Prologue

“I’m sorry.” Tall man with dark brown clothing tipped his hat down, his worn out bag hanging from his shoulders to his back. A sad smile lingered on his face as he bid his goodbye to the other man who was holding his sleeve.

“Can’t you..” His words hitched in his throat as he shook his head, hand clenching tightly on the old scratchy fabric. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t.

“Jisoo.” The other man called his name. He looked at Jisoo with big concern but his hand grasped the other’s wrist, silently asking him to let go of his sleeve. “I have to go now.”

Tears fell from Jisoo’s eyes, dropping onto his hand as if to remind him how much he didn’t want to let go. No words exchanged between them, and the other moved his hand to Jisoo’s shoulder before pulling themselves into a hug.

“What should I do to you?” The other sighed, hand patting Jisoo’s back which suddenly felt so fragile against his caressing. “You know that I can’t stay here anymore.” He told Jisoo, blinking the wetness in his eyes away.

Like that, they stayed for a while. The summer wind caressing them with its gentle brushes while conducting the tall dry silvergrass to create soft rustling sound which prompted the cicadas to sing along with them, to accompany the two humans. Over them, the cloud and trees working together to shade them from the scorching sun.

The two let their senses to absorb everything, catching every sounds they heard, every sights they saw, the taste of the air, the scent of each other and hot summer day, brushes and caresses on their skin. They tried to carve them in their memories, making a complete note about this scene to its tiniest details, to preserve the moment. Their last moment.

“We should meet again.” Jisoo said. But he knew better than that.

Above him, he could feel Seungcheol nodded, his chin pressing for a brief moment onto the top of his head. “We can meet again later.”

Liar . Jisoo thought to himself. But he was one too as he helplessly nodded.

“We will meet again.”

We won’t . Jisoo replied again in his head, his eyes unseeing, his ears not listening, his words never be spoken out.

-----

“Sorry, Boo.” A young man stopped walking as he read something on his phone screen. Before his friend who had been walking with him responded to him, he turned and started walking away. “I have to go.”

“Ya! Choi Hansol! Where are you going?” His friend asked aloud, his voice slitting through the crowd toward the young man with green beanie already few meters ahead .

Hansol stopped walking and turned his face a little to look at Seungkwan who looked betrayed. “Home.” He shouted back with a grin before waving goodbye at the other, continue walkin