Once Minah, Jieun, and Jiho made it out of the hospital, they ran for the bus. Once they were able to get on one, they sat at the very back, waiting until they arrived at their destination.

Jieun was scared. No, she was terrified. Her legs kept shaking as her eyes kept staring down at the floor, wide with fear. Jiho, noticing that her hands were trembling, attempted to hold her hand. However, she had brought her hands to her chest, folding them into a prayer.

"Why do things like this happen to me?" Jieun whispered, frustrated.

"It's not your fault," Jiho said, slightly disappointed that he couldn't hold Jieun's hand. "It's Jiyong's fault. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Why didn't you guys tell me this earlier, huh?" Jieun asked, glaring at her friends. "I thought you guys would understand!"

Jiho glanced at Minah, who press her lips together, nervous.

"Are you going to tell her?" Jiho asked.

"I should," Minah said in a hesitant manner.

"What? Tell me what? Minah, spill it," Jieun demanded.

Minah let out a shaky sigh. "I-If I helped them prevent you from stopping Jiyong, they said that they'd sign me into a really famous company with an exclusive contract." She looked down at her legs with shame. "I agreed."

Jieun looked at Minah for a long time. For some reason, Jieun couldn't bring herself to hate her. Her friend had picked her dream over friendship. She was disappointed, of course, but she couldn't exactly hate Minah. Minah did the right thing.

I'm doing all the wrong thing, Jieun reminded herself, feeling dejected.

"Did you make a deal?" Jieun asked Jiho in a small voice.

"No," Jiho answered. "There was no reason for them to make a deal with me."

"Why?" she asked him. He didn't respond.

Of course there was no reason for me to make a deal. If Jiyong is gone… He gulped and looked down at Jieun, then I would have you all to myself.

* * *

Jiyong was spaced out for the moment. He was surprised at how fast the paperworks were done with his apartments and how empty the room was. He was slightly glad that Seunghyun and Sandara repainted the walls and did the floors. It made the room feel more foreign to him and less like home, which was a good thing since he was getting ready to leave. 

However, the more he stared at the room, the more it felt like a dream. Everything felt like a dream. It was as if he was in a deep slumber and had woken up just to make a visit to reality. He felt like everything was an illusion, and it was quite a painful illusion.

"Are you sad?" Sandara asked, rubbing his back.

"Yeah," Jiyong answered, nodding his head. "I guess."

"Will you come back?" Sandara asked. He shook his head. She smiled. "Good. Come on, we better go."

"You guys already discarded everything that was here, right?" Jiyong asked.

Sandara kept smiling. "You would've kept them otherwise, right?"

"It would've been nice to keep one or two things."

"No, no. It's better to start anew." Sandara looked out the small window. "Looks like winter is coming. Isn't it great? You'll be spending Christmas with us."

Jiyong stared at the grey sky. A wave of nostalgia overcame him when he remembered that he had met Jieun in winter, too.

Was it already an year since all that happened? he wondered, amazed. Damn. I wish I had met them sooner.

"Come on, Jiyong," Sandara said. "Let's go. Your parents will be thrilled."

My parents? Jiyong didn't question her, though. He only nodded and looked behind his shoulders. Then, with a sigh, he closed the door behind him and began to walk down the steps.

"I supposed that when we get back, the marriage will continue, right?" Jiyong inquired.

"Of course," Sandara said. "I'm getting old, too. We'll have to have children soon."

"Wait. Kids?" Jiyong blinked his eyes. "I never really thought about having kids with you—"

"Of course we'll have kids. You need an heir, duh," she said, rolling her eyes. "Come on. The driver is waiting for us. Seunghyun is already waiting for us at the restaurant."

Restaurant? Again, Jiyong didn't question her. He nodded his head and followed her. He opened the door for his fiancée, watching her get inside the limousine first.

Just as he was about to hop into the car, he heard a strangely familiar cry at the distance.

"Wait!"

Jiyong froze. He turned around and saw Jieun, Jiho, and Minah desperately running towards him. The older adult was just about to sneak into the limousine and close the door until Jiho managed to intercept him by putting his arm between the door and the car.

Jiyong widened his eyes. "Jiho, that's dangerous! I could've slammed on your arm!"

