We Broke-Up

Chapter 30

As he stood in front of lisa, jungkook's dry eyes began to fill with tears. lisa's eyes widened. Whenever he was having a difficult time, he'd merely lean on her to rest, but he'd never once cried in front of her.

His dry lips twitched.

"Time hasn't flowed since we broke up, lisa."

"......"

"Every single day, I'm standing in the same spot where you told me you wanted to break up."

Every time he took a breath, lisa told him she wanted to break up with him. He thought he could bury it away, but as time passed, the pain grew worse.

Tap.

Tears began to drip from his eyes. He looked as if he'd collapse at a single touch.

"Save me."

"......"

"Please." His desperate voice rang in the empty corridor. Jungkook closed his eyes. Tears drenched his face. jungkook finally looked like a man who realized that they had truly broken up.

lisa's lips trembled.

"...Why did you do it? Why did the smart Jeon Jungkook make such a stupid decision? Why? Did I ever ask you to become successful? Did I ever ask you to become rich? To win the Best Actor award? So why? Why did you do it...?!" Lisa couldn't take it anymore and clenched her fists. What she needed was Jungkook . Just him alone. She never expected anything from him.

"I didn't want you to be ostracized by your family for being with someone like me."

"......!"

"The orphan Jeon Jungkook. The Jeon Jungkook with insufficient funds. The Jungkook who couldn't support you. I didn't want you to lower your head in order to protect someone like me. I needed more evidence to suggest that I could protect you. That I didn't only have an immature love for you. I wanted you to proudly tell people that I was the man you loved without receiving worries or concern. I wanted you to be congratulated for being in love with me."

"......"

"That's what I wanted to do for you, and the only thing I could do was become successful."

He couldn't create a family he didn't have. He didn't have a degree or wealth. He wanted to become lisa's wings. He didn't want to become the chain around her ankle.

He could only survive through hard work alone. The only way he could fight back against the various qualifications was to become successful and shut them up.

Lisa's eyes widened.

"...How did you know? How did you know that my relationship with my family wasn't good... No, since when did you know?" lisa asked in shock.

Ever since she turned twenty-five, her father began to pressure her to get married. He told her that she'd have better prospects if she married at an early age. Her father felt betrayed that she hadn't gone to medical school despite her good grades. And when she began to pursue a career in modeling, the gap between them widened. Her father considered her to be a failure. Since she had nothing going for her, he told her the only good she could do was get married.

lisa told him she already had someone she loved. However, her father merely grew angry and told her he wasn't anything to brag about. She never gave up on jungkook, and her father's opposition grew worse. Ultimately, lisa avoided any contact with her father.

Her father cut her off financially. Either way, lisa had been using her own money to pay for her own expenses. She had gathered the money her father had given her into its own account, so she didn't mind. And as this conflict drew on, she never let it show to jungkook. She didn't want to hurt the man she loved in this way. 

And she was afraid. Afraid that jungkook would let go of her hand because of this...

She thought she had successfully kept it a secret all along. But he looked at her now as if he knew everything. In the end, he had been the one who hadn't let anything show.

"I've known for a while."

"......"

"Your tears in the middle of the night. The way you couldn't fall asleep after coming home from meeting them. And the day you left to visit your family for your father's birthday, I know that you went to a cafe instead. I know it all..."

"......"

"I knew, but I pretended not to know. I ran away like a coward. I selfishly pretended I didn't notice. I liked how you'd smile at me in the morning as if nothing was wrong" jungkook spoke in a low voice. His calm tone began to fill with tears.

"I loved that you were by my side to the point of insanity, so..." Unable to finish, Jungkook bit his lip.

Tick.

Blood burst out of his dry lips. The red drop of blood grew larger. His eyes were lowered. Tears continued to drip down from them. His expression, his voice... They all revealed the wounds he had incurred all this time.

Their love was the same, but the way they loved each other was different. They both hurt each other because they thought they were doing it for the other's sake.

We love each other, and yet... Why did we do this?

Even though we've been together for so long, we're still so clumsy at love.

jungkook held out his hand. His fingertips trembled like a child's.

"Hold it."

"......"

"If it's not you, I can't live." His earnest voice echoed in the air. That voice caused her heart to race. However, lisa remained still as if she were frozen in place.

If she took this hand, she was afraid she'd return to where they were. So she couldn't hastily take it.

"...I love you, lisa." His voice was hoarse. lisa's face felt numb as she stared at jungkook's hand.

"I love you. Even now."Lisa's fingers twitched. Her expression collapsed. 

When jungkook said the words she'd wanted to hear, tears began to fill her eyes. The arm she thought would never move began to rise.

lisa wrapped both of her arms around jungkook. She went up on her tip-toes and brought his head into her embrace. jungkook stiffened for a moment before resting his forehead against her shoulder. He felt so heavy, so she staggered back a bit, but she didn't mind. It didn't matter.

If she could feel his warmth again, that was enough.