Sang Moon couldn’t help but look at his older sister when Myungsoo broke the news in the living room. Her eyes began to get moist, but he couldn’t seem to move because he, too, was at a loss.

   “I really appreciate the help after all this time,” Myungsoo said. “From the very beginning. But now, I need to move away. I’ll stay with Pastor Kang until I find an apartment.”

   “Can’t you stay here?” Suzy choked out.

   He gave her a pained smile, and slowly shook his head no. It was obvious that he had a difficult time trying to keep his tears at bay, as well. “I’m sorry, Suzy.”

   She sniffed, and nodded. She rubbed her eyes. “Why are they itchy?”

   Suzy stood up and went upstairs. Sang Moon followed afterwards. When the three of them were left alone, Myungsoo heaved a sigh, and he began to cry quietly. Mr. Bae rubbed his back, while Mrs. Bae patted his arm. When Myungsoo moved out of his own house years ago, he didn’t even shed a tear; he never felt remorse. Several years later, there he was again, in the same situation. He finally realized that what he abandoned when he was younger wasn’t a home, but a house. That was why it didn’t hurt.

<:>

   Myungsoo’s phone started ringing. He seemed to hesitate at first, but he answered it all the same.

   “Sunshine,” he greeted quietly.

   “You’ll really leave tomorrow?” she asked, her voice thick.

   The steady rhythm of the clock hanging on the wall seemed to distract his thoughts. “Yeah.”

   “I won’t be able to see you off.”

   “You don’t have to. I’m not going that far.”

   “But still…” she murmured, before trailing off.

   “Why are you crying?”

   There was a pause, and he felt her smile a little. “I don’t know. I’m aware I shouldn’t act like this, but I can’t help it.”

   Myungsoo sat up straight from his bed. He stared at his free hand; callused fingertips, scarred arm. He said, “This should be our last call and means of communication.”

   Silence, followed by an uncomfortable laughter. “What are you talking about?”

   “The moment I step out of the house,” he carried on. “Let’s stop this.”

   “Myungsoo, what—”

   “Calling, texting and other means of communication, let’s stop it for now,” he cut in. “I’ll visit every now and again, so you don’t have to worry. But Suzy, just for now, please, let’s draw the line.”

   He closed his eyes to keep his tears from falling. He didn’t want it, and it seemed too much. Still, Myungsoo knew his weaknesses, and he didn’t want to compromise. He knew that if he kept in touch with Suzy on a regular basis, his decision of moving out would be in vain. For Myungsoo, she was worth the wait; for Myungsoo, she was someone he didn’t mind holding himself back for.

   He fell silent when he heard her response: “All right.”

   He didn’t reply.

   “Good night, Summer.”

   “Good night, Sunshine.”

   Beep.

   The story they wrote for two summers, was suddenly put to rest in one night.

<:>

   They had to run in order to reach the train station that spring.

   “You said it won’t come until nine!” Sunggyu cried, as he grabbed Jieun’s paper bags to help her speed up.

   “I got confused,” Woohyun defended. “But isn’t this experience nice? Look on the bright side, hyung.”

   Sunggyu shook his head helplessly, and overtook the two of them.

   “He’s stressing out,” Woohyun remarked with a smirk. He turned to Jieun, who was huffing beside him. “Are you okay?”

   “I’m not wearing heels today. I’m fine.”

   “Hyung looks handsome when he’s wearing white, don’t you think?”

   Jieun was left speechless. She blushed a little, and tried to catch up with Sunggyu to save herself from humiliation. Woohyun chuckled, and ran a little slower. He looked up at the dimming sky. The days were becoming longer, and he wondered if he even had the right to feel hurt. Jieun wasn’t his in the first place.

   They were able to catch the train. Panting, they all settled to their seats. Woohyun took out a piece of paper stuck on his spot, and said, “This is where we sat down earlier, too.”

