𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄. 희승

𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 , i still love you.

★

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

SEOLHEE.

seolhee's steps quickened as she made her way to the college campus, her heart heavy with a mix of emotions she couldn't quite put into words. she wanted nothing more than to escape the inevitable onslaught of well-wishers, both students and teachers, who would undoubtedly want to greet her with happy birthday wishes. yet, this wasn't a day she felt like celebrating, and the thought of cheerful birthday greetings only made her want to jump off a building even more than she already did.

the college campus buzzed with activity, students and teachers alike offering smiles and greetings as she passed. she managed to nod and offer polite responses, all the while yearning for solitude and concealing her true feelings behind a facade of normalcy.

seolhee was grateful for her third-period class, a coveted free period that allowed her a temporary respite from the social obligations of a birthday. with a sigh of relief, seolhee retreated to a quiet corner of the campus, the solitude of which she had grown to cherish.

she settled on a bench beneath the shade of a towering oak tree, its branches swaying gently in the breeze. seolhee took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

as she sat in solitude, seolhee allowed herself to reflect on the past year. it had been a journey of healing, of trying to mend the shattered pieces of her heart. she had poured herself into her studies, her friendships, and had even explored new hobbies to fill the void left by a love that had gone awry.

but no matter how much she had tried to move forward, the pain remained. the wound heeseung had left behind was still tender, and the scars ran deep. it was a bitter irony that valentine's day, the day meant for celebrating love, was also the anniversary of her heartbreak.

as seolhee closed her eyes briefly, she was unaware of the approaching presence, and it wasn't until she looked up that she saw heeseung standing before her.

she stared at him, her expression a complex mosaic of emotions. surprise, wariness, and perhaps a flicker of curiosity danced in her eyes as she observed the person who had once held her heart.

for a brief, almost excruciatingly long moment, the world around them seemed to stand still. two souls, once deeply intertwined, stood at an impasse.

seolhee broke the silence, her voice a mixture of curiosity and caution. "heeseung... what are you doing here?"

the moment hung in the balance as heeseung struggled to find the right words, caught in the depth of seolhee's gaze. he found himself transported back in time to that first meeting, where the world had faded away, and there had been only seolhee.

the emotions swirling within him were a maelstrom. guilt, remorse, longing, and a profound sense of loss intermingled with the undeniable truth that he still cared about her, perhaps more than he had been willing to admit to himself.

finally, he mustered the courage to say what had been on his mind. "i know it's a lot to ask, but... can we talk? just for a moment, about... well, us?"

seolhee regarded him for a moment, contemplating his request. it was evident that he carried a heavy burden of emotions, and part of her was curious to hear what he had to say. after a brief pause, she nodded slowly. "fine, heeseung. let's talk."

heeseung moved to sit beside seolhee on the bench. "seolhee, i know i hurt you," heeseung began, his voice bearing the weight of genuine remorse. "i hurt you so badly, and i was a fool for thinking it was the right thing to do. I should have talked to you, been honest with you. i let my fear dictate my actions, and i can't apologize enough for the pain i caused."