|| The High Tide || {Sunki}

{ 14 }

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"The day your soul left this earth was the day mine did too.

My heart no longer beats the same, my eyes no longer see the same, my mind no longer thinks the same.

While I am physically here, my soul is with yours.

Bound together in the stars."

- Julia Reesor

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[Age 28]

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Ni-Ki,

I can't believe it.

Today, I made the most money I've ever made in my entire life, and can you guess what I sold?

An oil-painted headshot of you.

It was the one I had started when you were first admitted into the hospital permanently. I always worked on it when I was sitting with you. I found that old sketchbook in a box, and while I was looking through it, I saw that sketch again. So, I decided to make it into a painting.

I was very apprehensive about parting with it at first, since it was so dear to me. Despite owning many other paintings of you, that one had to be my favorite. But, it will be displayed at the capital's art exhibition and museum! I'm so excited to see you there!

Mom and Dad haven't been doing so well... They seem to have caught some sort of virus, so I've been spending a lot of time at their house rather than at my studio to care for them.

Besides the painting that I mentioned, I've sold numerous other ones too. Most were acrylic paintings of bleeding hearts, but there were some landscapes thrown in there too. I liked painting things I love, like you, and flowers as well. It inspires me more, I guess.

Your parents have been taking great advantage of their retired status and have been traveling abroad, but they still check in on me every day. I was worried that I'd lose them after you passed, but they're like my second set of parents. I'm taking good care of them, and your Dad's garden and bees, I promise.

I hope that you're doing well and are happy wherever you are, my love. I hope that you are pain-free and living your best life right now, somewhere among the stars. You deserve everything good in this universe, and I hope you have that now that you're in a better place.

My love for you continues to grow into a great multitude, just like my little pink flowers. Sadly, the very first plant died, the exact one that you gave me. But, I have many other generations to continue on with.

Would everything be different if we took a different path?

Would we still be together?

I'm certain that you would've been a great boyfriend or husband to anyone... Maybe we can find out in our next life.

I love and miss you always, just know that much.

Your artist,
Sunoo

Sunoo set down his pencil, sat behind the counter in his studio. A huge wad of cash sat on a table behind him, the exact one that he had received for the beloved painting of Ni-Ki. He had a grown attachment to the painting, but he figured that his best friend would have wanted it displayed in the exhibition. So, he let it go, only for the assumption that it was what Ni-Ki would have wanted for it as well

Sunoo set his notebook into a drawer on his desk and spun around in his spinny chair, rolling over to the table where the cash was set on top of. He grabbed it, then took off the rubber band that was keeping it together. One by one, Sunoo counted each bill, adding together what he had earned just from that one painting.

Oh my God.

It was almost enough to buy the beach house.

He scoffed out loud, not believing it. Sunoo was in utter disbelief. In fact, the money was more than enough for the beach house. He jumped up and paced around in circles, tears forming at his eyes from excitement this time, not sadness. He was too happy that his-and Ni-Ki's-dream could finally come true, after eight long years of hard work. He sat down again, wiping away a couple of tears.

Ni-Ki, we did it.

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