Mina sighed, bracing herself to tell the story she had carried in silence for so long. "I didn't know I was pregnant when I left," she began, her voice trembling. "I was only four weeks along, and there were no signs. It wasn't until I was in Japan that I realized. By then... it was too late to tell Chaeyoung."

Hyuga's expression darkened, the weight of her words settling heavily on his shoulders. "He would've been so happy," he whispered, his voice breaking. "He always dreamed of being a father."

Mina nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "I know," she said, her voice barely audible. "But he never got the chance..."

Hyuga knelt before Aki, studying the boy closely. "You know, Aki," he said with a faint smile, "you look just like your daddy. The same eyes, the same smile... you're like little Chaengie."

Aki giggled, oblivious to the sorrow that laced Hyuga's words. Mina turned away, clutching her chest as tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

"I have something for you," Hyuga said suddenly, pulling a bracelet from his pocket. It was frayed and stained, the dried blood a stark reminder of that fateful day. Mina's breath hitched as she recognized it—the bracelet she had made for Chaeyoung.

"I always bring this along with me," Hyuga said, his voice heavy. "Hoping that one day... I can give this to you personally. I'm glad that I finally met you."

Mina reached for the bracelet with trembling hands, holding it tightly to her chest. Memories of Chaeyoung flooded her mind—his gentle smile, the way his fingers brushed against hers when she tied the bracelet around his wrist. She closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face.

"Hyuga," she whispered, her voice breaking, "what.. what happened to him that day? Why... why did it have to end like this?" Mina muttered all her courage to ask what had really happened that night.

Hyuga hesitated, his own grief raw and unspoken. "You know," Hyuga started, his voice thick with emotion, "Chaeyoung went to the airport that day. The day you left. He was there, waiting for you. He arrived early in the morning and stayed until late into the night, hoping to catch a glimpse of you. But...he never got the chance to see you. You had already gone."

Mina's breath hitched as she listened, her heart breaking with every word. She clutched the bracelet Chaeyoung had left behind, her knuckles whitening as memories of him flooded her mind. As she imagined Chaeyoung, sitting alone, waiting for a goodbye that would never come.

"After hours of waiting," Hyuga continued, his voice soft and almost defeated, "Chaeyoung left the airport. He couldn't bear to go home, so he went to the park instead. The park where the two of you first met. He sat there, alone, probably thinking of you. Maybe even hoping that, somehow, fate would bring you back to him."

The weight of the moment pressed down on Mina, and tears began to well up in her eyes. She could almost see him there, sitting on that familiar bench, his heart heavy with the pain of their parting.

Hyuga's voice faltered as he reached the most painful part of the story. "That's when Tetsu found him," he said, his tone darkening with anger and grief. "Chaeyoung was vulnerable, lost in his thoughts, and Tetsu saw his chance. He sat down beside him, pretending to be just another passerby."

Mina's world spun as the truth hit her like a physical blow. She fell to her knees, clutching the bracelet as if it could somehow bring Chaeyoung back.

"When Chaeyoung noticed him, it was already too late," Hyuga said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tetsu didn't waste any time. He pulled out a gun and... shot him. Point-blank. Right in the head."

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, suffocating and unbearable. Mina's knees buckled, and she sank to the ground, clutching her chest as sobs wracked her body. The image of Chaeyoung, her Chaeyoung, being taken away so cruelly and abruptly was too much to bear.

Hyuga knelt beside her, his own tears streaming down his face as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. I wasn't there to stop it," he said, his voice breaking. "By the time I found out, it was already over. Tetsu had taken him from us.".

Mina shook her head, the pain too raw, too fresh despite the years that had passed. "He was alone," she choked out, her voice trembling. "He was all alone."

"He was thinking of you, Mina," Hyuga said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Until the very end, he loved you. And he would've loved Aki more than anything."

Mina sobbed, her tears falling onto the bracelet as Aki came to her side, his small arms wrapping around her.

"Mommy, don't cry," Aki said softly, his innocent voice breaking through her despair.

Mina clutched Aki tightly, the boy looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes, unaware of the tragedy that had shaped his existence. "I never got to say goodbye," she whispered, her tears falling onto her son's soft hair. "I never told him how much I loved him."

Hyuga sighed deeply, his own grief mirrored in his eyes. "He knew, Mina," he said. "He always knew. And even though he's gone, a part of him lives on in Aki. You and Aki are the legacy of his love. That's something Tetsu could never take away."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the story settling over them like a storm cloud. Mina looked up at the sky, the same sky Chaeyoung had once told her to look at whenever she missed him. But now, that sky felt emptier, its vastness a cruel reminder that he was no longer beneath it, looking up with her.

Mina's heart swelled with emotion. Aki was their little miracle, the only piece of Chaeyoung he had left, and Mina would do everything she could to raise him in the way his father would have wanted.

Before Hyuga bid his farewell he gave Mina a sad smile "I wish things had turned out differently. I really do. I wish Chaeyoung could have been here to see this. To see you, to see Aki grow up."

"Me too," Mina whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered the last day they had spent together. The last time Chaeyoung had held her close, promising that no matter what happened, they would always be together, no matter the distance. And now... now he was gone.

"Take care of Aki," Hyuga said, his voice thick with emotion. "He's your future. And he's everything Chaeyoung left behind." Hyuga said before disappearing from their sight.

She looked down at Aki, who was playing in the grass, laughing and running around. He was so much like Chaeyoung, and every time she looked at him, she saw the man she had loved.

She bent down and scooped Aki into her arms, holding him close as the sun began to set. The cool breeze brushed against her skin, and she could almost feel Chaeyoung's presence as if he was still here with them.

"Mommy, look at the sky. It's so beautiful," Aki said, his voice full of wonder.

Mina looked up, tears started streaming down her face. The sky was painted in shades of orange and pink, the sunset reflecting the love and loss she had carried for so long. And at that moment, she knew that Chaeyoung was still with her, in the sky, in the air she breathed, in the heart of the son they had created together.

"Yeah, Aki," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Daddy's watching us from the sky."

As she held Aki in her arms, Mina felt a cool breeze that enveloped her, as if Chaeyoung were embracing her one last time. Mina closed her eyes, listening to Aki's giggles, feeling the warmth of his love, and knowing that no matter how far apart they were, Chaeyoung would always be with them.

"I miss Daddy so much," Mina whispered, her heart aching. "But I'm so glad that you're here with me, my little Chaengie."Aki wiped away her tears with his tiny hands, his innocent smile bringing a glimmer of hope in the midst of the sorrow. "Don't cry, Mommy."As they watched the sunset together, Mina realized that even though Chaeyoung was no longer by her side, his love would never fade. It would live on in Aki, in the sky, in every moment they shared.

Chaeyoung and Mina took different paths in their life, but Mina's grateful that their paths crossed when they did, during the halfway point of her journey. 

She knows that Chaeyoung is patiently waiting for her at the end of her path, and one day, they will be together again.

"Wait for me, Chaeyoung," she whispered. "One day, we'll be together again."

And as she held Aki tightly, Mina vowed to keep Chaeyoung's memory alive—in every laugh, every tear, and every moment they shared..

Fin.