“Message from Mina’s mom”

The robotic female voice makes Tzuyu looks up from her book, but her fingers still not leaving the braille bumps on the page.

She tries to go back to the book since she is in the middle of a very fun part of the novel. Usually Mina’s mom texts her to say thanks for accompanying Mina, anyway. But somehow she feels it is different this time, she shakes her head and swipes the table a bit to find her phone.

“I am sorry that Mina makes a mess. Jaehyun’s father just texted me they met her by chance. She’s with you, right? Could you just talk her to go home please? He said Mina is crying?”

The voice dictates what Mina's mom wrote. Tzuyu silently comprehending the message, before she huffs and mutters, “Oh boy here we go.” She then stands up and go to her door. 

--

They say your life will flashes before your eyes in the end.

Jaehyun always thought that it would be some grandiose selected scenes of the most dramatic moments of his life.

But turned out it was a food on the table, his ceiling above his bed, and backpacks. All ordinary things.

He thinks that maybe it is because he was just an ordinary small town kid with no amazing things in his life.

His cut-short life.

But when he sees Mina crying her heart out in pain, chanting “Why do you have to leave me” over and over again amidst her sob, he thinks bitterly that his life ain’t so irrelevant.

“I’m so sorry, Minari,” Jaehyun spokes softly. He still doesn’t know what to do except apologizing. Hoping it would make her cry cease.

“Nobody-,” she coughs, “nobody calls me that but you,” she bawls more.

Jaehyun sighs in despair, his hands are itching to just hug her and pat her head like he did when Mina got her first heartbreak back in middle school. But he is afraid of touching her.

He is afraid that it will change something. And then he will not see her again. He was very happy that he at least can do that while nobody else can see him. And now, when he just found out that she can see him, he doesn’t want to risk anything.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Jaehyun softly chided her. “It must be so hard on you, pretending I’m not here.”

Mina nods while rubbing her teary eyes. Jaehyun wants so badly to do that for her.

“It-it is, but the elders always says, you know, they-they say,” Mina sobs again.

“Do not tie up the dead to the living, let them go and come as they pleases,” Jaehyun finishes it for her.

He smiles bitterly, remembering the legend that is so immersed in the townpeople's belief, of how the dead sometimes visit the living, but the living shouldn’t disturb them.

Jaehyun and Mina never thought much about it. From little they just considered the yearly ritual of setting lampions off from family graves to the sky as fun. Parents always say that it is for making the path so the souls can go back and forth easier. Little Mina just liked to see the bright dots of the lampions flooded the sky.

“Don’t go away,” the current Mina now is pleading to the boy in front of her, “Just...just stay, please.” 

Jaehyun almost just nod, he was never the one having the heart to say no to her.

“He can’t do that, you know,” Tzuyu breathless but firm voice cut him.

Jaehyun and Mina look at their arriving classmate. Mina looks only part guilty and Jaehyun only part surprised.

“You know, I always felt like you are really more than you seems to be,” Jaehyun breaks the silence.

“You were always the reasonable one, Jaehyun. You full well know, here is not your place,” Tzuyu says while walking up to them.

“Then why I am here, then?” Jaehyun bristles.

“You know the answer to that too. I think I’ve given you enough time to figure that out by yourself,” Tzuyu doesn’t let him play dumb.

--

“Ten said that this big company is holding out an open audition,” Mina gushes.

Jaehyun nods enthusiastically too, “That’s exciting.”

“Ah, I want to go with him! I want to see dancers from other regions, I want to watch ballet there-They say it’s so different!”

Jaehyun’s smile lessen a little. Somehow his heart feels heavy hearing that.

“Aren’t you curious about other places, Jaehyun?” Mina’s sparkles in her eyes is so bright yet it put an ache on his chest.

“I am, but, we can travel, you know. Holidays-” Jaehyun starts.

“No, I mean, can you imagine really living in other place? Being one with the city, the tall buildings, the people...” Mina is lost in her daydream.

Jaehyun sighs while looking around where they are. The green meadow is in the most beautiful colour at this point of time. The sunlight adding a yellow hue in everything, making the green grass looks even more refreshing.

The slow winds also making everything seems more peaceful. Jaehyun looks at the girl beside him. Her hairs goes all over her face due to the breeze yet she seems unbothered by it.

She looks very fitting here. Beauty matches the natural landscape and smile as bright as the stars that are still uncorrupted by light pollution.

Although, he reasons, she will still look pretty everywhere she is. A big city, like where she dreams to be, would be no exception.

Mina senses his stare and brushes her hair away from her face to look at him. Her eyes questioning, a little pout formed on her lips.

“I am pretty happy on where I am now,” Jaehyun smiles beside her and nudges her shoulder playfully, “I am really a small town boy, I guess.”

