ANMELDENJayden stepped out of the car, the door clicking shut behind him with a sound too loud in the quiet night. The air was still heavy with the smell of rain, wet pavement, and damp earth. He stood for a moment outside Hazel's apartment building, his muscles tense, trying to shove the images from earlier out of his head. But he couldn't. Yerin's face, pale and devastated in the rain, was burned onto the back of his eyelids.
Jayden stepped out of the car, the door clicking shut behind him with a sound too loud in the quiet night. The air was still heavy with the smell of rain, wet pavement, and damp earth. He stood for a moment outside Hazel's apartment building, his muscles tense, trying to shove the images from earlier out of his head. But he couldn't. Yerin's face, pale and devastated in the rain, was burned onto the back of his eyelids.He took a slow breath and rang the doorbell.The door swung open. Hazel stood there, small and fragile, dwarfed by a large, soft sweater. Her skin was pale, her eyes red-rimmed and tired. She managed a weak smile when she saw him, but it didn't reach her eyes."Hey," he said, his voice softer than he intended."Hey
_Elliot's POV_The rain is deafening.It isn't just water; it's a wall of sound, each drop crashing onto the pavement like a tiny hammer, trying to shatter the silence that has exploded between them. The smell of wet asphalt fills his lungs.Elliot stands frozen, his feet rooted to the slick concrete.Yerin's words are on a loop in his head, raw and desperate."For once, can't you not go to her?"His chest feels too tight, like his ribs are squeezing his heart. His hands curl
His phone buzzed.The sound was a sharp, ugly vibration against the wet pavement, cutting through the rain and the weight of her words. It was a leash, yanking him back to a reality that didn't include her.Elliot flinched. The movement was small, almost imperceptible, but to Yerin, it was a scream.Her eyes dropped to the glowing screen.Hazel.The name was a brand, searing itself into her vision.The frantic, hopeful beating of her heart stilled into something cold and heavy. This was the answer she'd been too afraid to ask for.She took a shaky step back, wrapping her arms around herself, squeezing
The restaurant was quiet, tucked away in a corner of the city where the lighting was soft and the air smelled of grilled meat and garlic. Yerin arrived a few minutes early, her heart beating faster than it should have. She had told herself it was just dinner. Just two colleagues sharing a meal.But the journal was still in her bag. She had brought it without thinking, as if keeping it close would somehow make her brave.Elliot was already there. He sat at a table near the window, one hand resting against his temple, his gaze fixed on something outside. He had ordered already – the dishes arriving just as she walked in, steam curling from the plates. The scent of her favorite meal lingered in the air.He had remembered.But h
Jayden was watching her, waiting for her answer. She could feel his gaze.“You’re thinking about something,” he said.“I’m always thinking about something.”“Fair.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “But you’re thinking abouthimright now, aren’t you?”She didn’t answer.Jayden’s smirk faded slightly. He didn’t push."It's late. Let's heading home" he stood up and walked outside.They walked in silence fo
Yerin had been searching a reference document that morning before she headed to work in her desk drawer – the one she never opened, the one where she kept things that didn't belong in her orderly world.She pulled out old receipts, expired coupons, a pen that no longer wrote. And then her fingers brushed against a small, leather-bound journal.She had bought it years ago, intending to use it for work notes. But instead, she had written in it only once.The night before Elliot transferred to her department.Yerin sat back on her couch, the journal in her hands. She hadn't looked at it since that night. She wasn't sure she wanted to.But something made her open it.







