While Bethi solemnly observed her past scenes, the screen abruptly plunged into darkness, leaving her perplexed. And then, like a ghost emerging from the shadows, another screen materialized before her.
'Is it Sejin?' Bethi questioned, her arms instinctively crossing tightly around her body, a mixture of worry and anticipation etched across her face.
The unsettling sequence of events began when Sejin departed after enduring Bethi's harsh slap. Overwhelmed with sorrow, tears cascaded down Sejin's face as he sprinted back to the solace of his home. Consumed by anger, he retreated to his bed, his gaze fixated upon the photograph resting beside it—a captured moment of profound closeness between Sejin and Bethi. The tempest of his emotions propelled him to seize the picture, his hands trembling as he shattered its fragile frame.
In that vulnerable moment, Momoka entered the room, her heart breaking at the sight of Sejin's distress. Overcome with sorrow herself, she approached him and enveloped him in an embrace, their tears mingling in silent solidarity. Momoka, who had always known Sejin to be kind-hearted and composed, could scarcely fathom witnessing him in such turmoil. As her tears subsided, a whispered thought escaped her lips, 'It's all her fault.'
After a period of emotional turbulence, Sejin gradually regained his composure. Expressing gratitude towards Momoka, he requested a moment of solitude. However, Momoka refused, adamant that she couldn't leave him alone in his fragile state. 'You have to listen to me. I cannot allow you to be alone right now,' she implored, gently beginning to clear the shattered remnants of the photo frame. 'Let me assist you. I cannot bear the thought of your hands being scarred by the glass.' With a heavy sigh, Sejin joined her in the painstaking task of cleansing the fragments of their shattered memory.
As she delicately held the damaged photograph, Momoka offered Sejin a choice—whether he wanted to keep it or discard it. 'Throw it away; it's already broken,' Sejin uttered, his words at odds with the longing visible in his eyes. Deeply understanding him, Momoka held onto the picture, safeguarding it for a future moment when Sejin might desire its presence once more.
That night, Bethi was consumed by a profound sense of anxiety and guilt. The weight of her misguided decisions bore heavily upon her conscience as she desperately tried to reach out to Sejin, yearning for reconciliation. However, her calls went unanswered, amplifying the gravity of the situation and plunging her further into a somber state of uncertainty.
A few days after the incident, Sejin moved to America to study and distance himself from Bethi. Momoka, following in his footsteps, also decided to accompany him. Initially, Sejin had attempted to dissuade Momoka from joining him, but he was overcome by Momoka's determination.
"I have no family here. Are you expecting me to stay alone? Are you abandoning me?" Momoka questioned, aware that Sejin would never leave her if she appealed to him sentimentally.
Bethi learned about Sejin's plan to move to America on the very day he was leaving. After the incident, she had been unable to confront Sejin, but upon discovering that he was leaving without a single mention, she was greatly shocked. Overwhelmed by a sense of urgency, Bethi rushed to the airport to inquire why he had left and why he hadn't informed her, seeking to apologize for the past incident.
In the airport, Bethi spotted Sejin and called out his name, "Sejin." Both Momoka and Sejin turned around, and in that moment, a chilling wind ran down Bethi's spine. Witnessing the frigid and disdainful gaze in Sejin's eyes rendered her speechless. Sejin had always looked at her with warm, affectionate eyes, and now, seeing that cold and hateful expression, she could hardly believe her own eyes.
Without uttering a word, Sejin turned away and began to walk off. Summoning her courage, Bethi pleaded, "Sejin, please hear me out, I...".
"Why did you come here now? Why don't you hang out with your boyfriend? Just leave Sejin alone already," Momoka interrupted, stopping Bethi in her tracks.
"Why... Why do you hate me so much?" Bethi asked Momoka.
"Yes! I hate you. I hate you the most for using Sejin for your own selfishness," Momoka declared before departing.
Bethi stood there, watching both of them walk away, her tears flowing uncontrollably. She felt an unsettling sensation deep within her heart, a dreadful realization. It was on that day that Bethi truly understood the fear of being left alone—Sejin, unbeknownst to her, had been her pillar, her source of strength. She could only stand there, broken and weeping.
As the scenes played out before her, Bethi came to the realization that it was not a cold gaze she had seen; it was a gaze filled with pity. Sejin pitied her on that day.
"Why me? Why?" Bethi whispered, her voice filled with sorrow, as she continued to watch her past unfold.