OST:  Last Gift by SHINee

          Nicole Jung and Choi Minho were inseparable.  From the moment they first met, their attraction for each other blossomed into a beautiful romance.  Though their personalities were completely different, as Nicole was friendly, cheerful, and clumsy, while Minho was quiet, calm, and sensible, they balanced each other well.  They shared the same likes in food, music, and hobbies.  They did everything and went everywhere together.  Even when they were apart, they were texting each other nonstop, or Minho would leave sweet messages for Nicole in her locker, desk, notebook, etc.  Nicole and Minho were the definition of young love.  There was nothing that could tear them apart.

          However, life has a funny way of throwing obstacles at us when we’re at our happiest and least expect it.

          “Hey Kibum, have you seen Nicole?” Minho asked, not knowing where his girlfriend was for the first time.

          When his best friend shook his head, Minho frowned.  He hadn’t seen Nicole at school all day, which he found odd since 1) she’s rarely sick and 2) she would have texted him that she wouldn’t be in school and for him not to worry.  Something wasn’t right, not even Nicole’s best friends Gyuri and Seungyeon were at school.   The last time he talked to her was yesterday, but only for a brief second because he had soccer practice.  He thought she would have waited for him after, but when he didn’t see her outside the locker rooms after practice he figured that she went home already.

          “Minho, where are you going? School isn’t over yet!” Onew, another one of Minho’s best friends, exclaimed when he suddenly got up from his seat, grabbed his bag, and headed out of the classroom.  Minho just ignored him.  He was too worried about Nicole to care about being in trouble for skipping.

          Minho headed straight to Nicole’s place on his bike from school.  Nicole lived with her mother, who owns a restaurant, the Red Kitchen.  Her father died when she was only a child and she told him that she had an older brother that lived in the States.  When he knocked on her door and nobody answered, he decided to head to her mother’s restaurant.  Maybe she was there helping out her mother.

          “Mrs. Jung!” Minho called when he entered the restaurant, catching the attention of many of the customers.  Most of who were at awe at his handsome looks and shocked at his sudden outburst.

          "Minho!” the woman in her late forties exclaimed, surprised as she turned away from the customer she was serving, “What are you doing here?”

          “Is Nicole here?  I haven’t seen her at all today at school and that’s not like her……” Minho explained causing Mrs. Jung to give him confused looks.

          “Didn’t she tell you?” she asked, confused.

          “Tell me what?”

          “Minho, I’m so sorry but Nicole left early this morning to live with her brother in California……” Mrs. Jung said softly, “I thought she would’ve told you……”

          Suddenly, the world froze.  Minho stared blankly at his girlfriend’s mother.  The girlfriend he loved more than anything.  The girlfriend he believed also loved him more than anything.  The girlfriend whose smile that he couldn’t get out of his head.  The girlfriend whose quirkiness would always make him laugh.  The girlfriend whose voice would always ring in his ears.  The girlfriend he would give everything to.  The girlfriend who moved to another country and left him behind without a good-bye.