Haari burst into laughter, and after a beat, Aya joined him, the sound blending into the night. "Okay, you playboy—if you'd flattered like this back in university, you might've already had a girlfriend," she teased, her eyes glinting with mischief.
"Yeah," Haari replied, still chuckling, "and if you hadn't had a temper like this, you might've had a boyfriend too."
Silence fell, the weight of their words settling, but then they laughed again, the sound a harmony under the moonlit sky, a fleeting moment of peace amidst their diverging paths.
At morning on the airport.
Haari stood near the departure gate, his suitcase resting beside him. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his posture relaxed but his expression unreadable.
A few feet away, leaning against a pillar, Aya watched him with crossed arms, her face a mix of amusement and something else—something she wasn't ready to admit.
"So, this is it, huh?" she mused, her voice light, but there was an edge of something unspoken beneath it.
Haari nodded. "Yeah." He glanced at the glowing departure sign above him, as if confirming it to himself.
Aya exhaled, tapping the heel of her sneaker against the polished floor. The usual playful confidence in her stance was still there, but there was a subtle hesitation in the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"You better not disappear for another decade, you hear me?" she said, attempting a smirk but failing to mask the seriousness in her eyes.
Haari chuckled softly, tilting his head. "I won't. Besides, we have each other's numbers now. No matter where we are, we'll stay in touch."
Aya's eyes widened slightly at his words, caught off guard by the rare sincerity in his voice. She blinked before quickly masking her reaction with a scoff.
"Pfft, well, you'd better. I don't want to waste my time tracking you down."
Haari smirked, raising a hand in front of him. "Now stop getting so emotional. Do you always say goodbye to your friends like this?"
Aya rolled her eyes but still lifted her hand, meeting his palm with a playful clap. The sound echoed softly between them before both of them broke into laughter.
From inside the waiting area, Oki, Rafta, and Ashi watched them through the glass.
Aya shook her head, stepping forward slightly. For a second, it seemed like she wanted to say something more—something meaningful—but instead, she flicked Haari's forehead with her fingers, just like old times.
"Take care, idiot," she said with a small grin.
Haari winced, rubbing his forehead with a dramatic groan. "Yeah, yeah. You too, rich girl."
They exchanged one last look, a silent conversation passing between them. No grand farewells, no dramatic promises—just the quiet understanding of two people who had found each other again, if only for a brief moment in time.
Haari turned toward the security checkpoint, gripping the handle of his suitcase. He didn't look back. And Aya didn't stop him.
Because some goodbyes didn't need words—just the unspoken trust that no matter where life took them, some connections never truly faded.
Back in chandigarh . In office , Rafta punched Haari on his stomach so hard.
"Gch—What the hell?!" Haari coughed, doubling over as the air was knocked from his lungs. He clutched his stomach, glaring up at Rafta, who stood over him, fists clenched. "Why did you do that?!"
"I should be asking you that, dumbass!" Rafta shot back, his eyes burning with frustration.
Haari frowned, still rubbing his aching stomach. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Rafta crossed his arms, his voice dripping with irritation. "Don't play dumb. When you already have a celebrity-like girlfriend, why the hell are you making moves on Nicawa-san?"
Haari blinked. "Huh? Celebrity-like girlfriend? Me? Where? I'd love to meet her. Introduce me to her.".
Rafta's eyebrow twitched. "I'm talking about Aya Yami, your ex-girlfriend."
Haari's smirk faded. "Hah? Aya? An celebrity?" He scoffed, about to dismiss the idea—until flashes of the past few days hit him like a truck. The luxury cars, the extravagant lifestyle, the confident aura she carried.
"…Well, she's not one," he admitted, scratching his cheek.
Rafta sighed, exasperated. "Stop playing around. If she's your girlfriend, why are you flirting with Nicawa-san?"
Haari threw his hands up. "I'm saying the same thing! Who is my girlfriend?!"
Rafta's voice shot up. "AYA YAMI, YOU IDIOT!"
"Ohhh," Haari drawled, to ponder. "I think you're mistaken. She's just a friend who happens to be a girl."
Rafta looked ready to explode. "Then why did she clearly say you were her ex-boyfriend?! And why did you agree?!"
Haari sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't really have a choice that time."
Rafta narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean you had no choice?"
"Back on our last day of university, we played truth or dare. I lost to her, so I picked dare. She told me she'd hold onto that dare until we met again. And then, at that meeting…" Haari trailed off, rubbing his temples as the memory resurfaced.
Flashback: Meeting Days
"You shouldn't behave like that with strangers," Kaeya snapped, his gaze sharp.
Aya chuckled, drumming her fingers lightly against Haari's chest. "Strangers? He's not a stranger."
Kaeya frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Aya smirked, leaning in close and said in firm toon. "He's my ex-boyfriend."
Haari barely had time to process the words before Aya whispered in his ear, "It's a dare. You remember it, right?"
Back to the Present
Rafta's mouth hung open slightly as he processed the information. "So that's what happened… She actually used that dare at that moment."
"Yeah, even I didn't expect her to pull something like that," Haari admitted.
"But calling you her ex out of nowhere? Even when you weren't? That's a whole new level of trolling," Rafta said, shaking his head.
Haari let out a short laugh. "She's been like that ever since we met—twisting the situation in unexpected directions and enjoying people's reactions."
