Subject: Revision

            Dear Kang Mi-rae,

            I’ve made some notes in this document. Please revise according to the notes and this revision due to tomorrow noon.

            Thank you.

 

            Great, Mi-rae thinks. Just great.

            Mi-rae glances at the clock on the side of her monitor. 6.45 p.m. and she can hear some of her workmates already bid goodbyes. She calm herself and downloading the attachment.

            We’ll see. If there are no biggies then we can work it tomorrow morning. You can just leave now, she thinks while opening the document.

            She almost throwing her cup when the document finally opened and sees a lot of yellow highlight with comments beside it. There’s no way she can finish it if she do it tomorrow morning. She had no choice. She have to finish some of the revision now, so she don’t have to be rush tomorrow.

            The last workmate have leave and Mi-rae just finished 5 out of only God knows how many parts. When she about to get up to get a glass of water, a pop up appears on her personal e-mail. Mi-rae frowns when she reads the subject.

            “An e-mail from the past?” She reads as she clicks the e-mail.

           

            Subject: Hi, Mi-rae! [A letter from October 6, 2011]

            Actually I don’t want to do this, but you keep on bugging me. You know, we’re on the café, have a pleasant date when you coming up on the idea of writing us an e-mail for the future us. I want to enjoy my time with you, but look at this!

            Anyway, as always, I can’t say no to you, you know that? After I think about it, it’s quite good idea to send ourselves an e-mail. I don’t know what you’ll write for me, but let’s keep that as a secret until 2017, when we receive this e-mail.

            So... where do I start? I don’t know if you still remember me in 2017, but I hope that you’ll. I’m Kim Tae-hyung, your 2011 boyfriend and I hope I’m still you 2017 boyfriend, ha ha ha. If I’m still your boyfriend at that time, then we already together for 9 years! Wow! It’s a long time enough to date. I hope I’m brave enough to propose you.

            I don’t know if we’ll last that long, but as for now I enjoy your company. You’ve been a very good girlfriend for these past 3 years. Ah, you’re not forget that today is our anniversary date, right? Don’t forget to buy me a good food, and later I’ll pay you with something nicer, I promise.

            I think I’ll just write how thankful I am to you. You’ve sacrifice your life to be my girlfriend. Thank you for coping up with my weirdness. But come to think of it, you’ve infected by my weirdness too, and that’s fun, right? Also, thank you for always being there for me even though I said I don’t need your help. You’ve been a very big help and I don’t know what I would do if I don’t have you. Really.

            I’m sorry if there’s something about me that disappoint you. I know sometimes you get mad at me but you never showed it. You choose to talk to me nicely when you can scold me. After that, you choose to forgive me, every time. Why are you so nice?

            I think I got emotional writing this e-mail meanwhile you’re all smiling while writing an e-mail for me. You got my favorite kind of smile, you know that? Your smile is so contagious. Please smile a lot. This world will be nice if everyone smile beautifully like you. But right now I’m the luckiest person because I got to see that smile anytime, hehe.

            We never know what the future hold, so maybe when you read this letter, we might be already broke up. So I just want to say, please stay healthy. When you’re healthy you can do anything. Don’t forget to eat. You might be working right now, so please don’t force yourself. Eat as many food as you can and don’t do diet.

            After you receive this e-mail, no matter if we still together or not, please contact me. Tell me you already read this e-mail and talk about it with me. I’ll contact you too if I receive an e-mail from you.

            Ah, it makes me think about the future. Good or bad, it’s the path that we choose, right? I’ll end this e-mail since I can’t wait to spend more time with you. For your information, we’re going to watch a movie after this. Do you still remember what movie is it?

            With lots of love,         

Tae-hyung, your Tae Tae, your weirdo

 

Mi-rae places her hands on while reading the e-mail. There’s a loud pang in her heart after she reads that e-mail. Tears are in verge of coming down.

A flashback is playing in her head like a movie. She remembers at that time, a friend told her that they can write an e-mail that will be send to the future. There’s this generator that allow us to do that. Thinking that it was such a brilliant idea, she and her friends wrote themselves an e-mail. When she went for a date with Tae-hyung, she also made him wrote an e-mail for her.

She received an e-mail from the past herself in 2013, because she set it only for 2 years. But when she was with Tae-hyung, they thought it would be great if the year gap is wide and they loved the idea that it would be surprised themselves in the future when they receive the e-mail. They choose 6 years because 6 was their anniversary date.

