[ when jaejin lets out a breath now, he knows his expression crumbles with it. he moves to stand near the window, the low coffee table between them. the distance is needed in more than one way. he knows this wasn't easy to vie, but he doesn't know if he can keep screaming what about me in his direction and still mean it. ]

Do you need my answer to justify it? [ his voice is tight, the hurt creeping in on his tone. ] Should I tell you I would have done the same thing if I was in your position? Would that change anything?

[ no matter what he does or how he tries to direct his focus, he can't stop thinking about how close they were to leaving, to finally being together, to vie being his. and it feels selfish because he knows vie is right in a lot of ways. ]

That part doesn't matter. [ parroted, but not unkindly. does it matter what he would have done? nothing he'd said before did. he keeps his gaze away from vie, keeps it on the floor in front of him. ] I know he's your friend and that you owe him. That's the part that matters.