"Mi-Chan, you need to take some time off," Chae-Sun insisted, her voice urgent as if she were trying to pull me from the depths of an unrelenting tide.
"No, I can't. This essay is due on Monday, and you know how much it means to me to finish it," I replied, my desperation coiling tightly around my chest.
"Listen to me; go hang out with your boyfriend. Just for a little while."
"He can wait if he wants to, but I'm going to complete this. I must." My determination felt like a fragile paper barrier in a storm.
"Okay, do whatever you want, but don't come crying to me when he breaks up with you," she shot back, her words a blunt dagger that pierced through my resolve.
I stood there, caught in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. Maybe I should go; maybe I needed to clear my head and take a break from the suffocating pressure of deadlines. "You know what, Chae-Sun? I'll go, but I swear I'll come back to finish it."
"Fine," she snapped, her exasperation palpable.
"Bruh, that's your answer? You know you're supposed to be supportive," I shot back, a teasing smile playing at the corners of my lips before I grabbed my phone to text my boyfriend. "Can we meet up?" I pressed send, my heart racing in anticipation, but his response was a mere "Okay." So simple, so cold. I sighed, bidding farewell to my friend, and stepped out into the evening air.
As I walked toward the theater, the atmosphere shifted around me. A sense of foreboding settled like a dark cloud overhead, my gut clenching with each step. Then I noticed something—a sight that made my heart stop and my palms clammy. My breath hitched as I slowed to a halt, my eyes widening in disbelief. There he was, my boyfriend, his arm wrapped around another girl, laughter dancing between them like a cruel joke. Rage ignited within me, hot and fierce. How could he do this to me? With determination coursing through my veins, I marched toward them, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. "Hey! What are you doing?" I demanded, my voice sharp enough to cut through the tension that hung heavy in the air
"Nothing," he replied quickly, letting go of the woman's hand as if it burned him. But I saw the guilt flicker in his eyes, a guilty secret he couldn't fully hide.
I approached him, a mixture of indignation and heartache flooding my senses. I took his hand, but it felt bizarre—once warm with familiarity, now cold and foreign. "You were," I said, raising an eyebrow with a challenging lilt to my voice.
"Yes, I was. I was going to take you home to meet her," he said, squeezing my hand tightly, as if trying to anchor me to this moment—to him. The pain of his words sent tremors through me, threatening to shatter my composure.
Every fiber of my being rejected the idea of this "meet and greet." My mind raced with questions: Who was she? What did she want with my man? I tried to pull my hand away, but he tightened his grip, a silent plea that only fueled my fury.
"Hello, my name is Kim Mi-Chan, or you can just call me Mi-Chan," I introduced myself, forcing politeness through clenched teeth.
"Nice to meet you, Mi-Chan," she replied, her smile disingenuous, like a snake coiling for the strike. I extended my hand in greeting, but she let it drop, a blatant act of defiance that stung like a slap. No wonder she looked like an old crone—so disrespectful.
"Um, babe, let's just go watch the movie," he suggested, his voice casual, trying to sweep our discomfort under the rug.
He nodded, and we moved away, leaving the "cousin" behind—my heart thundering with every step. As we walked down the sidewalk, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in my stomach; I forced myself to focus on the tall guy by her side. He stood maybe six feet tall, his hair a rich blend of chocolate brown in tousled waves that invited touch. His eyes glimmered like deep ocean waters, while his heart-shaped lips curled into a devilishly charming smile. Muscles rippled beneath his fitted tuxedo, an image of a man who could command a room—maybe even a company. I couldn't afford to admire him, not when I had to deal with the unraveling mess beside me. Yet I felt his gaze, heavy and measuring, sending a shiver down my spine. I turned back, quickening my pace away from the scene, but my heart dropped as I saw him hug another his arms encircling her possessively. Maybe he's not the one Mi-Chan I thought, I needed to confront Se-Jin for being a cheater
This time, my resolve crumbled. "You know I'm not dumb; I saw how you two were practically about to kiss!" I confronted him, my voice trembling with barely fury.
He froze, his expression a mask of shock, as if I had tossed ice water over him.
