Jiyong walked along the footpath through the warm brisk air of Seoul with one hand stuffed in his pocket, while the other held onto something very important, something that held his heart.

The only sound filling the air was the few birds that flew around in the trees and his black loafers hitting the footpath.

Few cars drove past and Jiyong had space just to think as he made his way to this oh-so-familiar place that he’d grown to know over the last year.

 

He raised his gaze from the ground beneath him up to the sun that was shining brightly, he let out a small sigh and a smile eventually pulled across his lips as he closed his eyes briefly, lingering in the moment.

He moved his gaze down to the envelope in his hands as he continued walking, he had written it and re-written it so many times he was positive he had it memorized in his mind.

 

His heart-felt words held in the contents of that white envelope echoed in his head as he neared this familiar destination…

Dear Dara, I’ve written this and re-written this so many times, I don’t know where to start really. I’m writing this for you, but also for me too I suppose. I’m hoping this reaches you, otherwise I’m probably just rambling on, but I needed to write you. It’s February 14th today, in other words, it would have been our 6th year anniversary. I still remember your laugh whenever you’d recount how I asked you to be mine on Valentine’s Day. You said it was cheesy-- but I still remember the look in your beautiful eyes when I gave you that ring. It also marks 1 year and 9 months since you, well, left. I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that you’re not coming back. To say it’s been hard is an understatement, because to be honest, it’s been horrible. A day doesn’t go past without a single thought of you crossing my mind, sounds cheesy, but it’s completely true. Our friends and my family all say that the heart heals in time, I believe them, but you’re special Dara-- you always had and always will have a place in my heart. They also say that over time I’ll find someone new, “You’ll find someone, there’s plenty of fish in the sea!” they say. Well you know what? I feel like a fish in a stinkin’ bucket… I made it into that college we were going to go to together; all my classmates go partying and what-not, me not so much. I’m focusing on my studies, I’m determined to graduate Dara, and I’m doing it for you. I’m actually learning a lot, surprisingly. Did you know that heaps of birds like doves and pigeons are Monogamous? That means that they are partnered for a lifetime. Even though we’re not together anymore, I still believe that were like that, doves, partnered for life. Remember your house from when you were younger? I walk past there almost every day, and every time I want to walk up to the door and knock, then hope that you’ll open it, but I know you won’t answer it. Sometimes it feels all so surreal that you’re not here anymore, it seems like just yesterday we were 3 and 4 and playing in the mud in our diapers together. I smile every time that I think about you, and how you managed to make anyone smile or how you could make an absolute stranger’s day better. The folks here all still talk of you as a blessing; you have no idea how many people’s lives you changed here. You definitely changed my life. Till this day I still find it amazing how our fingers would entwine perfectly whenever I held your hand, how beautiful you were whenever you blushed, or how all you had to do