Wouldn't you agree that sunset is one of the most picturesque sceneries? For some, it meant hope for another day to come. But for some, it signals the end of something great. For these two men watching it right now, it meant the latter.

“I’m sorry son…” the older man did not how to comfort his son. The sight of him suffering like this makes him wish they could switch places.

The 12-year old boy did not respond. He was just staring blankly at the horizon. Watching the sun bid its goodbye…

“Donghae…” he could hear his father calling him but he was too tired to even say a word…too exhausted to feel anything…

“Son…I’m really sorry…we’ve done everything we could.” his father apologizing for something out of his control

Still no reaction from him. He wants to cry. He wants to scream. He wants to be angry at Him for taking him away.

“Okay…I’ll let you stay here, but I’ll be leaving Kangin and 2 others with you.” he looked at his son one more time, wanting to embrace him and make him feel better but knows what he needs now is time. Time to heal. Time to accept. Time to forget.

They were in this exact place a year ago. He was playing basketball with his father, Kangin and his brother Donghwa while his mom was grilling some meat for their dinner. Everything was perfect until they received that phone call. That phone call which marked the start of the hell he’s going through right now.

The Lee family is missing. Lee Hyukjae and his parents. Like them, they were on a vacation too. The coastguard found their yacht empty…abandoned, in complete chaos. A couple of days later, the parents were found in a nearby shore, both gagged and lifeless…shot to death. The son, or corpse as many believed, was never found. Donghae’s family used their own resources and connections in search for the young boy but all efforts proved to be useless. Everyone but him assumed that Hyukjae was dead. The case also remained unsolved. Based from the few evidences they have gathered, the authorities suspected it was a hit. The killing was done professionally. No traces. No prints. Nothing.

And now, after a year…everyone seems to have forgotten that tragic event. Nobody cares anymore about the missing boy. There are new miserable stories to talk about anyway.  Even his parents decided it was time to let go and move on.

Let go? How do you let go of a person who has been with you since you were on diapers?

Move on? How do you move on from having a bestfriend to having just a memory?

How?

They left for New York the day after.  His father decided it would be best if he would stay with him while he was taking care of the company’s expansion in the US. 8 months later, they settled in China, where his mother and brother were waiting. Leaving Korea helped him recover from depression. His family was and always have been supportive. He didn’t want to drag them in the blackhole him in. As he grew older, he had learned to accept…and is now in the process of forgetting. Aside from his mother’s