After Doo Joon left, Ri Ah and Doo Joon had kept in touch through e-mails, letters, and weekly phone calls.

Ri Ah had received another letter and opened it to find a few pictures. She picked up one and giggled. It was Doo Joon puckering his lips at the camera.

[Lol, please ignore Yoseob in the background.]

The caption read:

Ri Ah, I want to kiss you so badly but I can’t T_T You probably feel the same way about me, right? Here’s a picture of me and my lips for you to kiss whenever you want ;)

Although Doo Joon wasn’t at school with her anymore, she was able to keep the friends he had helped her make. She was as bright and cheery as when Doo Joon was with her, but she did get lonely without him occasionally. Hearing his voice once a week made her able to endure his absence.

Since it was Ri Ah’s senior year, she was studying hard for college entrance exams. Her first choice school was S University and it was one of the hardest schools to get into in Korea. She was often up late studying and had missed many morning jogs as a result.

It was the weekend again and Ri Ah was doing homework as she waited by the phone for Doo Joon’s call. When the phone rang, she immediately picked it up.

“Doo Joon Oppa?” she asked excitedly through the phone.

“No, this is Doo Joon’s mother,” the voice on the other end answered.

“Oh, hello. It’s nice to meet you, ahjumma,” she quickly answered, bowing as she held the phone even though Mrs. Yoon wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Uh, yes. It’s…nice to meet you too. I was calling because…because….” She started tearing up on the other end.

“Ahjumma, what’s wrong?” Ri Ah asked in concern.

“Doo Joon… Doo Joon…he passed away,” she managed to say through her sobs.

“What?” Ri Ah asked with wide eyes.

“There was a bus accident, and he didn’t make it.”

“Ahjumma, this is a really cruel joke to play,” Ri Ah said with teary eyes.

“I know you meant a lot to him. He talked about you a lot. That’s why you’re one of the first people I called. I just wanted to thank you for making him happy. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you beforehand.”

Ri Ah’s tears fell down her cheeks and her breathing was uneven as she cried.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go. I have other phone calls to make. I hope you will be okay, Ri Ah,” Mrs. Yoon said before she hung up.

Ri Ah still held the phone up to her as it beeped that the call had ended. She felt like the world had ended. How could Doo Joon be gone? They had just talked on the phone last week. She had just read an e-mail he sent a few days ago.

Ri Ah’s mother came in to the room to find her daughter crying as she held the phone to her ear.

“Ri Ah, what’s wrong?” she asked as she kneeled down and took the phone from her. She put it to her ear and when she heard the dial tone, she put it down on the receiver. “Ri Ah, why are you crying?” Mrs. Lee asked in a concerned voice as she wiped her daughter’s tears.

“Doo Joon,” she whispered. “Doo Joon,” she gasped as she tried to tell her mom. “He, he’s gone.”

Mrs. Lee didn’t quite understand what her daughter meant but she took her in her arms anyways and started Ri Ah’s hair as she continued to cry.

Mrs. Lee eventually found out what Ri Ah meant when Grandpa Song called to tell her of the news. He was devastated and knew that Ri Ah would be too, so he called to check up on her. He had told Ri Ah's mother that he was moving to America to live with his daughter and that he hoped Ri Ah would be able to get over the heartache.

Ri Ah had been lying in her room, crying the whole day and night.

Oppa, you said you would be there for me. You said you would come back to me. How could you break your promise so quickly?

Author's Note

Such an anticlimactic way to die...a bus accident? Seriously? You couldn't do better? Wait, I'm talking to mysef again. Darn, and I was getting better too...

Alright, so here it is, the much awaited death of Doo Joon Oppa. But do you guys finally understand Ri Ah a little better? I hope you guys will think of these...11 (!) chapters in the future if Ri Ah ever does anything that makes you want to slap some sense into her (foreshadowing?) But don't worry, I'm not that sadistic. Chan Yeol will have happy times as well.

But on a brighter note, I just heard that EXO will be making appearances in the upcoming "To the Beautiful You" drama (a Korean remake of the Japanese manga Hana Kimi). I loved both the Japanese and Taiwanese versions and am totally looking forward to the Korean one....especially since I heard Chan Yeol might be in it XD. Oh my god, thinking of seeing my adorable Yeollie on TV makes me all giddy inside.

So, now that you know the full story behind Ri Ah, what are your thoughts on it? I hope I didn't deviate too much from the main story and that I can make the plot move in the direction I want smoothly. But I have my readers to guide me along the way so I'm not too worried :) - 7/10/12 1:16 AM