After a long morning of arduous work, I stretched my arms one hour before lunch. I swiveled my neck and squeezed the medulla against my shoulder blade.



While I closed my eyes, the cracking sounds seemed satisfying. To get a cup of coffee, I stretched my torso forward and pushed myself away from my desk.



Just as I was ready to turn the knob to open the door to the lounge, I pressed my temple and heard the women conversing about something. I opened it anyhow and noticed them yanking.



With a smile on my face, I flicked my head down in answer.



'Excuse me." I approached the cupboard and the coffee maker. I poured a generous amount of coffee into the mug by tilting the serving carafe.



'Hey, Mr. Yoon." Stephanie, the department's assistant head, called my attention while squeezing her hands around the mug and sipping a little, she smiled. 'Just to clarify, we're discussing our ba

Jewel was beckoned to continue by her wrinkled brows as she smiled while staring at me.



'Mr. Yoon now looks completely different than he did before," Jewel continued.



The two women exchanged gasps.



They covered their mouths with their hands and stared at me, puzzled.



'Back in the day, he was a well-known rock star. Their band, the Painkillers, was a smash hit," she added after she sipped her coffee.



While I sipped my coffee and realized it was empty, she reminisced about the good old days, and I couldn't help but smile.



I made my way back to the carafe to pour another mug of Americano.



'He even had this hairstyle," Jewel paused as she took a breath and touched her scalp to demonstrate my hairstyle, 'He appeared to be a thug of some type, an imposing gangster."



'Really?" Stephanie gasped and gave me a surprised look, and I nodded in response, leaving the others.




When I got home, I went upstairs to my bedroom. My arms and legs were spread wide as I lay down in bed, staring at the ceiling.



Today, I couldn't stop thinking about Alex.



Tears began to fall from my eyes, sliding down near my earlobes. However, I wasn't sure if it was out of remorse or because I missed him after ten years apart.



I wanted to fight for us, for our relationship to work.



But at the same time, I was frightened that if I said even a single word, tears would stream down my face, causing panic and more misunderstanding.



I didn't want Alex to be confused as to why I was suddenly agitated. I wanted him to spend a few more moments with me in private as if it weren't the final time we'd see each other.



At this point, I grabbed my phone and found myself staring at the old photos of Alex and me with my hand draped around his neck.



Although it was supposedly a wacky group photo, it brought me to tears whenever I looked at them.



'Those good old times we have…it's sad to say that these moments will only remain a memory," I whispered, in tears, as flashes of the past rushed through my head.



'Chen?"



When I heard his voice calling my name, I got a choking sensation and my eyes had grown bloodshot when I looked at him and gazed into his enormous brown eyes.



Hearing his husky, deep voice caused my heart to race when I kept staring at him.



Despite this, Alex maintained eye contact. It got worse.



When I couldn't take it any longer, I grabbed his arm and held him as tightly as I could.



'Why?"



I pulled myself up and sat at the edge of the bed. Then, I massaged my temples and rubbed my face down, wiping away the tears in my eyes.



Nonetheless, I was blind to the impending events which made me feel that I liked spending time with you. I got to know you better than anyone else the more time I spent with you.



Your need for family approval and your need to love and be loved are two things we have in common.



I never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that I would begin to recognize myself in you. Since then, I haven't been able to take my gaze away from you, and I didn't realize I was falling for you.



'I'm sorry." I dried my tears and sobbed against the sheets. 'How did I get here? I thought that I could move on and enjoy the successes I've had. How come Alex's presence continues to influence me?"



I rolled back to face the ceiling.



Alex, you still have my heart after ten years.



My hand pressed against my chest while I pondered. I closed my eyes and drifted off. Nonetheless, my feelings for him don't matter anymore. And it was my fault.

After a long morning of arduous work, I stretched my arms one hour before lunch. I swiveled my neck and squeezed the medulla against my shoulder blade.



While I closed my eyes, the cracking sounds seemed satisfying. To get a cup of coffee, I stretched my torso forward and pushed myself away from my desk.



Just as I was ready to turn the knob to open the door to the lounge, I pressed my temple and heard the women conversing about something. I opened it anyhow and noticed them yanking.



With a smile on my face, I flicked my head down in answer.



'Excuse me." I approached the cupboard and the coffee maker. I poured a generous amount of coffee into the mug by tilting the serving carafe.



'Hey, Mr. Yoon." Stephanie, the department's assistant head, called my attention while squeezing her hands around the mug and sipping a little, she smiled. 'Just to clarify, we're discussing our bachelor boss."



'Oh, okay." I forced a smile when I regained my sight of her after a brief blink. I

Chapter 3.1 - Alex