A week has passed since that stupid excuse of a sunday, and in that week that passed not a single word heard from the jerk.Tss. Figures.

I stepped out of the train I boarded that came from the city and walked out the station.

I was greeted by the autumn breeze that a slight chill to it. Winter was coming soon. Leaves in shades of red, brown, orange, and yellow fell from the trees and piled up on the ground. They crunched against the soles of my boots.

Children at France would jump over them making a flurry of leaves explode and scatter around the streets once they piled in heights that towered over them.

I saw a pile near a lamppost and it was quite tempting. I couldn't resist ther urge so I contented my self by just kicking it. Sending the leaves fly away letting the wind carry them upwards until they scattered once again and would fall into another growing pile of dried leaves.

A memory appeared in my mind of an 8-year-old me clutching my mother's hand. Her radiant face still fresh and burning at the back of my mind. We both jumped into a pile and thus accidentally injured when she crashed into a firehydrant that we didn't know was underneath, and a bruise the size of a baseball portruded at her right arm. I wouldn't stop crying then, even though she assured me that she was fine. I couldn't accept the fact that I hurt my own mother even if I wasn't directly at fault of the situation. To lessen my guilt I deliberately ran into the firehydrant which got myself a red bump on top of my forehead between my eyebrows, which made me look like I was growing a horn when you look at it from afar.

My mom scolded me to not do that again. That inflicting pain to yourself won't make you forget and feel less guilty of the mistake you had done. The way she said lectures like that. It was like they were implemented with another meaning like a code was hidden in plain sight in between the words. It took me years to decipher and understand that maybe she once tried applying self-harm to herself, to forget a certain kind of pain that she wouldn't bury between the folds inside her head.

And it made me wonder and also worry if she ever tried to apply that when I left.The thought of it makes my heart ache.

I was walking up the street since our house was uphill. I saw Dayoon sitting st the steps of the front gate holding a box of pastries with our cafe's logo which was a leaf of an oak tree. She beamed at me and I tilted my head in confusion. She gave me a skeptical look the one that says 'Don't-tell-me-you-don't-remember.

The season when leaves started to fall down.Crap. How could I forget?!!?!

It's my mom's birthday today.

I rushed inside running straight to my room. I rummaged my drawer and took out her picture, I ripped open a packaged Iron padlock. I went outside and took the cake from Dayoon.

"Don't wait up for me. And lock the door when you go to sleep." I yelled as I got farther.

I ran to the station that headed for Seoul. It was a 2-hour-trip to South Korea's capital and most populous city . The doors opened at the station and people bustked in which was hard for me to exit, I lifted my hand which was holding the box to prevent it from getting squished by the crowd of people that was crashing in. I got out when the doors were about to close ,nearly squishing my foot.

I sprinted out the station and headed for N Seoul Tower. I arrived at the place and people were leaving. That's odd it doesn't close even at this time. A security guard was swatting couples and sightseers away saying that it was to be used for filming. 

I can't leave like this without accomplishing the task I usually do here, each and every year. I walked ahead ignoring strange looks that people gave me.

"Whoa, there, Young lady." A guard appeared in front of me , he looked like he was probably in his mid 40's.

"Oh, I'm sorry I left something." I said and attempted to brush him off.

"I'm sorry but it'll have to wait for tomorrow. The place is being used for filming at the moment." He said stepping in front of me once again.

"Look, My daughter's missing." I lied.

He stared at me from head to toe. 

"You look too young for a mother , What's her name then?" He said crossing her arms.

That caught me off guard.

"Uhm.. It's Dae Dayoon."

"And your name is?" He said eyeing me suspiciously.

Come on Eunmi think.

"Bae Suzy."

I mentally slapped myself, why'd you use a famous female idol's name.

"Out." He said authouratively.

I walked away, sulking. But an outrageous idea came in mind which made me stop in my tracks.

