In a narrow alley where the orange street lights flickered.

Ye-rin, on her way home, stopped and looked back with a shallow sigh.

"I knew it... If it were you, I thought you'd wait until I came out."

Chae-yeon's face was partially hidden by her disheveled hair, but through it, her unfocused eyes could be seen.

There was no life in her, as if Chae-yeon had fallen into a pit of despair. Ye-rin approached her step by step.

"This happened before, didn't it? When I was leaving after hanging out with Si-hyun, you followed me like a stalker and started telling me what to do."

An unpleasant memory. Ye-rin frowned as she continued speaking.

"What did you say back then? That no matter what I did, Si-hyun would come back to you? It's really funny..."

Ye-rin scoffed at the reversal of their current situation. What reaction would she get? As Ye-rin stood there silently waiting.

Standing dazed, Chae-yeon spoke in a voice that was half-broken.

"I'm sorry..."

Apologizing was the last thing Ye-rin had expected from Chae-yeon's mouth. Ye-rin's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why are you apologizing so out of character? Act confidently like you did earlier."

She wished Chae-yeon would demand Si-hyun back with anger. Facing her in this submissive manner made it awkward to deal with her.

On the other hand, Chae-yeon, who had been staring at Ye-rin with lost eyes, suddenly...

Thud...

She slowly knelt before Ye-rin. What had changed in her mind to make her act this way?

Retreating from the changed Chae-yeon, Ye-rin asked cautiously.

"What’s wrong with you... Why are you doing this?"

As soon as Ye-rin's question ended, tears began to stream down Chae-yeon's cheeks.

Rejected by Si-hyun and cornered, she had lost even the pride to maintain her dignity.

She was solely focused on doing whatever it took to get close to Si-hyun again.

"I'll do whatever you want... Please, could you give Si-hyun back to me?"

"Give him back? Are you asking me to break up with him?"

Chae-yeon said nothing. But her silence spoke volumes, understood by everyone.

"What an outrageous request..."

Stunned by such an absurd demand, Ye-rin was speechless, while Chae-yeon continued speaking.

"Without Si-hyun, I don't have the will to live anymore... I keep remembering the times he fed me, the times he sang me lullabies before I slept, the times he complimented whatever I wore... If things stay like this, I feel I'm really going to lose my mind..."

Even after seeing her earlier in the afternoon, it was clear that Chae-yeon was a completely different person before and after dealing with her trauma.

It's not just liking someone, but when that person disappears, it's as if your whole life deteriorates.

Ye-rin thought that the current Chae-yeon was just like her past self.

"..That's the same for me too. Si-hyun is everything to me, almost like my entire life, and without him, I wouldn't know how to live."

If not for her maternal grandmother and Si-hyun, she might have considered ending her life before even becoming an adult. This was Ye-rin's main thought, which allowed her to live with gratitude towards them both.

"But you tried to take someone so precious to me away with such determination... Don't you think it's too selfish to act like this now?"

Ye-rin could not forgive Chae-yeon for trying to exclude Si-hyun from her life.

While Chae-yeon monopolized Si-hyun, Ye-rin spent her days in sadness.

Every time Si-hyun posted memories with Chae-yeon on social media, Ye-rin would silently cry into her blanket, repeatedly eating to the point of sickness to relieve her stress.

What nerve did Chae-yeon have to make such a request after causing Ye-rin such painful days?

As Ye-rin looked down with a resentful gaze, Chae-yeon spoke in a dejected voice.

"Back then, I was too insecure... I was afraid you'd take Si-hyun away from me."

"I'm sorry, but I'm also scared of losing Si-hyun to you. Though I hate to admit it, it's true that Si-hyun loved you madly, and I don't want you near him."

She didn't even want to allow Chae-yeon a place as a friend.

She feared that keeping her close could enchant his heart again.

'I don't want to lose him anymore...

Haven't I suffered enough for over a year?’

Ye-rin clenched her fist so tightly that her palm hurt, then turned around and spoke.

