Standing Next To You

~ The one where Jin asks you to meet up

Finally, Jin broke the silence.

'Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.'

You nodded stiffly, not trusting yourself to speak.

'I know I hurt you,' Jin continued, his voice thick with emotion.

'I can't even begin to express how sorry I am for what I did.'

You felt a surge of anger rise within you, but you pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.

'Why did you do it, Jin?' you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Jin lowered his gaze, unable to meet your eyes.

'I was selfish,'  he admitted. 'I thought I wanted the family business and I only had to marry a specific person to get to my goal, but I was wrong. I realize now that what we had was special, and I threw it all away for nothing.'

His words cut deep, reopening wounds you thought had started to heal. But you forced yourself to listen, to give him the chance to explain.

'I don't expect you to forgive me,' Jin continued. 'I don't even expect us to be friends again. I just...I needed to see you, to apologize, to try to make things right, if that's even possible...'

A heavy silence settled between you once more, the weight of his words hanging in the air.

Finally, you spoke, your voice trembling with emotion.

'I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you, Jin,' you admitted. 'I appreciate you coming here today, for giving me the chance to say my piece.'

Jin nodded, his eyes brimming with regret.

'I understand,' he said softly.

'No you don't. Look, I thought we had something special.'

'We have..'

'No we had, you fucked it up. You cheated on me. 2 years.' You laugh

'For 2 years I thought we would end up together. I loved you, well I thought that the bond we shared was love.'

'It is.'

'Love isn't cheating, love is being there for the other person. To think of them every second. prioritizing them above everything. Wanting to be with them all the time.'

'You don't think I love you?'

'How long were you away? Look I don't blame you for your work but was it so hard to send me a text? To ask me a question? I was always the one who led the conversation. Did you even go on a work trip?'

Silence.

'Was it just a lie so you could see your girlfriend?'

Silence

sighing, you let out a frustrated groan.

'Look, I think it's still too early to talk Jin.'

Getting the clue he stands up

'I'll leave you alone now. Just...take care of yourself, okay?'

You watched as he turned and walked away, a part of you wishing things could have been different, while another part was grateful for the closure his apology had provided.

Alone in the Seoul Sky Garden, you found yourself surrounded by the gentle rustle of leaves and the distant hum of the city below. The soft glow of the setting sun bathed the garden in warm hues, creating a serene atmosphere that seemed to envelop you in its embrace.

But despite the beauty of your surroundings, your heart felt heavy, burdened by the weight of emotions you had been carrying for far too long. With a shaky breath, you closed your eyes, willing yourself to confront the pain and anger that had been consuming you.