The sound of birds chirping floated in through the window. It was a pleasant sound, soft and sweet and easy on the ears. Soojin’s lips curled up into a small smile as she listened to them, getting lost in the musical notes.

Carefully, she stuck her hand out the window to feel the warm summer breeze. It blew through the spaces between her fingers and gently tickled the palm of her hand. A childlike, almost impish sounding, giggle escaped her lips. She enjoyed the tingling sensation of the wind. It was one of the things she loved most.

A pair of arms wrapped around her suddenly, causing her to gasp in surprise. She soon relaxed when her body recognized the feel of the person’s arms. They chuckled softly, their breath tickling her ear.

“Enjoying the weather?” he asked. Soojin didn’t respond for a moment as she was mesmerized by his voice all over again. She loved him a lot but his voice was something she could fall into any time. Her heart always fluttered at the sound of his voice as if it was her first time hearing it.

A gentle tap on her forehead broke her out of her trance. “Hello? Earth to Soojin,” he laughed quietly.

“Oh sorry, Suho. I was just…” she trailed off, a tinge of pink on her cheeks. It would be too embarrassing to tell him that she had been lost in the sound of his voice.

“What’s this? Your cheeks are burning. Were you embarrassed by something? You were hypnotized by me again, right?” Suho teased as he pressed the back of his hands against her cheeks.

A small pout came on Soojin’s face as she gripped his hands and pulled them off. “No. I wasn’t.” She crossed her arms, huffing in mock anger. Suho was amused by her childish actions and merely raised his eyebrow as he watched her.

“Suho? Are you still there?” she asked. As she turned her head around to where she thought he had been, Suho stepped around and stood in front of her. Soojin frowned when she learned that Suho was not where she had thought he had been.

That’s odd. He was there a second ago,she thought. When she rotated her head back towards the window, Suho caught her by surprise when he pressed his lips against hers. At first, she blinked in surprise but then she reflexively shut her eyes and kissed him back. Suho smiled when he felt her responding to his kiss.

They both pulled away a few moments later. Suho took Soojin’s hand in his and she stood up. “What are we doing today?” she asked.

“Hmm, I was thinking of leaving you here and going out by myself,” Suho replied, a smirk on his face. However, Soojin took him seriously and an unmistakable look of hurt crossed her features.

“R-really?” she stammered. She blinked several times, fending off the tears. Instantly, Suho regretted his teasing. He pulled her into a warm embrace and brushed his fingers through her silky black hair.

“Shh, it’s okay. I was only kidding around. I would never leave you,” he murmured. Soojin took a shaky breath and her heartbeat returned to its normal pace.

For some reason, Soojin had an odd, creeping sensation that Suho would leave her one day. It could have just been paranoia but she couldn’t help panicking when she couldn’t find him at home.

“Are you okay?” Suho asked. She hadn’t responded for a few minutes and Suho was worried she was still upset. Soojin nodded in response, allowing Suho to breathe easily. He couldn’t bear it if he had hurt her.

“Hey, let’s go eat breakfast now. What do you want? I’ll cook anything my Soojinnie wants to eat,” Suho said. The weight pressing on his heart lifted when he felt Soojin laugh against his chest. She pulled away and tilted her head up.

“Anything?” she asked a hopeful tone in her voice. Suho chuckled at how eager she sounded and replied with a firm “yes”.

“Good, then I want Belgian waffles. They have to taste like the ones we had at the one restaurant,” she responded.

Suho’s eyes grew wide at his girlfriend’s request. He knew he had said he’d make anything but he wasn’t so sure he could pull off making Belgian waffles. “U-uh. Well, I’ll try my best,” he said weakly.

“I’m just joking. You don’t have to make something perfect. I’ll eat anything you make,” Soojin said. She hooked her arm through his and gently leaned her head against it. A tiny smile lit up her face. “Now let’s go Chef Suho.”

The couple walked out of Soojin’s bedroom and into the kitchen. They had gotten the small apartment together after they had been dating for four years. It wasn’t anything grand or fancy, but it was cozy and felt like home.

Soojin sat down on a chair and listened to the clang of pots and pans that Suho pulled out in his conquest to make waffles. He finally found the waffle iron, letting out a small exclamation of excitement when he did.

“There it is! Trying to hide from me,” he muttered to himself. Soojin’s acute hearing picked up his personal conversation and she giggled softly.

