“Jiyong?”


My heart skipped for a bit…I turned around to see who called me…


“Mr Lee..?” my heart sunk for I thought it was her… I don’t know why I felt disappointed but its better that it’s not her because I don’t know what will I do if I meet her again…



“Yes...! It’s me Jiyong…! How are you..? It’s been a long time since you last came here…” Mr. Lee said…



“I’m fine Mr. Lee… I’ve been busy at work that’s why it’s hard to pay visit here..” I lied… I glanced back at the house and the lights coming from her old room is still open… Mr. Lee noticed it and glanced to what I’m looking at…



“There’s a new owner of that house… and unfortunately Jiyong, I still haven’t seen her coming back… I’m sorry…” He said as he tapped my shoulder



“No… it’s okay Mr. Lee… I already believe that she’ll never come back again…”



Mr. Lee was our adviser in high school back then… Dara and I were in the same class and our stay in high school was the greatest… We met all of our friends there and all the teachers were so kind especially Mr. Lee… he was like a total father to both of us… and sometimes we would pay visit in his house to taste his wife’s cooking… we were all sad when his wife died… it felt like we also lost a mother…



We went to the park near the neighborhood… there’s not much change in it… and still, memories of us surrounded the place…



“So how’s the school Mr. Lee…?”



“Well, I’ve already retired from teaching… but I still visit the school… there are a lot of changes… a lot of teachers also retired and been placed by young ones… Kids these days are also more stubborn than your time…” He said as he gazed faraway, smiling…



“I wonder how Dara is right now… you two were my favorite students back then and until now… even though you’re always together… you two still didn’t forget about your studies…” he looked at me… I really don’t want to talk about her but I guess it can’t be helped… I stayed quiet as he continued…



“I don’t know what’s the reason why she left, but I know she really loves you so much… I’ve watched the both of you grow… Dara is one of those kindest girls I’ve met… she isn’t selfish and you know that Jiyong… I know there’s a reason behind it…”



“I don’t know Mr. Lee…. I’ve grown tired of waiting for her when I’m not sure if she really plans to come back…” I said clenching my fists



“Jiyong-ah… everything has a reason… especially that when you love someone… there’s a situation that you have to hide something in order to protect and not hurt him/her…my wife died hiding all the pain she’s been through… whenever I see her, she’s always smiling despite of the pain her sickness brought her… I know that she’s trying very hard not to look weak so that I won’t worry about her… she knew that it’ll pain me seeing her hurting… maybe Dara has the same situation with my wife right now… maybe she doesn’t want to hurt the people she loves that’s why she left without saying something…”



Mr. Lee said sadly after recalling his wife’s memory



“I don’t know Mr. Lee… everything now has changed… I have put my life back on track now… I don’t know what will happen if I’ll see her again… I already have someone I cherish right now, I don’t want to hurt her and by moving forward I could make her happy… for me past must always remain as past and I should live to what I have right now….” I don’t know if I meant those things that I’ve said but it’s the best to really do those things… Mr. Lee hugged me and couldn’t help not to release a small drop of tear…



“I understand… it must be really hard for you….” He said



After that night, confusions started to fill me… a part of me says that I must continue the life I have right now while the other part of me still says that I must still hold on and wait for her…. But if I do that, I’ll just bring my old self back and it’ll just hurt the people who are close to me… I don’t want to hurt Sohee more… she deserves happiness…. I promised myself that that would be the last night I will visit my old neighborhood again because it just remembers me of her…



---



I didn’t get much sleep last night since I went home really late and because of so much thinking… but I need to attend work because my boss already arrived and I have to present all the works I’ve done when he’s away…



“Good morning Mr. Choi and welcome back… I already finished all the things you asked me to do… all you have to do is to check it sir….” I said



Choi Seunghyun… the only heir of the Choi Group of Companies and one of my closest friends… I’m lucky to have a boss like him but sometimes it’s awkward to treat him one since we’re almost in the same age plus he’s my friend…. I met him in the job and we’re both newbies back then in the field of business that’s why we got along easily…. But I must say that he’s a great learner… he easily got respected by the employees because he’s really capable of handling businesses…. I also admired his great skills… I know that in no time, he’ll be handling the whole company and I know that it’ll be safe in his hands…



“Yah..! Jiyong-ah… I told you not to call me boss whenever we’re alone… it seriously freaks me out…. Well thanks for finishing all of these… I could really count on you… I guess I don’t have to review these since I trust you” he said as he turned around to face me sitting on his chair.



