Miracle : Dear to Me (Kiseki) The Story of Chen Yi and Eddie

Episode 2

His fingers dived back into the box and pulled out another gift , this time wide and flat. The wallet is a gorgeous wine red leather wallet with his initials on it. He remembered seeing him in a store window during one of his walks around town with Eddie. He didn't comment on it , but Eddie must have noticed him staring at . Of course Eddie came back to buy a wallet and monogram it when Chen Yi was not around.

The next box was the same size , but slightly taller. It contained a pocket knife with a black on black checkerboard pattern that fit perfectly in his palm and was just the right weight , it looked like something he would buy himself. Functional and aesthetetically pleasing.

The last box was another thin one , with a shiny gray ribbon neatly tied around it. A tiny sigh escaped Chen Yi's lips as he opened it. Inside was a thin silver frame  containing a slightly faded and wrinkled photograph of the two of them , taken in a rare moment away from gang life.

It was the summer after Chen Yi turned 18 when they 'borrowed' his uncle's car to spend a few stolen hours at the beach. The sun was hot and the sand burned their toes as they ran along the beach , splashing each other with salt water.

On the way , Eddie grabbed one of those little disposable cameras from a convenience store and took a picture of each other with their arms around each other's shoulders , wet hair and a big smile , a rare moment of happiness captured and encased in amber.

Now sitting on the floor of his room , Chen Yi smiled at the framed photo even thought tears flowed from his eyes.

At that moment , he vowed to go visit Eddie in prison , something he had been avoiding until now. Franklys peaking , Chen Yi thought that all of this happened because he was afraid that Eddie hated him and wanted their last night together to never happen. He knew that hearing this would break his heart completely , but he desperately needed the truth.

Two weeks later , Chen Yi found himself in the visiting room with a cake and candles in his hands. His nerves taut like. the strings of a bow. His stomach turned when Eddie sat down across the glass from him , but he kept his usual stoic expression , not wanting to completely break down and risk upsetting Eddie.

The young man looked tired , his face was thin and haggard. Chen Yi wanted to touch him , hug him and pull hi towards him. All they had was a few precious minutes and Chen Yi had so many things he wanted to say , explain and find out.

But thing didn't go as planned, and Chen Yi was left alone again , blinking back tears as Eddie's words echoed in his head.

"Don't come to me anymore. It's all in the past."

So he returned home, reduced to a shell of his former self , allowing the gap between him and everyone else to become wider and deeper than before.