Jerome stood watching his lover with a heavy heart. His legs were almost too weak to carry him forward to the person sitting silently, back to him, sipping warm water. Jinn, whose body had become thinner every day since returning from the hospital, was so different from how he used to be—like a completely different person.

 

"What's wrong, birthday boy? You don't look well," Jinn smiled slightly at the person who sat down beside him, his voice gentle. A faint smile remained on his face.

 

With age, the vibrancy and passion of youth fade. Jinn, no longer possessing the irresistible charm or boundless energy, has become a frail figure, despite having just turned forty-three two months prior. This is in stark contrast to Jerome, who remains handsome from every angle, his tall, muscular physique still intact. Age has taken nothing from him, but instead bestowed upon him a profound maturity, depth, and invaluable experience.

 

They are so different now. One person is withering and fading, while the other is growing stronger.

 

Jerome held his lover in his arms, hiding the shattered pain in his own eyes so as not to worry the other. Each day was difficult for him, afraid that when he woke up, he wouldn't see the person lying beside him anymore, fearful that this person would disappear, so scared that he didn't even dare to take his eyes off him.

 

"I was just wondering if God would grant my wishes this year, that's all."

 

"Why don't you change the subject? Maybe if you change it, your wish will come true," Jinn murmured, knowing that Jerome's wish this year would likely be in vain again.

 

"But there's only one thing I want."

 

"You, too, seem to accept reality better than I do," the patient's voice was full of affection.

 

"You're just imagining things. I'm not that strong, not at all." Jerome was just a better deceiver, pretending to be strong when in reality his heart and soul had been shattered countless times.

 

"Come on, let's blow out the candles before it gets too late."

"um."

 

Jinn picked up a small cake with a smile, and the birthday boy lit the candles on top with a lighter. Soft "Happy Birthday" songs filled the living room before Jerome met his lover's meaningful gaze.

 

His sweet eyes, red and swollen, slowly closed. His hands clasped Jinn’s hands, which held the cake in front of them. In his mind and thoughts, there had been only one wish for years, but perhaps he should try changing things up, as his lover suggested, and try asking for something different. He didn't even know which wish, this one or the previous ones, would be harder to fulfil. Or perhaps, no matter what he asked for, God wouldn't grant him anything.

 

"If asking for Jinn to stay with me for the rest of my life is too difficult, then I wish I could turn back time, go back to when I was twenty, go back before everything turned out like this, and go back and start everything over again. I still want to love this person for longer. Please, grant me this wish." A wish filled with despair and suffering, yet also with an intense desire.

 

Jinn looked at his lover with a sorrowful expression. If only he could fulfil the other's wish. If only they could be together a little longer. If he had known it would be like this, he would have taken better care of himself, both physically and mentally, instead of neglecting and destroying it to the point where it was irreparable. But who can foresee the future? He could only accept it and grieve.

 

The only thing he could do now was to pray for the other man, hoping that God would take pity on a dying man like him and grant Jerome a blessing.

 

"May all of Jerome's wishes come true, whatever they may be."

 

If not for his sake, then at least for my sake, I have to leave him all alone.

 

"Stay with me a little longer. Don't leave me yet," Jerome pressed his gaunt cheek against the almost bony hand of the person lying on the hospital bed.

 

Jinn's body was so thin that it pained those who saw him. He was surrounded by tubes and wires, his breath fading with each passing moment, yet he still smiled gently at his lover, just as he always did.

 

"Look at you. Take care of yourself. Didn't you promise to watch over the world for me?" The broken, hoarse voice made it impossible for Jerome to hold back his tears any longer.

 

Jinn felt the burning sensation of tears dripping onto the back of his hand, causing it to ache. It hurt because he knew he was the one who had made them flow.

 

"You always abandon me, h-h-h-h," Jerome's usually straight, broad shoulders trembled as he sobbed.

 

"I'm sorry, man. It's my fault." Even though he'd planned not to cry, Jinn couldn't help but sob. Tears streamed down from both his eyes. This time, he wasn't crying for himself, but for the person who had to stay behind.

 

The dead feel no pain, no longer perceive anything. But it is those who remain who perceive and suffer with every breath.

 

Jerome didn't say anything more. He just buried his face and sobbed, his mind screaming "Why? Why? Why?" over and over again.

 

"I changed my birthday wish," but in the end, I still had to look it up. Because if I didn't look a little more, what image would I use to imagine this person in the future?

 

"What will change?" Jinn couldn't help but ask. He felt a surge of fear in his eyes at the last moment. The slower his heart beat, the more afraid he became. Fearful because he knew he wouldn't be able to talk to the person in front of him again.

 

"I wish I could turn back time, go back to college again. I want to start everything over." Even though tears streamed down his face, almost blurring his vision, Jerome quickly wiped them away. He sat down on the bed beside his lover and whispered his wish softly to him.

 

"What if we went back in time? We'd probably be fine again. What would change?" Jinn used all his strength to raise his hand and gently placed it on the other person's head, as if trying to comfort the one who was crying uncontrollably and unable to speak.

