Kim Jinwoo – New York – Day 101

Jinwoo held the bouquet of flowers close to his chest. He looked around. The sky was clear. The sun was shining brightly. The birds were chirping. The grass was a healthy green. The wild flowers bloomed beautifully around the dead. He knelt down in front of the stone that had her name engraved on it. He could feel the emotions he was trying to keep down coming up with great force. The tears that he held in finally filled his eyes before they flowed out.

“Hi, Sangyoon. I, I just wanted to stop by before I left for good. I know I should have come to your funeral but I just couldn’t bring myself to realize that you were really gone. You know that I love you, right? Even if you’re not here and I’m in another country? You know that I’ll never stop loving you. I’ll think of you every single day until the day I die. I’ll remember every second that I spent with you. I’ll cherish the sweet memories you left me. And I’ll miss you until we meet again.” Jinwoo wiped his tears away as he placed the bouquet in front of her tombstone, “Sangyoon, I hope that you wait for me up there. I hope that when it’s my time, I’ll find you waiting for me with open arms. Sangyoon, I’m sorry that I couldn’t do anything for you. I’m sorry that you had to leave this way. I promise that in the next life, I’ll protect you and love you better. I’ll make sure that you have the most adventurous life anyone can live. So wait for me and we’ll be reborn together. I love you. Bye.”

Jinwoo stood up and walked to the taxi. He looked over his shoulder and gave her one last smile before he left for Korea.

Lee Seunghoon – New York – Day 101

Seunghoon fixed his hair a bit as he waited for his flight to be called. His favorite song flowed into his ears and his feet tapped in rhythm. He looked around the airport out of boredom and saw a few couples saying goodbye. He smiled softly at the scene. He would have had someone to tell him goodbye but Katie was no longer his. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. Katie had called him out of the blue and cut right to the chase. He thought that she was joking when she told him she wanted to break up with him but her face was serious. He asked her why and all she could tell him was that it was because she was sorry.

She told him that she needed to get herself together and being with him would be too much of a burden for him. She told him that she still loved him and that she was thankful that they had met and dated but she needed time to herself. Seunghoon was heartbroken, yes, but he understood her situation. He got up and left the music store without looking back. He hoped that even though she was the one who ended things, she would hopefully come back to him. He would wait and wait even if he was old and grey.

Seunghoon sprung up when he heard his flight being called. He grabbed his backpack and headed toward the gate. Even if she hadn’t been there to see him off he still had one last thing to say to her, “Goodbye, Katie. I’ll see you in the future.”

Song Mino – New York – Day 101

Mino held the letter in his hands. He had already read it a hundred times but he still continued to read it. It was from Minyoung, and no, it wasn’t a sad note. She told him to be safe. She told him to not overwork himself, to take his time with things. She thanked him for loving her when no one else would and that she would love him even if she died. She told him not to worry about her because she had a reason to live. She told him she had to continue to live if she ever wanted to see the one that brought her true happiness. Mino smiled or cried whenever he read the same letter over and over again.

He apologized to taxi driver before getting out of the car. He knew that he would regret things if he didn’t stop by her place one last time. He stood in front of her apartment door and took a deep breath before knocking gently. But no one answered. He planned on knocking again but an old lady interrupted him, “She’s at work.” Mino processed the words and smiled. He thanked her as she left. Mino stared down at the thick packet in his hand. He wrote a note on the front, “Minyoung, I thought I would be able to see one more time before I left but I guess not. I just wanted to say that I was sorry for leaving you. I love you, all of you, don’t forget. I’ll miss you. Wait for me and I’ll come back. Until then, stay strong and don’t forget that your life is worth it.”

He set his first draft of his book in front of her door before he left. As the taxi drove him away to the airport, he looked back and watched her apartment building become smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared.

Kang Seungyoon – New York – Day 101

He had kept his promise. He had kept her safe from her uncle but she was still gone. Seungyoon mourned for days, blaming himself for her death. He focused so much on trying to keep the man away that he couldn’t protect her from herself. He remembered the day so clearly. It was the one day when he had left her alone to get her something to eat. He came back and found her hanging in her room. A note left on her desk and everything all tidied up. He remembered being questioned by the police and how he couldn’t bring himself to realize that Jennie was no longer alive.

Ever since her death, he couldn’t sleep. All he could do was remember the signs that she had been showing. He was so busy protecting her from someone that couldn’t get to her that he didn’t see that the one who would take her life was in the same room as them every single day. He remembered how she stopped eating. She talked about her desire to die. Every morning, every afternoon, every night, guilt and shame ate him up alive. And then, he broke. He went insane just knowing that he was in the same city where Jennie had taken her life.

His seat on the plane was right next to the window. It would be his last time on New York ground, “Goodbye, Jennie. I’m sorry. I love you.”

Nam Taehyun – New York – Day 101

Taehyun’s apartment was empty. There was no furniture. There was no piece of artwork left behind. There was simply nothing left. Taehyun was at the airport and Aena was gone. She had scared herself to death. Her fear that Taehyun would hurt her again was too much for her to handle and she fell. She had run away to the roof and Taehyun had chased after her, apologizing without end. She tripped and stumbled back and over the railing. Taehyun reached out to grab her but he was too late. He watched her fall, her hand reaching out for him one last time.

He was questioned. He organized her funeral. He said goodbye to her. And then he bought a plane ticket to Korea. He couldn’t stand staying in New York knowing that he had driven the only girl he ever loved to her death. Taehyun watched his life get stored away in boxes.

The airport was packed but Taehyun felt so alone. He felt as though the vast airport was empty. He couldn’t hear anything but there was so much noise. As he was seated, he stared ahead of him. Without him knowing, tears began to form and he found himself trying to hold back his sobs. Taehyun wiped his stray tears away and breathed steadily. He closed his eyes and all he could see was Aena reaching out to him before she hit the ground. His eyes snapped open and only saw a dull seat staring back at him. As the plane got ready to take off, he closed his eyes again and leaned his head back. He saw Aena’s scared face staring up at him, “I’m sorry Aena. I’m so sorry. I love you. I really do.”

New York

There wasn’t an empty seat at the café. The baristas and the cashiers were hard at work taking orders and giving out change. The steam from the steaming hot cups drifted around the bustling café. With it swirled the memories of the customers. Memories of love, death, happiness, and sorrow waltzed in the air. There was laughter. There were gazes of interest. There was love in the air. A young man, studying to become a barista, sat on a stool, looking at a young and pretty customer take her order away. There was an confused musician who had found his inspiration, his life. An aspiring writer found the main character for his upcoming story. A history fanatic realized that there was something, someone, else to take over his mind. And an art lunatic had finally found his muse.

There were a hundred and one reasons the moment they laid their eyes on the love of their lives. Even if a hundred and one days had passed, it was still day one. The café was a timeless place. It trapped the innocence that they exuded. It enclosed their memories.

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This story has come to an end.

Thank you all for reading.