ATEEZ Painkillers (oneshots?)

SH: Misunderstandings (pt. 3)

Two years have passed since that night.

For the first week, miserable, confused, and frustrated Byeol had tried contacting him in every way possible– but she never got an answer. She continued living in her apartment, but when Seonghwa and Wooyoung both left within the same 24 hours... she had never truly been able to recover from that kind of sudden loneliness. Even if she constantly told herself that she had moved on.

Seonghwa still had to stay in Seoul because he worked there, but he was able to find a different apartment and basically go about his life without ever needing to see Byeol again. He had never regretted a decision in his life as much as breaking up with her. Despite staying up at night and reminding himself that he did the right thing, deep down, he knew something was wrong. But he could never find the courage to talk to her again.

And so, the two went on with their lives separately.

Until one day...

"That'll be $7.84," Byeol told the customer. The middle-aged lady thanked her and left with her coffee and scone, giving the tired worker a break. Byeol sighed as she turned away from the counter, re-tying her hair in a ponytail. She wouldn't have had to do this second job in the evenings if Seonghwa had stayed with her. They always shared their money. But things had changed, which meant she had to change as well.

She checked the time on her phone: fifteen minutes left until her shift ended. Her eyes trailed outside and she gazed over the thick, dark rain clouds covering the sky. It looked like that the whole day, but no rain had fallen yet. It was one of those days where you carry an umbrella with you the whole day, never knowing when the heavy storm would hit.

Right then, someone walked up to the counter, and Byeol had to return to her work. She was too busy getting the little computer thingy to turn on again that she used that she forgot to make eye contact with the man in front of her.

"Hi, how can I help you today?" She said in a robotic voice, then glanced up to not be impolite...

Her breath left her.

"Seong... Seonghwa?" Byeol's voice was barely audible. There he stood, looking the same as ever, loose sweater and jeans and staring down at his phone. At the sound of his name, he looked up from his phone and mirrored the shocked expression. The two quickly recollected themselves, hoping the other didn't notice too much.

"Oh, Byeol... what a surprise." Seonghwa smiled a little. He missed seeing her beautiful face, though he would never admit it out loud.

"Yeah," she mumbled back, trying not to smile at the wonderfully familiar face. She suddenly cleared her throat, trying to keep her in her right mind. He wasn't that wonderful Seonghwa she used to love. He's a jerk. "Funny seeing you here."

"Yeah, actually, a friend told me I should try that new drink you guys had...." he gestured towards the menu boards where the Pumpkin Spice Special was written in orange and black lettering.

"I see," Byeol nodded, pursing her lips awkwardly. She finally said, "Um... s-should I get you one?"

"I dunno... are they good?" He asked playfully.

Byeol hesitated, then put on hand on the side of her mouth, as if telling a secret, and whispered, "Not really."

The two of them chuckled lightly with an underlying feeling of sadness.

"Ahem?" A voice sounded behind them, making the two turn to look. A short man with a shorter patience raised an eyebrow at them. Seonghwa apologized and said he'll be quick, then turned back to Byeol.

"If you have some time... wanna take a walk?" He couldn't believe what he was saying, but something in those words felt right. Much better than the last things he had said to her. Byeol was taken slightly aback, but almost in a good way.