"Ms. Hayoon."
The voice was low.
Taesan did not avert his eyes.
His gaze wasn't the first to be aggressive, it was precise.
“Even if you don’t say it,
“I think I understand now.”
Hayoon didn't answer.
There was no time to answer, no excuse.
“In my memory,
“It doesn’t make sense anymore that you’re not here.”
He exhaled.
The voice cracked.
"I don't know what I did or how I did it.
But you…
You know everything.
Even on the days I laughed,
Even on days when I was having a hard time."
"Taesan—"
“…What on earth happened?”
Only then did Hayoon lower her head.
I was so tense that my hands under the table turned blue.
"You were hurt."
It was a quiet word.
The endings of my words kept getting cut off for fear of blowing something up.
"Because of me.
Because of that… you got hurt,
I am…
That was scary."
Taesan listened to those words quietly.
I closed my eyes and opened them.
He pursed his lips as if he was about to say something.
“So… is that why you made me forget?”
"huh."
“Did you think that was the answer?”
“At that time, I thought that was… the way to protect you.”
He smiled for a moment.
It was the kind of laughter that you couldn't tell if it was funny or empty.
“You mean erasing is protecting?”
“You looked happy.”
“At least I’m not hurt anymore…
“It seemed like it would have been better if I wasn’t there.”
“You should have asked me if I was happy or not.”
Taesan's words were small but clear.
“Why did you decide everything by yourself and leave by yourself?”
Hayoon couldn't say anything.
Because that was right.
“I just…”
His voice trembled.
“…I wish I could be someone you don’t need.
Well… I thought it would be more comfortable for you.”
“If I had to lose you to be comfortable,
“That’s not comfortable.”
Taesan turned his head.
“It just feels empty.”
There was a pause between the two.
In a quiet cafe
Only background music, like nagging, was playing.
“Did you believe I would love you again?”
He asked.
Hayoon raised her head.
I took a deep breath.
"huh."
"that is-
That's so bad."
Taesan didn't even laugh.
"Without any memory,
I don't even know the name,
But only the heart remains
If I fall in love again…
Is it me or is it the afterimage of your feelings?
How do you know?"
In that word
Hayoon closed her eyes.
“But I still hoped it was love.”
Taesan nodded.
And he said very quietly.
“I am so used to you now.
But that familiarity
“I like it so much that I hate it even more.”
"why?"
“Being familiar means
Feelings I don't remember
Because it means it keeps rising.
But… I don’t know why.”
Hayoon said quietly.
"You will find out.
soon of late."
“Will you still speak like you do now?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You loved me.
“It’s still like that now.”
The question was cruel.
But Hayoon answered.
"huh.
“I could go on and on about that.”