how can i love the heartbreak, you're the one i love - AKMU

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FLASHBACK

As the stranger was roaming the library of realities, she came upon a book placed neatly on the floor, almost stepping at it if she hadn't been careful. She picked it up and began to read it. It was an ordinary reality, with no magic whatsoever.

She first thought it was too austere for her, but then she realized that a book would never be lying on the floor like that. She looked around, searching for fate, who likes disappearing when the stranger actually wants to talk to her. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she entered the reality without any second thought. She could always leave if it's too dull for her.

Opening her eyes, she was welcomed by the sound of the rustling trees. She looked around, and luckily, it seemed like no one saw what had just unfolded. She continued to walk, her gaze roaming all over as she tried to figure out why such a simple reality would be sitting on the floor just like that. She then reached a bustling city, people dressed in their work attire, children laughing as they crossed the roads, and lovers casually sharing a glass of iced tea.

The stranger groaned. "This is boring." She mumbled to herself, but instead of leaving immediately, she caught sight of an advertisement. It was for a movie, judging by the massive number of people looking at it. There was no doubt it was a famous one.

Since she had nothing to do, she teleported to where the premiere was. Turning invisible, she watched how significant people walked on the red carpet. Exiting a car was an excellent-looking man dressed in a tuxedo, her golden eyes immediately witnessing the fate he was to live.

And in the fate of Park Jay, she saw Yang Jungwon for the first time.

But she thought nothing of him and continued to observe the people waltzing. At the very end, the people's cheers got louder when two people arrived, climbing out of the limousine. There she saw Byeol and Sunghoon, her hand wrapped around her fiance's arm. She was gorgeous, and he was breathtakingly attractive. They were the power couple, as the rumor goes.

Curious why everyone seemed to like the movie so much, she snuck into the theater and sat in one of the empty seats with the popcorn she stole. No one was sitting close to her, plus she was invisible. She was sure no one could see her at that moment.

She didn't expect, though, that she'd end up loving the movie so much.

Tears fell from her eyes as she witnessed a love that she craved, a type of love that sees the good things of the person and everything that came with them, flaws and such. But sadly, such a thing rarely occurs for someone. She didn't even realize she was the only one left in the theater, her face still drenched from tears after finishing the whole movie.

Out of nowhere, a handkerchief appeared in front of her. She looked up at the person who handed her the cloth, and she surprisingly recognized Yang Jungwon standing there. Now that she had met him, she realized how familiar he looked. As if she's met him way before that instant.

But wasn't she invisible? How come he can see her?

Maybe she accidentally removed the spell.

"I can hear you sobbing from where I was sitting." He says, but his gaze is fixated on her eyes. "Are you wearing gold contacts? Or am I just seeing things?"

She then realized that she didn't have an illusion covering her eyes, but she decided to play with his guess since he didn't think any of it. Besides, she was thankful he didn't immediately assume it was magic; otherwise, she would've been in trouble. "I'm wearing contacts." She answered, accepting the handkerchief he offered.

"You love the movie, huh?" He asked as he sat next to the empty seat next to her.

"You didn't cry?"

"I fell asleep."

She laughed. "Is that why you're still here? The movie ended minutes ago."

He nods. "Yeah, but I'll let you in a secret. I was one of the first people to read the script and watch the movie. So it doesn't really matter if I fell asleep." He tells her as if the latter didn't know the relationship he shared with Byeol. "I'm close with both the screenwriter and her fiancé, so I got to see her work before anyone else."

"Is the movie true? Like did all those things happen to them?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I think the movie didn't show the true genuineness of their relationship. The real one is a lot better, trust me." He answers her, smiling at her in a way that made her heart jump. He indeed was very familiar.

"Why are you here with me, though? Shouldn't you be on your way home instead of comforting an emotional girl?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like accompanying you, I guess. Don't get my intentions wrong, though, I'm married, and you look way younger than I am." He quickly cleared his intentions, even backing away to put a little distance between them.

She wasn't a tiny bit surprised that he was married. She saw the ring on his finger when he handed her the handkerchief. "Don't worry. I can tell that's not your intention."

Giving her a kind smile, he glanced at his watch. "I have to go. My wife will kill me if I stay here any longer." He stood up the moment he realized the time, but she remained seated. "I'll get going, get home safe."

The stranger smiled. "Same to you." That was the last thing she said before she watched him walk out of the theater.

A day after, she traveled to ten years ago.

Unknowingly that her story will begin at those very moments.

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Jungwon could only stare at his plate filled with food. He couldn't bring himself to eat or have the energy to do anything. He was beyond drained than anything else after the events that had unfolded last night.

His parents worriedly glanced at their son because of his weird behavior. "Won, are you feeling alright? Are you sick?" His mother asks him, placing the back of her hand on his forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"Jihee." That was his only reply, but that was enough for them to finally understand what had pushed their son to act this way.

"Did she leave?" His father asked him because that was the only thing he could think of that would result in Jungwon acting this way. His silence only served as an answer to his parents, who looked at one another while they tried to figure out what to say.

