The One Who Got Away

Chapter 1

In this day and age of emails and social networks, snail mail is a rarity for the average young adult but Sandy was another story. She receives an envelope regularly from the same person, Soonho Choi, manager of kpop royalty, Kwon Jiyong aka G-Dragon.

Another one of those envelopes came in for her today. There was nothing out of the ordinary with the envelope. Just your run of the mill registered mail. Bom, her roommate and best friend commented casually, "Ooh, it's another one. Yippee." She didn't even give it a second look afterwards as she continued skipping out of their unit to go to work.

The first few times that Sandy got them, Bom bugged her to say something about the envelopes. But after six years, Bom knew better than to waste her saliva on convincing Sandy to spill the beans. At least she no longer plans on throwing the merchandise away. She gave Bom permission to do whatever she wants with the occasional packages when they arrive.

Sometimes the envelope was accompanied by a package filled with promotional stuff. Sometimes it contains free tickets to the singer's concert. Sometimes it just contains behind the scenes pictures while Big Bang was on tour.

She would never bat an eyelash when Bom opens the deliveries but Bom knew better. She knew her friend was hurting. She had a suspicion that these envelopes had something to do with why Sandy looked like a patient from a psyhiatric facility when they first met.

Sandy's identity before they met was a mystery to Bom. Sandy answered Bom's advert for a roommate on the student bulletin board. All she knew was that Sandy was a transferee under the theater arts program. If Bom wasn't in desperate need for someone to share the rent, she wouldn't have taken Sandy in as a roommate. She looked like someone whose one step away from going bonkers. She was actually on the verge of rejecting Sandy as a roommate when something stopped her. The girl looked as if another rejection would push her right over the edge. Bom didn't have the heart to add more pain to the wounded look in her eyes so she took her in.

She always had a faraway look in her eyes. She spoke only when talked to. She dressed in drab black and grey colors. Her hair was long and almost always covering her face that she could even give Sadako a good run for her money. Later when they became close, Bom even took to calling her Sandako in reference to her depressing state then.

Sandy never said much about what happened to her before. All Bom knew was that after three months of them being roommates Sandy underwent a miraculous 180 degree transformation. One afternoon, she came home with a new haircut and expertly done ombre highlights. Bom couldn't believe her eyes but damn the girl was wearing a blindingly, spotless, white shirt dress. And most of all she was freaking smiling when she came in.

She stared dumbfounded at Sandy for a couple of minutes not quite sure if she was hallucinating or not. After realizing that the girl in front of her was indeed Sandy and not an apparition she said, "Who did the exorcism for you? Tell me. I'm going to give him a big, fat bonus. Damn, girl, welcome back to the land of the living."

Sandy smiled brightly and apologized to Bom for being such a nutcase of a roommate for the past months. Bom laughed and gave her a big hug. She was so happy for Sandy. The girl left their apartment a freaking dementor and came back looking like she could cast an endless stream of Patronuses on demand 24/7.

Six months after the said transformation, Sandy received the first of those envelopes. It was the only envelope that she opened herself. Her mood shifted that day, a forlorn look crossing her face. Bom was a little nervous that her friend might relapse back into the dark ages but the following morning Sandy emerged from her room with a smile on her face.

A month later another delivery from the same person came in. Sandy looked disinterested but gestured to Bom that she could open the box when she saw her friend eyeing the box curiously for the nth time. Bom did not need much encouraging. She tore through the packing tapes and the bubble wraps.

"Oh my gosh, girl. These are limited edition G-Dragon merchandise. You've got a very well-connected friend." Bom laid the items on top of their coffee table. "What are you planning to do with these?"

"Throw them in the trash or do whatever you want with them. It doesn't matter to me."

"You sure? These are really good stuff that you've got." Sandy just shrugged and continued sipping her coffee.

Bom clapped her hands together with glee. "You sure you won't regret it later?" Sandy just shrugged. "Yipee. I'm keeping the cd, then the rest I'll either give as gifts or I'll sell them online."

After about six or so repeat performances of the same scenario whenever the deliveries come in, Bom stopped asking. It became a routine for them. Bom would open them up and go through with everything and Sandy would act as if she doesn't give a fxxk.

Any merchandise or tickets were all hers for the taking. The pictures and the notes, Bom stored in a cute box hidden on the top shelf of their linen cabinet. She's saving them for whenever Sandy finally summons enough interest to read them. Although Bom suspects the avoidance comes more from lack of courage to find out what's in them rather than from lack of interest.

Sandy didn't say anything about the pictures and the notes but Bom felt that these ones were sent on a more personal vein. Almost half of the pictures were unpublished. Bom checked online. Soonhoc must trust Sandy that much to be sending her these snapshots.

Some of the pictures were of GD and Big Bang before, during and after performances but there were others that showed Jiyong wihout the stage makeup and the eyeliner, looking lost and sad. The emotion on his face looked pretty much the same to Sandy's when she thinks no one is looking.

No matter how normal Sandy looks and acts these days, Bom could still catch glimpses of the sad girl that she met years before. It comes and goes especially when Sandy thinks no one's looking but Bom knew better. So she stored them because she had a feeling the day would come when someone might just find some form of healing from those items.