"Sensei... I found it."
His voice was soft, still carrying a trace of moisture, yet filled with an innocent excitement.
He pointed toward the sky, though his eyes never left mine. It felt as though he wanted to tell me something, yet words were unnecessary. Perhaps because everything he wished to say had already been written in his eyes, hidden between the blooming cherry blossoms.
Even so...
I wanted to hear it from him.
"What did you find?" I asked quietly, lifting my gaze toward the heavens.
"The stars... don't they look like they've drawn her?"
He finally turned his eyes to the night sky.
I couldn't understand what she meant.
"Who are you talking about?"
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"The girl I'm in love with... my cold summer dawn."
The moment she said those words, I knew exactly who she meant—the actress and singer she admired so dearly.
Without another word, she began to dance.
Her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. The wind tossed her messy hair across her face, yet she didn't care. She spun faster and faster, as though she'd found her reason to live once again.
A small smile escaped my lips.
"You'll never reach the sky with dancing like that."
I teased her.
But if I were being honest...
She reminded me of an unpolished diamond.
Beautiful, despite not knowing it yet.
I waited for an answer, but she ignored my words, continuing to dance.
The cold night breeze moved with her while the velvet sky transformed into countless lanterns, their light spilling over her figure.
A few moments later, he suddenly stopped.
She stared directly at me.
It looked as though se wanted something, but unless she said it aloud, I couldn't understand.
"Dance with me."
Her angelic smile slowly twisted into something mischievous.
Then she stepped closer.
Instinctively, I took a step back.
I shook my head, silently telling her I didn't know how.
But he only came closer.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me firmly beneath the center of the starlit sky.
It was as if she wanted to introduce me to her world.
My body stepped inside it...
But my heart already knew I didn't belong there.
she gently lifted my right hand, rested her other hand on my shoulder, and without thinking, I placed mine around her waist.
We began to dance.
Slowly...
A strange sense of peace spread through my entire body.
"Promise you'll go out with me tomorrow, okay?"
She really was like a snake.
A clever one.
It felt as though this entire moment had existed only so she could use it to trap me.
"...Alright. We'll go out tomorrow."
Those simple words quietly disappeared into the night.
And before either of us realized it...
The evening came to an end.
I said goodbye to her and left the hospital.
I climbed into the first taxi I could find and watched the city disappear behind the window.
I was exhausted.
But not so exhausted that I couldn't replay everything that had happened today.
For some reason...
Her eyes still reminded me of painful memories.
Of a past I desperately wanted to forget.
I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cold window.
Sleep was beginning to pull me away...
Until the taxi stopped.
Reality welcomed me back.
I got out of the car, entered my apartment building, and stopped in front of my door.
Then I saw it.
A navy-blue envelope.
Sealed with a crimson wax stamp.
My heart began to tremble on its own.
I bent down with shaking hands and picked it up.
For some reason...
The first person who came to mind was Souho.
I entered my apartment, switched on the living room lights, and sat on the couch.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
Warm sweat clung to my skin.
I closed my eyes.
That face appeared again.
But I couldn't see it clearly anymore.
It was as though even my memories had grown tired of me.
After taking a deep breath, I finally opened the envelope.
There was no return address.
Only two simple words.
Please read it.
For a moment...
My entire body froze.
I unfolded the letter.
The very first thing I saw was a familiar name.
A name I hadn't seen in a very long time.
Seyah.
My heart felt as though it were breaking apart.
"Why won't you let me go... even now?"
I whispered to myself.
Yet...
I still began to read.
To my dear Kai,
I'm writing this letter to you...
But honestly, I don't know why.
Maybe because I've missed you more than I could ever admit.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry that I couldn't walk the same path as you.
I'm sorry that I left you to carry everything alone.
Today, I met an elderly couple.
Even after all those years, the love between them hadn't faded.
And somehow...
They reminded me of you.
For a moment, I wondered...
Could we have become like them?
Could we have loved each other for a lifetime?
Maybe.
But perhaps that dream was never meant to become reality.
Even if I can no longer be the one standing beside you...
Please.
Stop letting the past hurt you.
Start a new life.
I truly...
Love you.
—Sia
It wasn't a long letter.
Yet every sentence was overflowing with emotion.
By the time I finished reading...
My face was soaked with tears.
I hugged the letter tightly against my chest.
Then I noticed something still inside the envelope.
A lock of freshly cut hair.
"...I'm sorry, Sia."
The words slipped quietly from my lips.
Maybe this was a goodbye.
Or maybe...
Just one final pause before fate separated us once and for all.