   “Don’t talk to me,” Sunggyu coldly shot back, while panting. He fanned himself with the cap he brought along, and his lower lip. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

   Woohyun pouted, and looked at the view outside, instead. The two young men stayed on one table, while Jieun settled on the one beside them. Sunggyu glanced at her, and understood why she was so quiet. On that same day, before going to Dublin, they visited her late boyfriend’s tomb. There was a surreal look on Woohyun’s eyes at that time, while Sunggyu felt fine with it. Perhaps having a dead girlfriend somehow made him become comfortable with the idea that it was okay to visit the dead, even if that corpse was someone close to their age. And even if that empty shell was someone Jieun used to embrace and kiss, his soul flickering between life and death from time to time.

   Sunggyu then stood up and moved to another chair. The train was not that crowded, as it was the last ride going to Belfast. He stretched his legs and leaned on the wall. He placed his cap on his face and crossed his arms. He was tired. It wasn’t long before his body relaxed. His eyelids felt heavy.

   Sunggyu felt someone sit across him. The sweet scent of spring flowers made him think of Jieun. And he was right when he heard her voice.

   “Thank you for accompanying me,” she whispered. “I’m grateful for you and Woohyun. But right now, I’ve decided to stop liking you. I’ll try to forget, Sunggyu. I swear I will. I’ve fancied you for some time now. I don’t know how it began, or even when. I woke up one day and realized my feelings towards you. Somehow, I can’t get through. I know you left someone behind in Seoul, and something tells me that it isn’t Sunye.

   “That’s why, Sunggyu, I’m letting you go now. I don’t have the right to say this, but I’ll learn to detach myself from what I feel towards you. And then one day, maybe I’ll have the courage to tell you that I loved you once, and maybe I’ll be able to laugh it off, without forcing myself.”

   With that, Jieun quietly stalked off.

   The days turned into weeks, and Sunggyu finally learned the reality that people can only see how important a person is to them once they begin to slip away.

<:>

   Sungjong gently placed his index finger on Suzy’s forehead the moment he settled down on the bench she was sitting on. “You’ll form wrinkles.”

   She carefully brushed his hand aside, and looked the other way.

   “What’s gotten into you, that you’re so sulky at this time of the day?”

   Suzy looked down, and sighed. “He’s moving out of the house. Myungsoo is.”

   He stayed silent. He looked at his friend, and focused on her downcast eyes. Finally, he replied, “Maybe it’s for the best.”

   “I know,” she her lower lip. “I know it is.”

   Without saying anything else, Sungjong took out a paperback from his bag. Suzy faced him before resting her head on the table in front of them.

   “The house will seem empty later, when I get home,” she began. “I wasn’t able to see him off.”

   “Where’s he moving?”

   “To Pastor Kang.”

   “It’s not even that far away.”

   “But he’s moving away nonetheless,” Suzy defended. “I think I just got too used to him being around.”

   Sungjong stared at her for a bit longer, and leaned in to look at her eyes. “By any chance,” he started. “Did you cry?”

   “I did,” she admitted.

   “You should learn to stop crying whenever people leave,” he remarked. He flipped a page.

<:>

   Myungsoo was led to his own room. It was located in the first floor, just across Pastor Kang’s office. “It’s really bright in here, so it’s good for studying.”

   “Thank you for letting me stay, Pastor.”

   He gave the young man a firm pat on the shoulder. “No worries, son. Our house is always open for you.”

   He gave a grateful bow, and it wasn’t long before Myungsoo started unpacking. He planned on searching for more apartments later on. He hung his clothes and folded several shirts. He placed his suitcase in a plastic bag Pastor Kang provided for him before putting it into the storage room. The house felt warm, but he knew he needed to get used to the silence once again.

   Myungsoo was waiting in the bus stop when he received a call from the aggravated Sungyeol. “What’s this news about you resigning?”

   “I found a new job,” he simply replied.

   “That quick?”

   “I have a good record.”

   Sungyeol heaved a sigh. “Aren’t you doing things rashly? You didn’t even say goodbye!”

