Eunae woke up still sitting by the shore. Her head rested on his shoulder and one of his arms now wrapped around her torso.

“Feeling better?”

Slightly squirming from his hold, she squinted her eyes just right in time for her jaw to drop.

The beautiful sunset had now sat perched on the horizon, embracing her with so much warmth and hope. It was a welcoming scenery of tranquility, reminding her that whatever misery she had gone through for the day would somehow end in a few coming moments.

“Hmm.”

Without any word unsaid, they stayed silent for the next minutes, enjoying the mesmerizing sundown performing right before their eyes.

Enchanting would had been a total understatement to describe how it looked. It went over and beyond the magnificence of the broad daylight which had always been her favorite setting to witness.

Eunae had been swept by the grandeur of the view’s simplicity that it took a while before she realized that the little girl was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Yeri?” Anxiety and worry dripping from her tone, as she abruptly sat up.

The man chuckled and only shook his head, “She’s with Mom and Dad, don’t worry.”

Almost instantly, she let out an assured sigh before bringing her knees closer to her chest. Settling her chin above her kneecap, she took a deep breath before uttering the words she had been eager to tell him.

“Thank you,” Eunae mumbled, “Thank you for listening.”

“I have the entire week to listen to you if you want to.”

Eunae chuckled before shaking her head, “Thank you, but I have to humbly decline. I’m so dehydrated already,” she stopped and gave him the most genuine smile she could ever sport. “I never knew opening up to a stranger would be this good. Why does is it feel like this?”

She was slightly confused when he suddenly froze in place and locked his eyes on her.

Could it be that her smile was that creepy? She winced at the thought before hearing him chortle out of the blue.

“Because we’re strangers,” he said, making her head tilt to the side.

“We’re strangers with no connection; no relation; no history—we have nothing and got nothing to do with each other,” he gave her a quick smile before gazing back at the sunset.

“There are things we can’t tell the people we care for because we don’t want them to worry—we don’t want to be a burden. And that’s the reason why opening up to a stranger is sometimes easier—you can just spit out everything you wanted to say without fretting.”

Momentarily dazed, Eunae eventually found herself smiling and nodding back after getting what he meant.

He was right—it was true.

There were a lot of things she could not confide with her mother. She did not want Eunha to know what she was going through—Eunae did want her to worry neither to remember the past they had both left behind—the same past that almost took her mother away from her.

She did not want to be a disappointment when she promised she would never give away her heart so easily—that she would never let anyone take her for granted nor settle for less than she deserved—that she would never walk on the same path that Eunha did.

But then, life happened.

And that was why Eunae was very thankful to the strangers she met. She felt she owed them big time that she was still breathing, and her heart was still beating.

They saved her—they saved her for today.

And she could not help but wonder if she would be able to meet another stranger that could possibly save her tomorrow.

“Hello?”

Her thoughts were cut off when his phone rang. While he answered the person from the other end of the line, Eunae looked back at the dazzling sunset painting the horizon.

The sight was breathtaking as the horizon of the above and the horizon of the below seemed to meet halfway. She loved how the sundown was reflected on the waters, making it seem like another portrait of art.

“I have to go,” he looked at her tenderly and scratched the back of his head shyly. “You can come with me if you’d like. My parents wanted to meet you, too. It looks like Yeri have been blabbering non-stop about you ever since she woke up.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’d rather stay for a while,” Eunae shook her head lightly, before letting out a giggle.

She could see how worried he was, seemingly unsure to leave her alone “Don’t worry, I’m already fine. Go ahead and see your parents.”

He nodded before locking his eyes on hers, “From a stranger to another stranger, I want you to know you deserve better; you deserve the most authentic love there is in this world just like everyone does. You’re worth loving and I hope you see that in you,” he tucked his hands in the pockets of his boardwalk shorts before gently smiling at her. “You’re broken open, and you don’t deserve this—that isn’t love.”

“Thank you,” Eune struggled to say, as another set of salty liquid pricked her eyes.

It was probably the first-time in a while of having tears brimming her eyes caused not by pain but by an overwhelming feeling of being appreciated—of being worthy more than she could ever see herself as.

Her lips trembled and before anything happens, she stretched her lips into a smile that reached her eyes.

“I’ll always remember that. Kindly extend my gratitude to Yeri. Tell her I’m very grateful to meet a gleeful little girl, and I’ll always hope the sunshine within her will never burn out. I’ll play with her if we ever cross paths again.”

“And from a stranger to another stranger too,” she stopped, letting the tears to finally roll down her cheeks. “I’d like to say thank you—thank you for saving me.”

As their gazes lingered on each other, taking the very last few glimpses of memorizing each other’s features, they exchanged a known smile before bobbing their heads—an indication of their utmost farewell.

As the man turned his back on her, Eunae consequently shifted her gaze back to the sundown. Wanting to get a clearer view of the dazzling masterpiece, she stood up and head to the waters.

But before she could even take a single step, a familiar voice hollered, making her halt.

“I don’t want us to remain as strangers,” he yelled from a distance. “If you don’t mind, may I know your name?”

“Eunae!” She yelled cheerfully, before smiling even wider as the wind blew her hair. “Kim Eunae!”

“Kim Eunae,” he repeated, over and over again as if chanting like a mantra he did not want to forget.

Before he could leave, Eunae yelled back, sounding more ecstatic than ever, “And you?”

“Stephen!” He yelled with the widest smile she had seen on him today. “Oh Stephen!”

And with the last nod and last beam to each other, they finally strode towards their separate ways—two different paths that were somehow never meet halfway.

As Eunae set her eyes back to the horizon, a knowing smile painted her lips. One that she barely had for quite a while now.

She would never forget his name—she would never forget them.

She would engrave all the memories she had with them in her heart and in her mind. It was the most she could do to give thanks for owing them big time. And if time could even permit, she hopefully wished that they could cross paths again.

Maybe somehow, somewhere, someday—only time could tell.

Oblivious of what was going on in Stephen’s head, Eunae did not know that he just actually wished the same.

He would love to see her smile with happiest and most genuine she could ever give him—he wanted to meet her again.