I hit the brakes in front of my house, and then opened the gate to settle the car into the garage. After having it done, I went inside the house then to my room. I flung myself to the wide bed and got into deep thinking. Who was he? Why did he give me that friendly smile? It seemed like he knew me, but he was a real stranger. Could we have met somewhere? Did he ever cross his way into my life? I arrived at nothing, so I drifted off to sleep.

An extreme degree of headache pounded on my head when I woke up. I must have gotten it from the coffee, but I found that impossible. I searched for medicine on the bedside table, and quickly took it with a glass of water. I walked to the living room, but stopped when I saw someone looking at me from the outside. It was kind of creepy though, having someone look at you from afar like you’re an object of either lust or death. Then his face registered in my mind. He was the same guy who smiled at me at the coffee shop.

“Tch!” I struggled to say despite the pain in my head. He must be some kind of a stalker. Thanks for following me, dude.

My world began to spin, he still looked at me from where he was, but this time, his face was full of alarm.

Si Won’s POV

He fell on the floor in just a snap. Feeling this sudden urge, I ran to his house and opened the door. He lay there unmoving, so I helped him on the sofa. I his hair and sat on an empty seat across from him. My mind wandered off to the time when I first met him...

I lived in Seoul for a time. It was on a fine school day in March. I was a transferee from an all-boys school here, and adjusting was a hard time for me. Since I moved to Damcheonri High, my life started to change. Lee Dong Hae, along with Lee Hyuk Jae was two of my classmates back then. They were the best of friends, and I always used to watch them from a distance.

I leaned my arms on the window sill and marveled on the view outside. The flowers and trees were in early bloom. The smell of spring air lingered on the atmosphere, never failing to create an uplifting feeling inside me. I was the kind of person who loves spring time, because for me it signifies life. I smiled to myself. Another memory sank in my mind. My mother used to make a necklace out of the fallen leaves of cherry blossom when I was younger. She gave it to me, and as innocent as I am, I wore it on my neck.

The sound of my classmates catching and tossing a ball borrowed from the football team bothered my reverie. I didn’t show them my irritation. I just spoiled myself with the beautiful scenery.

“Watch out!”

Before I knew it, the ball hit my head. It racked my brain a little, and my eyeglasses fell a few feet below the ground. My eyesight became blurry and held on the glass window for support.

“Hey guys! Get his glasses outside!” one of my classmates shouted. I could hear a pair of hurrying footsteps trail outside the room. I closed my eyes for a while.

“Here. I got them.” someone said, and when I looked up, I saw Lee Dong Hae’s hazy image holding out my glasses. I closed my eyes for a while.

I quickly grabbed them and wore it. Now my eyesight became clear.

“Thank you.” I said and bowed to him. He didn’t answer and went to Hyuk Jae. I heard him raise his voice at his best friend.

“Hyuk! Next time you should be careful, okay? Look at what you’ve done to him.” Dong Hae scolded and looked at me.

In the exact second that I caught his eyes, he looked away. I didn’t know why but I felt dejected at that moment, wanting to run from this place.

The teacher came in and the class began. It was the third period of the day, and a quiz in Math shook every part of my brain. I got a low score in the test, so I crumpled the paper. I stuffed it inside my bag and prayed for this day to end.

The school bell rang at exactly four in the afternoon. I gathered my things and put them inside my bag. I slung it on my shoulder and quickly headed out of the room.

“Choi Si Won?” Dong Hae asked me from behind. I turned to him and also saw Hyuk Jae. His arm was around Dong Hae’s shoulders.

“Yes?” I responded.

“Uhm, I’m sorry about what happened a while ago. It was an accident.” Hyuk Jae explained. So it was his fault. Heck, I thought I was dreaming.

I nodded. “It’s okay. Just don’t think about it.”

Dong Hae pointed at my glasses. “There’s a crack on the left lens. You better replace it right away, or else you’ll have your eye damaged.”

I took it off and noticed a slight crack. I appreciate his concern for it. “Thanks again.” I uttered carelessly.

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” Dong Hae said and waved goodbye, and so was Hyuk Jae. I smiled at the two of them, and when they were out of my sight, my smile reached up to my ears. At least now, I have two friends already.

It was another day in school, and this time, I got all the energy to go. Dong Hae’s smile marked in my mind the whole night. I’ve been thinking of him through the course of my dream. And as what he told me, I changed my pair of eyeglasses.

