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Despite his rejection, she goes on with her resolve. Seunghee makes a choice. If Jeonghan can't support her decisions regarding her music, then so be it. He is important to her, but her music matters as much. She doesn't go to work the next evening and meets the others at 2-kie, making her boyfriend enraged.

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Jeonghan sits there at the pub with a bad mood. He's been calling her but she doesn't pick it up. She has completely gone out of her way, regardless of what he said to her.

"Hey hyung, we should do the fan-service tonight. I'm sure there will be lots of college students tonight," Soonyoung suggests.

But he's not in the mood for anything. "I'm not doing it."

"Come on! It'll be good. I'll pick up nice girls for you."

"I said I'm not doing it!" Jeonghan bolts out of his seat after yelling at him, leaving Soonyoung quite shocked.

Seungkwan also arrives from the counter, after talking with the manager and catches Jeonghan's not so good mood.

"Hyung..." Seungkwan murmurs as Jeonghan passes by him with an angry face.

He then reaches Soonyoung, who also has this surprised look on his face.

"What happened to hyung?" Seungkwan asks.

"I don't know. He just exploded like that," Soonyoung says.

Both boys just stare at his receding form to the backdoor of the pub.

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Seunghee walks in 2-kie with hopes that they are complete. Today, she'll reunite with her band. Today, she'll continue the journey they all shared dreaming of. And she's ecstatic cuz the moment she sees them, Dongho, Jonghyun, Minhyun and Elkie altogether around a table, it all dawns to her. The rebirth of SMDJ is finally happening. With a big smile on her face, she approaches them.

"Guys..." she starts. "You're all here."

They all have the same jubilant faces, like meeting a very special long lost friend.

"Well, how do you expect us to react? Runaway?" Jonghyun lively responds.

"This is the most awaited reunion of the year, who's not gonna look forward to it? We were exhilarated when we found out!" Dongho exclaims.

Seunghee just can't feel more glad seeing the joyful look on their faces. She missed this. She missed them so much, she realized just now that she's standing right infront of them.

Minhyun is looking better too. It's just yesterday that he was so gloomy and depressed, but today, he looks mostly like he used to. He groomed so well.

"We were all surprised unnie. Thank you for coming back!" Elkie runs to her and gives her a hug.

She smiles while hugging her back, "It took me this long, but I'm not gonna go anywhere again. I'm staying for good. I'm staying till we reach all our dreams together."

The smiles they bear on their faces is priceless. Elkie, Jonghyun, Dongho and Minhyun are looking back at her with thankful faces. She feels content. This is supposed to be part of her everyday life, and she's making sure it's gonna happen.

Then all of a sudden, Minhyun stands up and bows 90 degrees infront of her, infront of the whole band, and says, "I'm sorry for all the things I did in the past. And if ever I do it again, I'll voluntarily leave the band for good."

Seunghee stares down at him for a minute and says, "That I cannot accept." Minhyun lifts up his head as she continues. "You just have to promise, that you'll never ever do that again. Cuz SMDJ will not be SMDJ without you. So please, just stop being stubborn. This is our band. This band is us."

Minhyun stares at her gently and thankfully. He still loves her and probably won't stop loving her. But maybe it's really time for him to move on and let time and fate decide for both of them and not mess with it any longer.

"I promise, I promise," he replies.

She smiles at him and the others feel relieved. They are the pillars of this group. And if one of them is missing, the band will never go on like it is.

"Group hug!" Jonghyun yells.

With smiles on their faces, they form a circle, with each other's' arms tangled. But soon, they are all caught up in the tight embraces of one another, laughing happily now that they're altogether once again.

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It's a great night for Seunghee, but it's the worst night for Jeonghan. He's a mess. He isn't smiling, he isn't connecting with the crowd. His performance is still great, but his attitude is half-assed. Both Soonyoung and Seungkwan just distance themselves from him and take care of their stage themselves. He has never been this grumpy and ill-tempered before. But the fact that Seunghee is not there for the night, they both know something wrong is going on between them.

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Seunghee goes home to an angry Jeonghan at the living room. It's 12AM. And he's there at the living room, supposedly waiting for her. She doesn't want to explain herself, so she walks straight to the room. But he speaks before she can disappear into the room.

"So how was it?" he asks, without looking at her. His tone is fierce.

She stops on her tracks, just a few inches from the room's door, also not facing him. "I'm tired, I'm gonna take a rest."

"So you've chosen." He's clenching his fist.

She doesn't want to argue about it anymore. "Yes."

He wants to yell at her and argue about it again, but keeps it in. "I'm sleeping here."

