Almost perfect (or so I thought) 

Chapter seven: Is this Goodbye...?

School was nearing its end.

Mirae skipped through the hallways as she made her way down to the cafeteria. She held her paper tightly in her hand as she approached his table — Minjae's table. He had already started eating his lunch.

"Minjae-yah!" she called out, hurrying over. "Look, I got an 83/100 in English!" She waved the paper in his face before sitting down across from him, flipping through it with a bright smile.

Minjae looked up at her, his lips curling into a warm smile. Of course, he was happy. After all the hard work — the tutoring, the long hours, the teasing during their study sessions — she'd really improved.

"Congratulations, Mirae," he said softly.

But Mirae saw right through him.

Something was wrong.

"Minmin... aren't you happy for me? What's wrong?" She asked, patting his back gently, hoping for a straightforward answer.

"I... I'm moving to Seoul with my brother," he said at last, his tone serious. "I won't be here next year..."

Mirae froze. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. They hadn't even spent four full months together, and now she had to watch him go? She was speechless. No words came out.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have told you in the cafeteria, Mirae." He reached for her hand as she started to get up.

Mirae glanced down at him with an expression that almost looked like an apology. Then, gently, she slipped her hand out of his.

She knew she probably shouldn't leave him alone — not right now — but she had a good reason.

Moments later, she met up with the others, pulling them away from the cafeteria entrance before they could step inside.

"Guys, Minjae is leaving for Seoul!" she whispered urgently. "We have to plan a surprise for him."

They gasped upon hearing those words. She scanned their faces, waiting for a response.

"But... Jiho's graduating! Shouldn't we plan something for him too?" Taeyang nudged Jiho with his elbow, only to freeze when Nari slapped her palm to her forehead, clearly done with his lack of filter.

"Taeyang, you idiot!" Nari groaned. "You can't say that in front of him!"

Jiho let out a laugh, amused by the surrounding chaos. "Guys, it's fine. You should plan something for Minjae instead. He's the one going to Seoul, remember?"

Mirae gasped. "Mr. Hyung, how do you know that?!"

Jiho chuckled at the nickname. "Mr. Hyung? That's new... Minjae told me."

Mirae spun around, eyes darting back to the cafeteria door, a playful glare on her face as she thought about Minjae.

Meanwhile, Minjae sat back at the table, watching the door. The look Mirae had given him before she left replayed over and over in his head.

"She's mad," he thought. "She's mad... isn't she?"

But in truth, she wasn't mad. He was overthinking everything again.

Mirae guided the group out of the cafeteria. They headed into an empty classroom, hoping no one had seen them sneak away.

"So... what's our plan?" Mirae asked, looking around at everyone's faces with hope in her eyes. She needed answers — because, honestly, she hadn't thought about the plan much farther ahead.

Jiho was the first to speak up, surprising Mirae. She always assumed he was the quiet one, but clearly, he'd been silently observing everything.

"First of all, he doesn't like surprises," Jiho said casually. "No offense, Mirae." He grinned as he glanced at her.

"Oh, no..." Mirae groaned, dropping her face into her arms. "What have I done?"

Taeyang leaned over, using it as an opportunity to poke fun. "Great going, Mirae. You were our only hope."

Nari smacked his back — hard — knocking some sense back into him. "Shut up, you idiot. You already spoiled part of the surprise."

"Anyway..." Jiho continued once they had quieted down. "We should..."

——

For the next three days, everyone in the group kept talking to Minjae — except Mirae.

They had all agreed: she'd be the one to bring him to the 'not surprise' gathering. So, at all costs, Mirae avoided him. When it was time to go home, she caught the bus early, not even giving him a chance to approach her.

She sat with Nari, hoping Minjae would sit beside Taeyang instead. Even though most of them didn't live nearby, Nari had slept over at Mirae's house a couple of times. Again, they took the bus headed to her house. They were close friends — not in a clingy bestie way — but more like social soulmates. Mirae was hoping Taeyang would come up with an excuse to go by bus to Minjae's house.

On the last day, Jiho headed outside to meet up with the other seniors for a separate farewell celebration. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was busy decorating a classroom for Minjae's surprise party.

By "group," that meant just Nari and Taeyang.

"Taeyang, go to that side," Nari instructed, climbing carefully onto a chair.

As she reached up to tape a small banner to the wall, Taeyang looked up from across the room, squinting.

"You dummy," he called out. "You're gonna fall off that chair if you keep going on your tip-toes."

Nari scoffed, rolling her eyes without looking down. "And you're gonna fall off my nerves if you keep calling me dummy."

Still, her hand wobbled slightly as she stretched a bit too far. Before she could even react, Taeyang was already beside her, steadying the chair with both hands.

"I'm serious," he said, a little softer this time. "You'd probably land on me just to be dramatic."

