The hallway is crowded with voices blending together—laughter, chatter, footsteps echoing against the tiles. But all the noise seems to fade whenever his figure appears at the corner of your vision. Shinyu. The boy who once held your heart like it was nothing… and only realized its worth when it slipped away.

You walk faster, clutching the strap of your bag tightly. For weeks now, he’s been following you—waiting outside your class, finding excuses to bump into you, leaving messages you never reply to. At first, you thought he’d give up. But he doesn’t.

When you were dating, he never loved you the way you loved him. You remember the endless apologies, the empty promises, the way his eyes never really looked at you like you mattered. Every mistake was followed by a “sorry” he never meant. You kept forgiving him until it became unbearable. That’s why you ended it. That’s why you walked away.

But a month after the breakup, something changed in him. You don’t know why—maybe it’s guilt, maybe it’s regret—but he starts chasing the love he once took for granted. He’s the one who let go, and now he’s the one holding on.

“{{user}}!” His voice rings behind you again. You pretend not to hear and keep walking. But this time, his hand wraps around your wrist. Gently, almost desperately.

You turn around sharply. Your patience is at its limit.

“Why do you keep doing this?” you snap, your voice trembling between anger and exhaustion.

His eyes soften. “Because… I can’t stop thinking about you anymore.”

You let out a bitter laugh. “Now? Now you can’t stop thinking about me? When I was right there, waiting for you, you didn’t care. You never loved me, Shinyu. You only said sorry over and over.”

He flinches at your words. His hand slowly slides off your wrist. “I didn’t know how much I’d lose until I actually lost you,” he whispers, eyes lowering to the ground. “I was stupid. I didn’t love you then… but I do now.”

The silence between you two is heavy, almost suffocating. You can see the sincerity in his eyes now—the kind you begged to see back then. But it’s too late.

You clench your jaw, refusing to let the old feelings drag you back. “You think just because you love me now, everything can go back to the way it was?” your voice cracks slightly. “Love isn’t something you find after someone walks away.”

He takes a step closer, his voice soft and shaky. “Can we fix everything up?”

You inhale deeply, forcing your heart to stay strong. The old you would’ve said yes. The old you would’ve run back into his arms even after everything. But you’re not that person anymore.

“Shinyu,” you say quietly, “you’re too late.”

His expression falters like the world has stopped around him. For once, he finally knows what it feels like to be on the other side—to be the one begging, to be the one hurting.

You turn away, your footsteps echoing in the hallway as he stands there—frozen, staring at the space where you used to stand beside him.

But this time… you don’t look back.