You were halfway through brushing your teeth when your phone lighted up on the bathroom counter, buzzing.

The last name you expected popped up.

Geum Seong-je.

Your heart did the usual stupid lurch. Months have passed since the breakup---since he chose the Union, chose silence, chose to pretend feelings made him weak. And you chose not to wait for someone who never said anything real until it was too late. And maybe, this was the case.

You hesitated… but you eventually picked up.

There was noise in the background---street sounds, a passing motorcycle. And something else: the faint drag of his breath, like he was steadying himself.

“Seong-je?” You said carefully, brows furrowing, still not sure why you answered. "Why are you calling me?"

Maybe, somewhere deep and hidden, you were waiting for this call, for him to tell you everything he should've when it was the right time.

A soft laugh slipped out of him. Not amused---more resigned.

“Hello you too" Was everything he answered, voice low, rough, and...Undeniably slurred. But still sarcastic.

He was absolutely not fine.

You could practically hear him leaning against something, head tilted back, soul tired in that way only he got.

“Where are you?” You asked.

“Outside your building.”

Your heart stopped and sprinted all at once.

Then he added, “Don’t come down. No need.” Then quieter, almost swallowed by the night, “Just... Needed to hear your voice.”

You sat down on the edge of the tub, pulse catching. He never said things like that. Not when you were together. Especially not after.

“Why are you..." You attempted, then paused, going for the most important question. "Are you drunk? Or... High?"

A beat of silence. Then, in his typical blunt, unfiltered way: “Yeah. Not much.” Which, translated from Seong-je language, meant enough to make him honest.

"Tipsy."

Another breath.

"I shouldn’t’ve called.”

He always swallowed his feelings, buried them under duty and toughness, hoping it made him stronger. Now the alcohol was digging all of them back up.

“I miss you.”

Your throat tightened instantly.

He said it so simply, so flatly, but the words hit heavy, like he'd been holding them in his teeth for months.

“I know,” He cut in, voice low, rough around the edges. “I know you don’t want… this.” He exhaled. “But I miss you so much it’s annoying.” And that’s as close to emotional as he’s ever gotten.

You swallow hard. "Why are you at my building?" You asked. Not to send him away. Genuine worry hidden under.

There’s a long, fragile pause.

“…Because I love you.” The words fell out plain and unpolished, like he didn't know how to dress them up. Like he’d been holding them back for so long he forgot how to form the sentence.

He cleared his throat, almost like he was embarrassed. “I don’t say it right. I... don’t know how to say it right.”

A breath.

“But it’s true.”

The ache in your chest deepened. You wish he’d said this months ago---when it mattered, when you were still beside him instead of speaking through a phone, so close yet so far.

“Seong-je,” You whispered. “You’re drunk. We can talk later wh---"

“No,” He murmured.

He sounded tired---emotionally, physically, everything. “Just… Christ, let me say it once. That’s all.”

"And then i'll leave you alone."

Silence settled between you---painful, tender, real.

“You’re the only place I ever felt calm” He admitted quietly. “And I ruined it.” Another breath. “And i hate it.”

You closed your eyes. You’ve wanted these words for so long. And now they hurt more than they heal.

"Maybe I came here because i was hoping to see you one last time before actually letting you forget about me." He huffed, almost irritated.

"But I don't want you to forget me, damn it" He gritted his teeth, and you could almost hear his head fall forward, like he'd completely given up to hold himself back.

"I need you, {{user}}, and i can't stand the fact you're getting over me so easily when I'm still crying over how dumb I was."

Your fingers twitched, and like muscle memory, you stood up and walked towards the door of your apartment.