SPRING DAY → LEE YEOL [MISSING 9]

PRE.

"You want to break up?"

"Well, it's—Yes. I want to break up."

"Oh."

Awkward silence filled the area around them, their happy feeling now completely gone. Kora felt herself lose her appetite at his words and sighed to herself, setting down her chopsticks. She may not be fluent in the Korean language, but she knew enough that she understood what he had said.

"Okay?" Yeol perked up at her words, confused.

"That's all you can say? Do you need me to say it in English because—"

Kora forced a laugh, running her hands over her face. Her tears threatened to betray the calm demeanor she was putting on to avoid embarrassment. Her throat felt like the inside had been scratched with sandpaper, so she drank her cold beverage and tried to avoid Yeol's concerned stare. She knew there was no point in attempting to convince him he was making a mistake or begging for a reason as to why. Maybe it just wasn't working out and like a foolish girl, she was oblivious. That had to be the reason, right?

But it wasn't the reason at all for why Yeol was breaking it off.

"I'm a foreigner and we're too different to be committed to each other, the language barrier is hard enough, and what the public would say if they found out—Fucking christ, what was I thinking?"

Yeol resembled a puppy who had been yelled at and kicked for ripping up something. She was tempted to reach over and caress his cheek, just like she always did when he was upset.

He's not yours anymore, a part of her inner self scolded.

"That's not why I'm asking this, Kora." Yeol spoke in her language instead of his, sighing. He attempted to reach for her hand, but she moved it out of the way to grab her phone, the screen lighting up. She made a sound of disapproval at whatever she saw on her phone and started to get up, alerting Yeol in the process.

"Wait! At least let me drive you home, it's the least I can do." He pleaded, softly gripping her arm.

"No. I'll get home on my own, but thank you. I just—look, just don't bother me anymore." She pulled her arm from his grasp and pulled on her face mask, walking out of the dimly lit restaurant and into the cold night.

And for the first time in a while, Kora allowed herself to cry, unbeknownst to her that Yeol was hurting at her departure as well, wondering if he did the correct thing.