How could they do this to me? He thought.

 

I thought they'd be supportive my own decision of who I want to marry?

 

He punched the punching bag wretchedly, imagining the bag as his parents.

 

"What's wrong this time?" Kangin asked, leaning against the wall beside him. His expression was bored; as though he had expected this particular kind of reaction from his friend.

 

Leeteuk stopped punching and walked to the bench, with Kangin following him. Leeteuk gulped down his water and wiped off his sweat before saying, "My parents."

 

"Dementia?"

 

Leeteuk sighed. "I wish. So they'd forget about the whole stupid arranged marriage thing."

 

Kangin immediately widened his eyes. "Are you serious?! What era do we live in right now? People don't just come up with arranged marriage these days!"

 

"Apparently, my dad does." Leeteuk sighed, wiping his forehead tiredly. "I have to tell her and see what we can do."

 

Kangin went quiet. After a few moments of silence, he slapped Leeteuk's back encouragingly.

 

"Don't be so sad. Y'know the saying, there's always a silver linin---"

 

Leeteuk stood up abruptly, cutting off his friend's words.

 

"Just... Be quiet, please? I need some time alone." 

 

With that, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door after him. Kangin blinked at the door, and worry creased his forehead. He wanted to help; but there seemed to be nothing he could do.

 

Five hours later, Leeteuk returned to their apartment. They weren't married yet; just engaged. They were just starting their wedding preparations, and Leeteuk bought the apartment as a "engagement gift", so they were residing in it to prepare their wedding together.

 

Leeteuk entered Sora's room, and walked to her bed. He bent down to peck lightly on his sleeping fiancée's forehead.

 

"Sora." he softly said. The sleeping woman stirred beside him.

 

"Mmmm," she mumbled sleepily, eyes slowly peeping open. "What is it?"

 

"Let's run away."

 

He got her full attention. She shot up striaght on the bed, twisting to face him with a quizzical expression on her face.

 

"What? Why?"

 

"My parents... They are setting me up for an arranged marriage."

 

Sora's eyes went wide like saucers, and her jaw dropped open in shock. She was too taken aback to even breathe.

 

"But the only person I love is you--- I can never marry someone else."

 

 

Silence.

 

 

"Sora, please. Just say something, will you?" He reached out to carress her soft, velvety face, his thumb tracing across her trembling lips.

 

"Can't you... tell your parents that you won't agree to an arranged marriage?"

 

Leeteuk sighed. "I tried. They just wouldn't let me disagree. I would be kicked out of the family company and my house if I did."

 

But Leeteuk was lying. His parents never approved of Sora, and merely wanted to speed up their breakup so they would stop dating. If he didn't agree, they'd--- though he didn't know to what extent they would destroy her family, he knew enough that disobeying his parents would bring tragedy to both of him and his Sora.

 

He'd much rather grit his teeth through a forced marriage than to see her cry. She would cry over their breakup; but it would pass. The love she had for her family was greater than her love for him; he respected that. Destroying her family would be equivalent to destroying her. He could never do that. He loved her too much.

 

Water started to gather in Sora's eyes. Leeteuk gently brushed it away, feeling his own sour tears squeeze their way to his eyes. "But, I can't.  but I have my obligations." she quietly said.

 

He suddenly remembered that Sora's father was terminally ill and needed Sora's constant care. If she disappeared... He refused to comtemplate the consequences.

 

"Yes, you have." he acknowledged reluctantly, looking down at his lap.

 

They went silent.

 

 

...

 

"Sora, I really love you." he started to cry. Sora hugged him fiercely.

 

"I'm sorry..." she whispered. 

 

"You're not at fault." Leeteuk sobbed.

 

Sora closed her eyes, teardrops making their way crawling down her cheeks. But she didn't say anything.

 

They stayed like that a few more minutes, until Leeteuk asked quietly, "Can I... sleep with you tonight?"

 

Sora opened her eyes. It was just a simple request; she knew he just wanted to be by her side for the night. She nodded.

 

"Okay. Go change before you sleep."

 

Leeteuk striaghtened up, and exited the room. Sora stared the door as he left, already feeling her lungs so weak that she just wanted to give up on breathing. She knew he would leave her; there was no other way. No matter how broken she gets, he'd never return to her side, unless a miracle happens. So she has to leave first, before he leaves her. 

 

The next morning, she slipped out of his arms quietly. She tip-toed around the apartment, packing up her things. Just before she leaves the place, she ripped off a corner of a paper calendar, and uncapped a pen on the dining table. She thought for a long time, but couldn't find any thing she wanted to say to him. So she just wrote:

 

I'm sorry.

 

With a sigh, she capped back the pen and placed the pen on the note. Just as she was about to pick up her baggage, she heard a sleepy voice call out.

 

"Sora?"

