I didn't want to pacify him. His thinking was wrong; his father's thinking was wrong. His uncle could have taken a different path instead of leaving them, but who knows what circumstances he faced? Maybe he was alone too. Hyun Woo had been conditioned by his father, and there was no point in trying to make him understand now that you can't choose whom you fall in love with — and when it comes to love, you will always choose it above all else. But all this... it wasn't my place to say.

"Forget it, Hyun Woo. I was just kidding anyway. You've wasted enough of my time. Come pack your things. Don't bother me later if you forget something, understood?" I said, forcing a lighter tone.

"Alright, alright, master. I'm coming," he replied, slipping back into his usual playfulness.

We walked into the bedroom together. He was already pulling clothes from the closet, humming under his breath as if nothing had happened.

That was Hyun Woo — so easy in that way. You could always divert his attention, at least I could most of the time. He forgot and forgave too easily, I thought. Maybe that was his strength... or maybe his weakness.

"Only because it's you, only because it's you."

"What?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"I said, only because it's you I'm giving you this. Take it."

He handed me a photo — the one from the amusement park ride. He was screaming like a madman, while I was laughing at his face. He had been so embarrassed afterward, insisting he was braver than me. I wanted the picture, but he won it from me in a chess match and hid it away. I never understood why he didn't throw it out.

"You can keep this. Once I return, give it back. It's only so you don't miss me too much, okay? You can look at my handsome face," he said, pulling a cute expression.

"Sure. I'll make a copy and frame it. Gosh, your face is hilarious here. I thought you were brave. Your sister was boasting last week that you're now a black belt in judo." I teased.

"What do you mean it seems? You were there at the match! Didn't you see how I crushed my opponent like this—" He reached for my wrists, then froze when he saw the marks.

"Shit... I did it again." His voice was remorseful. "I think your skin is too pale, it reddens easily." His hands were warm against my nerves. I tried to pull away, but he held on.

"See, even your ears are red. Why are they so red? It's not even cold. And your nose too." He touched it lightly, staring into my eyes without blinking. The closeness was unbearable. I forced my wrists free.

"Your packing is done. Keep the bags in the corner. Make sure your documents are safe," I said, escaping to the bathroom. It was too much to stay in that room.

Afterward, I made lunch. We sat together, eating.

"I'll miss your food," he said, chewing big chunks while watching yet another repeat match on the small TV. He had returned the new television without telling me, claiming he got a refund and bought a bike instead.

"So you're saying with a TV refund you bought an electric bike?" I asked, trying to break him.

"Yes! How awesome, right? It's all about timing. Now get your license, learn to drive, and take me around. My life will be in your hands," he said, still avoiding my eyes, whenever he lied he did that.

"Fine," I replied.

The moment I said it, he looked up. His face lit with the prettiest smile I had ever seen.

The day had come. I dropped him at the station. As the train pulled away, my heart felt heavier than I expected. He was only leaving for two weeks, yet it felt like something more permanent.

I told myself it was foolish — after all, in six months, once high school ended, we'd part ways anyway. Better to get accustomed to the feeling now. But the thought didn't ease the ache.

Almost two years had passed too quickly. Even if I pretended otherwise, I knew I would miss him terribly. He had been right about that.

I had no ties in this life. My parents died when I was seven. My mother's brother took me in, but only for the money they left behind. By fourteen, he had lost everything to gambling and alcohol. I couldn't endure the abuse anymore, so at sixteen I moved here.

No one else would have given me a place, but Hana's parents did. They had been friends with my father, and her brother Si Won was my childhood friend. I remembered the sadness when Si Won left abroad for his studies. Yet this... this was worse.

Ridiculous, really. Hyun Woo was only gone for two weeks. Still, watching that train disappear, I felt the kind of emptiness that made me whisper to myself: I'll miss you more than I should.

I returned home. The silence was unbearable.

Days grew dull, nights even more silent than usual. He called countless times each day, but in the spaces between those calls, I missed him. Our routine had always revolved around each other.

I cooked to his taste — less spice, though I loved it. The fridge was stuffed with his cold drinks, the freezer with my blueberry sorbets he always bought for me. The TV only came alive when he was here; I never watched alone. He sang loudly in the shower, his voice so good he could have been a professional if he'd wanted.

He ran warmer than most, so we kept the windows open and the fans on full blast at night. Now, without him, I felt cold. There was no familiar weight on my legs as I slept. The house was too clean — no remote on the sofa, no tissues scattered on the table. He used to rush to tidy everything before I came home from my shift, knowing I'd yell otherwise.

Every corner of the house carried his memory. Every moment of the day reminded me of him. Too difficult to ignore.

"Just come back soon," I thought.