That night had been endless, with Chaehee tossing and turning in her old bed. For the life of her, she couldn't sleep, and it didn't help that she could feel Yeosang's presence from the living room.
When they had entered her old apartment, Yeosang had made Chae go to bed for some rest. After being sent to the past - one that she would rather not revisit - he was worried about her wellbeing and thought that her getting some sleep would help somewhat. Truthfully, he wasn't concerned about himself: this was something that he could handle, and he only wanted to be by Chaehee's side as they both went through everything again.
To Chaehee this was a nightmare. She had thought that she had gotten over all the things that happened - losing her brother and being discarded by her parents - but being back here, she could feel all of the negative emotions returning once more. It was suffocating, and the only bit of comfort she had was from being in Yeosang's presence. Of course, she would never tell him about it: after all, she was still a little mad at him.
Yet, him being there for her was enough to cool the flames of her anger, and her heart began to feel the love that she had for him. And just like they had gone back to the start of their relationship, it was like her feelings for him was beginning anew.
On Yeosang's side, he could hear the movements coming from the bedroom, and he fought the urge to run in there and pull her into his arms. At the moment, that was the last thing they needed. Even though they were together, things between them were still raw, and they needed to keep a little distance between them. Even if that was the case, he still wouldn't leave her side, and leave her to flounder out there on her own. Last nights hug had been an impulse on his part, and now he would be sure to mind his actions more, lest he scares her away for good.
Sitting at the dining table, he absentmindedly played with the spoon still in the coffee and thought about the first time they had entered the apartment.
The weather had been sunny, and the light from the sun shone through the windows, illuminating the whole house; it gave them a warm feeling and their smiles were endless. Sweat coated their foreheads and soaked their shirts as they helped the movers bring all of their stuff into the living space. It was hard work, but in the end, it was worth it, seeing everything come together and fitting into their rightful places.
And for a while, everything had been perfect, and day by day their relationship only grew stronger and seemed to be unshakeable, but all good things must come to an end. It all starts with the tiniest of cracks - just a little imperfection in something seemingly flawless - until it shatters completely.
In their early twenties, they had their whole lives planned out, and they thought their loving relationship would last forever. Yet, as they grew older, they realised how stupid they had been.
Suddenly, work took up all of their time, leaving no room for them to spend even a moment together: every day was a missed opportunity and if he was sleeping she was awake, and vice versa. Life was so busy, that it was hard to even send one another a text letting the other person know that they were doing fine, or to talk about their days.
Then one day they couldn't handle the silence, the missing one another, and eventually, they both broke down the same way their relationship did.
He continued to sit there at the table, while Chaehee remained in bed, and they thought over what being in the past meant. Maybe this was a sign for them to not give up, to take the love they once shared and give it back to themselves. And maybe certain things didn't work out, but this was now a chance for them to find what works for them.
It was time for them to take a step back and reevaluate everything. And the only way for them to get through this whole ordeal was if they stuck together, and didn't let their grievances get in the way like they had been doing.