The chilly weather was gradually subsiding.
Of course, it was still too cold to call it spring. But at least it wasn’t snowing anymore.
The patches of snow that had lingered here and there had completely melted away, and light rain occasionally fell instead.
The sky was almost always a clear, vibrant blue.
It was slightly dry weather, but it wasn’t bad for a walk outside.
In other words, it was quite a nice day.
At the very least, it was a good day to celebrate something joyful.
If I had to pick the time in life when someone can feel the most at ease, I would choose the period right after finishing the college entrance exam and before starting university.
Of course, during the first year of university, there are still many classes to take, but there’s often a lingering sense of relief from all the intense studying the previous year, leading to a tendency to relax a bit.
Some first-year classes are even extensions of high school subjects.
Still, that specific period is the only time when you can truly break free from the burden of “studying.”
Everyone knows how hard the exam preparation period was, and even if there are additional tests at school, they rarely have any real impact on grades.
Unlike high school classes, university lectures don’t follow a national curriculum, and the schedule and timing of classes vary for each person.
Because of that, pre-studying is an ambiguous concept. If you mention previewing high school lessons, people nod in agreement, but if you say you’re previewing university lectures, most would tilt their heads in confusion.
So, well.
It was only natural for Shihyun to feel excited and unable to hide it.
After all, graduating from high school also means you’ve officially taken your first step into adulthood.
It signifies leaving behind the days of being treated like a child and entering an age where you can do everything other adults can.
Though, of course, there’s still a long way to go before truly becoming an adult… even I felt that way.
At the very least, today would be the last time I’d see Shihyun wearing a school uniform.
A crisp white shirt, a slightly dull gray blazer, a gray vest, and a dark wine-colored tie.
It wasn’t a particularly bright or striking uniform. It was plain and common, but it suited Shihyun well. It perfectly fit the image of a student.
I wonder if I looked the same to Shihyun when I was in school.
Of course, it’s impossible to compare my perspective to Shihyun’s equally.
The feelings of someone who has already graduated watching a student graduate and those of someone who will soon graduate watching another graduate are entirely different.
Even so, I wonder if Shihyun might have thought the same thing.
“This is the last time I’ll see my sister wearing her school uniform.”
There’s no rule saying I can’t wear it again. But that wouldn’t mean returning to my school days it would just be for fun, maybe trying it on once.
Neither my high school days nor Shihyun’s will ever return.
But thankfully, we got to share all of those years together.
And because of that, we can part with this time with slightly less regret.
The principal’s long, tedious speech finally came to an end.
The students stood up, sang the graduation song, and soon began chattering as they filed out.
“Hey, Sis! Mom!”
Shihyun ran toward us with a bright smile.
I handed him the bouquet I’d been holding.
The child who used to be smaller than me was now tall enough that I had to look up to meet his eyes.
Does he realize that? I think he started overtaking my height around the time he graduated from elementary school.
But the face looking down at me still seemed so young.
It was hard to believe that this boy was now an adult, just like me.
That’s right.
An adult, just like me.
So… it was the day I decided to finally say the words I’d been putting off.
“Congratulations on graduating.”
Shihyun’s mom was the first to offer her congratulations.
Shihyun nodded and turned his gaze toward me.
I opened my mouth slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said,
“Now you’re a college student, just like me.”
I thought it wasn’t the right time yet. There were still things left to do, and Shihyun’s mom was right there with us.
It felt like it would be better to wait a little longer—until we were alone.
Besides, saying it now would feel too out of the blue.
Shihyun’s mom looked at me and smiled.
Yuri once joked that even Shihyun’s mom probably thought of us as a future married couple… but I doubt it.
At most, she probably saw us as being like siblings.
“Yeah.”
Shihyun nodded with a bright, joyful smile.
“Then now…”
“You need to head to your classroom. Say goodbye to your homeroom teacher for the last time… and then it’ll all really be over.”
