CHAPTER 60: Finale of First Love

"So my last request is... for you to be happy with Jonghyun. Please be happy with him, Hanna.”

Hanna was shaking greatly listening that words from Minhyun.

Not again, Minhyun ah.

Stop living for others.

Stop living for me.

You should be happy too.

But how?

What should I do now?

Minhyun closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Hanna's body while he could. Minhyun was determined, this is the last time he did skinship with Hanna. Because after this, they will be two different people. Of course they will remain friends, but it is undeniable that later there will be a distance between them. Hanna will be no longer depend on Minhyun. She has Jonghyun now. And Minhyun will no longer gravitate to Hanna. Now he chose his own world.

Minhyun began to let go of his hug, but frankly Hanna has not wanted to let go of that hug. She still wanted to smell Minhyun's scent. The scent that could comfort her. The scent that she would miss.

But Minhyun was already standing in front of Hanna now. Seeing Hanna bent her head down, Minhyun said, "Hey, you promised not to cry."

Hanna looked up slowly and said, "You just go home first, I still need time here."

"No. I won’t leave you alone. Let's go home together. "

Hanna was still hesitant.

"Come on, I'm going home when I see you come home with me." Minhyun insisted.

Hanna could only give up.

Along the way home, none of them spoke. This seems to be a picture of their future friendship. Full of silence.

Arriving in Hanna's house, Minhyun said, "Just get in."

Hanna nodded.

As Hanna opened the gate of her house, Minhyun said softly, "Good night, Hanna."

Hanna stopped. She thought it was a long time since she heard those words from Minhyun. She suddenly felt like missing him, when actually he was still by her side.

-00-

Hanna walked into the house and headed straight for her room. She sat on the edge of the bed and burst into tears. She felt very angry, very upset with herself. She felt like she was the most sinful person in the world for hurting Minhyun's heart. Her best friend. A very dear best friend.

Why does my heart feel so painful?

Why is this so stifling my chest?

When I broke his heart, why did I feel that my heart was broken as well?

Is this because I love him too?

But I also like Jonghyun.

Jeez, Kwak Hanna. You filthy ! How could you like two guys at the same time?

And those are your best friends.

They're best friends, Hanna.

You're not only ruining your friendships, you're also ruining their friendship.

What would you do now?

Hanna asked in tears as she grasped the choker Minhyun had given her.

-00-

Hanna spent the night by crying. She even dreams of Minhyun walking away from her. And though Hanna repeatedly yelled at him for coming back, Minhyun didn’t stop walking away.

Hanna woke up in a gasp. It was like she really chasing Minhyun in reality. She covered her face in frustration. As she tried to regulate her breath, suddenly she heard a message notification from her cellphone.

That was the notification from Dobong-dong group chat. Hanna was moved to open it. How astonished Hanna when she read the message sent by  Dongho just now.

Why did you suddenly go to Busan, Nyeon?

What? Minhyun go to Busan ??

Hanna was scrolling the chat and found Minhyun's message.

Ey-yo.

Just want to let you know that I'll spend the summer in Busan with Sujin noona.

Don’t miss me, okay?

It was sent at dawn, and now is nearly 8 in the morning.

Hanna jumped out of bed and ran out to Minhyun’s house. She knocked on Minhyun's door loudly, hoping Minhyun will open it.

But who came out was Mrs. Hwang. She was surprised to see Hanna coming with an anxious face. Hanna immediately bombarded her with the question, "Auntie Hwang, Minhyun hasn’t left, right? Can I meet him?"

"Hanna .. Let's get in first." Mrs. Hwang invited Hanna to come in and sit down. Then she said, "Minhyun has left for Busan with his noona and dad earlier in the morning, deliberately leaving early in order not to get jammed."

Instantly Hanna's body felt weak. She cried again. She didn’t care what Mrs. Hwang would think about her now. She couldn’t help but cry, because the reality hit her hard like her dream.

I'm too late.

He left.

He left, Hanna!

And it's because of you!

Mrs. Hwang gave Hanna time to calm herself down.

After looking calmer, Mrs. Hwang gave her a glass of water. "Here, drink it, Hanna.."

Hanna accepted and drank it. Now she felt embarrassed for crying in front of Minhyun's mom.

As if reading her mind, Mrs. Hwang said, "Minhyun has told me that maybe you'll come here. It's just that Auntie did not expect you to come here and ... cry."

Hanna was quite surprised. "Minhyun already guess that I’ll come, Auntie?"

