Looking For Angels | JENLISA

17. The Next Roadtrip

Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.

- Peter S. Beagle

Three years later.

A panel of cherry blossoms lined the winded pathway by the western outskirts of Gyeonju. Petals of enchanting bliss enraptured the quiescent space as it softly cascaded down to where a girl sat on a park bench.

Falling, the shapes of heavenly blush whirled around in small spirals as the spring breeze danced with them to an exultant ballad.

Zephyrs filled with the scent of distant memories embraced the girl and brought her to a sense of endless wistfulness. With the sun's euphoric rays seeping through the foliage of the trees, the radiating warmth of the serenading sunlight sent a smile to scamper across her lips.

She flicked the screen off and shut the video camera.

Lisa was brought here again, always in this very place, always during early evening, and always at a specific day; trying to look for angels. And by looking for angels, she meant watching her very own angel in the camera's screen and trying to find peace through it.

For three years it had become a daily habit of hers to watch the twenty-third clip made by her best friend. Sitting on the same bench she sat on when watching it for the first time, Lisa found solace in the familiarity of the scent the aging wood gave off.

A blithe giggle chimed from her left, and she gently swayed her head to the direction of the spirited laugh. Smiling, Lisa watched as a little girl pedaled her way across the cemented path with her pink bicycle.

Hair swaying alongside the early evening breeze, Lisa couldn't help but to reminisce to that particular day when she first met her.

Unlike the first and second years of Jennie's death, the nostalgia didn't cause her to curl up in a ball and weep, cursing the world of its cruelty and injustice, but instead, she did nothing but smile at the beautiful memories that flooded inside her mind.

With the help of her best friend's encouraging words through the video clip, every day Lisa would little by little loosen the grip she had on her own personal balloon string. One day, she knew, that she would let go of the balloon completely and begin to really live again.

Breathing in the scent of the evening air, Lisa smiled. It was a smile unlike any other. A smile of understanding, of acceptance. A smile devoid of her best friend's lingering laughter, their many talks out by the playground, and their well-spent memories together, yet still, it was a smile that spoke volumes.

Their quest was finally over. Their journey was finally complete. Their wish was finally fulfilled.

A ringing sounded from inside her pocket. Lisa instinctively grabbed her cellphone inside and flipped open.

"Hello?" she started.

"Lisa-unnie?" the other line replied.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Oh! It's Aerum! How are you?" Aerum answered giddily.

"Oh, hi Aerum. I'm fine" Lisa said with a chuckle. "Anyway, do you need anything?"

"Oh yeah, I was going to ask you something" the younger girl from the other line retorted before following it with a laugh. "So, you know me and Seo-yoon renew our marriage vows every year on our anniversary, right?"

"Yes?" Lisa answered.

Aerum and Seo-yoon got married ten months after Jennie's passing away, and since the younger girl couldn't retain her memories of the special occasion, Aerum decided that it would be best to relive their wedding ceremony for their anniversary every year.