Inside the Hotel room, sitting on the bed, Mae tried to calm herself down as Min Cheol showered. She took out her phone and typed in a long message to Dang Si Kyeong asking for help but deleted all of it on a second thought.

Min Cheol came out only wearing a white robe.

Mae breathed in looking at him.

"I'll sleep on the couch," he said while wiping his wet hair using a towel.

Mae stopped thinking for a moment, startled.

"Stop worrying too much," he added as he sat down across her on the sofa, leveling his eyes with her.

The atmosphere was ambiguous. The silence filled the void left by them.

He was still drying his hair, and she sat there quietly watching him.

She feigned calm while her mind went through chaos.

Then, letting her emotions consume her sensibility, she left the bed and leaned forward, closer to him.

"No, I want this," she uttered as she put her hands on his shoulder, one knee resting on the couch.

The wet towel fell from his head on the floor. He looked up, staring into her eyes. His hand held onto her wrist, feeling her pulse under his skin.

Her hair fell down, slightly brushing his bare clavicle, leaving an itchy feeling.

Their lips locked in a second, her fingers stroke through his hair. He gripped her waist, holding her close to him.

The dim lighting in the room created a heated up atmosphere.

Mae's tears welled up. He could taste the bitterness that slipped into her tongue. He didn't stop to this; he knew she wouldn't want him to.

She craved him, even though she knew very well how uncertain and toxic this relationship became.

Her shirt loosened and her bare shoulder met the air as his lips trailed down her neck to her collarbone.

"I love you," she whispered in his ears.

I wish I could give you everything. She whispered in her heart.

That night, Mae stayed awake even after he fell asleep, the city light found its way through the translucent curtain, unbothered by the heavy silence of this room.

She turned to look at Min Cheol's face, using her finger to ease his twisted eyebrows, then gently stroke his hair.

"Hmm..." He groaned in his sleep but didn't wake up.

She took her hand back and stared at his face. She couldn't believe this is how everything ends. She wanted all this to stay as a good memory to both of them but she couldn't endure the pain that was coming along with it. She knew how big of a coward she is; she needed to end this before a bigger heartbreak occurs.

"I love you," she mumbled as her tears soaked the pillow underneath.

The next morning, Min Cheol woke up to the sound of water flowing in the bathroom.

His sleepy eyes scanned the whole room before he remembered what happened last night. He touched the empty space beside him, her warmth still lingered.

In the bathroom, Mae was looking in the mirror, trying to cover up her swollen eyes with concealer. She's glad that she took her make-up bag with her yesterday.

When she did come out though, she felt a lump hitching up her throat at the sight of Min Cheol. Everything happened last night made her want to hold him tighter, but she knew too well how that will end.

"Good morning," she said, in a low husky voice.

"Good morning," he nodded. His voice was even deeper than it usually is, leaving reverberations echoing beside her ear.

"Are you leaving now?" he asked while scanning her outfit.

"No," she could feel her nose becoming sore as she answered.

The bell rang, saving her from crying in front of him.

"I ordered breakfast," she said as she darted away from his gaze.

His eyes chased after her as she brought in the breakfast and put it on the table beside him.

"Coffee?" she asked but didn't wait for him to answer before she handed him the cup.

He sipped the coffee after taking it from her, their hands brushed, speeding up her heartbeat. She thought she'll become immune to his touch after yesterday night, but it only grew stronger. She wanted him even more.

They finished the breakfast in silence and kept quiet even after they were done.

Mae's lips parted but she was unable to verbalize the words stuck in her throat.

Min Cheol held her hand and pulled her closer to him, hugging her from behind.

Her heartbeat rose as she sat on his laps, feeling his finger gently brushing her hand while he rested his chin on her shoulder.

Her lashes quivered as she used all her strength to voice out: "Min Cheol."

"Hmm?" he asked with his eyes closed, his nose slowly rubbing her neck, filling his nose with her scent, the faint fragrance of jasmine and rose mixed together, calming his nerves.

"Let's break up," she pronounced, her voice hoarse.

Min Cheol slowly lets go of her hand, opening his eyes. His expression didn't change at all as if he was expecting for this to happen; as if he already prepared for this to happen.

"Okay," he nodded.

She turned to face him, her eyes tinted red.

The time paused briefly, but then, in split second, Mae found him crushing his lips on her, holding her tighter than ever.

Her skin crawled as an electric shock traveled down her spine.

"One last time," he uttered beside her ears after a deep kiss. She could feel his breath against her skin.

She didn't recover from the soreness he gave her last night yet but she still didn't reject him, hiding all her pain away from him.

She closed her eyes as his lips touched hers, the warm liquid trickling down her cold skin from the corner of her eyes.

That day, she was left weeping on his shoulder, because of the ache in her body, because of how broken her heart was.

She wished that he could ask her to stay, but he didn't.

He left when she fell asleep, exhausted. When she woke up in the evening, the bedsheet beside her was already cold; the room was free of his presence. He didn't leave a single trace behind, it was almost as if the two years they spent together were nonexistent.

......

Mae looked at Caroline as she finished her story. The memory alone held the power to make her feel breathless as her heart gripped tighter.

"Sis, not that I'm telling you, but that was the stupidest thing you did." Caroline commented as she shook her head in disapproval, "Break up sex is the worst, that too when you were still a virgin."

"I never regretted it." Mae leaned against the sofa, her head down, playing with her nails.

"Still, that's the stupidest thing you have done. And I thought you are smart."

Annoyance floated up on Mae's eyes, she raised her voice subconsciously, "I know how stupid it was, but I don't regret it."

Looking at how Caroline still didn't change her expression, she stood up going back to her room.

Caroline looked at Mae's cold shoulder and shook her head. She could clearly see how much she still loves him even now. Perhaps, it was because he was never out of her sight that she could move on.

Mae lost all her strength the moment she shut her door close. She slowly slid down the door, holding her knees closer to her face and sobbed, hand covering her mouth to not let her voice out. She wanted to stop but she couldn't. All the memories swirling through her mind were like knives, stabbing into her heart repeatedly.

The moment she started to look his way, she was seeding her heart with the name of his. It grew like poppy, as she harvested it and experimented with it; it became her drug, toxic yet addictive. It manipulated her mind that even when she was the one who let him go, she wanted him to hold onto her. Maybe, just maybe, she would have changed her mind.