The longing and waiting have tired me to exhaustion. I wait and convince myself to stay strong, but I can't. 49 winters had I been through without you. You promised to come back, but where are you? I have wasted my youth to nothingness.

*Past*(20 years old)

“My dear, go before they catch you,” I desperately packed his stuff.

“How can I leave you behind like this,” Suho looked as worry as I was.

“It's okay, my family won't do anything to me.”

We were at the shore waiting for the ship to come and bring you to safety was what I cared about. My family disapproved of our relationship because of your status. But I didn't care about such things like that. Throughout​ my life, one thing I truly desired was you to be by my side.

“We will meet again, I promise you that,” tears rolled down my eyes and I felt my chest tightened when he added, “Wait for me to come back and I'll bring you away to our Paradise like we promised.”

I was holding onto​ to that promise the moment you were no longer in my life. It was a mere promise we made back then but I held onto it and kept it as my purpose to life.

*Present*(70 years old)

I now have children of my own and grandchildren while you are still missing from my life. My parents made​ me marry to a guy from our society and forced me to have kids to continue his family. He adores and loves me through these years but I can't return those feelings because I still have you in my heart. He comforts me through thick and thin like he promised me at the altar. He keeps his promises through our 49 years of marriage. But you don't. I keep asking myself why you are not coming back and do you hate my family for what they have done to us.

From being the only red rose in the entire garden of roses to a mature lady with wrinkles.

“I have news about him,” the man, Baekhyun, who has been by my side through all these years tells me abruptly.

I'm speechless, “what did you find?”

“I received news that he has been in China all these years and…”

“Why are you hesitant?”

“Before your parents passed away, they made sure he couldn't come back and when he was first there they told him you were involved in a tragic accident and died.”

My own parents did that to me for what? For money, fame or to ruin my happiness.

“He didn't believe at first but when you didn't reply to his letters he believed all the lies your parents threw at him.”

I cover my ears to block all these from me, “Please stop, I can't take it anymore.”

I'm hurt, he hurts and the man next to me is hurt by my actions through these years.

“I'm sorry but this is important. I have to tell you, it's urgent.”

I look up and not expect a single word from his mouth to be true, “He wants to meet you, Naeun-ah."