Prologue
Hana received a call from her ex-colleague, Anne. She had done her training there, where Dave worked.
“Hello, Anne,” Hana greeted the senior.
“Hi, Hana. Congratulations on your graduation,” Anne said.
“Thank you, Anne. Anyway, why did you call me?” Hana asked.
“Uh... have you heard from Dave recently?”
“Why? Did something happen to him?” Hana asked, starting to feel a bit worried.
“No, it’s just that he got promoted to a managerial position,” Anne informed her.
“That’s great! But why are you telling me this?” Hana asked, still confused.
“Well, the promotion is overseas, not here. He seemed so excited earlier, and I was worried he might have forgotten to tell you in all the excitement,” Anne explained, a hint of concern in her voice.
“Oh. It’s fine. Thanks for letting me know. Bye, Anne,” Hana said, trying to sound calm.
“Bye, Hana,” Anne replied before ending the call.
Hana thought about calling Dave but hesitated. She knew how he might react. She glanced at the clock — office hours weren’t over yet. She decided to wait for him to call instead.
A day passed, and Hana was starting to wonder, Why hasn’t he called me yet? Did he forget?
Feeling restless, she decided to head over to Dave’s apartment. She grabbed her phone, room key, and car keys, locked her door, and left. Hana could hardly wait to see Dave. Two days ago, he hadn’t attended her graduation ceremony, which had deeply upset her. Her seniors had been there, but not her boyfriend.
She pushed away the negative thoughts. Dave’s busy. Don’t worry. He’ll come around, she told herself. But in the end, Dave never showed up. Her seniors had comforted her, and for that, she was grateful.
A year ago, Dave and Hana had promised to move in together, but that promise had long been forgotten too. Despite everything, Hana still felt lucky to have him in her life.
When she arrived at Dave’s apartment, she knocked, but there was no answer. She tried calling him, but the call didn’t go through. She knocked again. Still nothing.
Suddenly, Dave’s neighbor opened his door. “Are you Dave’s girlfriend?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you know where he is? I’ve been knocking, but there’s no answer,” Hana replied, confused.
“Actually, Dave left yesterday. He packed up his apartment. Said he was moving to Seoul. He got a promotion. Didn’t he tell you?” the neighbor asked.
Hana’s heart sank. “No, he didn’t mention that. Thank you for letting me know,” she said quietly.
The neighbor nodded and closed his door. At that moment, Hana felt her world crumbling. She sank to the floor and tried calling Dave again, but there was still no answer.
Feeling defeated, Hana stood up and headed back to her dorm. She told herself she’d try calling him again tomorrow. She needed to tidy up her dorm room anyway, as she had to move out soon. The room would have a new tenant next year.
The next day, after finishing packing up her dorm, she moved her things down to the parking lot, where her father helped her load them into the car. They headed straight to her new apartment, which her father had bought for her as a graduation gift.
The apartment was only 15 minutes away from her university’s dorm. Once there, she started unloading her belongings. Thankfully, the apartment was on the second floor, but she was still exhausted from all the packing and unpacking.
After three hours of organizing and decorating her new apartment, Hana finally sat down to rest. For a brief moment, she forgot about Dave amidst the busyness. Then, her phone rang.
“Hello, my daughter? Have you finished unpacking everything?” her mother asked.
“Yes, Mom, it’s all done. I’m exhausted. Oh, and thank Dad for hiring people to help with the move,” Hana said gratefully.
“I will. Will you have enough energy to join us for dinner? I’m worried you might be too tired,” her mother asked.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be fine. I’ll get ready.”
“Okay, Hana. We’ll pick you up at 7 PM.”
“Alright, Mom. Bye.”
“Bye, dear.”
Hana hung up the call and stared at her phone for a moment. She suddenly remembered she hadn’t called Dave yet. Sliding her phone open, she scrolled to Dave’s number and dialed.
The call finally went through.
“Hello?” Dave answered.
“Dave, it’s me, Hana. Why didn’t you tell me about your promotion?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Hana? Why are you calling? How did you find out? I’m busy right now,” Dave grumbled.
“But Dave, I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday. Why didn’t you tell me? I’m your girlfriend,” Hana said, her voice trembling slightly.
“HANA! I’m busy! This promotion came up suddenly, and you were busy with your graduation,” Dave snapped, irritation growing.
“Dave! I’m not trying to hold you back from your job. I never asked you to give up the promotion. I just wanted you to tell me. I’d miss you, sure, but I’d let you go. I’m your girlfriend. You could’ve at least told me. I exist. I’m here for you,” Hana’s voice broke as tears started to fall.
“You’re a nuisance to me, you know. And I’m sorry, but I can’t do long-distance. Let’s just break up,” Dave finally said, the words hitting Hana like a brick wall.
Hana’s heart shattered. “If that’s how you feel, then fine. Let’s break up. I’m sorry for bothering you, Mr. Dave. Thank you for the four years of memories. I’ll cherish them, even if you’ve hurt me many times. Goodbye, Mr. Dave,” Hana said, her tears flowing freely.
She hung up before Dave could respond. The moment she addressed him formally, Dave felt something was wrong. She had never spoken to him that way. Regret washed over him. He tried calling her back, but Hana had already turned off her phone.
Dave sat there, realizing he’d lost the most important person in his life. Yet, part of him tried to convince himself it was for the best. He wasn’t going back to his home country anyway. His job was in Seoul now, and he planned to bring his parents to live with him since he was an only child.
Meanwhile, Hana couldn’t stop her tears. She remembered the dinner with her parents that evening and tried to compose herself. She would move on from Dave.
Goodbye, my beautiful first love.