"But you wouldn't," Jiho said breathlessly. The two girls followed behind Jiho, catching up to him. They grabbed Jiyong's arm, pulling him away from the car.

"You can't just go!" Minah yelled.

Jiyong gave the three a pitiful look. "I'm sorry, but I have to go back. I have a family waiting for me, and there's a company going crazy without me. I need to go back and fix things."

"You can't leave us," Jieun whimpered. "What happened to staying with us until we were old enough to take care of ourselves?" 

Jiyong sighed. He was already having trouble leaving them. He was hoping that spending time with them yesterday would be the last memory they would have. However, it seemed like had no choice but to use his departure as the memory that would linger in their minds.

Oh, how cruel he was towards them.

"Jiyong," Sandara called. He looked behind him and saw her glance at the three with a hurtful expression. "Be nice to them. They really grew attached to you."

"I will," he told her. He took a deep breath and turned to the three. "Listen, I have to go, whether you guys want me to or not. I'm not who you guys thought I was."

"We know that, damn it," Jiho cursed, glaring at Jiyong. "But we don't care that you're some rich son from a huge business corporation. We just want you to stay."

"Please stay!" Minah begged. She turned to Sandara. "I take back the deal. I don't care about getting an exclusive contract. I'll work on my own to get there. Just please don't take Jiyong away from us!"

Jiyong stared at them, bewildered. "What are you guys so afraid of that makes you guys want to stay with me longer? Chanyeol is gone! You guys are free!"

"Chanyeol is the least thing that scares us right now," Jieun spoke up. "The thing that scares us the most right now is you leaving us. You can't abandon us!"

"Jiyong," Sandara called again. "Five minutes left. I told your parents to meet us at that one restaurant you like. I've booked it to celebrate your return. Reporters will also be there, so we have to stop by at the tailor's shop to get your measurements again. You're so skinny…"

"Jiyong!" Jieun exclaimed. He turned his head and stared at Jieun. "Please, please don't leave us. I have never asked anything from you except for this."

"I…" He shut his eyes, then opened to meet her sorrowful expression. With a sympathetic smile, he reached over to pat her head. She slapped his hand away, surprising him.

"Don't do that!" Jieun yelled. She quickly grabbed onto his white shirt. "Don't act like this is the last time we're seeing each other!"

Jiyong glanced over to Jiho, who gave him a hateful envious look. He gave the little boy an apologetic smile. He pushed away Jiho's arm from the door, and although Jiho tried to resist, Jiyong was forceful enough to keep him away a safe distance from getting hit by the door.

"Jiho," Jiyong started slowly. "Take care of Jieun for me while I'm gone, okay? I'm sorry for leaving this responsibility onto you, but you seem to understand my situation the best right now."

"But you can't just leave things like this!" Jiho said, raising his voice. You can't leave Jieun like this!

"Minah," Jiyong called. Minah yelped a bit, surprised. She glowered at him, but stopped when he gave him a proud smirk. "Make your dreams come true. You got two great friends supporting you."

Something touched Minah's heart the moment he let those words escape his lips. A pang of woe stabbed her chest as she felt her eyes water.

"You're stupid," she muttered. "If you're gone, how can I know that they're going to stay with me forever?"

"It's because you've proven yourself to them that you're a good friend, and you already know that they're some of the best friends you'll ever find," Jiyong explained. He kept smiling at her, only making her visions become blurry. "You're strong, Minah. Soar high. You're a dreamer. Never stop dreaming."

He took a deep breath. His eyes were getting wet, too. His throat was hurting too much at this point. He wasn't tired of speaking, but it was hard letting the words come out of his mouth. 

He gave Jieun a sweet smile, who only had drops of tears slowly running down her face. Her expression was mixed with misery and frustration. Her tiny hands gripped tighter on his shirt. 

She knew he was leaving, and she knew well that nothing was going to change his mind.

"And you, Jieun," he started. Jieun let out small hiccups as she buried her face in his chest. He gave her a tight squeeze, looking up at the sky as he rested his chin on top of her head. "You have come a long, long way."

"Please," she cried, "don't leave."

