The room stays quiet after Jay and Jella leave. Ben and Mia remain on the floor, leaning back against the bed, the soft hum of the aircon filling the silence between them.
"It's already been thirty minutes. Why aren't they back yet?" Mia asks, her voice low with a hint of concern.
"You're right… do you think everything's okay?" Ben replies.
Mia doesn't answer, her eyes fixed on her hands resting on her lap.
"Wait, I'll call Jay," Ben says, pulling out his phone.
He dials Jay's number. No answer. He tries again. Still nothing.
"He's not responding," Ben mutters with a small frown, putting his phone down.
There's a beat of silence, then he adds, more thoughtfully,"Maybe they just need some time for themselves."
Mia nods slowly, still not meeting his eyes.
"Jella has our room key… I can't even go back to my room," she says, letting out a soft sigh.
Ben shifts, leaning his elbows on the table, head resting on one hand as he looks at her.
"Then stay here for now," he says, his voice casual but gentle.
Mia finally glances at him—and finds him already looking at her. Their eyes meet and hold for a breath longer than expected.
"Until they come back," Ben adds with a faint smile.
He reaches for the bottle of soju on the table, pouring it into both their glasses. He hands one to her.
"Cheers?"
Mia accepts it. Their glasses touch, and they drink in sync—quietly, like they're both trying to ease the weight that still lingers in the room.
Ben sets his glass down on the table with a quiet clink.
"Is the game from earlier still going?" he asks, tilting his head slightly, one elbow resting on the table, his cheek against his palm as he gazes at her.
Mia blinks, a little caught off guard. "What game?"
"Truth or dare." His voice is calm, but there's something else underneath it—curiosity, maybe even caution.
Mia gives a small smile. "We're not playing anymore."
"But is the question still valid?" he presses gently, leaning a little closer, eyes never leaving hers."Can you answer it now?"
Her heart skips. The space between them suddenly feels much smaller. His gaze is steady, unreadable, but intense.
She doesn't answer. Can't. Her breath catches.
Then Ben speaks again, softly—"Kevin?"
Her eyes widen slightly. The name hits harder than she expects. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
"You dated, right?" he adds, not accusing, just asking.
Mia stares at him, stunned. "How do you know…?"
The way her voice trails off only confirms it.
Ben's expression doesn't change much. Still calm. Still unreadable. He slowly shifts back, leaning against the edge of the bed, his posture more relaxed now, almost like he was expecting her answer all along.
Mia watches him, her mind spinning, her heart still pounding.
"Remember the day Kevin arrived?" Ben asks quietly.
Mia nods slowly, unsure where he's going with it.
"After you gave him a tour… you came back and went to the break lounge," he continues. "You grabbed your planner… and a photo slipped out."
He pauses. He's not looking at her—but Mia is looking at him.
Watching the way his jaw tenses. The way he's choosing his words."It was you and Kevin. On the beach."
Mia's breath catches.
That photo.
The one she forgot was still tucked inside her planner.From six years ago—when her world was still whole.Their smiles were wide. Sunlight behind them. Her arms around him.That version of her felt like a different person now.
She says nothing. The weight of the memory presses down on her chest.
Ben leans back a little, finally meeting her eyes.
"I didn't know what to think at first. I wasn't even sure it was real," he admits, his voice softer now. "But later that day, Kevin asked me if we were dating."
A small, ironic laugh escapes him.
"That confirmed it."
Mia swallows hard. Her heart is pounding.
"I don't know what kind of relationship you and Kevin had," he continues, voice slower now, like each word is being measured. "But I'll be honest… something about it got under my skin. I got curious. Annoyed, even."
He glances away for a second, then back to her—this time with a calm sort of vulnerability in his expression.
"So I started getting closer to you."A pause."Not out of nowhere. Not just because of him."He exhales."But his arrival… it stirred something in me. Made me realize I felt more than I wanted to admit."
And for a moment, everything is quiet again.But the silence between them this time—it's full of things finally coming to light.
Finally, Mia finds the courage to speak.
"That picture was from six years ago," she says, her voice quiet but steady.They're still looking at each other—neither one breaking the gaze.
"We're not together anymore. Actually nothing was official between me and Kevin."
Ben's eyes flicker, and he leans in a little.
"Why?" he asks softly.
Mia looks down at her hands again."Daisy," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
She doesn't need to say more.Ben understands right away. His jaw tightens slightly.
"If you're not together anymore…" he begins, voice laced with something fragile, "why do you still keep that picture with you?"
They're both clearly drunk now; their cheeks flushed, their walls loosened.
"I forgot it was inside my planner." Mia replies honestly.
Ben lets out a short laugh—dry and unclear.Was it disbelief? Annoyance? Even he doesn't seem sure.
"Now I know," Mia says suddenly, lifting her eyes to meet his.
"What?" Ben asks, brow furrowing slightly.
The tension thickens. Their faces are red from the drinks… and maybe from something else, too.
"Now I understand," Mia says slowly, "why you did all those things."
Ben stays silent, watching her.
"The arm around me, the way you wiped the rice grain off my cheek… when you carried me on your back—" she pauses, breath catching, "you were trying to understand your own feelings after finding out about Kevin and me."
Ben exhales through his nose, letting her words sink in.
Their conversation flows easier now, maybe because of the alcohol—or maybe because the truth is finally being spoken.
Mia lets out a half-laugh, tilting her head.
"Or…" she teases, "do you do that to every girl? Then leave them… hugging?"
Ben turns to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Every girl?" he echoes.
Mia nods dramatically, her hands gesturing with the tipsiness of someone who's one glass past her limit.
"Yeah. There's a rumor going around that you're a bad boy," she says. "Not serious with women. Just dates them and disappears. Leaves them hanging."
Ben bursts into loud laughter, unable to hold it in."Me? A bad boy?" he repeats between chuckles.
"That's what the rumors say," Mia shrugs.
Ben shifts, sitting upright, trying to compose himself but still chuckling.
"Alright. Let me clear this up."He pauses, pointing at her with his glass."I don't date anyone. Maybe people saw me having coffee with different women in the cafeteria, sure—but that's not what it looks like."
Mia blinks, confused. Or just buzzed.
"They were the ones who asked me if they could buy me coffee," he explains, still grinning."And I said yes… because I love coffee."
Another laugh. This one more genuine.
"I never dated them. I never led anyone on," he adds, his tone softening. "Maybe they started the rumors because I wasn't interested. But when I like someone…"
He looks straight into Mia's eyes now, voice clear and sure.
"…I'm serious about that woman."
And he doesn't look away.
Mia can't find the words.They're still looking at each other—this time, the tension is different.Heavier. Closer. Intimate.
Then Ben speaks again, his voice lower now, almost a whisper.
"But… I can be a bad boy if I want to…"
He leans in even closer.But Mia doesn't move away. She stays still—heart racing, breath shallow.
His face is just inches from hers now."You still sure…" he murmurs, his eyes dropping to her lips,"…you don't want to kiss anyone tonight?"
His words hang in the air, warm and charged.