- Flashback –

February 14, 2011

It felt to Yunho as if it was a death sentence. From walking along the aisle dressed in tuxedo to kissing his bride on the cheek, and forcing himself to smile the whole time in front of their guests was a torture to him. Deep inside, he just wanted to escape from this act. He is just a fresh graduate and yet he was forced to marry by his parents to a girl he doesn’t even have the slightest feeling for the sake of business partnership. It was a typical arranged marriage but the worse part of it was that he is now married Kwon Yuri, the school’s well-known .

Kwon Yuri is notorious in the university not only for her beauty and her family’s fortune but also for her night-life, failing marks, and rumors that she had one-night stand with countless of guys. In spite of all the talks that could have dampened her spirits, she remained proud. She doesn’t show any weakness except for the fact that she’s head over heels in love with the most endearing person in the university, Jung Yunho.

While sitting beside each other at the reception, Yuri noticed that Yunho is not touching his food and was staring blankly into nothingness. She took a spoonful of their wedding cake and offered it to him, “Oppa, say aaaa!”

Yunho didn’t look her way. So being positive as always, Yuri gently put her hand the back of Yunho’s neck and tried once more, “Oppa, if you don’t touch your food you might pass out and you might not be able to carry me bridal style when we go to our house. Say aaaa!”

Yunho gave Yuri a cold look. It was a look that his best friends labeled as the look that could pierce the heart and slash the soul. It gave Yuri goose bumps. “Let me correct you… First, I’m not enjoying any of this at all. Second, it’s not OUR house but MY house. Third, take off your filthy hands off me…” then Yunho put his lips close to Yuri’s ears before finishing his sentence, “.”

Yuri wiped the tears that formed at the corner of her eye before they even fall on her cheek. She could have ignored the remark if it came from a stranger but it came from him, her husband. She could have slapped him for being mean but she swallowed her pride and made a deal with him. “Oppa, why don’t we do this? I know you don’t love me and I know there is no chance of you ever liking me either. Just bear with me from this moment until we finish 1 year. If this doesn’t work out at all, we could get a divorce. Please?”

The idea was not good but it isn’t bad either. Time flies by very fast anyway and before he knows it, a year has already passed and they could already go back to their own separate lives. Before he could even answer Yuri’s question, the entire hall was filled with the clinking and clanking of cutleries against the wine glasses.

“Oppa, they are asking for a kiss,” she whispered. She looked down because she knew Yunho doesn’t like the idea of doing couple stuff with her. She anticipated being embarrassed in front of their guests. But to her surprise, Yunho locked his lips with her. Her eyes widened with what Yunho did. She knew it wasn’t a sincere kiss nevertheless, she seized the moment. She found herself closing her eyes as she was being carried away when Yunho started to deepen his kiss.

Yunho broke off the kiss leaving Yuri dreamy and breathless. It was her first kiss and she felt so lucky that it was with him… all the more, it was during their wedding day. “Now you know the answer: the deal is on, .”

- End of Flashback –

Yuri turned to him and smiled her sweetest. Smile now because tomorrow I’ll wipe that glorious smile off your face. Tomorrow is the last day I’ll have to bear being with you.

-----

It was her last night in the house. Yunho will finally get his much-awaited freedom and will be able to propose to Ara and marry her. If what Yuri said was true (that she told her father that she doesn’t want him anymore), then the business partnership between their fathers won’t be affected. Yunho was about to sleep when Yuri knocked on his door and peeked half of her body with her pillow and blanket on her wrapped in her arms.

“Oppa, can I sleep beside you for the first and last time?”

What could happen with just this once?

There was awkward silence. At first, they were staring blankly at the ceiling, thinking whether they should start a conversation. Soon, Yunho gave up the thought and faced the wall by his bed. Yuri did the same.

Should I embrace her? What could happen with just this once?

Later on, Yuri felt Yunho’s arm on her waist, pulling her closer to him. It was all she ever needed … just for once, to feel that she is Mrs. Jung Yuri. “Don't misconstrue this. I don't love you or even like you... And I will never ever will…” Yunho said in a soft voice until he dozed off to sleep.

"I know. Nevertheless, thank you."

Yuri felt his hand become comfortably heavy on her waist. He must have been very exhausted in Changmin's wedding, being the best man. Yuri smiled and let the tears she has been holding for the longest time now, fall down. "Oppa, this is the last day of your suffering and I hope it'll be mine too." She covered with her palm to make her whimpers as silent she could. She could have wished that this moment has happened a long time ago. She could have wished that this moment will happen again. She could have wished that this moment will last forever. But just that once was enough for her than a whole lifetime without it.

-----

February 14, 2010

“Oppa, when are you going to say you love me too? Every Valentine’s Day since we were freshmen in this university, I would confess my love to you but you still ignore me,” Yuri said as she tried to keep up with Yunho’s pace while wearing her high heels.

“Yuri sshi, maybe I’ll stop ignoring you when you learn to stop bugging me. Understood?” and he left her and pretended that he was in a hurry. But this girl is the most persistent out of all the persistent. Yunho was already in the car and when she knocked on his wind shield.

“What now?”

“Oppa, happy valentine’s day! Please accept this chocolate cake. I baked it myself. I’m not that good yet at baking but it was better than last year.”

“Alright. Just get out of my way. I really need to go,” he lied. What she doesn’t know is that when Yunho reaches home, he’ll just dump in the trash bin where her previous baked cakes have gone too.

-----

February 14, 2012

Yunho was awakened by the sound of his alarm. His arm that used to lie on her waist was now lying on his empty sheet. In his panic, he immediately stood up realizing Yuri’s not by his side anymore. He looked at Yuri’s room and found 2 envelopes and a small red box on her bed.

He took the smaller envelope and read it.

Oppa,

Smile! I’m not here anymore. You’re not a bit sad about it, right?

I would just like to say things that I don’t have the courage to tell you in person. I’m sorry for making this year the longest year of your life though I’m thankful that you put up with me this whole time and never left. I’m sorry for living in this house that wasn’t meant for me in the first place but I’m grateful you never asked me to leave. I’m sorry for stealing time from you when you could have spent it with your lovely Ara. I’m sorry for loving you so much that I had to stick with the entire year hoping that somehow you’d look at me the way I look at you.

I’ll be selfish if I say that I don’t want that year to end because it was seriously a happy year for me. From the moment you kissed me during our wedding until the moment you put your arm around me last night, they were precious. It made me think whether 1 year of waiting for you is enough? I could wait longer but everything has come to an end.

A deal is a deal. You have done your part and now, it’s my turn to do my part.

Love,

KWON Yuri

Yunho opened the bigger envelope. It was their divorce paper and at the bottom of it, was her sign. She placed a sticky note and wrote: Oppa, you’re officially free. Be happy from now on.

Yunho placed the red box on his lap and read the card attached to it: Oppa, Happy Valentine’s Day! I poured all my love for you in this masterpiece. Even though it’s not as good as the one you can buy in pastry shops, I guess this is the best cake I ever made for you.

Yunho opened the box and saw a small heart-shaped chocolate cake. He took a spoon and sliced it into two. The cake was indeed good. It must have been good if he tasted all the cakes she gave before and complimented her with how much she has improved each year. But he couldn’t turn back the time. The sweetness of the cake made his heart feel bitter and his eyes can’t stop shedding tears with each bite. When he finished the first half of the cake, he closed the box and hugged it “Happy Anniversary, Yuri ah.”

So she’s really gone… without a sound, without a trace. It was as if she never existed. The house is surely empty without her things but her memories lingered in all the corners of the house. This is the first time Yunho experienced a silence that was deafening.