Mina finds herself in the middle of Jaehyun and Ten again as they walk. Just like it used to be. But the realization that everything is definitely not what it used to be tugs Mina’s heartstrings.

Ten is silent, hand clutching Mina’s. He peeks at her and the space beside her. Feeling, more than knowing, that Jaehyun is there.

Like the feeling he got when Mina trying to subtly steal a glance at nothing, or when she always balks when he says Jaehyun is gone. Especially when she balks then she looks at nothing.

Ten grips Mina’s hand tighter, more to support himself than her. Never he thought of himself as superstitious.

But apparently he is indeed a town boy more than he likes to admit.

Jaehyun looks at the joined hands of Ten and Mina. The longing of the happier memories pushing him down.

“Can-Can I touch her? Can I hold her hand?” Jaehyun whispers.

Tzuyu nods subtly few steps ahead of him.

“I’m not a child! I am already in elementary school!”

“Really? Then why are you so short?” Ten snickers.

“She’s not short,” Jaehyun cuts him, Mina almost thank him before, “she’s just tiny.”

“But I’m fast,” Mina drags the boys by running faster. The boys who adamantly insist to hold her hands while they go through the patchy path in the forest just willingly be dragged.

Mina chokes back her sob as strong as she could.

Both hands clutching the hand of her most favorite people while they are walking through the same patchy path to the meadow.

When people started to filter out the houses to hang with the neighbours after dinner, Tzuyu recommended them to go somewhere more quiet.

They all are now walking to the meadow almost with no debate. Like it is just the most natural thing ever to just go back to their playing ground.

Mina sniffs. And both of the boys beside her look at her, trying to figure out how to make things better.

“This is nice,” Mina whispers, almost afraid that it would break anything.

She holds both of their hands tighter.

“We’re being together like this is always nice,” Mina admits.

--

“Do you really want this so much?” Jaehyun asks Mina softly yet the urgency beneath it is apparent.

The train is coming, and Ten has been looking back at it impatiently.

The longer they wait, the more chance his parents will get to him.

Ten looks at Mina and Jaehyun, and sighs. “It’s okay, I can go by my own,” Ten gives in, and trying to coat his dejected feeling by smiling a little.

Mina looks at Ten and then to the ground. Jaehyun gazes at her with knowing look.

“You really want to go there, isn’t it?”

Mina gulps down and look at him with little pout, “We’ve been a very good kid, isn’t it? For once, I want to...um,”

“Be free,” Ten finishes it for her.

Jaehyun sighs, looking around, seeing the deserted little town station. So small yet so comfortable for him, but he knows it could be suffocating for some.

He lets Mina’s hand go. One thing he never would wanted for Mina is her not being happy.

“Be safe, you-,” Jaehyun is cut by both of his friends hugging him hard.

"You are the best, Jaehyun," Mina gushes while Ten shaking him giddily.

Too bad no one talk about that last part.

Rumours spreads faster in a little town. The subdued common life they live daily makes the stories they tell more dramatic. 

Mina, Jaehyun, and Ten's story is a perfect medium for the townspeople to gossip about. 

Three friends from childhood, going against the natural expectation of society. With a dab of teenage romance. It is a drama expanded by people’s imagination. 

Townspeople-owned soap opera.

Only that it turned out to tragic in no time.

Jaehyun only wanted to meet his friends and see how they were doing. And also to prove to his parents and neighbors that they are not these promiscuous kids they make it out to be.

‘Borrowing’ his father’s old truck when the train isn't available is just one ‘rebellious’ thing he did that he would certainly amends more than he should when he gotten back.

It was just too bad that he never made it back and the truck ‘borrowing’ will be the last rebellious thing he would ever done.

“Poor Jaehyun. I heard he died on the way to take Mina back.”

--

They all are silent when reaching the meadow. 

Ten silently lets go of Mina hand to jump on the big log in the middle of the meadow. Balancing perfectly like what he always do. Elegance and agility laced his every moves.

“He should go back to the company. They were disappointed when he suddenly goes home and not coming back, right?” Jaehyun gazes softly to his friend.

“How can he does that, huh?!” Mina whips around to Jaehyun. “After you’re gone? Do you think he will just get back to the company like everything is normal?”

“I will, though,” Ten pipes up, hands still moves beautifully to balance himself on one feet.

“What?” Mina turns back, “How-” then she remembers what Jaehyun said about Ten already letting Jaehyun go, “So what are you doing here, then? Why is-” Mina sniffs and look back between Jaehyun and Ten, “Why is everyone leaving?”

“Look at me, Mina. I can’t leave,” Jaehyun shrugs sadly at the same time with Ten lowly saying, “Because you are still here."

Ten’s pain in his voice is so palpable it make him choke. 

“Ten-” Mina starts while Jaehyun blinks in surprise.

Ten shakes his head to stop himself from crying, “It’s because you’re still here, Mina,” he repeats himself, more firmly this time.

But tears escape his eyes anyway when he continues, “What’s left of him is you. I’m just trying my best to take care of people he cared about the most.”

