“He’s not going back to school.” Mrs. Lee had said after Donghae was discharged from the hospital a few weeks after he was conscious.

     I remember my shocked face, my twisted emotions and my undeniable angst. To make things worse, Mrs. Lee added that he’ll be sent to an institute of the blind in Incheon, about twenty miles from Seoul. Just like that, he’ll be packing up his bags for his journey to said place. I remember having sleepless nights; I remember being a wreck for days. School provided no comfort. It seemed to lose its ambience with Donghae out of the way. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I’d see the darkness Donghae was subjected to face for an eternity.

     Weeks had passed and yet there were no signs of his sight coming back. The doctor said that he feared it may have been permanent damage after all. I remember seeing his mother cry, I remember seeing Donghae sitting down, unmoving. I had thought he didn’t hear what the doctor said, but not until I saw the silent tears which flowed down from his eyes to the base of his face. I could offer no consolation to the family; I too was at loss of words. I recall stepping out of the room and running to restroom. I remember seeing my sulky face reflected upon the polished mirror’s surface. I remember Kyuhyun waiting for me outside, giving me a silent hug as soon as I broke down.

     Now, here I was: walking in a cobblestone sidewalk with Kyuhyun, heading to Donghae’s house which was only a few minutes’ walk from where we parked Kyuhyun’s car. Entering the tranquil subdivision, neither of us said a word, mostly because we feel the pain of goodbye stab us from behind. What would I do when he is gone? Could I even bear the pain of saying goodbye? I remained quiet. The chilly late-Autumn wind blew on our faces; the clouds hung low and would seem like it would rain at any minute. Even the moon seemed to have lost its silvery glow. Seems like the weather shares its sympathy to us. I thought.

     Donghae’s house rose from the view. Under the moonlight, it casted a dark shadow unto the street across to it. I have never been there before, but Kyuhyun told me that it was the place. He himself had been there a couple of times before Hae moved to Japan and usually, it was due to Hae’s childhood birthday parties. His house was unusually geometrical; and had a strong modern feel to it. It was well lit; the windows flashed a tint of warm yellow. The lights outside had an orange glow, contradicting that of the moonlight. It was a three-story structure, counting the garage which took up the entire ground floor. The real household started at the second floor which was where the veranda was located. It was unfair. Donghae never told me he was rich; and neither did Kyuhyun.

Approaching the black steel gates which locked us out, I pushed the doorbell in the nearby wall. A few moments passed before Mrs. Lee opened the front door to see who the visitors were. Recognizing us, she smiled and went down the porch steps to open the gate for us. Mumbling out our thanks, we were led towards the Lee household.

“Sorry if I didn’t let you in immediately.” Mrs. Lee said. “I was helping Donghae pack up.”

I nodded, still not saying a word. I was about to ask her where her husband was, but then shut my mouth immediately remembering what Kyuhyun told me a few weeks back. He said that after the accident, Donghae's father had to leave to do some insurance paperwork and at the same time, return to his job in Japan; which was a thing he does regularly for a period of ten months – two months’ vacation and ten months of work. Too bad he had to leave his family at a time when they needed him badly.

Kyuhyun however, didn’t plan on staying mute for long. “Can we help him? You look worn out already.”

“That would be great. Thanks.”

Kyu nodded. “We’re here to send Hae off anyway.” He shrugged. “Y’know, wish him the best of luck with his new life.”

Mrs. Lee pursed her lips on the last statement. “That’s very noble of you, Kyuhyun. I know this is hard for you; you were just about to renew an old friendship. I’m sorry, but he needs this. I hope you’ll understand.”

Kyu nodded. “I know. If it’s what’s best for him, I’ll take it any day.”

Mrs. Lee smiled. “Good, now if you excuse me, I need take a bath first before I would drive Donghae to the institute. Donghae’s room is the third room on the right side in this corridor.” She said, gesturing at a corridor which contained an array of rooms. “I hope you can take it from here. Thank you, Kyuhyun. I know I could count on you.”

     Donghae was sitting on the top of his bed, his hand firmly gripping the support of his metal crutches. On his bed lay an open travel bag which was already half-full. As soon as the door opened, Hae asked:

“Mom, is that you?”

“No, Donghae. It’s us – Kyuhyun and Yoona.” Kyu said congenially.

“Oh, hey guys,” he greeted.

“Hey,” I said, finally speaking up. “Kyu and I are here to send you off; wish you the best of luck.”

He smirked. “Yeah, I’m gonna need all the luck I could get.”

“So you were getting ready?” Kyu asked.

“Yeah, I’ve finished packing my clothes, but I still haven’t packed my shoes and other accessories – belts and stuff,” he said, shrugging.

“Okay, we’re here to help you out.” I said. “Just tell us where to find your stuff and we’d get it for you.”

Donghae agreed without further consent. At times, his descriptions would be confusing, mostly because he either forgot where he placed the said object or he didn’t know where to find it at all; but in the end, we managed to pull it off with the least bit of hassle and Hae was ready to leave before Mrs. Lee came back to check on us.

“You’re all done?” Mrs. Lee asked when she reentered the room.

“Yes,” I said simply. I wasn’t sure whether I should be glad about it or not.

“That’s great. Thank you so much for helping.” Mrs. Lee said. “Now if you could just help me carry his things into the car, we would be leaving shortly. Would that be okay?”

I nodded. At this point, what other choice do I have but say yes? At least it was the least I could do to help Donghae have a fresh start with his new life.

Kyuhyun carried the oversized travel bag while I carried the miscellaneous packages into the back of Mrs. Lee’s car. Carrying the packages, I was locked in my inner monologue, only to be interrupted when Donghae called my name.

“Yoona?” he called.

I spun and saw him seated in the couch of the living room. I approached him and said, “Yes?”

“Thank you,” he said curtly.

“For what?”

“For making me meet an amazing person such as you: someone selfless and caring. Thank you for standing up for me all this time. You may not know it, but you have touched my life.”

I was struck speechless. I didn’t know what to say. “You're welcome, and thank you,” I said rather briefly. “It’s the least I can do for you; to ensure you have a fresh start.”

He chuckled. “I don’t know what I’ll do without people like you, Yoona. I’ve haven’t grown used to people watching my back, looking out for me. And yet, these people are the ones I need every time I fall and couldn’t get back on my feet.”

“I guess I’m one of those rare people.” I shrugged. “I can’t help it Hae. It’s what I am, and this is what makes me who I am.”

He smiled. “Exactly, that’s what I like about you. You’re genuine. Even without my sight, I know I could count on people like you. You’re one in a million. You and Kyuhyun; friends I know I can rely on.”

I blushed. At the moment, I felt kind of thankful he was blind; so he couldn’t see how much his words are making an impact to me. I stared at his unseeing face; I stared into the eyes of the man I love. Even in blindness, he was still beautiful. He was still Donghae. And this is the reason I came here in the first place – to see him, even if it was the very last time.

“So I guess, this is goodbye, Lee Donghae?” I asked, trying to control the emotion in my voice.

“I guess so. Farewell Im Yoona. I’ll never forget you. Thanks for all the memories.” he paused, and then added, “I’ll be back. And by that time, I would be able to show how grateful I am to a person like you.”

He took my hand, caressed it for a while, and then kissed it.

How I wish I could've captured that moment in time.