Mi-rae sighs. Should she contact him? Did he already receive the e-mail too? Mi-rae tries to remember what did she write for him, but she completely forget.

It’s not something embarrassing, right?

            Sadly, 2 years later they had to break up because they had this quite huge fight and Mi-rae accused Tae-hyung for cheating over her. After that, they never talked nor met again because they graduated and the adult life started.

            Mi-rae looks at the clock and taken aback because it’s already 7:53 and she just finished 10 out of hundreds. She decides to ignore the e-mail and back to the work. She’ll think about it after she finish it. But when she was just about to start, a phone call coming in from unknown number.

            “Hello?” Mi-rae picks it up without thinking much.

            “Hello? Kang Mi-rae? It’s me, Kim Tae-hyung.”

 

***

 

            Mi-rae thanked the waitress after bringing her order to the table. She looks around and there is no sign of him. She doesn’t know if it’s the right choice or not, but at least her heart said that she wants to do it.

            She wants to meet Tae-hyung. So she said yes when Tae-hyung called her and asked her to meet up.

            Part of her only curious of what he looks like now and what he is doing now. And another part of her wants to ask for apologize because of what happened in the past. She knows he didn’t do it but she accused him out of her anger. She knew that that girl is just a friend but she brought it up.

            And as Tae-hyung said in his e-mail, he can’t say no to her.

            “Hi.”

            A voice comes up from her back followed by a figure of a man. He sits in front of her with a big smile plasters on his face. Mi-rae can’t help but also smile.

            So it’s him.

            “H-hi! Mmm... How are you?” Mi-rae stutters because suddenly she feels so nervous.

            Tae-hyung nods his head. “Good, at least my car didn’t stall today. Gosh, you know it’s so tiring to use that car. Wish I can change it someday...”

            Mi-rae laughs a little. So he haven’t change much. He still likes to explain his answer despite the simple question.

            “How about you, Mi-rae? What are you doing now?”

            “Just usual, making money for living, you know, because apparently mom and dad decided to live in Canada with my brother, so I have to survive on my own here. How about you order a drink first then we’ll talk.”

            Tae-hyung shakes his head. “I won’t stay long. I have errands to run.” He exhales a deep breath before continues, “Actually there’s something I want to talk to you, so that’s why I asked to meet up.”

            Mi-rae let out a nervous laugh. “Okay. What is it?”

            “First of all, it’s really nice to meet you again after a long time. When I read your e-mail, I started to wonder what you are doing now. I also remember that I promised to contact you after I read the e-mail. Thank God your number stay the same. At first I was thinking whether I should call or you not, but... promise is a promise no matter how long it has been already. So yeah, it’s really nice to meet you again.”

            Mi-rae nods and she can feel her heart beats faster. Tae-hyung opens his purse and pull out something. He looks at Mi-rae for a second before giving it to her.

            A wedding invitation.

            “And I want to give you this. It’s next week, I hope you can come.”

            Mi-rae looks at the invitation and smile to Tae-hyung. “S-sure! Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re getting married! Congratulation, really!”

            Tae-hyung rubs the back of his head. “Yeah, I can’t believe it too. Mi-rae, I’m sorry but I have to go. But I meant it, it’s nice to meet you again.”

            “Tae,” Tae-hyung stops his motion after Mi-rae calls him with his old nickname, “I also want to say sorry. For everything. In the past.”

            Tae-hyung smiles. “It’s okay. That’s why we’re here now, to make up the past.”

            Tae-hyung is just about to open the café door when Mi-rae calls him again. “I’m sorry but... I’m curious of what did I write in the e-mail.”

            “Oh, it’s really sweet. You wished me to be happy and pursue my dream. If you want I will forward it to your e-mail.”

            Mi-rae nods. “Thank you.”

            And with that, Tae-hyung walks out from the café. Once again, Mi-rae looks at the invitation in her hands. She just realizes that life waits for no one. Either you choose to move on with time, or live in the past. People change, time is moving forward. Never regret what you’ve done and don’t do something you might regret later.

            Mi-rae pulls out her phone and dials a contact.

            “Hi, Seok-jin. Yeah, I’m in café, I met a friend. Hey, baby, do you have time next Saturday? My friend is getting married and he invited me, will you come with me? Okay, thank you. Where are you now? Oh, okay, I’ll go to the studio now. See you, baby.”