"..No matter what you ask, I have no intention of granting it. I'll pretend this conversation never happened, so don't interfere with us and go find another good guy."

Even though she knew it was impossible, Ye-rin suggested a harsh path and tried to leave.

However, Chae-yeon's words stopped her.

"Meeting another man would be worse; I'd rather stay alone forever... Besides, I've hurt Si-hyun so much. If I'm not there to take care of him..."

"I can take care of Si-hyun too. I want to be with him because I like him, don't make excuses for other reasons."

As Chae-yeon cried, Ye-rin turned her head and continued speaking.

"If it's about your past, I've heard it from Si-hyun. I'm sure it must feel unjust. You met a man you truly loved, only for everything to fall apart due to trauma."

It would be a lie to say Ye-rin felt no sympathy for the broken Chae-yeon. With her own dark family history, she understood Chae-yeon's emotions deeply.

"But just because you have such a past doesn't mean I'm going to give up Si-hyun to you. I like him too much to hand him over out of mere pity."

Ye-rin felt sorry as Chae-yeon's face gradually drowned in despair. However, while she pitied her past, Ye-rin also held a contrasting thought.

‘It may be selfish, but I ended up feeling grateful that you had trauma…’

If Chae-yeon didn't have her dark family history, Ye-rin would have just watched them date forever, helplessly.

However, because of the trauma, she unexpectedly gained this opportunity, and she felt a sense of responsibility for it.

"........."

Ye-rin finally voiced her last words to Chae-yeon, who was looking at her with vacant eyes.

"For all the things you couldn't do for Si-hyun so far… I'll take care of healing his wounds and expressing all the affection he needs. So please... let Si-hyun go."

With a heavy heart, Ye-rin returned home after leaving Chae-yeon behind.

'I got back later than expected...'

At this hour, Si-hyun must be really worried. Hastily, Ye-rin took out her phone and called him as she cleared her throat.

Tring... Tring...

Just as the second ring ended...

[Hello?]

The voice of the one she loved sent butterflies fluttering in Ye-rin's heart.

"I'm not your 'honey'; I'm still your girlfriend~"

[What an old joke.]

"Why, it's still fun, though."

While Ye-rin chuckled at their pointless banter, Si-hyun asked in a gentle voice,

[Did you get home safely?]

"Yeah, I just got in and I'm resting now."

[I thought you'd be back soon, but it took longer than expected.]

"I was hungry, so I stopped by the convenience store."

She felt guilty for lying, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth about meeting Chae-yeon.

[Ah... Now that I think about it, all you had was squid today. I should have cooked you some ramen before you left.]

Si-hyun's trust in her words made Ye-rin sigh in relief as she replied,

"It's okay. Today was quite hectic in many ways... I was so out of it that I didn't even realize I was hungry."

[Yeah, I felt the same way.]

Ye-rin noticed that Si-hyun's affectionate voice had lost some of its usual warmth. Was he feeling guilty about what happened with Chae-yeon today?

Deciding not to dwell on the somber mood any longer, Ye-rin quickly changed the subject.

"More than that, I can't wait to wear the couple rings. Right?"

[Right. Let's go pick them up together when they're ready.]

Just the thought of wearing matching rings on their left ring fingers made Ye-rin's heart swell with excitement.

"Yeah. But are we going to put them on right there when we get them?"

[Wouldn't that be nice? Or did you have something else in mind?]

"How about doing it in a romantic setting, like a proposal?"

[That's quite a bold request.]

"What's so embarrassing about it? If you can't do it, it's fine. I'll just do it myself."

When Ye-rin spoke with a hint of teasing disappointment, Si-hyun quickly refuted her.

[I said it's embarrassing, not that I won't do it.]

"Then will you do it?"

[If that's what you wish... I can do that much for you.]

"Hehe..."

Ye-rin let out a silly laugh without realizing it. The source of the happiness that breathed life into her existence was Kim Si-hyun.

She didn't want to give up or share her precious boyfriend with anyone.

He was hers alone. Even if someone asked, even if Si-hyun himself wanted to break up, Ye-rin had no intention of letting him go.