I have the cutest boyfriend, she thought. She was always thinking things like that, thanking God for giving her an angelic man like Suho. Sometimes, she even thought he truly was an angel rather than a human being. The way his body radiated warmth that felt so surreal and his satin-like voice contributed to what Soojin thought to be his “angelic” qualities.

Suho poked Soojin’s cheek and made a face. She blinked and blushed a bright red. “S-sorry. Did you say something to me?” she asked.

“Yeah, I did. I was wondering if you wanted them to be chocolate chip waffles,” Suho replied in a light manner. He chuckled at his somewhat absent-minded girlfriend.

Makes me worried about her, Suho thought. He didn’t want any harm to come to his girlfriend because of her tendency to be oblivious.

“Sure, chocolate chip waffles sounds good to me Chef Suho,” Soojin said. She beamed at him, content with whatever he made for her.

“I don’t know if you’ll be calling me Chef Suho when this is all over. Who knows how these waffles will turn out?” Suho feigned a tone of worry. Soojin sat up straighter and turned towards him.

“What do you mean? Did you do something to the waffle batter?” Her eyebrows narrowed at him, showing her slight frustration at his teasing.

“Hmm, maybe. I might have mixed up a few of the ingredients. They might turn out a little salty,” Suho continued his endless teasing, knowing full well that the waffles would turn out pretty decent.

“Yah, Suho! How did you manage to put salt in the waffle batter?” Soojin snapped at him. He snickered and went to calm his girlfriend after pouring in some batter into the waffle iron. Feeling Suho’s hands on her shoulders, Soojin tilted her chin up. “I take back what I said about you being a chef.”

Suho didn’t respond but merely touched his nose to hers. A tender, loving smile appeared on his lips as he stared into her glossy eyes. “I was only kidding. You know your boyfriend will only make the best waffles for you.”

Soojin smiled back and stole a quick kiss on his lips causing Suho to laugh. “Hey, I’m not the meal here so why do you keep trying to eat me?” Soojin pouted at Suho’s incessant banter.

“Just go make the waffles,” she muttered. With a quick peck on her cheek, Suho went back to take care of his masterpiece of a meal.

When he was finished with all the waffles, he set down the plate and took a seat. Placing a waffle on Soojin’s plate and one on his, he smiled. “Time to eat!” he cheered. Suho handed Soojin her fork and knife, guiding her hands to the plate. Once she felt certain, she began to eat comfortably.

“Here, say ah,” Suho cooed. Soojin slowly opened and allowed Suho to pop a piece of waffle into it. The taste of the waffle and chocolate together created a perfect combination. “It’s good, right? I’m an awesome chef. I should have my own restaurant,” Suho boasted.

“Of course, you’re my Chef Suho after all.” Soojin played along with him, making him grin widely.

After breakfast, Suho washed the dishes while Soojin got ready for their day out. It wasn’t anything special, just a walk around town. What made her excited was merely the thought of spending a full day with Suho.

Suho came into her room after getting ready himself. He saw the way her blouse wasn’t buttoned properly; the buttons were one off from the button-hole they were supposed to go through. His expression softened and he wordlessly ed the blouse. Luckily, Soojin was wearing a cami underneath. Still, Soojin couldn’t stop the blush from appearing on her cheeks.

“S-sorry,” she mumbled.

“You don’t have to apologize. People make mistakes,” Suho reassured her. Once he finished fixing her shirt, Suho stood up and intertwined their fingers. “Let’s go. Do you wanna go shopping today?”

“Anywhere is fine with me.” Shrugging, Suho led the way out of the apartment.

“I guess we’ll just walk wherever then,” he stated. And that was what they did. The couple walked through the streets of Seoul with no destination.

To everyone around them, it was obvious they were meant to be together.

Suho and Soojin were the picture perfect pair. Whenever Soojin would catch her foot and trip over something, Suho was there to catch her. She would point out the interesting sounds she heard and Suho would tilt his head and listen for it. Her ears picked up the most miniscule sounds, like the gentle tap ofa person’s foot as they stood about ten feet away. Suho was always fascinated by her acute sense of hearing. However, where she excelled in one sense, she lacked in another.

“Do you want some ice cream?” Suho asked. The glint from the sun reflecting off an ice cream stand caught his eye.

“Hmm, what about a milkshake instead?” Soojin responded. She didn’t particularly want to carry an ice cream cone that would most likely melt and drip onto her hand.

