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          Jungwon looked at Jihee, whose head rested on his shoulder as they rode the bus to school.

After speaking with her about the choices fate gave him, she kept her silence about the topic. She didn't discuss anything with him, and he couldn't bring himself to raise the case because he was too afraid to say anything. He was too young to decide something with this magnitude, but his parents made it clear that they supported him with whatever he chose to do.

Something inside him wanted to select his stranger side, go out there and travel the realities the same way Jihee does but a part of him couldn't leave the life he already had. It was a decision between complexity and simplicity; both had what he wanted. The simple life has his family, while the complex one has Jihee.

Upon arriving at their stop, he let her go first, and he trailed behind her as they got off the bus. She pushed her hair back and glanced in his direction, looking at him as if she wondered why he was standing there.

"What's wrong?" She asked him; after five seconds or more, she soon guessed that he was thinking about the big decision he had to make. "Did fate give you a time limit?"

"I'm guessing as long as you're still in this reality." He said, following her as she began to walk. "So three months." He hated admitting the truth, and he wanted to remain ignorant that the remaining time they had left was decreasing day by day. The only way for those three months to turn into a lifetime was if he went.

She smiled sadly, refusing to acknowledge that she would soon be forced to leave. "After your practice, let's meet on your family home's roof?" She suggested, but instead of a reply, he put his arm on her shoulder, causing a chuckle to escape her lips. "I'll take this a yes."

He was never a fan of intimacy, but with Jihee, he wanted to be close to her all the time. Similar to how his father acted with his mother. Perhaps his mother was right. Everything about his character came from the qualities of his father. Arriving at school, Jay welcomed them, whose smile was over the roof just by seeing the two together. Oblivious to the fact that time was ticking fast for the two strangers.

Sometimes Jihee would make it very obvious that she has a crush on Jay, so Jungwon always tends to cut their conversations short. He hated being jealous and petty, but what could he do? He was in love, after all. After that, they went on with their day, meeting each other at lunch while Sunoo and Jay sat with them.

By the end of class, she had informed him that she was going home first and she'll see him at their meeting place. She wasn't asking for his permission, so the only reply he could give her was a stay safe.

His game was off after that resulting in multiple scolds from Coach Min. He realized how nervous he was about their conversation later as he sat on the side. It came to the point that he wanted to call in sick and ignore everything again. Following an hour or less, the coach finally dismissed them. As soon as he bid goodbye to his teammates, he immediately left the gymnasium, almost bumping into Byeol.

"Woah, you're in a hurry." Byeol chuckled as he backed away from him.

He smiled and muttered a sorry. "What are you still doing here? Study session?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm here to look for Jihee. I thought she would be watching you. Guess she's not." She pouts as she glances at the gymnasium, where the only people left are Sunghoon and Jake. Her gaze remained a little longer on Sunghoon.

"Why are you looking for Jihee?" Jungwon asked her, and an eyebrow raised upon remembering the two weren't friends, nor were they acquaintances.

"I recently found out that she sent some medicine when I was sick. It was the only one that worked for me, so I want to thank her. Despite our awful relationship, she still helped me." Byeol smiled. "So can you tell her I want--"

She suddenly stopped talking when Sunghoon finally got out of the gymnasium with Jake. His eyes were slightly wide as soon as he made eye contact with his past lover. Jungwon's gaze went back and forth between the two, feeling like he was intruding on something. He again began to wonder how Jihee could do this, casually watching how scenarios like this unfold.

Sunghoon smiled at the girl before pulling his best friend away. Byeol's gaze followed them, and he saw how restless her hands were at that very moment. "Do you like Sunghoon?" He asked.

Immediately turning her head to him, she shook her head hesitantly. "I don't know, and my heart always breaks when I see him. It's weird." She laughed it off, but he could see the pain in her eyes, something he was sure she was unaware of. "Ah, as I was saying, can you tell Jihee I want to talk to her? I want to thank her personally."

He nods. "Of course." Thanking him, she started to walk away.

He was glad to see her better than before, but seeing how she reacted in front of Sunghoon personally realized that the mind may forget, but the heart would never. Then he began to move, feeling an unfamiliar longing forming at the very pit of his chest.

Jihee was alone on the roof, hugging her knees as she stared at the crystal in her wrist tied with a black string.

It's been a while since either of them made it glow. Jihee wondered if they would stay connected despite being in two separated realities. They were both strangers, so the chances of them still being connected are pretty high. But unlike him, she wasn't going to be a stranger forever. She only borrowed this power while he was born with it.

