We decided not to cross the line.

Episode 112. Adieu

Hoonji and I, after a few days

took a flight to Paris.





Upon arriving in Paris, I called the number Julien had given me.

Julien's mother texted me an address.





'Where is this?

Not Julien's house... she wants us to come here?'





I got into a taxi, still full of questions about everything.

I showed the taxi driver the address I got

from Julien's mother and asked him to take us there.




I asked the taxi driver.



"Where are we going now?

Do you know where this address is?"





The taxi driver replied.




"The address you showed me is a cemetery.

In the city of Paris..."





For a moment, I couldn't say anything

as I looked at Hoonji.

Hoonji, too, with a shocked expression,

was looking back at me.





We didn't say a word the whole way

and each just stared out the window.

Hoonji tightly held
 
my hand resting on his knee.





After getting out of the taxi,

from over there,

a middle-aged couple who looked Korean





came toward us.

The moment they came close,

a face resembling Julien's came into view.

I knew it at once.





They were Julien's parents.





"Jeong-a?"





"Hello. Are you Julien's parents?"

The corners of the woman's eyes were red.

"Yes, I'm Julien's mom.





Thank you for coming like this."

She answered in a trembling voice.

Then she looked at





Hoonji, who was standing next to me.





"This is my boyfriend."

"Ah..."





And then she said nothing more to me.

When Julien wasn't in sight,

the unease that had taken hold





inside me grew beyond control.





"Where is Julien?"

Her lips trembled.

Then she slowly turned her gaze away.





She was looking past where I was standing.

The man standing beside her




said, "I'm Julien's dad.

Follow us.

We'll take you to Julien."





Hoonji and I followed

behind them.





The farther we went into the cemetery,

the less we could even hear people's footsteps.




I looked at Julien's father's

back as he walked ahead of us.





'To where Julien is?'

That phrase kept echoing in my head.





In front of where they stopped,

there was a gravestone engraved with
 
Julien's name...




I couldn't believe my eyes.




I looked at Julien's parents.




"Julien's ashes were placed here a few days ago.

I wanted to make sure you and Jeong-a...

could say your final goodbyes."





After finishing those last words, Julien's mother

broke into tears in her husband's arms.




I stared at the gravestone in disbelief.


Julien.


It was definitely his name.





'Really... it's Julien's name...?'





I looked at the gravestone

and then at Hoonji's face.




The hand of his that was holding mine

held on even tighter.





"You're saying Julien is... here?

What do you mean...."





Julien's father took a breath for a moment

and spoke.




"We were late in hearing that Julien was going to have surgery,

so we rushed over from Korea...

but after the surgery...

he never regained consciousness in the recovery room."





I stared blankly at Julien's father.

It felt as if I were in a dream.




The Paris sunlight

was shining brightly on Julien's name.





"If I had come then... if that had happened..."

""