 

"Yeah, haha, again. I didn't think things through enough. What difference does it make to go back then? We were so good to each other." Jerome sounded like he'd lost all his strength. No matter how ridiculous his request was, knowing it was incomplete left him feeling hopeless.

 

"Oh, oh, don't be sad, Jay. Wait, wait, how about I, Jinn, use my privileges as someone near death to ask for your wish again?"

 

“Don't say things like this.”

 

“Please, please let Jerome’s wish come true. Please let me go back and retrieve these memories. Please, please let Jerome help Jinn back then. Please let everything change. Please let Jerome’s wishes come true.” Jinn gasped for breath after finishing this long sentence. He desperately hoped someone would hear him and help make this wish come true. Anyone.

 

"No need to say anything more. God will surely hear you," Jerome gently wiped away his lover's tears and spoke softly, comforting him.

 

"I love you, Jerome. I just want you to know." Jinn knew his time was running out. No matter how heartbroken he was, there was nothing he could do anymore. All he could do was leave his love for the other person to remember for a lifetime.

 

"I know. I love you too. I love you so much," Jerome kissed Jinn’s forehead affectionately, his reddened eyes fixed on the other man, unwilling to look away, as if wanting to remember everything, not wanting to forget even a fraction.

 

"I've loved Madlod since I was seven years old."

 

"I know, even if I know it a little late. I fell in love late, but I will love you forever. I will love only you forever." Jerome considered these words a vow. His "forever" meant as long as the other person remained Jinn, no matter what lifetime, he would love him.

 

“Me too.”

 

Jinn closed his eyes, anticipating the gentle kiss that was about to be bestowed upon him. The touch was as light as a feather, yet it sent shivers down his spine, as if this vow of love had already been etched into the deepest part of his being.

 

The last kiss between lovers.

 

One person sleeps forever, while the other lives to keep every memory to themselves, remembering, longing for, and never forgetting.

 

After that, every design by Jerome was imbued with a deep love and sorrow for a loved one who had passed away. There were no colourful or beautiful clothes; only sadness, loneliness, and a profound longing that reached the bone. Everyone who saw and wore his clothes said the same thing: his clothes were unlike anything else.

 

It was designed by him again, but this time it was designed from the spirit he had for the person who had passed away, the most important person to him.

 

Jerome passed away at the age of sixty, seventeen years after his lover, Jinn, had left. Leaving everything behind, he willingly departed to meet someone else waiting on the other side, someone he missed with every breath.

 

Forever, JJ's HOUSE fashion house was taken over by Jerome's nephew, ensuring that all of his uncle's memories would remain here.

 

Jerome walked slowly along the white path ahead. There was nothing on either side, just a blank white landscape, lifeless yet filled with peace.

 

"Jinn? Jinn, are you here?"

 

"Jinn, you haven't left me to be reborn, have you?"

 

"Jinn Jinn"

 

The call echoed throughout the area, but there was no response. Jerome didn't give up. For seventeen years, he had managed to live alone, talking to the air every day as if it were the person he missed. Now that he was dead, finding his loved one wouldn't be too difficult for him.

 

Jerome had no idea that the deeper he went, the more his appearance changed. From an elderly man of sixty when he died, he transformed into a middle-aged man of fifty, and then steadily decreased until he became just a young man of twenty.

 

At that moment, the emptiness before the young man moved gently, and someone appeared to be standing with their back to him.

 

"That was delightful. 'Jinn? Jinn! I knew you were waiting for me!' A beautiful smile appeared on Jerome's face. His tall, strong body ran towards the person."

 

"Heh heh heh, little one, I'm not Jinn," the person said, chuckling softly in a gentle voice. Jerome stopped abruptly. His smile slowly faded until it disappeared completely.

 

“So who are you?”

 

"I don't know. Maybe it's a demon, or a god you prayed to. There's no clear definition; it depends on what people call it." The person twirled the clear crystal ball in their hand.

 

Jerome's heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst. He strained to focus on the person's face, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see anything. A blinding white light obscured everything.

 

"So, you've come to bless me?" As a child, Jerome didn't adhere to any particular beliefs. He had no religion, no spiritual anchor; he simply followed what others did. He could go to temples and churches, but he didn't incorporate their teachings into his life.

 

Jerome only started believing in something when he was dating Jinn. Something he didn't even know what it was. He just called it God, as everyone else did. Others called him God, but he didn't specify who that person was. It was as if whoever could fulfil his desires was his "God."

 

“Both yes and no,” a gentle voice replied softly.

 

"How so?" Jerome asked, looking uncertain.

 

"It is not a blessing for you, but you will be the one to receive it."

 

"Someone made a wish for you. He didn't wish for himself. In the final moments of life, when a wish would be most effective, he simply said, 'May all your wishes come true.”

