When he woke up the next morning, it was still the same. Contrary to what he thought, people had come and gone but life doesn't stop for anybody. Flashes of last night's incident still lingered in his mind, and the pain from before resurfaced. He had been too late last night, arriving at the scene of the accident just when she was towed away by the ambulance.

He sat up, ever so carelessly, sending his phone tumbling down the floor. Half awake, Kai wasn't in the mood to go anywhere. And so if the text was from Taemin, his best friend, inviting him to hang out with him, then he would just have to ignore it, not having the strength to tell him that yes, Jinsung was involved in a car accident and that no, she didn't make it. In the end, he rubbed his eyes, which went from half open to wide in just a split second after reading the message.

Let's meet at the tea shop. I'll be waiting ^^

Was this his own hell, that he was cursed to live the day of her death every day for the rest of his life? Was this his own hell, that he was left to see her die countless times and do nothing about it? The image of her waiting by herself in the tea shop played back in his head, finally realizing that it wasn't just a bad dream. Somewhere in between he had to do something right.

And so he started his day the right way, by grabbing his slippers and leaving his apartment in a haste with no fixing his bed or second glance at the mirror whatsoever. Down the stairs he dashed, running straight to the tea shop. This time, he made sure not to be so preoccupied in his thoughts, and so he scurried towards the right path.

Arriving at the place, the staff was surprised to see a customer already there. He opened the door for Kai, and he sat and caught his breath, just in time as the door opened again – the wind chimes sounding – with Jinsung approaching him. The impressed smile she wore on her face only knocked the air out of his lungs more.

She sat beside him and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket. "Where were you from that made you sweat a waterfall?" the woman chuckled, wiping the beads of perspiration trickling from his forehead. But suddenly, she stopped. "Were you from your mistress' house?"

He laughed and put his arms around her. "I'm not cheating on you, okay? As soon as I read your message, I went directly here," Jongin explained, to which she seemed convinced enough to begin patting his face all over with her handkerchief again. He knew it would be over again in just a few hours, but he relished in the moment of being with her.

What was it like to love Jinsung? he asked himself. To love Jinsung, he thought, is like being resurrected from the dead. With every touch, it feels as if he was brought back to life in a flash of brilliance, and she was the light that guides him home. But where was home? he thought. He never knew a home until he had held her hands.

"I missed you," he admitted, placing his head on her shoulder.

She snorted. "We just talked for nearly an hour over the phone last night, you clingy person." When the man just shrugged the statement off, "You just love me," Jinsung teased, poking the tip of his nose.

He sat upright. "Wae, don't you love me back?"

"Ani," she said. At this, Jongin pretended to be furious, crossing his arms over his chest and looking over the opposite direction. She laughed and slumped her head over the table while watching him. Jinsung reached out, her fingers slightly brushing against his cheek, but he shrugged her away. "Eh, Jonginnie~ don't be mad anymore."

And she wound her arm around his, pulling him closer before resting her head over his shoulder. Realizing this wasn't the time to create a misunderstanding, Jongin laughed at how silly he had acted. She, on the other hand, felt the tremors of his shoulder as he laughed. Closing her eyes, "I would die for you," she exhaled.

What was it like to be loved by Jinsung? he asked himself again. To be loved in return, he thought, feels as if heaven was burned down in ashes and hell was drenched and flooded – unbelievable yet thrilling. Sometimes she loves me so much I could almost taste it, could almost hold it with my hands. It was like being able to see after a lifetime of darkness.

This, he knew, was the day he'd been waiting patiently for. The five words she had uttered were ones he'd been longing to hear yet, and now here he was, at a loss for what to say next. In response, Jongin only held her tighter – the briefest moment being the longest in his mind. Could reality ever be deceived?

But since the day before, he had woken up to her texts, had run the same distance from his apartment to the tea shop, and had heard the same chiming by the shop's door. This could have been a parallel universe or a place outside time and space and he wouldn't have given a damn. All he cared about at that moment was the woman sitting beside him.

And there they stayed, souls having no idea of what calendars or clocks are, nor do they know distance or time. As the afternoon wore on, he realized they were the different – she was she and he was he. And yet he could finish her sentences and she could understand the reason behind his every move.

Realizing what had happened after he had left her by herself inside the same tea shop, Jongin had an idea. "Let's go to my place," he offered, to which she didn't even hesitate that even he was taken aback. But they both stood up and left, the wind chimes sounding as they exited through the door.

Hand in hand they walked, and in Jongin's heart settled a sense of peace. "Do you want to eat something? I'd cook for you. What do you want?" he asked, but Jinsung didn't seem to be listening. When he turned to look at her, she was indeed distracted. She squinted her eyes and mumbled to herself.

"What is it?" he pressed, the fear slowly creeping in.

"Is that..." the woman said, but bit her lip as she pondered harder.”I don't think it's...but...Wooyoung!" she exclaimed, calling for the attention of the man just across the street. The said man turned around, a grin spreading across his face at the sight of her. But the wide smile quickly wore off as Wooyoung's gaze lingered on the couple's interlaced hands.

