"Hey Sayu, can we talk."
Hans looked at Sayu, and she looked back—for a second that felt like an eternity.
The tension snapped when Hayato stood up. He moved between them, locking eyes with Hans.
They stared at each other like they were throwing daggers with their gaze.
Then Hans spoke, cool and direct.
"Move."
"Why would I?" Hayato replied calmly. "She's my girlfriend."
"You mean my girlfriend," Hans corrected, his voice laced with bitterness.
That one line cracked Hayato's expression for a split second. But he wasn't the only one affected—phones were already out. Students nearby had started recording, whispering, gasping.
Sayu wanted nothing more than peace. Her shoulders tensed, and before the tension exploded into a scene, she grabbed Hans by the wrist.
"Follow me," she muttered and pulled him out.
Hayato watched them leave. Something shifted inside him, though he wasn't sure what it was.
They arrived at a quiet alley, one of those familiar, tucked-away places on campus—cozy, secret, forgotten. It was the same kind of alley where people snuck away to cry, smoke, or steal a moment of silence.
Sayu exhaled, catching her breath from what felt like a marathon sprint. She turned to Hans with serious eyes.
"What were you doing there, Hans?"
Hans gave her a faint smile, his tone soft. "I came to see you, Sayu. I missed you…" His face darkened. "But then I saw you with him—and I felt like… like we left things wrong."
Sayu blinked. Her chest tightened. "Hans…"
He stepped closer and reached out, fingers brushing toward her cheek.
But she caught his wrist halfway, gently stopping him.
"Look, Hans," she said, lowering her eyes, "we didn't work out. I think… it's time we went our separate ways."
Her voice cracked, like her heart was splitting just to say it.
As she walked past him toward the exit of the alley, she added quietly, "Let's break up."
Hans froze. They'd had dozens—hundreds—of almost-breakups before. But this time… it felt different.
Real.
He couldn't let it end like this.
He grabbed her wrist tightly. "No, Sayu—w-we can start over," he pleaded.
She turned to him, voice gentle, her free hand trying to loosen his grip.
"Please, Hans. Let's end this on a good note."
Her eyes shimmered as she looked up. He always thought he would be the one to end it someday.
Not her.
No way. Not like this.
Someone must've said something to her. Maybe even… Hayato?
The confession. The flirting. The stares in the cafeteria. It all made sense now.
His grip tightened. Sayu winced. "Hans… you're hurting me."
He didn't answer, but his face started to darken.
"Hans?" she asked, voice rising. "Hey, seriously, it's starting to hurt—"
"It was him, wasn't it?!" he suddenly shouted.
Sayu flinched. His face was contorted, eyes wild.
"Hans…?"
"How could you, Sayu?! After everything we've been through—you leave me for him?!"
"What are you saying—"
"The Sayu I knew wouldn't do this! Is it because he's rich? Handsome?! Huh?!" His voice cracked. "How could you just toss me aside for someone else—like I never mattered?!"
"Stop—"
"Why?! Why?! WHY?!"
His grip turned painful. Sayu gasped, trying to free herself. Panic flashed in her eyes.
Then—
Another hand grabbed Hans's wrist.
Hard enough, he was forced to release her.
Both of them turned to see—
Hayato.
Standing tall, his phone outstretched.
Sayu's eyes widened. 'What is he doing here?!'
Hans saw her glance at Hayato, and it pushed him over the edge.
"Oh, so you're running to him now?!" he snapped.
His hand curled into a fist, ready to swing.
But Hayato stepped forward calmly and shoved the phone toward his face.
"I recorded everything."
His voice was low, deadly calm. "Keep going, and your life on campus is over."
Hans froze, he couldn't just get expelled that's when he realized what he had done and the situation he was in.
Breathing hard, he looked between Sayu—her head turned away, eyes filled with sadness—and Hayato.
Clicking his tongue, he straightened his jacket.
"Tch," he scoffed, walking past them.
Sayu didn't meet his eyes. She just watched the pavement.
Hans walked to his parked motorbike a few meters away, slid on his helmet, and drove off without a word.
Only the fading roar of his engine remained in the alley.
* * *
The sound of Hans's motorbike roared down the empty road, tires screeching against pavement as he twisted the throttle harder than necessary.
Wind whipped at his hoodie, his helmet barely containing the heat rising in his chest. The world blurred around him—lights, trees, signs—all racing past in streaks of color and noise.
Faster. Louder. Just enough to drown out the thoughts screaming inside his head.
He didn't stop until he reached the outskirts of town, a quiet overlook by the cliffs where city lights twinkled like distant fireflies below. It was the place they used to come to. Back when they were happy.
Hans yanked off his helmet and tossed it roughly onto the ground. He paced, breathing hard, then leaned against his bike, fingers trembling as they dug into his jacket pocket.
He pulled out his phone.
There it was—his wallpaper.
A photo from last spring.
Sayu laughing, wind in her hair, holding an ice cream in one hand while leaning close to him, her eyes squinting from the sun. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.
His jaw clenched.
"No," he muttered, shaking his head.
"No. I'm not letting it end like this…"
His voice cracked as he stared at the screen, the glow of the memory burning into his eyes.
"She can't just leave me... because of him."
He gripped the phone tighter, thumb trembling above the image.
"We were fine—I just… I just messed up a little… right?"
Silence answered him.
Hans let out a bitter laugh, then swore under his breath. "Damn it!"
He punched the railing next to him, the sound echoing into the night.
Breathing heavily, his eyes returned to the picture—her smile, her ease, the way she looked at him like he meant the world.
"I'll get her back," he whispered.
His phone dimmed and turned black, but he kept staring at the reflection of his face in the screen—like he was daring himself not to cry.