--

The town is silent since most people are eating dinner with their families at home. Three figures, two sets of footsteps, and a clicking sound of a cane hitting the road fills the empty atmosphere

“Where are we going?” Mina reluctantly asked. Tzuyu has been so sure of leading them somewhere that she is afraid to ask.

Besides, Mina is more taken by Jaehyun walking beside her and her freedom now to look at him directly in the face. Her heart is swelled by pain, happiness, longing, and thousand other emotion every times Jaehyun looks back and smile reassuringly.

“To your neighborhood,” Tzuyu answers her like it’s a matter of fact.

“Why?” Mina asks, looking at both of her friends for answer.

Jaehyun only shrugs and Tzuyu is not answering, until they passes by Mr. Jang’s store and she stops. 

Mina is bewildered, while Jaehyun just look at the closed store with nostalgic look.

“Is there anything you want to tell him?” Tzuyu asks.

Jaehyun thinks for a moment, before shaking his head. “Just wishing him a good life.”

He then politely bows to the store, as if the owner is there.

Tzuyu and Mina trails Jaehyun while he bows to each houses and stores he knows the owners well. And it is almost all of them.

“You were, uhm,” Tzuyu shyly corrects herself when Jaehyun stares after bowing down in front of the old comic book store he and Ten often came to, “are-You are a nice person, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun’s ear would be flaming red by the compliment if he weren’t so somber in the moment.

“Next stop, then,” Tzuyu is ready to walk again when Mina cut her.

“No,” the girl’s firmness matches Tzuyu’s signature tone.

Jaehyun and Tzuyu turns back to her. Mina is defensively crossing her arms in front of her. Jaehyun knows that gesture too well. Mina is going to be stubborn.

“You are not gonna say goodbye,” Mina looks straight at Jaehyun.

Tzuyu bites her lips, knowing full well that this might happen. “Don’t tie him up, Mina-”

“No,” Mina sniffs to push down the dwelling sob bubbling in her chest, “No. This time I’m not gonna walk away from you.”

Jaehyun feels his eyes water, “But this time, I am the one who has to walk away, Minari. I’m so-”

“I said no! And stop saying sorry! I’m the foolish one! I should’ve listened to you-”

“Mina?”

Mina looks at the source of the voice and blinks rapidly, “Te-Ten?”

The boys looks haggard, his bruises in the face are fading, and he looks completely confused. “Why are you yelling?”

“He can’t-” Jaehyun starting to ask Tzuyu.

“No,” Tzuyu shakes her head.

“Yes! That is not fair! Why I’m the only one who can see him? It’s not fair-We’re all best friends.” Mina is bordering on hysterical while Ten approach her to calm her down although he is still confused.

“Because he already let me go,” Jaehyun answers her in daze, like he also just got the answer. “Is it?” Jaehyun turns to Tzuyu again.

“On my way to get you guys, I texted him to wait in a place that is special for you and him,” Tzuyu shrugs. “Here we all are.”

“Him…” Ten muses at Tzuyu unfocused stare on nothing, which is normal usually, but adding the fact of Mina being a mess in his embrace….“He’s here, isn’t it?” Ten bravely gulps down his nervousness. “Jaehyun is here.”

--

“Have you heard? Ten! He runs away from home!” 

The night before the neighbourhood feast on a new story, Ten is running down the dark street, backpack in hand, and wishful dreams in mind.

His parents never really get on board of him wanting to dance. And downright rejecting the idea of him going to an open audition in the city.

“Just this one opportunity, let me have this, so you’ll see,” he brushes away a stray tear escaping his eyes due to the running and something else.

“Ten!” Mina’s voice is echoing off the empty platform of the station. Her face alone brings peace through the storm inside him. Ten smiles at the girl, the first audience of his dance.

“What are you doing?” Jaehyun trails behind her, worry laced in his feature. Ten also smile at him, the gravity of the trio.

“Hey, let’s come together! It will be fun! We can go back and face their anger after,” he is back being his bouncy bright self.

Mina is excited at the prospect at seeing the city while Jaehyun is rooted on the spot. His home.

“Come on, Jaehyun! It’s not that far, you know, well I mean if you don’t count the-” Mina’s bright excitement dies down when she sees Jaehyun’s doubtful expression.

“Hey come on!” Ten smiles brightly and takes Mina’s hand to pull her to the train. What he didn’t expect is Jaehyun pulling Mina’s other hand toward himself.

A student, just happens to saw them from a distance, unaware of what they were saying but the expression of the three and the gestures set a light to a good story.

“I saw Ten and Jaehyun fighting over Mina”

“Don’t you think Ten must be wanting to take Mina to run away?”

“Looks like it right?”

“Probably eloping? I always thought that there is something going on between them two.”

“Omo so romantic”

“What about Jaehyun?”

“Oh poor Jaehyun”

“He is a good boy but Ten is more fun don’t you think?”

“Waa, I can’t choose between them”

“She is right picking Ten, though”

“What are you talking about, Jaehyun is the better catch”

--