2009.

That spring, the wind blew.

A girl stood at the edge of the rocky cliff, her shoulders slightly hunched in defeat, looking very much like a girl who had lost all hope... like someone whom had lost all will of living.

The lone cry of a sea gull echoed the skies, harmonizing perfectly with the sound of crashing waves. The thunder rumbled ominously a distance away. A flash of white appeared briefly at the grey horizon, the sky darkening at a rapid rate just as the wind picked up speed, signaling the beginnings of a heavy storm.

Yoona inhaled a deep bout of breath, allowing the smell of the salty sea to tickle her nose, feeling an odd sense of peace.

There was a freaky edge to upcoming storm, the sky too dark for a typical spring rain.

Spring. Funny how that used to be Yoona's favorite season. To the girl, there was nothing more... magical than seeing vibrant colors blossom in every crook and corner, to have the gift of life be restored into what the harsh, bitter winter in Korea took. It signified the promise of better days, a beacon of hope that kept her going on her toughest day. It reminded her of the times she spent frolicking in her backyard when she was a mere toddler, giggling, carefree and feeling utterly loved by her doting parents. It also reminded her of the bashful smiles, the furtive glances... the first time she met him under the cherry blossom tree.

The thunder rumbled once more, lulling Yoona away from her fond memories and it was interesting, in a melancholy sense, to note how much could change within a mere span of three hundred and sixty-five days. Oh, how time makes fools of us all.

With an eerie howl, the wind whipped Yoona's straight ebony hair in all directions, just as the girl drew her attention to the violent, turbulent waves at the bottom of the cliff. On impulse, she kicked a tiny pebble, watching impassively at the pebble fade into nothingness. Vaguely, Yoona wondered how far one would have to travel before reaching the waves... monstrous waves that roared each time they crashed against the base of the cliff, leaving nothing but peculiar white foams bubbling on the surface whenever they pulled back.

Sighing silently, Yoona stared up at the stormy dark clouds. She wasn't blind nor oblivious, she was completely aware that a thunderstorm was well on its way and she should, like what a normal, sane person would have done; get away in search of a shelter, "But nothing matters anymore." she thought. Nothing matters anymore.

The raindrops fell in time with the faint rumbling of a car engine, signifying that the person she had been waiting for has finally arrived. With panther-like grace, he emerged from the white convertible, his eyes Arctic cold, the usually neat brown hair tousled by the savage wind.

He was cold. So cold. An icy chilly-ness that Yoona wasn't used to. This... This was the mask of the Ice Prince; the stoic mask reserved for others but never to her. With her, he had been warm, as warm as the summer sun. He was always laughing, his stance more easy and relaxed, constantly smiling at her as happiness twinkled in the crescent moon-like eyes Yoona had grew to adore. "How?" questioned Yoona silently, "How could everything have gone so wrong, so fast?"

The boy stopped several feet away from her, staring. Yoona held his gaze unflinchingly, desperate for a hint of emotion, a trace of the boy she used to know.

"What do you want?" snapped Jiyong harshly, growing uncomfortable under Yoona's stare. She wasn't supposed to look at him, all lost and innocent and abandoned. She had hurt him, driven a blade so deep that Jiyong knew that he would never heal. Who knew that a broken heart could hurt so? To think that he thought he ought to be immune towards disappointments by now... To receive a betrayal from the girl he loved so much... It hurts, so damn much.

Even so, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting, that the wounds she gave were still bloody and raw... That even after all she had done, he was still pining and yearning for her like a fool that he was. Looking at her hurts, remembering their happier times were torture, recalling her betrayal felt like death but yet, through it all, as she stood there, looking frail and vulnerable, it took everything in Jiyong's power to not go running towards her, to hold her tightly in his arms where she would be safe and protected. His feelings towards the girl both unnerved and angered him, and so, Jiyong chose to go for the offensive once more earlier on, pouring every ounce of resentment he had as he snapped at her, to inflict a fraction of the pain she had bestowed onto him.

Retaliation. Petty vengeance. Better to strike her first than to wait for another unsuspecting blade; that was Jiyong's motto... But yet, why couldn't he suppress the hurt that rippled through him at the sight of Yoona flinching at his aggression. Why was it that she still held so much power over him after everything that had transpired? Why?

"Pathetic." scoffed Jiyong inwardly. He was weak towards her, always have, always will be.

"Was it ever real?" questioned Yoona softly as she pushed her thick glasses up to peer at him, her delicate voice barely audible over the sound of the crashing waves.

Only to feel anger simmer within her when Jiyong scoffed incredulously at her question. "You have got to be kidding me. You made me drive all the way here just for that stupid question? Are you being freaking serious right now?"

Yoona's lower lip trembled, the sting of Jiyong's comments burning into her as she brought her arms up to wrap herself, as though by doing so, she could keep herself from falling apart. He didn't need to make her feel smaller than she already was, he hadn't need to remind her what an idiot she was, she already knew that for herself. But she had to know, she needed to hear the answers from Jiyong himself. And for the first time in her life, Yoona was standing up for herself, going against her meek, soft-spoken nature.

"Answer me Ji... please."

Jiyong's breath hitched. The broken tone in Yoona's command, no, plea had him knocked breathless, reminding him of how much of a brittle porcelain doll Yoona actually was despite her brave front.