 

Oh crap. She thought as she hurriedly grabbed her baggage and left the apartment. She ran to the main street and hired a taxi, wanting to not let Leeteuk see her leave. He didn't.

 

 

 

Sora cut off her contact with Leeteuk. She changed her number, her address and her work place. No matter how hard Leeteuk tried to find her, it was to no avail.

Sora did it for their own good. Or so she thought. She couldn't face him again, not without knowing that he'd get married to another girl. They couldn't stay together anymore anyway.

 

Two months later, Leeteuk got married to Baek Ginji. She was quite pretty, but Sora is always the prettiest in his heart. He never bedded Ginji, and she never pushed him to. His parents got angry that they didn't get a baby after five years of marriage. Leeteuk and Ginji gave excuses repeatedly, but when Ginji got pregnant, he knew the baby wasn't his. Their parents were of course, elated. Leeteuk pretended to be happy too, but he was still thinking about Sora all those years.

 

He dreamt of her every night, and always ended up sobbing into his pillow in the morning, saying, "I miss you so much."

 

 

 

 

"Junwoo!" he called over 'his' son. The bubbly toddler rushed into Leeteuk's arms and Leeteuk laughed as he scooped the bubbly child in his arms and ruffled Junwoo's hair.

 

Ginji walked over to them and smiled. "Beautiful weather, isn't it?"

 

Leeteuk smiled and played with Junwoo. He treated Junwoo as his own, even though he and Ginji both knew Junwoo was not his. Junwoo was also regularly meeting his real father, so Junwoo just calls Leeteuk, "Uncle".

 

Luckily, and strangely, his parents never noticed this fact.

 

"Leeteuk," Ginji said.

 

"Yes?" he said as he played with Junwoo.

 

"I'm planning a divorce."

 

"Really?"

 

"Kangin proposed to me last week. I said yes."

 

"What will you tell our parents then?"

 

She pursed her lips. "Nothing. That's why I'm telling you this."

 

"You could elope with him. You should have done so years ago when you were pregnant with his child."

 

She blushed that the blatant truth. "He... was still jobless then. He said he wanted to make sure he earned enough money to support a family."

 

Leeteuk shook his head, grinning. "Aish, you idiots."

 

"We'll just elope after our divorce, I guess. You won't mind dealing with the... aftermath?"

 

Leeteuk smiled and shook his head. "I won't really mind. But I'll miss Junwoo. Right, Junwoo?" he bent down to coo to the toddler. Junwoo toothily grinned at Leeteuk.

 

A ball suddenly hit Leeteuk's back. Inwardly wincing, he striaghtened up to search for the thrower of the ball. A young boy, around six years old, was running towards the ball on the ground beside Leeteuk. A Jack Russell terrier followed the boy. Leeteuk gave Junwoo to Ginji before standing up to pick up the ball for the boy.

 

"Thank you." the boy bowed as he took the ball from Leeteuk's hand. A middle-aged woman, donning a pair of sunglasses and sundress, walked towards them and bowed as well. "Sorry about his ball hitting you. Apologise to him, Junso."

 

The boy bowed again. "Sorry, ajusshi."

 

Leeteuk smiled. "Just be careful next time, alright?"

 

He felt a weird sensation settle in his stomach as he watched them walk away. The feminine voice sounded very familiar, a lot like her... 

 

He shook his head, sighing. He must be missing her too much. 

 

Closing his eyes, he whispered towards the sky above him, as if speaking to the heavens above, "Where are you, Sora?"

 

A cool breeze ghosted past his ears, whispering softly. It sounded a lot like something... like here.

 

He opened his eyes and sighed. Deep in his heart, he wanted to believe that he could somehow see her again; feel her skin on his fingers, hear her angelic voice talking and laughing with him. And see her smile. But for now, he could only recall that image in his mind with his heart.

 

He turned to watch Ginji and Junwoo play together, perhaps for the last time, before joining them.

 

 

 

 

The woman turned around to see Leeteuk watching his wife and son play. She smiled sadly as he started to play with them. Junso tugged on her sleeve, a puzzled frown creasing his young face. "Umma, why are you looking at that ajusshi?"

 

She looked at her son. With a sad smile, she realised Junso had just met his real father, but he didn't know that. She saw no point in telling the real father when he already had a perfect family. 

 

"It's nothing, Junso. It's just that he reminded me of my old friend. Come on, let's go home. Your dad is waiting in his car."

 

They turned to walk towards the street, and a man ran up to them.

 

"Sora! What took you three so long?"

 

Sora glanced at the Jack Russell and her son. "They wanted to play more."

 

Leeteuk glanced over when he heard someone shout a familiar name. A couple was talking, while a young boy beside them squatted to talk to the dog. He frowned slightly as he stared at the woman. But he shook his head again, giving his full attention to Junwoo.