Author's Note: I made some changes on the chapter before. If you haven't checked it, you might want to read it first before continue reading. It doesn't really have any relation with this story but just to make sure it doesn't make any confusion.

Current date: December 1st

The next day, YongGuk decided to check on MinRae. Unlike other days, he didn't inform her beforehand. He's not that type of person, but something was off yesterday. Yesterday, she was not that type of person too.

YongGuk passed the subway station, where they used to part ways. He passed places they used to be, before arriving at her place. And then there he passed the ends of her house. He was holding a small box wrapped simply. It was small, but he still held it full of care.

He finally arrived in front of her gates. He stood for a long while. He kept staring at the door that used to open up everytime he arrive there. He stared silently for a pretty long time. Probably hoping she would realize by herself, that he was there. 

After that long time, he puts down the box carefully. When he was about to ring the bell, someone went out the door. He was surprised.

He lifted his head, moved it left and right to see who it was. It looked like a girl, and so he smiled a smile, thinking it was MinRae.

But it wasn't. The one coming from the door, arriving at the gates, wasn't MinRae. It was just an ordinary maid. 

How did she know I was here, before I even ring the bell? He thought. MinRae was the only one who would know so.

The maid greeted YongGuk with a bow. "The mistress is inside. You may come and wait at the door." 

YongGuk pursed his eyes in confusion. But as the morals say, YongGuk fainlly bowed at her too, and followed her inside the house. It was his first time, since MinRae never opened the gates for him.

Ah, MinRae. Thinking about it twisted his emotions again. As he walked pass the luxurious garden, he could only imagine what she was thinking the day before. He could only imagine, guess, assume again and again, until he heard a noise inside the house.

There were screams, heard even before you arrive at the main door. YongGuk was smart enough to know it's impossible for 'small talk' to be heard from his distance.

Well, it wasn't a 'small talk'. 

"I've always listened to what you say. I've always done what you ask me!" MinRae's shouted. She sounded emotional. Emotionally distressed. YongGuk was shocked. He didn't want to hear. But he was there anyway. The maid gave a sign for him to stay where he is. Then she just left without saying a word. That's when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Yes and that's good! So can't you do it again now?" The voice sounded old, not only 'older', but literally old. It was a male voice.

"Again? Again?! Don't you see I'm already tired of it? Isn't it time for you to let me go??" Then suddenly a loud step was heard, like a sound of someone getting off from their sit.

"I'm your FATHER. Letting you go with some rascal is the one thing I'm not allowed to do!" It was MinRae's father. YongGuk was utterly shocked about what he just heard.

"Rascal? YongGuk is NOT a rascal!" 

Rather than feeling angry, YongGuk felt unrighteous (unrighteous = feeling guilty, feeling that it was his fault)

"Why not? He can't even afford to buy you anything!"

"That's because I never asked him to do so!!"

"I assume he couldn't even buy his school fee!"

"He doesn't need to do so because he's SMART enough to survive there!"

MinRae's father sighed loud and clear. He couldn't keep up with her argument. So he decided moved back to his sit and tried to calm the mood.

"MinRae, I'm just saying that I love you." He opened his hands, trying to give an explanation. "And because I love you, I don't want to see you together with such guys. He might just be using you for his own good. You never know what POOR people are thinking!"

That knocked YongGuk's mind, not loudly, but soft and clear. His shocked face disappeared.

He was used listening non-stop judging from peoples. He was used being offended just by being poor. He was used being the only one blamed, the only one left down. He knew no one would stand by his side. No one...

"DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE YONGGUK!" She screamed. "He's not 'such guys'! He's Bang YongGuk, born on the 31st March 1990. He lived listening to non-stop juding from peoples. People like you! He lived by the YOUR offends. And everybody kept blaming to him, only HIM! Yet he still strived the life some people couldn't even survive! Come on, he's the top in class! Yet you still judge him?" 

YongGuk heart became numb. He didn't know she would go so far for him. He didn't know that her father would also go this far.

"What do you know about him? Did he tell you that? Did he really tell you that HONESTLY? He might pretend to fall in love with you, be kind to you, and make your heart melt down at his FAKE smile!" 

