Chapter 1 - My Hopes
3 Gifts to Remember
“Coral, get back here!” I laughed and chased after the tall boyish girl. She turned and grinned at me, knocking my breath away with the power of her glittering golden eyes. She paused for a bit and stuck out her tongue at me.
“Never, do you think I’m stupid, you Fish,” she laughed and tilted her head back, the dying sun rays catching her hair, sending brown beams through it. I smiled at how dazzling she was and shook my head.
Who was I kidding? Coral was perfect, everything I wasn’t. She had the perfect boyfriend, one who was the main player on the soccer team and the President of the Students Association. Why would she look at me, quiet Lee Donghae who only cared about his music?
I stopped and just stared at her. She walked slowly over to me and she began to lean in.
A cold gust of wind blew in my ears and woke me up. I sat up, startled. How had I fallen asleep in this field? I looked around me and saw dug up piles of dirt and overturned flowers. A fistful of silver roses was strewn on the grounds. I closed my eyes, trying to fight off the rush of pain that hit me. Reality swallowed up my fantasies.
It’s been six months since the accident and this journey was making me rethink all my past mistakes, all the things I could have done to make things turn out differently. I picked up the silver roses and walked into my tent. Carefully, I put them in a vase before covering the vase in bubble wrap. I was done. All I had to do is go back.
I’ve known her all my life. I’ve loved her for almost as long. Park Coral was my best friend. To me she was an angel, someone I still cannot believe I was able to know. She was beautiful, everything I wanted in a girl. But she never saw me in that way. It was always her abusive bastard of a boyfriend for her.
And now he’s killed her. He ran her over with a car six months ago. She’s recovering in the hospital right now. A few days I received a phone call. But nothing registered in my head.
My mission is to find three objects for her. For her to remember that life is worth living, for her to wake up. I need her to be awake, need her to be by my side. Tears dripped slowly down and I tried to swallow back the bitterness.
I settled into the sleeping bag and once more closed my eyes.
“Haha, Donghae, did you miss me? Don’t worry about me. I’ll wake up once you come back. I’ll always be here for you, Hae,” she winked at me.
I laughed and poke her. “You scared me you know. Everyone in the neighborhood must have heard that loud crash. I thought someone ran into a pole. But when they said it was you, I freaked out. My mom was the one to call the ambulance.”
Her expression grew pensive. “I’m sorry. I really left behind a streak of havoc didn’t I?” Tears brimmed over her eyes.
I wanted so badly to place a hand on her arm but was too scared to touch her. “No, never say that. You’re you. You’re worth everything we do for you.” She shook her head and started to fade.
“NOOOOO, COME BACK!” I jerked myself up. I shook my head violently to get rid of the horrible thoughts. I hated having these dreams. I closed my eyes and tried to think of better things. Insomnia must have held me there the whole night, hanging on the brink of sleep and no sleep. The darkness refused to hold.
I glanced over at the bouquet of silver roses, shining dimly when the moonlight strained through the thin walls of my tent and illuminated them. Immediately the headiness stopped. My brain cleared and calm settled over me. I was able to breathe in and breathe out. Now, the gentle hushes of real sleep took over and I lost myself to nothingness.
After she was admitted into the hospital, I spent weeks trying to hunt him down. But he disappeared off the face of the earth. I can’t find him anywhere and she was slowly dying. The doctor says if she was to wake up, she would have lost all her memory. Distraught, I punched holes in every wall I could find, tore up everything that could be and yelled my head off every time I felt the pain.
I can’t leave her. She can’t leave me. I can’t let her go. Then I read a story about something similar. And I realized what I have to do. Four months ago, I set out on a journey. I decided the only way to help her remember is to bring back mementos. I searched deep into our memories together and pulled out three items that frequently came up in our conversations together. I made analytic notes, webs, charts. Everyone thought I was going crazy. But I wasn’t.
At long last, I came up with three conclusions. I need to find a rock in the shape of a heart, a ballad song without the word love in it and silver roses. She’s been hurt so many times in her life, all these gifts represent something special.
The first time I saw her, I was sitting on a large stone that reminded her of a heart. But the next time we went back, it was no longer there. She loved ballads, and always listened to them when she was upset. But she cries every time she hears the word love because it reminds her of why she’s hurting. Silver roses because that was what I promised to get her if she went to prom with me. It was a joke then, but I was going to do it.
I packed my bags and set out to wander the entire length of Korea in the hopes that I’ll be back in time to see her awaken.
Finished: July 28
Mianhe for taking forever to update. But I finally am. I need everyone to show their love to Donghae.
Part of my goal to update all 9 stories on the day of their Comeback
Super Junior: Return of the Superior
Mr. Simple is AMAZING. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Y and Opera are my favorites XD Good Friends- cries when reads the translations, never separate. Just for two years okay?
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