Epilogue

A man dressed entirely in black walked slowly along the worn path. The fallen leaves crunched loudly as they were crushed under his shoes.

He was wearing a black turtleneck with the back exposed with a few strips of fabric strung about in two X-shapes and a single strip running down the length of his back, drawing the eyes of many curious onlookers. He wore black pants and black shoes. He wore no accessories. His hair, styled in a spike that towards the front accentuated his thin jawline and handsome features.

The man walked with a purpose in his stride. The way he held his head up high further increased the strange aura of mystery about him. In his arms, he cradled a bouquet of seven white roses that were in full bloom despite the season.

The man stopped after spotting the object of his interest. He looked at it and finally cracked a small crooked grin.

“You tricked me.”

The man placed the bouquet of white roses next to the headstone gently. He swept off the leaves that had fallen onto the headstone, clearing it of the weeds that had begun to grow around it. Each place he touched glowed an ethereal white before it subsided.

“That should keep your place clear for a little while,” he muttered to nobody in particular.

After staring at the carvings on the headstone for a little while longer, he lowered himself down and sat next to the headstone. A small frown graced his features.

“You’re such a sneaky woman. I had no idea you switched the tickets with Woohyun hyung at the last moment. Imagine my surprise when I didn’t disappear when the train was long gone.”

He laughed loudly. The sound of his laugh the only sound echoing throughout the silent space.

A soft wind blew past him and he could swear he felt it caress his face as it passed by. Watching the dried and yellowing leaves dance in the wind, he smiled again.

He picked himself up and dusted his pants off. After one last glance towards the headstone and the bouquet of roses, Myungsoo walked away, a smirk on his face as he disappeared into nothing.

‘Here lies Han Hyeri, wife, mother and friend. May her spirit never be forgotten, her love infinite.’

∞