----------------

Time: 10:45 p.m

No security guards were spotted roaming around the vicinity. I jumped down the tree where I sat waiting as time passed. Thank God I was wearing a camouflaged sweater. I checked one more time looking sideways before I came out of hiding.

I walked out of the dark and made my way towards the fence that overlooked the city. I stood there clutching a padlock at my right hand and a box of cake at the other. I squatted down in front of the fence with tons of pedlacks varying in size, color, brand, and size hung onto the rails. I took a candle out and lit it with a matchstick I opened the transparent box and placed on top of the pastry rgar was placed at the middle. It was my mom's favorite, Chocolate eclairs. I placed it on the ground beside me, and took out a piece of paper at the backpocket of my jeans.

It was a letter I wrote to my mom. I did this during her birthdays. I would go here 'cause it resmbled a place my mom and I once visited, A place where people lock their promises and secrets to an iron fence like this one. The Pont de Arts.

It wasn't an option for me to leave this place without celebrating her birthday here. It was essential for me. In remembrance of my mother that I haven't seen for years.

"Umma, do you remember the time you took me to that bridge, and you locked a padlock there. You said to me that promises and secrets were kept once you threw away the key. I was confused on why they had to throw the key away, I thought that there was something magical once you threw it way and that promises made on that bridge was a promise that wasn't made to be broken. So I made a promise that I'll love you no matter what. But you know what , as time passed I came to understand that promises were never breakable, But for the promise to be kept you had to throw something away to seal the deal. I love you Umma, And I had to thro you aside."

I was about to tie the letter to the padlock when it was blown away. I stood up to catch it. I clutched it before it was carried away by the wind. And just then did I realize I was leaning on the fence, and I was leaning forward, where I saw the height of this building where cars and people looked like working ants. I was on top of a tower. My breath hitched, my pupils went small and my mind went blank. Gruesome images appeared in my mind of a lifeless body of a girl on the street because of a hundred-foot tall drop, My sister crying at the morgue clutching my body. 

No this can't be, I can't die yet. Please. Please.

And I whispered the name of the person that would least likely be here at this moment to save me.

"Yugyeom, Jebal."

"Eunmi!!! Hajima!!!" I heard someone call my name and I felt him clutch me by my hips.

He tugged me close to him until we both dropped, our backs-well his back- hitting the ground.

My vision cleared and I saw, Him.

His face was distorted he was experiencing excruciating pain.

"Yugyeom! Yugyeom!" I said patting his cheek.

He groaned.

"Oh God. Yugyeom, please tell me you're okay." I said my voice cracking my hand on his cheeks.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze immediatelly fell on me and he furiously sat up.

"WHAT THE WERE YOU DOING JUMPING OFF A SKYSCRAPER, A HUNDRED FRIGGING FEET AWAY FROM THE GROUND??!!!??! DO you know---"

His voice was starting to trail off or it seemed I was growing deaf at the moment, In my eyes he looked mute, and no sound came out from his mouth even if they opened.

I started to cry.

"Eh? Oi. Eunmi, what's wrong?" His tone lowering into a mild one and his face softeing into a look of concern.

I didn't know what I was thinking at the moment but I didn't hesitate. I threw myself at him. I felt him flich against my embrace, but I didn't care. I was traumatized, I was happy, and I was still trembling in fear.

I sobbed by the crook of his neck. And I felt his hands my hair and he was whispering soothing words at my ear to calm me down. Which only made me sob harder.

"Aigoo~ Eunmi-ssi."

I pulled away and his face was inches away from mine. I wiped the tears away with my hand even though they still spilled down my cheeks and at the corner of my mouth making me taste the saltiness of it.

"Jeongmal Gabsahaamnida.Jeongmal Gabsahamnida." I said over and over again in between hiks and sobs.

His big hands cupped my small ones. And I froze from his touch. His thumbs brushing the knuckles of my hands, drawing tiny circles against my skin.

"You scare