to, you know, tell us something?"

Jungwon rolled his eyes, irritation growing by the second. "Seriously, hyung, don't you two have anything better to do?"

Ni-Ki grinned wider. "Not really. This is way more entertaining."

Jungwon shot back quickly, "If I remember correctly, you both have practice?"

Sunghoon oppa raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. We'll leave," he said, patting Jungwon's back playfully. But, of course, Ni-Ki wasn't going to let us off that easily.

"Oh, and noona," Ni-Ki called out, a wide, mischievous grin on his face. "Don't forget to invite us to the wedding!"

I stared at Jungwon, who was getting redder by the second, and it took everything in me not to burst into laughter. But Sunghoon oppa wasn't done yet.

"Make sure it's a big one," Sunghoon added, "with lots of food."

That was it. I couldn't help it anymore. A small giggle escaped my lips, and before I knew it, I was laughing. I tried to cover my mouth, but it was no use. The situation was just too ridiculous. Jungwon, this usually stoic, calm presence, was getting teased like we were back in high school. The way he looked so done with his friends, yet couldn't stop the slight smile creeping onto his face—it was all too much.

Jungwon turned his attention to me, his eyebrows raised in mock offense. "Oh, so you think this is funny, huh?"

I tried to calm my laughter, but another giggle bubbled up. "Maybe a little," I admitted, biting my lip to keep from laughing again.

He rolled his eyes dramatically, but the hint of a smile remained. Then, just when I thought the teasing had finally ended, Ni-Ki's head poked back into the lounge.

"Oh, and Jungwon hyung," Ni-Ki called out again, this time with a wink, "remember to be a gentleman on your first date! Don't leave Bella noona waiting too long!"

His laughter echoed down the hallway as he ducked out of sight, leaving Jungwon and me standing there, our faces flushed with both embarrassment and amusement. Sunghoon oppa leaned back in for one last jab.

"Yeah, Jungwon-ah," Sunghoon chimed in, exaggerating his voice like he was in some cheesy movie. "Maybe you should practice your romantic lines. You know, like 'I've always liked you, Bella,' or 'Let's dance under the stars.'"

His over-the-top delivery sent me into another fit of laughter, and I couldn't stop even if I tried. Jungwon groaned, burying his face in his hands for a moment before looking at me with an amused but utterly defeated expression.

In that moment, with his friends' laughter still ringing in the air and my own giggles bubbling up uncontrollably, I felt a warmth spread through my chest. Despite the teasing, despite the embarrassment, I was glad. Glad for the lightness, for the connection we shared—even if it was interrupted by two nosy boys who couldn't resist making everything ten times more chaotic.

Jungwon finally shook his head, a small smile breaking through his frustration. "I swear, those two..." he muttered, but the way his eyes softened when they met mine made me realize he wasn't all that mad.