I touched the almost-missing-handwriting on the wall. Horizontal line with 180 cm and my name written beside it. Several centimeters under my name, written her name. Yeonhee.

“I’m 169 cm!” Yeonhee announced happily. She grabbed wooden pencil from my hand, and drew a line to mark her height. Then she wrote 169 cm and also Yeonhee beside the line. It’s been our habit to write our height on the wall every 45 days. “Your turn.”

I stood erectly, sticking my heel to the wall. I just smiled. I’m higher than her, of course. At the first time she was probably higher than me, but soon I grew higher than her. She’s just as high as my lips now.

“165 cm.”

“What? Impossible! Hey, Choi Yeonhee, don’t cheating.” I grumbled.

“I’m not cheating!” she stuck her tongue out.

“How dare you.” I showed off my smirk and caught her small body, tickled her cute waist. She burst out laugh, while tried to move and let loose her body from my hands. I let her go intentionally.

The girl ran away from me, climbed up the couch, the bed, jumped over our shoes on the floor, but I wasn’t give up. I caught her body and tickled her again, make her laugh out of loud again.

“Jo..Young..min... Stop it... I’m..tired...” Yeonhee said as she panted. She laid her body in the middle of home. Honestly, I also tired. I followed her—laid my body on the cold floor, faced the ceiling.

“Tell me how’s my height.” I asked as I looked at her face.

“180 cm.” she pouted.

“Ah, you should buy me an ice cream then.” I bent my arms and used it as pillow.

“Wae?”

“Because you’re shorter than me.”

“There’s no rule like that.” Yeonhee murmured.

“Now there is.”

“Ugh, Mr. Jo, you’re odious.”

“But you love me, don’t you?”

“Let’s buy the ice cream.” She said, distracted the topic. She got up. I just grinned.

--

“This, your ice cream.”

I raised my face to see her small face, and took a cone of chocolate ice cream from her hand.

“Gomawo.”

Yeonhee ate her ice cream in a silent. She sulked. I ate my ice cream quickly, but left a few inside the cone.

“You’re prettier when you smile.” I said as I dabbed my ice cream to her nose.

“Why do you pout all the time, huh?” I asked, again dabbing my ice cream, this time to her cheek.

“I’m... shorter than you.” she answered. Her lips formed a cute pout, combined by ice cream at her nose and her cheek.

“You know, there’s a thing I can’t tolerate. It’s you. I don’t care your body is short, you’re small, you’re still the prettiest for me.”  I said as I hug her shoulder. Yeonhee looked me right in the eyes, and blinked cutely. Her long eyelashes looked so beautiful, framed her round-pretty-eyes. Yeonhee smiled. And now, she really looked perfect.

A few ice cream landed on my chin. . That girl really...

“Choi Yeonhee!”

Yeonhee dabbed her ice cream again on my cheek, and then ran away. . Why does she really love to run away! Really...

I tried to chase her with big step. Soon she doesn’t really far from me. I caught her shoulder quickly and hug her tight.

“Don’t run anymore.” I whispered.

“I won’t.”

--

I dropped my body at the couch heavily. I held my breath and sigh. I miss her. I miss her pretty-long eyelashes. I miss her small waist. All of her.

“Youngmin... We... We break up.”

I stared at her face, searching a lie at her eyes. Searching a sign that she was joking, she was playing with me. Oh, maybe she wanted to make a surprise.

“Ha, that’s not funny. Not impressive.”

“I’m not kidding, Mr. Jo! I want to end our relationship.” Yeonhee said.

“Don’t touch my yeoja! You are not Yeonhee, are you? Even if you’re her, you might playing on me! Stop it, I know you right.” I talked confidently, but deep, deep in my heart I’m hopeless.

“Jo Youngmin, I’m Choi Yeonhee, and I’m not your yeoja, no more. I’m really serious and I’m not thinking about playing with you.”

I felt there’s a super big hole in my heart. That hole spread aches that choke my throat.

“W-wae?”

Yeonhee didn’t answer. She shook her head, and go. I could not get this. I felt our relationship was okay, we were alright, there wasn’t any problem, but why..?

“Choi Yeonhee! Wait! You shouldn’t do this!”

I ran to chase her. But she wasn’t hear me--or probably pretended to not hear me. Yeonhee walked as she enter the bus. I ran further, tried to catch the bus.

“Choi Yeonhee..! Don’t leave me!”

And here I am. At the place where we spent our live for 18 years. This is the 90th days. We should”ve written our height on the wall twice. Days passed as if it never existed, as if it’s okay. I act like there’s no big thing going on. As Yeonhee just go for a while and will come back soon. But how long? I can’t live like this. I keep up today with my longing for her.

She’s a liar. She said she wasn’t gonna leave. But now? I’m alone here. What should I do to live?

Choi Yeonhee, you know you’re gonna come back. You know the way back, I’m right here. I want you to come back easily. Don’t leave. Don’t make me suffer in pain. Tell me now that it was a lie. It was a joke. I beg you.