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Inspired by the Japanese movie ‘Drawing Closer.’
Choi Youngjae stood on the rooftop garden of the hospital, his fingers trembling slightly as he adjusted the lens of his camera. The vibrant hues of the setting sun painted the sky, it was always the view the he wanted to capture everytime. Photography had become his solace, a way to document the fleeting moments of beauty in his remaining six months of life.
As he focused the camera, his gaze drifted to the rooftop of the building across the street. There, standing near the railings, was a girl. Her shoulders shook with sobs, her hair disheveled by the evening breeze. Startled, Youngjae accidentally pressed the shutter, capturing her suddenly. Without a second thought, he dropped his camera and sprinted towards the building. His heart was obviously pounding so hard he thought it would burst at any given moment.
He darted across the busy street, narrowly avoiding cars as horns blared in protest. He was making chaos in the street. But, he ignored the chaos he was making as he quickly rushed into the building and took the elevator to the rooftop. As the doors slid open, he saw the girl climbing onto the railing... and her intentions was painfully clear. To jump.
"Stop!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty rooftop.
The girl paused, turning her tear-streaked face towards him. In a heartbeat, Youngjae ran to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her back from the edge. They tumbled to the ground and the impact was pretty painful, but relief flashed over Youngjae as he swallowed a saliva, preventing himself to let out a groan.
"Why did you stop me?" she cried, her voice breaking. "I'm going to die soon anyway."
Youngjae's heart clenched at her words, suddenly , the pain at the back of his head disappeared. "Please don't," he whispered, his voice choked with sincerity. "Please don't do this."
She looked at him, there was aconfusion and pain mingling in her eyes. "You don't understand. Everything is hopeless."
"I understand more than you think," Youngjae said softly. "I'm... I'm dying too."
The girl blinked, stunned into silence.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Let's get some ice cream, okay? We can talk more there. The hospital really sells good icecreams, you know?"
She hesitated but eventually nodded. Youngjae made his way back to the hopsital with her and lead her to the cafeteria. The girl didn't question why he was in a patient’s gown or why the hospital staff greeted him with familiarity. She just followed him.
As they sat eating their ice cream, Youngjae looked at her with a gentle smile. "I'm Youngjae, by the way."
"Ji-eun," she replied quietly, staring at her ice cream.
"Nice to meet you, Ji-eun," Youngjae said, his smile so warm that it kind of comfort her in some way. "So, what's going on? Why were you up there?"
Ji-eun sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's a long story. My parents... they don't understand me. I feel so alone."
