Jihyo woke up in the middle of the night, only to find that Gary was not sleeping on the hospital bed. She checked the toilets first, but he wasn’t there. Neither was he near the vending machines.

Suddenly, an ominous thought flashed across her mind.

“No way…” she thought to herself, as she raced to the information counter.

She informed the nurse on duty about Gary’s disappearance. She immediately activated the security to search for him.

Jihyo went with her instincts. She went to the rooftop.

Gary sat on the ledge of the roof, steadying himself with his hands. To be honest, he was afraid. He had never been a fan of heights, especially not now. 18 levels above ground, with cars zooming past below his feet. He remembered why he came up here in the first place and steels himself.

He remembered the first time he went up a rooftop. It wasn’t even that long ago. Just a couple of days back, when he visited Jihyo’s high school. She begged him for forever to go up there. He had been afraid then, but he wanted to go, too. He wanted to know where did the love of his life spend most of her time. He wanted to know what beauty did that place hold to capture her heart.

He remembered how mesmerized he had been when he was up there, not just by the view, but by her smile. It was so radiant, so carefree. Almost like she was a youth again. It had been windy up there, just as it was now, and her hair was fluttering all over the place. Her eyes, though, twinkled with an excitement that he had never seen. It made him happy too, and he kissed her on the lips.

Now, thinking of her-her smiles, her eyes, her shy giggles, and how he’s going to leave her behind, his heart ached. Ache was an understatement, really. He should never have agreed to this. Why date when you’re about to die? Why raise your hopes up when you know they’re going to get dashed sooner or later?

He loosened his g