Goodbye
Between Life and Death
You returned to school with a brighter mood on Monday. You waited in your seat for JB and Jr to come. But they never showed. There were some days when the two of them would just disappear without a word and return the next day. You didn’t know what they did and whenever you’d asked them about it, they didn’t answer you. Over time you could tell it was a touchy subject for them and stopped asking them.
***
You returned home after school was over. *I wonder what JB and Jr are doing right now.* You thought as you entered you home. You were greeted my Aruemee standing in front of the door. “Hello Aruemee.” you petted her and made your way to the kitchen. You found a plate of cupcakes on the counter with a note on it. ‘I’ll be back early today. We can go out for dinner tonight. Love, mom.’ You took a cupcake and devoured it while watching TV waiting for your mom to come home. As you watched TV you felt an ominous feeling surging up your spine. The feeling was so strong that, you couldn’t laugh at the comedy show you were watching. For some reason something was wrong.
After the show finished your mother came home. “Yun Su-yah, Mom’s home. Are you ready to go?” She called you from the door.
“Mom, could we eat at home today?” You requested her as you came down in your jacket. “Are you not feeling well honey?” your mother asked as she pressed the back of her hand against your forehead to check your temperature. Ever since your father’s death you were weary of getting into cars when this felling hit you. “No, I just want to enjoy your cooking.” You fibbed to her as best as you could. Your mother noticed this but did not question it. “Okay.” She agreed “But I’ll have to go get some ingredients from the supermarket.” Your mother told you. Something inside you told you to keep your mother at home. “It’s okay mom, I’ll go get them. Just stay at home and relax.”
After convincing your mother you made your way to the supermarket. You picked up all the ingredients your mother wrote down for you and started head back. As you were waiting for the streetlight to turn, you noticed a kid playing with his soccer ball. You could tell that he would be in danger if he kept kicking the ball on the sidewalk. You turned to the kid and called to him. When you called the kid, he accidentally kicked the ball onto the street. The kid jogged after not paying attention to the busy traffic. You saw him do so and ran towards him. He slid in between two parked cars and tried to run onto the street to retrieve his ball. He caught up with his ball an grabbed it in his hands.
*BEEEP! BEEP!*
The child stood frozen as he watched the front of the car near him. You saw this and pushed him away not realizing you would be in the car’s way if you did so.
You saw as the car’s head light neared you uncontrollably. You faced the kid once again and smiled. *So this is how I die* You thought as the car crashed into you. For a while nothing moved you just kept your eyes on the child who was now safe. You noticed everything around you. You could now see every person’s face: the driver’s, the child’s, the pedestrian’s, and even your own. You could only hear a ringing in your ear as moments in your life flashed before your eyes. You thought about your father, your mother, your dog, Mr. Anh, All your friends, Your schoolmates, and JB and Jr.
You thought about how you nice it would have been if you saw them today. You thought about the summer camp that you three had organized so hard. You thought about how you would never be able to enjoy the trip with them. After a while your thoughts started to get hazy. *This is it. Goodbye life* You thought and closed your eyes.
***
“Yun Su was a good friend to all, She always encouraged the class no matter what. She was a leader and a idol to her peers.” A girl from your class finished her speech and got down from the podium with tears rolling down her cheeks.
You could see your mother crying holding your picture. You could see the gloomy faces of your fellow classmates. You even saw some of your teachers crying. Your principle stepped up to the podium. “Lee Yun Su was a bright student, it was an honour to have some as talented as her attend our school. She helped everyone matter what the situation was. Even in her last moments she helped someone, I am proud that I was the principle of a honorary student like her. Let her soul rest in peace.” Your principle stepped down wiping his tears away with his handkerchief. You watched on as people came up and bowed to your picture. You could smell the incense burning up. You weren’t sure why you could see this. *Why am I still here? Is this what happens when you die* you questioned as you studied the faces in the room. You searched around the room. After looking at everyone you realized that JB and Jr weren’t there. *They didn’t come* you felt slightly saddened by their absence. *I guess I should go soon.” you thought. You brought yourself closer to your mother and bid her farewell. *I guess this is goodbye mom, I’m sorry I couldn‘t stay with you longer. Please live happily with Aruemee.* Your mother stopped crying for a while and looked around herself as you bid your farewell. She could hear someone calling her, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. Although you were formless you tried your best to hug her. As you did this your mother felt a cool air surrounding her. She somehow knew this was you and accepted your farewell gift. A tear slipped down her cheek and she grasped your picture firmly “Goodbye” she whispered to you so that only you and her could hear.
***
On the day of your funeral you watched as they set fruit in front of you and set off incense again. But this time you watched from inside the ground. *Well I guess this is it* You thought as you prepared yourself for living under the ground for the rest of your ‘life’. *I guess heaven and hell really don’t exist* you thought as you watched everyone leave.
You didn’t know how much time had past but you awoke to an unfamiliar sound. *THUD* You heard against you casket. *What in the world was that?* you thought to yourself. You could now hear mumbling from outside. It was two people carrying out a conversation. You couldn’t make out what they were saying but voices seemed familiar. *What’s going on?* finally you heard someone opening you casket. *What the hell is going on here?* you thought as the sunlight shown on against your cold body.
“Be careful with her Jr!” You heard JB scold Jr.
“I am being careful hyung!” Jr retorted back. Jr looked at you straight in the face.
“Enjoy your sleep dear?” Jr asked you with a smiled on his face.
*Jr? JB? What’s going on here?* you thought as Jr lifted you up from your casket.
I will be updating BLAD on this Friday, I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been having writer's block.
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