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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT- THEIR LOVE STORY━━━━┅━━━┅━━━━

ONE MONTH LATER...

Step by step he made his way to the store he needed to go to.

The flower store.

He could remember it well, he came there to buy red roses. Red roses that symbolized love. The love he felt for her.

Now he came there to buy another bouquet of flowers. But this time it aint roses....

As Riki opened the door of the flower store, the smell of fresh flowers entered his nose. A little bell sounded as he took a step inside.

The same girl as before who was also standing in the flower store turned around.

"Hey!" She began, "Welcome back." She smiled kindly at Riki, remembering him from earlier. He gave her a weak smile back. "Can I help you?" She continued.

Riki looked around and stopped at the red roses. He sighed deeply as he looked at the beautiful bouquet.

The girl walked up to Riki and stood next to him. "Are you looking for red roses again? The flower that stands for love?"

Riki shook his head and looked at her. He exhaled deeply, "I am looking for the flower that represents death or sadness."

"Oh," the girl whispered to herself when she heard what he said. She gulped for a moment and thought deeply.

Did she pass away? His love?

"The flower that represents that are Lilies. They're over there," the girl spoke as she turned herself around and pointed at the shelf on the other side of the store.

-

Riki crouched down and wiped the dust off her tombstone. "Happy birthday, Hyejin," he said as he placed the bunch of flowers on her grave. The Lilies. The flower that stands for death and sadness. "I hope you have an enjoyable birthday, even though it's a sad thing that you're not here right now."

It's been a little over a month since she passed away, but still everyone missed her so much. It's an incredibly painful time for everyone who knew her.

Nothing, but nothing hurt more than her death in front of him.

He still felt a huge sense of guilt and a burden on his shoulders.

Jay scolded Riki every day at school for taking terrible care of Hyejin. That he was a bad influence on her and that he was the reason for her death.

Therefore, Riki can't feel anything but the guilty one.

In the meantime, he has become very close with Jungwon, Sunoo and Sunghoon. They had been talking more and have now become friends with each other as well.

And there wasn't much to say about Jake except that he was sad about everything.

Riki stood up again and looked at her grave for a moment. Tears slowly began to form in his dark brown eyes as he stared at it. It just hurt his heart a little too much still. There was a missing piece. "I'm sorry for everything, love," he said as he let a tear roll down his cheek, "I should have tried harder. Please remember that I love you, Hyejin."

"I love you too..."

Riki gasped and his tears stopped running. He fell completely silent. That familiar voice that spoke behind his back was like a knife stabbing into his heart.

Wow, he missed her voice so much....

"Riki? Are you okay?" She asked as she put her hand on his shoulder.

The boy turned around and saw her standing in front of him. A concerned look expressed on her face.

"This can't be," Riki muttered to herself, "You're not Hyejin. You're just an imagination."

Before he knew it, Hyejin wrapped her arms around his body and hugged him. "I am Hyejin, though. I have missed you."

Riki swallowed and suddenly became dizzy.

His arms hung sloppy next to his body while his body was being squeezed because of Hyejin her hug.

"You're not real."

Hyejin frowned her eyebrows and let go of his body. She took a step backwards as the sun began to set. She looked at him, his facial expression blank and straight. He didn't even blink while staring at her, not believing she's actually here right now.

"You know, Riki?" Hyejin said as she grabbed his hand.

Riki hummed as response.

"If you ever look at the dark sky and see the stars," she continued, "who is the first person that'll pop up in your mind?"

Riki tilted his head slightly, thinking about why Hyejin suddenly asked that question. He didn't know what she meant.

Why should he look at the stars?

He looked up, seeing the sun that was setting. The color of the sky was orange, yellow and red. It looked just like a painting.

Behind that one cloud, a little part of the moon was visible. A few white, shining stars could be seen in the evening sky. The stunning view was making him calm down a little.

"It's beautiful, right?" Hyejin said as she squeezed his hand a little.

Riki looked down at his love, seeing that she was looking up at the sky.

Suddenly, he remembered. He remembered everything that happened.

It was a tuesday night in february. He was walking trough the park as the stars in the sky were the only source of light in the park. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a girl with brown hair looking up to the sky, her back facing him. He also looked up at the sky, wondering why she did that.

The stars looked pretty, though.

He looked back down, only to see that she was looking at him. They made eye contact for a few seconds.

Looking at Hyejin now, she looked quite similair to that girl from back then. Wait...

Wasn't it her? It really was! It was Hyejin!

Riki gasped as he realized it. Now he knows what Hyejin meant when she asked him if they had met before.

"What's wrong?" Hyejin asked as she put both of her hands on Riki's shoulders while carrying a worried expression on her face.

"Nothing," Riki replied shortly and coldly.

"Found out who the stars remind you of?"

"How did you know?"

"I can see it on your face. You're blushing!" Hyejin said excited as she giggled.

Riki touched his face with his index and middle finger, feeling his cheeks were a little hot.

"And," Hyejin continued, "Who is that person that popped up in your mind?"

Riki exhaled deeply. "It's you, Hyejin."

Hyejin her smile slowly faded away. Riki got the feeling that he maybe said something weird.

But before Riki could ask if he did something wrong, Hyejin started jumping up and down with the same smile she wore earlier. "Really?" She laughed, "You're also the one who's popping up in my mind when I see the stars! You'll forever be my starboy!"

Riki his lips curved, seeing Hyejin being happy. When Hyejin calmed down and didn't jump anymore, Riki pulled her into a hug. "Are you feeling better after being hospitalized?"

Hyejin also wrapped her arms around him and nodded as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Yes, luckily."

"Great," Riki smiled while being in her embrace. He missed it, being with her.

"Riki!" Another voice called out. It was a boy's voice.

Riki pulled Hyejin out of the hug. "Wait a second," he said to Hyejin.

Hyejin nodded up and down a few times as Riki turned himself around to see who called his name.

It were Jungwon and Sunoo, running towards Riki.

"Hey guys," Riki said as he smiled at both of them and waved with his right hand.

"Hey Riki," Sunoo began, "Who were you talking to?"

Riki started blushing again, thinking of Hyejin who was standing behing him. "I was talking to Hyejin."

Jungwon and Sunoo their smiles faded away as soon as Riki said that.

"Erm..." Jungwon said while pursing his lips, "You know that she'd died a month ago, right?"

"What do you mean? She's alive! I just talked to her and..." Riki said while turning himself around to face Hyejin, but his words soon faded away as he saw nobody standing there anymore. Riki his mouth fell open as tears formed in his eyes.

"I think you just imagined her," Jungwon said while shrugging his shoulders.

Riki turned back to his friends again. "I swear that I have talked to her!" He shouted angrily as a tear ran down his cheek.

Sunoo looked down. "Riki..."

"No I am sure about that! She even pulled me into a hug!"

Jungwon put his hand on Riki his back. "I think you're not feeling well," He said, "Let's grab a bite to eat with each other."

Riki his tears flowed down his cheeks as he bit his lower lip. "Hyejin, where are you?" He said to himself.

Sunoo also put his hand on Riki his back and they all started to walk away from the graveyard.

Riki took a glance over his shoulder for the very last time, looking at Hyejin her grave.

I guess every love story comes to an end...And so does ours...

"It wasn't hate,it weren't the arguments,it wasn't the overlooked love between us.It was my jealousy. It was all jealousy.And now, because of me, you're there,in heaven.

Please remember Hyejin,I'll always love you.I'll never forget you.I'll forever be your starboy.And you, Hyejin,you'll forever be my stargirl."

"I love you too, forever, Nishimura Riki.My one and only starboy."

- THE END -━━━━┅━━━┅━━━━