At Shihyun’s mom’s words, Shihyun responded, his face still blooming with smiles.
“……”
Seeing Shihyun like that, his mom gently patted his face a few times, as if she were proud of him.
*
It’s been a long time since I last visited this school.
Even though it’s a co-ed school, the classes are separated by gender, so I had never been to this hallway.
The teachers were somewhat strict, so I rarely ventured into the boys’ hallways unless absolutely necessary. Honestly, I found it a bit embarrassing too.
Whenever a student of the opposite gender wandered into the wrong hallway, everyone’s eyes would immediately fix on them.
Still, those who wanted to make friends found ways to do so, and those who wanted to date ended up dating. One of my classmates even started dating a boy without me knowing, which surprised me.
Although the hallways were in different locations, the building felt split in half overall. Other than the staircases being in different spots, it all seemed fairly similar.
The hallway was packed with families who had come to celebrate their graduating children. They were all looking toward the classrooms, occasionally waving when they caught their child’s attention.
“Thank you for everything!”
The students stood up together and shouted in unison. Their homeroom teacher responded with a smile.
The classroom doors opened, and families waiting outside poured in.
Shihyun was chatting with nearby friends.
I don’t remember much about what was said during that time.
Honestly, my memory of everything before and after that moment is hazy. We probably took photos. I remember promising Shihyun and his friends that I would send the pictures later.
Then we stepped out of the classroom.
While descending the stairs, we talked about what to eat. We decided on Chinese food. We left the school, wondering aloud how long it would take for the delivery to arrive once we ordered.
Shihyun looked back at the school with a somewhat wistful expression.
And then—
Before I realized it, we had walked down the hill where the school stood and were standing at the crosswalk.
That’s when it happened.
A loud honk—
A piercing noise ahead startled me, making me flinch.
I remember Shihyun’s mother screaming. Her gaze was fixed on something in front of her. When I saw her covering her mouth in horror, I instinctively turned to look in the same direction.
A little girl was standing there, frozen in place.
She looked utterly shocked, unable to move.
The pedestrian light was still green.
But in the distance, a truck was approaching.
Fast.
Maybe the brakes had failed? Looking back now, I’m not sure. The truck did come to a stop eventually, so maybe that wasn’t it.
I later heard that it was carrying such a heavy load that it couldn’t stop while coming down the slope next to the traffic light.
The driver might have dozed off for just a moment.
I don’t remember the details clearly.
What I do remember is this:
For a split second, I thought about running forward. I thought if I rushed out and pushed the little girl away, she could survive. There was enough distance to save her.
But what about me?
That thought made me hesitate.
I was scared. I knew, without a doubt, that I wouldn’t survive if that massive truck hit me.
In that single moment of hesitation—
There was someone who didn’t hesitate, even for an instant.
A bouquet flew through the air. The flowers scattered their petals as they tumbled, creating an almost surreal image.
I think I screamed.
By the time I moved, it was too late.
The distance wasn’t far.
I reached Shihyun just a moment too late.
In that moment, everything was over.
I fell to my knees on the cold ground.
Shihyun was lying on her side.
With trembling hands, I hurriedly pulled him into my arms, placing his upper body on my lap.
The white outfit he had bought for the day turned red.
His eyes rolled slightly upward, staring blankly at the sky instead of at me.
He still looked so young.
Everything I saw was red—my hands, my clothes.
A sharp, ringing sound echoed in my ears, as if I had heard an explosion.
Something fell from Shihyun’s body. I think I picked it up in a panic. It was still warm.
But it wasn’t enough to bring him back.
Her clothes soaked through, a pungent smell filled the air, and my body wouldn’t stop shaking.
In the distance, I saw Shihyun’s mother sitting on the ground. She must have been freezing.
I opened my mouth.
“Help us!”
I shouted as loud as I could.
“Help us!”
Over and over again.
“Help us!”
It was like I was broken.
I kept shouting like that, probably until the ambulance arrived.