I found Yesung in the park, standing near our bench. The wind ruffled his hair as he gazed at the sky.

I joined him at his side. “The sky looks so serene.”

He nodded, not giving a comment.

I turned to him. “When are you leaving?”

“Next week.”

Awkwardness came over me as he kept to reserved answers. “Thanks for painting my apartment. And for the letters.” I wanted to say, “Nice knowing you,” but after all we’ve been through, it didn’t seem appropriate.

He still didn’t look at me. “You know, Angie, you’ve been through a lot. You had an abusive boyfriend. He’s gone now. What are you going to do with your life?”

Now it was my turn to be silent.

Yesung turned to look at me. “I hate to leave you, but to sing, even in Korea, has always been my dream. Do you understand?”
I nodded.

He looked back at the sky. “You know, the sky is always the same, no matter where you go. I hope, wherever you go in life, you’ll be able to look at the sky, and smile. I’ll be doing the same.”

“Don’t you wish you could freeze time?” I finally said, my throat choked with tears.

“All the time. But you gotta time flow by. It’s like clouds. They never stay in one place. They always let the wind take them.” Yesung turned to me. “You may be wondering why clouds are so important to me,” he said quietly. “My Korean name is Kim Jongwoon.”

I gasped. “You’re the one who sent the rose.”

He nodded. “I’m nicknamed Yesung because I like to sing, but I like to keep Jongwoon for the deep part of me. The real part of me. Woon means clouds. Clouds may mean simple, but if we never had them, something is always missing. They are always deep, floating around, sometimes dropping water.”

I smiled. “You were well named.”

Yesung took in my hands. “Whenever you feel like giving up, always look up. A clear day is a good day, and a cloudy day has hope too.”

“I will Yesung.”

He bent his head down to press his lips against mine. We held that position for a long time. My mind buzzed with pleasure and heartache. 

*

Haha just realized they didn't kiss AT ALL in this story. Pity. Sorry that this is so late.