She left the group processing the bold confession and wondering why she wished Sungjae a good life when he only had a few moments left of it along with the rest of them. Sohyun went back to her post where Ilhoon was leaning over the rail peering at the river below.  Sohyun tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around, a happy smile instantly taking place on his face once he saw her.

“What took you so long?”  He asked.  Sohyun shrugged and smiled as well.
“I had to take care of some things.”
“Well I’m glad you’re back.  It looks like it’s about to start.”

There were no clouds in the sky and it casted a dark greyish color over the city.  The wind picked up and thunder became louder.  Everyone turned their attention ahead of them, lightning hitting the same spot in the river a few miles away.  A hush began to fall on everyone.

“They say this is going to be the biggest tsunami ever.” Ilhoon quickly spoke.  He grabbed Sohyun’s hand tightly.  “The plate in the Earth will shift at least 8,000 feet, they say.  The wave will be half that size, if not bigger. We’ll most likely be taken by the shift.”  His breathing became fast and heavy.  Sohyun took a deep breath and exhaled.  Then she went on to start her next confession.

“Ilhoon…the world isn’t going to end.” She let go of his hand and lifted her leg over the rail.  Ilhoon instantly stopped her from pulling her other leg over.

“What are you doing?”  He asked desperately.  No one seemed to notice or bother to care that Sohyun was halfway over the rail, on the brink of jumping off the bridge or what looked to be the case.  Sohyun was calm, too calm for Ilhoon’s sake.  He demanded her to stop whatever she was thinking but she only shook her head.

“I know what I have to do.”

“What are you even saying right now?  Are you not feeling well?  Are your nerves bad?  Lightheaded?  You need water.  I’ll get you some water.”

“Ilhoon,”   Sohyun called out to him before he could leave and he turned to her, a very grim expression on his face.  Sohyun felt bad but she couldn’t quite explain her actions.  “Remember the promise I mentioned my mother made earlier?  She said she would adopt you.  You’ll have parents and an older brother so you won’t be alone after today.  Tell them that I’ll miss them.”
Ilhoon found himself getting angrier, frustrated at Sohyun’s words.

“You should have told them yourself.” He spat.  “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It has A LOT to do with everything.”  Sohyun retorted and came back down from the rail.  Ilhoon was relieved but the way Sohyun began looking at him made him nervous for the last time.  “Do you know how the sun returned again, Ilhoon…do you?”  He shook his head directing his eyes at the ground.  Ace climbed out of his pocket and onto the rail of the bridge, watched them with a titled head.  “An Angel did it.  An Angel who could fly, who could heal, who was strong…”

Ilhoon looked up at her, finally realizing the connection Sohyun was making.  He shook his head, denying anything Sohyun had planned.  “No.” He protested.  ‘That doesn’t…that has nothing to do with this.”

“It has everything to do with this.  My strength is the key to saving this world.  There’s no need to be afraid anymore.”
“I’m not, would you—would you just stop doing that?! Stop acting like everything is ok when everything is not!”
“But it is.”
“You’re not listening to me.”
“Either I stand here and let us all die, or I go out there and fix it all.  Ilhoon, I already made my decision.

Ilhoon continued to shake his head and his heart began to fasten in pace.  Implying that she would “fix” it meant that she wasn’t going to come back.  He said no over again and when Sohyun realized he wasn’t going to be ok with it, she began to go over the rail again.  Ilhoon grabbed her tightly and his anger soon turned into fear.

“Don’t leave.”  He begged.  “You don’t have to go.  There are other ways, I’m sure.”
“There isn’t.  This is the only one.”  She pulled herself from his grip and jumped over the rail effortlessly, then it was the only thing in between them.  In front of her was the ledge of the bridge and the polluted river traveling endlessly into the horizon.  She could see the storm forming ahead.  That was her target.  The wind came toward her and she titled her head back, smiling even.

“I’m not afraid.”  She laughed.
“Sohyun…”
She turned around where Ilhoon stood on the other side, watching her with his eyes welling up.  There was nothing she could do since she already made up her mind, but she didn’t want to leave him suffering.

“I kinda like you.”  She admitted, causing him to look at her blankly.  “Well…if I had known you for a bit longer and all this wasn’t happening--”  The flooring beneath became unstable and she realized that it was another earthquake.  The bridge vibrated from the connection of the Earth’s soft rocking.  Sohyun knew she was running out of time.  “I’m going to miss you.”  She admitted before she turned around to face the river once again.  Ilhoon reached out to her, he shot his arm out harder and faster than he ever did in all their encounters, but his hand wouldn’t reach.  Sohyun’s back became unattainable, her body smaller and smaller.  She was flying.

“Goodbye Ilhoon.”  She turned around; her body paces away, hovering over nothing.  People began to turn their heads toward the girl who was floating in the sky.  Then wings exploded from her shoulder blades and embraced the air.  They were twice her size, white as a dove’s.  She swept the sky, turning toward the storm once again.  She soared at an incredible speed toward the lightning hitting the water only to hear Ilhoon’s voice trailing behind that caused her eyes to fill with tears.

“Don’t leave me."

And the Earth stood still.