I put the last article of clothing in my suit case, shutting it after. Sitting down next to it, I looked at the picture on my bed stand. Smiling softly at it I took it in my hands. I was smiling brightly at the camera and next to me was my best friend also smiling with his arm over my shoulder. I turned the picture over to see his messy handwriting:

Hyokyu and Minwoo – Best Friends Forever!

I turned the picture over again starring into his eyes. I could remember the day this picture was taken like it was yesterday. It was our first day of high school, and my mom dropped me off at Minwoo’s in the morning so we could go to school together. There his mom insisted on taking a picture together:

“Mom! Can you just hurry up and take the picture? We’ll be late if you keep instructing us,” Minwoo whined.

“This has to look perfect, don’t you guys want to remember this day?” she asked.

“We’re already in a perfect pose, just take the picture already,” he whine cutely again.

“Ah arasso,” she agreed finally pressing the button on the camera.

“Hyokyu,” my mom came into my room, “the taxi is here.”

“Mom, am I doing the right thing?” I asked.

“I don’t think you can back out now,” she put her hand on my thigh.

“What if I really am doing the wrong thing? Maybe I should really just stay not caring if he wants me here or not?” I asked.

“Of course he wants you here, I am sure there is a reason he didn’t say anything about it,” she caressed my back.

“Well I should get going,” I sighed loud putting the picture back on the bed stand.

“Don’t you want to take it with you?” she asked.

“I don’t see the point,” I shrugged my shoulders.

“He’s been your best friend for more than twelve years, don’t you want to have something to remind you of him?”

That was the point. I didn’t want anything to remind me of him, but for the sake of my mom I grabbed the picture and stuffed it in my pocket.

“Let me help you with your suitcase,” she got a hold of it as I grabbed my back pack, “and don’t worry about it. Everything will be alright.”

When we got out of the house the driver of the taxi was waiting outside his car with the trunk open. He helped us put my stuff in the trunk and left us to have our goodbyes.

“Now, call me as soon as you get on the plane, and when your dad picks you up,” my mom gave me a hug.

“I’ll miss you mom,” I whispered.

“You’ll be back in no time,” she slid her hand over my back.

“I’ll call you every week I promise,” I said when she pulled away.

“Go, or you’ll be late for your registration,” she patted me on my back. I got in the car, giving my mom one last smile before the driver took off. I stuck my head out the window waving to mom, as she waved back with tears visible on her clear skin.

Leaning back on the car seat I took my picture out of my pocket.

“Big distance flight?” the driver asked looking at me through his mirror.

“United states,” I answered shortly starring at Minwoo’s face.

Memories of our times together came to my mind. The time we were in my house, in my back yard having a water fight.

“Yah! Minwoo, hand me that bottle,” I asked him.

“This one?” he asked with a sly expression.

“Yeah that one,” I nodded confused. If only I knew what was coming toward me. He grabbed the bottle, opened the cap.

“Minwoo! Don’t you dare do that,” I warned him getting up.

“Do what?” he asked innocently smiling, “this?”

With that he sprayed me with the water. I gasped at the cold liquid. Not wanting to be the only one wet I grabbed another water bottle and did the same to him.

In a second both of us were spraying each other continuously. Soon both of us were out of water, and we just stood there laughing at each other. Minwoo’s hair was soaked and was covering his forehead, his clothes were soaked as well. Water was dripping from him onto my grass. I was sure that I didn’t look any better.

“You look so funny right now,” he laughed.

“You should look at yourself,” I laughed back.

Then the memory of my break up with my first boyfriend came to me. Minwoo was the one that was there for me. When I was in my weakest state.

“It hurts so much,” I cried, wiping my eyes with tissues.

“Don’t waste your tears on that jerk, he didn’t deserve you anyway,” Minwoo wiped my tears with his thumb.

“It’s not that, I didn’t deserve him, that’s why he dumped me. He was too good for me,” I sobbed.

“He’s not even close to what kind of a person you are, trust me I know him.”

“He said that he likes another girl,” I sobbed, “he said that she was much funner to be with than I was, much prettier than I was.”

“That’s not true,” Minwoo said.

“How do you know that?” I asked looking at him. Did he know the girl? Did he know who she was?

