𓐐 : park

@❛ ✦ : yoo jiho stunned.

to be honest, stunned was an understatement. to think that after all those years alessandro would have been used it, he still found it shocking. it was his fault. they were not together anymore, nor have any special relationship with the woman beside him.

they were poison. and yet he cannot seem to find himself leaving her whenever he has the luck of seeing her. just like now. "really? a walk?" he scoffed, but his softened after realizing he could have been a littel nicer to the damsel in distress. "you could make a better reason for that jiho."

a chuckled emitted from his lips after hearing her remark. that is true. when it comes to her, he really doesn't know how to keep his nose out of it. perhaps he was more passionate about their relationship before seeing as he is obviously still head over heels for the women, and yet can't seem to keep her by his side.

poison. toxic. and yet the love he felt for her, or still do, whatever it is, something is still present.

"i just don't like seeing women cry," he stated before turning his head to her, anticipating if she would violently react but before she could, he gave an invite. "do you want a drink?"

@❛ ❀ : alessandro choi she felt alessandro’s presence draw closer, and in that very moment, jiho realized she had ed up. now she couldn’t run. tilting her head up, their gazes finally connected, but not without a sinking feeling starting in her chest. it tightened, twisted, and lurched forward. you would think that after all this time, she would have gotten used to seeing her ex-fiancé, but it still felt like she was being put through a hydraulic press. it was the reason why she hated him coming to the restaurant, why she avoided him like the plague.

she hoped that the familiar scent of his cologne and the memories of their countless fights would have clogged her tear ducts, yet the waterworks kept pouring.

jiho’s hand acted on its own at the slightest mention of her old pet name, connecting with alessandro’s cheek in the blink of an eye. it was not a hard hit, but it was not soft either. she regretted it immediately, but her pride held back the apology that threatened to slip from her lips. “don’t call me that, san.” her tongue remained sharp against her raspy voice.

“am i not allowed to come here? i wanted to go on a walk.” like her hand, jiho’s mouth ran off without much thought. cringing inwardly, the female shifted in the bench uncomfortably at her painfully obvious lie. not only did she hate walking, she hated the bugs that infested the grass, and the human inhabitants of the park.

the trembling of her voice made her next delivery weaker than she had desired. “i see that you still don’t know how to mind your own business.”

@❛ ✦ : yoo jiho all too soon, alessandro’s quiet solitude was interrupted by the soft sound of someone crying. he sighed inwardly, turning to see a woman seated just at the other end of the bench.

it seemed strange—there were plenty of empty spots in the park, yet she chose to sit here, right beside him. if he’d been someone with bad intentions, her choice could’ve easily turned into a story for tomorrow’s news. not that he would ever think that way, but… she was lucky to have chosen a “normal” person to sit next to.

curiosity stirred in him as he glanced her way, wondering if perhaps she needed the quiet comfort of a stranger nearby. her sleeves must have been soaked by now with the tears she kept brushing away. despite that, alessandro edged a little closer, his instinct to help quietly pushing him forward.

“miss, are you alri—” he began, but the words faded as he caught a faint, familiar scent, one he’d never forget. he recognized her in an instant—the same person he’d been thinking about only moments ago. jiho.

his chest tightened, caught between excitement and a painful ache. but, always the gentleman, alessandro held himself steady. theirs was a story of tangled threads, a bond that only they could understand. and his next words, he knew, would probably get the response he’d come to expect.

“ah… bij—jiho, why are you crying here when you hate the park?”

@❛ ❀ : alessandro choi "i didn't ask you to work there so you could do as you please, how incompetent could you be?" her father's words echoed in her mind, unable to be drowned out by the lingering pain on her lip serving a constant reminder of their exchange. she was doing fine. just fine before he had decided to pay a visit. at the age of twenty-nine, jiho still allowed her father to control her life. how ridiculous. but nothing could be more ridiculous than her actions following the argument.

that's right, she foolishly decided to seek out a ghost of her past. one glance at his story was enough to prompt her to slip on her shoes and leave her old man while he was occupied in her bathroom.

jiho wasn't one to cry in front of people, she even dared not to cry in front of her family, but there was one exception. and there he was, gazing at the stars on a park bench alone. without a single word, she joined him, sitting as far as possible from alessandro with her side pressed against the arm of the bench. after one shaky exhale, instantly, her walls began to crack. the dam could only hold back so much. jiho hoped that san's stupid face would elicit feelings of anger that would overpower all other emotions.

frozen, the female stared down at her balled fists on her lap. the first tear landed on her knuckles, followed by a chain of sniffling. hastily, she dabbed at her eyes with her sleeves. . not right now. she didn't plan to cry.

@❛ ✦ : yoo jiho after a long day of meetings and deliveries, alessandro finally got the rest he wanted for the whole week. a loud ring cut his reverie short and when he looked at his phone he grimaced. it was his secretary. the call was followed by a very nice message saying 'where the hell are you? you're supposed to meet someone! your dad would kill me if he knew you're not here you stupid piece of⎯" he grimaced and then shoved it back to his coat's pocket.

"damn people can't let me take a break," he cursed under his breath, "i already said i don't want to date anyone."

either way, sandro knew his dad was probably doing it so that sandro can get some real peace of mind because his father probably saw looking at a picture of a certain someone while he was italy. he heavily side before sitting down on a vacant bench, his back almost sprawled on its back rest. he looked up the night sky and though hard, the image of her face flashing before he closed his eyes almost too quicky to relax and revel in that moment.

better. at least no one could judge him for missing her.

Short, crisp breaths leave her lips, arms in a running stance, swaying quickly as she struggles with a simple jog. New years resolution. New years resolution. Even if it was how late? Don't question it. She's working out! She's working a sweat! She's—being passed by some aunties who have a wicked walking stance. Rei slows down to grasp at her hips, high off of the embarrassment of being passed up by aunties and starts to rapidly fan beet red cheeks. It's red from the workout, she tells herself when she places the backs of her fingers against them. Least it's quiet!