The night sky was still awake when MK opened his eyes.
He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep on the rooftop.
The notebook lay open on his lap, its pages fluttering in the early morning wind.
He looked down at what he had written.
The words felt raw, like they had been pulled straight from his chest.
> "Dear Mi-un,
If you are reading this, then I am no longer here.
I don't want you to cry. I want you to remember that we looked at the same stars.
You were the first person who made me feel alive, even when I was dying.
Don't forget me. I really love you.
Whatever happens, if I'm gone… please stay happy.
Promise me you won't cry.
—MK"
He exhaled slowly.
His chest ached, but there was a strange calmness in it now, like a storm that had passed.
Just as he stood up to head back inside, Sandeep appeared at the door.
"You're still awake?" he asked, his voice quiet.
MK nodded, holding the notebook close.
"I just… needed to finish something."
Sandeep walked over and stood beside him.
The horizon was beginning to glow faintly.
Dawn was coming.
"Looks like the sun's about to rise," Sandeep said.
"Yeah," MK replied softly, smiling.
"Before the sun rises, I wanted to say goodbye."
They both stood there in silence as the first light of morning painted the sky.
MK closed his eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of the rising sun touch his face.
It was the last time he would see it.
That morning, MK didn't go to school.
He stayed home, quiet, watching the world slowly wake up.
The letter sat on his desk, sealed in an envelope with Mi-un's name written on it.
Somewhere far away, in Cambodia, Mi-un was just waking up too.
She yawned, stretched, and glanced at her phone.
She didn't know it yet, but her life was about to change.