*The italicized bold text symbolizes memories or flashbacks.

**The italicized text symbolizes thoughts

~~~

Jangmi was driving at a ridiculously fast pace. She knew that she was scaring the crap out of the other drivers on the freeway but she couldn't help it; she was absolutely furious. Driving, to her, was a way to relieve stress. 

Her up-to-no-good parents decided to play with her personal love life again and set her up to another blind date with a balding fat man who had a weird hobby of collecting lint from his belly button. Needless to say, she had to escape. Fortunately, by faking a stomach ache- a trick that had succesfully worked for her the last few times she was forced to go out- she was able to leave early. That was how she wound up out in the middle of nowhere, deep into the night. 

Jangmi sighed as she continued to speed across the roads in her BMW. The best of intentions were of her parents and she knew that. They just wanted to help her get her life back to where it used to be, but their efforts weren't helping at all; in fact, it made things worse. Everytime she went on a date that was set up, all she could think about was him.

The guy with a charming personality that everyone loved.

"You dropped your books. Here, let me help you." He said as he leaned over and picked up her textbooks.

The guy with the sweetest smiles that went to his eyes and laughs that made everyone happy on the days they felt bad.

"Let's go to the park!" He smiled and she felt a warm feeling spread in her heart.

The guy who had a passion for dancing that everyone admired and envied.

"One day, I'm going to become a dancer. A good one so we can live happily together." He looked over to her under the starry skies while holding hands.

And the guy who had made her fall in love for the very first time.

"I love you, Jangmi. More than you can imagine. Will you be my girlfriend?" He held her hand as delicately as a flower and put his forehead to hers.

His name was Mark Tuan.

In the two years that Jangmi had known and loved Mark, everything had felt right. She was loved and cared for in a way she had never experienced before. He prioritized their relationship and was always there for her. Even on her bluest days, he would always cheer her up and shine a light on the path before her. Jangmi reminisced about the first time they had met in college.

"Hi, my name is Mark. Do you mind if I sit here?" A handsome, blond-haired guy asked as he gestured to the seat next to Jangmi. The boy, Mark, smiled and raised his eyebrows in question. Dazed by his sudden appearance, Jangmi hastily replied back.

"Sure." Quickly, Jangmi moved her backpack so that Mark could sit down. 

Mark settled into his seat and once he got comfortable, he said, "Thanks." He looked up at the time and realized that there were still ten more minutes until class would start.

"So what's your major?" Mark asked her to help pass time and any awkward silences. He turned to face Jangmi who was currently reading her favorite book, The Catcher in the Rye. Closing her book, Jangmi glanced up at Mark.

"I'm an art major. I hope to become a successful painter one day!" Jangmi said excitedly. After all, she was vehement about what she was doing, even if her parents didn't support her.

Withthat, Jangmi's conversation with Mark intrinsically continued, as if they were old friends. They seemed to just click right together. Jangmi felt happy and content. 

Jangmi smiled as she remembered those past memories. They were like eating dark chocolate, sweet and bitter at the same time. Looking back on it now, she was certain that she has already started falling for him then. There was just something about him that set him aside from everyone else.

After that first meeting, they had met up and exchanged numbers, and their relationship only grew from there; eventually turning into love. 

However, things changed after the accident. A tragic and horrible occurence that had hindered their relationship from returning its original state. Jangmi's heart clenched and tightened in pain as she experienced flashbacks of Mark. Terrible ones, that is.

Jangmi was upset. Mark had promised to come and hang out with her while they watched a movie. He said that he would be at her house at 6:00, but it was already 7:30.

Jangmi was a patient person. But waiting for someone for an hour and half, without a call or text message, is frustrating. She could only wonder where Mark was and why he wasn't replying back to her.

In all honesty, Jangmi was nervous. Thoughts invaded her head; 'Did something bad happen to him?', 'Is he...out with someone else?' Her last thought scared her, but she knew Mark wouldn't do that. Jangmi put all her faith in him.

It wasn't until two hours later that Mark came home to their shared apartment. He looked tired and worn out. He looked around saw Jangmi sitting on the couch, on her phone.