"What makes you say that?" he stammered, trying to sidestep the truth with feigned innocence.
"I saw how you touched her, so close to crossing a line," I pressed, my voice firm. "Tell me the truth, or you've got to the count of three to answer me."
"I can't take it anymore," he finally snapped, irritation flickering in his eyes.
"What do you mean, Se-Jin?" I asked, confusion creeping into my chest.
"You're always so wrapped up in your studies! I've been lonely, and you know that! You think just because you're fixated on that stupid essay, everything else doesn't matter? Don't get your hopes up, sweetie," he spat, the words lashing at me like a whip.
My chest tightened as anger coursed through me, igniting a fire that felt scorching against my skin. "Don't get your hopes up, sweetie?" The audacity of it! I couldn't hold back—I slapped him, the sound ringing out in the air like a gunshot.
In that moment, I realized what I had done, and a heavy weight settled in my stomach. There was no way he could forgive me now. "Forgive me, please! Just give me another chance! I don't care if you cheat on me; I still need you!" I begged, my voice laced with desperation, searching for mercy in the storm of our chaos.
His expression was still frozen, shock mingling with a hint of something darker. I couldn't tell if he saw the pleading in my eyes or if he was already considering the end.
"There's no way I'm giving you another chance after this slap. I'm out of here; my girl is waiting for me." His words hung in the air, heavy with betrayal, as if he'd tossed a brick at my heart. How could he say this to me after everything we had shared? He pivoted to leave, but then paused, a smirk creeping onto his face. "Oh, and don't bother coming back to my place. Remember, you gave me the apartment, so now I own it. You can grab your things tomorrow. See you later."
With that final taunt, he was gone, leaving shock in his wake like a chilling draft that swept through an open door. "I own the house," the words reverberated in my mind like a sinister echo, each repetition twisting deeper into my gut. This couldn't be happening. A flood of regret crashed over me as I recalled the moment, I had handed over the keys, a reckless gesture born from trust that now felt like a noose tightening around my neck.
I remembered when I'd first bought the apartment—a sacred space that stood as a testament to my independence. It was a refuge where I had envisioned dreams and laughter, not the sting of betrayal. I had fallen for Se-Jin because of his kindness, believing in a love that now felt like smoke slipping through my fingers. My friends had warned me, their voices echoing with wisdom I had dismissed; he truly was a womanizer, spinning a web of charm to ensnare unsuspecting hearts.
In that moment, as the weight of betrayal settled over me like an iron shroud, I vowed to reclaim my autonomy and prove to myself that I was stronger than the wreckage he had left behind.
The rain descended in a torrential embrace, each drop striking my skin like tiny fists, leaving sharp stings in their wake. I trudged along the sidewalk, my shoes rapidly transforming into sodden anchors, squishing with every step, the sound of a dissonant symphony in the otherwise silent night. The world around me blurred, a watercolor canvas smeared by the relentless downpour, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease curling in my stomach.
Suddenly, a vehicle appeared from the murky depths of the rain-soaked street, its headlights cutting through the darkness like probing fingers. I froze, caught between the temptation of familiarity and the icy grip of apprehension. Could it be Se-Jin? Surely, he regretted the silence that had stretched like a chasm between us. Or was it someone else entirely, a figure cloaked in shadows and intentions unknown? The thought of the latter sent a rush of fear through me, causing my shoulders to tighten as I forced myself to keep walking, hoping to shed the uncertainty like a wet coat.
But the car seemed to draw closer, tailing me like a phantom. "I've had enough of this," I muttered, the anger boiling beneath my skin. The rain pounded harder, as if in response to my frustration. "Open the window!" I commanded, my voice slicing through the tempest.
The window descended with a mechanical whir, a sound that seemed to echo in the hollow void created by the storm. Time hung heavily in the air, and in that moment, my heart plummeted into an abyss, shattering like glass. The realization hit me with suffocating force: there was no retreating from this moment, no escaping whatever lay beyond that open window
My features froze in shock, as if the rain had solidified into ice on my skin. And then I saw him—the guy from earlier. Recognition flooded through me, mingling with dread, and I stood there, paralyzed in the storm, caught in the crossroads of fear and fate.