They couldn't stay apart anymore.
Not after what happened.
Jisoo sat across from Shen Yan.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
"…You should stay under protection," he said.
His voice calm.
But firm.
Jisoo looked at him.
"I can handle myself," she replied.
"I know," he said.
A pause.
"But this isn't something you face alone."
Silence.
That line—
Felt different.
Jisoo's eyes shifted slightly.
"…You didn't say that before," she said.
A small tension filled the room.
Shen Yan didn't look away.
"…I won't make the same mistake again."
Her breath caught.
Just for a moment.
Then—
She looked away.
"…This doesn't change anything," she said.
But her voice—
Softer now.
Less certain.
Shen Yan stood up slowly.
Walked closer.
"…Maybe it should," he said.
Jisoo remained still.
Not moving.
Not stepping back.
The distance between them—
Almost gone.
"…You left," she said quietly.
Her voice low.
But heavy.
"And you didn't come back."
Shen Yan's expression tightened.
"I thought I was protecting you," he said again.
Jisoo shook her head.
"You don't protect someone by disappearing," she replied.
Silence.
But this time—
No one walked away.
Because both knew—
Running wasn't working anymore.
"…Then let me do it now," Shen Yan said.
Jisoo looked at him.
"What?" she asked.
"Stay," he said.
"Not as before."
"Not because of the past."
A pause.
"…But because right now… I don't want to lose you again."
Silence filled the room.
Jisoo's eyes softened slightly.
But only for a moment.
"…You already did," she said quietly.
Her words—
Sharp.
But her voice—
Shaking.
She turned away.
Walking toward the door.
"…Don't make it harder than it already is," she added.
But before she could leave—
His voice stopped her.
"…It was always hard."
She froze.
But didn't turn back.
Because if she did—
She might not be able to leave.
And she knew—
She had to.
👉 Some distances aren't created by space.
👉 They're created by things