“Hey!” Dong Hae greeted and tapped my shoulder. I looked up and smiled at him. He stopped for a while and pointed at my eyes.

“It looks good on you.” he said.

“Thanks.” I raised them a bit to clear my eyesight.

Ever since that day, the three of us became friends. We were always together in any school activity. My grades in Math increased because of him, and Hyuk Jae taught me how to play soccer. My life became happy, knowing that I could trust the two of them, and they were true to me.

Then my birthday came. Nobody knew about it, not even the two of them. I treated it like an ordinary day. When Hyuk Jae and Dong Hae arrived the next day, they brought a strawberry cake with a newly lit candle standing in the middle. I was sure it wasn’t for me. There was someone they knew who shared the same birthday with me.

I closed my locker door and walked away.

“Happy birthday!” they called out. I turned and they walked up to me.

“H- How did you know?” I asked, surprised of this sudden gesture.

Dong Hae pointed at my ID, and as I flipped it, I looked at the information section. My birthdate was written there.

“Thanks...” I didn’t know how many times I thanked them for their kindness, and I wouldn’t stop to tell them that.

“Blow the candle.” Hyuk Jae said. I closed my eyes first and made a wish. It was for the three of us to have a long and happy life.

I opened my eyes and blew it. We proceeded to the rooftop to eat the cake.

Two weeks after my birthday, Dong Hae began acting strangely. He was cold to Hyuk Jae, and even to me. He didn’t talk to anyone in class. I asked him about it, and all I got was a shrug. I tried talking to Hae, but he said it’s just nothing.

April 17, 2002. It was a Wednesday, the day that I would never forget. I walked on the last floor of the school building when I heard a sniff followed by a cry on the rooftop. I checked out who it was.

“Hae?” I said.

He looked up, eyes red, face drained and speechless. He sat on the floor with his knees tucked closely on his chest, and his arms wrapped around his legs. I knelt in front of him and touched both of his cheeks.

“Why? What happened?”

He hugged me tightly, seeking for comfort. I wrapped my arms instinctively around him and hushed him.

“Hyuk...” he muttered.

“Why?” I repeated. He buried his face on my right shoulder and cried his heart out. I held him tighter in my arms without saying anything, hoping this would ease the pain he felt.

Five minutes had already passed, and Hae was still sitting on the floor, but this time, he was sleeping. He looked so tired and wasted. I looked over the field for some fresh air, while at the same time, trying to find Hyuk Jae.

And I found him, with another girl, hands entwined on each other.

I looked at Dong Hae. So this was the reason of his crying. I pulled out my handkerchief from my pocket, wrote something into it, and put it in his hand.

For one last time, just a sign of goodbye, I kissed his lips, careful not to wake him up.

And now after ten years, here we are again, meeting for the second time around. Fate must have been playful enough to bring us closer. So many things happened. The two of them were hurt by today’s issue. I didn’t know how they arrived at this stage, but I knew they’ve gone through a lot and had to make a series of sacrifices.

I his hair again, hopelessly telling him how much he means the world to me. Since I kissed him on the rooftop, I loved him for no reason. I never saw them again after graduation, and I had to go back here. It was a great deal of a decision because that was my only choice. It hurts to leave him with all of my heart, but it hurts more that he chose the person who brought him tears and pain.

I leaned closer to kiss him again, but stopped when his eyes swung open.

Dong Hae’s POV

When I opened my eyes, his face was near me. I jolted in shock and I sat up on the couch.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He stood up and smiled at me.

“I watched you while you were sleeping.”

Was he serious? Heck. I was only down with headache, and I don’t know him either.

“You don’t have to. I’m not yet dead.” I said bluntly.

I glared at him. “Who are you by the way?”

He held out his hand. “Choi Si Won. Your classmate in Damcheonri High, remember?”

I tried to think on what he said, remembering someone with that name. “Excuse me for a while.” he said and ran back to his house. He came back after a few minutes.

“Remember this?” He held out a pair of eyeglasses with a black frame. It had a crack on the upper right corner of the lens. I looked at it closely, and suddenly, it crossed my mind.

“Choi... Si Won?”

“Exactly!” His face lit up animatedly when I said his name. He was my closest friend next to Hyuk Jae. Feeling this sudden shame, I got up from the couch and took him in my arms.

“Thank you...” I said.