"Why are you talking to him again?" Jongin asked, almost angry with the knowledge of what was going through the other man's head.

Jinsung nudged him slightly. "Oh, don't be like that. He was still my high school friend, you know," she scolded under her breath as Wooyoung neared.

"Hey, Jinsung," Wooyoung greeted. "Haven't seen you since graduation day."

"How have you been?" she asked, and turned to the man she was with. "I'm with my boyfriend, Jongin."

Wooyoung just glanced briefly towards his direction. "I've been fine." And he lifted his wrist watch up to his face to check the time. "I'm sorry, I should really be going. It was nice seeing you, though." And he left without looking back.

"Yes, that's right. Walk away," Jongin grumbled, although she had heard it, earning him a smack on the arm. "What?"

"You're a mean person," she commented, which he just ignored and led the way to his own apartment.

Once they arrived, Jongin plopped down on the couch, where he had slept the night before, and patted the space beside him. She accepted the invitation and sat more comfortably, hugging her knees close to her chest. As was routine, Jongin switched the television on and tuned in to the network airing cartoons.

As per usual, she was draped all over him – her legs over his lap and her head by his chest. They were watching Pororo, but the plot of today's episode wasn't registering in their minds.

"Sometimes I know you," Jongin started, his gaze passing through the television as if it was invisible. "Sometimes I wish I do." He smiled to himself. "You have been my girlfriend for four years yet I barely know you. I know your favorite color and how you like your coffee but I don't know the reason why this was so. I have no idea about what keeps you up at night when you already hung up on me and tell me you'll already sleep but then end up just staring at the ceiling. I don't know a thing about the toys you had when you were younger, why you threw them out, or why you still keep them in a box. I don't know how many cells you are made up of, and I don't know if these millions of cells know that they're a part of someone so unimaginably perfect."

The man lifted her chin up, forcing her to look up at him. "I don't know these, and I don't know a lot of other things. Sometimes, I don't even know myself. But this," Jongin said, his hand caressing her face before traveling the length down to the middle of her chest, right where the heart should be. "This, I know."

And he closed the distance between their faces as he captured her lips with his, kissing her tenderly. In the reality he knows – where drivers can get drunk and people regret everything they did not do – this was madness. But her skin felt warm under his touch and her lips were soft and everything was too good to be true.

When they parted, he tucked her hair behind her ears. "You're beautiful," Jongin whispered. He chuckled as Jinsung wrinkled her nose in protest. "What? It's true," he defended and got up, noticing how it had already grown dark outside. Gesturing to the bathroom, "I'll take a shower and then I'll bring you home, okay?" And he disappeared behind the door.

He took his time taking a bath, assured that Jinsung was there on his couch and that nothing could go wrong this time. As a result, Jongin sighed in relief as he let the water run down his body.

Jinsung, on the other hand, placed her hand over her erratic heart. "Aish, Kim Jongin," she grumbled, knowing how he was the one at fault for this, and smiled to herself afterwards. But before she could replay the scene in her head, her phone began ringing. "Ne, omma?" she answered.

"Jinsung-ah," her mother said from the other line. "Are you on your way home? Can you drop by the store and pick up some milk? We ran out."

Scratching her head and looking at the bathroom door which still hasn't opened, "I'll be there in a few," she replied and hung up. Sighing, she walked towards the door and knocked. "Jongin?" And she waited for him to respond. When he didn't, she knocked again, louder this time. "Jongin, I'll go home by myself. I have to run an errand," she informed.

When he still didn't respond, she pressed her ear against the door. The running water from the shower could be heard from outside, and could possibly be the reason why the man couldn't hear her. In the end, she just shrugged, returning to the living room. She grabbed a receipt stuck on the fridge with a magnet and snatched a pen from his dining table.

Scribbling a quick note, she left the paper by the couch and left, locking the door securely behind her.

Whistling merrily on his way out moments later, Jongin had his eyes widening after the television became surprisingly silent. He stumbled to the living room, only to see the couch empty. He hurried to his closet, throwing on the first piece of clothing he could see. Ready to run out the door, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the cushion from the corner of his eye.

Went home~ omma asked me to buy something and I was about to tell you but your shower is noisy >_< I'll call you later! ^^

With the paper in his hand, Kai left his apartment in a haste, scampering down the stairs like a madman. If he was quick, he might just make it in time. And so he ran his fastest, traveling the same path to the crossing he never wanted to see again. He ran and ran, as if all his fears were chasing after him.

In the end, he was out of breath, but just on the right place. It was there that he saw her, in the middle of crossing the road. "JINSUNG!" he called out, to which she turned around, just in time as a car came swerving towards her direction.

What was it like losing Jinsung? His own conscience now asked him. Losing her, he thought, was like telling someone you would die for him, and then he would just thank you in return. It was like hearing all the goodbyes I have heard before said all at once.