“Oh my god I’m going to be late to my date!” Seulgi yelped as she checked the time on her phone.

Stuffing everything messily into her backpack, Baram cringed at the sight of her notebook crumpling up, feeling bad for the disfigured pages.

Deciding that it was time for her to head back home, Baram neatly piled her belongs into her bag, making sure to not leave anything behind.

“Say Baram,” Seulgi hummed as she reapplied her lipstick. “Would you be up for a blind date? I know a really lovely guy. He’s a dancer so is real flexible and can do some pretty amazing things with his body if you know what I mean.”

Seulgi wiggled her eyebrows at Baram, a look of anticipation in her eyes but immediately froze upon seeing Baram’s blank expression.

“Oh come on,” Seulgi whined jokingly. “Don’t be such a damp towel.”

“Hurry and scram off to your date,” Baram deadpanned.

“How about going for after work drinks with me then Baram?” A voice interrupted the two girls. “Two single people bonding over a bottle of whisky.”

Baram froze, not daring to turn around and face the owner of the voice. Seulgi however let out a shy giggle and nudged the unmoving girl towards the newcomer.

“Of course she’d be glad to do that, who could refuse you Jin?” Seulgi squealed.

Linking her arm with Baram’s, Seulgi dragged the girl along with her. Stuck between the overly enthusiastic Seulgi and stubborn Jin, Baram found herself trapped and unable to escape, not unless she was willing to cause a scene in front of all the other people leaving the office building right now. Baram’s hand hovered over her bag, contemplating to send a message of distress for Mark to rescue her. However she hesitated involving Mark into this mess, after all, what was their relationship other than being former classmates who have bonded over whisky and cigarettes under the night sky?

At that final thought Baram mentally rolled her eyes at the bizarre connection she had formed with Mark. Unfortunately, her brief moment of hesitation was enough for Jin to catch her off guard and direct her towards his car, giving Baram no chance to escape now that she was literally trapped in a metal box.

To her dismay, Jin synced his phone to the car and soon a familiar rock tune of the Arctic Monkeys replaced the pregnant silence that previously filled the car. Jin tapped his fingers on the stirring wheel along with the melody, whistling softly under his breath. Baram kept her gaze out the window, attempting to numb out the music crawling into her ears. The rich cologne Jin wore that she used to find comfort in now caused a wave of nausea to hit her at full blast. Holding her breath, Baram counted down the seconds until they finally reached the destination.

Finally stepping out of the car, Baram stumbled on her feet upon seeing the bar that Jin had brought her to. It was a place that she bad been avoiding with all her might, for it was formerly their weekly Friday date night destination, where they would unwind over a glass of Laphroaig, their hands interlocked under the table. All those moments spent in the bar that she used to be so fond of were now nightmares that came to haunt her during the sleepless nights.

“Come on, let’s get inside.”

Jin placed his hand on the Baram’s waist and the girl instinctively jolted forward, away from his touch. Unfortunately this caused her to step right towards the entrance of the bar. With Jin sticking so close behind her, Baram had no escape other than enter the dreaded bar.

To Baram’s relief, the corner table where they had spent countless intimate evenings was already taken. Instead, they were seated by the window, in full display to the people passing by outside. For better or for worse, such a public table meant that Baram could not avoid attracting attention if she were to break down in front of him. Nonetheless, that was no guarantee that the male sitting in front of her would not carelessly step over her heart and soul all over again, only to scrape the residue of what was left of her off his shoes like dirt.

“Two glasses of Laphroaig please. No ice, just a dash of water,” Jin ordered while Baram kept her gaze on the busy night street, seeing couples waltzing past, holding each other tightly, a carefree smile of their faces.

A shadow cast over Baram’s eyes. The memories of her being one of those happy and carefree couples felt like events from a distant past life. The sound of glasses being placed on the table signalled Baram that the drinks had arrived. Gripping tightly on her jeans and inhaling deeply, Baram gathered whatever tiny speck of courage she could find inside of her and finally turned her face in Jin’s direction.

The two glasses of whisky remained untouched as Baram did not dare move while Jin was leaning back against his chair, his hands interlocked in front of him. His mouth was curled into a soft smile, however in his eyes, Baram could find no traces of mirth or affection. There were no traces of the man that she had fallen so impossibly in love with. There was no sign of the man who would show up in the middle of the night wearing a full tuxedo after having attended a wedding and holding proudly onto a bag of McDonald’s, not fearing the impending wrath that would result from waking Baram up in the middle of the night.

Seeing the familiar stranger in front of her now, Baram wondered if it had all been a figment of her imagination, whether she had simply projected her desire and need for love onto the male who had happened to reach out to her at the right moment and right time. She must really have been a fool to not have seen the signs earlier. But that was what love does right? Love made you blind, and Baram had learnt her lesson the harsh way.

“Don’t look at me like that Baram,” Jin whispered, his eyebrows slanting downwards and his mouth forming into a small pout.

“Like what?” Baram managed to reply, her voice thick from the lump that was forming in .

“You are giving me the same look from when we broke up.”

Lifting her glass and taking a large gulp, Baram welcomed the burning sensation trickling down , clouding her anxiousness.

“You mean the time I came home and found you standing there holding onto a box with all your belongings.”

Recounting that moment, Baram was suddenly overcome with a wave of exhaustion, no longer having the will in her to keep up a brave pretence. She had lost the battle and was ready to forfeit the war as well. What and who was she fighting so hard for anyway? She felt like she was hanging off the edge of a cliff, her hands grasping precariously on a crumbling rock while Jin stood there, staring down at her, his feet inches away from her hands, ready to kick her down at any given moment.

“I had to leave,” Jin replied, his tone flat. “I was feeling suffocated.”

“We could have talked about it, have a discussion—”

Jin’s low chuckle interrupted Baram and the girl froze, unable to continue.

“Sometimes it’s better to keep things simple. Cut it off cleanly in one go.” Jin nodded to himself. “The simpler the better. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Baram stared at him, her eyes digging into his as her brows furrowed together. If it was that simple, then how come Baram was still stuck at the same place and time, suffering in an endless cycle? The male in front of her may have gotten the closure that he needed and wanted, but what about her? Did she not deserve an explanation?

But an explanation of what? Of how she was unlovable? Of why she made him feel suffocated? Of how easy it had been for him to just pick up his stuff and walk out on her without a warning, only to behave as if nothing had ever happened between them? Of how they became perfectly familiar strangers?

“Why did you bring me here Jin?” Baram exhaled in resignation, her breath shaky.

“Not sure,” Jin hummed softly, his hands fiddling with the glass of whisky. “Maybe to apologise for calling you while drunk last time. And to reaffirm to myself that I made the right choice, that indeed we weren’t made for each other.”

Blinking slowly, Baram inhaled sharply before downing her whisky all in one go, fighting back the burning sensation be