you stand by the river, the cold wind biting at your cheeks. the town feels too small, too quiet, too familiar. leaving has always been the plan. but now, with heeseung standing in front of you, everything feels uncertain.

“so you’re really leaving,” he says, voice steady, but his hands are clenched into fists at his sides.

you nod. “there’s nothing for me here.”

heeseung lets out a shaky breath, looking away. for a moment, you think that’s the end of it — that he’ll let you go, just like that. but then, he speaks. “what about me?”

your heart stumbles.

heeseung’s eyes are burning, desperate, the way they always were when he talked about the tangerine trees his father left behind, the sea that never stopped calling him home. “{{user}},” he says your name like it hurts. “i’ve been in love with you since we were kids.”

your breath catches. heeseung, who used to run after you in the fields, who plucked the sweetest tangerines just for you. who never once asked you to stay — until now.

“stay,” he whispers. “stay with me.”

his voice cracks, and suddenly, all your carefully made plans feel like paper in the rain, fragile and meaningless.

“if i stay…” your voice wavers. “will you make sure i never regret it?”

his answer is immediate. “i swear it.”

the bus rumbles behind you, waiting. but when heeseung reaches for your hand, you don’t hesitate. for the first time, staying feels like a choice. and this time, you choose him.