“Those files almost killed me you know… you have to pay for it…. Increase my salary” I said smirking



“Yah…! How could you command your boss like that…?” he said as he stood up and sat beside the window



“You don’t seem like one… well I’m just kidding… I know you wont do it even if I beg you…” he laughed with what I said



“I’ll increase your salary when I’m the president of this company arasso… for now, how about we go for drink… my treat after work” he said



“Okay, as long as it’s free…” I said chuckling as I made my way out of his office



“Cheap pants…!” I heard him before I completely got out



Good thing we don’t have much work for today… at least I could steal some time to rest… it’s been a habit to call Sohee during my spare time but today I don’t feel like to… I’m so tired that I just want to rest… but in the end, I decided to call her just to tell her I wont be able to pick her up because I need to hang out with my boss…. What I really like about her is that she’s really understanding and doesn’t ask a lot of things…The drinking session for later would help me relieve a lot of stress for this whole week and at least I could escape thinking of her…



---



At the bar…



“You can have a lot of drinks tonight… really my treat…” Seunghyun said as we sat in front of the bar



“Nah… I still have to drive so just a couple of drinks will do… thanks for this” I said toasting our wine… he kept on smiling and started to creeps me out…



“Why are you so happy today…?” I asked him…. Then he started chuckling



“Nothing…” then he began laughing



“Yah..! Are you drunk already? You haven’t even tasted your drink yet…!” something’s really wrong with him today



“Im just happy you know…” looking at me still wearing a big grin on his face



“I know that you’re happy….! That’s why I’m asking you why you’re happy…?” he’s starting to annoy me… then he began to look serious



“Jiyong-ah… I think I fell in love at first sight….” Then silence…. Until I bust out into laugh



“What? What did you say…?” I said between laughs



“I said I think I fell in love at first sight” he said eyeing at his drink… he’s really serious… I suddenly felt guilty for laughing at him



“Yah… you’re really serious…? To whom…?” I tried to suppress myself from laughing at him since his serious expression is really funny to look at right now



“I met this girl at the plane going back here in Korea… she’s really beautiful and she looks so innocent…. I can’t make myself to forget about her…. And it was really silly of me forgetting to get her number…” he said pouting at his drink…. He’s really acting like a kid right now….



“You don’t even know her name…?” I tried to look away from him because I would surely laugh at him when I kept on seeing his childish act



“Dara…. Cute name isn’t it…?” he began to lightened up…. I looked at him quickly, surprised to what I heard… why does no matter how I keep myself away from her presence, away from her memory, those things kept on coming back to me….



“Hey Jiyong, are you okay…?”



Ye-yes…. I just remembered something…” I tried to regain my composure



“Cute name right…? It’s as cute as her… I really hope I could see her again…” he said dreamingly



I stayed quiet for a while…I didn’t try to ask more about his ‘Dara’ of course it would never be her… there are maybe a million out there with the same name as hers… asking him would just telling myself that I’m still longing for her… I don’t want to keep my hopes up… I don’t want to fool out of myself again….



“Yes… it’s cute… well, good luck to you…”



Hearing just her name didn’t help relieving the stress I’ve wanted to let out especially when Seunghyun started to chant her name crazily…. I guess this will be another sleepless night for me…



---



[Dara’s POV]



I had so much sleep last night…. So it’ll be a waste of energy is I’ll just stay at the hotel and do nothing… I tried strolling around the place… there aren’t much change but I already forgot about some places and directions since back then Jiyong would always accompany me to every place I go… I don’t care about memorizing the directions because I felt I won’t be lost whenever I’m with him…. Good thing I brought a map with me today….



I tried going back to our old neighborhood hoping that I would see him there… but to much of my disappointment, they already moved out…



‘Jiyong-ah… where can I find you now..?’ I thought… I felt really desperate… I toured around the neighborhood first… I really miss the place… there were so much memories of us together here… I went to the park where we always hang out together, swinging side by side at the playground and watching children as they play….



As I sat at a nearby bench, someone familiar caught my eye



“Mr Lee..!” I called him… he seemed so happy when he saw me… he quickly approached me and hugged me tightly… I also miss him so much…



“Dara/.. you’re finally back..! Where did you go? Why did you left all of a sudden?” he asked me as he released me…



I knew I had to explain everything once I came back so I explained him everything…. I could see sadness and pity in his eyes…. I guess it wouldn’t be help him not to feel that way…. But that’s one of the things I don’t want to feel…. Being pitied at… he hugged me again after I told him everything… as he released me, he flashed out a smile…



“You know what, he came here last night…. After two years of not coming back…. He came back here…” he said… my strength suddenly came back with what I heard



“Really? Why? Why did he come back? Is he still waiting for me?” I couldn’t help but to feel excited



“Calm down Dara-ah… I know that he’s still waiting for you but I guess he’s confused right now… you left without saying anything to him… you must find him quick and explain everything to him…. Everything has changed about him now…” he said weakly…



“Do you know where he is now…?” I asked



“I’m sorry but I’ve never asked where they moved…. I’m really sorry Dara…”



“It’s okay Mr. Lee… I guess I have to find him myself… thanks for everything”



‘Jiyong-ah… please wait a little bit… I really want to see you now…’ I thought before leaving the neighborhood feeling a little disappointed… but at least I knew that he still remembers me and maybe he’s still waiting for me… if only I tried to come back in the neighborhood earlier…



Just by a little tour… my body feels tired quickly… if not because of this body… maybe I’m with him right now again…



I wasted most of my time today sitting and resting, if only I have used it in finding him… suddenly something hit my mind… If I couldn’t find him, maybe my friends know where I he is… I went to the first person that appeared in my mind… I wonder how is she…?



Good thing I still know where she lives… but when I arrived at her house she’s not home, maybe because of work…. I waited for her since it’s the last thing I could do right now… It reached me until night when she came… I dozed off sitting outside her house when I heard someone coming… I looked up and a familiar figure caught my eye… I quickly stood up and immediately called her…



“Sohee….”