"My first time skipping class!"

"..."

"Ddeokpokki! Can we go have some ddeokpokki?" Yeoju said as we passed by a ddeokpokki stall on the street.

She had this ddeokpokki on the day before her death too, the take-out ddeokpokki which she ate with just her fingers at home. I remembered how this ahjumma who owns this ddeokpokki stall stirred the pot to then content the plastick bowl she was holding with the spicy foods. The moment I glanced the ahjumma doing her work, I could sense that this ahjumma was stirring some parts that didn't look fresh anymore into the others. Seemed like the expiration date has passed but she didn't want to throw it away because it is money.

"Don't eat this"

"Why!!!!!"

"The food is expired, you're just getting stomachache later. Don't eat this."

"How do you know? You didn't even taste this.."

"I know everything"

"If you don't want to eat then don't!" She walked off ahead me.

I walked faster to approach the sulky girl. Soon I was grabbing her hand and walked her to a Chinese restaurant. It didn't take long time for the owner of the restaurant to notice we were coming into her place wearing school uniform at school hours. She might be questioning why did we skip school and visited her place, but she didn't ask us any question. She took our order just like the rest of her customers.

"Sehun-ah, do you realize that you're acting weird today?"

"...me?"

"Mm, I honestly was expecting you're going to scold me or something when I talked about Jongin earlier, but you didn't say anything..." She said while pouring Chinese tea to our cups. "You gonna pick a fight with me whenever I talk about Jongin..your friendship with him is not good since forever so.."

I was lost of words when she told me that. I kept drinking the tea trying to calm myself down. How could I not..I thought of nothing but fear of her death. I couldn't even take my eyes off her for one second. I didn't allow myself to lose her for the second time.

"No, I haven't changed a little bit."

"Haven't you really? People who suddenly change might die soon"

"...Don't you dare to say anything about death."

"See see, you really are so weird. What's with that straight face, huh? I was just kidding."

I had no idea how I became so sensitive with the word 'death'. Also why I couldn't give her an answer about the reason behind that straight face of mine. This time, this moment is forever a waste.

"My older brother has just finished his school, he's going to Daegu University now."

"Older brother?"

"Mm, that older brother of mine. Anyway he wants you to come for a dinner. He wants to show his grateful to you for taking care of me...you know I don't have friends except you. That's why he's going to treat us for a dinner."

Her older brother Kim Jongdae. The memory of him mocking at me suddenly slipped out of my mind when she mentioned her older brother. "You jerk. My sister died because of you. You're alive and she's dead. It shouldn't be her. She should be alive." Her brother was about to kill me when he found out I was alive, leaving his sister died. But now given this chance, I'm not going to repeat the history.

"Try this Sehun-ah, I'll feed you."

"Just eat it."

"You need to have some, too. Open your mouth aaa~"

This was exactly the same like the one we had before. It happened again. I couldn't hold myself to quietly cry.

So what's actually the point of time machine when everything happened just exactly the same. The time was all the same and so did each moment we had. I'm going to see her died again...as cruel as that.

////////

"It's cold."

"Do you want to wear my jacket?"

"Eyy forget it, you're gonna catch cold."

"That's gonna be much better than me seeing you snatching cold like a baby. Wear this."

"I'm getting cold only by seeing you like this so don't mind me and just wear the jacket." I thought as I cover her body with the jacket. A memory of me covering her with my jacket suddenly appeared, with that same expression of her. She stood in front of me with her eyes locked at mine.

"Sehun-ah..."

"Hmm"

"You're sweet today"

"Really?"

"Mm, I really really like it. Wouldn't it be great if you're like this everyday..tommorow..I feel like getting a boyfriend soon..?!"

I wanted to be like that too on the next day, but time didn't cooperate well with us. Put aside me, I wanted her to live happily even without me around...because no matter what, I was just a friend in her eyes, although she's someone I loved in my eyes.

"Sehun-ah"

"Hmm"

"I like you. I really like you."

What an excitement I had. Despite the fact that she only saw me as a friend, that confession was all enough for me. I awkwardly pulled her closer, grabbed her small hand, and led her the way back home. I couldn't stop smiling. That moment.

She regretfully took off my jacket and handed it back to me. I could see it in her eyes. "Be careful on your way back home," she mouthed me. Wasn't satisfied with my "I'm going to go back first," I turned my body back and stepped closer to her, grabbed both of her hands before I pecked her lips. Last time in this very same time, I coldly sent her home as we were not in a good term. This time, given this chance to be back here once again, I'm not going to waste the time. I'm going to make her comfortable. I'm going to show her that I do really like..no, I love her. Only for that reason.

"Oh Sehun what are you doing...!!"

She widened her eyes as she was surprised by my sudden action. She asked me what I was doing but I didn't know how to answer. I cupped her small face and looked at her right in the eyes, wishing she could find the answer which was obviously written through the way I stare.

"I'll protect you"

"..."

"I'm going to protect you no matter what"

"Sehun-ah you're so..."

"I know I'm weird today. It just feels like I won't be able to say this later so I...Yeoju-ah, I'm going to..."

I couldn't complete my sentence. There as suddenly so many things I want to say. I brushed her lips with my thumbs before looking at her eyes once again, but she pushed my hands off her.

"Yah~ what if my brother saw us.."

"Let him be"

"..."

I'm disappointed at how time passed by just too fast. I don't want this moment to end yet. Will I be able to remember her face later while I'm in heaven. That's right, no one could answer my question.

"I really like you, Yeoju-ah."

"...Sehun-ah."

I'm going to keep her by my side. For the first time, I indirectly confessed it to her. For the first time.

///////

 

 

The next chapter gonna be the last one