Jaehyun lets out a shaky breath, “You both are my favorite people, .”

“He said you’re a -” Tzuyu deadpans, prompting a cut off “That’s not what-” from Jaehyun when Tzuyu continues, “and that you are also his favorite person, Ten.”

Ten laughs a little, “Who would’ve thought, huh?”

Jaehyun and Mina chuckles.

Then it is the winds and the dampened sound of the crickets that fills the silence of the meadow.

“It’s a beautiful night,” Tzuyu chimes in, indirectly poking the pregnant silent.

Mina feels soreness around her eyes due her fatigue of crying, so she just closes her eyes slowly. Feeling the weight she knows she has been carrying around getting too heavy for her to dismiss.

“You really has been the most mature one,” she tries to smile. “I know I really wanted to go there, it’s just in your nature to worry about us-I’m so sorr-”

“I don’t feel like I need to hear that,” Jaehyun shakes his head.

Mina sniffs again, knowing the hardest part is to make herself believe that she is not at fault. “Thank you for the time you’ve given us, Jaehyun,” her voice carries as a whisper, but the sincerity hits Jaehyun soundly, nevertheless.

Ten clears his throat, and sees in Jaehyun’s general direction while shrugging, “The best moments of my life, man.”

Jaehyun heaves a breath, feeling his burden lightens up. “See, things are okay, Minari,” Jaehyun smiles while tears rolling down freely now.

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Mina’s sob sounds so pitiful for any ears, “What can I do? What can I do?” Mina knees hit the ground, hands still clutching on Jaehyun’s.

Ten joins her, kneeling while embracing Mina.

“You know what you can do, Mina. Your smile always makes me feel like things are okay,” Jaehyun brushes Mina hair out of her face.

“There, there, Mina,” Ten holds Mina close to his chest, whispering calming words.

Jaehyun smiles at the sight, witnessing the bombastic Ten being the calm and mature one in their friendship.

“Don’t cry, Mina. What are you? Kindergartener?” Jaehyun sniffs while smiling thinly.

Mina actually snorts a little, before taking a deep breath and look at Jaehyun, still as handsome and kind as she remembers him to be. 

“Yes, I am. And I need a hug,” Mina musters a smile.

Jaehyun shakes his head and do exactly what Mina asked, embracing both her and Ten tight.

They all cry in the hug, even Ten, who feels the warmth he so poignantly remembers as Jaehyun.

Tzuyu even decidedly looks at the sky, not because she can see the star, but to prevent the tears from falling.

Also to childishly complains to the sky of her gift that is pushing her to feel a lot of thing. She rarely engages with many spirits before, let alone helping them this far. Being blind helps her to act clueless to the eyes of the living and the not.

“Thank you, Tzuyu,” Jaehyun’s sincere gratitude pushes a tear escaping Tzuyu’s eye when she nods shyly. 

She used to be honestly oblivious that Jaehyun’s usual caring voice around Mina is not the voice of the living anymore. After a snide comment from one student calling Mina looking too fine after her best friend died, Tzuyu found herself trying to involve herself personally in the situation. 

If even death doesn’t waver Jaehyun’s loyalty and attitude that much that Tzuyu didn’t realize about it, then he must be someone who worth the help and the time to linger a little longer.

Even in death, Jaehyun keeps bringing the best out of somebody. 

So when suddenly all things turns warmer and the crickets are singing loudly again, it is not only Ten and Mina who pierce the tranquility of the night with their sorrow.

--

He just want to see them once more.

Mina and Ten must be disturbing the peaceful night on the meadow as of now.

Unlike his parents who are quietly sleeping in front of him.

Jaehyun can see the creases of worry etched to his father’s face, and a trail of tear prominent in his mother’s. The aches and sorrows still felt deeply in the little bedroom.

He just hopes, when Tzuyu come by his house tomorrow, and telling them what Jaehyun wanted her to, his parents would believe her. They just had to. Tzuyu would never be able to describe one of the earliest memory of him with his parents if he wasn’t the one who told her.

It was a memory of a 5 years old him celebrating his birthday with his parents. He hopes by Tzuyu being able to even identify the color of the cake his mother made him, and the toy car his father gifted, they will believe her.

He just hopes that when Tzuyu tell them how much Jaehyun is sorry and wanting his parents to be at peace, it will make his parents happier.

It is all he could do. All that’s left for him to do.

“I am leaving first, Mom, Dad,” Jaehyun whispers quietly. “Please clear my path for me.”

He leaves after giving his parents a deep bow on the floor.

--

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

For Jaehyun, his life is the care of his parents in the form of food to feed him everyday, all his dreams and thoughts formed when he looks at the ceiling above his bed, and the backpacks worn by his friends when they go ahead from him, but always look back to smile and .

“Your life is a part in me,” Mina whispers to the wind on the meadow. Hands clutching the admission letter she received from the big city university.

“Memory of you is a badge I won’t take off,” Ten thoughts while looking at himself in the large mirror of the dance studio, other trainees doing warm ups behind him.

By parts of him being kept alive by his friends, Jaehyun never lost his way back.