III (Finale)
In Their TimeJongin did not remember how he got through the weeks after that. He went to work and came back, and the process repeated each day. On weekends, he would spend the entire day reading Kyungsoo’s letters. He had long lost count how many hours he’d spent looking at their picture together---that picture taken on different years under the same Christmas tree that Kyungsoo has taped together. And on certain mornings, he would wake up to see tear marks on his pillowcases.
He stopped by at the cottage home every day, hoping and praying that he would receive a response from Kyungsoo. But every time he opened the mailbox, his hope would cruelly be crushed into smithereens. The note he has left for Kyungsoo, it was still there every time he looked into the mailbox.
Still there, untouched.
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On 14th of March 2015, there was the familiar echo of Jongin’s doorbell as it resonated around the walls of his home. It was a Saturday and Jongin had planned on staying in bed the whole day. It was a tiring week, as usual, and Jongin was nothing but unhappy with everything that has been happening around him. Ever since Valentine’s Day, ever since the day he realized the truth, Jongin just wasn’t the same anymore.
He opened the door to find no one on the porch. Jongin cursed silently and wanted to slam the door shut, but something caught his eyes. His mailbox flag stood upright, and the flag shone under the sun. Isn’t today Saturday? There shouldn’t be any mails today…
Jongin forced himself out from his house to find a small box in his mail. He was momentarily confused as he took the box out. Jongin untied the blue ribbon around it to open the lid and found himself lost of breath for a moment.
What on earth…
Jongin was staring at a complete heart-shaped necklace. His complete heart-shaped necklace. “But how could this be?” Jongin asked himself, shocked. Hadn’t he thrown away one half of the necklace after Soojung had left? How was it possible that this necklace was in its complete shape? And who on earth…who on earth left this here?
Peering into his mailbox, Jongin’s heart skipped a beat when he saw a piece of familiar looking note in it. Quickly reaching in for the note and taking it out, Jongin swore his heart almost stopped beating just by seeing the first alphabet on the piece of paper.
Kyungsoo’s handwriting.
“Happy White Day, Jongin.” He froze upon hearing the voice, his hands still gripping onto the necklace tightly. He could feel it; the presence of another person behind him.
And this time, Jongin was afraid. Afraid to find an empty space when he turned around, afraid that the voice he had heard was merely a fragment from his imagination. What if this was just his mind playing tricks at him? Then he heard the words he had been waiting to hear all along; the words which were all the assurance that he needed for him to turn around.
“I waited, Jongin. I am here. I am here.”
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( t h e e n d )
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