Thursday

When the next day roll around with the rays of sunlight shining on my face and birds chirping outside it was almost perfect. Normally I would have a smile plaster on my face but after the events of yesterday I had no energy for that. Getting out of my bed groggily I headed towards my closet. I did my routine in a ghostly manner as the image of Mi crying appeared in my head again. I was so out of character that when I got to the coffee shop Junsu had to shake my shoulders to finally snap me out of my thoughts.

“Oy Taecyeon what’s wrong with you today?” Junsu asks with concern written all over my face as I ignored him. As I headed towards the back of the kitchen I glanced to my right to see if Mi was there, she wasn’t.

Time seem to had slow during work as Junsu continued to pester me with questions with me ignoring his questions. When ten o’clock finally rolled around Mi never once showed up at the coffee shop.

“Ehh this is weird she’s not here for the first time.” Junsu spoke out into the open to no one particular. Just then I had enough of waiting and questions running through my brain. I had to find out the truth. Taking off my apron I placed it on the kitchen counter as I tapped Junsu on the shoulder telling him to take over as I rushed out of the shop without waiting for a reply. Running towards Mi’s place I couldn’t help thinking that something might had happened to her. Getting to her front door I started pounding my fist on her door calling out for her.

“Mi! Mi! It’s me Taecyeon open the door!” I yelled getting no response. “Mi!” I called out again pounding my fists on her door. Just then the door swung open revealing Mi wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. I was staring at her intensely as she brought her eyes up slowly to look at me.

“Could you please leave?” She asks with a fragile voice as if she might start crying again. With my emotions taking over my body I grabbed Mi’s wrist pulling her towards me as I tightly embraced her. She tried wiggling out of grasp and hitting me with her hand but I held her tightly in place. Just then rain started coming down erasing the beautiful weather from this morning.

“Mi-ah don’t cry. You shouldn’t cry anymore.” I whisper out to her as she brought down her hands to her side and cried. After sometime I brought her back inside her house. Leading her to sit on her bed in her bedroom and came back with a towel I found in her bathroom. She stayed quiet the whole time as I helped dry her wet wavy hair. When I was finally done I help fix her in a sleeping position on her bed. Taking her blanket and bringing it all the way to her shoulders I turned around ready to leave when her hand grabbed my wrist. Turning around to face her she stared off at the ceiling.

“Don’t leave.” She whispered out as I release her hands from my wrist to sit on the bed. She then slowly made eye contact with me as I gave a smile at her.

“I won’t Mi don’t worry. Go to sleep now.” I whisper to her. She closes her eyes as she heard me say that. I made myself comfortable as I sat by her bed side watching her sleep. When she finally did drift off to slumber I got up from her bed deciding to make some food for her to eat when she wakes up. As I prepared dinner for her I lost track of time not even knowing when Mi had woke up. Finding her sitting on a high chair with a fresh pair of clothes watching me cook I turned around to look at her as I continue to fry my vegetables.

“Oh Mi you’re awake just hold on a little bit longer. Dinner is almost ready.” I said as she responded back with nothing. Finishing up my cooking I set out our dinner on her dining table and brought her to sit across from me. “Shall we eat now?” I ask smiling as I began putting food into her rice bowl. The both of us ate in silent with the sound of our chopsticks clicking to our glass bowls and plates. Right after we were done Mi got up and began cleaning the dishes as I stood and watched her from the kitchen end.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I ask when she was done with her last plate of dishes. “I’ll be waiting at where I first took you for a picnic.” I left her at her house hoping that she’ll follow me to where I brought her and enlighten my confusion and thoughts. As I settle myself on the grass I waited for Mi to come. Five then ten minutes passed with no presence of Mi. When fifteen minutes passed stars were beginning to become visible in the night sky. I heard rustling from the grass when a slim figure sat beside me.

“What do you want me to talk about?” Mi asks as she brought her knees towards her chest and stared out into the open view.

“I want to know your story. Why you are like this now and who is Seungri.” I spoke as Mi sighed hearing me say the name Seungri.

“You heard me say his name last night huh?” She asks me as I kept quiet when she already knew the answer.

“I was happy…too happy.” Mi began as she smiled as memories swept through her mind.

“My name is Sun Mi, I was seventeen when I met my soul mate, Lee Seungri. He was eighteen at that time and we went to the same school together. We fell in love just like in a childish love story. When I was twenty and him twenty one we had our life planned together. I would be majoring to become a photographer and he would be majoring in business. He always talked about his dream of opening his very own coffee shop. He talked about it so much it was as if it was right in front of him, it was so close to him he could almost reach it. I lost him when I was twenty on. We were out on the beach having a wonderful date when things turned sour. We had a fight and I left him walking out on the streets trying to call for a taxi. Then...everything happened so fast this drunk driver was driving down the road heading straight towards me. I was shock and frighten frozen in place when Seungri pushed me out of the way and took the impact. He was hospitalized for two days for serious injuries. In the end he didn’t make it.”

“He didn’t make it.” Mi repeated the words when tears started sliding down her face. “I shouldn’t have planned that date at the beach. I shouldn’t have had that stupid fight with him. I shouldn’t have walked off on to the street.” Mi spoke blaming herself.

“It’s not your fault Mi.” I tried saying when she looked at me in the eye with so much anger.

“But it is my fault!” She cried. “I blame myself everyday for taking his precious life away. Do you know why there’s barely any image in my house? All my photos I took remind me of him! I can’t even stand taking photos anymore without thinking of never getting to take photos of him! He doesn’t deserve to die Taecyeon.” She spoke breaking down to cry hiding her face between her knees as her shoulder shook violently. “I tried to get away from my pain and moved here. I live in guilt and longing everyday.” She spoke still crying between her knees. A few moments of silence and crying was all there was until she spoke again bringing her head back up to look at me with her now redden eyes. “Then one day you showed up at the coffee shop early in the morning. You-” She began to say when I cut her off.

“I remind you of him?” I asked curiously as she shook her head and gave a weak smile.

“No, you guys are the complete opposite of each other actually.” She replied.

“Well that’s a shocker.” I mutter under my breath as she gave a light hearted laugh.

“It is, but you give me this sense of warmth just like he did.” Hearing that last sentence I raised my eyebrows in question at her. “I-I don’t know what had gotten into me but I wanted to spend more time with you after the picnic. But then I thought of Seungri and felt like-”

“You felt like you were betraying him.” I spoke as she nodded her head in response.

“I felt like I was moving on.” I brought my hand to rest on her shoulder as she looks at me.

“Why can’t you Mi? I actually really like you a lot.” I confessed as she shook her head violently.

“I-I can’t leave Seungri in my past. I can’t forget him. I shouldn’t forget him.” She explained hesitantly on the last part.

“But you’re not you’ll always remember him in your heart. You shouldn’t punish yourself for not getting a happy ending.” I said as she got up abruptly from the ground.

“Taecyeon I don’t want a happy ending. I don’t deserve a happy ending. Just leave me alone from now on okay? I won’t ever be coming to your coffee shop from now on.” With that she turned around and left me alone sitting there.