Naeun heard the sound of the door lock turning open and quickly slipped the ring into her jeans pocket.

“O-oh, you’re back,” She stammered.

“Yeah…” Myungsoo said as he slowly lifted his right hand up to his front.

Naeun’s eyes widened as she saw the familiar red ruby, glimmering under the light.

 “Ah, you found it,” Naeun said, forcing a smile.

Myungsoo nodded lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Silence shrouded the two for a few moments.

“Naeun –” He began, but for some reason, the words were held back at his throat and he found it difficult to speak all of a sudden.

He’d gone through the lines to say on the way back to Naeun’s house, but when it came to actually saying it, his prepared words too dispersed into the air like the feathery seeds from a dandelion. They were so difficult to hold on to, but she was impossible to hold on to.

“– I’ll be leaving soon. But I guess you know that. It’s just that… Maybe we could have some time together for the last time before I leave?”

Naeun looked right into his eyes. Her own orbs were moist.

“Who do you think you are?” She choked out, “What makes you think I’d want to spend time with you before you go?”

Myungsoo simply gazed at her silently, his eyes a mix of longing and apologies.

Naeun’s eyes softened and she said especially gently, “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure there’s nowhere special you want to go?” Myungsoo asked again as they paced along the quiet streets, occasionally passing by couples or people returning late from work.

Naeun shook her head, but then spoke up again soon after, “Oh, if there is one place I want to go…”

“Mm hm?” Myungsoo sounded, encouraging her to carry on.

“That tree,” Naeun said with a smile, and then confirmed, “Yes, it would be that tree.”

They sat down on the sandy ground, back-facing each other, each leaning comfortably against either side of the sturdy tree trunk.

“Who was it?” Myungsoo said casually, “The one who gave you those daisy chains?”

They listened quietly to the orchestra of nature, harmonized by various insects and birds, each with a unique timbre.

“Part of my past,” Naeun replied, “Honestly, you remind me of him.”

“How so?” Myungsoo asked, slightly amused.

“It’s difficult to explain. It’s just that, around you two, I don’t feel pressurized to act in a certain way. He was someone I met before I changed, before I joined the military. If he never left, maybe I would never have joined. And you have the same effect on me; you bring me back to those days.”

“I’m sorry,” Myungsoo said softly, almost in a whisper, “that I can’t stay.”

Naeun kept quiet, her lips narrowed in a tight line, her eyes burning with tears. She slowly moved her hand, which was then lying idle by her side, closer and closer to Myungsoo’s. When she felt the warmth of his hand, she held it tightly and never wanted to let go.

Myungsoo jerked up a little upon her touch, but let it be. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down his anxious heart which palpitated madly.

Don’t waver now, Myungsoo, not now.

“Naeun, about going back… I’ll need a favour from you.”

“Oh yeah, so now that you have the ring, what’s next – ” Naeun said and stopped halfway as she recalled the details of the fairytale, “Oh my gosh, you’re – not going to do that right?”

Myungsoo turned to face her, and nodded firmly.

“That’s the only way.”

Naeun’s palms perspired as she held the pistol with both hands, which were shivering slightly. “This doesn’t feel right, Myungsoo,” She said, shaking her head and frowning as she passed the black weapon to Myungsoo.

His heart did a little flip again, hearing her voice say his name.

Get over it, Myungsoo. She’s not the one. She can’t be.

“Thanks a lot, Naeun,” Myungsoo smiled at her, but his eyes were grieving. He moved in for a hug, which caught Naeun by surprise.

“You’ll find him, I’m sure you will. It was nice meeting you,” He said, much like a farewell speech.

He released his grip and then stepped back and looked at her, who had a tint of pink on her cheeks then.

Naeun stood there, unable to move or say a word. For a few moments, she did nothing but stare at him.

“G-goodbye,” She choked out, and then dashed out of the house. Myungsoo ran after her, not knowing how to react, but then he saw that she had ran into the distance.

He walked back into the house and slammed the door shut. He let out a deep sigh.

“I guess now’s the time,” He breathed, as he the ring determinedly a couple of times and then picked the pistol up again.

He held it at his head, and his hands shivered wildly. He then placed the mouth of the pistol against his temple to secure its position, even though his hands still wouldn’t stop shaking.

