five

"little do you know, i'm still haunted by the memories." -little do you know, alex & sierra.

——

they walked outside into the night.

the air was cool, carrying the faint scent of rain and exhaust from the distant street. lights reflected softly on wet pavement. neither spoke.

misun kept glancing at him. every so often, her eyes betrayed her—lingering just a little too long.

he looked the same as she remembered, yet so different. his posture, the way he held himself, quiet but deliberate. the faint shadow under his eyes. the soft line of his jaw. everything familiar, yet marked by time.

her chest tightened every time she caught sight of him.

how is he still here in front of me? she thought, though she hated admitting it.

how am i feeling like this after all this time?

she wanted to look away. wanted to shut it all down, bury the feelings she had tried so hard to forget.

but it was impossible.

his presence pulled memories from the corners of her mind—small laughs, the way he hummed when he worked, the quiet moments they had shared, his soft comments when he watched movies.

her heart ached with longing, a dull, persistent pain.

i can't feel like this. not now. not ever, she told herself, pressing her lips together.

jihoon's eyes kept drifting to her, no matter how hard he tried not to stare.

she looked the same—her hair slightly longer, softer around her face, the faint curve of her smile that had always stayed with him. yet she was different too. older, more careful, more guarded.

every glance made his chest tighten.

he remembered her laughter, the way she would scrunch her nose when annoyed, the small tilt of her head when thinking.

and now, all of it collided with the guilt and regret he had carried for years.

he should not have let things end like they did.

he should not have left without saying what he truly felt.

his heart felt broken in parts he hadn't allowed himself to examine before.

and seeing her now, so real, so close, brought everything back—the longing, the pain, the love he had never let go.

he wanted to reach out. to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. to say the words he had rehearsed a thousand times.

but he didn't.

so he walked quietly, letting the silence hold them both.

misun stole another glance at him. the streetlights painted his face in soft gold. she could see the faint lines of exhaustion, the weight of things unspoken in his eyes.

her chest ached.

she wanted to tell him how much she missed him. how she had thought about him every day.

but the words caught in her throat.

instead, she forced her steps to remain steady.

she kept her hands tucked into her pockets, kept her voice neutral, kept her heart contained.

you can't feel this way, she whispered to herself.

not now. not again.

he wanted to tell her he was sorry. to tell her he had always cared. to tell her he had never stopped thinking of her.

but he didn't.

instead, he kept walking beside her, letting the quiet speak for him, letting her presence fill the spaces his words never could.

finally, they reached the corner where they would part ways.

jihoon hesitated, hand hovering near the strap of his bag. "do you... want me to take you home?" he asked, voice low.

misun shook her head softly. "i'm fine. i can walk."

he nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "okay."

they stood there for a moment, neither wanting to move.

the night air felt heavier than before. misun felt her chest tighten again. she wanted to stay. she wanted to reach out, to say something—anything—to keep him there.

but she didn't.

"bye, misun," he said finally, voice soft, almost breaking.

"bye, jihoon," she replied.

he gave her a small nod, then started down the street in the opposite direction. she watched him go, her chest aching with the weight of words left unsaid.

the street felt emptier now. colder. quieter.

she turned, walking the other way, but she couldn't shake the image of him—the curve of his shoulder, the faint shadow of his smile, the way his presence still made her heart ache.

her fingers itched to reach for him, but she kept them tucked tightly into her pockets.

she tried to shut down the feelings, tried to tell herself it was just a brief moment.

but deep down, she knew—seeing him again had stirred everything she had buried for so long.

and no matter how much she tried, the pull of him lingered.