"Julian, stay here… please don't go," she said, tears of sadness filling her eyes.
The hug they shared had a strange taste to it. She didn't want him to leave.
But Julian had already made his decision. He chose to go.
This dream had always lived inside him.
He picked up his bag and chased his dreams. After years of patience, the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He took the bus, and an hour later he met his friend Marcus, who was waiting for him at a café near the train station.
Marcus said,
"Julian, this is unbelievable! Why are you so late? The train leaves in five minutes. Hurry!"
They rushed to their seats. The journey was long, and the police academy was far away, but the dream that once seemed distant now felt closer than ever.
Through the train window, Julian noticed a girl saying goodbye to her family before boarding the train. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He kept watching until she eventually sat near him.
Meanwhile, Marcus was talking on the phone with his mother, who worked at a small restaurant near their home after his father died in a car accident.
Thinking back to the day Julian first met Marcus, it had been during the entrance exams for the police academy.
At that time, Julian had been extremely nervous, afraid he might fail the test. Marcus, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at all. In fact, he loved challenges.
Marcus noticed Julian sitting alone. He walked over, sat beside him, and said,
"I don't think police work is for you."
Julian looked at him and replied,
"And is it for someone like you?"
Marcus laughed.
"Not for me either."
Then he added,
"I saw you finish second in the physical test. That's very good. It will increase your chances of being accepted. As for me… I finished second to last."
He laughed again.
"I'll probably go back to washing dishes with my mother at the restaurant."
Julian replied seriously,
"I have to succeed. I don't have another choice."
He kept thinking about his mother in the hospital. She had always dreamed of seeing her son wearing a police uniform.
At the end of the day, an officer arrived holding a paper with the names of those who had successfully passed the tests.
Julian's name was at the top of the list.
He had passed with an excellent score.
The feeling he experienced at that moment was indescribable. Still, he kept waiting, hoping the officer would call Marcus's name.
But he didn't.
Marcus's name was not on the list.
However, this was only the first group, made up of candidates who met certain requirements. Julian left with the successful group, while Marcus stayed with another group that would take an additional test.
Julian didn't leave. Instead, he sat outside the testing area and waited.
After a short time, he saw Marcus coming out.
Julian walked toward him and asked,
"What happened?"
Marcus looked at him and burst out laughing.
"To the academy! Did you really think you were going without me?"
Julian was never someone who had many friends. But Marcus, with his spontaneous personality and unpredictable behavior—often illogical in Julian's eyes—somehow became his friend.
Despite their differences and the distance between their goals and motivations, they were both heading toward the same train.
Marcus lived near the testing center. His mother was waiting for him outside.
When he saw her, he shouted,
"Mom! I did it! I'm going to become a police officer!"
She hugged him tightly, tears of joy filling her eyes.
Marcus introduced Julian to her, and she invited them both to dinner at their home. Julian refused at first, but Marcus insisted so much that Julian finally picked up his phone and tried calling his father.
There was no answer.
They went to Marcus's house. It was a modest home in a neighborhood near a park.
Dinner was delicious.
The next morning, Julian returned to his own house. He had to say goodbye to the home where he had grown up.
The time had come.
His father was sleeping.
Julian packed his belongings and prepared to leave for the police academy in the capital.
Suddenly, his father woke up. He looked exhausted, with traces of blood on his face.
But this wasn't unusual for Julian. His father was an alcoholic and often got into fights.
Julian looked at him and said,
"Dad, I'm leaving for the capital. I'm going to become a police officer."
Those words hit his father deeply.
"My son has grown up… my little boy has become a man. He will achieve the dream he studied for."
But then his father sat on the floor, tears filling his eyes.
"I'm sorry, son. I wasn't the perfect father. Please forgive me."
Julian loved his father deeply, despite his drinking problem.
He told him that he might be away for a long time, but he would definitely stay in touch by phone.
After finishing packing, Julian left the house and waited for a taxi to take him to the train station.
Marcus had already packed his things as well. His mother kept reminding him to stay out of trouble and to call her every day.
Back on the train, Julian and Marcus were heading to the capital to join the police academy.
The train was crowded.
Julian's eyes once again noticed the same beautiful girl searching for a seat. She saw Julian and Marcus and quickly recognized their uniforms.
She approached them and asked,
"Is this seat taken?"
Marcus smiled.
"No, please sit."
She said,
"My name is Kayla."
Marcus replied,
"Nice to meet you, Kayla. I'm Marcus, and this is my friend Julian. We're heading to the capital."
Kayla smiled.
"Nice. I'm going to the capital too. I'll be joining the medical institute."
Marcus said excitedly,
"That's great! We're joining the police academy."
Kayla asked,
"Have you ever been to the capital before?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
Julian replied,
"Yes, I have, a long time ago."
Kayla asked,
"Do you know a hotel near the medical institute?"
Julian answered,
"Yes. The institute is close to the central hospital. I went there with my parents five years ago."
Kayla noticed sadness in Julian's eyes.
"Why did you go there?"
Julian replied quietly,
"My mother had cancer. One night she suddenly lost consciousness. We had to transfer her to the central hospital in the capital… but she died before we arrived."
Marcus felt a deep pain hearing this. His own mother was sick, and the thought of losing her terrified him.
"I'm sorry, my friend," he said. "Losing a mother is something no one can bear."
Kayla said softly,
"I'm sorry for bringing up such a painful memory."
Julian forced a small smile.
"It's okay. It was a long time ago."
He added that the police academy was close to the medical institute.
Kayla smiled.
"That's great. Then we'll definitely see each other again."
Marcus laughed.
"Of course we will! Study hard. We'll need your skills as a doctor someday… maybe to treat my mom."
Kayla smiled warmly.
"That would make me happy. My dream is to help people and save lives."
Marcus said,
"Great. Give me your number. I'll call you."
Julian looked out the window.
"I think we've arrived."
The three of them got off the train.
Marcus went to buy some water and food while Julian and Kayla sat at a café near the station.
Julian had always been shy since childhood. He always knew what he wanted, but his shyness made him miss many opportunities.
This time, however, he decided to step out of that circle.
He knew with certainty that he had fallen in love with this girl.
And he knew he should tell her.
But he didn't.
Kayla called her family to tell them she had arrived in the capital. She was supposed to stay with a relative, but she insisted on spending the night in a hotel near the institute.
After resting at the hotel, Kayla asked Julian and Marcus if they wanted to visit the institute and take a walk around the area.
They agreed, even though it was already one o'clock after midnight.
As they left the hotel, they encountered a strange man staring at them with fear.
Marcus approached him.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at us like that?"
The man's eyes were filled with terror.
"Leave… leave now! You shouldn't have come!"
Then he ran away.
Marcus returned to Julian.
Julian asked,
"What was wrong with him? What did he say?"
Marcus shrugged.
"He's crazy. Come on."
As they passed by the institute, Kayla said,
"Marcus… I want to see the institute from the inside."
Julian replied,
"That's impossible. We can't enter through the gate."
Marcus grinned.
"And who said we're going through the gate?"
Kayla laughed.
Marcus laughed too—a laugh that sounded almost mischievous.
Julian didn't agree… but they climbed over the wall and entered the institute.
But they shouldn't have gone inside.