Jenny agreed to meet with him not because she was going to get back together but she just wanted to see what he was up to.
The wind brushed against Hyungjin's cheeks as he stood outside the restaurant, hands stuffed in the pockets of his too-thin coat. It wasn't the kind of place you'd call "classy" , not in this city. A small glass door, dim lighting inside, and the sign half-broken. But it was all he could afford right now. A part of him still hoped she'd see the effort. At least it was better than all their previous dates.
Jenny arrived ten minutes late, wrapped in a beige trench coat, hair tied back, and a tired expression sitting heavy on her face. The way she glanced at the restaurant made his stomach knot.
"This is it?" she asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment.
Hyungjin stepped aside to hold the door for her. "They make good food here… And it's quiet. I thought we could talk properly."
Jenny walked in without another word, her heels clicking against the worn tile floor. The waitress led them to a corner booth, and Hyungjin sat across from her, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve.
For a few moments, silence sat between them like an unwelcome guest. Jenny looked over the menu, uninterested.
"I wanted to explain," Hyungjin began, his voice low. "About before. The way I was… I was broken, Jenny. I didn't even know how broken it was until I tried to live without you."
She didn't look up.
"I've changed. Or I'm trying to. I went to see a doctor. I'm working on myself. No more lazy excuses anymore ."
Jenny closed the menu and met his eyes at last.
"Hyungjin ," she said flatly. "You keep saying you've changed, but you're sitting here in a restaurant you couldn't afford last month, still trying to impress me with words. Change isn't about speeches. It's about proof."
Her voice was cool, but not cruel. That stung more than if she had yelled.
Hyungjin opened his mouth, desperate to make her understand, but before he could, a man from the next table slammed his chair back.
"Not this guy again?" the man asked Jenny, clearly misreading the tension.
Hyungjin stood up quickly, shaking his head. "It's fine. We're just talking." Then he turned and recognized him. "You're the guy from the other day you thief."
"Doesn't sound like she wants to talk," the man sneered. "Maybe you should back off."
Hyungjin 's pride flared. "I said it's fine."
The man shoved him hard in the chest.
Jenny rose, alarmed. "Wait, stop it, both of you!"
But it was too late. Hyungjin 's instincts kicked in. He swung, missed, and the man retaliated with a brutal punch that knocked him backward into a table. The last thing he heard before passing out was Jenny screaming his name.
The sterile scent of antiseptic and soft beep of a heart monitor welcomed him back to consciousness. Hyungjin blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the hospital ceiling above. Pain pulsed through his jaw and ribs.
"Hyungjin ."
The voice was familiar. Calm, composed.
He turned his head slightly to find Dr. Taeyang sitting beside the bed, flipping through a chart.
"You again," Hyungjin muttered weakly. "Do I just attract hospitals?"
"More like reckless decisions," Taeyang replied, setting the chart aside. "You have two fractured ribs and a mild concussion. Luckily it wasn't worse."
Hyungjin groaned, shifting painfully. "Did Jenny…?
"Nope. Someone from the restaurant brought you here. And Jenny left with her boyfriend ," the doctor said. "You honestly need to get your life together."
That word made Hyungjin 's chest tighten. Not out of love this time but disappointment. Not at her, but at himself. Again.
"I blew it."
"Clearly," Taeyang said with a sigh. "But you're also lucky."
Hyungjin furrowed his brow.
The doctor stood. "Most people don't get a second chance to wake up and ask themselves if they're truly living the life they want. You have. Now what will you do?"
There was silence.
"…I don't know," Hyungjin admitted. "I'm tired. I'm broke. My mom still needs help. And Jenny's right. All I have is talk."
Dr. Sro watched him closely. "Then stop talking. Start doing."
Hyungjin looked up. "But where do I even start?"
Later that evening, when the painkillers dulled his body into a manageable ache, Hyungjin hobbled out of his hospital bed and found Dr. Seo in a small office on the upper floor of the building. The man was drinking tea and reviewing some patient reports.
"You live here?" Hyungjin asked, leaning against the doorway.
Dr. Seo nodded. "Upstairs. My clinic's too small to justify an apartment, and the rent here covers both."
"Then let me stay."
Taeyang looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"Just until I get back on my feet," Hyungjin said quickly. "I can clean, help with the clinic, whatever. I just… I can't go back to being nothing again."
There was a long pause.
Finally, Dr. Su gestured for him to come inside. "There's a small storeroom on the ground floor. You'll clean it, and it's yours. I actually don't have issues with you staying okay? "
Hyungjin smiled for the first time in days and bowed to the Doctor " Thank you."
The following days passed slowly, each one a step further from the old Hyungjin . Cleaning the clinic. Learning how the front desk worked. Running errands. Filing papers. For the first time in a long while, he felt useful.
And every evening, upstairs over modest dinners, he and Dr. Seo talked. About the economy. About broken dreams. About ambition and resilience.
"You said you wanted to help your mother," Taeyang reminded him one night. "But moping around won't make money."
"I know," Hyungjin replied. "But I don't want another dead-end job. I want something of my own."
Dr. Seo leaned back. "Like what?"
"I don't know yet. A small brand? Online store? Something people need. Something I can build."
"Then start small. Start with what you know."
"What I know is being broke," Hyungjin said, chuckling.
"That's a start," the doctor smiled.
They began brainstorming every night after the clinic closed. Hyungjin took notes, drew up rough ideas. Delivery apps. Recycled fashion. Budget meal kits. Every idea felt half-baked, but the process itself brought energy to his bones.
"I have it. Sugar balls." Hyungjin said.
"Wait what??" The Doctor replied.
"Sugar balls he continued. I'm an expert at blowing them.They'll make a good sell now all I need is a stand."
Dr. Seo's gaze lingered on him thoughtfully. "You don't say this is what we've been brainstorming for days."
"You think it's stupid?"
"No. I think it's brave." he smiled as he got up.
The next day Hyungjin went around making inquiries but he couldn't get any legal place to set up his sugar balls stand.
But he was told about an illegal area that sells. But he wasn't told about everything.
He finally set up that evening and sales were going well until Felix Park and his crew showed up. They were like the bull dogs of the market and every illegal activity was prohibited in that area. People ran when they approached but Hyungjin wanted to carry everything with him.
"Hey you!" Felix yelled as he grabbed him by the collar. Confused, Hyungjin threw his sugar balls
on him, dirtying and distracting him and then he ran. But that was only the start of the torment for Hyungjin.