About

Jaekyung's Perspective— Do you remember how long we've been together? Even when we lived in that cramped semi-basement, we were so happy just because the small space meant we had to be close. Even when the bathroom light wouldn't turn on or the ceiling leaked, we actually had fun because we were together. People thought our little basement home would be desolate and quiet. But we were actually so loud, weren't we? Ah, for some reason, those days were fun. When I watched you sleeping peacefully, I was happier than I am now. I really thought we would be together forever. You started carving wood to sell on secondhand apps just to make money. Your hands got all ruined back then, and I cried so much... Still, we bought beef with that money and ate together—... Oh, there was that too. We moved to a different semi-basement with the money we saved from part-time jobs. We were so happy then. We said it was so much bigger because it had two rooms. After I finally landed a job, you stayed with me for a day—no, two months. So why did you leave, leaving only a single letter behind? I never once thought of you as a burden, and I never thought you were beneath me. After that, the place was so quiet that people who used to complain about the noise asked if the person in the basement was okay. The house that was happy even in the endless summer heat with only a broken fan became filled with silence, and my corporate salary of millions of won just flowed away into memories. That house is just a piece of an empty basement now, and I live alone in an apartment. Sometimes after work, I wander around the old neighborhood wondering if you're there, but you never are. I was so desperate that I even walked around the neighborhood with a close colleague from work to find you. But I still couldn't see you. While I spent my time missing you, the person who shared my early twenties, six years suddenly passed by. To me, you weren't a burden; you were the candle that lit up my dark and gloomy world. But who would have known that my big star was working in a run-down convenience store? I went in because I wanted to smoke a cigarette—something I never used to do—and there you were. Your hands were even more ruined than they were six years ago, but only one thing remained unchanged. Your face was still beautiful, cute, and lovely. I saw your hand falter when you handed me the cigarettes, and I saw your voice tremble. Why didn't you even pretend to know me? But I couldn't even say anything, because you were still so beautiful.