The sound of keys unlocking the front door, followed by slow and hesitant steps, made Yeosang turn his head towards the sound. It had only been around twenty minutes since he and Hongjoong had parted, and now he wondered if his former best friend had run straight back to the others, to let them know that their secret was out.

And when he saw the look on Seonghwa's face, he knew that that was exactly what had happened.

"Yeosang..."

Seonghwa looked at him, half way hiding behind the door frame between the hallway and living room, where Yeosang was sitting on the couch. The older had never looked so insecure, as he did right in that moment - and Yeosang had to admit that it made him feel kind of good.

"Don't worry, I'm not angry with you." It was the truth, Yeosang didn't feel angry at all. He probably should, and he had questioned himself when he was alone, why the affair didn't affect him as he thought it would.

In fact, it made him feel rather relieved.

"I'm only angry with myself," he then added. "For falling for yet another one of your lies. Tell me one thing, Seonghwa, when haven't you lied to me? Can you even name one time at all?"

"I can... If you want to hear me out, then..." Seonghwa walked into the living room, while nervously rubbing his hands together before he sat down on the very far end on the couch.

"Well, I just asked you to tell me, didn't I?" As he shrugged his shoulders, Yeosang turned towards the older, glaring intensely at him.

Seonghwa's eyes widened up, seemingly surprised by the harsh tone in Yeosang's voice, but he kept his own voice low - not even starting an argument.

"I didn't lie, when I said that I love you." Seonghwa had withdrawn his shocked stare, and instead he simply looked down at his own folded hands.

"Do you love Hyunjin?"

While the older for once held himself back, in what appeared to be a vulnerable state, Yeosang on the other hand stayed in control of the conversation and himself. He had nothing to lose anyway, so why even try to keep any of his direct questions silent?

A small sigh fell from Seonghwa's lips, before he pulled them into a thin line - and with a slow nod he confirmed the question. Yeosang kept staring at the older, and a strange feeling of calm suddenly streamed through his body. He saw it clearly now - the ending to the horrible marriage, and for once it seemed easy to get out of.

They had had an expiration date from the very beginning, both of them had known that. A contract could only force them to stay together for so long, but without love they were doomed from the start. All those years Yeosang had hated Seonghwa, but now he actually felt sorry for him.

Now, he saw finally saw everything clearly.

"But... I do love you as well, Yeosang. I-"

"You know," Yeosang abruptly cut him off. "For years, I thought I knew what you meant when you said that our relationship will be what you choose for the world to see. But now, I get it. You don't love me. You love the idea of me."

Seonghwa turned his head just slightly, but his eyes didn't stay locked towards Yeosang for long - and it only proved to Yeosang that he was in fact right.

"You love the idea, of me being your little trophy husband. A pretty thing to stand next to you at formal events, to look good in photos for the articles of a happy, perfect married life. The only reason you'd stay with me rather than Hyunjin, is because you know you'd never get him to do that. You would be the accessory, you'd be portrayed as the one thing you fear the most."

He got it now, he really, truly understood it all.

The part of Seonghwa having certain things and expectations to live up to, wasn't news to Yeosang. He had always known that, and he had lived under the same pressure himself. But, now he understood why the older had been so persistent for them to be together, despite the cold air that followed them into their marriage.

Park Seonghwa had always been portrayed as a leader, a true alpha-male, and to step out of that role would't be accepted by his family - not even sharing the spotlight, as equals would be enough. Seonghwa could never be with someone like Hwang Hyunjin, who didn't fit into the picture of being the subservient one, not without losing everything else.

While silence was floating between them, Yeosang slowly removed the wedding ring from his finger. Even though the ring was new, it still held all the old memories inside of it. Memories that Yeosang was finally able to get rid of.

"Seonghwa..." Yeosang reached out towards his husband, knowing that it would be the last time he would think of the older that way. He placed his hand around Seonghwa's, with a touch as gentle as his voice. "If you want to be happy - be. But, you need to stop hurting others. Let go of me, please."

As he slipped the ring into Seonghwa's hand, he looked deeply into the brown eyes in front of him, and he saw something he had never seen before. Acceptance, understanding. Seonghwa nodded, twice, acknowledging that it was over between them, and that he got the implicit message that he had to terminate the signed agreements that kept them together.

Yeosang rose from the couch, and picked up his bags, which he had packed the moment he returned to the resort house. He then send Seonghwa one last look, and a simple but wry smile, before walking out the door.

♡

Three weeks went by with the blink of an eye. Yeosang had been occupied with finding a new place to live, while waiting for Seonghwa to work things out with his lawyers. Although Yeosang was eager to get out of their marriage, he also knew that the older needed some time to break the news to his parents, and Yeosang had let him take things slowly.

