UNCHANGEABLE - SEULRENE

SR - unfolding truths

"here, take this." seulgi hands over a can of beer to junmyeon who accepts it.

"thanks." he opens the can and sips from it, wincing after. "damn. you really gave me a good lip cut with your punches."

seulgi chuckles. "i am a veteran, in case you have forgotten."

junmyeon chuckles. "right."

"do you need me to get the medkit again?"

"no. i'm fine now. how about you, is your nose still bleeding?"

"nope. all good now."

junmyeon nods a few times and then turns his attention back to the city view in front of them. "joohyun's right. you have a pleasant view from here."

seulgi opens her can, bends over to the railing, and drinks. "she never told me that."

"she told me that night she came here. says you have a cool balcony."

seulgi smiles.

"she was... extra sweet that night to me, you know..." says junmyeon in a way seulgi knows he's ready to spill something. "exerting extra effort to provide real-time updates.i don't have issues with her going here. you were injured after you saved our kid. going here to take care of you is the right thing to do.

"but her actions that night got me thinking," he continues. "she was over-communicating to the point i find it odd. is she masking something underneath that sweetness? is she trying to give me the impression she's no longer in love with you when in fact, she still does?"

seulgi eyes her beer can and wipes the dew with her thumb. this conversation is making her feel guilty at some point.

"i never mentioned that to her." junmyeon sips from his can. "besides, she's exerting too much effort to make it up with me, leaving no room for any doubts."

seulgi drinks her beer too, silently listening.

"joohyun's an admirable woman. really. a woman of her word." junmyeon huffs. "despite our fights and the challenges we are facing, she never gave up on me. she was never willing to throw in the towel even if i wanted to."

seulgi looks at the doctor. "what do you mean?"

"i've been talking to her about getting a divorce since two years ago."

"what?" seulgi's eyebrows furrows. "please tell me you're not cheating on her."

"i'm not! i wouldn't do something like that to her. not to her." junmyeon went silent. "she doesn't deserve that."

"then why divorce her?"

he looks at his can and exhales. "she's in pain, and it's because of you and me." he looks at seulgi. "i am the only reason she hasn't begged on her knees for you to come back to her yet."

"that's not true. she loves you. she told me she doesn't have plans of leaving you for me nor anyone else."

"yeah. that's the reason we made it this far. eight years. only because she wants to keep her vow when she married me."

a crease forms on seulgi's forehead. "i don't understand. she loves you."

"yeah. but she loves you more."

seulgi shakes her head. "look. it doesn't matter if she still feels something for me. what's important is she's willing to fight for your marriage."

"she would have done the same to you if you hadn't given up on her before. she would have beaten all the odds for you. that's just how she is," says junmyeon. "she's already proven to me how much she wants us to work out, and i admired her for that. but the way she looked that night she broke down still haunts me up to this very moment. and i keep asking myself, why am i still holding onto her?