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The rain poured relentlessly, drenching the empty streets as Yejun stood under the flickering glow of a streetlamp. His fingers trembled around his phone, hesitating over Hamin’s contact. He had typed and erased the same message a dozen times.
Let’s talk.
Please, Hamin.
I’m sorry.
He pressed send before he could change his mind again.
Minutes passed. The rain didn’t stop. Neither did the silence.
Just when Yejun was about to give up, footsteps splashed against the puddles behind him. He turned sharply, heart slamming against his ribs.
Hamin was there. Drenched. Breathless. Furious.
"What do you want, Yejun?" Hamin's voice was hoarse, barely masking the cracks in it.
Yejun swallowed the lump in his throat. "I needed to see you."
Hamin let out a bitter laugh. "Now? After everything?" His eyes were dark with exhaustion, sleepless nights evident in the way his shoulders slumped. "You made your choice, Yejun. You left."
"I didn't—" Yejun's voice caught in his throat. "I didn't want to."
"Then why did you?" Hamin’s voice was sharp, laced with something between anger and heartbreak. "Why did you leave me to pick up the pieces alone?"
Yejun exhaled shakily. "Because I was scared. I thought... I thought if I walked away first, it wouldn't hurt as much when you left me."
Hamin flinched, his jaw clenching. "So you decided to break both of us instead?"
Silence.
Yejun bit his lip hard enough to taste copper. "I thought you’d come after me."
Hamin let out a shaky breath, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "I did." His voice broke on the last word. "I looked for you. I called. I waited. But you never turned back, Yejun. You left me standing there like I meant nothing to you."
Yejun’s vision blurred. "That’s not true—"
"Then why did you make it feel that way?" Hamin’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Yejun stepped closer, his fingers twitching with the urge to reach for him, to hold him like before. "I regretted it the moment I walked away."
Hamin let out a bitter chuckle. "Too late."
Yejun's heart clenched. "Hamin, please—"
But Hamin shook his head. "You can't come back just because you finally realized you lost something good." His voice trembled. "I waited for you. I let myself believe you'd return. And when you didn’t, I had to teach myself how to live without you."
Yejun wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Then why did you come?"
Hamin inhaled sharply. "Because even after everything, I still fucking love you." His voice cracked, raw and painful. "And I hate myself for it."
Yejun felt his heart shatter.
The rain poured harder, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging between them.
Hamin took a step back. And another.
Then he turned around and walked away.
This time, Yejun didn’t stop him.
And maybe that was the worst part.
Because almost was never enough.
End.