''Life is just a moment. A moment that should be treasured. A moment of love and happiness. But unfortunately, for some of us, life is  just a moment of struggle. A moment of loneliness and pain. A moment of despair and tears. A moment of revenge. A moment we just want to escape from."

''Wait a moment... Hanbin.'' I suddenly heard her weak voice calling my name.

I turned around to face her even though I was not prepared for what was going to happen. Her stung eyes met mine directly before she lowered the distance between us with a few clumsy steps. I felt a knot in my stomach; I felt nervous, edgy and jittery. It was not the first time when I broke someone's heart but it was surely the first time when I felt mine breaking along with it.

''Why did you do it?'' she finally asked, sounding betrayed and heartbroken.

The guilt sat on my chest. The deal I have made could not be undone and now it was the time to pay the price. My sins felt like stains. I looked at her from head to toe and noticed how beautiful she actually was that day. Her motionless bloodshot gaze was accompanied by slow breathing proving me that she was also fighting something back and losing it.

I could sit there, reminiscing our first meeting and the way she behaved like a cat around me; trying to run away when I got closer but coming closer when I stayed still.

''Tell me.'' she insisted, pulling me back to reality.
 

''I did nothing.'' I frantically said, grasping for straws in my brain.

''Why do you act like nothing happened between us? Why did you disappear?'' she asked before she wiped away a few tears from her rounded cheeks.

I hesitated to answer that. I dropped my gaze to the floor and hooked my thumbs into my worn jeans. I was not ready to strike her out with harsh words.

''Tell me.'' she insisted once again.

''I disappeared because my brother guaranteed me your safety in exchange of your broken heart. I disappeared because I hoped your feelings would fade away and everything will hurt you less.''  Those were the things I should have said back then but everything came out differently as my emotions turned cold.

''What do you want to hear? That I had a reason to leave? That someone forced me to do so?'' I flatly asked as I inched closer to her lips.

I felt her warm breath mingling with mine before my mouth moved slowly to her ear and whispered: ''I did not, Haeun. You were just a toy I played around with for a while and threw away when I got bored of it.''

In that moment, a flash of anger appeared on her face. She squinted at me through hardened eyes as each muscle of her face tensed. Without words, she communicated mistrust, anger and disgust