Jake stood outside your dressing room for almost five minutes.
His hand hovered over the doorknob, but he pulled away each time he tried to knock.
You had just finished filming.
The staff had left. The hallway was almost empty, with only the distant sounds of cleaning crews.
Your voice sounded tired.
Jake stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.
You were sitting at the vanity, still wearing stage makeup, mindlessly peeling tape off your fingers.
Neither of you spoke. Not because there was nothing to say, but because there was too much to say.
"…You wanted to talk?" you finally asked, meeting his eyes in the mirror.
He walked over but didn’t sit beside you like he usually would. That small change hurt more than either of you wanted to admit.
Your stomach dropped. Whenever someone started a sentence like that, nothing good followed.
Jake rubbed the back of his neck.
"I don’t think we’re working anymore."
"Then why are you saying this?"
"Because loving you is starting to hurt."
Your heart stopped. Jake looked exhausted. Dark circles hung under his eyes from weeks of promotions.
"So many schedules…So many cameras…We barely get to be together. When we do…" he laughed bitterly. "We're too tired to even talk."
"So we’ll fix it. We always do."
"You deserve someone who can actually be your boyfriend."
"I can't even hold your hand without checking who’s watching. I can’t comfort you when you’re having a bad day. I can’t celebrate your birthdays. I can’t tell the world you’re mine."
Every sentence felt like another knife.
"So…I think we should stop."
"So this wasn’t a conversation."
A tear rolled down your cheek.
His breathing became uneven.
"Please don’t make this harder."
Except it sounded broken.
"Harder? You think this is hard? You’ve been preparing yourself for this. I found out thirty seconds ago."
"You had time. I didn’t."
The room fell painfully quiet.
You walked toward him until you were only inches apart.
"I would have fought for us."
Jake’s composure shattered.
His voice echoed in the room before he quickly regretted raising it. He covered his face.
"I’m tired of watching you pretend we’re just coworkers. I’m tired of pretending I don’t love you. Of seeing you cry alone because I can’t even hug you."
"I’m tired of feeling guilty every time I look at you."
The anger faded as fast as it came. Only heartbreak remained.
"I never asked you to carry all of that alone."
"You never gave me the chance."
Jake looked at you with red eyes.
"That’s exactly why. You’d choose us. You’d give up everything. And I…"
His voice broke completely.
Your tears flowed freely now.
"You don’t get to decide what’s worth sacrificing for me."
He reached into his pocket.
The simple silver band you had secretly bought together during the tour.
He gently placed it on the vanity.
"I can’t keep wearing it."
Your chest hurt physically.
The tiny ring suddenly felt heavier than anything in the room.
You reached into your own pocket with trembling hands.
You stared at it for several long seconds before placing it beside his.
No one would ever wear them again.
Jake couldn’t stop crying.
He took one hesitant step forward.
You already knew what he wanted.
He wrapped his arms around you one last time.
The hug wasn’t desperate.
It was two people who still loved each other, holding on because they knew they had to let go.
You buried your face in his shoulder.
Jake squeezed his eyes shut.
Those words should have felt comforting.
Instead, they hurt the most.
Because sometimes love wasn’t enough.
After a long while, you slowly stepped out of his embrace.
Neither of you looked at the rings again.
Jake reached for the door.
His hand rested on the handle.
Almost chose differently.
The door clicked shut behind him.
You stood alone in the quiet dressing room.
The two silver rings remained on the vanity under the bright mirror lights.
No longer belonging to anyone.
The next morning felt… wrong.
Nothing dramatic had occurred.
Everyone showed up for practice.
Everyone greeted each other.
Everyone laughed at Ni-ki’s complaints about waking up too early.
Everything looked normal.
Jake didn’t wait for you by the coffee machine like he always did.
You didn’t drift toward him during breaks.
When the stylists called everyone over, you both stood on opposite ends of the room without even realizing it.
It was so subtle that an outsider wouldn’t notice.
It was impossible to miss.
His eyes bounced between the two of you for nearly ten minutes.
Jake usually sneaked glances at you whenever he thought no one was looking.
You usually smiled whenever your eyes met.
He leaned toward Heeseung.
"…Do they seem weird to you?"
Heeseung had already noticed.
"I thought it was just me."
Sunoo followed their gaze.
His cheerful expression slowly faded.
Jay looked up from his phone.
"They haven’t spoken all morning."
Jake walked past you on the way to the practice room.
Normally, you would lightly bump shoulders or exchange a quick smile.
He quietly stepped around you.
You instinctively moved aside.
Neither of you looked up.
The choreographer corrected formations.
Everyone switched partners several times.
At one point, you and Jake were paired together.
The room became oddly quiet.
"Five, six, seven, eight!"
Not once did your eyes meet Jake’s.
Not once did you crack a smile like you always did when you bumped into each other.
Even your chemistry looked… gone.
When the music stopped, Jake quietly nodded.
Sunoo stared in disbelief.
It became even more obvious.
Usually, Jake would steal food from your tray.
You didn’t even glance in his direction.
Sunghoon slowly set down his chopsticks.
Sunghoon narrowed his eyes.
Across the room, Sunoo sat beside you.
It didn’t reach your eyes.
You were never this quiet.
That evening, the members gathered in the dorm living room.
Jake had gone for a walk.
You stayed behind at the company, saying you wanted to practice more.
No one believed either excuse.
"They’ve barely looked at each other all day."
"They’re hiding something," Ni-ki added.
Sunoo hugged a couch cushion.
"He came back really late. He’d obviously been crying."
"I asked if he was okay."
"What did he say?" Jungwon asked softly.
Heeseung looked down at his hands.
"He smiled. And said…'Some things aren’t meant to last forever.'"
Jay leaned back against the couch, stunned.
Ni-ki looked toward the hallway where your practice room was.
Jungwon rubbed his temples.
"…Neither of them told us."
"They probably didn’t want to," Heeseung replied quietly.
"They're trying to stay professional."
"And they’re pretending they’re okay."
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