My Ex-Boyfriend is Sold Out

Chapter 29: The Ex-Girlfriend Fears Facing Reality

* * *

Before Si-hyun and Yerin met…

Back at her apartment, Chae-yeon lay sprawled on her bed like a lifeless doll, her voice raw from sobbing.

“Si-hyun…”

Her throat was hoarse from crying, her voice a scratchy whisper mingled with pain.

“It was my fault… I’ll repent for the rest of my life. Just… come back to me.”

Though she was alone, her apologies continued. She struck her chest with her fist, cycling between regret and guilt over her past actions.

Buzz—

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

“Si-hyun…?”

Her heart leapt as she checked her phone, only to see the notification:

[Kim Si-hyun has updated his profile picture.]

A foreboding sentence she’d never wanted to see. He’d always left it blank; what had he changed it to? Her hand hovered over the screen, hesitating.

“I… I can’t bear to look.”

She knew that it wouldn’t be her in the photo. Most likely, it was Yerin—now his girlfriend.

Chae-yeon knew that pressing it would only hurt her, yet curiosity gnawed at her. Closing her eyes tightly, she pressed the notification.

“….”

She opened her eyes, hoping to see a harmless animal photo instead, but no—reality was more brutal than that.

Both Si-hyun’s profile and background were filled with photos of Yerin, their anniversary count listed in the status message below.

“Ha… ha…”

A hollow laugh escaped her as she let the phone fall from her hand.

How much longer would her heart keep breaking like this? The thought of Si-hyun and Yerin showing affection at school made her dread going back.

I can’t bear this…

It was far too late to return to how things once were. Si-hyun now had a new girlfriend, and there was no room for her. That tender smile, his kindness, his reliable presence… all belonged to someone else now.

“….”

Chae-yeon’s gaze dulled, and her expression went blank. She couldn’t bring herself to face reality; all she wanted was to escape her thoughts. Trying to empty her mind, she noticed the box of mementos Si-hyun had left her.

“Oh…”

The blue album, filled with memories from their relationship, caught her eye. She reached for it.

Rustle—

How many times had she looked through it? Just like her own album, his was covered in fingerprints and worn around the edges, falling apart in places.

“Si-hyun…”

Seeing it made her realize just how deeply he had loved her, and with that realization came a tidal wave of guilt. His love for her only magnified her regret.

“How… how can I ever make up for this…”

She’d trampled on his sincere love, tried to control him, even lied to him… She doubted she could ever atone for her mistakes, no matter how much she tried.

He wants me to disappear from his life…

But she was selfish. Even if it meant facing his hatred, Chae-yeon wanted to stay by his side.

“I love you… Si-hyun…”

Hugging the album tightly, she felt a faint warmth in her heart. Holding this token of his love made her reluctant to let go. Tears began to fall again, and just as she was about to spiral into self-blame once more—

Ding-dong!

Someone was at her door.

* * *

The visitor was none other than So-hee. Her face went pale as she took in Chae-yeon’s tear-streaked, disheveled appearance.

“Ch-Chae-yeon…”

The moment she found out that Si-hyun and Yerin were dating, So-hee had rushed over, worried for her friend. Chae-yeon’s state only confirmed her fears—red, swollen eyes, hair tangled and unkempt.

Not wanting to upset her further, So-hee lowered her gaze, reluctant to speak. She knew that anything she said would likely hurt Chae-yeon even more.

“….”

Watching So-hee’s nervous figure, Chae-yeon felt a strange temptation to place all the blame on her. But she knew better. She understood that So-hee had tried her best to help them reconcile.

“Come in.”

“Okay…”

As So-hee entered, Chae-yeon quietly boiled some water for coffee. They sat in silence, the quiet stretching on for nearly five minutes.

“I… I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”

Finally, So-hee broke down, sobbing. She wiped her eyes as she struggled to speak.

“If I hadn’t insisted on that blind date… if I hadn’t, none of this would have happened. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Chae-yeon…”

Without a word, Chae-yeon poured water into their cups, placed them on a tray, and brought them over. She sat down next to So-hee, her voice soft.

“It’s partly my fault too. I didn’t have to go on that blind date. So don’t blame yourself too much.”

“But…!”

Chae-yeon gently patted So-hee’s back. She didn’t want her friend to feel guilty; her own guilt was enough. She didn’t want to see her friend in pain.

“Chae-yeon…”

So-hee was touched beyond words. Overcome with emotion, she hugged Chae-yeon and wept into her shoulder. Chae-yeon comforted her, stroking her back.

Once her tears finally subsided, So-hee sniffled and asked,

“Did the therapy go well?”

Thanks to their earlier conversation, So-hee already knew about Chae-yeon’s trauma and that she had been undergoing counseling.

Chae-yeon nodded.

“The therapy went well… I just came back from confessing to Si-hyun, but he rejected me.”

Her voice darkened. It was as if every question So-hee asked inadvertently pressed on a sore spot.

Chae-yeon let out a bitter laugh.

“I’m guessing he changed his profile picture to make things clear—that it’s over between us. That there’s no room left for me to dream.”

“Chae-yeon…”

So-hee watched her friend with a pained expression as Chae-yeon clenched her fists.

“But I’m not giving up. It’s too late for me to walk away now—I’ve fallen too deeply for him.”

So-hee felt uneasy, not about to encourage Chae-yeon’s plan. If this had happened before Si-hyun and Yerin started dating, it might have worked, but now, the two of them seemed so compatible that a breakup seemed unlikely.

If she failed, Chae-yeon would only be left with more heartache. And if she succeeded, she’d have the reputation of having stolen someone else’s boyfriend.

Either outcome seemed like poison for her friend.

Sigh…

Knowing the right choice would be to advise Chae-yeon to let go, So-hee struggled with her feelings.

In the end, though, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. The responsibility for everything weighed on her, too; if it weren’t for her, they might still be together.

But what if Chae-yeon never forgives me?

Unable to bear the thought of severing their friendship, So-hee decided to support Chae-yeon’s love, no matter how misguided it seemed. If she failed, So-hee would be there to comfort her; if she succeeded, So-hee would stand by her through the fallout.

Chae-yeon, whatever happens, I’ll be by your side…

As she resolved to take responsibility for her actions, their phones buzzed simultaneously.

Please, no…

Feeling a sense of déjà vu, So-hee’s heart sank as she checked her notifications, praying it was just the group chat. But…

“…”

Seeing Si-hyun’s name in the alerts, she took a shaky breath and clicked in. She saw photo after affectionate photo of Si-hyun and Yerin.

Chae-yeon can’t see this…

Panicked, So-hee tried to stop her friend from looking, but it was too late.

“Heuk… heuk…”

Chae-yeon had already seen it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at the screen, scrolling through the images that showed Si-hyun and Yerin sharing sweet moments. Her hands trembling, she finally turned off her phone.

“Chae-yeon, are you okay…?”

So-hee’s worried question was met with a shake of the head.

“…Sorry, I need to rest. I’m going to my room.”

Leaving her phone on the couch, Chae-yeon staggered to her bedroom, her steps heavy. She locked the door behind her, clutching the blue album to her chest.

“Why did he replace our photos with those…”

Fearing that all traces of their time together would vanish, she clung even tighter to the album.

“I know it was my fault… so please… stop…”

Even closing her eyes, she saw images of Si-hyun and Yerin as a happy couple.

She ran a hand through her tangled hair, gripping it tightly as she tried to bury her mind in memories by flipping through the old photos.

* * *