Now, as I put the finishing touches to these pages, I believe I may have found that one thing I wanted to tell you- Don't let go. The moment you let him let go of you is the moment you will immensely regret that even in your death you will never be able to forgive yourself. 

 

 

Dara breathes heavily as she closes the journal in her hands. This isn't the first time she flips through its pages. But for some reason unknown to her, she keeps on reading it over and over again.

 

 

It was heart-wrenching. Her heart aches for her. How she endured it all by herself. How, even in her misery, she has so much faith in him. How her love for him outweighs the pain he inflicted on her.

 

But why would he leave her, though?

 

It's a question she had in mind ever since. You wouldn't leave a person you love. You wouldn't regardless of the situation. How can you call it love if you give up? 

 

But what does she know about love? She hasn't fully experienced it. She knows nothing about the happiness or the sorrow that comes with it. Who was she to question whether what they had was love or not? 

 

 

'Why bother, Dara?' She sighed. 'Why are you being so affected by a journal?' 

 

 

She shoved the journal back to her bedside drawer and decided to sleep. It's her first day at work tomorrow and being late will not be a good impression for an employee on her probationary period. 

 

She lights the scented candles in her room and tucks herself under her sheets after. Chaerin was right. It helped her sleep better at night. 

 

Dara had trouble sleeping the past few days. It never happened before. She can't help but think that maybe Chaerin was right. Maybe it was because of that thousand-year-old journal that she had trouble sleeping.

 

 

But she will knock the idea off. Poor journal getting blamed for something that's not even its doing. It was just her having jitters for the new world she will be stepping into. 

 

 

"The moment you let him let go of you is the moment you will immensely regret that even in your death you will never be able to forgive yourself." 

 

It echoed on her mind. Her thoughts were filled yet again by the journal entries. 

 

Stop thinking about it, Dara. Just sleep. Sleep. You better sleep. Sleep. She reprimanded herself. 

 

 

"What the hell were you doing last night?!" Dara is on the phone with Chaerin. Her best friend's busy nagging her from the other line while she's running for her dear life and praying to every possible God there is that she gets into the next elevator. Heck, she is 15-minutes late! Their Head Unit, Mr. Yang, already gave out instructions for the project assigned on each team. She was not present because hell yes, she is late. Stupid her setting the alarm in the afternoon instead. 

 

"Quit with your sermon, will you? Just tell me where should I find Mr. Yang!" 

 

"8th floor! Get your there now!" 

 

Fortunately, Dara was able to smash herself into the lift and met Mr Yang before they fire her on the first day of her work. Saved her from being listed in the Guinness World Record for fastest termination.

 

"Discuss it with your partner. I'll be expecting a report next week. Have you met him during the orientation?" 

 

"I'm afraid I didn't, Mr Yang."

 

"Just find Jiyong on your floor. The cubicles for the new recruits are beside each other anyway."

 

Dara bowed a little and thanked him after. She proceeds to their floor and immediately looks for her partner. What was his name again? Jiyong?

 

She saw Chaerin the moment she arrived. The floor was awfully quiet. The only sound she can hear is the aircon and her heels as she walks through her assigned cubicle.

 

Chaerin was mouthing something at her while pointing her finger. She follows the direction to where she's pointing at and finds a guy reading a book with his earphones on. On his left is an empty cubicle. Must be for her. Great. They are seated beside each other. Her partner. Jiyong. 

 

After settling down, she lightly taps his shoulder to get his attention. Dara figured out she must apologise to him, too. They're partners for the whole duration of the project and she was not with him while Mr Yang was discussing. 

 

"Hi."

 

Jiyong turns over to face her. She smiled at him when their eyes met. 

 

"I'm Dara, your partner for the Leonid Festival."

 

Her smile slowly faded when he didn't even give her a response. Didn't even budge to take his earphones off. He was just there. Sitting. Looking at her with a serious expression. 

 

Is he mad at me? 

 

"I'm sorry. I was late. Can you... Uhh.." she gestured, urging him to take his earphones out so they can hear each other. 

 

Jiyong didn't move. Didn't peel his eyes off of her. Dara grew a bit uneasy with his stares. She started worrying if he was mad at her for being late. But the look on his eyes says otherwise. He didn't look like he was mad. In fact, he looked sad. Is he sad because... she's late? Is that it? 

 

She wanted to look away but she couldn't. For a moment, she felt a tightening on her chest. There was a familiar feeling that enveloped her. Just like that night. That night she first read the journal entries. 

 

 

It was Jiyong who first looked away. He gasped a little when he did. Dara's eyes are still on him. Watching how he clenched his fist and how his jaw tightened. She noticed how he let out a soft sigh before facing her again.

 

"Sandara.."

 

The way he said her name sounded ethereal to her. She heard her name from other people's mouth but it didn't sound as enticing as it is when it escaped his mouth. He made it sound like a prayer, a desperate wish in the middle of the night.

 

Was it because of his voice? Or was it in the manner his eyes glistened as he utters her name? 

 

Her trail of thoughts was interrupted by another thought. How did he know her name? He even called her by her full name which she rarely uses, Sandara. 

 

She wanted to ask him if he knew her but something different came out of .

 

"Have we met before?" 

 

 

 

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