Frozen Memories➔ps.ff

Chapter 44

_

For weeks, Jisung had been asking Sarang to have dinner with him. At first, she brushed it off with polite declines, citing work or exhaustion. But the truth was, she knew what he wanted, and she wasn't sure how to face it.

She liked Jisung. He was a great colleague—reliable, funny, and always ready to help. But she didn't like him that way.

Still, after countless rejections, she finally caved.

"Fine. One dinner." she had told him earlier that day.

Jisung had laughed, nodding. "Of course."

But something in his eyes told her otherwise.

_

The restaurant was quiet, dimly lit with a warm ambiance. Jisung had chosen a cozy spot near the window, away from prying eyes.

At first, the conversation was lighthearted. They talked about work, some difficult patients, and even laughed about a funny moment in the ER.

But then, the mood shifted.

Jisung leaned forward, suddenly serious. "Sarang, I have something to say."

Her fingers tightened around her glass. She knew this was coming.

"I like you," he said, his voice steady. "I have for a long time."

Sarang exhaled slowly, placing her glass down. "Jisung..."

"I know you might not feel the same," he continued quickly. "But I had to tell you. I think we could be great together."

She looked at him, feeling nothing but guilt. He was a good man, but... her heart had already chosen someone else.

She swallowed hard. "I'm really sorry, Jisung. I... I don't feel that way about you."

A flicker of disappointment crossed his face, but he forced a small smile. 

"I figured. But I had to try."

She reached for his hand across the table, a gentle reassurance. 

"You're a great person. And a great friend. I just..." She hesitated. 

"I can't force something that isn't there."

He nodded, though she could see the hurt in his eyes. "I understand."

The rest of the dinner was unbearably awkward. They finished their meals in silence, and as they left the restaurant, Jisung gave her a sad smile.

"See you at work, Sarang."

She sighed as she watched him walk away. Why did this feel like she had just lost a friend?

_

The next day, Sarang was drained. Between the emotional weight of Jisung's confession and her back-to-back shifts at the hospital, she barely had time to process anything.

During a short break, she leaned against the counter in the break room, scrolling through her phone, and texting with Sunghoon.

The air between them was different now. Not awkward, but charged—like a storm waiting to break. After their night at the rink, things between Sarang and Sunghoon didn't go back to how they were before. They texted more often, saw each other whenever their schedules allowed, and somewhere in the quiet moments, the weight of their past grew lighter.

It was a slow and careful process, rebuilding a bond that had been shattered by time and circumstances. Sarang still had moments of doubt, wondering if this fragile peace between them would last, but every time she caught Sunghoon's gaze lingering on her just a second too long or noticed the way his texts came almost instinctively, she knew—he was trying too.