----- Last Day of School, Cafeteria -----

"So what are you gonna do after this, Dae?" Jungwook asks as he generously adds sauce to his lunch. Daehyun shrugs, and you can't help but smile at how close they've become. You never could have imagined that it be possible. They weren't necessarily enemies, but they weren't friends, either. A term like 'acquaintances' wouldn't fit, and 'rivals' would be too assuming and presumptuous. But here they are now, sitting on either side of you at lunch for the last time.

"I'm going home." Daehyun says as he chews around a mouthful of food.

"I don't mean after school, I mean, after this. All this," Jungwook says, waving his arms around his head to illustrate a point. "Are you going back home? You gonna stay here for the summer again?"

Daehyun sneaks a glance at you before he replies, "I might. I don't know yet."

"You could stay where I live," Jungwook suggests. "I bet grandpa would let you."

"No," Daehyun shakes his head, laughing quietly. "I can't do that. Plus, I'm not really planning on going to school here again. I might stay for the summer, bu - "

"Where are you going to go?" You speak up, eyeing him curiously. He shrugs guiltily at you, obviously trying not to make a big deal of the news he's about to deliver.

"I actually got accepted to a school overseas. So I'm going there," Daehyun replies. Calm. Reserved. Composed.

You'd be calm, too, if you had known about it beforehand. Thankfully, Jungwook reacts in the way you normally would if you hadn't been so shocked.

"You're not staying here?" Jungwook asks, looking aghast. 

"No," Daehyun answers simply. He watches you, but he doesn't say a word. You look away and choose to stare at your food, which doesn't look all that appetizing anymore. Knowing that you'd be moving away by the end of the school year was a painful thought dulled only by the fact that you're sure you'll be able to visit Daehyun during your free time. He'll be close enough to you that you can take a bus to come see him, to come visit him in that familiar, run-down neighborhood he had shared with you. But if Daehyun moves, then, exactly when will you see him again?

Your eyes start to prick with tears. No. Not now. You're not going to think about this now. You force a smile and face Daehyun. "Are you excited?"

You can feel Jungwook's eyes on your face, and you can feel his will as he attempts to suppress the questions that are surely filling his head. Daehyun smiles, that beautiful smile that makes him look so wonderful, so unreachable, and replies, "Sort of. I want to go. It's a good school."

"You could always stay here ... " you mumble.

"You're leaving, too," he points out, not unkindly. You know he's trying to soften the blow, but it's not really helping, especially since you're still in denial. It's not that all your plans should go smoothly. Life never goes smoothly. You should have at least expected this, especially since Daehyun is smart enough to get into any school he wants, but you hadn't. The fact that you couldn't have assumed this upsets you, making you wonder whether you've been so focused on your unstable future that you haven't payed any heed to Daehyun.

But those are all secondary thoughts. Selfish as this sounds, you want him to say that he'll stay, or that he'll come with you to this new place you're going to move. That he'll accompany you, or visit you, or that he'll try to at least make you stay here so that you won't go with your dad to the location of his new job. 

Actually, no. It's not really any of that, either. It's just that you had always thought Daehyun would be by your side. If there's one thing you regret assuming, it's that.

And the fact that you're moving - the inevitable, invariable fact - hadn't really meant anything to you until this moment. 

The bell for the next class rings. Daehyun leaves in a hurry, shouting an excuse over his shoulder, and you sigh as you pick up your tray and head for the trashcan with Jungwook. It occurs to you how strange this reversal is. Before, so many months ago, Jungwook had been the one who prodded you to approach the trashcan, alone. And now here he is, walking with you to the place he had firstly condemned you.

Jungwook takes your tray and dumps its contents in the trash before he does the same with his. He starts to walk into the adjoining hallway, and you hurry to catch up with him. Once there, you're about to open your mouth to say that you'll be off to your next class now, see you later, but he stops you by tugging on your arm gently.

"What?" You ask him, pausing. People are moving around you, but you try to pay no heed to their nosy gazes as Jungwook gathers the courage to say what he plans to say.

"Were you okay?" He clears his throat. "Back there."

"I'm fine," you lie, but Jungwook smiles.

"You'll miss him, won't you?" He asks. You don't reply, and he nods, understanding your silence as agreement. "Listen," he starts, taking his hand off your arm, "Make sure you talk to Daehyun after school."

"I'm working."

"No, you're not," he insists. "I already know grandpa gave you the day off. Hey, you need to talk to him, right?" He prods, attempting to regain your interest. "I mean, you're leaving tomorrow."

"I'll talk to him ... " you say, turning away. If you stay here any longer, listening to him, you might end up crying. That would be embarrassing. You start to walk away, thinking this conversation is over, but he calls you again.

"Hey. I gotta say something," he says, his voice echoing in the hallway. It's empty. Since when had it turned empty? "If I don't see you again ... check your locker, okay?" He gives you a goofy grin, and before you can reply, he strides away. You watch him turn around a corner before you take a step forward and head to your next class.

