She could feel her heart ache to the tips of her fingers. Whenever she looked at him, it hurt. So much.
She hated it, being in love with 2 people. She was always losing.

And now, she was losing the love of her life.

Sungyeol knew. She knew he knew.
The way his smile faltered on the last day she was to be here. The way he looked at her, so lovingly, but with such pain.

Everything hurt. For both of them.

She slipped her hand into his, and swung their arms. He smiled a bit, pulling her close.
“Let’s walk today.”

Surprised, she met his eyes, but agreed. The more time she spent with him, the better.

Sungyeol could feel his heart breaking. The pieces fell apart slowly, shattering against the ground. She was leaving, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

She hadn’t even told him.

He felt betrayed, but not as much as he felt sad.
The sadness was ripping his heart to shreds.

How could he live without her?
How could he stand not feeling her touch? Not holding her hand?

Hearing her voice in the morning, waking him up?

He didn’t know how he survived 18 years without her, but he knew he couldn’t go one more day.

“I’ll buy you coffee,” He announced, claiming her hand, leading her into the coffee shop. She took a deep breath and followed. It was mid-June, but there was never a bad time for coffee.

“The usual?” The barista smiled at them. They were regulars here, for sure. They nodded and sat down in their usual corner, their drinks brought to them within minutes.

It was odd, the silence that had been brought upon the two. The baristas looked over, puzzled that they weren’t joking around, fighting as they usually did. Instead, they sat, looking at each other, sadness pooling in their eyes.

“What’s up with them?” One of the baristas, Sunggyu whispered to his friend. He shrugged, fixing his nametag. Nam Woohyun.

“Let’s go home, now.” She stood, picking up her bag. Sungyeol stood, taking it from her, and wrapping his arm around her waist.

The two walked for a bit, hand in hand, no words exchanged. Every now and then, he would look at her, and remember the sadness.

Why? Why are you leaving me?

“Oppa?”
Sungyeol stopped. She never called him that.
“Can you piggyback me?”

He squatted in front of her, a small smile on his face. She knew he loved it, how her arms fit around his neck, how her breath tickled his ear, how it made him feel like she was his.  

They continued to walk silently.
It was true.
It was true how he loved her arms around his neck.
How her breath tickled his ear.
How she was totally his while she was there, on his back.

“Sungyeol?”

“Yes?” He croaked. He’d spent much of his energy in these past few minutes, trying to make the girl laugh. Hearing her laugh was the only thing that could make him forget the pain. The pain he would feel the next morning when he woke up, not to her voice, but to Myungsoo’s, telling him she was long gone.  

Gone to America, with another man.

A tear slid down his cheek, and he could feel them on his shoulder, too.

“Sungyeol,” She whispered. “Did you know that I love you?”

More tears.

“Oppa is the only one I’ll ever love.”
“Of course I know,” He said softly. “You love me and only me. You’re not allowed to love anyone else.”

She slid down his back and sobbed into it. He turned, pulling her into his warm embrace.

“I love you.” He mumbled into her hair. “I love you so much you wouldn’t believe it. I won’t love anyone else.”

She looked at him, the tall boy, leaning down to her height, shamelessly shedding tears.

How could she leave him?

The tears continued as she flung her arms around his neck. He picked her up, squeezing her tight.
She couldn’t bear part with him.
She didn’t want to leave his side.

“Don’t leave.” He sniffled.
“I’m sorry...” She whispered, holding her arms tightly around his waist. “I’m really sorry.”

They stood outside her house, crying, for a good ten, twenty minutes. No one wanted to say goodbye, but it was inevitable.
Finally, she looked up at him. Lee Sungyeol, who was hers and hers only.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” She sniffed, planting a kiss on his cheek.
He shook his head. He wouldn’t leave with just that. He cupped her cheek and softly placed his lips on hers.

“I’ll see you.”

She wiped her eyes and headed inside, looking back one last time to her love.

“I love you Lee Sungyeol.”
“I love you Song Ari.”