 

Tears streamed down Jerome's cheeks the moment he heard those words. He let them flow without wiping them away, his eyes vacant, reminiscing about his departed lover. But who would have known that at this very moment, after his death, that wish would appear before him, unbelievably—the lover who helped him make the wish, even though he knew it was just a nonsensical thing he did to cling to for comfort.

 

"Sir, you want me to go back in time? Is that possible?" Jerome stammered, his voice trembling.

 

"Yes, this is your blessing, and I grant it to him." The meaning is that this was his request, the wish that Jinn wanted to come true, and this person would grant it because Jinn was the one who asked.

 

Originally, Jerome was about to kneel to express his gratitude, but a gust of wind blew, pushing him back to his feet.

 

"No need. This could be called a blessing, but it could also be called compensation. Sigh." A soft sigh, tinged with regret and apology.

 

“Compensation?”

 

"The truth is, none of this should have happened. But who would have known that one mistake could lead to the untimely deaths of three lives? Sigh." He shook his head sympathetically.

 

"Does that mean Aunt Jan shouldn't have died?" This time, Jerome unexpectedly became smarter. Of the three lives mentioned, if you start from the beginning, it must have been Jan's death, followed by Jett and Jinn.

 

"This kid, he's so clever about other things, but when it comes to himself...sigh, what a fool."

 

Jerome felt like he had shrunk until he was almost touching the ground.

 

"I have to tell you, otherwise things will get confusing when I go back in time. Actually, only one person should have died in the car crash – it was someone in the other car. They should have hit a lamppost, not Jinn's car. But due to a mistake, the two cars collided, and Jan died. Everything that happened after that was chaotic."

 

Jerome listened attentively, making sure not to miss a single word.

 

"In truth, I've been trying to find a solution all along, but there was no opportunity to intervene. I could only watch. When the child's father came here, "I considered giving it to him, but all he thought was that his son would be happy, and he wanted to see his wife soon. He had no intention of changing anything so I couldn't give it to him. As for that boy, alas, he is more than anyone else; his soul is transparent and empty, having abandoned all human emotions to journey towards a new realm."

 

"No, no, it's not true. How could he abandon me? He... us... us..." Jerome interrupted, unable to accept it. He couldn't believe that Jinn didn't mourn him at all. He absolutely couldn't believe it!

 

“Listen. You know how broken his heart was during his lifetime. This wasn't his choice; it was a buildup over a long period. The last thing left in his soul was you. The wish he asked for was for your wish to come true. That's why I finally have the opportunity to rectify my mistakes.” The clear orb floated precisely from the speaker's hand to Jerome's. The smooth, cool touch made the holder feel better.

 

His bloodshot eyes gazed down at the crystal ball in his hand before widening in shock. Inside were bodies—no, perhaps spirits—three spirits within: Chan, Jett, and Jinn.

 

"This is what will go with you. Fix everything, make it better than before. I'll be here helping you," a gentle voice said slowly.

 

"Will I remember? Will I remember things from my life?" Jerome asked, voicing his anxiety.

 

“Remember.”

 

"I... I would like to ask you something," Jerome looked straight ahead with a determined expression.

 

"If it still adheres to that blessing, then it will be granted."

 

“I don’t want to remember everything at once. I’ve been thinking about this for seventeen years, reminiscing over and over like a madman. I feel like my teenage self was naive, blind, and reckless, but I also had mischief, boldness, and a hotheadedness that’s gone now. If I could remember, I’d probably just be a sixty-year-old man, lacking the cheerfulness a young person should have. If I could go back, I’d want to be the twenty-year-old I used to be. I want to remember things gradually, let them slowly blend into my past self, so that the fun I should have had doesn’t disappear. I want to be myself at twenty, just as Jinn is at the same age. But on the other hand, I also want to change everything. I want to remember. I know this request is too selfish, but I want to try. Is that possible?”

 

“It is fitting that you know yourself well. May you live the life you lived when you were younger. Let these memories gradually pave the way for you anew, helping you avoid mistakes. All you must do is trust your heart, make him as happy as possible, and ensure the three of them are together as they should be. That is all. I will assist you with everything else.” (This is to compensate for those whose lives were forced to change course due to the carelessness of the heavens.)

 

“Yes, I swear,” Jerome replied firmly. This affirmation was etched deep in his heart and would remain forever.

 

"Go now. On the day it all ends, you will remember this."

 

"Tell him we're sorry. We offer our lives as a gift to him. May his life be smooth and happy forever."

 

Several clear, resonant voices rang out simultaneously from all directions. Jerome felt a sense of awe and reverence in his heart.

 

"What should I address you as?"

 

“That’s up to you. The name doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you know who is calling you is us.” The voice gradually faded until it disappeared completely. Jerome gazed at the emptiness before him, at the place where someone had once stood, with joy.

 

"Yes, God." A God not affiliated with any particular religion, a God who gives him a second chance, a chance to start anew, a chance to be with his loved one longer.

 

Jerome closed his eyes, letting something slowly draw him in. His hands still clutched the clear glass orb tightly.

 

I will love you better than before in this life, I swear.