......................................
Without a word, Joon snatched his arm from Rena’s hand and dragged Jumi with him, without caring that Rena and Kei were staring at him and Jumi with their eyes wide opened. Joon dragged Jumi to a silent place and let go of her hand slowly. He spoke out.........
“Jumi! I know you’ve got your own reasons for trying to keep a distance from me but can’t you just stop ignoring me? I.... I.... really don’t understand. What’s the point of doing that?”
Jumi clenched her both fists and responded while staring at the ground......
“I...... I...... just want to be alone for a while.”
Joon grabbed her shoulder and said.....
“Jumi! You’re lying!”
Jumi looked into Joon’s eyes, which were full of pain, and tried to hold back her tears. She responded expressionlessly......
“I’m saying the truth! Joon, after all these times, you still don’t get the point of me doing this?”
“You..... Do you hate me that much?”
A question from Joon almost made Jumi burst into tears but she tried her best to stay calm. She replied......
“Joon! It doesn’t matter whether I hate you or not. It’s just.......”
“It does matter to me!”
Joon suddenly interrupted. He continued.....
“Just telling that you hate me, then I will stay away from you and I will never ask you for any reasons why you’ve been ignoring me anymore.”
Jumi suddenly felt like being stabbed. Her heart was already broken into pieces but she kept on acting normal. She stated while staring straight at Joon........
“Right! I hate you! I hate you for involving in my life. I hate you!!!”
Joon stared at Jumi expressionlessly and responded..........
“I’m sorry!”
“Joon!......”
He continued......
“I’m sorry for the troubles I’ve caused. I’m sorry for the tears you’ve cried. I’m sorry for having been involving in your life ever since the start. I’m truly sorry.”
Jumi stared at Joon’s expression while listening to his words and realized she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. She turned her back at Joon and spoke out normally with a teardrop on her cheek, without being seen by anyone.......
“Stop apologizing! No one is at fault here. I’ve just been thinking that it would be nice if we hadn’t happened to know each other from the first place.”
Jumi said and was about to walk away because her tears seemed to become out of control anytime but she suddenly stopped by Joon’s words.......
“You’re right! I should have realized from the first place that I’ve been such a burden. Alright! You won’t have to feel my existence anymore because for you, I can disappear.”
A last word from Joon was enough to break Jumi’s heart into pieces and her tears, which had been held inside, suddenly burst out uncontrollably. She ran away, leaving Joon, who was standing alone with his both hands shaking. Jumi started to run faster and faster in her Kimono with her tears flowing on her both cheeks. Immediately she tripped over a rock and fell to the grass. Jumi cried even harder. Not because she was hurt physically but she was hurt inside. It was too painful until she couldn’t hold back her tears and cry silently, like she usually does. Meanwhile Rena was looking for Joon while Kei was looking for Jumi...........
“Jumi! Jumi! Where are you??? Jumi!!!”
Kei had been walking around and looking for Jumi for quite a while. Later, he ended up at a silent place and saw Jumi sitting and crying on the grass alone. At first, he thought of going in and asking her for the reasons why she had been crying but then he had realized it would have been better to let her crying alone for a little while so he just stood still and stared at her from a distance with an uneasy feeling. Meanwhile Rena was hiding in a corner and staring at Joon, who was hitting the tree with tears rolling on his cheeks, in shock...................
Jumi’s diary entry
“I got to say I hate him even though I love him to death. I got to let him go no matter how much I want him to stay. I got to get over him even though he’s all I want to remember. Everything is over, even this little endless memory of mine.”
.............................................................
Jumi walked into the classroom slowly while everyone had already been there, except for someone. Jumi stared at Joon’s seat, which was empty, and took a seat beside that with a little pain inside. Immediately, the class monitor ran into the classroom rapidly and gasped. She turned to everyone and announced....
“Guys! I’ve got a bad news. Joon! Joon! He... He’s going to transfer back to England.”
Everyone sadly exclaimed.....
“Eh??? Why???”
“I don’t know. I just bumped into him earlier at the head office and he just........”
As the class monitor was talking, everyone suddenly turned to the door and a tall guy in uniform was standing there with a smile. Then he walked in and spoke out....
“Hello everyone! I’m here right now to bid you guys my last farewell.”
“Noooooo....”
Joon smiled and continued.....
“It hasn’t been long since the first time we met but you all have given me so much to remember. Thanks for all the memories. I promise that no matter how long it takes from now, I will never ever forget it. Please be strong and stay healthy.”
Joon said and bowed a little bit. He lifted his head up slowly and stared at Jumi, who was staring straight back at him expressionlessly. Jumi suddenly turned away and stared at her book on the desk instead since she had known that, if she kept staring at him for only a minute more, her tears would have fallen down uncontrollably for sure. Someone in the classroom suddenly spoke out......
“Joon! You’re not going to tell us the reason why you’re suddenly leaving like this?”
Joon smiled and replied to that.....
“Actually, I really want to stay and I’ve never wanted to go back but the situation forced me to so it’s just leaving me no choice.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~RING~~~~~~~~~~~RING~~~~~~~~~~~~
Immediately, the school bell was ringed. Joon spoke out.....
“Well.... It’s time. Goodbye everyone! We’ll meet again one day. I’m going to miss you all.”
He smiled sweetly and walked away, leaving some people crying out loud, some was sobbing and some was staring sadly. Suddenly the class monitor yelled.....
“Wait Joon! When are you going to leave?”
Joon turned around and said with a smile.....
“Tomorrow evening, at 5 o’clock.”
A pen, which had been in Jumi’s hand, was suddenly dropped out of her hand. She kept staying still and staring at her book, without moving, because if she had moved just a little bit, the tears in her eyes would have fallen down for sure.................
