Jun kept his phone away and went back to cooking. He let out a mocking chuckle, recalling what happened in the past life on New Year's Eve.
*Flashback*
"Can you please stop this, Jun? Our Christmas already didn't go as planned," Shui expressed, exasperated. "I want to go to the mall and come home by myself."
"I am just worried about you! I am your boyfriend. There is nothing wrong with picking my girlfriend!" he narrowed his eyes.
"There is. Isn't it already enough that you blamed my friend for harassing me even though it was proved that he didn't!?"
Jun stiffened.
It was indeed a misunderstanding from Jun's side in gauging her classmate's intentions who was just trying to save Shui from falling on the floor. The whole party atmosphere was ruined after that.
She gritted her teeth. "Not only did you accuse him, you even refused to apologize to him. You know, some people at my college still give him disdainful looks as if he is some pervert even though he is innocent. He and his girlfriend even had a huge fight. I don't want you to accompany me. So, leave!"
Jun exclaimed in frustration. "Why does it matter if I come with you? I feel at ease when I am by your side. What? Do you hate your boyfriend's presence now? Have you become sick of me?"
"I didn't say it like that! Don't make me sound as if I am a terrible girlfriend. Sometimes, I feel that you don't trust me," she curled her fingers.
Jun widened his eyes. "Of course, I trust you. I am not insecure because you will find another man. I just…"
"You just what Jun?" She pressed her forehead. "You don't have to be so protective of me."
"And is it bad that a boyfriend is protective of his girlfriend?" His voice had a dangerous ring to it.
"That…" Shui didn't know how to express her point clearly. There grew a nagging feeling the more they spent time together. But she couldn't put her finger upon it.
Jun remained adamant. "I will drop you to the shopping mall. It's not a big deal!"
Shui was frustrated. "Jun you are not willing to listen to anything! You want to neither apologize to my classmate, nor let me go! Let's just…just leave me alone for now."
His gaze darkened. "I won't. I don't feel I did anything wrong. He touched you, and I cannot tolerate that!"
"That was to help me!" She angrily laughed. "But it's okay. If you want to keep behaving like this, then we don't have to talk anymore. Don't show me your face!"
She turned on her heels and rushed away.
"Shui!"
*Flashback ends*
After Christmas, it was their second big argument that happened on this same New Year's Eve in his past life. Shui had ignored him for the rest of the evening. Even when the clock struck twelve, they didn't exchange new year greetings.
That fight was the onset of their rocky relationship that slowly began to deteriorate the more time passed.
Jun smiled.
"But there would be no arguments today because guess what? I am not there," he laughed. "Hm. What must she be doing? Dancing with Jin? Holding hands? Or…kissing?" He applied more pressure to the knife.
"It's better for everyone if Jun is not present to ruin the party. Cheers, Jun," he sneered.
He looked outside the window and frowned.
Why hasn't Ai returned yet? She cannot possibly forget the plan she made for tonight, right?"
His dinner preparations were already over, but there was no sign of Ai yet. He exhaled and rested on the living room's couch. Tired, he dozed off to a nap.
A few hours later, he woke up to the sound of someone's car's engine stopping outside. He glanced at the time and was shocked to know that it was already 11.17 PM. Less than forty-five minutes were left for the new year to come.
Ai still isn't back?
He picked his phone but remembered that he didn't have her number.
Damn it!
He was about to find it out when he heard the sound of a car stop outside. Somebody stepped out it and shut the door.
Is it Ai?
Jun slid open the curtains and watched his condo's gate. Suddenly, his body went numb.
It wasn't Ai but Shui who was heading towards his condo.
Why is she here…? Didn't I already tell Jin that I am out of the city!?
Jun scrambled out as soon as he could. Before Shui could reach his door, he already met her outside in the small garden between the gate and his house.
Shui stopped in her tracks and slightly stiffened. Her lips parted in disbelief as she stared at him.
"So, I was right. You weren't out of the city. You lied to Jin."
Jun stayed silent. He spoke after a long pause, "Why are you here, Shui?"
"I should ask why aren't you at the party?"
He gave a vague smile. "You shouldn't care about that after our breakup. Whether I am at any party or whether I lie, it really shouldn't matter to you anymore."
Shui blinked her eyes.
"... What's the matter, Jun?"
He said nothing.
"I don't understand. Did I do something wrong? You just suddenly came to me one day and announced that we should break up. But we didn't fight. So what went wrong? I have been reaching out to you for several days now. I wanted to talk about this on Christmas because it was too sudden when you broke up. I felt there was something unresolved between us. If we don't talk, then I won't understand anything. But you ignored all my messages! What am I supposed to tell my family about us when I don't know what is going on?"
"Enough!"
His shrill made her jolt.
"Enough already…" Jun sharply inhaled. The string of his patience was close to snapping into two.
"Leave, Shui. Just leave."
It was the first time that Jun's voice had a touch of coldness towards the woman he loved so much.
Her voice broke, "W-why are you…Really, have I become such a terrible person to you now?"
Jun stared at her and chuckled, which turned into a loud, ironic laughter. "Funny you say that, Shui. It's not you who is terrible. It is me. I am the most horrible man here who always got in the way of your and Jin's love. Am I not right?"