CITY LIGHTS,

May was a quiet girl, never speaking to anyone unless necessary. It had always been like that ever since she was a child and she didn't plan to change — at least not until the night on the bridge.

She'd only gone there to clear her head — it had always been the place she went when she needed to be alone. The city lights illuminated the sky, blocking the view of the stars. Still, May wondered how something could be so beautiful. Then she heard it, those heavy footsteps behind her. Usually, no one would be there (it was too late for anyone to be there anyway) so naturally, curiosity got the best of her and she turned around to see who it was. It seemed like a boy's silhouette, but she couldn't quite tell since there was a hood covering his head. She chose to look away and mind her own business.

It wasn't until he stopped a few feet beside her that he spoke. "It's pretty," the boy mumbled, "those city lights over there." May nodded at the stranger's words, wondering if he could somehow read her thoughts.

"I wonder," he continued, his voice raspy, yet barely audible, "how they managed to make something so beautiful in such a world." She continued to listen to his words silently. Even though he was a stranger, it was nice to look at the view with someone else.

He sounds like a kid, May thought at some point. Just like me. "It is pretty," she said quietly once the boy had stopped talking. "Prettier than it should be." They were quiet, none of them daring to say a word and break their silence. Surprisingly, they were comfortable that way, staring at the view of the city before them with admiration in their eyes.

It was past midnight when May finally decided to leave the bridge and the city behind, along with the boy. She gave him a small nod — though he didn't notice, his eyes focused on the bright lights — and turned around to walk away. When she turned around to look at the view one last time, she saw something else instead, something she thought she'd never witness.

It was the boy, and he was climbing onto the railing of the bridge. Her eyes widened and she ran towards him. But just as he was about to jump into the water reflecting the view of the city, May grabbed his wrist and pulled the boy back with all her might, making both of them fall back.

She rolled over and sat up, breathing heavily. "Are you insane?!" she yelled, not caring if anyone heard her. "Do you want to die?!"

"Yes."

It was silent as the boy sat up, his black hood falling and revealing his beaten up face and blue hair. "I've always wanted to die in front of something beautiful," he said, looking May in the eyes. His eyes lacked emotion and it scared her. "Today was my chance. You took it from me."

May sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "You don't have to die," she said to him, frustrated. "There are other ways to fix things."

"Nothing will bring her back." There were tears in his eyes and he looked down at his lap, his hands balled into fists. "I just wanted to see her again, before I—" He paused, choking on his sobs. His body shook, breaking down completely as he cried.

May stood up and took a few steps towards him, crouching down in front of him. "Suicide isn't the answer to everything," she spoke quietly, empathizing with him.

He didn't look up, but she knew he was listening. "How would you know?" he asked, sniffling.

"Because I've tried," she said. "Trust me, it doesn't work."

• • •

As much as May wanted to forget about that night, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander back to it. She remembered the way the boy had looked at her, his eyes seemingly filled with the void. It was like staring at the dead, bringing back memories she didn't want to relive. She believed that would be the last time she would ever see him. She was positive that after that night, he had already taken the chance and thrown himself off that bridge.

It seemed she was wrong.

As she turned the corner into an alleyway, she felt something bump into her shoulder, causing her to stumble back. The person stopped walking and stared at May, his eyes widening slightly. She recognized him in an instant.

"Sorry," he mumbled, lowering his head. He turned around and started walking away, but May followed him.

"Wait," she called, grabbing onto his arm. She was surprised to see him, but happy that he hadn't gone through with his plan. The boy turned around.

"What?" he asked, pulling his hood down. There was no use for him to hide his identity anymore now that she had recognized him.

"Come with me."

• • •

She never thought she'd end up sitting outside of a convenience store eating ramen with a stranger. In fact, she never thought she'd do it with anyone.

May watched the boy eat it slowly, his eyes wandering around. "Thanks," he said. "People don't usually do things for... for me."

"I just wanted to know if you were okay," May said. "You are okay, right?"

The boy paused. "No," he said. He looked down at his cup or ramen and sighed. "But I appreciate you asking." His response caused her to frown. She knew he wasn't okay, but she didn't expect him to be so honest about it.

"What's your name?" she asked, setting her cup of ramen on the ground beside her.

"There's no point in asking," he said, continuing to eat. "We won't be seeing each other after this anyway."

"I'd like to think we will," she said with a small smile. "It'd be nice, to see that you haven't given up yet." He looked at her with glossy eyes. She held her hand out, "I'm May," she said.

He stared at her hand, hesitating. He sighed again, "Yeonjun," he said.

The two sat in silence, both eating their food, not a single word exchanged. It wasn't as awkward as Yeonjun thought it would be, but it wasn't exactly a comfortable silence either. He sighed, choosing to speak. "Why'd you stop me?" he asked, staring straight ahead. He knew that if he looked her in the eyes when he said those words, he wouldn't be able to keep up the front he'd worked so hard to build. "What made you turn around?"

May didn't have an exact answer to his question. "It was the most that I could to at the moment," she said quietly. "I couldn't just watch you jump off that bridge, even if you are a stranger to me."

"Everyone watches," Yeonjun said. "No one does anything. Ever." He finally turned to look at her. "That's how it's always been — you watch, but you never do anything about it because you don't care." He paused. "But you stopped me," he continued. "How could you possibly care about someone you don't even know?"

"Would you have done the same if it were me?" May asked.

"That's different," he said. "I refuse to let anyone die before I do." Yeonjun let out a chuckle, a smile appearing on his face for the first time. She watched him, just before his face became serious again. What a beautiful smile, she thought, staring at him. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Will you let me help you?" she asked, crossing her legs on the pavement.

"With what?" As far as he was aware, he didn't need help — he was sure of that. Why would she help him anyway? What could she possibly do to help him? Nothing, he believed.

"I want to help you live," she said.

Yeonjun was quiet, thinking. But all his thoughts were the same:

She can't help me live.

But despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "Okay," in a quiet voice. He watched her look away, fighting the small smile that grew on her face. But she couldn't change his mind, Yeonjun was sure of it.

Still, a part of him wanted to believe in her, even if she was just a stranger to him.