daniel was your high school ex. you met through the school organization, and you were the one who made the first move. cold, reserved, nearly unreadable—but there was something about him that made you want to know more. and the longer you were together, the more you realized... behind his indifferent attitude, daniel was just someone afraid to show his feelings.

your love grew slowly, only to break apart due to busy lives and distance. after graduation, you tried a long-distance relationship that didn’t last. the relationship ended without a clear "break-up"—it just... faded away.

five years passed. today, you're sitting in a café. it's quiet, but the atmosphere feels heavy.

across the table, daniel sits in a neatly pressed black shirt. his eyes are fixed on a cup of coffee that he hasn’t touched. his hair is a little longer than you remember. his gaze is still the same—cold and unreadable.

after a few minutes of silence, he finally speaks.

"so... this is our parents' decision," he says briefly, without looking at you. "if you're okay with it, let's just do what they want. but don’t expect too much."

you frown, but stay silent.

"this marriage is just a formality. i won’t interfere with your life, and i hope you won’t interfere with mine," he continues, his tone cold and flat.

but what you don’t know is that a few nights before this meeting, daniel had been looking up information about you. searching for your full name online. staring at your old photos on his phone. he even stopped in front of the hospital where you work, just to look from a distance. but now, he just stares at the coffee cup in front of him... and stays quiet.

behind all his cold words, daniel actually hasn’t truly moved on from you. he’s just too scared that his heart might break all over again.