The heavy downfall prevented Jaebum from going out with his friends that day. It's Saturday and the last thing he wanted to do is stay alone at home and dwell in his emotions. The 28 year old who was standing at the corridor looking at his drenched yard retreated back into his two storey house, sighing in defeat. The huge, mock tudor living space has never felt so empty. He was so used to having the presence of another in that house. A presence that long has left the place he called home. A presence he can no longer feel no matter how much he screams and begs the Heavens.

Jaebum spent 8 years alone after Jinyoung left. He remembered how heavy his heart felt as he silently watched the younger packed his things into designated boxes and loaded them onto his silver coloured MPV. Looking at him with those sorrowful eyes as he drove out of the driveway, away from Jaebum. He remembered how he spent the first few days just laying on the couch, staring into nothing with untouched books scattered all over the floor. Black and white earpieces stuck to both his ears as he spent the rest of the day sleeping in the melody of the song he had composed with the latter. He had been disgruntled, too far into his thoughts to be focusing on anything.

It took him some time to finally recover. A year to be precise. A whole year of unproductivity must've impacted his career as a musician and it did. Though some of his fans still remain, he worked hard to win the rest back. Music is his escapade. Somewhere he'll run to when things gets tough. It is where he finds solace in the absence of his childhood friend.

No.

Jaebum had stopped calling Jinyoung his friend a long time ago, ever since he was 18. Jinyoung, to him, is a life long partner. A person that he wanted to be with until he breathed his very last breath. Unfortunately, Jinyoung had walked out of his life before their hair even managed to turn grey and Jaebum has no one but himself to blame for that. He hated Jinyoung for leaving. But he hated himself more for not trying to stop him. For letting him go so easily.

The prime days of his youth was filled with laughter and fond memories. At the age of 38, Jaebum could only look back on his past from a distance,  as if it was not his. It's been 18 years since Jinyoung left and Jaebum still spent his years in solitude. He had retired from the music industry a few years back due to health issues. The brunette took one glace at the mirror on his bedside table. Visible signs of wrinkles has started appearing on his face and Jaebum knew he was aging. He lost track of time 18 years ago. He's stuck in a time paradox of when Jinyoung was still there, with him, laying on the leather couch in his living room reading books from his shelves. Picking out the ones that he liked and talking about it with Jaebum until they both fell asleep late at night. Jinyoung would wake up not long after falling asleep to fetch a blanket from the bedroom. He covered Jaebum with it and went back to the other couch to sleep while clutching his arms in an attempt to warm himself. Since that day the nights had been cold, but no ones there to cover him with a warm blanket and Jaebum let a single tear dropped from his eye, covering the pillow with patches of wet, warm liquid. That was the first time he ever cried.

Even when he's 48, Jaebum couldnt bring himself to start a family. The whole idea seems outrageous to him. He still lives alone and he had kept his house the same way as the time when Jinyoung left. At times when he had nothing to do after finishing his chores, Jaebum would pull out one or two albums from his wooden drawer. The albums had collected dust in the years its being kept in that small space, unopened. He wiped the dust with a wet tissue to avoid it from entering his nostrils and making him