Living by himself, not having to worry about a heavy or awkward atmosphere whenever he got home, was more than enough for now. He had yet to break the news to his own parents, and he and Seonghwa had agreed not to tell their friends or the public before the divorce was finalized. As long as the older was providing him with proof that the process had begun, Yeosang felt content.

After weeks of being in his own head too much, feeling both stressed but also happy, Yeosang had forgotten all about the phone call back in Bali. It wasn't until one late night, after a couple of drinks with Minho, when he was walking through the streets that he remembered.

Or, the memory was quite frankly shoved right into his face.

"Yeosang?"

They looked at each other, both surprised, when they suddenly stood face to face on the sidewalk. Yeosang hadn't realized that the bar he had been at, had been located rather close to San's restaurant - but there he was, Choi San, looking as stunning as he always did.

His blonde hair had been dyed again, back to black but with a pretty streak of blonde still present at the front. San made a few strange moves with his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but no words were coming out.

"San... Hi," Yeosang said, and he waved awkwardly with his right hand before realizing how stupid he looked.

"How are you?" San then asked, but his face was strangely emotionless to look at.

"Fine, I guess. You?"

"Same."

Both of them nodded at the same time, but neither of them could find anything to say to continue the conversation. Instead they just looked at each other for a while, in silence.

"I'm on my way home, so..." Yeosang finally said, breaking the silence, and gestured loosely down the street.

San raised a brow in confusion, as his eyes followed the direction of Yeosang's hand. He tilted his head to the side, while his brows them narrowed down in a frown instead.

"Did you move?"

"Oh... Yeah, I did." With a nod added to his words, Yeosang felt shivers streaming down his back. Everything became almost too real to him in that moment. He was alone now, and San - San could possibly be engaged to someone else.

When a sudden breeze twirled through San's hair, Yeosang nearly broke into a smile. The younger looked so pretty, and the dark locks gave off the illusion that not a day had passed by since they fell in love back in high school.

"You, and-?" San asked, breaking through Yeosang's thoughts, as he apparently caught onto the indication of Yeosang not moving to a new place with Seonghwa.

"No. Just me."

San then nodded, and the awkward silence was about to make an entrance again, when Yeosang did his best to cut it off.

"It's the same direction as the metro. Do you want to... Walk together?"

As San accepted his suggestion, they began walking side by side down the streets. The evening wind was mild, stroking their faces and through their hair - but if Yeosang had to be completely honest with himself, he deep down wished that it was San's hand stroking against his own, and not only the wind.

But San had kept both of his hands in his pockets, not giving Yeosang a chance to see if he was wearing an engagement ring - or if he didn't.

"Well, this is me." Yeosang stopped in front of the tall building he now called his home. He glanced to the side, with a bittersweet taste on his tongue. Seeing San would probably always make his heart skip a beat, but the hope of them ever being together, was slipping through his fingers. "Good night, San."

"Good night, Yeosang."

One last pretty smile, one that showed off the dimples on the younger's face, and San continued down the street by himself.

♡

When Yeosang returned home the following evening, after a long day of shooting a commercial for a fragrance brand, he was more than ready to go straight to bed. His mind had been a mess all day, and he had wished he could go back to only being stressed out about the divorce.

The doorman opened the door to the lobby for him, and he walked inside the building with a heavy sigh. Suddenly, he couldn't wait for Seonghwa to send the final papers over - as soon as they had been signed, Yeosang could get back out on the dating market. He didn't want anything serious at all, but he definitely needed something to distract him, to take his mind of San, and all the memories he should've forgotten about long ago.

"Oh, excuse me, sir!" the doorman suddenly called out behind him, just as he was about to enter the elevator.

"Yes?"

"Someone left this for you."

Yeosang was handed a small box with a blue ribbon around it. The box was white, and it had no card or anything on it, to show who it was from. As long as it wasn't some weak attempt from Seonghwa, to make them stay together. Yeosang's biggest fear was currently that the older would change his mind about the divorce.

With the box in his hands, Yeosang sat down on the couch when he got into his apartment. He shook it lightly, and a low rattling sound was heard. He frowned, while untying the ribbon, but his eyes widened up the second he removed the lid from the box, and he took the dainty item inside up with a shaking hand.

A small paper plane.

And hiding underneath, was a handwritten note.

"Your heart is the same as mine.

I miss you."

♡

author's note: the note part was supposed to be a throwback to chapter 1.11 heartbeat, if anyone should be wondering 💗

also, part 2 will end soon - BUT there will be a part 3, oh yessss ~~