I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking. I had no destination; I was just walking. My eyes were kept fixated onto the ground and I didn’t bother apologizing to the people that bumped into me. I headed into a pojang-macha to go drink. I figured getting drunk was the easiest way to forget all my worries at the moment. I stepped inside and was immediately greeted by the unintelligible words and laughter of the drunken people. I was walking towards a table when I heard somebody call my name. I looked over my shoulder, but I didn’t recognize anybody. I shrugged. Must be imagining things…

                “ you Jiyong!”

                …There it is. Somebody is cursing at me. I turned around and walked slowly. I glanced at the lady who had her head buried in her arms. I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to make out a face from that clump of hair. Then she looked up, staring directly at me. My eyes widened. Seungah…? I bit my lip as I took a seat across from her. She choked out a sob as she pushed her hair away from her face. I could see her face more clearly now. Her face was all red and tear-stained. I felt a squeeze in my chest. She’s really broken up.

                “Are you ok?” I asked stupidly. . That was so dumb; of course she’s not ok!

                “Ah… ing Jiyong is a dumb bastard,” she sighed, twirling a piece of her hair. I frowned. Does she hate me that much? She was now just looking around in boredom. I guess she ran out of tears to cry. She leaned to the right and almost collapsed on the floor. “But…” she continued talking. I listened closely; hope spreading all over my body.

“I love that bastard…”

She loves me. She still loves me after everything. My heart started beating uncontrollably fast. It was like the first time we confessed to each other. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing like a fool. Then she laughed bitterly and reached for the half empty bottle of soju. I quickly pulled it away, out of her reach. She made a face and stood up. She walked around the table, swaying from side to side just to get to me. She reached for it, but I stood up and held it up high. She started whining and hitting my chest. Crap, she’s really drunk… I chuckled as she hugged my body like a koala. Suddenly, she passed out. I caught her with my arms just in time. I placed the bottle of soju down and slapped a few bills on the table. I lifted her up without hesitation. She’s so light… I couldn’t help but wonder if she had been eating proper meals.

                I lightly set Seungah down on my bed. I covered her with a blanket and then sighed deeply. I glanced down at the floor which still had glass shards and sand from the broken hourglass. Our broken hourglass. Even though it wasn’t me who broke it, I took all the responsibility for this acci