“Because no one is funner to be with or prettier than you are,” he gave me a warm smile.

Those words really touched my heart. From that day on I thought that he liked me, but only two weeks later he got his first girlfriend. My heart was broken to pieces. I found myself being more and more attracted to my best friend.

“Oppa! Look what I can do!” she shouted with her high voice. God, how much that voice annoyed me. She jumped up and made a basket. Did she really think that it was an accomplishment? I could do that when I was in elementary school.

“That’s great!” Minwoo flashed her with a smile that used to be only for me.

“Can you take me to the carnival on Friday night?” she asked clinging onto his arm. How I wished that I had a bucket near me at that moment. I just wanted to puke so badly at how fake she was.

“Sure, but I promised to go with Hyokyu,” Minwoo said.

“She can come with us,” she said cheerfully, “right Hyokyu?”

A whole night with those two? I’d rather spend a whole night in prison, at least the people in prison didn’t have her annoying voice.

“Oh its okay I had other plans anyway, you two have fun.”

Them two dated for two month and then he broke it off with her. He finally saw what I’ve been seeing since day one. Even with him being single he didn’t notice me, I was again only the best friend.

“Hyokyu, your dad is calling!” my mom entered my room with our home phone in her hand. I reached for it and started talking to my dad.

“Sweetie, how are you?” he asked.

“I’m fine dad. How are you?”

“Well, you know how you said that you would want to study aboard?”

“That was when I was six,” I said into the phone.

“Well, there is this school opening near where I live and it’s especially for Korean speaking students. Wouldn’t it be great for you to go there? And you will go to an overseas college like you wanted to.”

That did sound good. I always wanted to go to a college somewhere in Europe or America. The opportunities just seemed much more larger.

“I’ll think about it dad,” I answered hanging up.

I thought long and hard about what my dad told me. I didn’t want to leave Korea right before my senior year started, but it would give me a chance to get away from Minwoo. I decided not to tell him about my decision, he would find out soon any way.

“We’re here,” the driver said. I nodded putting the picture carefully back into my pocket. Getting my luggage from him I walked into the airport. To check my race I reached into my back bag for my ticket. It turned out that I had another half an hour until my registration started.

I sat down in the waiting area next to a young couple.

“Yobeo! Aren’t you happy that we’re going together?” the girl asked her boyfriend.

“Of course I would not survive without you, even if it was only for a year,” the guy kissed his girlfriend’s cheek. I forced myself to look away. But jealousy was eating me up inside. How come some people got to do that with their loved ones? And why did others had to watch them be happy?

I took out a book, trying to block out their conversation. Losing myself in the heartbreaking story plot I didn’t notice the time tick away.

“Registration for flight Seoul-New York is starting,” a female voice echoed through the room. Putting my book back into my bag I followed the other passengers to form a line.

“Is this the line to New York?” a middle aged lady asked me, holding a little boy by his hand.

“Yeah, and I think I’m the last one in line, so you can stand behind me,” I said. The little boy hid behind his mom as I smiled at him.

“Thank you, I’m not even…”

“HYOKYU!” I heard a familiar voice yell, I turned myself around to see Minwoo standing in the middle of the waiting room, panting hard. Did he run here?

“Please don’t leave!”

Not controlling my actions I ran over to him giving him a hug. He brushed his hand through my long hair. We stood in that same position for who knows how long. I just wanted to tell him how much I loved him, how badly I didn’t want to leave because of him. But at same time that I was leaving because of him.

“Minwoo,” I finally spoke, still not pulling away.

“No let talk. I know why you’re leaving. Kwangmin told me, and I just want to tell you – I love you,” my heart stop beating for a moment, “as a best friend.”

I pulled away. I was right, that was the only thing that he saw me as. He didn’t think of me as anything more. He didn’t return my feelings. Shaking my head I ran away from him, going through the registration fast.

Tears rolling my cheeks I entered the plane, not paying any attention to the stewardesses. Taking my seat near the window I closed my eyes. He never did actually love me. I was glad that I was leaving, I made the right decision.

Minwoo’s POV

I punched the nearest to me wall, finishing what I was saying to her: “but I love you, as a boy loves a girl, more.”