She knows he'll be in some kind of revolt but she can't console him, "Yah, suit yourself."

She enters the room as he lays himself on the couch. And starting from now, the gap between them only grows wider.

Why did things have to turn out this way? Jeonghan questions what he did wrong while Seunghee asks herself why he can't understand her reason. Pride is the root of all evil. Jealousy, vanity, ego, selfishness. Their relationship is facing the biggest storm, and it's all or nothing, now or never.

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In a few days, Seunghee performs for the last night at the bar and thanks Mr. Lee for his generosity and hospitality inside his office.

"Is there nothing I can do to make you stay?" Mr. Lee asks her with a heavy heart.

"I'm really thankful that you helped me shine using this pub's stage again. I promise I'll make time to visit you Mr. Lee," she regretfully says.

"Please do."

"Good night Mr. Lee. Thank you."

After Seunghee has left his office, Jeonghan walks in without her knowing. And when he faces Mr. Lee, he bows 90 degrees to him.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way Manager-nim," Jeonghan says without pulling his head up.

Mr. Lee walks to him and makes him stand up straight, giving him the understanding look. He also pats him on the shoulder.

"It's okay. Young people take so much ventures nowadays, it's me who have to keep up," Mr. Lee tells him with a smile.

Jeonghan feels downright sad that all these things are happening now. He trusted her decisions but her decisions are starting to break them apart. And even if he wants to persuade her again, he thinks it's too late for that to happen.

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It's like they're living in different worlds. Seunghee will wake up without Jeonghan and Jeonghan will go home without Seunghee in the house yet.

Seunghee will always go home to a sleeping Jeonghan on the couch. She wants to come over him everytime, but she doesn't. She doesn't want to argue with him over and over again about her band. If he doesn't let her be, they can't patch things up at all. So she directly goes into her room everytime.

Jeonghan always hears her coming in at night but prefers not to bother to talk to her. It still hurts him that she chose her band over him. That she chose that person over him. And he might just sprout words that could hurt her if he interferes with her affairs again. So he keeps his silence. Maybe it's better not to talk. But he peeks at her in the mornings before she even wakes up, he really wants to hold her, but that may have to wait for a while.

For a couple more days that turn into weeks, it goes like that and they both know their relationship is on the verge of breaking down. And before they knew it, it's all already too late.

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With the fall out going on between them, not because they don't love each other anymore, but because of their different ventures in their careers, Jeonghan finally decides to leave the apartment. It doesn't take him much to tell her cuz he knew she's already aware of their circumstances.

They're eating dinner, sitting across each other silently for the first time in a long while. It's been three weeks like this and not one of them is trying to reach out to the other. Seunghee is busy recuperating her band and Jeonghan is also tied up with their upcoming major events. This relationship is going downhill. It's not gonna keep up with their schedules.

He finally breaks his silence. "I don't think we can stay together in this place any longer. I'm moving out. I've found a place of my own." It's not easy, but he has to make his stand. She chose not to be with him anymore, so it doesn't really matter if they're not together.

She knows they're falling apart, but hearing him talk about it, shatters her heart into pieces. But a bigger part of her is cold right now because of the fact that he doesn't want to support her, "I see. I'll probably leave this apartment too."

It's definitely not on the path of getting any better. Their prides and egos take a big part in this big mess. No one is loosening up and it seems there is only one way this is headed.

"Let's end this Seunghee. We both know this can't probably work anymore." He never thought he'd be able to say those words in his life and most especially not with her.

It hurts, it hurts so badly but she cannot say she wants him to stay when he's the one forcing his way out of this relationship and maybe she's doing that too without even realizing it.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it for a while too. Let's break up Jeonghan." There, she finally says it herself.

He feels broken. Having this conversation face to face is the least he wants even in his bad dreams. How did it all end up like this? It's not what he had envisioned. It's not how he wants them to end up.

But despite that, right now, it seems mutual that they both need this time apart and they're being civil about it.

"Yeah, let's do that," Jeonghan extends his hand for a handshake.

Seunghee feels reluctant, but maybe this is better for both of them, for now. She reaches his hand and shakes it.

"Till we meet again," she tells him, staring straight into his eyes.

He stares back at her, with inexpressive eyes, "Till our paths cross again."

After letting go, they're finally letting go of each other officially. Tonight is the last night they're gonna be together. First thing in the morning, Jeonghan will move out to his new place and Seunghee will start looking for some place new.

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It's not a good break up, but at least it's not that bitter. Their time is short, but they have yet to realize that it's the most meaningful parts of their lives. They'll eventually find each other again, but today, they'll need some time apart to focus on their own paths.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

Published: 03/23/18