MinRae tears started to fall. Her voice soared as she screamed at her own father.

"SHUT UP! I was the one who first fell in love with him!"

Suddenly, he felt as if time betrayed him again. He couldn't feel anything. He could only hear how his mind kept whipering words. Words that hurts, words that were too painful to say with his mouth. Yet he knew those words might be the one to change this 'accident'.

Inside his desperate mind, YongGuk made a decision. He closed his eyes, and ears. He didn't want to listen any longer.

He turned around and walked away from the voices. When suddenly the maid reached out to him. 

"Are you leaving? The door is always open if you want to come inside." She said formally. Her eye stared pass his. He knew those eyes kept another intention. And so he refused.

"No, thank you. Coming inside won't fix a thing." 

He went out from the gates. He passed the garden and passed the ends of MinRae's house. He passed places they used to be before arriving at her place. And then he passed the subway station, where they used to part ways. He was still holding a small box wrapped simply. 

Rather than he didn't get the chance to lend it to her, he decided NOT to lend it. Not yet, maybe.

YongGuk finally arrived at his own house. His old, dilapidated house. There were no 'gardens' nor 'gates'. There were only one small main door, unlike her house. He stared at it, realizing how different they are. This was not his first time realizing so.

He came inside and went straight to his room. He placed the box on the table and sat on the chair. He had the intentions to study, but nothing got into his mind. He could not concentrate. 

Then he decided to lie on his bed. He lied with his eyes open for about 15 minutes. He wasn't able to take his mind to rest. Because somehow the words he heard before kept replaying on his mind. Also the decision he said to himself.

"I can't keep being like this." He said to himself.

He rolled his body to the other side. He could clearly see the table next to his bed and the small box standing on it. He moved his body to sit. He looked at the box with his hand reaching unto it.

Gently, he opened the simple wrapping and lifted the lid. Inside the box were a piece of envelope and a shining object. He was about to reach the 'object', but when he saw the envelope, he stopped. He took out the envelope instead. 

The envelope was folded once, yet it was still so clean and tidy.

All of a sudden he ripped open the envelope, making the letter inside to fall. He picked it up and opened it (it was folded). The letter was long with his signature at the bottom right. He start reading it slowly.

Inside, his heart was pretty shook by what he experienced that day. The letter only added the pain. His mind went back and forth with his decision. He made up his mind after he heard the conversation, but somehow the letter pushed him from doing it. Not only the letter, a little 'devil', or maybe a little 'angel' whispered his mind.

What you're doing now is wrong. Stop it before it's too late.

His emotions piled up. Some anger and some sadness. Some doubts and some faith. Some trust and some betrayal.

This letter is useless. He thought. He felt like ripping the letter he made into pieces. He felt like burning, and destroying it.

In reality though, he couldn't do that. He crumpled it and placed it back on his table. He didn't even manage to throw it.

Something in his mind confessed that the letter was useless for now, but maybe it can be some use tomorrow.
 

Or the days after.

small note: sorry if you're confused by the words. 'Or the days after' are meant for the days that are coming by later. It has a connection on how the story will end.

Current date: December 2nd

The next day, which was Monday, finally came. As usual, YongGuk waited infront of her house, with a book on his hand. He leaned to the gates, frequently fixing his glasses. 

Then suddenly the main door creaked open, and there MinRae came out. There was this normal smile on her face. She even called him like how she used to do.

"Ya! Bang YongGuk! You're holding that book again!" 

She ran happily and greeted him again at the gates. He also greeted her normally, even smiling at her too. But then his vision moved to her eyes. Her eyes were pretty much swollen.

"I guess you need some explanations to do for those eyes?" 

She lifted her hands and touched it carefully. Her expression seemed like she just realized about it.

"I think it puffed due to too much crying over a movie."

"Well, that's rare." MinRae's smile freezed. "I think it's my first time knowing that you love to watch a movie on your own." YongGuk said it with a joking tone. So MinRae thought it was a joke too.

"I need some free time too you know. I can't study non-stop." MinRae smiled widely again. YongGuk shook his head hearing that. For now, it seemed like nothing happened. No one said anything, no one screamed, no one cried, and no one accidently heard something. It seemed normal.

