CHAPTER 25

YongHwa dived into the depths of the ocean to find her. He swimmed in deeper and deeper, and there were no signs of Shin Hye. He went back up to the surface to take a breather. “Shin Hye, where are you..” He muttered. His heart was pounding and his hands were shaky. His tears wanted to roll down but there was no time for that. The skies were becoming gray and dark. The clouds began to create a congregation in the sky. A deep crack was heard in the sky. Thunder. “No, no I must look for her.” He heard the lifeguard's whistle but he didn’t care. Shin Hye was first. The rain began to fall which made the waves more violent and huskier. He dived in again but this time it was harder, the waves began to push him farther left. More waves have amounted on top of him. He couldn’t hold his breath any longer while he was constantly fighting with nature. He pushed himself some more until his body couldn’t take it. He went blank. He subconsciously tried to pull himself back to the surface.  Finally, Yong Hwa was pulled up by his mom and Kahi that went to look for him and Shin Hye with a lifeguard. Hye Jung couldn’t contain her tears. “Yonghwa…” She began to do cpr on her son. (She’s been trained to do so.)  “We need to look for Shin Hye.” Kahi told the lifeguard.  “Don’t worry about it, a team is on their way.” The lifeguard reassured them.

YongHwa was laying on the bed sleeping. Hye Jung was by her son’s side waiting for him to wake up. Kahi was busy with the rescue team and the police. Hye Jung sighed and told herself to hold back her tears because she doesn’t want him to see her like that when he wakes up. After twenty minutes, Yong Hwa opens his eyes. “Yong Hwa!” Hye Jung went by him and and gently touched the side of his jaw. “Mom…” his mouth started to quiver. “Yes, Yong Hwa..” she said smoothly. “Mom...where is Shin Hye?” He began to sit up. “I don’t know, but they are looking for her.” Hye Jung was nervous and scared.  “I need to go look for her.” Yong Hwa said with determination. “No, you need to rest sweetie.” She tried to keep him seated. He got out of the bed. “No, I need to look for her. I have to.”  Kahi busted through the door.

“They found her...dead.” Her tears were silently falling. Hye Jung and Yong Hwa’s eyes widened.

“No, no that can’t be…” Yong Hwa felt weak in the knees. He fell to the ground and covered his face as his tears violently let loose. “Oh Yong Hwa..” his mom was crying and bent down to hug him. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect her. I hate myself so much.” He said as he bawled. “No, Yong Hwa don’t say that…” his mom tried to console him. “It’s not your fault at all.”

“I didn’t even get to say that I loved her.” Kahi went by him and patted his back while her tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Yong Hwa, I’m sure she knew very well that you loved her very much. You showed it to her.” Yong Hwa would nod his head ‘no’. They all cried together as the moon shined through the window.

Yong Hwa went outside to clear his mind and process everything that had happened today. The stars were shining the dark night. The palm trees were gracefully swaying with the rhythm of the breeze.  He started to walk around the area.  Survivor’s guilt was tormenting him. How can he move on with his life if it was his fault that the love of his life died? So many words were left unspoken. He couldn’t at least give her a long time of joy. She was filled with depression and sadness for the longest time and he couldn’t even help her. His thoughts were driving him insane. Yong Hwa arrived at a park and sat on a swing. “Shin Hye...where are you..” he sighed while swinging.

“I’m right here…” He heard a voice. He immediately turned his head. Shin Hye was right beside him on the other swing. “Shin Hye…” he was in awe. “How?” he asked.

“Yong Hwa..I’m not going anywhere. I will be turned to dust soon and disappear into the ground. They only way I am alive is in your heart and mind. But please live your life. You can accomplish so many things. I am so grateful for the time we spent together. You truly brought me happiness in this short amount of time. So please...be happy. For my sake...and for yours..” Water began to form our Shin Hye’s tears.

“I can’t forget about you even if I tried..it’s all my fault that you are dead..”

“No, it's not. Things happen. We just happened to be there at the wrong moment.”

Yong Hwa sighed. “Can I tell you something?”

“Sure.” She nodded her head cutely.

“I love you.” As soon as he said those words, she began to smile like a fool. Yong Hwa reached out to fix her hair that was being messed up by the wind. As soon as he touched her hair, she disappeared. His lips quivered and his eyes trembled with water. “No..why did you have to leave…” He aggressively ruffled his hair with frustration. His tears slid down his cheeks. He stood up from the swing and faced right to leave. Suddenly, he feels somebody putting their arms and hands around his waist pulling him close to their embrace. He quickly turned his head to see who was hugging him.  

“Yong Hwa…” the girl’s smooth voice resounded through his head and touched his heart.

“Shin Hye…?”

A/N: sorry for the short update, just wanted to leave you guys with a cliffhanger hehe so you can be excited for the next chapter~ So what do you guys think? Is this the real Shin Hye? Is this his immagination?