"You've went through a lot, but you're such a strong girl—"

"Stop," she begged, clenching her teeth together. "Please stop!"

"You're the one who changed my entire life. You're quite an inspiration, I've got to say. You're sweet, kind—"

"Jiyong, please!" She finally looked up, her eyes swollen and red. "Please, don't do this to me! You can't just leave me!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered in a low voice. "I'm sorry that I'm being brutal here. I'm a mean guy, huh? Just hate me."

Jieun tried to speak, but she was crying so hard, words wouldn't come out. She wiped away her tears, trying to think of something to say, but her mind with blank. 

"I can never hate you," she muttered quietly. By now, her fingers were clawing on his shirt, trying to dig into his skin. "I can never, ever hate you…"

Jiyong gave her a regretful smile. "I am so sorry, Jieun. I gave you false hope. I'm sorry."

"You can make it up by staying with us," Jieun said hoarsely. She shut her eyes as more tears fell down her cheek. "Please, Jiyong. We need you. I need you!"

"Jiyong!" Sandara exclaimed. "One minute!"

"I'm sorry, Jieun," Jiyong breathed. He looked at Jiho and pried Jieun away from him. He gently pushed Jieun towards to Jiho, who nervously grabbed onto her thin shoulders. 

"Wait!" Jieun yelled. From one of her larger pockets, she pulled out a completed Rubix Cube. Jiyong widened his eyes, remembering the words he had told her: Complete the cube, then a wish will come true.

"Please stay," she murmured, extending the cube. "That is the wish I'll use on this."

Jiyong sighed. He looked at the cube, and held it in his hands for a few moments. Then, he gently grabbed her hand and placed the small cube on the palm of her trembling hands.

"I am so sorry, but that is something I can't grant you," he said apologetically. "I'm going to break all the promises I've made with you." He stepped close to her for one final time. "However, I can grant you this wish."

He hovered over her forehead and gave her a light kiss on the back of her hand. Jieun felt her lungs sting as she tried to breathe. He was not kissing her lips nor her forehead. He was kissing her hand, putting a distance between theme. She quickly withdrew her hand and covered her face, trying to wipe away her tears.

Jiyong stared at her, almost regretting doing that. He turned around, looking at his future wife.

"Ready?" his fiancée asked.

"Ready," Jiyong answered, nodding his head. 

He looked down at his shirt, noticing how soaked it was. He let out a soft chuckle and looked at the three. The girls were crying, while Jiho tried his best to hold back his tears. He smiled, then turned to enter the vehicle.

"Oh," he suddenly said. He didn't turn around. He knew that the three were listening to him. With a broken smile and a single tear falling from his eye, he looked to the side, covering his eyes with his hair. "I almost forgot this: Thanks for the memories. I had fun."

He slid inside the limousine. The car backed away, driving out of town. The three student started at the hill, watching the limousine disappear from their sights.

After a few moments, Minah sniffed and wiped away her tear. She looked down at her hand and let out a small scoff.

"Oh my gosh. I knew I shouldn't have applied make up," she muttered. "Mascara is smearing all over my hand. See?"

Jiho sadly glanced at her. "Yeah, I see. Come on. Let's go."

The two turned around. They took a step or two, but stopped when they noticed at Jieun was still standing there.

Jieun pursed her lips, staring at the hill. She was wearing a mask full of hope, her eyes searching for the same vehicle to return. 

"Jieun?" Jiho called her. "What are you doing? Come on, let's go."

"J-Just wait," she stuttered. "Maybe this is all a prank. He'll come back any minute now. Any minute…"

Jiho glared at her. "Jieun, stop playing games! He's no—"

He was interrupted when Minah touched his shoulders. She gave him a stern look, telling him not to push her buttons. Then, she looked at Jieun and smiled a bit.

"Okay, let's stay here a bit," Minah said. She stood next to Jieun, watching the same hill that Jiyong had left.

Jiho grumbled, then joined the three, staring at the empty street for hours. It took him the entire night to realize why Minah had asked him to be quiet. He appreciated Minah's consideration, but he knew that Minah's tactic wouldn't work.

She had thought that waiting for Jiyong would help soften the blow on Jieun, but Jiho knew deep inside that Jieun was already a broken mess.