Minjeong awoke in slow pieces.
Her body was warm beneath unfamiliar sheets. A soft exhale tickled her neck. The dull scent of aftershave clung to the air.
Then the memories hit.
Flashes.
Taeyang's hands. His lips. The way they clung to each other in the blur of music and alcohol and loneliness.
And now... his bed.
She didn't move. Didn't breathe.
Maybe if she stayed still, time would rewind.
Taeyang stirred beside her.
Groaned.
Then sat up, blinking against the light, messy hair falling over his eyes.
"Shit," he muttered.
Minjeong pulled the sheet closer to her chest.
"Taeyang…" she whispered. "Did we...?"
He looked at her — eyes cold, confused, distant.
And then he said it.
"Yes we did...What the hell did you do?"
She froze.
"What?"
"You—" he rubbed his face, voice rising, "You knew I wasn't in my right mind. I was drunk. Heartbroken. And you—what—decided to take your chance?"
Minjeong's heart stopped.
"I didn't— I was drunk too—"
"But you weren't crying over someone else, were you?"
His words cut.
Each syllable was a blade.
"You think this means something?" he snapped. "You think this fixes anything?"
She sat perfectly still, eyes wide, lips trembling.
He didn't stop.
"I didn't want this. I would never—"
"Stop," she whispered.
"I shouldn't have—"
"Just stop." Her voice cracked.
She stood. Quietly. No dramatics.
Slipped on her skirt. Found her sweater. Pulled on her shoes.
Her hands shook.
But her face was calm.
Not a word.
Not a tear.
Just silence.
The loudest silence in the world.
She opened the door.
Paused.
And then—
"I loved you, you know."
Barely a whisper.
Then she walked out.
He sat there, motionless, fists clenched in the sheets.
The apartment felt colder now.
Lonely.
Her scent lingered in the room. So did her presence.
So did the echo of what he said.
He swallowed, throat tight.
"What did I do?"
He replayed every word. Every line.
And realized…
He hadn't been angry at her.
He'd been angry at himself.
But he blamed her anyway.
And now that she was gone, he realised he'd lost everything both his love and his friend.