Frozen Memories➔ps.ff

Chapter 34

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Sarang had trouble sleeping that night.

The moment she stepped out of the ballroom, she had thought she could leave it all behind—leave him behind. But no matter how many times she turned on her side, no matter how tightly she closed her eyes, she couldn't stop replaying it.

The way he had looked at her. The weight in his voice when he said her name. The hesitation before he walked away.

She let out a quiet, frustrated sigh and threw the covers off. The dim glow of the city filtered through the curtains, casting faint shadows on the walls.

She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. It doesn't matter, she told herself. It's over. It's been over for years.

And yet, her fingers curled tightly around the fabric of her pajama pants as her chest tightened with something she didn't want to name.

No. She wouldn't go there again. Not now. Not ever.

She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, but they kept resurfacing. The warmth in his gaze, the aching feeling that had never fully disappeared, and that one question she had never asked herself—why had he left? Why had he disappeared without a word, without a fight?

Her fingers tightened around the edge of her blanket, her body sinking deeper into the bed, but sleep never came.

In another part of the city, Sunghoon lay in his hotel bed, wide awake. The room was dark, save for the dim glow of the streetlights outside that painted shadows on the walls.

He should have been exhausted—he was, physically. But every time he closed his eyes, there she was. Sarang. Standing across the ballroom, in that dress. Her eyes, filled with so much hurt, so much unspoken history. She had turned away from him again. Just like before.

Seven years.

Seven years, and yet, he felt every single second of it. Her absence had carved a space in his chest that he had tried so hard to fill with music, fame, and the constant noise of his life. But no matter how much he tried to move forward, she was always there, lingering in the corners of his thoughts.

The memory of her voice, the sound of her laughter, the way her smile could light up the coldest room... It all rushed back like it had never left.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He didn't bother getting up. "It's open."

Jay entered the room, pausing at the doorway. His gaze softened as he took in the sight of Sunghoon lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, a thousand-yard stare in his eyes.

"You should get some sleep," Jay said after a long silence.

Sunghoon chuckled softly, though it held no humor. "Easier said than done."

Jay stepped further inside, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. "Look, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you're this shaken up after just seeing her, maybe it's time to figure out why."

Sunghoon didn't respond. He couldn't. The questions crowded in his mind, too many to even process. There was no one answer. Or maybe, he already knew the answer, but he didn't want to admit it.

Jay sighed, the silence between them stretching. "Are you going to see her again?"

Sunghoon's throat tightened. He wanted to say no. He wanted to say it was better this way.

But deep down, he knew the truth. Even if he tried to stay away, fate had its own plans.

As the night stretched on, both Sarang and Sunghoon wrestled with their emotions, their thoughts tangled in memories of what had been and what might never be.

Neither of them slept.

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