Guilty As Sin ► Y.JH

17

The soft hum of the city outside her window was almost hypnotic, the sound of distant traffic and the occasional chirp of crickets a stark contrast to the chaos swirling inside Soleil's heart. It had been two months since the confrontation with Minho-two months since she had finally told him the truth about what had happened with Jeonghan. And while things had started to settle, a new kind of tension had emerged. It was subtle, but it was there, like a dark cloud waiting to burst.

Soleil had been thinking about her future a lot lately. She had spent countless hours lying awake at night, questioning everything she had done. She could feel the weight of her choices pressing down on her-like a heavy stone lodged in her chest. The truth was that nothing felt right anymore.

She had tried to reconcile with Minho, had tried to rebuild their shattered bond. And while he had softened in recent weeks, there was still a gulf between them-an emotional distance that no amount of apologies or heartfelt conversations could close. Minho wasn't angry anymore. He wasn't shutting her out completely. But they were no longer the same. They were both scarred, and they both knew it.

As for Jeonghan, they had spent time together, yes, but the tension that had once been so obvious between them had started to bleed into their relationship. Every touch felt like an echo of what they had lost. Every kiss was a reminder of the consequences of their actions. They were both haunted by the weight of their decisions, and though they tried to act like things were normal, nothing was normal anymore.

And now, Soleil had reached a point where she had to make a choice.

The thought of letting go of Jeonghan was unbearable. She loved him. She had loved him for so long, even when they had been pushing their boundaries, even when they had been flirting with disaster. The connection they shared was real. It was undeniable. But love wasn't always enough. Not when it came at the cost of everything she held dear. Not when it had torn apart the one relationship she had always taken for granted-her bond with Minho.

But then, there was the question of whether staying with Jeonghan would even be possible. Could they ever truly move past what they had done? Could they ever rebuild, knowing how deeply they had hurt the people closest to them? Soleil didn't have the answers. All she had were pieces of a broken puzzle-bits of love, guilt, and fear, all scattered around her like debris from an explosion she had triggered.

And so, as she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, Soleil knew that the time had come for her to make a decision. She had to choose between Jeonghan and the people she had left behind-her brother, her family. She couldn't have both. There was no way to keep the fragile equilibrium she had once known.

---

It was a warm afternoon when Soleil met with Jeonghan in the same café where they had had their last difficult conversation. She had asked to meet, though she wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to say. Her heart was heavy with indecision, her mind racing with thoughts of how to approach this.

Jeonghan sat at their usual table in the corner, his fingers tapping absentmindedly on the surface of his coffee cup. He looked up when she entered, a small, uncertain smile spreading across his face. But the smile didn't reach his eyes. They were dull, clouded by the same uncertainty that had been hanging over both of them for the past few weeks.

Soleil took a deep breath and sat across from him, her fingers fiddling with the strap of her purse.

"Hey," he greeted her softly, his voice gentle but strained. "You're looking... better."