“I promise that I’ll come back, Soo Hee, so please, just wait for me.” Suho held her hand as he wiped away a tear that was forming in the corner of her eye.

“I don’t want you to go, Suho. I don’t want you to go…” Soo Hee fought back tears as she whimpered silently in his arms while he planted soft kisses on her tear-stained face.

“Please trust me, Soo Hee. I’ll come back for you. I promise, so please, don’t cry anymore.”

The loud honk of a car made them turn around. Soo Hee felt hopeless. He was leaving her. She clutched his shirt tightly, not wanting to let him go as he looked at her with grief-stricken eyes. Soo Hee felt her knees grow weak as she read the meaning behind his eyes. He might not return.

“Don’t cry. Please. Baby, don’t cry.”

With one last kiss, he let go of her hand and turned his back on her.

“Suho! Suho! Suho!” Soo Hee continuously cried out as the car disappeared from her view.

“Park Soo Hee! Wake up! Class is done!”

Soo Hee raised her head to meet the gaze of Ha Ra, one of her closest friends and a year older than her, who was shaking her shoulders rather harshly.

“No need to shake me like the world’s at its end, Ha Ra-unnie.”

A soft yawn escaped her lips as she stretched her arms to lose the remaining sleep in her system. She just had a dream. And that dream was not a good one. She frowned as she tried to forget the memory that has haunted her sleep for the past five months.

The classroom was almost empty except for a few more students who were either studying or just chatting with each other.

“Yah, where’s Jae Hee-ssi?” She asked Ha Ra who just pointed a finger behind her as response. Turning around, she saw the familiar scene of Jae Hee sitting in her usual seat by the window, reading a book, while Yi Fan was sleeping on her shoulder.

“The almighty Yi Fan-oppa was already here and hogging Jae Hee to himself when I enetered.” Ha Ra stated matter-of-factly. A soft smile appeared on Soo Hee’s face as she didn’t miss the annoyed tone in Ha Ra’s words.

Soo Hee looked back at the duo who were still in their own world, but now, Yi Fan was awake, still leaning on Jae Hee’s shoulder, and playing with Jae Hee’s pencil case as the latter just continued to read. Knowing that Yi Fan is Jae Hee’s step brother, Soo Hee can’t help but admire the relationship they share with each other. It reminds her of the kind of relationship she used to have.

“Soo Hee, I’m sleepy.” Suho yawned and laid his head on her soft lap, making Soo Hee stop reading and look down to see his  smiling face.

The sky was clear, just perfect for a picnic. Sitting under the protective shade of the tree, Suho and Soo Hee were lazily lying in the cool, green grass, talking about what they wanted to do after high school.

“I want to become an actor. I want to stand in the center spotlight and be recognized, not just for my good looks, but for my skill and talent.”

Suho had that faraway gaze that he usually had whenever he was thinking seriously. He was looking up at the sky as Soo Hee traced small circles on the back of the palm of his hand. He then looked at her and smiled.

“And then, I would ask for your hand in marriage and we would spend our forever in each other’s arms.” He gave her that 1000-watt smile of his which made the girls swoon over him.

“Who says that I’m gonna say ‘yes’?” Soo Hee giggled as Suho pouted and sat up to look at her.

“You mean you don’t want to marry me?” He frowned and looked disappointed as if the entire world has neglected him. She smiled and raised his chin to make him look at her and when he did, she swiftly placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose.

“I love you, Kim Joon Myeon. And until the day you ask me to marry you, I will continue to love you, even after I say ‘Yes’.”

With intertwined fingers, Suho placed his forehead on top of hers, their faces just centimeters apart, before he closed the gap between them with his sweetest kiss.

“Stop staring. It’s annoying.”

Soo Hee snapped out of her thoughts and saw an irritated Yi Fan and a confused Jae Hee looking at her from where they sat. She smiled sheepishly before tearing her gaze away from them and proceeding to fix her things and prepare to go home.

She stopped fumbling with her things when a droplet of water hits the desk. And then another one. She was starting to see in a blur. It was then that she realized that they were not water but tears. Her tears. Soo Hee hurriedly wiped away the forming tears to avoid anyone from seeing her in that predicament. Randomly stuffing all her things in her bag, she hurriedly stood up from her seat and ran through the corridors, ignoring the calls from Jae Hee and Ha Ra as she darted for the nearest restroom.

“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid, Soo Hee!”

Soo Hee mentally cursed herself for breaking down like that just because of one irrelevant, yet painful memory. Splashing the cold tap water on her face, she stared at the mirror in front of her and saw her bloodshot eyes. She groaned. This was just ridiculous. She pulled out a hand towel from her bag when something fell and hit the rest room’s floor with a clank. Her eyes darted to the object and she felt a painful stab in her chest. It was her bracelet. The bracelet which Suho last gave her before he left. It was there and then that all her barriers broke down  and she cried her heart out like a lost child. She slid down onto the cold, cemented floor and hugged her knees as memories of him started to flood her vision again.

“Suho, you bastard… You said you were coming back…” Soo Hee whimpered as she gripped the bracelet and buried her face to muffle the pain-filled cries.

“Soo Hee! Soo Hee!”

She didn’t look up as someone pounded on the door. She just wanted to be alone.

“Soo Hee!”

Soo Hee looked up to see the face of Ha Ra with Jae Hee following behind her. Then everything turned black.

~mylovewillprotectyou~ 

Soo Hee woke up to a white ceiling and someone holding her hand. She turned her head just to find Chan Yeol, her cousin, sleeping by the bedside, protectively holding her hand. His hand was warm. But not as warm as his. Soo Hee frowned as she recalled what happened to her earlier.