"Can we talk about this later? I'm sorry, I don't think I can speak about it just yet." He forced a smile for his parents, whose concern didn't change.

Going back to his room, he tucked himself into his bed and stared at the window where she appeared last night. If only he had known that would be his last, he would've held her hand tighter and never let go. His pictures of their trip remained on his phone as a constant reminder that what happened last night was not a dream nor a fraction of his imagination.

Then he glanced at his bracelet, and for most of the night, he stared at it, waiting for it to glow, but nothing happened. He did the same, calling out to her, and still, nothing appeared. He even came to the point that he wanted to speak to fate and ask her for five minutes more but Jihee leaving was enough of a reason to know that nothing comes for free when it comes to fate. While he looked at his phone gallery, a knock echoed around his room, and his parents entered before he could even holler that it was open.

"Why did you open it? What if he doesn't want us inside?" His father's voice was the first thing he heard.

"Our son needs us, and you're seriously saying that?!" The next voice that followed was his mother, who glared at her husband.

Jungwon sat straight to look at his parents while they made their way to his bed, sitting beside him. He felt like a little child in between them, but that didn't seem like a problem to him because right now, he had never needed their presence very much.

"Have you ever left anyone you loved in other realities when you were once a stranger?" Jungwon asked his mother.

She slightly smiled at the fact he was finally speaking to them. "Of course. For the 400 years I have traveled from one reality to another, there are some times I get attached to people, but I had to leave because the reality never seemed right. And it's never easy to leave them behind and accept the truth that I'll never see them again. That's technically what a stranger is, right? You'll pass by them and never see them after."

"I'm sure Jihee is feeling just as sad as you. After all, despite her powers, she's still human inside." She added, putting her hand on Jungwon's back.

"I know it's painful to remember her now; nevertheless, you will recover. Maybe never fully, but you'd be able to reminisce both your memories without the heartache." His father tells him. And at that very moment, he couldn't be any more thankful that they were his parents.

"Are you talking about your ex?" His mother suddenly comments, which brings a glare to his father's face.

"As if you didn't speak about your past lovers from other realities." He says, earning a gasp from her.

Jungwon softly laughs at them. "I love you both." He said, pulling them into a hug.

"We love you more, sweetheart. We're here for you, always."

School was very different without Jihee. Jungwon was thankful that their graduation was fast approaching. He wouldn't have to endure looking at the hallways with only their memories playing in every corner.

As he walked with Sunoo, he suddenly caught sight of Inseong helping someone pick up their stuff which she never used to do, given that she was always the reason their property was on the floor in the first place. He nudged Sunoo, asking him what was happening with Inseong.

"Maybe she hit her head?" Sunoo whispers back, earning another nudge from his best friend, only this time harder. "Ow! I was just saying!"

"I think your girl knocked some sense into her." Sunghoon suddenly appeared next to Sunoo, surprising the younger in the process. "Oops, sorry, pres." He laughs, earning a glare from Sunoo.

"Jihee?" Jungwon asked, and Sunghoon replied with a nod. "Sounds like something she would do." He shrugged, acting casual so they wouldn't be suspicious of her current whereabouts.

"Speaking of Jihee, where is she? I haven't seen her in a while." Sunoo asked, which caused Jungwon to look away as he struggled to find an answer. "Jungwon?"

"Uh, Sunoo, I think they're making a mess. You're the student president, right?" Sunghoon says, pointing at the students making a mess in the hallways. Sunoo headed in that direction with a groan, leaving only Sunghoon and Jungwon behind. "What happened to Jihee?"

Jungwon looked at him, and curiosity was plastered all over the latter's face. "She's... somewhere." He kept his reply vague because he didn't know how much Sunghoon knew about Jihee.

Sunghoon immediately understood what he meant. "I hope she's alright somewhere."

"Do you like Jihee?" Jungwon crossed his arms as he asked his friend that. What he didn't expect was that Sunghoon would laugh at his question.

"I wouldn't say I like her the same way you do. It's quite closer to admiration." He tells him. "I don't like her. I admire her."

Jungwon couldn't help a smile from surfacing his face. "Everything about her is admiring." Both their attention was stolen by Inseong, who walked past them without even waving at Sunghoon like she usually did. "Jihee must've knocked a lot of sense into her to act like that."

"Only she could do that after all." Sunghoon laughed.

He was happy at the very least because now he knew it wasn't just him who Jihee changed for the good or the worse. She left a mark on everyone which will forever stay in their hearts.

A year later, Jungwon found himself in the comfort of a pastry shop as he stared at the box he had received from someone. The sender wrote no name on the package or even a letter, so he concluded the only way he could learn who the sender was by opening it.

He used the scissors he had brought with him. He opened the box only to see a piece of paper lying flat on the bottom. The sender folded it neatly, and the signature was written clearly.

Stranger.

"Jihee." A name that had not escaped his lips for so long suddenly came out upon realizing now who sent the box to him.

Immediately grabbing the paper, he opened it to see a short message written on it. Even if a year passed, Jihee face remained vivid in his memories, but her voice was close to forgotten. How he wished he could hear her in his dreams, or he could at least find a way to connect with her as he did back then. But after so many attempts, he came to accept the truth that it was near impossible.