"Stupid stranger rules." She scoffs, resting her head on her knees.

"Jihee? You there?" She heard his voice from below. Raising her head, she caught sight of him climbing to the roof. She was about to extend her hand to help him, but it seemed like he could manage himself alone. "How long have you been waiting here? It's cold." He said, removing his jacket and immediately putting it on her.

She pouts. "I can handle a little bit of cold. I'm a stranger. You, on the other hand--"

"I'm also a stranger, and I can handle a little bit of cold." He proudly says, causing a chuckle to escape her lips. She still wasn't used to the fact that he was a stranger. She wondered how he would manage if they had the same powers.

Or better yet, a life where they weren't called strangers.

"Have you ever imagined how our life would've been if we were normal people?" She glanced at him. "None of us have any powers or anything that could make us different from the rest. Wait a minute, would you even have fallen in love with me if I didn't have any powers?"

"Of course, I would! I'm not too fond of it when you're dependent on your powers. You're capable of great things with or without it. Not to mention you're smart and determined." He explained.

"You're the first-ever person to say that." She said, her mind going back to Ren, who loved it when she used her powers, especially for his benefit. "If you choose to be a stranger and travel to all those realities, you won't have any choice but to depend on your powers."

"Do you want me to?"

She immediately glanced in his direction, and his eyes were dead serious as he looked at her.

"Jihee, tell me to leave, and I'll do it. Tell me you're willing to take the risk with me, and I'll leave with you."

The future suddenly started to flash in her eyes. She saw them in the library of realities choosing a reality to live at. She saw them spending a life together in a place neither of them knew, and they could finally have the simple life both wanted. But the dark side of everything flashes in her eyes. He has his parents and grandmother. He has everything that she lost.

He has a life there; everyone already knows him, and he has a place in this reality. Telling him to leave would mean taking all those away from him, he may not realize it now, but he will because that's how she felt after a few years as a stranger. She wanted a family, someone to take care of her, and someone to love her. She may not remember who her family was, but she missed them and wanted them back. The mind may forget but never the heart.

"We're strangers with two different situations. I left because I wanted a home, but you already have one. Leaving with me will mean you'd have to give everything up. Your parents, your grandmother, Jay, Sunoo, and everyone else. Fate won't erase your memories as she did with me." She explained as if he wasn't aware of what was at stake. "Am I enough of a reason to turn your back on your whole life?"

"Of course you are. I know this is my home, and I'd have to live with the memories for the rest of my life, but it wouldn't feel the same once you leave." He answered. "You'd be taking a part of me when you leave."

"Jungwon, we're not fated for each other."

Jihee repeated the exact words fate had once told her.

His heart dropped despite knowing that they weren't meant to be. But why does it matter? His original destiny has long been ruined since she entered his life. Who he's supposed to end up with may not be the same person anymore. His fate was now in his hands, and he wanted it to be with her.

"Do you want me to go, Jihee?" He asks her. "Because I want to be with you. What matters now is what you want."

The answer immediately formed in her head. Yes.

But she couldn't let him leave everything behind for an uncertain future for both. None of them knew what lies outside this reality. None of them was sure whether their love was strong enough to live on for a hundred more years. She was aware that this approach of hers was cowardly. She hated herself for doubting their love or thinking that they would never be able to handle what the following years have for them. But she couldn't stomach the fact that he would give everything up for her, someone who didn't deserve the kind of love she was receiving from him.

"I want to, but.... don't go with me for your own good."

"You have everything here already, and I know you'll regret your decision if you join me soon. You'll miss everyone you love. I-I've been there." Her heart was breaking as she watched how his expression changed as she told him her decision. He was a mixture of betrayal and hurt, some of the few emotions she never wanted to cause him.

"This reality doesn't have you." A tear dropped from the left side of his eye.

And those other realities won't have you.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled as the tears continued to flow out of her eyes. The weather was starting to be affected as well by her sobs. "I'm sorry." She continued to say sorry as Jungwon held her in his arms.

He soothed her by rubbing her hair as she continued to apologize. He tried to keep his own cries quiet at that moment. He hugged her a little too tight because the truth had finally hit him. He would lose her, and the last three months would be his final moments with her. After that, all he will have left of her was the memories she left.

"I love you no matter where you are or whatever choices you make."

It will always be you.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE :

so i was supposed to write this yesterday but funny story... i fell asleep....

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