A timeline of the moments we were in love

Like one scene two scenes of a movie

In the end a sad ending

“How is it?” Yena asked carefully.

She watched her sister take another bite of the strawberry shortcake and chew it carefully. Her sister paused for a while and showed her a surprised expression. “This is so good!”

Yena laughed. “Thank you! It will be the last addition to the cake list.”

“I’m honestly thrilled that we’ll be coming back home to Korea,” her sister said as she finished the slice. “I miss our hometown and I’m kind of excited for that bakery of yours.”

“I’m happy about going home too.”

Her sister gave her a knowing look but she just laughed it off. “Of course I want to see Hyungu! I want to meet with him as much as I want to meet my old friends. It’s been years since I last spoke to them.”

Her sister shrugged and chuckled. “I heard he’s a great architect.”

Yena smiled. “That’s not surprising.”

The moment of ending things with Hyungu was probably the easiest part of the the breakup. The days that came after were the hard ones. Every sad song seemed to be telling her story. Every quiet moments at night made her reminisce their memories. And sometimes, she hoped for a call from him.

She was not only missing him. She was missing what they used to be.

Nevertheless, after high school she flew abroad to study at a university where her sister was taking up a master’s degree. She was supposed to take up architecture but when she was preparing for her enrollment, she thoroughly thought of what she really wanted. That led her to finishing a business degree and taking up baking classes during breaks.

Now, months after her graduation, she’s coming back to Korea to start up a business of her own.

“You ready?” her sister asked once they settled down their seats in a plane going back to Korea.

“Very,” she grinned.

She looked out at the window and as the plane took off, her mind brought her back to Hyungu.

If she was being honest, she still misses Hyungu. And she was sorry, too. She was hurt but wasn’t he too? If she had kept her own insecurities, pains, and heartaches in a jar, what had he kept in his own jar? And if she chose to break it off, what was his reason for letting her go without a fight?

Although there are still some wounds in her heart, thinking back to that time made her really thankful to him. Their story didn’t end happily but it was the ending that led her to where she is now. She graduated studying something she love. She found a career she’s passionate about.

Time… it surely does wonders.

“Yena is coming back?”

Hyungu stopped from his work and looked up at Yeorum who’s comfortably sitting down the couch of his office.

Yeorum put down her cup of coffee and nodded. “I heard from some of our mutual friends.”

The last time he saw her was during the night of their breakup. After that, he knew nothing about what happened to her. Some of their mutual friends mentioned that she flew abroad but other than that, he knew nothing more.

Was she now an architect like him? Does she have a good career abroad? How much has she grown?

Is she happy?

“Do you think I can invite her in my wedding?” Yeorum asked confidently.

“That would be awkward for the both of you.” Hyungu laughed and shook his head.

“Don’t you want to meet her again?”

He leaned back on his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. Beneath Yeorum’s confident facade was the guilt she always hide whenever they talk about Yena. Although he told her the breakup wasn’t her fault, she just couldn’t let it go especially since he hadn’t been in another relationship after that.

“It’s not your fault, Yeorum,” he sighed and continued his work. “We’ll meet if we’re meant to meet. Just focus and enjoy on your wedding preparations.”

Yeorum spent some more time hanging around his office before leaving for a client meeting. When he was finally alone, he started thinking of Yena again.

On the night of their breakup, he didn’t even take a step to stop her. But as the days passed by, he found himself wanting her back beside him. He knew he made the right choice but do the right decisions really have sorrow as an aftermath?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that though he made the right decision, he had regrets about their relationship too. He felt bad that he failed to give her the time she deserved. He felt sorry that while he was busy reaching his dreams to try to be at par with her, he was losing her in the process. And imagining her difficulties while she’s with him hurt his heart.

He felt really sorry for how the things between them ended. Beneath that, he also felt glad that he was matured enough to let her go—to set aside his own feelings and allow her to walk away.

But sometimes, especially during the times he allowed himself to be true to himself, he just wished for her to come back. So that he could say sorry. So that he could ask her the things he failed to. So that he could tell her how much he missed her.

And so that finally, he could heal.