“Soo Hee!” Ha Ra worriedly looked at her as she tried to help her up. Jae Hee was busy calling someone on the phone, her voice far from its normal, composed tone.

She felt weak and alone. She managed to get up but as soon as she stepped out of the restroom, dizziness overcame her and she drifted into unconsciousness.

Sitting up, Soo Hee didn’t notice that Chan Yeol was already awake and had a worried look on his face as he stared not at her face but somewhere else. She followed his gaze and found herself staring at the bracelet around her wrist.

“Soo Hee, what happened? Don’t tell me it was because of ‘him’ again?” Chan Yeol asked softly. Soo Hee just smiled back at him and placed her hand on his head. Chan Yeol looked at her and nodded in understanding, knowing that she wants to forget what happened, but she knew that her cousin already found the answer to his question.

Chan Yeol then took something out of his bag and placed it on her palm. Soo Hee smiled as she shook the glass ball in her hands.

“Yah, Soo Hee-ssi! Are you okay? Are you dying?” Chan Yeol was panting when he entered the hospital room.

“She’s okay, Chan Yeol. Soo Hee is fine.” Soo Hee’s mother explained to the very worried Chan Yeol who was clenching the rectangular box in his hands. With a little help from Soo Hee’s father, he was able to climb his’ cousin’s bed and sit near her.

“Soo Hee-ssi, I brought you a get-well present. Mom said that it will help you get better.” Chan Yeol determinedly said as he placed a small cube box on Soo Hee’s small lap. Soo Hee carefully tore the wrapper and held in her hands what seemed like a small glass ball with a miniature park inside of it.

“Shake it. Shake it. Shake it!” Chan Yeol kept on jumping in his seat as he looked at her with excited eyes. Soo Hee shook the glass ball once, then again. The next thing she knew, she was laughing in excitement with Chan Yeol.

“Thank you, Chan Yeol-oppa!” she wrapped her small, little arms around his neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheeks.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked her as soon as she let go of him. Soo Hee nodded and ruffled his hair. He then smiled at her and bolted out of the room, but not before saying goodbye.

She looked at the glass object in her palm and shook it once again, watching the orange and red leaves swirl around the ball as if it was autumn. She smiled. It was like an autumn experience in the park.

Chan Yeol and Soo Hee were currently watching television in her hospital room while eating the chips and other unhealthy snacks Chan Yeol brought when they heard the door creak.

“Soo Hee! You’re awake! How are you feeling?” Ha Ra rushed towards her bed, almost knocking Chan Yeol over who was sitting next to her on the bed.

“Woah! Careful! She’s not dying or anything!” Chan Yeol sarcastically said to Ha Ra who just rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Soo Hee by enveloping her in a hug.

“We brought you some fruits since we thought that Chan Yeol here would just buy you chips.” Jae Hee eyed the scattered plastic wrappers on the floor.

“Looks like we were right.”

“Thanks.” Soo Hee smiled at them as Jae Hee placed the basket of fruits on the table near her bed.

“Yah, Soo Hee-ssi, I’ll just step out for a bit, okay?” Chan Yeol said as he walked out with Yi Fan. She nodded and as soon as the two boys left, Ha Ra and Jae Hee sat next to her on the bed.

“What happened to you? Is it because of ‘him’ again?” Ha Ra clasped Soo Hee’s hand. Soo Hee managed to give them a bitter smile as she nodded. Jae Hee frowned and Ha Ra sighed.

“I miss him, that’s all.”

“This is just too much, Soo Hee! It’s been five months. Five freakin’ months since he last left you!” Jae Hee shouted and stood up as she stared at Soo Hee disappointedly. Soo Hee could only cower under her gaze since it’s been so long since Jae Hee’s shown her angry side.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” Jae Hee sat back down and closed her eyes.

“But Jae Hee is right. It’s been so long since…” Ha Ra hesitated

“It’s been a while since Joon Myeon left you.” Jae Hee finished.

“Jae Hee!” Ha Ra shouted.

Soo Hee didn’t listen to them bicker anymore because as soon as those words left Jae Hee’s mouth, memories started flooding back. Just hearing his name which she never heard for a long time, was enough to make her eyes water and for her head to start hurting from all the unwanted images in my mind. She just felt the warm arms of her friends as they both enveloped her in a hug and hushed her as they patted her back and her hair.

“It’s okay, Soo Hee. We’re sorry.”

Soo Hee didn’t stop crying. The thought of Joon Myeon just broke her heart. She could hear Jae Hee humming a soft tune which was not familiar, but it helped her calm down and as soon as she did, she gave them a small smile – a smile to hide away the fact that she still clung onto that hopeless dream of Joon Myeon returning.

“Are you okay now?” Ha Ra asked. Soo Hee nodded in response and wiped away the tears from her cheeks and the corner of her eyes as silence enveloped the room.

“Soo Hee, we shouldn’t tell you this, but I feel like we should.” It was Jae Hee who first broke the silence.

“What are you doing, Jae Hee?!” Ha Ra was gritting her teeth as she looked at Jae Hee disbelievingly.

“She has the right to know.”

“Not in her current state.”

Soo Hee looked at each of them, baffled by what they were talking about. Her eyebrows met as she tried to figure out what they were not telling her.

“What are you guys trying to say?” Soo Hee finally asked, a tad impatient.

“Soo Hee…”

“Jae Hee, don’t!”

“Kim Joon Myeon is back.”