“You’re not gonna stay?“ , Jimin asked Sungjong, who just walked out of your room and was heading to the front door. “Oh hey Jimin. I thought you were sleeping!”, he gave her a smile, a gentle one like he usually did, but the feeling was not exactly the same. There was something in his eyes. The sadness, depression, frustration, but yet she couldn’t tell.

“Too tired to sleep. Doesn’t it sound ridiculous?”. They both laughed at her saying. She took a sip of the water in the cup, and turned her attention back to him, standing silently staring at the door of your room. The conversation suddenly fell into silence. She could even hear the sound of water flowing down in , her sigh, his heartbeat. Or was it just her imagination?

“I thought you would stay. It’s been months since you last met” “I know right? I thought it’s been years…”. He made his way to where she was standing, pulled out a chair and sat on it. “Do you want something to drink?”, she looked at him placing both elbows on the table, his forehead resting on his hands. “A glass of water please”. He thanked her right after the last drop of water dropped in the glass.

“Are you okay? You looked…pale” “I’m fine. Really. I’m okay”. “If you say so…”, she took out the chair next to him and also sat down “…Have you told her yet?”. He looked up immediately after hearing her, which made her a little surprised. “Why are you so startling?”. He calmed down a little bit and realized that his reaction was a bit too much for just a normal question.

“I mean, you should have told her that you’re leaving. You can’t just show up then disappear, and come back after a while, then disappear again. It’s not…” “It’s unfair to her. Honestly, it’s cruel…” “…especially when you know how much she loves you”.

“How much she loves you”, that phrase kept repeating in his head. Of course he knew, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

“What’s in that suitcase?”, she pointed at the one which was lying on the ground by where he was sitting. “Just, some old clothes. They’ve been here for a while but I didn’t use them, so I think I should bring them back to my house…”

He looked at his watch. It was 1 in the morning. He stood up and said goodbye to her. “Do you want me to say goodbye to her later? You know, when she wakes up and finds out that you already left?”. He could see that she talked with a bit of sarcasm, but he could not blame her. It was not the first time that he left without telling you. And she was your best friend, your housemate, and with her insomnia that kept her awake every night, she was always the one that saw him leaving.

“Thank you, it’s very nice of you to do so…” “Any message for her?”, she folded her arms and leaned on the fridge behind. “It’s okay…”, he smiled again. She could tell that his voice shaking. “Is it that hard to say a goodbye?”, she smiled back to the young man and couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Have you ever loved someone?”. A question that was replied by another question. She giggled. “Yes, I have. And it was hard to say goodbye to that person. But you should…” “If there was ever a real “good” in the goodbye, I would have said it…”. He stopped for a moment and continued “…but since there never is, I prefer not saying”.

Jimin answers the door and sees a young man at the sight. “Jimin noona annyeong~”, he greets her with his brightest smile, his hand waves at her cheerfully. “Hi Junhong, come in!”. He jumps in and runs around the house. “Where is she?”, he asks after opening all the doors and seems not to see the thing he’s looking for. “She went out a while ago. I think she’s about to come…”. A doorbell interrupts her before she gets to finish her sentence. “It must be her…”. She’s about to go to the door but Junhong is way faster.

“Noona!!!!”, he hugs you and almost makes you out of your breath. “Kid, let me go!!!”, you smack his arms fiercely, only to make his embrace even tighter. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for hours!!!!”. Junhong is being a crybaby again. Jimin shakes her head and continues her work earlier with the paper. “You silly idiot”, you struggle to get rid of him but he’s just too strong for you to resist.

Finally he let go of you and places a kiss on your cheek right before you walk away, which makes you all blushing. “How dare you kiss me?”, you place your hand on where he kissed you and bite your lips at him, who is titling his head in front of you. He presses his finger on his cheek “You can always kiss me back”, pouting at you.

“Who am I kidding with? I should have known that it’s pointless arguing with a kid”, you go to the kitchen and start taking stuff from the bags then place it I in the cupboard. Now you have to reach for it that you realize you forgot to stand on the chair like you usually do due to your short height. “Let me help you”, he grabs the can you’re holding and help you put it in the cupboard, then he continues to do the same thing with the rest of the stuff. “You’re so tiny”, he finishes placing the last can and sticks his tongue out at you.

“I know” “Why don’t you talk back to me?”

“Why do I have to?” “Because that’s what you usually do!”

“But I’m in no mood today” “Why are you in no mood today?”

 “Because you’re here” “It’s not true”

“It is true” “But I helped you…”

“And disturb me too” “What do I do that you say I disturb you?”

 “Your present disturbs me” “It’s not true”

“It is true” “But…”

“No but” “But…”

“I said no but” “But but but but but but but”

“I said no but” “But I didn’t say but. I said ”

“Why did you say ?” “Because you didn’t let me say but”

 “Whatever”

Jimin laughs at the scene of him following you around the house. Silly questions keep pouring out of him and you reply him with something even sillier. You really know how to treat the childish Junhong.

“Junhong!”, she calls out for him. “Yes?”, he sticks his head out from the kitchen. “You want her to go out with you right?”. He nods his head constantly and she can see sparkles from his eyes as he blinks. “Why don’t you come here and let her finish her work so she can go out with you?”. He immediately runs out and sits on the sofa like an obedient puppy, but his eyes never leave you.

“Do you really like her..” “Yes, really. I like her a lot. A lot, noona!”, he shouts out on purpose so you can hear him. “I hear nothing”, you reply by shouting. “It’s okay, I’ll say it every day until you can hear me!”.

You finally finish the chores and get dress, ready to go out with him.

“You’re so pretty! Do you dress up to go out with me?” “If I say no, will you leave?”

“Of course not!” “That’s the reason. So, where are we going today?”

“Any place you want. I’ll buy you dinner!” “You’re a student, you don’t have money”

“I do, I work too!” “Save it for your studying. I’ll pay”

“No!!!!!” “Okay okay. Why don’t you go upstairs waiting for me while I’m getting my bag?”

“Okay! Jimin noona annyeong~”, he waves at you and runs downstairs.

You get your bad and before leaving, you tell Jimin “I’ll be back before 10. Call me if you want me to get something okay?”. “I get it. Have fun, bye!” “Bye”

It’s good to see that there’s someone to distract you from your work. You needed something to keep you from thinking about Sungjong, something to focus on, that’s why you’ve been working like crazy since he left. That night was the last time you saw him. Since then, you’ve heard nothing about him.

Jimin wishes she could tell you the whole truth. That he left to go abroad for treatment. He said not tell you about it and when he recovered, he would tell you everything. But he didn’t make it until he got to see you again. He didn’t come back. A goodbye that was never said. As if there was ever a real “good” in the goodbye, so he could say it to you. Unfortunately, there never is.

The end.