"Let's break up."

"Why?"

"I don't love you anymore."

"..."

"You saw that coming too."

"I did."

"I take that as a yes?" Mino sighed. He was not a jerk. He just felt that she deserved someone who loved her. He did not want to waste anymore of their time. 7 years. 7 years was too a long time. He didn't want to waste more. To him, their love was akin to a stream of water. Steady and smooth, but eventually dried up.

"I still love you." Yooji took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She was not weak. She did not give up easily. However, she knew when to let go. When the other party was no longer interested, it was time. To her, their love was like a rose—beautiful, captivating, but it could not last.

Silence.

Mino resumed his dinner. He picked up his spoon, shoving rice into his mouth. Yooji still had her spoon in her hand, but she was not using it.

"Let's break up." Yooji set down her spoon. Mino looked up. That was easier than he thought it would be. "Can I ask of one last favour from you?"

"What is it?"

"Let's go to the amusement park. One last time. After that, we break up. Cleanly."

"The amusement park where we had our first date?"

"Yes."

"And after that, we break up."

"Yes."

"Alright."

Mino turned up at the amusement park 10 minutes earlier than when they were supposed to meet. He looked around.

The hotdog stand that was at the entrance was still there. The uncle manning the stand was replaced with a younger man. The tree at the gate used to have someone in a Mickey Mouse suit standing in the shade giving out balloons with mickey mouse ears. Now it's Elsa giving out blue balloons.

Everything has changed. Mino mused. Even us. He thought of the time they innocently entwined their pinky fingers and promised to be together forever. That was the happiest moment of his life.

Even that seemed childish to him now.

Yooji arrived soon after. She mused that not much has changed about the amusement park.

The hotdog stand was still there. Even the blue sign with red words remained the same. The tree by the gate still had pink ribbons on the leaves. Balloons let go of by careless kids were still a sight today, becoming wedged in the leaves.

The only thing that has changed is us, she thought.

Seated on the rollercoaster, Mino remembered this scene on his first date. Him being afraid of rollercoasters, but had wanted to put on a brave front in front of her. When the ride started though, he had his arm around her protectively, forgetting about his fear. "Ah!" Yooji's shriek pulled him back to reality. He instinctively put his arm around her, as if to prevent her from falling off the rollercoaster. He didn't understand what compelled him to do so. Was it just a reflex action? Out of familiarity? He was confused at his own actions, but what he did know, was that everytime Yooji screamed, he wanted to pull her closer.

They walked past the ice cream van, triggering Mino's memory. Yooji had wanted the rose-shaped ice cream on the first date. He smiled as he remembered how he didn't tell Yooji that she had ice cream on her nose until they took a photo together. "Do you want ice cream?" Present-day Mino asked. Yooji smiled and nodded. "The rose-shaped one?" Mino asked. "Strawberry flavour, please."

Tea cups. Mino remembered how Yooji had asked him to spin the cup faster, until they got scolded by an elderly couple. He apologised profusely to them, and stuck his tongue out at Yooji who laughed, and in turn earned them another round of lashing.

He remembered asking a man to take a photo of them. He remembered being given two heart shaped balloons. He remembered laughing at Yooji when she choked on cinnamon sugar from her churros, only getting worried after she coughed for another 2 minutes straight.

Mino looked at Yooji walking silently beside him. Still the same woman, with the way she held onto her purse's strap as she walked, the way she put her hair over to one shoulder. But she was no longer holding his hand, or grabbing onto his arm.

Mino thought about it. Was he sure that he didn't love her anymore. He surely didn't feel the spark. He didn't feel the need to make everyday special for her again. Did he still want to protect her? Yes. Did he still want to make her happy? Yes. Did he still love her? He didn't know. Mino reached for her hand and held it tightly, feeling the familiar warmth. He then realised that his hand felt so empty when it wasn't holding hers. He caught a small smile at the corner of her lips. He smiled.

He loved her, and he still did.

As they walked nearer to the gate, Mino's feelings got stronger and stronger. Or rather, his hidden feelings grew. I'll just let her know that I still love her. She still loves me. We can work things out. Finally, they stopped at the gate. "Yooji..."

"Thank you for today. I'm so thankful for this last date. This will be the last memory of us. I will treasure it." Yooji smiled bitterly.

No, Yooji, Mino thought. It's not the last.

"I thought about it for very long. And yesterday I told you I love you. I brought you here hoping you'd change your mind."

And I did. I changed my mind.

"I don't know if you changed your mind, but I definitely did."

Huh?

"In the past, on the rollercoaster, all I wanted was for you to hold me. Just now, I just wanted to get off. At the ice cream stand, I used to queue for the ice cream with you, just because I could spend just that few more minutes with you. Just now, I realised that I no longer felt that same attachment. When we were sitting on the tea cups, I would just sit opposite you and look at you for the whole duration. Today, I didn't want to do that."

What?

"I remember arriving early just so that I could see you the moment you arrived. You kissed me when I fell asleep on your shoulder. I remember all these moments. I just don't feel the same now. I don't feel the excitement, I don't feel the need to want to be with you anymore."

"So you don't love me anymore?"

"I don't. But thank you for holding my hand just now. It really added so much meaning to this last date. Thank you. I loved you." Yooji spun around and walked away without even looking back, leaving Mino in the dust, regretting what he had or hadn't said.

"I love you too." Mino whispered.