Daehyun stands above the hard-packed earth of a grave. He eases himself down to kneel and places a large bouquet of flowers to rest against the headstone. His eyes linger a little longer than necessary over the named carved there and a familiar dull ache pumps through his heart. He drops his eyes to the dates that lie just below the name.

“Happy birthday, my love.”

His wishes go unanswered and he smiles wistfully at the worn stone.

“You’re a very old woman now,” he jokes, and somewhere in the furthest depths of his memories, he hears an echo of her laugh. He absently wonders with a sting if he is even remembering it correctly, the years having dulled and distorted so much of what he held precious.

A drop of rain falls against his cheek and Daehyun glances up at the darkening sky. He returns his gaze back to the grave and smiles once more, longing pulling his features tight.

“I have to go now, darling. I promise to visit again next year.” He lifts his fingers to his lips and kisses the tips before gently pressing them against her name.

He stands before he can allow himself to succumb to his sadness. The scenery around him has changed drastically over the past hundreds of years— countless more graves occupy the graveyard and in the distant background he can hear cars passing by. What would she think of the world now? Would she marvel at the new innovations as he had? Or would she mourn the loss of the smaller things known only