"Yeah.” Mrs. Hwang simply nodded, but it made Hanna sighing. Geez, how could that boy know me so well?

But it wasn’t enough, because after that, Mrs. Hwang gave another surprise, “He just said ‘if Hanna's coming here, send her to my room, there's something for her there.’"

"Something for me?? Can I go there, Auntie?"

"Sure."

Hanna moved from her seat and walked to Minhyun's room.

This room is very familiar, she often came here, she even sleptover here once. Somehow, there was a feeling of sadness in Hanna's heart, she may not be able to come here again often.

Hanna went to Minhyun's desk and found a piece of paper there.

Sorry last night I didn’t say I want to go to Busan. I left only for a while. I will come back again for sure. I hope that when I back, we can get back to be friends again comfortably. Last night was awkward, I don’t like it.

This, I give you a prose from Ha Hyun in his A Piece of the Moon book. You don’t know that I like to read prose and poetry, right? I’m not only reading Transformer: Megatron Origin, Hanna, just so you know. Anyway, I’m not expecting you to understand it, but just give it a try to read.

Even only reading the beginning of his message, Hanna could laugh. Minhyun really knew how to make Hanna’s heart at ease.

Hanna then continued to read the prose Minhyun gave her.

I believe that loving someone was like learning a new language. Everyone has their own unique language. While sharing a cup of coffee, watching a movie, and eating together, we began to learn each other’s languages. While laughing and crying with you though we spoke in different languages, I ended up falling in love with you.

By reading that prose, Hanna was having a flashback at how long he knew Minhyun. She met him at age of eight and she was eighteen right at the moment. And how ten years was passed so fast as she growing up with Minhyun.

I remembered how bewildered I felt the first time my language and yours first clashed. What I knew as red in my language was blue in yours, and the confessions of love that I poured my heart into in my language couldn’t reach you. Like a child learning the alphabet for the first time, I began learning your language one word at a time.

Hanna remembered the time Minhyun fake his confession for Hanna to practice confessing to Jonghyun. She then also remembered what happened yesterday. The time when Minhyun really did his real confession to Hanna, even though it was too late.

The cups of coffee we share became ten, and then twenty. Slowly and clumsily, I started over and began speaking of love again. Teach me your language. I want to talk about our future together in your language, which will stay in my mind for a long time. You are the most beautiful sentence I have ever learned.

Hanna teared up as she read the sentence ‘You are the most beautiful sentence I have ever learned’. “But I can’t give anything for you, Minhyun ah? What future do you want us to have? Getting to be friends again, can we?”

Hanna continued to read Minhyun’s message. As the prose end, the message continued with Minhyun’s thought.

You got my message? Stop crying and blame yourself over my feelings. Just let Jonghyun who like it to do it. You don’t be like him. At least I got the experience of love, Hanna. You're my first love and my first heartbreak. You should be proud of it.

As Hanna ended reading the message from Minhyun, tears rolled down her cheek. But strangely she smiled. It felt like they reached the closure. This is the best scenario for the ending of their love story.

Thanks for loving me, Nyeon.

[Scene Hanna holds a letter from Minhyun smiling but shed tears]

#bgm: Ikon – Just Go

-00-

Hanna said good-bye to Auntie Hwang and walked home. Just then she realized that she ran into Minhyun's house barefoot. She also realized that she was still wearing pajamas.

God, I must be looking very messy. No wonder Auntie Hwang was so shocked to see me.

Hanna intended to run as soon as she was out from Minhyun's house. Unfortunately when she exited the gate of Minhyun's house, Jonghyun called her.

"Hanna .."

Hanna turned and Jonghyun walked over. Hanna realized that Jonghyun was observed her from head to toe. She immediately hid the letter from Minhyun she held.

Seeing Hanna wearing only pajamas and barefoot, Jonghyun said, "Just get in to the house first. We'll talk later. Oh, we'll be going out today, won’t we?"

Hanna nodded. "Yeah.."

"Then just get in."

While hiding her embarrassed face, Hanna nodded and ran to her house. Once inside her house, her mother also directly interrogated her. "Hanna, why did you suddenly run like a ghost? Where did you go?"

Hanna could only make a little bow and headed to her bedroom without answering her mom's question.

As Hanna sat on the edge of the bed, she hit her head multiple times.

What's on Jonghyun's mind seeing me like this?

Did he see me out of Minhyun's house?

Did he see the letter I was holding?

God, stop being fool, Hanna!

-00-

Hanna then got ready for her second date. As she dressed up, she saw