After hearing him talk about his plans to go abroad many times, the idea that one day he would leave this place slowly became familiar to me.
But becoming used to that thought didn't mean I truly understood it.
I was still living my ordinary life.
Going to class every day.
Returning to the boarding house in the afternoon.
Opening my door and seeing him across the corridor.
Everything still felt the same.
The only difference was that I knew those days would not last forever.
One evening, while we were sitting in the corridor talking, he suddenly asked me something.
"Lilly."
I turned to look at him.
"Yes?"
He hesitated for a moment — something I had rarely seen him do before.
"I want to ask you something."
I nodded.
"Go ahead."
He looked at me for quite a while before speaking.
"I'm preparing to submit my study-abroad application."
I already knew that, so I simply nodded.
"I know."
He continued,
"If everything goes well… I might leave after some time."
I heard that but didn't feel particularly surprised.
He had mentioned this plan many times before.
So I only asked,
"It's so far away… aren't you worried?"
He smiled softly.
"Of course I am."
Then he added,
"But I think… if I don't go, I'll regret it later."
I was silent for a few seconds.
I looked at him.
He was always very serious when he talked about his future.
I knew that.
So I answered naturally,
"If that's what you want, then you should go."
He looked at me.
His eyes seemed deeper than usual.
"Do you really think so?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"You've studied so much and prepared for so long… it would be a waste if you didn't go."
He kept looking at me.
After a moment he asked,
"Won't you feel sad?"
The question surprised me slightly.
"Sad about what?"
"Because I'll be far away."
I thought about it for a moment.
I didn't think his question had any special meaning.
So I answered honestly,
"Maybe a little… but it's a good thing."
He smiled faintly.
But his smile carried a quiet heaviness.
"Yeah. It is a good thing."
We fell silent for a while.
The night breeze drifted softly through the corridor.
I thought the conversation was just another ordinary conversation.
I didn't know that for him, my answer meant more than I realized.
He didn't ask anything else.
He simply nodded.
"Then I'll do my best."
I smiled.
"You always do."
He looked at me for a moment and then said,
"I hope that when I come back someday… things will still be the same as they are now."
I didn't fully understand what he meant.
I just smiled.
"They probably will."
At that time, I truly believed everything would remain like that.
This boarding house would still be here.
The two rooms across the corridor would still open their doors every day.
We would still sit in the hallway talking in the evenings.
I didn't understand that life doesn't stay still like that.
Some people go far away.
Some things change.
And some relationships only become clear once distance appears.
But at that time, I was still too simple.
I thought I was simply supporting a friend's dream.
I didn't know that I had just agreed to a decision that would change many things in both of our lives.
After that conversation, he returned to his room.
I went back to mine.
Before going to sleep, I glanced at the door across the corridor.
The light in his room was still on.
I thought he was probably studying.
I didn't know that perhaps he was thinking about everything we had just said.
As for me, I simply believed I had done the right thing.
I had told him he should go.
And I truly meant it.
It was just that at the time…
I didn't yet understand much about the changes that were beginning.
Message of Chapter 11
Sometimes we agree to a decision
without fully understanding what it means.
Some words feel light in the present,
yet later become turning points
that quietly shape the future.