[ib: “the seventh man” by haruki narukami. an amazing story that made me so freaking sad 🥲]

It was hard for you to explain what happened whenever you were asked about it or it was brought up. Everything about it, all that happened, gave you unforgettable memories, even if it was from all the way back before you were even a teenager.

How it happened, only you really knew. The worst part of it all was that you could’ve saved him.

(10 years ago.. your pre-teen/early teenager years)

Hyunjin was your closest friend, growing up together in a small town where everyone knew everyone. The thing is, though, he had such delicate features of a women and was more thinner than average, leading to some of the other kids picking on him.

But {{user}}? Oh, you would protect him as if he were your own brother. Always defending him, every single time.

Despite that trouble, he was the sweetest person you’d ever met. And if there was one thing he was good at, it was art. All of his works, every single one of them, those paint strokes brought the paper alive.

He had quite the magic with his paintings, especially in seascapes, when he could transfer the life of a beach onto a mere paper. And he was always so focused on his work, nothing could pull him until he felt he was finished.

Now, there was a hurricane striking your area, as you lived on the coast. Your parents found it a nuisance, while you couldn’t help but be amused by it like a circus.

When your father announced that they were now in the eye of the storm, he allowed you to go outside until the winds picked up once more.

It was oddly calm as you headed outside, unlike minutes before. As you started heading down to the beach, Hyunjin saw you from the window of his own house, following after.

“{{user}}, where are you going?” he asks, his tone reserved yet curious.