*NOT MY PICTURE*

Suzy:
            My stomach growled as I ran through the lightly crowded streets, searching for Jinyoung. The morning breeze slightly chilled my skin as I ran about, turning my head in all possible directions for sight of him. He never got to tell me the places where he liked to go. He never got to tell me his favorite food or his hobbies. I never got to know more than his name and face. I never got to know much about who he really was. I kept running even though I was hungry and exhausted. I never got to know anything about him... I fell to my knees and looked up at the moving white clouds. But why do I want to find him so much? The clouds had the strength to move and search who for they longed to see, but here I was... bound to the earth. The autumn breeze blew against my face as brown leaves danced along with it. A leaf landed beside me and I gently picked it up but it escaped from my grasp soon after. I watched the leaf disappear back into the air. The leaf reminded me of him and how soon he disappeared. Home was the only place left for me to go...
            I arrived at school early as usual. I slid the door to homeroom and peeked inside. Of course he isn't here. I sat at my desk and stared at his empty seat, wishing that he'd show up. I turned to the window and saw Pyo. His leaves were almost all gone. The peculiar brown bird was nowhere to be found. I traced the path of leaves twirling in the wind with my eyes to pass the time. At lunch I sat under Pyo and watched the clouds float in the air as I waited for Jinyoung. The last school bell rang and everyone was leaving. He still didn't show up. I took the bus home and worked at the cafe. I entered the house with mom and she pat me on the back and told me that I worked hard. Everything was like how it was before I met him. The next day I waited for him. He didn't come. Everything was the same as yesterday. And then the next, and the next. He still didn't come and everything was the same as the day before. Days flew by as I completed my regular schedule but thoughts of him lingered on my mind.

            I thought of him as the last of the autumn leaves fell to the ground.
            My relationship with mom recovered and we were both on good terms again.
            I was able to improve my grades because mom was able to hire a part timer.

            I thought of him in the back of my mind as snow fell to the ground.
            More people came to our cafe as regulars.                             

            We were making more money and mom was able to expand the size of our cafe.

            I thought of him less as sprouts began to rise from the ground.
            Our cafe was doing well so we wanted to improve the ambiance of it.

            Mom decided to grow flowers and displayed them in the center of tables.                                

            They were Roses of Sharon, Dad's favorite flower.

            I almost forgot about him as the sun flowers stood tall on the ground.
            He was fading away from my mind.

            Why didn't I look for him, you ask? I didn't look for him because I didn't want to waste my time on inchoate feelings. What was that one small thing that made him happy? I don't know. What was his passion? I don't know. What did he love? I don't know. Who did he love the most? I don't know. It was no use, I didn't want to waste my efforts searching for somebody I barely knew just because we shared a few good memories that made our hearts skip a beat. It just wasn't a realistic pursuit. Maybe I doubted myself. Maybe I could have found him. But that's all in the past and it’s all too late now. What has been done is done. I made the choice to continue living my ordinary life. If we aren't to meet again in this life, then I'll go out of my way by all means to meet him again in the next life.
            I packed my suitcase and carried it down stairs. Mom was already packed up and we set out on our road trip to the country side. I fell asleep in the car and when I woke, mom was still driving and the sun had set long ago. I looked up at the summer night sky and there she was, Venus. She smiled at me and a strange feeling tingled at the back of my neck. She told me that somebody was also looking up at her at the very same moment. I looked at mom but her eyes were focused on the road. Then it came to me. The first name that popped up inside of my head was... Jinyoung. I kept looking at Venus as I remembered looking at her with Jinyoung in the hospital room as autumn leaves danced with the wind.