The next few days were fairly uneventful. Himchan tried to talk to me a couple times, but I ignored him; Woosuk and Jonghyo won a couple more fights; I received a single rose every day on my way out of school, which I would promptly throw away, not bothering to read the note attached. Sooner than I had hoped, Thursday rolled around. I woke up that morning to some nice new clothes hanging on the side of my bed. I got up and showered and then put them on before heading downstairs. My mom was in the kitchen, having just finished making pancakes. She was already dressed – in a nice, modest dress with her hair in a bun – and when she saw me she gave me a soft smile. “Happy Birthday, Doyeon.” I nodded my thanks and sat at the table. She joined me, and we both started eating in silence. I thanked her once we were done, and I helped her clean up. I wasn’t going to school today, and she knew that; I had told Hyesu yesterday to not come by this morning. Once we were done cleaning up my mom grabbed a bouquet of flowers that she had bought earlier this morning, and the two of us got into the car and set off. It was a silent ride, and it felt like hours had passed by the time we reached our destination in Seoul. We pulled up to a small building, and I got out to see Lay standing in front of it, holding a small bouquet of his own. I walked up to him as my mother got out of the car, and he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. “Happy Birthday” He whispered, squeezing me. I squeezed him back in a silent thanks, and then we separated. My mom walked up to us and gave Lay a hug, thanking him for being there. We then walked into the building and made our way to our destination. Once we reached it I watched as my mom, crying silently, set the bouquet down in front of a picture of my dad. She stood there for a minute, tears cascading down her cheeks, and then it was my turn. I stepped in front of his ashes and stared at the picture of him smiling happily at me. Appa… Why did you have to be so foolish? Why did you have to behave so rashly? If you hadn’t, you would be here right now. Mom tries to hide it, but I know she cries at night sometimes. Tears blurred my vision, and I realized that my body was shaking. Appa… I miss you. You know that, right? I stumbled back, tears obscuring my vision, and turned around, stepping right into Lay’s arms. He held me as I cried, not saying a word, just gently rubbing my back. When I had calmed down enough I pulled away and he stepped up to the plate. He set his flowers down, said a few words, and then stepped back; I noticed his eyes were filled with tears as well, but he held them back. My mom came over to me, wrapping her arm around my waist, and I put my arm around her shoulders, holding her close as we looked at my father. We stayed there for a moment longer, and then we left. No words were said at our parting; we both gave Lay a hug, and then we headed back home. When we got home I went straight to the guest room. I picked up the guitar in my now-free-from-bandages hands and sat on the bed. I strummed the strings gently, fixing the tuning. I then plucked lightly at the strings, listening to the sound they resonated. Suddenly the room felt suffocating. I got up, still holding the guitar, and walked downstairs, going outside. I headed across the street to the park and sat down on a little bench obscured by trees. I sat there and plucked at the strings with my right hand, forming different chords with my left; it was almost funny how well I remembered them when it had been so long since I’ve played. I gently strummed a song, softly humming along to it, when I was suddenly interrupted. “Doyeon?” My head shot up and my fingers immediately froze at the sound. I looked to see Himchan standing there, glowering at me. “Where were you today?” He asked, and I glared at him. “Why the hell does it matter?” He glared. “Have you been avoiding me?” I scoffed. “Don’t think so highly of yourself; I wouldn’t go out of my way to avoid someone like you.” That was harsh, and I knew it, but I didn’t care at the moment. He looked hurt, and I stood. “If that’s it, then I’ll be going.” I walked past him, heading for the street. I heard him sigh, but I ignored it and kept walking. I had just crossed the street when I heard the sudden squeal of tires and a car door open. I had just started to turn around when a hand clamped over my mouth, holding some kind of cloth over it, and hands grabbed me, yanking me back. All I remember was the sight of my guitar falling to the ground, car doors closing, and what a scream that sounded strangely like Himchan, before everything went black.