Before You Go. |Lee Know

(Fifteen)

It's midday in busy Seoul.

The streets are crowded and dynamic. People are walking by the sidewalks, talking while getting back to their offices after the lunch break. Students who ditched school are bickering about which arcade to go to. Cars are stuffed with people listening to their favorite music. Everyone is enjoying the spring weather since the sky finally stopped raining and the sun is shining brightly.

The same Seoul, the very same day with the same weather but it's a different part of the city. It's quiet here. Few people are passing in the narrow passages. They don't talk much. Some are crying, others are holding flowers. The sun is also shining brightly here, sending warmness to the cold marble stones that engraved the bodies of those who are not in this world anymore.

How could the sun shine so brightly, so shamelessly on a graveyard? How could people just go on with their lives, love and laugh, while others' lives stopped? How could they enjoy the warmness of the sun while others lost their warmness long ago? How could the world continue spinning when a precious soul left the universe?

Those were the thoughts running through this person's mind while stepping into the graveyard. The cold pale fingers trailed the metallic bars of the old rusty gate. Although the sun is high in the sky making everything seem warm, that person was as cold as ice.

Black Jeans, an oversized black hoodie covering most of the body along with the head, making you get confused about whether the person is a male or a female. The only trail of colors is the colorful sneakers with the initials "M.R." written with a black marker on them. The left hand was holding white roses. You can clearly hear the music coming out from the plugged earphones of that person. It's a song named 'Before You Go'.

That person made their way to the specific grave, sat down in front of it, placed the flowers, and started wiping the dust off the marble stone. The wind blew, sending the hood of the hoodie down the neck, showing a black beanie that was hiding that person's hair. The hair length could belong to a male who hadn't cut it for a while or a female who had gone for a boy cut.

A golden sunray hit the marble stone, reflecting its light on that person's face, making that person lifts a hand in the air to block the sunlight and then shove their face to the side, towards where someone was watching from far with a warm smile.

Just as the head was shoved to the side, that person lowered the lifted hand back to its original position, showing his perfect side profile with that high-pointed nose tip and the sharp jawline.

"Stop teasing, Rona." He talked. "I know you are the one reflecting the sun on my face. Are you still in love with my side profile?" Minho asked playfully with a smirk.

There was no answer.

There were never any answers after that day. Even if he could feel her presence around him, he couldn't talk to her, listen to her voice, hold her hand, hug her or rest his forehead on hers while brushing her nose with his.

Minho wiped the marble stone one more time with his bare pale fingers, passing them on every letter of the girl's name that was carved in the stone.

"I know you are still here." He whispered. "I know you never left. I can feel you around me all time. But you have to stop. Take a rest, Rona. I'm doing great."

His eyes were sparkling but not the usual sparkle. It was because of the tears gathering up in them. Minho tried his best to control his tears. "See! I'm fine and healthy. I'm taking the university entrance exam soon. I'm kind of excited but also afraid. I'm going to be the oldest freshman ever." Minho wished that he could hear a few words from her but he knew that it was never going to happen.

"You were right." He chuckled lightly. "When the sky goes crazy, miracles happen. But my miracle wasn't coming back to life. It was you, Rona. It was that you noticed my presence that day." He sighed. He was on the edge of breaking down. "I was ready to go. I was okay to leave! Why didn't you let me? You should've been the one sitting here right now. Not me. I've already had much time and chances. Y-you–"

Minho quickly wiped his escaping tear and cleared his throat.

"I'm not crying. It's the sun. I'm not crying." He said and tried to put on a smile again. A broken one. "Umm, do you know that my body is as cold as ice now? I guess because the heart I'm having is the warmest ever." Minho said placing a hand on his chest.

"Which brings us back to the main point I'm here for today. You should leave, Rona. You should leave so we would be able to meet again as soon as possible. Don't worry about me. I will just work hard and do my best to keep my promises till we meet again. So, you should keep your promises too. We'll meet again. I swear to God that I will find you. And it won't matter if you are younger or older. Even if you are freaking pterosaurs. I'll find you. And I will try my best to make it at the right time this once. I'll make sure that we spend a long time together."

Minho paused and flashed a weak smile. "Go to your family. They must have been waiting for so long. Your brother must be bored as hell. So, go over there and wait for me for a little more. I won't forget you. Never. How could I when your heart is literally beating inside my chest?"

Minho said, tracing the words carved on the gravestone 'When the sky goes crazy, Miracles happen.'

"Thank you for making me believe in miracles again. Thank you for being my miracle. I'll make sure that next time we meet, you notice me early enough. Goodbye, Han Rona."

Minho stood up, pulled his hood over his head again, plugged in the earphones, and set his now favorite song to full volume. A song named 'Before you go'. The boy placed his hands in his back pockets and was about to move when his eyes stopped at where the figure was standing far away watching.

Flashback:

Rona rushed back to the kitchen, holding a hand to her chest while fanning her face with the other. "MOM!" She yelled. "You didn't tell me that Jisung's friend is that HOT and HANDSOME! You should've warned me before I storm in."

"Well, the boy has some visuals indeed."

"Some? He has ALL THE FREAKING VISUALS. Fuck! I winked at him!"

"Tongue, lady!" Her mother warned.

"Sorry, mom."

Rona left the kitchen and rushed into her room, locking the door behind her, knowing by heart that she won't be able to fall asleep easily that night.

End of flashback.

"You were noticed early enough." Said the figure. "Goodbye, Lee Minho."

Rona, the fading spirit never knew if Minho really saw her or not. Minho smiled and started walking away. Rona smiled and started walking in the opposite direction. There were no regrets.

Miracles happen, in the most unexpected way when you almost lose hope.

Goodbyes are true, and they can be the beginning of a new encounter.

Happy endings are real, it's just that sometimes your happiness is in living a life and others' happiness is in giving you that life.

THE END.