Maybe I’m too late to be your first.

But right now

I’m preparing myself to

be your last.

He sat on the sand and took in a deep breath of the ocean breeze. He positioned himself several meters away from the shore. Because the wind was chilly, he closed the zipper of his jacket. Now the clouds were beginning to part, getting ready for sunrise. Still it was still fairly dark. He glanced around idly, noting that there was no one else in sight.

To his left was the old bottle. It didn't take much effort to find it. It was there, where she'd said she left it years before, untouched and unfazed by time. The letter was there too; its paper having aged with time. Seungri decided to wait until the sun came out before reading it.

So as he watched the sunrise, he put the bottle aside and opened up the folded letter.

Seungri,

I guess by the time you've read this, I'm already gone. That for you, since you won't get to see my pretty face anymore!

Ah, I can see your expression now. Sorry. I didn't mean it.

The real reason I wrote this letter is to reveal to you something that I've kept for a really, really long time. I'm not as brave or as strong as you. I'm really weak.

I've actually loved you all this time. Uwah, I finally wrote it out. I wrote in pen too so now I can't erase it.

I love you. I've been in love with you since we were…fifteen? I think I fell in love with you before you fell in love with me. Since that moment you gave me that cold glare and walked off with that bad attitude of yours, I was a goner. You never knew, did you?

When you became my friend, I couldn't have been happier. For the first time in my life, I was glad to be alive.

In the beginning, I was afraid to tell you my feelings. I couldn't even find the courage to talk to you properly until college. When we became closer, then it just became impossible. Our friendship means the world to me, if you only knew. That's really why I couldn't tell you how I felt.

About my sickness, I knew since I was a kid that I was going to die sooner than most people. I just don't want you to suffer more because of me. I'm sorry that I kept all this from you.

But you know, right now I'm happy. Even I'm sick like this, I'm happy that you love me. Is that weird?

And I'm actually really selfish, Seungri. Sometimes I have these crazy thoughts, like I want to be the only woman you'll ever love forever. But I know that's not fair to you. When I think about how it will be when I'm gone, I start to realize just how selfish it is to want to keep you for myself.

In all honesty, if I had one wish, it wouldn't be to save myself, since that's kind of too late anyway. No, I'd really wish for you to be happy. So please, be happy?

I don't know why but I have a feeling you're going to wait a while before opening up this letter. So I wanted to ask the present Seungri reading this letter. Are you in love with someone else now? I really hope you are.

My happiest memory is when you told me you loved me. Do you remember what I said to you then? What would happen if ever I fell in love with you and got the guts to confess? Well, here's me releasing you of your promise. So if you really are in love with someone, love her wholeheartedly and let me go. I got more than enough time with you, so make sure you give her 110% of your heart, okay?

And I want to end things right, so in case I don't get a chance to properly say this to you, thank you. Thank you for being my best friend all these years. Thank you for loving me and making that promise to me. And lastly, thank you for the memories.

You really were the highlight of my life.

Bye Seungri.

– Hara

His body felt numb. Without his awareness, the letter fell to the sand, slipping out of his hands. He sat still, staring off at the dark sea, listening to the sound the waves crashing against the sand. All that kept flashing in front of him were the memories. She'd loved him this whole felt tears roll down his cheeks. He hadn't known at all. The girl he'd loved so immensely for the first time in his life loved him back. Only she had chosen to keep it a secret. Regrets and what-ifs came like a surge inside of him.

Just as he lowered his head and covered his face with his hand, gentle arms wrapped around him tightly. Suzy's warmth and scent surrounded him immediately. He felt her cheek rest against the top of his head. Like a baby, he buried his head in her bosom. He couldn't even stop the tears from faling.

Suzy repeatedly rubbed his back, feeling her own tears rise to the surface. She'd seen him, walked towards him as he read the letter, and saw how he just crumpled down as though lifeless.

For a long time, she held him as he cried his heart out.