He had no damned idea if this would definitely work, yet decided that it was a plunge to take. Shutting his eyes tight and concentrating on the thought of home, he began to move his finger closer to the trigger. (And started counting down mentally.)

1… 2… 3 –

Naeun halted her steps and collected her thoughts. She held onto her chest while trying to catch her breath. She wanted to escape, but her heart was hurting too much just thinking about how she’ll never see him ever again. She bit her lips as salty tear drops rolled down her cheeks.

Even if there’s just a speck of chance, I’ll fight for it, Naeun thought, as she sprinted back to the house, I can’t just let it happen like that. I must do something. At least something.

 “Don’t!” A familiar voice cried out.

Myungsoo’s eyelids flew open and the hand holding the pistol fell down to his side as he saw Naeun collapsing on the ground. Her face was tear-stricken, and it simply broke his heart to see her in such a state. Naeun, who was usually strong and fierce – that Naeun.

“I must do this to go back to where I belong. You know that,” He said with a calm voice.

“I know that,” she said, “But I don’t want that. Don’t go, Myungsoo. Stay here, okay?”

The look in her eyes made his heart lose control again, and threatened to blow him off the stone he adamantly stood upon.

“Naeun,” He called, and then said in an escaped whisper, “I can’t.”

“You can stay here. Maybe I can quit my job, and we’ll find a nice countryside to stay at. We can lead a peaceful life if you want; you can take as many pictures as you like, while I’ll draw –”

“That sounds really nice,” Myungsoo cut in, “But I’m not the one to fulfil it with you. Sorry.”

“Oh, what about – I go there with you?”

Myungsoo exclaimed, “No, that’s not possible! Stop it, Naeun, it’ll never work out.”

“Why not? That fairytale did. You said you understood the maiden’s decision, didn’t you?”

“That’s an entirely different situation,” Myungsoo said, “And you were so rational then. What changed?”

“You came. Don’t ask me something you already know, Myungsoo.”

Myungsoo thought for a while, and then looked straight into Naeun’s eyes as he said, “Maybe you should know.”

He paused, and then continued, “Yes, I do like you too, Naeun. I do, but I won’t be with you, because I know we’re not meant to be. This whole meeting was a mistake. A beautiful mistake, but still. I was never your prince, and you’ll never be my princess.”

Naeun looked away and nodded several times.

“Go ahead and do what you have to do then. I’ll leave first,” She said and made her way to the door. At the door, she turned around to face him and said, “Thank you for everything. Maybe you were right about us not being meant to be, but thank you nonetheless for helping me find back who I used to be.”

Myungsoo smiled lightly. “You’re worth it.”

Naeun tried to smile, and then turned around and shut the door. She broke down into a mess of tears again, just a few metres away from her doorstep. Her breathing had barely stabilized when she heard the sound of a slick gunshot. She wanted to walk away, to just roam the streets without having to think about these things, but her heart led her feet to walk back to the house.

As expected, there was no one in sight when she opened the door, and all that was left was the pistol on the ground, where there was still a little smoke escaping from the small barrel. The ground – where Myungsoo had been standing on just a few minutes ago. Emptiness flooded her heart once again, suffocating her. It was so painful to receive and then lose something; she wished she’d never received it in the first place.

Naeun, you let go too easily. How could you? Because of that, you keep losing the people precious to you, a voice in her head mocked her.

In her grief and muddled state of mind, she dug out from her pocket the ring that was returned to her and placed it on a finger. And then, she grabbed the pistol and pointed it at her own head.

I will go there and find you. I will.

I can’t live like this, knowing that you’re out there, in another universe.

With her vision blurred by warm tears and her lips trembling, she took one last deep breath. Just as she was about to press onto the trigger, she heard a clear voice.

“Don’t be foolish, young lady. The ring wasn’t made for this purpose. Who says ‘happily ever after’ must be preceded by ‘the prince and the princess lived together’? You meeting him wasn’t a mistake or a coincidence, it was an intertwined destiny in the intersection of the universes. But lines at an intersection must part, and so must your lives.”

“Who are you?” Naeun cried, hoping she was loud enough for whoever the speaker was to hear.

She waited, but there was no reply. Reluctantly, she sighed and placed the pistol back on the ground.

She twisted the ring out of her finger and walked into her room. She opened a drawer and took out the dried daisy chain, and then hooked the ring into the chain.

I guess there’s now another memory to keep.

"Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." - Song of Songs 2:7