As she made her way towards the lone figure, sitting by the sidewalk strumming his metallic red guitar, she recalled back her parents’ words which she overheard back when she was at home earlier.

“This isn’t right. We can’t allow them to meet each other anymore. We have to separate the both of them.”

“I know. That is why, I’ve already made specific arrangements for her. She’ll be getting married by the end of this month.”

But Jiyoung doesn’t want it. She doesn’t want to get married to her parents’ choice. She was old enough to make her own decisions and she was matured enough to decide on whom her life-partner should be.

She watched him carefully as he let himself drift away in his own world, completely absorbed by the beautiful music that he was playing. Even when Jiyoung was already standing in front of him, he didn’t make a move to look up in response.

Not until she knelt down and placed her hand on top of his; only then did he stop and glanced up briefly. He started to smile at her presence but then he noticed her dejected expression.

He put his guitar aside for a moment and took in both of her hands in his.

“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly. It wasn’t like her to be behaving this way. She was always full of smiles whenever she came to see him, always so cheerful.

“Do you love me?” she asked him back suddenly, her tone soft yet serious.

He didn’t answer. Not because he didn’t love her; but because he wasn’t used to expressing it out aloud.

“Let’s run away, go somewhere far away from here.” She tried again but he still remained silent. Jiyoung let out an exasperated sigh and yank her hand away from his grasp.

“They are marrying me off to someone else!” she shouted, not caring if there were people watching them. “Do you even care?”

He couldn’t answer her...he didn’t know what to say.

He picked up his guitar once again and continued strumming it from where he had left off, as though he hadn’t heard her.

Jiyoung couldn’t stand it any longer so she pushed his left shoulder roughly.

“Yah! Choi Jonghun! I’m talking to you! Are you listening to me? I’m getting married by the end of this month. Not to you, but with somebody else. Are you not going to do anything about it?”

But they tell me to stop, they tell me not to start...

They tell me I cannot have her...

“You don’t care about me at all, do you?” Tears were already b in her eyes, hurt and betrayed by his insensitive actions. All these while...she didn’t know. She didn’t know that it had all just been a game to him, while she...she loved him to death.

Jonghun continued to sing silently inside of his head, not even bothering to look up at her or offer a word of apology.

Even if it hurts, I’m going to continue longing for you...

In her anger, Jiyoung tugged at the necklace which was hanging around her neck harshly and threw it on the ground, by his feet.

“I hate you,” she cried out but even that, she knew she was just deluding herself. How could she hate him? The guy whom she had poured every ounce of love towards, every single drop of care and concern...

And even when she walked...no, stormed away from him, Jonghun didn’t lift up his head to watch her go. He sang quietly by himself, the song he had written specially for the girl whom he loved whole-heartedly, the one whom he wasn’t destined to be with...

Unaware of my heart, they tell me not to love...

His heart was breaking...shattering into pieces but he didn’t know what he could do to stop his love from going away and leaving him. He felt so unworthy of her, so powerless and weak.

...they tell me I cannot have you...