As the sun set over Seoul, South Korea, a girl came to stand on the Mapo Bridge. She looked over the railing at the Han River as the sun began to sink below the horizon, painting the sky hues of orange and mauve. Gray-tinted clouds dotted the sky like giant cotton balls. It was cold, but not cold enough so that it was uncomfortable. The streetlights flickered on, one by one, illuminating the bridge. Cars sped by behind her, their passengers rushing to get to their destinations, and an occasional lone biker passed by as well. Below her, the waters of the river lapped at the concrete towers of the bridge, tinged a fiery orange with the sun's reflection. 

The scene would have been pleasing, had it not been for the tears streaming down the girl's cheeks.

Lee Eunji was about to take her own life. The encouraging messages painted on the bridge's railing did not deter her, nor did the sculptures depicting friendship and family. Her death would be better for everyone—not that anyone cared, anyway. Eunji was completely and utterly alone.

She exhaled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Everyone said this was supposed to be peaceful. Eunji was letting go. There would be no more pain, no more sorrow. So why was she crying?

Eunji forced herself to put a foot over the railing. She closed her eyes and inhaled the Seoul air—what she thought would be her last breath. Her fingers were letting go of the railing and she was about to fling herself off when a voice called out, "Stop!"

She paused, looking in the direction of the voice. Slowly, Eunji swung her legs back onto the concrete. She couldn't jump now, not when someone was watching. "Why?"

The person who'd shouted stopped before her. "Just don't," he said. His lips quirked up into a small smile, revealing dimples. Normally, Eunji would've melted at the sight of such an attractive person. But today, she was devoid of emotion. She just wanted to die, but this stranger was making that awfully difficult.

"Why?" she repeated. "Why should I not jump and end it all? It would be better for everyone."

The man sighed, looking down. Time slowed, then stopped, as if they were in a bubble, and she held her breath. After about a minute, he said, "I've been in a similar situation. I...I know what it feels like." He paused to take in a shaky breath, as if preparing himself for what he was about to say. "But...my therapist told me that the only way to relieve psychological pain is to think that it will pass eventually, that it'll reduce slowly." He looked back up at Eunji, and she noted that he had the most pretty brown eyes, the color of milk chocolate. "It might not seem possible now, but it'll pass. Everything goes."

Eunji looked at him for a moment. "Sun-bae..." Her expression said what she could not verbalize.

The man did not reply. Instead, he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. He looked back down at his shoes. "And even if you were to jump, the drop is not far enough to kill you. Most likely, you would be rescued and brought to the hospital, and then back home. Perhaps you should've tried another bridge." The dimples appeared again, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Well," said Eunji, "What's your name?"

"Namjoon," he replied. "What's your name?"

"I'm Eunji." A pause. "Thank you."

Namjoon nodded once, and began to walk away. Eunji watched as his figure grew smaller. She watched him disappear, become just another faceless stranger. Slowly, she began to walk home, to the rest of her life, whatever it might be.

a/n: if you liked the prologue, please vote <3

if you're considering suicide, are worried about a friend or a loved one, or would like support, please contact your country's suicide hotline. the help line for the united states is 1-800-273-8255. you're not alone <3

it's weird writing with capital letters since my last fanfic was all lowercase haha. i hope you liked the prologue! updates will be sporadic but i'll try my best to put out a chapter every one to two weeks, excluding vacations and midterms/finals week(s). if, for any reason, i miss a week, i will probably have posted about it in my spam book, so check there for updates :)