“Please forgive me,” I bowed down till my forehead touched the floor in front of the woman dressed in a black traditional attire. “I was unable to protect Chaelin. And for that I am indeed sorry. I should have died in her place.”

“What are you saying there, child?” Her trembling hands raised my chin while Chanyeol sustained my weak body until I sat down in my wheelchair. “You did more than enough by just being her good friend in this life. Why speaking foolish things like those? I always knew Chaelin was going to die young,” she revealed looking at the smiling picture of her daughter adorned by a black ribbon in the middle of many white flowers. “I just chose to ignore my fear and just wish her all the best in the world. Which she got by meeting you,” she turned to me, a bitter and sad smile on her chapped lips. “Thank you, Seon Yul, for taking care of my daughter and for allowing her to be who she wished to be.”

And still, I was unmoved by a mother’s pain. Maybe it was because of the painkillers I was still taking…

“Please help me up, Chanyeol,” I requested, “I want to pay her the proper respect.”

The cast on my right leg was forcing me to limp around while leaning against Chanyeol’s body for help. My bruises and other cracked bones were making me wince at every move, but no real sound left my lips. And while I knelt down in front of my now dead best friend picture, it dawned on me: I was never going to see her smile, to hear her whine over phone, never again staying awake together, eating ice-cream and watching horror movies.

My best friend was dead.

And as the realization of it washed over me, the first tear escaped from my eyes, followed by many others. So I kept my head down. I kept my head down in front of the one who wasn’t able to see me anymore, allowing my tears to form a small puddle on the floor as I silently put the blame on her for the waves of pain that came crushing on me.

“Why did you have to leave me, Chaelin?” I cried. “Why did you left me all alone? How am I supposed to survive tomorrow without having you waking me up with a pillow in the head? How am I supposed to smile again if you’re not here to see my secret smirks and make fun of me that I’m still believing in stupid myths? How am I supposed to live without my sister? You’ve been my sister ever since you came through the window of my room, demanding for answers, Lee Chaelin and now, you left me here all alone. You let go of my hand…”

“Let her go, love,” Chanyeol’s hand rested affectionately on my shoulder, wanting to give me strength. “Let her go.”

Raising my head from the floor, I l