Her face was drained of all its colours. No more rosy cheeks, not even the slightest tint of pink could be seen on her usually rosy cheeks. There was no more light in her eyes, they were as dead as those of a corpse as she stared at the rush of crimson red flowing steadily from her wrist, staining her beautiful, white wedding gown and dripping onto the marble floor. A small pool of blood had already formed and it was only growing bigger. The cut was deep and she didn’t know how long she was going to stay conscious. Things around her were already starting to blur out.

The blade she was gripping so tightly five minutes ago fell to the ground with a soft thud. She felt weak, she couldn’t move from her spot on the floor. Leaning against the wall behind her, she closed her eyes. She hoped nobody would find her until it was all over. She didn’t want to be saved.

She could feel her heartbeat getting slower and slower. All the pain she had held in it was unbearable, she couldn’t take it anymore. She wasn’t strong enough. Its okay, she thought, the pain would be over soon. 

-------------------------------------

He knew something was wrong. She had been acting weirdly the whole day. When he brought her home, she told him not to disturb her, went straight up to her room and still has yet to show her face. It’s already been 4 hours. He checked his watch and realized it was almost time to get her to the hotel where the reception was to take place. 

“Seo Ryung,” he knocked on her door. “Seo Ryung, we have to go soon.”

She did not answer him. He pressed his ear on the door but all he could hear was a grave-like silence. Intuition turned his initial worry into panic. Twisting the knob gently, he opened the door and stepped in, looking around. The bedroom was so quiet that it was deafening. It was the kind of silence that suggested something wasn’t right. 

She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Not on her bed flipping through a magazine, not at her nightstand swiping on some lipstick, yet her bag was sitting on the armchair and her mobile phone on the coffee table.

“Seo Ryung?” he called again.

The bathroom light was on and the door was left slightly ajar. The panic he felt grew as he walked briskly across the room and pushed the bathroom door. He looked down and was greeted with the most horrifying sight. There she was lying in a pool of her own blood, her body pale and lifeless, eyes closed.

“No!! Seo Ryung!!!” he rushed to her side. “No, no, no, no!!”

He whipped out his phone and dialled 911. “Hello, I need an ambulance now! 300 Samseongdong, quick!! I have a girl who is bleeding to death!!”

He spotted the blade lying on the floor. Dropping his phone on the floor, he tore out a part of his shirt and wrapped it around her wrist to stop the bleeding. His hands were feeling for a pulse. It was a very weak one, like it was going to suddenly stop anytime soon. He felt as if all the blood had been out of his body as well for he was looking at his whole world dying right in front of his very own eyes.

“Why?!!” Tears were flowing down his face. “Why did you do this to yourself?!”

The sound of ambulance sirens came. He picked up her limp body and rushed her out. Handing her over to the paramedics, he watched as they put her on the stretcher and lifted her up into the ambulance before climbing into it himself. He wasn’t going to leave her side.

“You can’t die!” he held her hand as they shut the ambulance door close and switched on the sirens again. “I won’t let you die! You cannot give me the reason to stop living!”

-----------------------------------------------

(5 years ago....)

“So, this is it?” she was trying her hardest to restrain the tears from coming. “You’re ending it just like that?”

Seung Hyun couldn’t bare to look at her like that. “Don’t you think its for the best?”

“No, I don’t”

“Seo Ryung...”

“Don’t!! Don’t try to give me another one of your ridiculous excuses!” she shouted, masking her hurt with fury. “It’s all because of me right? You want us to end because of who I am? Because of where I come from?!”

He was silent for a few moments. Thoughts were running through his head, round and round asking him the same question. Should he give her up? The girl he loves so much. Should he give her up to save her happiness?

“Yes.” he answered.

“I hate you,” she said. “You still love me yet you’re breaking up with me anyway. I hate you.”

“Good.”

It was better for her to hate him than to continue loving him. She might be hurt now, but she’ll get through it. He had nothing to offer her and he wasn’t about to let her throw her whole life away just to be with him. 

“Jin Seo Ryung,” he pulled her into his arms for the last time. “I want you to find someone much better than me. Someone who won’t leave you and will stand by you. Someone who will love you more than me.”

“Pabo(stupid)!” she hit his back. “Who will ever love me more than you.”

He mustered a painful laugh. “Chaljara, nae sarang(Goodbye, love).”