I am in darkness again, coldness breathing its heartless breath upon me. I shuddered, feeling chills running down my spine. Why am I here? I wondered, looking around. This is too familiar. This isn’t the first time I’ve been here. I glanced at my feet and saw a photograph of Seunghyun in his uniform, the exact same one enclosed in his letter to me. Puzzled, I bent down and picked it up.

                I felt a jerk in my body and was pulled back violently to somewhere. I tried to fight the unfamiliar force that was pulling me, but resistance was futile. I was paralyzed as everything unfolded in front of me. I was mute; no sound came out of my mouth. The darkness suddenly vanished and an array of colors swirled around me. In a blink of an eye, the darkness turned into a vast land of grass.

                What…?  I thought, looking around. The force was gone, leaving me in this unfamiliar place. I looked down at the photograph. Seunghyun, did you take me here? A calm breeze greeted me, beckoning me to follow it. Confused, I followed wherever the wind blew.

                The kind sun was beaming down upon me in this winter setting. I looked down and saw that I was wearing Seunghyun’s jacket and my knitted scarf. Huh… this is silly, I thought, chuckling to myself.

                I continued walking forward and saw a military base in the near distance. Could this be…?

                “Jiyong…” a voice called out faintly in the trees.

                I quickly whipped around in surprise, looking for the source of the voice. This voice sounds familiar…

                “Oh, Jiyong. I miss you so much.” The voice said again.

                “I-I’m right here!” I called out, running towards the voice, stumbling over rocks and weaving through trees. “W-Who is it?”

                “I wish I could see you right now.” It was Seunghyun himself, sitting on a rock. He was finishing his dinner in private, away from the noisy, hearty soldiers that livened up the base. It seemed like he wanted some alone time. He was holding a picture of me, holding it close to him.

                “I’m right here,” I said, reaching out my arms. “I’m right here.” I made my way towards him, but he had no reaction. “Seunghyun?”

                His eyes were set on the picture. He whispered some more words and buried his face in his hands. “I think I’m going insane…” he muttered, sighing deeply.

                I immediately embraced him, only to find that my arms went right through his body, having no physical effect on him. I gasped and pulled my hands back, studying them in panic. What the hell…? I tried again, attempting to run my fingers through his hair. He can’t sense me… I realized, dropping to my knees. Burning tears came to my eyes, blurring my vision.

                “I’m right here…” I weakly said, allowing tears to stream down my face. “I’m right… here.”

                “Please be strong for me…” he whispered. “I’m being strong for you.”

                It’s true. He’s trying so hard to keep his sanity… I should do the same for him. I nodded, brushing the warm tears away. What’s the point in crying? I stood up slowly, attempting to balance on the rocky ground of the forest. A couple of rocks slipped beneath me, causing me to fall backwards. I yelped in surprise and fell into a pile of leaves.

                He paused for a bit, looking around at his surroundings. He slowly sat up straight and looked in my direction. He had a sad look in his eyes, as if he were longing for something. He shook his head and pulled out a pen and a sheet of paper.

                “Day one…” He murmured, writing on the sheet of paper.

                He’s writing that letter that I received this morning! I realized, my eyes widening in surprise. How is it possible that I’m here? Savoring the moment, I inched over by his side and sat right next to him as he voiced his thoughts and wrote his letter.

                “I long to capture your soft lips and hold you in my arms again. I can’t sleep a wink with you on my mind.” He muttered, gazing up to the sky. “Omo! Is that too cheesy?” He pursed his lips, eyes set in deep thought. “Oh well. Too bad Ji! It’s already written in pen! I don’t wanna cross it out, it’ll look bad! Deal with it!” He chuckled, talking to the picture. He happily kissed it and continued writing.

                I blushed severely and was tempted to kiss him right on the lips, but remembered that it’s physically impossible at the moment. I sighed and pouted, still not being able to fully understand this situation. Learning not to question it too much, I continued to listen to him finding the right words to say in the letter.

                After a while, he finished the letter, folded it up, and made his way back to the base. I followed him like a little puppy, feasting my eyes upon his uniform. Damn… I snickered. Looks even better in person.

                I glanced at the ground and saw that he dropped a clipboard. Weird… I thought. Why is he carrying a clipboard…? I bent down to inspect it and saw that it had medical charts. Curious, I picked it up. What is Seunghyun up to? I flipped through the papers and saw medical information and other important documents.

                “Kwon… Jiyong?” I read, my eyes widening in surprise. “W-What-”

                My words were cut off by the deafening sound of an unnerving siren. My eyes widened in panic as the dead leaves, branches, and rocks began to rise ominously. One by one, they all disappeared into thin air. The ground started to shake violently, adding to the already chaotic scene.

                “SEUNGHYUN!” I screamed, holding onto the ground. The ground started to divide under me, creating a huge hole. I lost my balance and fell into the pit. Everything began to disappear: the ground, the trees, even the sky. Darkness swallowed me again, leaving me alone once more.

                “What happened?” A voice echoed through the void.

                “H-He was screaming out something. I was getting worried.” Another voice said. It sounded like CL.

                “Yes sir, and tears were streaming down his face.” A third voice said.

                “Thank you, nurse Kim. I’ll take it from here.” The first voice said. Seems like a doctor.

                “Is he going to be alright?” CL said, worry filling her voice.

                There was a pause.

                “I’m afraid… not.”

                What?