Jungwon,

It's March 14, right?

I hope you're doing well, and I really wish there's a way I'd know what kind of lie you came up with to cover up my leave. I'm sure future me is doing alright, don't worry.

14/3, 1:43 PM. I love you.

His smile vanished when he read the last line of the letter. It was as if Jihee had planned everything to when and where he would receive and read her letter. A waitress suddenly arrived with a cup of coffee on hand-- which she almost dropped if it hadn't been for her carefulness, pulling him out from his trance.

"Are you okay?" Jungwon asked her, and she gave him a shy nod as she placed the cup on his table.

"Sorry, it's my first day here. I'm not used to holding a cup full of coffee." She apologized, scratching the back of her neck nervously. "I almost spilled coffee on your letter. I'm sorry."

He shook his head, reassuring her it was alright. "It's fine. You didn't spill it, so there's nothing to be sorry about."

Smiling at him, she was about to walk away from him. He would go back to his business initially if he had not caught sight of the final words in Jihee's letter once more. After taking a sharp breath, he called out to the waitress again, stealing the latter's attention.

"What's your name?"

When you see and meet her, love her more than you ever did with me. Don't worry. You'll know it's her.

He knew it was her. There was no explaining how exactly. He just looked at her, and somehow he felt a shift in the air. And when he first saw her, he sensed that there was more to her. There was no explanation; he just knew she was who Jihee talked about.

She didn't even question why he was suddenly asking for her name. She just answered. "I'm Hyun."

"I'm Jungwon."

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As Jihee opened her eyes, she knew she was back in the library of realities, and for the first time, fate stood in front of her to welcome her back.

"Welcome back, stranger." Her voice remained the same as it had always been, proving that she felt no remorse for what she had just made the stranger experience. "I take it you had fun on your trip." The stranger glared at her, but she continued walking to the room fate gave her so she could take a rest. But fate didn't stop talking, and the stranger was left with no choice but to listen to whatever she had to say.

"I never thought you'd want to stay in such a simple reality. I've always seen you in a more adventurous one." She comments. "When I had planned this punishment, I was never sure if you'd even take the bait."

The stranger glanced back at fate. "You won, fate. I learned my lesson. Just give me a break."

"You're the strongest stranger I have come to witness. You can rival the Gods if you please. You could even replace me with the right motivation. But you're too rash, you lose control of your powers, and that could pose a threat." Fate's tone suddenly got serious. "You put justice in your hands way too much when that's not even the job of a stranger. You needed to learn your lesson, and meeting Jungwon was the only way I could do that."

Her fist clenched, but she had nothing to fire back when fate was correct. Meeting Jungwon may have been her punishment, but those were the best moments of her life. She wondered if the time when she would be able to experience that much happiness would happen once again. It took Seona 400 years to find her home. How much longer must she endure before finding another reality that could make her feel at home than the last one?

"Thank you, fate, for letting me meet him even if it's a punishment." She said, forcing a smile for fate, who was caught by surprise because of the stranger's unexpected response.

She looked back at her bracelet, and a tear slipped out of her eye once it sunk into her that she'll no longer see him. She was doomed to only see her lover's face in the memories that will soon fade by every movement time makes.

We could've had everything, but now we're left with nothing.

Soon, Jihee disappeared into the library, where 500 years later, she finally found a home.

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"You're mean, fate. You did them so wrong." The new stranger comments after fate finish her narration of Jihee and Jungwon's story.

Fate softly laughs as she leans into her seat, remembering those days when Jihee used to be the stranger under her care. Now, there was a new person who wasn't as strong as his predecessor yet was quick to control his powers. Something Jihee didn't learn until her 250th year as a stranger.

"What happened to them both? Did they ever find a way to connect again?" He asked, immersed in the story of the two lovers.

She crossed her arms. "They have always been connected. It's a matter of how they'll use it to their advantage."

"So did they?"

She shook her head. "They never figured it out. Still, they were quite contented with the lives they ended up with. They both ended up with their true love and lived happily ever after, just not in the arms of their greatest love."

The stranger was dismayed to hear the ending, not when he wished for them to meet at least for the last time, and fate could see right through him that this was not what he had expected when she began to tell the story.

Shortly after, the stranger took his leave to enter another reality to clear his mind. On the other hand, she stayed on her seat staring at her typewriter, the story of the two lovers still in mind. Then she began to write another reality, where this time fate was on their side, and they had everything they could wish for.

They may have never ended up together, but that didn't change the fact that there was a space in both their hearts, ready to make way if ever they were given a chance. There was never a moment when they weren't looking at the unknown, imagining how the other was coping. It may have never been easy for them to accept their conclusion, but there came a time when they did.

Fate, for once, smiled genuinely as the memories of their final moment replayed in her head.

"Let this new reality be my apology for stealing the one you could've had." She spoke as she finished the last pages of her new reality.

And once fate finished the book, she carefully put it on her shelf, bringing life to its words.

She looked at it proudly.

"Have fun on your new story, my strangers."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE :

thank you note is next hehe <333