12:00 PM

Soojin handed the boy an ice cream and bought one for herself. Though it felt chilly in mornings, at noon it would get warm.

This was strange, she couldn't help but think as the stranger's dark eyes bored onto her. Why was he sticking with her? He didn't seem like he had a motive. She put the cold popsicle on her tongue with the sun scorching from above. "Why are you staying with me?"

"Huh?" He was lost in his surroundings and for a brief second he looked like a deer caught on the headlights.

"Because it might be my last day here too."

She didn't ask anything and stared at him as she licked on her ice cream, suddenly wondering if the boy was suicidal too. After a few seconds, he replied smirking, "I am not dying." It's like he read her mind once again.

"Then?" She slowly raised her eyebrow.

"Moving away I guess. That's why I need something refreshing before I go." He yawned like a cat. "This place is boring as heck."

It was boring. Everyday doing the same work, school, getting those bruises, again and again, being under the pressure, depression everything was just too much for her. But what was his case? She wondered.

It became quiet with only the sounds of the wind and dry leaves falling. Late autumn felt like a bipolar bitch. Balmy and then chilly again like she didn't know which mood to catch on.

The boy's muffled chuckles rung in the air suddenly. She narrowed her eyes at him and he murmured, "I am going to do a cliche thing."

Without further ado, he raised his hand and it stopped right in front of her forehead. He started gently rearranging her bangs which were raffling wildly with the wind. He pulled some hair behind her ear and all the time she was quiet, stiffened like a board.

His fingertips touched her cheek. He was done but didn't remove his hand. He just stayed like that, watching curiously. "Your cheeks are warm."

"What kind of question is that?" She moved away. Was this a new way to flirt? Was he actually a closet pervert?

"Are you really going to do it?" He asked out of blue.

She didn't answer and faced away. "You will regret it." He said.

How would he know? He knew nothing about her, absolutely nothing.

"Anyway, what's your third wish?" He said standing up from where they were sitting, an unfinished bricked wall. "You wanted to go to your school, we did. You wanted someone to like you, you have that now."

She glanced at his unreadable eyes. Was he getting fun from her situation? She licked on her popsicle again.

"I want to see my mom for the last time." It was far from there, where Soojin's mom were. But she really wanted to go.

"Let's go then." He gave a bright smile and she felt a spark of warmth again in her heart.

Soojin noticed that he hadn't taken one single bite of his ice cream. It was melting in his hand. "You didn't eat your popsicle?" Her hazel eyes were fixated on the orange coloured ice that had now melted into a trail of syrup leaving down the boys grip.

He looked at the ice cream as if he was seeing it for the first time.

"I used to like ice cream." He said with a faint smile on face. Then he dropped it on the ground.

2:12 PM

She slept all her way on the bus since she wasn't able to sleep two nights a row.

She couldn't come here often before because the bus tickets weren't that cheap and she was busy. But still, she managed to visit every month.

The boy was awake all the time sitting beside her. When she woke up she found her head laying on his broad shoulder. She startled and jumped away but he had a nonchalant look on his face as he announced that they had reached the place.

She bought white lilies to give them to her mother. Taking a deep breath, she entered the memorial.

There were lots of urns placed in every row. She came right in front a black urn that held her mother's cremated remains.

The white lilies she placed last month had already wilted away, she replaced them with the new ones. There was a photo of her and her mother before the urn. She was 12 in the photo. She looked really happy with her short length hair, smiling like there's no tomorrow with her mom holding her tightly from behind.

Soojin caressed the photo with care. "Hi mom." She whispered.