The couple could only stare at Sunggyu in absolute silence. He was already breaking down, but neither of them moved to place a comforting hand on his back. They knew their son too well. He didn’t want sympathy. He wanted acknowledgement.

Everything finally quieted down, and Mr. Bae told Sunggyu to leave. He obliged, and when the married couple was alone, the husband began to lower his defenses. He rested his head on his wife’s shoulder, and wept quietly.

“We expected this, didn’t we?” Mrs. Bae whispered. “From the very start—ever since Suzy yelled at Sunye.”

“I promised myself to not be angry once he confesses,” he replied. “But now, my heart is hurting.”

“That can only mean you love him.”

Mr. Bae closed his eyes. “Did we fail…as parents?”

She held her husband’s hand, and said, “Sunggyu told the truth in the end, even if it’s very difficult. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

<:>

Suzy and Myungsoo let go of each other. The room was quiet, and everyone could only stare at the both of them.

“Suzy…” Sungjong began. “Who’s he?”

She looked at his friend, and then back at Summer.

“I’m Myungsoo,” he said. “Kim Myungsoo.”

Her eyes widened at the slightest, and even if she didn’t mean to, a warm smile graced her lips. Kim Myungsoo. It was the first time she heard his real name. It suited him well, no matter what.

“I’m Suzy,” she whispered, her eyes still twinkling.

Myungsoo turned to her, and grinned. He didn’t say anything, but she understood all the same. It was strange how the both of them had this instant connection. It was amazing and scary all at the same time. At least, that was what Suzy thought. They were merely strangers exchanging words through their phones during the summer. She never expected they would actually meet. Still, there he was, right in the flesh, with his callused hands and deep eyes.

The boy couldn’t help but stare at Suzy. She had this certain warmth emanating from her. Whenever she smiled, her eyes would transform into a pair of pretty, crescent slits; her cheeks would get rosier and her face brighter. Myungsoo felt Suzy was someone who should be handled with care. Hearing her words before, he was aware everything she did was sincere, and he was willing to keep it that way.

Sungjong studied the two for a while longer, and as if on cue, his thoughts began to put the pieces together. The more he figured it out, the wider his smile got.

“I see,” he thought out loud, his eyes not straying from them. “You finally found each other.”

<:>

Sunggyu drove he didn’t know for how long. Tears blurred his vision and every time it did he would pull over and cry to his heart’s content, only to drive again once he was sober.

He was afraid. He knew he broke his foster parents’ trust. He knew he broke their hearts. And yet, he felt like something heavy was lifted up from him. He felt like he did the right thing.

“You’ll be all right,” he whispered to himself consolingly. “Sunggyu, you’ll be all right.”

He sped through the sparkling motorway of Seoul aimlessly. He didn’t even bother reading the signs ahead of him. He took random turns and entered unknown tunnels. He pushed the accelerator. The engine roared and everything became nothing but a hazy mix of orange street lights and trees. Sunggyu’s mind was a blank slate, but somehow his instincts told him to stop and so he did. He reached the highest point, and what greeted him were the trembling stars above him and the glowing urban lights beneath his feet. Cars moved like ants from where he stood, and he spotted a chopper hovering above the city. Airplanes soared up with their tails and wings blinking, reminding him of fireflies. It was another busy night in Seoul, so no one even noticed his heart just got broken.

“Figures,” he whispered, while looking around him. He was at the place Sunye could even call her own. It was the very one they used to go to whenever spring would come around because the cherry blossoms were beautiful. Sunggyu found it amusing how that cliff was memorized by his subconscious. He had no intention of going, but there he was.

Sunggyu closed his eyes and inhaled the sharp air. He held it in his lungs for a bit longer, before letting go. He imagined Sunye standing beside him, with her warm hands intertwined around him. Soon, he recalled one of their many conversations.

“You’re so patient with me,” she would always say.

“How so?”

“You don’t really want to stay with me, do you?”

Whenever she’d tell him that, he wouldn’t dare reply. The both of them knew the answer, so Sunye would let it go with a warm smile on her face.

“Thank you for helping me make this dream of mine come true. At least there’s something worth looking back to once I'm on my deathbed.”

“Sunye, don’t say that.”

The both of them would stand together in silence, and more often than not she would retaliate, “People are so afraid of dying.”

