The day had passed more quickly than Hana realized. As she stepped outside her office building, the sky above her had already begun to show shades of orange and pink blended with the gentle blue of twilight. She wrapped her arms around herself, letting the breeze lift a few strands of hair across her face. For a moment, she just stood there, not moving, letting the silence settle in.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Taeyang: "I'll be there in five."
She didn't reply. She slipped her phone back into her coat and waited.
His car pulled up a few minutes later, quiet and steady. The passenger door unlocked with a soft click. She got in without a word, the seat familiar beneath her. He glanced at her, giving a small smile.
"Long day?" he asked.
"You could say that," she murmured, fastening her seatbelt. "But it's over now."
He nodded, shifting into drive. "Good. Then let's do something simple."
They drove in silence, city lights beginning to bloom around them. The restaurant he chose was small, quiet, tucked away in a corner of the city that rarely saw crowds. Hana had been there with him before. It was the kind of place where the food was warm and the space felt untouched by the noise of the outside world.
They took a table by the window. The familiar sounds of cutlery and distant conversation wrapped around them like a soft blanket. As they ate, Hana slowly began to relax. Her words came more easily. Taeyang listened the way he always did, never interrupting, never drifting.
"You're always so quiet," she said at one point, looking at him over her tea.
He smiled. "I don't need to talk when I'm with you."
She rolled her eyes gently but smiled back.
After the meal, he suggested a walk. The park wasn't far. Neither of them spoke as they entered, but the silence between them was never awkward. They followed a path they had walked many times before, boots crunching softly against the gravel.
Above them, stars had begun to scatter across the sky. The breeze carried the scent of grass and damp earth. Hana tucked her hands into her coat pockets and looked up.
"They're still there," she said softly.
Taeyang followed her gaze. "They always are."
She didn't answer right away. Her voice, when it came, was quieter.
"Sometimes I wonder if anything else really stayed the same."
His expression didn't change, but something in him stilled.
"We're still here," he said. "That has to count for something."
She looked at him. "It does."
There was a long pause.
"You're the only one I have left, Tae."
The words left her lips before she could stop them. Her voice didn't shake, but the weight behind it was heavy.
He looked at her then, really looked, and something tightened in his chest. He had always known how much she was holding in, how much she refused to show. But hearing it like that made it feel even more real.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly.
She gave a small nod. Her eyes were on the ground.
"I know. That's why I'm still standing."
She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.
He didn't move at first, caught off guard. Then his arms came around her, gently, carefully. It wasn't the hug of someone in love. It wasn't full of hope or longing. It was something steadier, something held together by shared grief and unspoken promises. She held on like he was the one thing that hadn't left her.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
When she pulled away, she didn't say anything. Neither did he.
They walked back to the car, and then to their apartment building. As they stepped inside, the silence between them grew deeper.
"I'll help you pack tomorrow morning. You're leaving for Busan, right?" Hana said as they reached their floor.
Taeyang looked at her. "Yeah. You don't need to."
"I want to."
She turned toward her door, and he stood there a moment longer, watching her go. His own door was only a few steps away, but somehow it felt farther than ever.
Morning came with soft light and quiet air. When Taeyang opened his eyes, Hana was already in his room, kneeling on the floor beside his open suitcase. She was folding his clothes neatly, eyes focused.
"You're up early," he said, sitting up.
"I didn't want you to forget anything."
He moved beside her to help, and together they packed without saying much. The silence wasn't cold. It was full.
Later, they stopped by her favorite café. The place was warm and smelled like cinnamon and strong coffee. Hana ordered caramel pudding and sat by the window. Morning light fell across her face, soft and golden.
She smiled when she tasted the first spoonful, puffing her cheeks slightly in satisfaction. Taeyang watched her from across the table.
Two women sitting nearby noticed them.
"They're so cute," one whispered. "He looks at her like she's everything."
He heard them, but didn't respond. He looked down, lips curving slightly. It was true. He did look at her that way. But she didn't know, and maybe that was for the best.
Time moved quickly. Too quickly.
Hana glanced at the clock. "You should go."
He stood and followed her outside. They walked in silence until they reached the front of her office building again. The same place they had met the night before. It felt like another lifetime.
He turned to her. "I'll be back before you know it."
She looked at him carefully, her voice quiet. "Be safe."
He nodded. "Always."
There was a pause.
He thought about telling her. That he loved her. That he always had. But the words stayed inside.
She stepped back and gave a small wave.
He turned and walked away.
She watched him go, her chest tight, though she couldn't quite explain why.
Maybe it was the fear of change. Maybe it was the silence between them that felt heavier than usual.
Whatever it was, she knew something was shifting.
She cared for him deeply.
He had always been there.
And as she stepped into her office building, she felt it deep in her bones—
When he returned, things might not be the same again.