"Hey Jangmi." Mark said as he plopped onto the couch. He looked over to her. The said girl didn't reply until minutes later.

"Why...Why weren't you here at 6:00?" Jangmi asked quietly. She was a little upset that he hadn't replied to any calls or text messages she had sent her. Mark gave her a confused look, until he realized that they had planned a 'date'. But before he could reply, Jangmi said something again. Because seeing the look on his face was enough to know that he hadn't cared enough to remember. And that hurt. 

"Nevermind. I'm going to take a walk outside to clear my head," Jangmi said as she stood up. She maneuvered around Mark and headed to the door. But not before she heard Mark's voice.

"Wait! I'm sorry. It just slipped my mind. Don't go," Mark said as he went over and back hugged her. Jangmi wanted so much to forgive him, but she needed to know where he was and why he couldn't reply to her. With that, Jangmj turned around to face Mark.

"Its okay," Jangmi said, "I just want to know where you were and why you didn't reply to any of my calls or texts."

Mark looked at Jangmi nervously.

"I couldn't reply to your texts because my phone had died. And I was... practicing my new dance choreography." He said unconfidently. In the two years Jangmi knew Mark, she had come to know that Mark was a bad liar. And she knew that he was't telling her the truth. This bothered Jangmi as a thought pulled at the back  of her head. 'Was it because..?'Jangmi thought, until she stopped herself from plagung her mind with bad thougths.

"Please tell me the truth," Jangmi pleaded to Mark. She needed an answer or else she couldn't take it.

"Jangmi, I..." Mark started but couldn't finish. He looked down at his hands. Jangmi waited for him to finish his sentence but he didn't. Pulling herself away from his grasp, Jangmi looked straight into his eyes.

"Mark, it doesn't bother me that you didn't make it on time. We are human and we both forget sometimes. What bothers me is that you can't tell me where you were. Don't we have enough trust in this relationship? Or is there something you want to tell me?" Jangmi said. Her eyes nearly teared up when Mark couldn't reply back to her properly. Bad thoughts swarmed her head as it dawned upon her. Maybe he was tired of their relationship. Maybe he wanted to see someone else. Maybe he didn't love her anymore...

Jangmi felt suffocated. Quickly she turned and walked out of the room, outside. She came to the outdoor staircase that led to the street and hastily walked down them, careful not to trip. Behind her she could hear Mark, following her.

Jangmi didn't want to remember anymore. But her brain couldn't seem to understand her heart.

Jangmi ran across the street that ran across their apartment, without looking either way to check for any cars. Big mistake.

Eyes blurred by the tears b against her eyes, Jangmi decided to pull over to the edge of the highway. She didn't care if it was against the rules; she couldn't drive right now. Curling up, Jangmi unbuckled her seatbelt and eyes. She tried hard. She tried so hard to stop the flashbacks but they kept pelting her mind, drving her to the edge.

Suddenly, a bright light blinded her from her right side. Jangmi turned to look, and saw a big truck driving toward her. It wasn't stopping. She paniced inwardly and closed her eyes, ready for it to hit her. But it didn't.

Jangmi was sobbing now. It was almost to painful to bear. Outside, she could hear the rush of cars and wind blowing, but all that she could comprehend was the heart-wrenching thoughts that tore her to bits and pieces.

Instead, Jangmi felt a warm body push her forward, out of the way of the truck. Jangmi's eyes widened in shock. It was as if time had stopped. There, in front of her was Mark, smiling sadly at her. She wanted to scream and tell Mark to move out of the way, but it was too late. Seconds later after Mark had pushed Jangmi, the truck smashed into his body, creating a sickening crunch that resounded across the neighborhood.

Jangmi could barely remember the rest. After that accident, it was the neighbors who had heard the comotion. They had called 911 and Mark was taken to the emergency room, with Jangmi clinging to him the whole time. Both of their families were there crying and comforting eachother, while all Jangmi could do was sit there lifelessly. 

It was hard. Hard to see the person that Jangmi loved most dearly in a white infirmary bed, with tubes sticking out of his body and bandages wrapped around his head. In all honesty, Jangmi blamed everything on herself, even to