Hoseok fidgeted with the top button of his shirt. He crossed his legs and then uncrossed them. He leaned forward, elbows on thighs, and placed his head in his hands.

It had been 3 weeks since he'd seen Ara. The first few days were the hardest. He couldn't focus. He kept imaging Ara in a white dress. He'd never really thought about it before. The part that bothered him the most was that in all of his dream like thoughts, he was never the man standing with her.

It only took 3 days for him to swallow his guilt and pride. Then he couldn't stop calling her. He lost count of how many times he reached out that first day. He tried over and over. He called. He left voicemails. He texted. He tried everything.

But she wouldn't answer.

He knew he deserved it. He apologized. He pleaded. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for a 'stop worrying hobi' text back. He tried just about anything he could think of for 3 weeks. There was only one thing left to try.

His hands went through his hair as he straightened up. He was beginning to think she wouldn't come. He didn't know what he'd do if this plan failed too. He was counting on her not turning down a dinner invite from his eomma. He pulled at his collar again.

"If it's so uncomfortable, you should just unbutton the top one."

He froze at her voice. His eyes slowly rose from the carpet to the doorway. She stood there with her arms crossed. His heart leapt at the sight. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look angry either.

"Ara," her name slipped from his lips as he stood up.

"Hoseok." Her tone was a warning.

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "How are you?"

"Fine."

Silence fell between them. He was itching to let the questions bubble out of his mouth, but her one quirked eyebrow kept them at bay. His eyes never left hers. The silence drove him crazy. He had to remind himself over and over that this was a baby step. She was at least here.

The quiet air practically choked him all the same. He brought his hand up to his collar again. His attention came to red alert as she moved. She glided through the room and stopped right before him.

Her eyes dropped from his slightly, to his throat. Her hands pushed his out of the way. Her fingers brushed against the base of his neck as she undid the top button. She took a small step back and sighed.

"Now quit fidgeting." She muttered.

"Thank you." He cleared his throat and tried to clear his thoughts.

"You're welcome."

He chewed on his bottom lip. He pushed his brain to find something to say, to find a way in.

"You're really bad at acting."

His eyebrows furrow at her statement. "I'm not acting."

"You should be though. If you look like this through dinner, eomma will never let us leave."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

She rolled her eyes.

"I need to talk to both our eomma's to get this straightened out."

"You don't need to do anything Hoseok."

"Just trust me, Ara."

She chuckled drily. "Don't you think you've meddled enough?"

"I'm so sorry for what's happened. I swear I didn't mean for it be like this. I'm going to fix it."

"I'd rather you just leave me alone."

"I can't do that."

"Of course you can't." She shook her head and started to pace the room. "You always like to boast about how you can take care of me and that you'll always be there for what I need, but those are just empty words, right?"

"Empty?"

"Before you help my parents make all these decisions for me about my life, have you ever thought about what I wanted?"

Hoseok swallowed.

"You have this picture in your head of what I should want, just like eomma, but none of it's what I want."

His heart felt like it sunk to his stomach. He felt nauseous and sweaty.

"I had to quit a job I enjoyed. I have to marry a man I don't love. I'll probably have to quit school soon because all my future husband expects me to be is a trophy."

His lips parted. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to say the words to make this better. He wanted to deny to her argument. But he had no words.

She stopped pacing and let her hands fall to her sides. Her eyes locked with his and he felt the pain radiate through his chest at her teary eyes.

"Just do me a favor, Hoseok, and act like everything's fine during dinner so I can go home in peace."

He closed his mouth and nodded slowly.

"Thank you." She whispered before turning her back to him. "I'm going to help eomma."

He fell back down onto the sofa once she was gone from the room. Moments ago he had been anxious and nervous, but hopeful. Now, he couldn't begin to put what he was feeling into particular emotions.

How could things have gone so wrong?

He wanted to help, to fix. But here he was again, lost without an idea of how to get back to what was.

Have I really been so selfish this whole time?

He had grown up thinking Ara would end up with him, even though they'd never discussed it. It was just the way things were supposed to be and so he acted like they were. He always kept a close eye on her. He stepped in when he thought she needed help.

Pushing myself on her when she doesn't want me.

He ran his hand through his hair, pulling at the ends. He had come tonight with the determination to set things straight, but now his world was tossed upside down. He didn't know how to move forward.

He felt the need to fix what he'd already broken. Ara's words replayed in his brain. You don't need to do anything.

His mother called for him, telling him dinner was ready. He shuffled to the table, taking his usual spot across the table from Ara and between his parents.

Ara kept up an act throughout the entirety of dinner. She smiled. She laughed. She gossiped with his mother. She talked about her future husband. She looked happy.

He tried to keep up. But he cracked every time she said Hobi. It felt like years since he'd heard her mouth curve around his nickname. It was painful to know she only said it to keep this facade going.

He made it through the dinner convincing his mother that his pained expressions were just from an upset stomach.

After dinner, his eomma insisted he drive Ara home since she had only been dropped off. Ara accepted the invitation warmly and thanked his eomma. He held the car door open for her to get in before waving his eomma back in the house and getting into the driver side.

The silence wasn't as suffocating, but it was still hard for Hoseok to pull through.

"Thank you for seeing me home." Her words were soft.

He nodded.

"It was nice to see eomma and appa too."

"They've missed you."

"That means you need to bring a girl home so they'll stop missing me."

"I don't think that'll happen anytime soon."

"Well, I guess we can only see. Goodnight Hoseok."

"Wait."

Her hand hesitated as it reached for the door.

"Ara, I'm sorry for not thinking of what you wanted."

"Don't bother yourself with guilt, Hoseok. It's done."

"I should've been a better friend. And I do want to make it right. Just tell me what you do want and I swear, I'll do anything to make it so."

"It doesn't work that way."

"What would make you happy, Ara? Honestly, truly happy? Whatever it is, I want to do it for you."

"Hobi," she sighed his nickname. He closed his eyes and braced for her request. "Just let me go."

"But," his words died as she laid her hand on top of his.

"I can take care of myself. Let me do that, Hobi."

Hey guys! 

This one was really tough to write. Very sad. Also, I think I'm sad because this is over half way done now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments!