Yejin walked up towards the edge and leaned on the cold railing. It was the most memorable place she could think of. It’s graduation day today and she wanted to visit the place she’d miss the most after leaving the school for good. She wandered around aimlessly and her feet unconsciously brought her to the rooftop. It was the place where she and her boyfriend, ex-boyfriend to be exact, used to spend most of their time together. The cool breeze caressed her cheeks gently as she heaves a loud sigh.

“This place brings back so many memories” She closed her eyes as flashbacks flood her.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Stop it! Stop quarrelling!” Yejin wailed desperately in an attempt to stop her parents.

Her parents ignored her and continued their verbal fight.

“You never took the time to understand what I needed! I never told you to do things like that! After having a mistress, you’re creating this trouble.”

“I embezzled funds for this family, mind you! I wanted to give you and Yejin a better life. Yet this is the nonsense you’re giving me.”

“You could get thrown into jail if we cannot gather enough money to replenish the funds in time!”

“Stop it; stop!” Yejin broke down and ran out of the house, frantically looking for a shelter to protect her from all this insecurities her family and parents were giving her.

Naturally, she ran to Yoseob’s house. He’s her boyfriend after all. Only he knew how to console her and bring back her smile. She always felt better from Yoseob’s encouraging words and warm embrace. He’s the best thing that could ever happen to her. He was her everything.

Yet being the strong and inexpressive person she is, Yejin could never bring herself to say things Yoseob wanted to hear so badly. Things like ‘I love you’, ‘I missed you’, ‘dear’ or even a simple nickname – ‘baby’. She assumed that Yoseob understood and knows what she feels and kept all her appreciation in her heart.

“What’s up, babe?” Yoseob asked with stunned expression after answering the door to Yejin.

Yejin sobbed silently while Yoseob pulled her into an embrace.

“Did something happen at home again?” He asked once again, concerned.

Yejin gave a slight nod.

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright” He Yejin’s hair lovingly and began singing her a song.

This is like their routine for the past 16 years. He does that whenever Yejin was in tears, knowing that his soothing voice could calm her down. She was already dependent on this voice to bring her comfort whenever things went wrong.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Yoseob asked after a while.

“What did I do to deserve this?” Yejin sobbed.

“Now, tell me what went wrong this time, dear…”

“They’re always quarelling… I can’t stand it anymore”

“Well, things will get better” Yoseob spoke up again in his gentle voice.

“Things will get better? You always tell me that but nothing gets better every time! Things ain’t gonna get better! They only became worse!” Yejin retorted agitatedly.

“Cool down, why are you venting your anger on me now?”

“I don’t know!” Yejin screamed.

“What do you mean you don’t know? For the past 16 years, I’ve been by your side. Taking all your frequent mood swings, trying to be an understanding boyfriend for you.. And now you’re venting your anger on me when I all I did was to comfort you?! You’re so unreasonable” Yoseob finally lost it.

“What!? I’m unreasonable? What are you trying to say now, huh?”

“I’m not conveying any hidden message. I just want you to know how I felt and stop what you’re doing right now.”

“Guess what? I’m unreasonable right? Why don’t you find another girl who’s more reasonable and has a better family back ground than me, Yang Yoseob!?”

“Stop being spiteful, Yejin. You know you’re everything to me” Yoseob held his hands out towards her.

“Oh really? That isn’t what you said a moment ago. You said I was unreasonable, remember?” Yejin refused his hug and shrugged his hands off her angrily.

“So that is what you really want, Yejin? Us breaking up and me going for another girl? Is it?” Yoseob questioned with ambiguous expression.

Yejin stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Well, dear. Guess what? I’ll grant your wish. This is it; we’re breaking up. Bye” Yoseob decided after what seemed like a minute and he stood by the door.

“If you forgot, this is my house. Not yours. So…” He opened the door.

Yejin was still in her state of shock due to Yoseob’s actions. However, she managed to drag herself over to the door. When she was outside, she turned around and wanted to speak to Yoseob.

“Bye” Yoseob slammed the door shut in her face; he left her out in the cold.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Yejin’s eyes shot open as the heartbreaking memories flash in front of her like a movie without sound. She held her heart tightly.

“What if I never said that? What if I had held you back? What if we met again?” Again, she asked herself those three questions she never stopped asking ever since that fateful break up.

“Sorry, Seobbie.. I’m so sorry…” A tear rolled down her cherubic face.

Even calling out her nickname for Yoseob, her ex-boyfriend, had become a painful chore for her. She wrote down a note and stuck it onto ‘their’ wall. The wall she and Yoseob used to lean against while eating their lunchboxes together happily.

Yejin walked towards the stairs that lead to the hall. Before heading down for her graduation ceremony, she turned back to give the melancholic rooftop a last glance. As she walked away with a heavy heart, only memories are left behind, nothing else but aching recollections.