The Reason we Broke Up

12.

Jungkook  opened the door and entered inside. A pair of pink flats were neatly placed next to the entrance. Now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since he’d seen Lisa’s shoes at his place.

At a certain point, Lisa stopped coming to his apartment. She refused to visit in case his manager caught them. Because of this, he’d always go to her place to see her.

He walked through the corridor and into the living room. He smelled delicious food. The dining table was already filled with food. It was his favorite mille-feuille nabe, rolled omelettes, and bulgogi. They were all steaming with a delicious aroma.

“Welcome home.”
Jungkook  saw Lisa raise her head in greeting. She was holding a bowl in front of the rice cooker as she gave him a smile. Jungkook  grasped a dining chair and stared at her.

“What is all this?”

“You won the Best Actor award, but we weren't able to celebrate. I know it’s late, but I wanted to congratulate you.”
Lisa scooped out some warm rice and placed it on the table. Then she pulled out a cake. There was a small trophy on the cake.

She had gone to the bakery and took her time to pick out a cake. Just imagining her finding the trophy cake and picking it out made him want to laugh. Jungkook  chuckled as he gazed at her.

Although she came off as a bit indifferent, she was always attentive to details like this.
After washing his hands, Jungkook  sat down and scooped some rice with his spoon.

“Did everything go well today?”
Lisa asked cautiously. When he told her that he was meeting up with his manager and the drama director, Lisa was as tense as if it were her own business.

“Yeah. It all worked out.”
When she heard Jungkook ’s answer, Lisa felt herself completely relax. She smiled. She took the cake out of its box and lit a candle. Then she began to clap as she sang.

“Congratulations on your award.Congratulations on your award. Congratulations, dear Jungkook .”
Jungkook  propped his chin in his hand and gazed at her as she sang to him. The candlelight flickered in his black eyes.

“What are you doing?”
He asked as he smiled at her.

“I thought I should congratulate you properly.”

Jungkook  accepted her congratulations and gazed at Lisa’s face. Lisa always took care of their anniversaries. Although it was about time for her to get tired of it, she’d always buy a cake and sing to him before blowing out the candle.
“It’s a good day. Good days are precious, and we need to take care of them. If we do, I feel like even better days will come.”

A twenty-year-old Lisa gazed at the candle as she told him this. He felt that such thoughts were so lovely. Na Lisa had never changed. Back then and now, she was still the same.

As he gazed at her, his eyes narrowed.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lisa wondered if there was something on her face.

“Because you’re so pretty.”

“......”

“And now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I saw that expression on your face.”

“......”

“Even though we were always together…”
Although they were together in the same space, they never noticed the expressions that were slowly disappearing from their faces. That wasn’t all. They thought they always saw each other because they were always together, but they’d lost so much.

Trivial jokes, looking into others’ eyes, smiles, and even warmth.
Jungkook ’s eyes filled with regret as he recalled all the wasted time.

“We’ll have more days together than the ones that have already passed.”
Lisa’s calm voice caused Jungkook ’s smile to deepen. She said these words so casually, but they never failed to console him.