MICHAENG : THE STORY UNFOLDS WITH YOU

CHAPTER 23 - PATHETIC

Chaeyoung takes a deep breath as he stops outside the door of their apartment, nervousness stabbing him as he expects Mina to already be home. With contemplation, he inserts the password and opens the door ajar.

It feels like a nightmare come true when he sees Mina already sitting still on the sofa. Her legs are crossed onto another one, and her hand neatly crosses on her body. Her face is stricken, and her stare falls blankly straight ahead, not bothering to see him standing there.

Chaeyoung can only feel such a dead atmosphere; there is complete silence from every corner of the room. He can hear his own breath coming out from his abdomen through his nose, his heart beating like slow music audible to his ears. He musters his courage as he walks closer to Mina and calls her, "Babe...I, uh..."

"Where have you been, Son Chaeyoung? You didn't come home last night, did you?" Her eyes flare at him, her voice filled with coldness.

Chaeyoung is stunned, knowing that Mina's heart is already burning inside just by the way she talks. "I'm sorry, babe. I just lost track of time and fell asleep at the office," he tries to avoid Mina's gaze, afraid that she will notice his lies.

Mina stands and approaches him. "Are you sure? Because now you smell reeks of alcohol. Don't lie to me. Where have you been, Son Chaeyoung?" she fixes her stare on him.

Chaeyoung feels groggy. "Babe, let me explain..."

"You better explain the truth. Why didn't you come home, smelling like alcohol, and, most importantly, why didn't you pick up my phone?" Mina's breath gets heavier as she tries not to burst out in anger yet.

Chaeyoung sighs. "I'm sorry, babe. I just felt so stressed and miserable lately that I drank at the office last night. I'm telling you the truth, I lost track of time and fell asleep there. Please forgive me for making you mad again, Mina-yaa," he tries hard to convince her, though he actually hates lying to Mina. But the idea of telling her the truth will just worsen what's already bad now, and he doesn't want to hurt her even though he's already hurting her silently. He just feels like he wants to kill himself right now.

Mina studies his face, her heart aching at her vulnerable boyfriend. "Did I stress you out, Chaeng? Do you hate me now that I'm always mad at you?" she asks, tears emerging around the corners of her eyes.

Chaeyoung is bewildered, having no idea how to digest what Mina's saying. But knowing that Mina blames herself just makes him feel out of breath; he's feeling like a jerk. His eyes study the clueless and innocent Mina, his lips trembling. "No, it's nothing like that. I'm sorry, Mina-yaa," he pulls her into his embrace.

He couldn't contain the sorrow anymore as he bursts into tears while tightening the hug, feeling pathetic and guilty for his actions. "Please forgive me, Mina-yaa. I didn't mean to hurt you. I really hate myself now," he muffles, not loosening the hug even for a second.

Mina, dumbfounded that Chaeyoung suddenly bursts into tears before her, feels bad for him. With the expectation that she hurt him, she reaches for his head and buries it into the crook of her neck. "Don't say that, Chaeng. Don't blame yourself. I'm the one to blame, babe. I'm sorry that I've become so mad and grumpy lately. I'm sorry that I've given you a hard time," she pats his back, trying to calm him down.

"Please know that I still love you, always loving you, Mina-yaa. Please don't hate me and leave me alone. I can't imagine my life without you," he stutters between his sobs.

"I know, Chaeng. I love you too. You can always come back to me because I'll always be here, waiting for you. I won't ever leave you alone, Son Chaeyoung," Mina tries to mend his broken heart, unknowingly, her heart is the one that was already broken by him.