the sheer amount of memories that jaeho saw in joori’s eyes … he remembers the first time they’d said ‘i love you’s , how completely overwhelming it’d been to care about someone so much , holding her and kissing her . and graduating , both of them with parents by there sides , though all jae could really express was gratitude , and just how proud he was of the both of them . it’d been a struggle , but he’d managed to stay on track despite life changes BECAUSE of joori , along with joori . seeing her in cap and gown , she looked like … hope . glittering and sparkling with diploma in hand , and jaeho couldn’t help but think about how lucky the world was to have someone as talented and beautiful and smart as joori . then and asking her to move in together . hands shaky , the man jaeho would become still not yet fully formed—it felt like an ADULT thing to ask , but ultimately , jaeho didn’t want to imagine a life without his girlfriend close by . but he’s never felt like he deserved her . always felt like he was putting on a show , trying to be his best self , but when you’re around someone all of the time , it’s inevitable that the ugly bits will show . he was anxious and unsure and - depended on the woman far too much . their lives were intertwined , nearly all of his good memories from the past few years laced with joori . and now , packing her up to leave . what is wrong with me? he asks himself , though he knows that even THAT question is part of the problem . ❝ s’not a worry, i just want to .. don’t want to see you go so soon …❞ he wants to love her—love her the right way . knows he can’t give himself wholly when he was not whole . brown hues glassy when he looks at the shirt , stomach sinking as he whispered to himself , i hate this . every piece of him was stained with joori , he’s forgotten himself , or maybe he doesn’t WANT to remember . ❝ ca-can you keep it, please? ❞ because he didn’t want those memories . of seeing her wear it , nor of right now . ❝ it’s practically yours anyways and i don’t want to think about … ❞ a sigh.
all of joori’s best and happiest moments were with jaeho. she can’t imagine her life without him by her side and would rather die if they didn’t have a future together. but behind all the incredible moments they shared together, there was plenty of growth pains along the way. she has always been selfish - in how she chooses to live her life and what she wanted. joori had practically chased after jaeho because she saw something in him that she didn’t see in anyone else. he was dedicated in everything he set himself towards and his gentle heart calmed even the roughest of waves that were her emotions. jaeho was there to peer-review her papers and give her encouragement to write more. he was her biggest supporter. but she had gotten comfortable with him being her personal cheerleader and she took him for granted. it wasn’t fair for him that she was absent in their relationship and jaeho deserves to love himself. she needed to know how to be herself once again and figure out a way to truly love him. “i still got a lot to pack... but this almost feels like torture for you and i the longer i take.” her gaze never shifted away from him as she held onto the shirt with a tight grip. she didn’t want to let go of everything they had. he would always be a part of her. “i want to keep it.” her words came out so fast indicating that was she was hoping for. “i-i don’t want to think about it either... i’ll take care of it.” carefully folding the shirt and putting into the box, joori turns back to him with a sad frown. “i know that this hurts... cause it’s killing me too.”