To: little girl
from: little boy

I'm leaving.

He rubbed his thumb against the screen of his cell phone, hoping that it would vibrate indicating that there will be a reply from her. Staring outside the window, the train passes by so swiftly that he can't comprehend the scenery outside.

              Train; it was the transportation that was going to take him away from here, from his home, his family, his friends, and her.

              Sighing, he places his phone inside his army green backpack that was lying on his lap. 

Two months had passed. Life in university was as expected, hectic and stressful. Those two months were full of nothing but projects and examinations despite it was only the start of the semester. Finally able to sit down and rest, he took out his cell phone before heaving a sigh to surpass his cough.

To: MIA girl
from: worried boy

Why aren't you replying? Aren't you curious about my life here?

Spinning his phone between his index and middle fingers, he rested his back against the bench as he look ahead.

              "Hey. There's another love letter for you," his roommate, Jonghyun came into his sight.

              "Seriously, how can people still pass love letter in this day and age."

              He smirked, tossing the letter aside after getting it from him.

              "Anyway, aren't you a little too cold to them? Are you seriously a healthy young man? You don't seem to care about any opposite ."

              "That's because there's no need to," was his plain reply to his roommate's question.

He sat on the bench for the whole day, waiting for her reply. Even after Jonghyun left, even after the bell rang indicating that it was already the end of school, Even after the sun gone down and no one should be seen in the campus loitering around.

              "So you're serious..." he murmured under his breath as he stuffs his cell phone into the pocket of his leather jacket before standing up.

It was a nice warm morning. Everything was as usual; the kids running around, the ladies planting veggies in the plantation field, the men collecting woods in the not faraway forest. It was like their daily routine.

              He runs towards the location, the location where he always meets her because it was 'their' place and no one in the village doesn’t know about it. Smiling, his grip on the letter tightens as soon as he saw her back view.

              Taking deep breaths as he took her hands once he stood before her, he smiled like a fool in love.

              "I'm in," he said.

              She stared at him for a second before hugging him, "I know you can do this. You did it."

              He hugged her back but he knew something wasn't right from the way she speaks. "This is goodbye then," was the cruel words she said as soon as they broke the hug.

              "No? You will wait for me right?" He asked desperately.

              "Taemin, the train that you will be taking to Seoul not only takes you away from here."

              She took a step back and that widen the distance between them.

              "Don't ask me to wait, because you won't be remembering me by that time. I don't want to be the one who's hurt."

              He took a step forward but she took two steps back this time.

              "This is not how it's supposed to be. When I was taking the entrance examination this wasn't what you said!"

              "Because I wanted to encourage you, Taemin, that was your goal. To be able to go Seoul University was your goal. I know it because we've been together since young. I know you before I know the rest of the world. And just because I know it, I can't stop you."

              Tears bubbled up in her eyes and before they knew it, both of them were sobbing quietly.

              "I can't stop, not even when I love you."

              "We...we can work this out together. I...I can reject the offe—"

              "No, don't give up. You worked so hard for it."

              And silence stood between them. He doesn't know what to say, not when she said everything already. He worked hard for it so it was impossible for him to give up the chance but it was equally impossible for him to give her up.

              "Take care,"

              With that, she turned and left him. She didn't even see him off at the train station when literally the entire village was there.

Another two months passed. He had been sending her text messages even though she did not reply to any. It was 18th July, his birthday and he was expecting a wish from her. Lying on his bed in the dorm, his cell phone was right beside him ready for him to grab as soon as it vibrates.

              Seconds after seconds, hours after hours, it was already twelve the next day. Jonghyun just came back from outside and he apologized for forgetting his birthday. He wanted to leave and buy him a cake but he insisted that it was unnecessary.

              "It has no meaning anymore," was what he said. Tucking the blanket higher to cover his head, his phone dropped onto the ground with a loud thud.

She stares blankly at the ground, remembering the time when he used to sit there and have chat with her every day. Both of them were called the couple of the village and everyone was certain that they'll get married someday. Even they themselves thought so too.

              He will caress her face when he feel like it and she love it so much because she could feel his warm. She adores everything about him.

              She misses him. In fact, she misses him a lot.

              Sighing, a tear drop escaped and rolled down her cheek. No one was here to wipe it away anymore. The boy that used to wipe her tears away whenever she dropped her lollipop because she was one careless girl wasn't here anymore.

              What she wanted to do was to reply his message and ask if he was okay. Ask if everything was fine and ask if he misses her.

              Courage. It was something that she lacked of. She did not have the courage to talk to him because in the end, nothing will work out.

              Well, that was what she thought.

To: Lee Taemin
from: Kang Soohee

I'm getting married. All the best.