Chapter 8: Mistakes

“Hold me tight, if you don’t want to fall.” Yong sun’s arms reached out for the wobbly moonbyul. She took moonbyul’s hand and squeezed it tight, afraid that mooonbyul will trip over. The cold wet platform was hard. It could cause bruises if one slips hard enough.

“Are you getting used to ice skating already?” Yong sun asked in a gentle caring voice. The insecure moonbyul continued to hold on to Yong sun’s hand tightly as they skates round the place non-stop.

Moonbyul could smell the light fragrance of Yong sun’s perfume lingering in the air. “Why did you call me out?” Moonbyul asked shyly, her eyes look straight ahead and her sight focusing in front of her. “It’s a winter date.” Yong sun gave her a quick smile before focusing on the path ahead.

Yong sun asking her out for a date and holding her hand tight? Moonbyul felt light-headed from all the sudden happenings. When Yong sun was around her, with warm hand grasping her cold one, she felt perpetual bliss. “This isn’t a dream right?” Moonbyul was afraid, deep in her heart. She feared that this delighted moment was also just an illusion.

“Solar unnie.”Moonbyul accidently blurred out, in the middle of their skating.

“Solar?” Yong sun managed to catch moonbyul’s soft spoken words.

“Nothing- .”Moonbyul denied. Her slipped off words almost got her secret exposed. Sweat trickled down her face as she realised, she got confused again.

Moonbyul’s POV

I’m such a fool. She isn’t Solar. That appealing voice and radiant smile that I’ve heard and seen, belongs to yong sun unnie. Yong sun is just a spilt image of Solar. They are two different people. Wake up, moon byul yi! Please don’t be that pathetic anymore.

Moonbyul slammed the wall. A numbing sensation went up her arm. She was hiding in the toilet cubicle, trying to calm her crazed mind.

“Ohh Wheein-ah.” Yong sun answered her call right away.

“Is everything going smoothly?”Wheein asked with great concern.

“It seems fine.” Yong sun wasn’t too sure actually. Moonbyul was an extreme introvert, unwilling to share her fear and doubts.

“Is your technique even working?”Wheein was doubting on Yong sun’s skills, jokingly.

“Hey, I’m a potential counsellor.” Yong sun reminded the insulting wheein.

“But you are just an event planner now.”Wheein pouted, busy rinsing the rice grains with her spare hand.

“Tears.” Yong sun admitted defeat indirectly. It was true that she didn’t make it far with a counselling certificate. To her, it was just a plain useless white paper she have obtained effortlessly. Counselling wasn’t the type of job she yearn for. She was happier as an event planner. A job which can gives her some instant sense of achievement. The smiles on the participants’ faces are what she wants to achieve.

It was way better than having her heart ripped apart, on every counselling sessions. She resisted digging out patient’s inner fears and insecurities. Their inner screams, were too intense for her little heart to handle daily. It is a feeling of deep, overwhelming sadness that she was forced to face every day. Back then, when she was still a counsellor.

Why did she became one? It was a rush decision that she have made back then. In return, it destroyed a life of someone else.

“Unnie, do you want to try my cooking tonight?” Wheein started marinating two portions of chicken s with teriyaki sauce and sesames.

“I’m looking forward for it!” Yong sun drooled unknowingly, just by the thought of it. “8 pm at my apartment then.” Wheein quickened her pace. There were quite a few things to prepare, in order to whip up a satisfactory dinner for her special guest.

“Ok, bye.” Yong sun hung up, with great anticipation deep down. She took frequent quick glances at her watch. Moonbyul wasn’t out from the toilet yet. She have been waiting outside for quite a while already. However, Moonbyul was nowhere to be seen.

“Is she still inside?” Yong sun entered the toilet doubtfully, knocking on the cubicle doors one by one. “Moonbyul-ssi?” Yong sun called for her repeatedly, scanning through the spacious toilet.

All the cubicles were empty except for the last cubicle located at the most far right.

“Moonbyul-ssi?” Yong sun was pretty certained that moonbyul haven’t stepped out of the washroom. “Moonbyul-ssi?” Yong sun kept knocking on the door with persistence. However, no response was heard from the other end. “Are you alright?” Yong sun’s heart started racing, her anxiety started escalating. “Did something bad happened to her?” Negative thoughts started circulating in her mind.

“I’m banging the door in the count of 3!” Yong sun gave up waiting. She took a few steps back and got into her stance. She rotate her ankles, warming herself up first. “1, 2, 3!” She shouted as she dashed towards the