WITH AND WITHOUT YOU. heeseung ✓

THREE

　

COLD has never felt comforting against the tips of Eunseo’s fingers as she traced the empty spot beside her on the bed.

Heeseung didn't come home last night.

She didn't receive any texts from him either.

As she sat up, her phone on her bedside table pinged, indicating a new message for her to read.

A little bit of hope flooded the female, that perhaps it was Heeseung who texted her, apologizing for not coming home the prior night without any reminder for her and her worries, or maybe something that would assure her that he was alright at least, even if he doesn't tell her where he was directly and where he is now.

Unfortunately, the hope that she was once filled with went through the drains seeing his Mother's contact name flashing in her phone screen instead. Eunseo stared at her device with confusion as questions started flooding her head once more.

Mama
+ 82**********
6:32 am

Mama
Hee’s currently in our house
dear

Mama
He stayed here for the night
after the dinner party last night.
I doubt that he texted you about
that nor did he even told you about
sleeping over here either.

Eunseo knitted her brows, unconsciously raising a finger to her lips as she thought back to the last time where Heeseung reminded her of anything trivial and major in his life. She couldn't even properly think of anything as a response.

Regardless, she typed in a reply before shutting her phone off.

Mama
+ 82**********
6:39 am

Eunseo
He didn't do any of the two.
Is he alright? I was worried he
didn't come home last night.

Mama
He's alright dear, don't worry.

After that, she went to the bathroom to begin with her morning ritual, ignoring the light palpation in her chest as if it was sensing that something was going wrong.

It has been long since Eunseo attended one of the company’s business dinners with her fiance. It's either Heeseung goes alone or he joins his group of friends from college who were in the same field as him during those nights.

She had stopped knowing why he doesn't bother to ask her to come with him anymore. All it does is raise suspicions that he's seeing someone else in the company building hence the attitude towards her that would always end in crude language and an even more icy barrier that would separate the two.

Was this what her Mother felt when her marriage with her Father began to crumble?

Helpless?

Torn?

Torn in between choosing to stay or to leave when everything would get overwhelming for her every once in a while and he's not there to help her ease down?

Was this a sign of a failing relationship that she just wants to deny?

Maybe it was.

Maybe Eunseo was just too scared to face the reality that the very first relationship she had was unsuccessful when all through the last seven years of their love she hoped for it to stay and remain like the blossoming young love she was once introduced to.

Maybe she was just not fit to love at all.