[ . . . ]
ON THE EIGHTH DAY, THE ANGEL HAD VISITED THEM AGAIN. Somehow, the angel had not been surprised to see her there. Rather, they seemed familiar with one another. And when Sunghoon looked into her eyes, he could see that they were the same as the angel's. Other than that, he paid no more attention to it. Her eyes could be a mere coincidence.
The angel had asked him if he was ready to die.
He was.
Sunghoon had always been ready to die.
What he hadn't been ready to do, was leave her. Ultimately, Sunghoon knew there was no way around it. No matter how much he tried, it would be to no avail. In the end, their forever was only a pretty lie to cover the harsh truth. There was no forever in the world.
With his forehead against hers, the two sat on the porch, the sun setting in the horizon. Orange hues stretched across the sky. In its own way, it resembled the phoenix. Every night, the sun drowned behind the horizon, only to be reborn the next day, travelling across the sky anew.
Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, droplets landing against the stone beneath them. Hands touched her cheeks, thumbs gently drying the tears. He could feel her pain, it touched his heart in ways he could never have foreseen. Strings wrapping themselves around his heart, tight they tugged, almost like they were trying to rip it out of his chest.
Sighing, he pulled her closer, wishing to freeze time.
[ . . . ]