Nari finally looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "And you'd probably cushion the fall with your giant ego."

He grinned, unbothered. "Better than letting you break your face."

There was a pause — a brief one, but just long enough for the air to shift. Nari blinked, realizing how close he actually was. His hands were still on the chair, eyes fixed on her with just a little too much care for a guy who teased her constantly.

"...Thanks," she mumbled, suddenly flustered.

Taeyang stepped back with a smug look. "You're welcome. Try not to miss me when I go back over there."

Nari turned back to the wall quickly, mumbling something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Idiot."

Besides Nari and Taeyang, Mirae had a goal. She approached Minjae in his classroom, using the excuse of "checking over her test" to pull him aside.

"Come with me for a second," she said casually, trying to hide the nerves in her voice.

Minjae followed without asking too many questions, though he couldn't help but wonder why she'd been avoiding him lately. His mind had been full of apologies he never got the chance to say.

She led the way down the hall, her pace quickening the closer they got. Please don't let Nari and Taeyang be arguing right now, she thought. Just one peaceful moment. Please.

Mirae reached for the door and pushed it open.

"Not surprise!" Nari and Taeyang jumped out in unison.

"We know you hate them!" they added, voices loud and bright.

Minjae froze in place.

The sight of all the decorations — the little banner that read Good luck in Seoul, the hand-written notes taped around the whiteboard, and even his favorite snacks set on the desk — it all hit him at once.

Minjae thought Mirae was upset with him. He'd been ready to apologize during the review session but never imagined this was what she'd been planning.

Without saying a word, he walked over and pulled Mirae into a hug.

She blinked in surprise but hugged him back instantly.

Behind them, Taeyang crossed his arms dramatically. "Wow... just gonna ignore the part where we risked our lives hanging those decorations?"

"Right? Do you know how much tape I used?" Nari added with a deadpan face.

Minjae laughed, pulling away from Mirae and turning toward the others.

"Thank you. All of you," he said with a genuine smile, the kind that reached his eyes.

Mirae watched him. That smile — it wasn't forced, wasn't fake. He used to carry so much in silence, but now? He was smiling more. And she loved that.

Loved him... maybe a little too much.

Jiho stepped into the room, his usual calm smile on his face. Minjae noticed him instantly.

"Minjae," he said, hands in his pockets. "Good luck."

His gaze swept over the classroom, taking in the effort that had gone into every detail — the decorations, the snacks, even the barely hanging banner. "You guys really pulled this off. It looks great."

Minjae walked over without a word and pulled Jiho into a hug — the kind of hug that wasn't just a greeting, but a goodbye.

"Why do you have to leave so early...?" Minjae whispered into Jiho's ear. "The school year's not even over."

*Majority of Korean schools have their first semester ending around July, and the second starting in late August or early September. At this time, it is July.

Jiho gave a quiet laugh, ruffling Minjae's hair like always. "Remember when I said I'd be serving in the army soon?" he said gently. "Well... that time is now."

Minjae nodded slowly, letting the words sink in.

He rested his head against Jiho's shoulder for a second longer.

"Thank you," he murmured, voice almost too soft to hear. "For everything."

Jiho gave his back a gentle pat, steady and reassuring. "Good luck out there," he mumbled in his ear. "And don't get lost again, idiot."

Minjae let out a small laugh through the lump in his throat.

——

Minjae walked home with Mirae, just like they always did. But this time, something was different.

The street felt quieter. It was a little breezy but calm. The sky filled with more stars than usual. It might've been their last walk home together.

"Mirae," he blurted, his voice gentle but uncertain. "I was scared, you know."

She turned slightly to look at him.

"I thought I messed everything up again," he added, eyes searching for hers. "I really thought you were mad... that I lost you."

They kept walking, their steps syncing like it always had. Mirae looked down, a little guilty.

She just realized that he felt this way.

"Minmin..." she spoke, frantically flailing her arms in the air as she spun around to face him. "It's not what you thought. I wasn't mad, I promise!"

He stopped walking, lips pulling into a soft, almost sad smile. Then, without saying anything, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

The hug was different this time — longer, tighter, like he was afraid to let go.

"Mirae..." he whispered into her shoulder. "Never leave me. Please."

Mirae blinked rapidly, caught off guard by the weight in his voice. She hugged him back, tighter than before, like she could shield him from the world if she held on hard enough.

"I wouldn't," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Not for the world, Minjae."

For a moment, nothing else mattered — not the goodbye, not Seoul, not tomorrow. Just the two of them, kept in a hug under the fading sky.

And for Minjae... maybe it wasn't a goodbye after all. Maybe it was just a "see you later."

**END OF CHAPTER SEVEN**

*book inspired by 'When I fly towards you'*