ALWAYS [제이크]

epilogue : always

"Shit, shit, shit. I'm late," Jake ran pass the other students quickly to his class as he was waking up late. Blame to the alarm for not ringing. He mentally cursing on himself after seeing the lecture already started his class. He knocked a few time to gain the attention.

"I'm sorry, sir. I wake up late this morning." he fidgeted his as he worried that he will not be allowed to join the class.

"Come in. You just late a few minutes. There's even someone come later than you."

As what the lecture said, there's another few student who came later than him. Even worse, they lated for thirty minutes ended up being punish.

Jake took his bag and hurriedly went out from the lecture hall right after it ended. Soon, he accindentally bumped into a girl, made her books to fall from her hand.

"I'm sorry," he bent down to pick up the books that had fallen.

She looked into the guy direction and met his eyes. "Oh, Jake. It's been a long time right.''

"Eunyoung?"

She chuckled and stood up after picking all her stuff, "Yeah that's me. I never thought I'll bumped into you here.''

He handed her books, "How's your life, Jake?''

"Good I guess? How about you?"

"Same as you. What course are you taking?"

"Law and you?" He did really take the course as what she had encourage to him. That was the little inspire for him to continue studying even though he almost gave up to everything after she left.

"Of course a fashion major. I want to continue what she wants to be," Since the day they planned about it, she already set her goal to achive it. It also her first choice when she chose a course to take. 

"Heeseo?" the thought of she was talking about her after a long time. She nodded.

"I thought you hate her?"

"I never hate her nor I always want to be beside her but my mother made our friendship ruin," the fact that she was down in the dumps upon hearing the news about her death, it made her regret everything she had done to her. She did not talk to her mother for almost a year after what happened.

"Today is the day right? You should go visit her." 

"Do you want to come along?"

She shooked her head, "I will come later. I still have class after this,"

-

Jake went inside of a flower shop and bought a bunch of white roses. He stopped in front of the cemetery for a moment, telling himself to not shed any tears. He did not want to come to her funeral even after his mother insisted him to go. He was unprepared to see her being buried 6 feet deep down there. Thus, he rather choose to kill the time at the park where they always meet, alone.

From a far, he could see Heeseung and Heesa sitting in front of the tomb before leaving after bidding a goodbye. 

Heesa eyes unintentionally meet his, "JAKE BROTHER!" she ran after him and he shocked but only reflect to open his arms, ready to hug her.

"Long time no see you. You're growing up now," he hugged the girl who already on his chest level remembering him when she still on his waist level.

"I'm twelve years old right now," she proudlyy said to him.

He patted her head, "Such a big girl."

Heeseung approached both of them and tapped Jake's shoulder, "Go meet her. She must missed you a lot. Let's go home Heesa."

Knowing the fact that it was his first time to visit her after the death, Heeseung let him to have a time for himself.

"Aww. I just meet Jake. Come to our place later Jake,"

He nodded and mouthed 'I will'. They bid their goodbye and left him alone there.

Jake approached her tomb, took every steps carefully and placed the flowers next to her picture.

"Hi, Heeseo. I'm coming to see you." he only said a few words but it already made to form a tears so he looked up to the sky for a second.

"I missed you a lot. Missing you is not a joke especially I did something that give me a deja vu. Like be real, Heeseo. I don't get any close friend yet,'' he took a deep breathe as he felt arch in his heart.

"I'm now on my sixth semester in university. Like what you have said and encouraged, I took a law major. I want to give hope for the mute people. Someone that can't express their feelings and opinion. I really want to change people perspective also to give justice to child who experiencing the same thing that you have been through. They deserved to be spook up about theirselves not only being the maid of the house."

Jake took out something from his bag, a piece of paper. It was her result certificate for the college enterance test. He already put it in the frame and placed it next to her picture. "I forgot to show you this. Did you know you are the best achiver in our school and until these day, none of them can beat you score? After what you have been through, you really deserve this."

"I bumped into Eunyoung today. After three years, I finally meet her again. She said she's taking a fashion major to continue what you have plan with her. May god ease her with everything."

Jake took out his wallet from his pocket, " I still keep your letter along with our polaroid when we went to the festival. It always reminded me about you and give a strenght to me.''

He wiped his tears that kept falling from his eyes, "AHHH, I hate this so much. I devastated only by missing you everyday and even after three years I still couldn't get over you. I don't know you have this huge impact on me." 

Throughout those years, it indeed painful to let her go and realized that she was nowhere to be seen. There's a time when a girl confessed her feelings but got rejected as he still not get over her. It was hard for him to open his heart to anyone else. In fact, he scared to hurt someone.

Rain began to pour slowly yet he did not budge at all. He still continued talking to her even he got drenched because of the rain.

"You must be heard me right? That's why the sky is crying," he looked up to the sky and it started raining cats and dogs. 

After a moment, he could not feel any droplets hitting his skin and he saw someone is holiding an umbrella from above.

"Jake, it's raining. You will get sick later."

"I do not care less about it. I want to spend my birthday night here though." His birthday is tommorow and he only found emptiness during his birthday. He would rather spend his night at the cemetry than shadowed by gloom. As the sequence, he hated his own birthday since that day.

"It will get scarier at night. Don't you afraid of it."

"I don't-," yet he flinched when the thunder coming.

Eunyoung shooked her head, "I can't believe you. Get up, don't be so stubborn. Let's find a shelter," she was about to drag him but he stopped her.

"Wait, I want to send my last regards first," he bent down again with Eunyoung still cover him with the umbrella.

"Goodbye, Heeseo. I'll go first. Soon, I'll visit you again. I'll count you as the first one to wish for my birthday. Whatever it is, you always be the one," he picked up his stuff and bid his goodbye.

With his heavy heart and teary eyes, he looked at her tomb for the last time and left the cemetery with Eunyoung.

Forever and always, i love you...