........................................................
Joon collected his stuffs from the locker and put them in his bag slowly. The locker turned empty because its owner would have to leave. Joon walked slowly in the silent hallway alone since everyone had already been in their classrooms. He stepped forward one by one and looked around. It hadn’t been long since he first transferred into that school but Joon seemed to be attached to the environment there already. Joon stood still in front of the music room and looked, through the door, at the white piano by the window. The twilight, which was shining brightly on the piano, reminded him of someone. A picture of a girl playing that piano and the sound of “My memory” were being played again and again in Joon’s thought. He opened the door and walked toward the piano slowly. He wrote something on a note and stuck it on the piano. Then he grabbed his bag and left..........
.............................................
“Hey!”
Joon turned around by the calling of someone while he was heading home. Haru took off his helmet and said with a smile......
“Remember me, don’t you?”
After all, they both ended up sitting in a park nearby. Haru spoke out........
“Why are you leaving school so early?”
“I’m not a student there anymore.”
Haru suddenly exclaimed......
“What? You drop out?”
“Yeah...... I’m going back to England.”
“Are you serious? What about Jumi? You’re leaving her?”
Joon was stunned by Haru’s question. He kept calm and answered.......
“She will be fine without me.”
“Are you sure she will?”
Joon was stunned once again. He responded......
“Yeah I’m sure. Why are you asking me those kinds of question?”
“I just want to make sure that Jumi will really be fine without you.”
“Without me, she’s got you and others then she’ll be fine.”
Haru looked up at the sky and said with a smile.......
“Someone can’t be replaced by someone else.”
Haru stood up and said the last word to Joon.......
“People lie and hide for others’ sake. Maybe you’ve got to figure out a little bit more before doing something in order to avoid regretting later or maybe hurting someone unintentionally. Goodbye and Good luck!”
He smiled and left, leaving Joon who was considering his words with disorder feeling................
.........................................
“Hey! Did you hear that Joon’s going back to England?”
“What??? For real?”
The news of Joon leaving back to England had been spread around the campus. Kei, who was walking out of his classroom, also accidentally heard that. The first person, who crossed his mind, was Jumi. He thought of her and sighed. Kei walked toward Jumi’s classroom, where was next to his, and saw her putting her stuff neatly into her bag. After bowing gently and smiling sweetly to her classmates, Jumi walked out of the room with her pink bag on the shoulder........
“Hey Jumi!”
“Kei! Why are you still here? You’re not going home?”
“I’m waiting for you.”
He said and smiled. Jumi smiled and replied.....
“Let’s go then.”
As they both were walking together in the campus, the news about Joon were still being talked all everywhere around. Kei secretly watched Jumi and noticed that her expression was still the same, calm and cold. He spoke out cordially.....
“Jumi! Do you want to stop by the ice-cream shop and grab something?”
Jumi replied with a smile......
“Maybe later, Kei. I’m a little bit unwell today so I’ve got to head home right away.”
“Oh ok then.”
Jumi said and continued walking. At that moment, Kei realized that she was not fine as how she looked after all........
.......................................
During one late night of spring, a tall guy was standing in front of a big house and staring at the dark room, with a verandah, on the second floor. He kept staring even though the light had already been turned off and it meant that the person in that room had already fallen asleep. Meanwhile, Jumi, who was lying on the bed in her dark bedroom, was staring at the ceiling with her eyes wide opened. She kept sighing because she couldn’t think of any ways to put herself to sleep. Jumi woke up slowly and turned on the light. She walked to her verandah and looked down at the house gate. There was totally no one. She sighed and turned to look at the stars in the blank sky. After a moment, she walked back into the room while someone was secretly watching her from behind the light pole............
Jumi’s diary entry.....
“”No matter how far you are, I still feel you’re here with me because at least we’re still under the same starry sky.””
......................................................
“Jumi! Is Joon really going back to England?”
A senior asked Jumi while she was cleaning the piano in the music room. She tried to stay normal and answered with a smile.....
“Yeah senpai! He’s leaving today and the flight might be taking off at 5 o’clock.”
The senior took a look at the watch on her hand and spoke out.....
“It’s already 4:20. He’s going to leave soon. Hmmmmm.....”
Jumi’s heart was almost broken into pieces but she just kept on acting like nothing’s wrong. Jumi kept on cleaning the piano until she found a very small note inside the piano, sticking on a string. She exclaimed in a low voice......
“What’s this?”
She brought it out and read it......
((Jumi! Thanks for all the memories. I will treasure them well, including you since you're already my endless memory. Joon....))
A tear dripped on the note. A little word was strong enough to make Jumi burst into tears. Without a word, she ran rapidly out of the room, without caring about people’s callings from behind. She ran out of the school and called out the taxi. She got on and said to the driver.....
“To the airport. Please drive fast! I’m really in a hurry!”
Jumi was sitting in the car with an uneasy feeling. Unfortunately, the car was stuck in the traffic jam and was unable to move forward. Jumi spoke out in panic.....
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry miss. I don’t think we can make it on time. The traffic is really bad today.”
It left Jumi no choice. She handed the driver the money and said.....
“Alright! I’m off here. Thank you.”
She got off the car and continued running to the airport which was about 1 kilometer away. She kept running faster and faster until she eventually arrived at the airport with sweat all over her face. Jumi took a look at the watch on her hand and it was already 4:55. She continued running until she reached the departure board. Jumi looked up and realized Joon’s flight had already taken off. She fell to the ground because of exhaustion and disappointment that she had come just a little too late. Jumi’s tears started to flow down once again......
“Joon! There’s no way we’re going to meet again.”
.............................................................................
To be continued
to find out what's going to happen next ;)
