Seungri let his feet sink deep into the wet sand at every footstep he took. He looked out at the dark sea in front of him. The last time he'd come here was almost four years ago, with his first love. They had never been lovers, but they shared something precious. Acquaintances in high school who became best of friends in university, Hara and Seungri were what people would call soul mates.

Seungri found a clear area on the dry, soft sand and sat cross-legged. He grabbed a small shell by his knee and let the moonlight shine against it. She loved these kinds of things. Hara, he remembered, would grab so many of them, then throw them into the ocean just before they'd leave the beach. She was rarely happy, but there were moments, especially here, where her smiles and laughter were limitless in a day.

Seungri had grown up alone, without anyone around him. His parents had abandoned him at a young age and he grew up living with different families throughout his life. Once he graduated from high school, he made it a goal to become independent and live his life with a purpose. Meeting Hara literally changed him for the better.

All his life, he avoided relationships with people, knowing it would just hurt even more every time they walked away. Hara, he had decided, would be the only person he'd let in. He fell in love with her, so hard that the only thing left to do was to tell her. He'd found the courage to do so after a long, long time, but she had declined, claiming she didn't feel the same way. Though it bore a wound so deep in his heart, he put their friendship first and kept the pain in.

He still remembered when Hara brought him to this beach for the last time. He didn't know at the time, that day was one he would never forget. She stood, staring out at the sea and sunset. He remembered how long she had her eyes fixed on the view. She had been crying. He could barely hear her over the waves, but what she said had been like a knife stabbed deep into his heart. She had a disease, and it was progressive. There was no cure. And that the last time she'd visited the doctor, he had estimated six months.

"I wrote you a letter," Hara said as she glanced down at the water, lapping at her feet. "I know it's stupid and corny, but I put it in a bottle and buried it over there." She pointed to the big rock at the end of the coastline. "Don't open it until…until I'm not here anymore."

Despite his painful upbringing, when she'd said that to him, it was the only time he'd ever cried in his life. Now Seungri glanced over at the same rock she'd pointed to. Her death had been too traumatic and painful that he couldn't get himself to come back. It still continued to haunt him how easily a young life could be taken away like that. She was too young when her body stopped fighting. Though four years had passed, he never looked for the bottle, not once. He didn't want to read it, afraid and unable to face it head-on.

Whilst immersed deeply in his memories, the sound of shuffling feet broke through his thoughts. Seungri glanced over and saw Suzy and their boss, Daniel walking towards him. Are you kidding me? He swore under his breath. They were the last people he wanted to see at that particular moment. Furious that they stormed into his own personal time like this, Seungri pushed himself up. He couldn't get himself to muster up that usual cheerfulness he usually projected, so instead, he tried for a polite nod.

"Seungri. We didn't see you at dinner," Daniel spoke first. "Did you settle in all right?"

"Yes, I did."

Suzy studied his face, noticing how there was something so incredibly sad in his expression. Finding it unusual, she could only stare. Not once since she met him had she ever seen him this way. Cautiously, she said, "I thought you hated the beach."

He merely shook his head. "I guess it's not so bad." No sarcastic joke, nothing. He buried his hands in his pockets. "See you guys later." He nodded at Daniel, then met Suzy's eyes briefly.

Her heart pounded. She turned, her gaze unwavering from him even as he walked past her. What had happened?

"Suzy?" Daniel asked, trying to get back her attention.

She was frowning for the second time that night when she turned back to Daniel. Even as she tried to shake it off, her mind remained on Seungri. What happened? She asked herself once more, with no answer to offer.

Daniel took her hand in his. Jolted at the touch, she met the warmth in his eyes. Then, reminded of why the two of them had come to the beach at this time, Suzy forced Seungri to the back of her mind. I'll find out later. It was the wrong time to be thinking about another man, she reprimanded herself, and placed back all her attention on Daniel. There was one reason why she prepared so much for this trip and the reason was standing beside her.

Time to let it all out.