“Okay, anything you want.” Suho glanced around looking for a place that would sell milkshakes. A fast-food joint a ways down the street was the only option. Squeezing her hand gently, Suho led the way.

“What kind of milkshake do you want?” Suho asked. Soojin pondered for a moment, her eyebrows creasing slightly in thought. Her free hand came up and she tapped her bottom lip as she contemplated her choices. It was a habit of hers that Suho noticed. He found it endearing in a way.

“I feel like having vanilla today. What are you getting?” Soojin had finally come to a decision just as they entered the fast-food establishment. Suho had been too caught up in ogling his girlfriend that he had completely forgotten to think what he wanted to get.

“I…don’t know,” he replied sheepishly. Soojin laughed a little.

“What were you doing while I was thinking of what I wanted to get? Were you daydreaming or something?” she teased. Suho’s cheeks flushed a light shade of pink, making him look pretty rather than handsome.

“Uh, no. I was just…” Suho glanced around in hopes of finding some sort of excuse. Then, the worker at the register called them giving Suho the perfect distraction. “Oh, it’s our turn to order,” he said quickly.

“Hello sir, how may I help you?” the worker greeted. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks when she got a better look at Suho. Whoa, this guy is super handsome! She blushed even harder at her own thoughts.

“I’d like one medium vanilla milkshake please,” Suho ordered.

“Okay, one vanilla milkshake. Will that be all for today, sir?”

“Yes.” Suho handed her the correct amount of money and she left to get the order, mumbling to herself about how lucky she was.

Soojin tilted her head curiously at Suho’s response. He’s only ordering something for me?

“You’re not getting anything?” Soojin asked. Suho smirked slyly.

“I did get something,” he answered.

“No you didn’t. You only ordered one thing,” Soojin responded, utterly confused. Suho didn’t clear her confusion as the worker came back with the drink. He grabbed two straws and tugged Soojin out of the establishment.

“Where are we going now?” she asked. Her frustration with Suho was growing and he could see it clearly from the way her lips curved down into a slight frown.

“It’s a secret.” Soojin was obviously not pleased with Suho’s cryptic answer but she had no choice but to follow her boyfriend’s lead.

They walked through the streets of Seoul until they reached a small park. Suho stuck the two straws into the milkshake and took a sip of it. Leading Soojin to a bench, he pulled her arm and she sat down.

“Here, drink some of our milkshake,” he said as he put Soojin’s straw in front of her lips. She took a small sip and shivered as the frozen beverage slid down .

Suddenly, she felt Suho’s forehead pressed against hers. All she could hear was the sound of him slurping from the milkshake too. After the realization hit her, Soojin gasped and turned bright red.

“S-Suho! You didn’t tell me you were going to drink my milkshake too!” she exclaimed. Suho laughed freely and lovingly pinched Soojin’s cheek.

“I told you I had a drink too,” he said simply. Soojin cursed herself for not understanding Suho’s intentions in the first place.

For a while, they sat in silence and took turns sipping the milkshake. Soojin took in the sounds around her. Birds were chirping their own little songs, calling to one another. The gentle breeze caused the lighter tree branches to sway in the wind, making the leaves rustle. In the distance, Soojin could just pick out the sound of children playing.

Summer had always been Soojin’s favorite season. She loved all the sounds she could hear. The weather felt perfect. She was able to spend a lot more time with Suho during the summer than other seasons due to his job as a teacher.

“Suho,” Soojin called out softly. Her head was resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and gained comfort from the feeling of Suho’s fingers brushing through her hair.

“Yes?” he said.

“You know I love you, right?” Suho’s eyebrows raised and he glanced at his girlfriend.

“Yeah, and I love you too. But, what brought this on all of a sudden? Why the confession?” he asked. Soojin shrugged and snuggled into him more.

“I just wanted you to know. I wanted to make sure you’d never forget.” The last phrase came out as a whisper that was only meant for her ears but Suho heard it anyways. A deep sadness shown in his eyes for a fleeting moment. Then, he leaned down and kissed her.

Soojin’s eyes popped open for a second, taken by surprise. The feeling of this kiss was different from the others they’d shared. It was more meaningful, filled with their overwhelming love for one another. It should have been a happy, blissful moment but Soojin’s heart was heavy for some reason.