The day passes quickly. The bell rings for the last class of the day, of the entire school year, and students whoop and excitedly pack their bags, in a complete hurry to exit the building. You take your time, feeling sentimental as you look around at your surroundings, wondering why you haven't noticed little things before, like the engraved initials on the back of your chair, or a flicker of paint that contrasts with the main color on the wall. You sigh as you carry your bag and walk out the door, waving goodbye to the teacher.

The hallway is pulsing with life. People are giving each other hugs or farewell gifts, and you try to push yourself through the crowd and finally arrive at your locker. After inputting the code, you open your locker, and a small piece of white paper flutters to the ground. You smile, remembering what Jungwook had said earlier, and pick it up amidst the din passing around you. A wave of nostalgia overcomes you, and you set your jaw in an attempt to ignore your emotions as you read the letters on the page.

Goodbye.

That's all it says. It's so simple. It almost shouldn't mean anything, really, and yet it does, and now you can't help but choke back a sob as you fold that paper and stuff it into your bag. Stupid Jungwook, making you want to cry so much.

Ducking your head, you plow through the crowd, briefly forgetting Jungwook's suggestions to find Daehyun. You try to navigate through the school by staring at the floor (which is a really difficult feat to master) and end up bumping against a lot of people.  You look up for a moment to see whether you're headed in the right way, and seeing the exit door, you purposefully stride forward. People have already left the building, and the school is quieter now, so when you hear the voice that interrupts the new silence, you instantly stop.

"You might want to be careful where you look." 

You clutch the strap of your bag tightly before you turn around to face Daehyun. Why does he have to look so amazing the day before you have to leave? It makes having to go that much worse. Why does he have to smile at you like that? Or his head like that, or stand like that, or simply be here, just being with you, why does he have to ... be there? Why can't he be anywhere but here, in a place where you can't see him, in a place where you don't have to face your fears?

"Hi," you manage to croak. Daehyun takes a step forward.

"Sorry I didn't ... tell you about it earlier," he says. "I wanted to tell you once you moved. I didn't want you to have too much to think about."

"Oh," you say, trying to smile. "It's fine. Really."

He doesn't reply, and the silence stretches between you two. It's such a thick, bottomless silence, and you wonder whether you'll be able to fill it with the surface words you're saying. Are you really going to get anywhere, discussing things like this?

"Daehyun," you speak out, your voice sounding strange to your ears. "Before I forget. I wanted to say ... um, thanks." He waits for you to continue, and you add, "For helping me out. During the school year. Well ... anyway, I just ... I don't want to move, but ... I guess ... I can do it now? Moving on, or whatever. I mean. I like it here. I was happy. But ... this is going to sound so lame, but it was only because of you," you blush, looking away. "And I just wanted to say, um, thanks. For being there. And that, I'll, um, I'll miss you."

Daehyun takes another step forward, his eyes bright with amusement. "That's my line," he whispers, still moving, until he stops just a foot away from you. "It's my job to say I'll miss you."

"You're so lame, you know?" You say, breaking into a timid smile. Flustered, you rub your eyes, not wanting those tears to spill. You raise your hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, but Daehyun reaches out and quickly grabs your wrist. He uses it to pull you close, and you stumble forward, into the familiar safety of his arms.

"You don't have to pretend so much," he whispers in your hair as he holds you firmly to him. You can feel his heart beat rapidly against your ear. He feels warm. Safe. He lowers his voice and says, "I thought I told you that it's okay to cry once in a while."

You lift your head to smile up at him, despite the tears that are sure to appear, at any moment now. "No. I don't want to cry right now."

"Who said I won't see you again, anyway?"

"What?" You ask, bewildered.

"Yeah, we're moving. But that doesn't mean we won't see each other again, you know?" He smiles down at you. "I never said I wouldn't visit."

"Overseas is a pretty long trip."

"It's only halfway around the world," he teases, brushing a wayward strand of hair from your face. "Anyway," he breathes, "I don't intend on letting you go forever." With that, he pulls back so he can hold your hand properly, and starts leading you out of the school.

"Daehyun," you say, your bag lightly hitting your hip as you walk forward, trying to keep up with his pace, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know, actually," he answers truthfully as he pushes the door open. "Somewhere. Anywhere. Just for a bit. I just want to be with you for a bit longer. Is that okay?" He turns to look at you sincerely, and you grin.

"That's fine," you answer, and let him pull you forward to a place you can't predict.

Sure. You're sad to be moving. You're sad to be going someplace so far. But if you're going to keep regretting all of these choices, then it's like you haven't learned anything from what Daehyun has told you. It's like you've denied everything he's suggested, and that's like saying you're going back to the past. And you can't go back there. You've already decided to move forward, a long, long time ago. You can't retrace your steps. You won't go anywhere if you do that.

Besides, it shouldn't matter anymore. Nothing should matter, really. Because Daehyun is by your side, right now, at this moment, just like he had promised he would be. And in the end, that's the one and only thing you don't ever want to change, and the one and only thing that will remain constant. 

Just like the stars.