“Are you not afraid?”

“It can’t be helped,” she’d answer. “All of us will have to leave this world. I’m just going to do it earlier than I had expected. I am not a body, Sunggyu. I am a soul.”

“How can you even say such things?”

By that time Sunye would grin, and lean her head against Sunggyu’s arm. And they would stare at the city in blissful silence, forgetting she had cancer, and he was in love with his sister.

He felt cold tears trickle down his cheeks, causing him to wake up from his stupor. Soon, his phone rang. Seeing it was Mr. Bae, he answered the call.

“Sunggyu,” he said. “Come home tonight.”

There was not a trace of contempt in his foster father’s voice—not a tinge of anger. It was like the old days, whenever he stayed out too late and he would receive a call telling him those exact words. When the line went dead, he began to sob.

He was forgiven.

<:>

“So you’re saying the boy who handed back my pen before was your younger brother?” Suzy repeated, her head slightly cocking sideways.

Myungsoo gave off a silent nod. They were at the very back of the café, then, enjoying a cup of warm coffee each. He was finally done with his practical. Sungjong decided to leave the two alone, but he was still within earshot. The two didn’t mind, considering they had nothing private to talk about.

“Whoa,” she breathed out.

He could only smile at her reaction. “That’s why on most days, I keep on wondering what would have happened if it was me who spotted that pen first.”

“Things might have been different,” she pointed out.

“Different. Of course.”

Suzy smirked at his reply. She took a sip from her cup and said, “At least we’re talking face to face now.”

Silence engulfed them, like before. The only sound missing was the frequency they would usually hear, blending in with their silent breathing over the phone.

“You left your phone and notebook in the restaurant,” Myungsoo began. “That was how I knew who you were.”

She looked at him, straight in the eye, and as if reading her thoughts he answered, “I was able to meet with your brother. He has your things.”

“I see,” she muttered. She gazed at her cup with downcast eyes. She bit her lower lip, and said, “He’s going away. Sunggyu, I mean.”

“I know.”

“He broke the news to me over the phone.”

“I know.”

“It was quite cruel. He did it slyly.”

“I know.”

Suzy glanced at him.

“I was there when it happened. I was the friend he told you about,” he explained.

A tiny smile graced her lips. “It felt like you didn’t really vanish, then.”

Myungsoo could only smile back, and they were back to basking themselves in their own comfortable silence. The two filled in the gaps, but not fully. They left certain things unattended, because they mutually agreed there would be more time for conversations in the future. Before parting ways they exchanged numbers.

It was almost midnight when they left the café, and they had to go their opposite ways.

“I’ll see you soon,” Myungsoo said, while walking backwards with his right hand raised.

Suzy grinned, and replied, “Sure thing. Goodbye, Myungsoo.”

“Goodbye, Suzy.”

They waved at each other, and finally walked to their rightful routes.

“He seems okay,” Sungjong remarked.

Suzy nodded.

Her friend chuckled. “The two of you sort of complement each other.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, utterly confused.

“I’m not sure myself,” he replied. “But you just do. Kindred spirits, if you like to put it that way.”

She didn’t reply.

“When you meet a person like that, then nothing can ever compare,” Sungjong finished off, while looking at Suzy, with a tiny smile playing on his lips. “Nothing can ever compare.”

<:>

Suzy was surprised to have her whole family surrounding the coffee table in their living room. They were playing Monopoly, and so far, Sang Moon was taking the lead.

“How was your night, Suzy?” Mr. Bae asked, grinning.

“It was great,” she answered. “I met a good friend of mine earlier. I wasn’t able to meet him for the past few months. He was the one who sang during the event.”

He glanced at Sunggyu, who was sitting quietly. He only gazed at his token, which was a silver Koopa shell.

“Would you like to join us, noona?” Sang Moon offered.

Suzy smiled, and said, “I have to change first. I’ll join in the next game.”

She went to her room, and noticed a pink box on her study table. She slowly opened it, and her eyes widened upon seeing her phone and notebook. Suzy searched for a letter, but there was nothing. She began to flip through the pages of her notebook and by the time she arrived at the back cover, tears began to form in her eyes.

I promised I’ll make everything okay, right?

-Sunggyu

"Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
- Psalm 34:14