Suho pulled away and breathed deeply. “I’ll never forget that you love me. And I’ll never stop loving you. No matter what. Even after…even after death I’ll still love you. Because our love is limitless. It can transcend that thin line between life and death.”

Soojin felt reassured at Suho’s deep words. She believed every single one. The affirmation of his feelings for her calmed her and she sighed in content.

The couple stayed at the park until the sun started to set. The natural light was dying out and artificial light would soon take its place.

“We should go home now.” Carefully, Suho stood up and helped Soojin stand up. He held her hand much more tightly than he had during the day.

There were few people walking through the streets and fewer cars. However, that made everything more dangerous. The lack of traffic gave drivers the assurance that it was “safer” to speed. The lack of pedestrians meant less of a risk of causing an accident.

A family was heading back home after a late dinner. The nine-year old boy was carrying a paper hat that the kind waiter had made for him. He smiled brightly and placed the paper accessory on his head. It was a simple, naïve mistake. A gust of wind easily blew the hat off his head and towards the street. The boy attempted to run after it but his parents stopped him.

Suho noticed this and let go of Soojin’s hand. She instantly froze in place, terror overcoming her. “I’ll be back in a second,” Suho reassured her. She nodded numbly and awaited his return.

Running across the street, Suho reached up to grab the hat. He caught it and grinned happily. Scurrying towards the family, Suho returned the hat to the boy who thanked him gratefully. He even went so far as to hug Suho tightly around the waist. A gentle smile appeared on Suho’s face then and he patted the boy on the head.

After completing this good deed, Suho glanced both ways before making his way back to Soojin. Yet, he failed to see the car that was barreling down the road towards him going way past the speed limit. When he did notice it, it was too late.

The car impacted with his body dead on. He was killed instantly. The driver didn’t even bother to stop, the fear of getting caught by the authorities seemed greater than his sympathy for the man he had just hit.

The family shrieked in terror at the sight they had just witnessed. Soojin’s turned her head towards the source of the screams and a chill immediately ran down her spine.

“Call 119!” the husband ordered his wife. She brought her son to her and held him tightly as she dialed the number into her phone. Meanwhile, her husband ran over to Suho’s lifeless body and knelt beside it. A grim look came on his face at the grotesque sight. The poor boy…

The man looked around, hoping to find someone who might know the bloodied mound on the ground. His eyes caught sight of Soojin standing about fifteen feet away. He recognized her from when he’d watched Suho returning to her.

“E-excuse me miss. You s-should probably come over here.” The man gestured at Soojin, waving her over with his hand. Soojin turned her head towards the sound of his voice.

Is he talking to me? She wondered.

The man’s eyes narrowed as he watched Soojin with a confused expression on his face. Did she not hear me?

But then, it hit him. She was blind. Slowly, the man walked towards Soojin and he cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the sudden contact.

“Suho? Is that you? What happened? What were those screams about?” she asked. The man’s heart crumpled at her words.

The poor girl. She doesn’t even know what happened, he thought bitterly.

“I’m sorry. I’m not Suho.” The man took a deep breath before gently leading Soojin towards Suho’s body. He explained what had happened in the gentlest way possible but there really was no way to lighten the pain of someone’s death.

Soojin didn’t believe him at first. “N-no. That’s not true. You are Suho, aren’t you? You’re just teasing me right now. You’re playing a joke on me,” she stammered. Tears were b in her eyes as she waved her hands in an attempt to deny the inevitable.

“Come on Kim Joonmyun. This isn’t funny.” Soojin only ever called Suho by his real name when she was serious. The man’s wife came up to them, still burying her son’s face to hide the ugly sight from him.

“I’m sorry miss, but my husband’s telling the truth. Your Suho isn’t in this world anymore.”

The sound of an ambulance’s sirens approaching finally broke Soojin down. “W-where is he? Let me hold his hand.” Her hands reached out for her beloved. The husband uncertainly guided Soojin’s hands towards Suho’s cold lifeless ones. Once she came in contact with him, her hands automatically curled around his hands.

“S-Suho. My Suho,” she choked out. The family looked away, allowing Soojin a moment of privacy. Although his hand was covered in blood, Soojin gripped it tightly as she sobbed. She didn’t let go, not even when the ambulance came.

They brought him to the hospital, attempting to keep him alive. But Soojin knew the truth. Suho was already dead and there was nothing they could do to bring him back.