December 23rd, your phone read. You heaved a sigh and forced yourself to get ready for work. You exited the lobby to receive cold strong wind. You shifted your scarf higher up to your mouth, and started walking. Weaving through the crowd of people and occasionally bumping into others, you finally made it to your destination, your favorite cafe. You walked in and was greeted with the familiar smell of coffee. “Hi Chaekyung!” The cashier addressed you. You bowed back in reply. “Hi Alice, can I have my usual along with a blueberry scone?” you ordered quietly. “Absolutely, anything for my favorite customer.” The cashier, Alice said. You gave her a slight smile as you patiently waited. “One cup of mocha coffee with extra cream and sugar. And a blueberry scone for my favorite customer!” Alice called out for you. You walked up and took the drink and bag from her carefully. You thanked her as you paid and headed towards your office.

                Your office was a hot mess. Everybody was running around, overworking themselves to finish all their work before the holidays. You quietly sipped your coffee as you typed away on your computer. You had one more paper to do, before you were complete with everything. “Chaekyung~.” Your best friend called out to you. You peeked over to see her, your friend, Hana. “Let’s go get lunch! My treat.” You nodded as you logged off your computer. You collected your stuff and headed out the office side by side with her. She drove away with you in the passenger seat as the bright sun peered through clouds and greeted the both of you. “How about BBQ?” She asked. You shrugged not craving anything. In no time at all, you arrived at the place with the sign reading Arirang BBQ. It triggered a handful of memories as they started flooding your mind.

                “Jaehwan, Hajima!” you giggled out as he lightly tickled you. “Then let me feed you!” he demanded. “But I’m not a baby.” You mumbled out. “You’re my baby.” He said. You pouted and nodded. He grinned and fed you pieces of meat. You smiled at him and he smiled back. He gave you a peck on the lips “I love you Chae, and nothing will ever change that.” The words left his mouth.

                You smiled bitterly at the memory and regained your composure. “Hey Chaekyung, let’s go.” You gave her a smile and headed in with her. You couldn’t help but let out a tear as they seated you in the exact spot where you and Jaehwan were. You quickly wiped it away and sat down. You immediately started grilling the meat they placed down. You and Hana ate and quietly chatted. “Yah! Hyung~ that was mine!” a voice whined loudly. You, Hana and everybody in the restaurant glanced at the table. 6 boys were seated as they loudly chatted. You spotted a familiar guy at that table happily laughing chatting amongst his friends. You faced back to your table quickly and finished your last piece of meat. “Hana.” You called her. Hana returned her attention to the table and paid. You and her quietly exited the restaurant and headed back to work.

                You returned to your apartment after an exhausting day at work. You took a quick shower and got ready for dinner. You cooked up some ramen and bitterly ate it. You finished and bolted upstairs to get ready for bed. You sat on your bed looking at your clock, it blinked December 23rd  9:25pm. You tried to hold the tears that threatened to spill but they came flowing out once the clock changed to 9:26pm. “Another minute, another day and another year without you.” You quietly whispered.

                “Jaehwan, i-I’m letting you go...” the words flowed out of your mouth with much difficulty. “Chae.” He said as he tried to reach for you, but you backed away. “Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Jaehwan, I don’t want to hold you back. Go. This is your dream.” You whispered out. “Chae. I’m fine-“ “No, Go Jaehwan, I know how much this means to you.” You mumbled. “But you mean a lot to me too. I can’t let you go, I don’t want to hurt you.” Jaehwan said as he sighed staring at you “If you’re happy, I’m happy. And I know this dream will make you happy, so go please. Don’t make it hard, just please.” You begged him. “A-alright, I’ll do it for you, but I’ll come back, don’t you ever forget that.” He whispered. He gave you one last kiss before leaving with tears spilling from his eyes.

                December 23rd 2011