Some chit-chat made the walk to the station rather long. Realizing that, YongGuk tried to decrease the talk and went directly to school. Arriving at school, he parted goodbye with her. She waved back, and after he turned his back, her smile disappeared. She immediately went to the toilet, silently checking her eyes. 

It was swelling really bad. 

"Did YongGuk realize that I was crying?" She murmured to herself. Then she left slowly, back to her classroom. She tried to keep her head high and smile to others. But her mind was still full of assumptions. She didn't want anyone to realize her problems, especially YongGuk.

---

Arriving at his own seat, YongGuk his pocket and took out a letter. It was a bit crumpled, but the words and the signature inside were still clear. He decided to read it again, and again. Then finally he decided to fold it back. At the end of the folded paper (the outer part), he could see his own writings; 

"Bang YongGuk. December 1." with MinRae's name written under it.

---

MinRae walked towards the gate, waiting for her boyfriend. It was odd for her to wait for him, since he was the one who would always wait for her. Not only because MinRae managed to finish her works early, but also because YongGuk was..., late.

While waiting for her boyfriend, she faced the walls next to the gate and tried to move her face. She tried to control her expressions. Countless times she tried to smile, then went down again. She slapped her face with her hand, and pinched it. She was forcing it to smile. But everytime she try to release it, her expression went back. People could see she was sad.

"MinRae? are you okay?" "You look down." "Do you need anything? I mean, literally anything?"

Everyone was like that. MinRae got more and more afraid thinking that YongGuk might realize. YongGuk might ask about it. And at the end he might found out about it. If he does found out about it, what is he going to do? 

YongGuk is a kind guy. He would try to encourage me to not fight with my father. He would talk to my father. He would even break our relationship so I won't be like this. But at the end he would be the one getting hurt.

Suddenly, YongGuk came out from the gates. YongGuk already prepared a smile, but he lost it when he saw her. Her eyes were still puffed out from crying, and was really limp. He could see her trying to fight herself.

That reminded YongGuk about his decision.

"MinRae?" He called with a smile. MinRae jumped out immediately and looked at him. MinRae quickly forced a smile.

"Y-Ya! Bang YongGuk! How dare you make a maiden wait!" 

"Since when you're a maiden?" YongGuk replied. "But anyway, sorry for the wait. I had some things to finish."

MinRae laughed and chased her way to YongGuk. She hit YongGuk lightly and pointed her finger at her.

"Of course I'm a maiden! So promise me you won't do it again!" After pointing her index finger, she turned it and showed her pinkie. Giving a sign for YongGuk to hold it and promise for her.

Out of her expectation, it took him more time to move his hands. He only stared at the finger, while losing his smile. MinRae's fake smile started to disappear too. Her worst assumptions started coming out.

Did YongGuk realize about it already?

Realizing that, her tears almost fell. She could feel her visions blurred. 

She panicked and quickly pulled YongGuk's hand. She opened his hands and forced him to make the 'pinkie promise'. YongGuk was surprised she really did that.

"What took you so long to just do this?" She said while looking at their hands. Their hands were tied together by the smallest finger a human hands' has. Her natural self would look back at YongGuk and laugh. But she didn't do it. YongGuk also realized it.

"Okay, okay. Now let's go." He pulled his hand back and walked in front. MinRae stood silently for a while, trying to cover up her emotions. Then she ran back to YongGuk, walking next to him. She smiled as his eyes look at hers. YongGuk reached her hands and held it, all the way home.

They walked pass the subway station, arriving at the place where they would go separate ways. MinRae's mouth opened as she released her hands from his.

"YongGuk..., are you happy now?"

When she said that, he felt a sharp in his chest. He could feel time slowing down. He could see himself losing her as she puts down her hand. She was about to turn her back. She was even ready to run. 

But he held back her hands.

"MinRae, I have to say something." He said while grabbing her hands. MinRae stopped her steps. She moved back and stared back at YongGuk. Her eyes couldn't reach his. She tried to smile again, and so she tried to make a 'what is it about' face. 

Which made it harder for YongGuk to say what he was about to say;

"Let's break up."

[to be continued]