   “It’s not like I won’t show my face anymore,” Myungsoo pointed out. “Will you miss me?”

   His friend scoffed. “You could have at least showed up. I’ll see you at church, then.”

   A warm smile graced Myungsoo’s lips. “Let’s meet at the train station on Sunday.”

   “Noted—hey, there’s a customer. I’ll have to hang up now, hm?”

   “Go on ahead.”

   The line went dead, and Myungsoo looked up at the vibrant, azure sky. The cicadas sung their droning chirps. He raked his fingers through his hair, and waited. Only a year had passed, and many things already happened. Most were too much for his heart to handle, but he pulled through.

   “By grace,” he whispered to himself. Exactly, his bus arrived. The firm he was thinking on visiting was the one near his father’s office. He said he would forgive him, and perhaps he already did. He simply couldn’t go and approach his father. He entered the vehicle, and settled to sit at the very back.

<:>

   Suzy was able to survive a week without asking about Myungsoo. Still, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t thinking about him from time to time. It was past midnight when she woke up and heard the crisp pitter-patter of the rain against her window. She sat up straight, and got out of bed. Without a moment’s hesitation, she quietly slipped out of her room only to go to their porch. She was surprised, however, to see her mother.

   “What are you doing?” Suzy asked.

   Mrs. Bae smiled. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to get some fresh air. Why are you still up, Suzy?”

   “I heard the rain,” she beamed at her mother and took the space beside her. She leaned her head on Mrs. Bae’s shoulder. “It’s not that strong. It’s nice.”

   Mrs. Bae glanced at her daughter, and sighed as she reached out to pat the back of her head. “Do you have something to tell me?”

   “I actually do.”

   “What might that be, sweetheart?”

   Suzy smiled. Her cheeks burned a little. “I think it’s good that Myungsoo moved away. Even if I miss him, I realized that I developed feelings for him.”

   Mrs. Bae stayed quiet.

   “The night before he left, I called him. And he said that we shouldn’t contact each other for the time being. I agreed, Mom.”

   “You like him that much?”

   Suzy nodded. “Do you like him?”

   “I have nothing against him.”

   She smiled, and intertwined her hand with Mrs. Bae’s.

   “Will you make him read your letters, then?” her mother teased. “Do you still write to your future husband?”

   “Mom!” Suzy cried, sending Mrs. Bae into fits of warm laughter.

<:>

   Sunggyu caught Jieun looking at the photographs on his desk. He sat down on his swivel chair, and asked, “What are you looking at?”

   “Your sister,” she pointed out. “She’s really pretty.”

   “She is,” he agreed. He reached for the folder on his right, and flipped it open. “Are these the ones we have to submit for this week?”

   “Yeah,” Jieun took her own copy. “Is Woohyun done with his translations?”

   “He pulled an all-nighter to finish the last few chapters,” Sunggyu placed the folder down, and opened a document in his computer. “He’ll be able to give the manuscript today.”

   “My younger cousins at home usually do amusing things,” Jieun opened up. “Like keeping a time capsule.”

   “My siblings do that, too,” Sunggyu replied. "They fail all the time."

   “Your sister likes to write, I remember.”

   “She does.”

   “Does she limit herself to stories?”

   Sunggyu shook his head no. “She goes from one field to another. She loves to explore. She even writes to her future husband.”

   “That’s really sweet,” Jieun remarked, while smiling. It captivated Sunggyu. “I’d love to receive something like that, too.”

   “Girls are too sentimental,” he remarked, and he received a glower in return.

   That night, while taking a break from proofreading, Sunggyu took out the stationery set he bought from the store. He grabbed his pen, and started to write a letter, addressed to his future wife. He wasn’t that big on events—all in all, he could be considered as a dry guy. Nevertheless, he wanted to give it his best shot.

   Because he was in the brink of losing Jieun without even realizing it.

My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
- Proverbs 23:26