Light A Flame || Hoshi (editing)

Chapter 49

It was around 7pm when the door finally opened. Hoshi jumped up from the couch, sprinting to help Jang-mi as she hauled her luggage inside.

"Jagi! It's been-" he began, but was quickly silenced by a steady, wordless hug from Jang-mi. It felt sure and grounded. Her hands wrapped around his back, the action conveying more than a thousand words could.

Once they finally broke away, she smiled at him. "It's been a while."

He nodded. "Yeah. But hey, I'm back now, right? No more dates every military holiday. We can go out all we want, together."

He studied her reaction. She was responding, but her mind seemed elsewhere. Preoccupied with other things.

Hoshi cleared his throat. "You know, I thought about it, and I think I'm ready to finally go public. I want the whole world to know about us."

Jang-mi's eyes left her suitcase, her hands freezing in midair. Her eyes met his. There was tension behind them - silent yet unmissable. Her gaze wandered around the room as if it was unfamiliar to her.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, sitting down criss-crossed on the bed. Her fingers fiddled with the knotted edge of the blanket like they were searching for a distraction.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there yesterday," she quietly apologized.

"It's okay, don't worry. I know you had things to do, but you're here now," he assured her.

"Yeah," she replied absent-mindedly.

"How's your job been? Is the team alright?"

"It's... yep. It's good."

Hoshi furrowed his brows. "Is everything alright? Wait, was the journey tiring? I can get you some water or tea-"

She shook her head. "It's alright, thank you."

He studied her face, a hint of discomfort pervading her expression. "Is there something on your mind?"

"I- um." She breathed in deeply. "Can we talk?"

Those words felt like a punch to the gut to Hoshi. He had been anticipating his return so much... yet now that it was happening, why did it feel so completely different to what he'd imagined?

He sat down next to her, not breaking eye contact, though her gaze was anywhere but on his. He waited patiently for her to continue.

Finally, her eyes darted up. "I think..." she took a deep breath in, but didn't go on. Hoshi assuredly placed his hand on her free one. She flinched a little, but kept her neutral expression.

"Don't worry, take all the time you need," he encouraged her, smiling.

Jang-mi scrunched her eyes. A few moments of quiet passed.

"I think we need to... god, I'm sorry. I can't do this," she shook her head, beginning to sniffle a little. Her eyes seemed to glaze with moisture.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. Whatever you wanna tell me, it'll be okay."

Jang-mi wiped her eye. "I think... I think we should break up."

Suddenly, Hoshi's assured facade all but crumbled. He tried to keep his composure, but the startling words that escaped her mouth rendered him in a stupor. He watched her blankly, trying to formulate a coherent thought.

"What- but... why?" he finally blurted out.

"I'm... I'm sorry. It's just- it's what needs to be done," she stated half-silently.

A weight fell upon the room. Like they were trapped in this conversation, doomed to never escape.

"Is it something I did? Wait, don't tell me the letters didn't go through, I sent one every Friday and-"