Rafta leaned against the desk, arms crossed. "I don't get it. A girl like her, never been in a real relationship? People would die to date her."
"She never really cared for relationships," Haari said. "Back in university, she rejected so many confessions. She thought being in a relationship created boundaries in life, and once you cross that line, you have to maintain it—even if you don't want to."
Rafta nodded slowly. "Well… she's not wrong."
A brief silence fell between them before Rafta's expression turned serious again. "Hey, did you tell Nicawa-san about this?"
Haari blinked. "Tell her what?"
"That Aya wasn't actually your girlfriend," Rafta clarified.
"No… why?" Haari asked, now slightly wary.
Rafta suddenly looked very concerned. "You should tell her as soon as possible."
Haari tilted his head. "Why?"
Rafta sighed, rubbing his temples. "Just tell her quickly, okay?"
Just then, Oki walked in, a casual grin on her face.
"Hey, you two. The boss is calling for us," Oki announced, her voice breaking the silence.
Haari sat up, blinking. "Hm? Did the results come out already?"
Oki shrugged. "I dunno. She just said to come. Could be good news, could be bad. Who knows?"
The atmosphere in the office was tense, almost suffocating. The walls, painted a dull shade of gray, seemed to press in on them, adding to the weight of the silence. A ticking clock on the wall was the only sound filling the room, amplifying the already thick tension.
Haari, Oki, Rafta, and Ashi stood side by side in front of the boss's desk like students awaiting punishment. The boss sat in her chair, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning them one by one.
Oki shifted on her feet, unable to take the silence any longer. "So—"
"The results came out," the boss interrupted flatly, her voice devoid of emotion.
Ashi immediately tensed. "And… did we make it?"
The boss leaned back in her chair, tilting her head slightly. "What do you think?"
Rafta crossed his arms, frowning. "How should we know?"
The boss's gaze sharpened. "You were the ones representing our company."
Haari rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, but it was our first time doing something like that. We have no idea how well it actually went."
The boss sighed, letting the silence stretch for a moment. Then, finally, a small smile tugged at her lips.
"You made it. Because of your efforts, our company is now recognized worldwide."
A beat of stunned silence.
And then—
"WE DID IT?!" Oki shouted, grabbing the boss in an unexpected hug.
"Oi, don't just grab the boss like that!" Rafta scolded, though he couldn't hide his grin.
Ashi let out a small gasp before breaking into a wide smile. "That's… amazing! We actually pulled it off?"
Haari , exhaled in relief and chuckled. "Damn. That was nerve-wracking."
The boss straightened her blazer, still smiling. "It wasn't just you. The entire company worked hard for this. You four may have been the face of it, but this victory belongs to everyone."
The small celebration continued, laughter and relieved sighs filling the room. But just as the excitement started to settle, the boss picked up an envelope from her desk and turned to Haari.
"There's a letter for you."
Haari blinked in confusion. "A letter?"
She handed it to him. "It was sent directly to the company, addressed to you."
Haari furrowed his brows as he took the envelope and unfolded it.
Rafta, as nosy as ever, leaned over. "So? What does it say?"
Oki frowned. "Hey, you can't just ask that. It's personal."
Haari stared at the paper for a second before reading aloud, "Congratulations."
A pause.
Rafta blinked. "…That's it?"
"Yeah. And there's a cross sign at the end." Haari held up the letter for them to see.
Oki tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
"No idea." Haari shrugged.
The boss, who had been watching silently, suddenly stiffened. Her expression turned serious as she eyed the letter.
"Wait… Who sent this?"
Haari turned it over, checking the sender's name. "Aya."
The reaction was immediate.
The boss's eyes widened in shock. "Aya? You mean Miss Aya Yami?"
Haari nodded. "Yeah, that Aya."
" Do you know her " Boss asked in shocke.
" Yeah she's my friend " Haari said.
" Your friend."
Oki's eyes glinted mischievously. "Not just friend. His ex-girlfriend."
A loud gasp.
Ashi face turned num.
Boss entire body went rigid as her mind processed the words. It felt like a lightning bolt had struck her, leaving her frozen in place.
"E-EX-GIRLFRIEND?! MISS AYA YAMI WAS YOUR EX-GIRLFRIEND?!"
The weight of the revelation hit Ashi like a train. Her stomach twisted, and an unfamiliar, uneasy feeling spread through her chest again.
Haari held up his hands defensively, his eyes darting between their shocked expressions. "Wait, it's not what you think! It was all an act."
Oki narrowed her eyes. "An act? What do you mean an act?"
Ashi, who had been silent, slowly raised an eyebrow.
Haari sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were never in a relationship. She's just my classmate, that's all."
Oki scoffed. "Yeah? Then why did you admit she was your ex-girlfriend?"
Haari let out another deep sigh, looking away as if trying to find the right words. "It's… a long story."
Rafta crossed his arms. "We've got time."
Haari groaned. "Look, all you need to know is that we're just friends—nothing more. Trust me."
Ashi had been holding her breath without realizing it. The moment Haari said, "We're just friends—nothing more. Trust me," a weight she was carrying all this time suddenly lifted from her chest.
She let out a deep, quiet breath, her shoulders loosening. Up until now, she had been struggling to even breathe properly around him, as if something invisible had been pressing down on her. But now—now she felt light.
Her fingers, which had been unconsciously gripping her arms, finally relaxed.
smile tugging at the corner of her lips.