From Past To Present, I Still Love You 150 A Brightly Shining Star

When she touched her eyes, they were puffy and red. Although she cried easily, it had been a long time since she cried this much. It was to the point where there was no more to spare.

Even if Ji-ho tried to leave on a happy note, it was hard to fulfill to his wishes. In the end, no matter how hard it was sugar coated, Ji-ho was gone.

But as he said before, today was the tomorrow Ji-ho couldn't experience. No matter how hard he tried to survive, he was not able to live to this very minute. Time was precious.

Therefore, for his sake, she knew she shouldn't waste this time suffering. She had to persevere.

Besides, she had Minhyun by her side. They would be able to give strength to each other.

Remembering that he wasn't in the room, she quickly made the decision to go to him. From what she could see, he wasn't faring well with the death either. She had to be there for him.

She stood up from the bed and sniffled. Her hands were placed over her eyes, trying to calm them down. When she uncovered her eyes, the open window perfectly framed the night sky.

The stars in the sky twinkled and shined as if they were diamonds. When she was younger, around the age where she met Minhyun, her mother used to tell her that people who died would live in heaven and become stars. At that young age, she didn't believe it, but as an adult, she wish it to be true.

Tonight, there was an exceptionally bright star in the sky.

She slowly walked up before taking a better look outside.

Amongst the others, that single star was shining bright, almost trying to become the moon.

A sad chuckle escaped her lips. Her hand lifted up, trying to grasp onto the star.

"Thank you," she whispered. "And I already miss you."

Her words were met with silence, but in her heart, she could feel warmth. Maybe she was being delusional. But in that moment, she could feel the star shining even brighter, a response to her words.

She really was going crazy.

A sad smile lifted on Yoona's face before she began to leave to find Minhyun.

She stopped in front of his door. Feintly, she could hear a voice talking. Was that Minhyun? Even during phone calls, Minhyun never talked this much. Yoona cocked her head before gently knocking the door.

"Minhyun?" She asked carefully. "Can I enter?"

There was silence before his deep voice entered her ears. "Come."

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see her boyfriend playing with a toy. However, once she took a closer look, she realized it was the robot that Ji-ho had been programming. She had seen him coding for it while they would work together.

She quietly sat beside him. Her voice was gentle. "Why are you holding that?"

To her surprise, a familiar voice filled the air. She leaped out of her seat. "I recognize this voice to be Yoona! Hello! Nice to meet you. My name is White Mask and I am the AI Ji-ho has created."

Hearing that voice again made her heart swell. Ji-ho's annoying, yet endearing voice.

She widened her mouth. "H-hello? N-nice to meet you too?"

"I see that you are stuttering. Don't be shy. I am friendly."

She turned towards Minhyun. "Did Ji-ho make this?"

He nodded.

A gasp escaped her lips. She gently touched the robot's face. "All I've been seeing is him coding on the computer. But he's been hiding the actual testing from me. It's fascinating..."

Minhyun nodded. "He really is a genius."

White Mask placed his hands on his hips and lifted its chest as much as his robotic body could. "Yes. My master is truly the greatest."

"Arrogant like him too," Yoona said with a giggle. "Cute."

She leaned her head against Minhyun's shoulder. "So is White Mask similar to Gloria?"

"In a way, yes, if you have to make a general categorization, but the two are very different. White Mask is much more complex. It is an artificial intelligence which is a machine that works and thinks like a human. I'm not sure how deep White Mask's thinking is, but from what I've seen so far, this AI alone is worth billions."

Yoona widened her eyes. "Wow. Amazing."

A robot with a personality. Who would've thought? She'd only seen this type of technology in movies.

A chuckle escaped Yoona's lips. "You know what's amazing? Even though he's not here, he's really leaving traces of himself everywhere. He's even trying to change the world runs. So talented."

Minhyun leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. "But the greatest trace that he left is in our hearts, don't you think?"

She gasped. Did she hear him correctly? She turned her head to face him. "What did you do to Minhyun? He would never say something like this."

There was a pause. "There's a lot going on in my mind right now. Ji-ho's death took a larger toll on me than I thought. But from everything, there is one thing I am sure about and that is the changes I need to make to my life."

His next statement came out as a whisper. "I don't want to live like this anymore."

Yoona gently placed her hand on his arm. "What do you mean?"

"All my life, I was told that the reason I was born on Earth was to make MH the most successful company in the world. But then I began to question myself after reading Ji-ho's letter. Is this what makes me happy? Do I want to waste my life for this company? Not only that, but I was also drowning myself in my own guilts and past sins. I couldn't stop living in the past."

A shaky breath escaped from his lips. "But now, I realized that I should live differently. I only have one life. And now, I want to live for myself. To be happy."

A grand smile filled her face. She hugged her boyfriend tightly. "Mini. That's amazing!"

Dark. Scary. Depressed. Those were the words she would use to first describe Minhyun when she met his true self. However, today, the Minhyun in front of her was different. He was changing.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I am going to neglect my work. As a businessman, my goals should always be directed towards the success of my business. I still want to make MH the top company. But now, I want to prioritize the other aspects of my life and move forward. I want to live for my happiness."

Minhyun leaned forward and gently pecked her lips. Their noses were touching and smile filled their faces.

"From now on, I am going to start my life anew and have a new beginning," Minhyun whispered. "And I want to accomplish this with you."

Yoona leaned in to kiss him again. Their lips lingered together before parting. "I would love too."

While they were conversing, they didn't realize that White Mask had been listening the whole time in Minhyun's hands. The robot placed his hands over its face. "Ah. I am blushing. Such a beautiful moment."

Minhyun glared at White Mask before turning to face its back. "Where's the off button…"

"Don't press it!" White Mask whined.

"Where. Is. It."

"... The blue button on my back."

Once Minhyun turned it off, a sigh escaped his mouth. "This thing is just like Ji-ho."

Yoona laughed. "Funnily. It really is."

Chapter end