CHAPTER 7

Searching through the entire house from corner to corner, Jeongyoon was no where to be found. He didn't leave any messages or notes either. Pulling out my phone, I quickly dialed his number to find that his phone was off. What should I do? Even when they entrusted me to take care of him, how could I lose him? Suddenly, my phone started to ring. Checking the caller ID, it came from the hospital that I visited frequently years ago.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is a nurse from Seoul General Hospital. Are you the guardian of Roh Jeongyoon?" I felt my throat tighten.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Can you please come to the hospital right now? This morning, at around 7 a.m., there was an accident near the cross section of Dongdaemon. When the police arrived, they found a young boy who was heavily injured. He didn't make it. Please come confirm the body of Roh Jeongyoon. I am so sorry," I ended the call and quickly put on my jacket again.

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Soon, I arrived at the hospital. My throat was dry, my eyes stinging and my head was spinning. Walking up to the receptionist, I told them I was Jeongyoon's guardian. She looked at me with sympathetic eyes and brought me to the morgue. Walking down this familiar hallway, I felt my blood turn cold. She pushed the door open, revealing a body, covered by a thin white sheet on the table. Slowly, I walked over. With my hands shaking, I lifted up the cloth. Please, God, please don't let this happen. I saw the face of the body.

It wasn't him. It wasn't Jeongyoon.

I covered the body and quickly told the receptionist that it wasn't my brother, but someone else. She looked surprised.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "The police usually confirms the identity before they ask us to call."

"I am sure. Something must've been mixed up. It isn't Jeongyoon," She looked at me for a while and then said I could go. As I left the hospital, I neither felt relieved nor happy. Because I realized that though it wasn't Jeongyoon this time, something like this could happen at any moment. It was then that I truly found out how I felt. I was scared.

The busy streets of Seoul were cold, people walked past one another as though it was a daily routine. No one cared enough to bat an eye at the person they were standing next to, even though that person could be gone the next day. Looking around the crosswalk, I caught a glimpse of a familiar bright blue jacket. I started running even though the light was red. Cars were honking at every direction, causing many eyes to glance towards me. Including the boy in the blue jacket.

"Noona! What are you doing?! The light was red!" Jeongyoon yelled. The moment I caught up to him, I gave him a hug with such force, he dropped his grocery bags that he was carrying. I felt him trying to wiggle out of my embrace but stopped the moment he heard sniffling. Because it was then that I let out all the tears I was holding in the moment I got the phone call.

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We both stood there, in the middle of the streets of Dongdaemun, hugging it out like no tomorrow. I cried on Yoon's shoulder until I felt no more tears were able to come out.

"Jeou ah, what's wrong?" He finally asked, after almost an hour had passed. We were in a cafe, sitting at one of the tables near the window.

"Why weren't you home? Why didn't you leave a message? Why was you phone off?" I asked, questioning him like a police would in an interrogation.

"I went out to buy the things we needed for the anniversary. I didn't know when you would be back so I didn't bother. It was out of batteries," Yoon stated, raising an eyebrow at me.

"The hospital called. They wanted me to go and confirm the identity of a body. They said it was you," Tears were b in the corner of my eyes. Jeongyoon watched me, and sighed.

"Noona, look, I'm here right now aren't I?" He took my hand and held it. "I won't die. I'll never die and leave you all alone. Trust me," He looked at me, and instantly I knew what he said was his promise to me. I believed it. I believed him.

                
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Three days has past since then. And for those three days, I never let Yoonie out of my sight. Not even once. It's not that I didn't believe him, but I was still paranoid. I was still afraid I was going to lose him. And he understood. So even when I was annoying and irritating to the max, he didn't complain.

"Jinwoo, seriously. This has to stop," Much.

"Sorry, but you can only blame yourself Yoonieee. If you had just charged your phone, this wouldn't have happened," I pulled out some of the fruits from the fridge and packed it in my bag. "Don't forget the flowers.. and the wine."

Today was the annniversary. It has already been nine years since then, but time had changed nothing. Every year on the 19th of February, it felt like how it did when I was only eight years old. The day the two people I loved most, disappeared. It was almost time to leave when my phone vibrated.

8:35 a.m. You Bangmi: I almost forgot...it wasn't until I noticed that you weren't here that I realised it was the anniversary today. Sorry Jeou, forgive me ㅠㅠ It's too late for me to skip now 헐 Please give them my prayers, ok?

I smiled. Belle had always been by my side since then. I looked to see Yoon all packed up.

"Okay, let's go."


The scenery from the mountain was still the same, peaceful with a light blanket of snow. You could see the beautiful city of Seoul from here, the buildings and buildings of skyscrappers and the Namsan Tower. Jeongyoon and I walked until we saw it. Two tombstones, side by side. I took out a cloth and wiped the snow and dirt off it. Two names were engraved, Kang Seolmae and Roh Jongin.

"Hi mom, hi dad. Yoon and I are here to visit you again. We brought your favourite fruit, mom. You wouldn't understand how hard it was to find a nice, fresh pineapple in the middle of February. Dad, we brought Bacardi. It was illegal, but somehow they didn't ask for ID this time. It must be our lucky year," Jeongyoon was quiet as he placed the fruits on the plate and poured the Bacardi. We stood there.

"Mom, dad, it's already been nine years...time sure flies. But don't worry about Yoonie and I, we're doing fine. School's getting harder but it's managable with a brain like mine. Haha, dad, remember when you told me that Jeongyoon would get a girlfriend before I got a boyfriend? It was a lie. Yoon's too much of a child," Tears were threatening to fall, but I didn't want to cry in front of them or in front of Yoon. I had to stay strong. For Yoon, I had to. "I miss you," Once I said that, I felt Jeongyoon turn away. I went to face him and wiped his tears.

"Yoonie, don't cry. Let's say goodbye now. It'll take us three hours to get back and I don't want it to get dark before then. Say goodbye to them, Jeongyoon," I turned him around to face the stones. "Bye..." His voice sounded weak. We started to pack up until I heard a voice.

"Jinwoo?" It sounded familiar so I turned to see who it belonged to.

"Kai?"