Farewell
Her to-be-husband was not other than the impatient Goblin, so the marriage process was to be very short. Truthfully, it was just going to be a small wedding with no guests, so there was nothing to get ready for. Half of the ‘getting ready’ was telling their friends that they were getting married, but the Goblin had ruined that part for her. He had abruptly come to the broadcasting station one day and had told everyone there that they were getting married. In the end, Eun Tak didn’t do anything before the wedding day.
She got introduced to Duk Hwa straight away too. Duk Hwa, who didn’t remember her, was still as bright as before, and Eun Tak liked that. Well she liked everything these days. Even if the Goblin went around telling everyone however he wanted.
Her already happy mood got happier as she saw the awe on the Goblin’s face when she stood out of the curtains wearing a wedding dress. The Goblin had done all the planning and the other things, but Eun Tak wanted to buy the wedding gift herself. He had already given her perfume and a handbag full of love on her twentieth birthday, and now it was her turn to give him a watch case full of love.
The Goblin opened the box on his dressing table. A nicely folded letter had been placed on top of an expensive watch.
On every road that we will walk down together; at every scenery we will look at together;
and in every moment we will ask and answer loving questions together.
Every day and every moment, I will love you.
From your bride.
Every single letter was precious to him - even the spaces. The announcement telling him to be happy, the contract telling him to come when she calls at the first snow, and now the letter full of her love for him. The Goblin smiled and turned on the radio next to him. It was time for Eun Tak’s radio broadcast.
The DJ would soon read an email sent from one of the listeners after the music, but the staff had still not chosen what email to send. One of the emails seemed like an emotional love letter written at night, and it didn’t really have a specific topic. Eun Tak looked over at the radio writer’s screen and saw the title and the sender’s name.
“To you who believes that my oblivion was for my peace.”
After telling the DJ to read the email, Eun Tak ran out of the building back home.
“The moment our eyes met, I knew that you had all your memories as well. In our next life, I beg…”
The email had been sent from Sunny. Eun Tak was afraid; she didn’t want to lose her.
She banged on the door loud and hard, but there was no one at home. Sunny had already moved house. It had all been planned, and it had planned really well too. Eun Tak had no idea where Sunny had run off too. She sat on the staircase of her house with a weird emptiness in her heart, when she saw a letter sticking out of her mailbox. Her name was written on the top in Sunny’s handwriting.
I’m leaving, part-timer.
Live well. Don’t cry and eat well.
I hope I was a bit of a comfort to the orphan who was in a pickle.
Take care of my stubborn brother.
Live a long and happy life. Bye.
Eun Tak could remember the first time she had met Sunny, and the second time she had met Sunny for the first time again. She had always been welcoming and smiling.
“She never lost her memory…”
The tears Eun Tak thought she would never cry again fell down her cheeks as she thought about how lonely Sunny had been all this time.
The Goblin had heard Sunny’s story through the radio too, and had come running to her house. Eun Tak was crying on the stairs with a piece of paper in her hand.
“She left. She never lost her memory. She protected her memories alone. She took care of me, who had no memory, while missing her lost brother. She must have been lonely.”
His sister had left before him again. He had not been able to save his sister’s happiness in this life too.
“Why do you think she left?”
“Because she couldn’t forgive him. Sunny decided to never see the grim reaper again, because that would be the biggest punishment for him.”
The grim reaper hurriedly wore his coat and left the house. He couldn’t accept Sunny’s goodbye. The woman always left too well, he knew that too well, but he didn’t want her to leave like that again.
Sunny watched the sun setting over the horizon, on the bridge.
“I’ll go after counting to 50.”
The grim reaper stood behind her like a shadow.
“1.”
His face filled her tearful eyes again. In her previous life, all they had done was misunderstand each other, but in this life, all they did was cry.
“1, 2, 3…”
The grim reaper started to count the passing people again. Sunny looked at him, and wished that he would never be able to count to 50.
“I’m not going to send any news to you about me. We are never going to meet again in this life.”
The grim reaper could only nod. If that was what Sunny wanted, all he could do was nod. He had committed too many sins. Sadness tangled into each other over and over again. His nod hurt her but she was glad that he had nodded.
“Can I hug you?”
The grim reaper hugged her first. For the first and last time.
“Stay well.”
Her voice cracked.
“Goodbye.”
It was a farewell for life.
0 Comments