Chapter 10 – Hello, Again

It’s not easy for Eunbi to believe what Sakura told her. It’s impossible.

She’s not even the science fiction junkie, and she honestly thought the whole Time Travel concept was nothing but fiction. Was Sakura really hated her until she had to come up with such excuse to reject her? Time Travel. Really?

She was pacing in the classroom, as the students were busy answering the model question she just gave. But her thoughts were all over the place. She glanced over at Nako’s seat, and it was vacant.

Nako is absent today.

The girl was also absent yesterday. Eunbi can’t help but wonder why. Does it have anything to do with Sakura too?

**

“And that is all for today. Class may dismiss.”

Eunbi said to her class. They all submitted their finished work to her desk before heading out. The young teacher sat on her seat, watching her students leaving the classroom one by one. Frankly she can’t wait for them all to leave. She needed some time alone. To think. Or maybe cry.

“Hi Miss Kwon,” a voiced greeted.

She knows that voice all too well. She looked up and met the eager looking Yujin.

“Have you finished it, Yujin? Please don’t submit your love confession as answer again. I can’t tolerate it any longer,” Eunbi said with a sigh.

Yujin chuckled, “But it made your heart flutter, right? Don’t deny it.”

Eunbi rolled her eyes, “Maybe, if I was a 16-year-old girl. It was way too cringe.”

Yujin sighed, “If only you’re not much older than me.”

The teacher smiled, “Move on, Yujin. It’s never going to happen.”

“Fine. Maybe not now. But who knows, right?”

Eunbi looked away, annoyed, “Is there anything you want to talk to me about?”

Suddenly Yujin’s smile fades and was quickly replaced with a cute pout.

“Miss Kwon, did something happen to you?”

Eunbi raised an eyebrow, “Why?”

“You look really down today. Did you break up with your boyfriend or something?”

“T-That’s ridiculous; I don’t even have a boyfriend to break up with.”

“Ah, does that means you’re single or you prefer a girlfriend-

“Yujin, where is Nako? I haven’t seen her since yesterday,” Eunbi cuts in.

The younger girl shrugged, “I’m not sure. She’s been quiet for the past few days. She replied my texts late, and sometimes she wouldn’t pick up my calls. The last time we talked, she said something about moving back to Japan.”

“Move back to Japan? Like only Nako or the whole family?”

Yujin sighed, “I’m not sure. She’s being… quite secretive. Maybe there’s something happening in their family.”

“S-Something?”

Suddenly, her phone rings.

**

Eunbi sat at her desk in the staff room, with both hands pressing her temple. It was way past school hours, and there’s only a few colleagues left.

She stared at the file on the desk, that was handed to her from the school’s office. It was a file for one of the student in her homeroom, Miyawaki Nako. They had just informed her that her student’s guardian came by the day before and did the procedure to transfer her to a school in Japan.

The whole family had moved back to Japan.

Including Sakura.

I will never see her again.

I will never see that pretty smile again.

I will never…

Her chest suddenly felt tight. She clutched her shirt, as if that would make her feel better. She didn’t want to cry but it was impossible not to. She put both arms on the desk and buried her face, muffling the sobs.

She never thought she would feel like this. Falling hard for someone she barely knows, who even told her not to. Everything about Sakura felt like a fever dream, sometimes she wondered if she was real.

Time travelling Sakura.

It sounds absurd and stupid. Sakura sounds like a fraud, or someone who belongs to the mental hospital. It has to be fake

But who is she kidding? She knows at least there’s one thing that’s real.

I fell in love with Sakura.

That, is real.

As real as can be.

**

3 years later

Kwon Eunbi was busy typing on her laptop in the middle of the café. She has a deadline to meet, but her fingers can’t type fast enough. The glasses slowly rolled down the tip of her nose, and she pushed it up again.

Everyone has different ways to deal with heartbreak.

Some people would start dating someone new immediately, some would busy themselves with work or move away to start anew, but for Eunbi, she pursued her studies. Taking up master degree in psychology in education, a decision that she begin to regret as she was typing. She enrolled into the university around 2 years ago, leaving behind her teaching job for a while. It was supposed to be a one year studies, but somehow she’s still stuck there.

She promised herself that this would be her final year.

“Wow, that looks intense, the typing,” said a voice.

Eunbi doesn’t have to look to know who it was.

“Looks like someone is chasin