"It's you. In thousands of lifetimes, in hundreds of ways, it's you. It'll always be you."

― A.M.

The river of tears that fell that night, six years ago, once again cascaded down Su Min's face endlessly. The intolerable pain that dug through her heart, dug deeper and more brutal this time around, mercilessly consuming all and every ounce of happiness that resided inside.

As much as her mind was begging to her say something, no words trickled to her tongue.

As much as she wanted to hold on to him, her body simply shook with sobs while her arms remained limped, unmoving.

As much as she wanted to deny his claims, to assure him he was wrong, to confirm her love for him…her ruptured heart that clearly longed for someone else, reasonably prevented her from doing so.

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted the moment. It was the same coordinator from earlier, informing Chanyeol of the five-minute mark.

Chanyeol quietly replied over his shoulder then faced her once again.

Ever so slowly, her errant knight in his shining armor released her from his grasps and mustered enough energy to give her a sincere, comforting smile. "No matter what happens, I will always be here for you," he whispered as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

Chanyeol brushed the streaks of tears from her rosy cheek and smiled once more, before walking out of the room, blinking away his own emotions with every step he took toward the stage that called his name.

|| …………… ||

For the longest time, Su Min remained still, surrounded by complete silence, drowning in sadness and unceasing tears.

Slumped on a chair, her blurred vision gradually fell to the ring on her left hand—the ring that would have been her future, if only…

If only she had kept her distance.

If only she wasn't carried away with the idea of friendship after love.

If only she didn't agree to the second promise.

If only she had been more careful.

If only she didn't listen to her heart's desires…

But she did.

She followed them obliviously. Mindlessly. Selfishly. 

And because of her thoughtless actions, she ended up hurting one of the most important persons in her life.

Su Min clutched her hand tightly in the other and closed her eyes, letting the two rivers flowing down her flushed cheeks maintain their course…letting her mind sink back to the darkness, while the remaining pieces of her heart continued to be devoured by the unrelenting heartache.

|| …………… ||

One by one, the exhausted group of idols escaped to their dressing room after a tiring performance.

More lethargic than usual, Chanyeol lagged behind them and silently made his way to his designated station.

There, sitting on top of the white counter, surrounded by brushes and sprays, was a small black box. He walked toward it with careful steps and took the container in his hand as he sat down in front of the mirror. Without needing to open it, he already knew what was inside.

Chanyeol let out a short yet pained laugh as he stared at the container. He then released a quiet sigh and removed the cover, revealing the three-stone engagement ring—the one he happily and excitedly purchased back in New York a few months ago…back when he acknowledged his true feelings for her. "I really did let her go," he confirmed under his breath as his barely visible smile faded completely.

Ensuring his sacrifice won't be wasted, he took the ring between his fingers then turned his gaze to his equally dismal member. "Jongin," he called with a somber tone, gaining not only Kai's attention, but the rest of EXO as well.

The eight men broke from their own thoughts and looked at their ninth member, immediately witnessing the solemn expression painted on his face.

Ignoring the others' worried gazes, Chanyeol set his eyes solely on Kai's. "If the one that got away came back, what would you do?" he asked, bringing the three-stone diamond ring pinched between his fingers into clear view, "Let her get away again?"

|| Sun Hwa Arts High School ||

Gazing down the familiar field, Su Min couldn’t help, but wonder, how many sunsets had drowned the horizon since that time she and Kai made their first promise to one another? How many couples came after them and made similar promises? And how many of those promises were actually kept?

As if watching a projector film, memories from their first meeting, to their first "I love you", their first kiss, first trip, first argument…everything, played before her without missing a frame.

And in this instance, she realized something bittersweet.

It took her six years to forget about him, but only six months to realize she never actually did. And after denying it so many times, one would think she'd eventually believe it, but even after so many years, she knew she never stopped loving him.

"Su Min!"

She heard a fai