Chapter 13


Lovely surrounding with colourful lights and bright smiles etched on the faces of people filled the night. The fashion show festival was about to start, a work festival collaboration between fashion major and modeling major. All students were invited for the show and even put dancing time in the festivals’ tentative.

Aside from the two majors mentioned, as a part of photography and campus magazine team, Soojung had to attend the ‘boring’ event half willingly. She had a few friends but they weren’t close enough with her to chat and kill the time together, thus Soojung was alone most of the time.

The highlight of the show started, Soojung stepped closer to the stage to take pictures of the models in the costumes. She silently snapped the poses in her camera and in awed at the designs. They were eye catching and if it were for sale, Soojung would buy that for sure.

Models switched turns between male and female. And unexpectedly among the female models there was the girl Soojung met at the flower garden, the same girl who argued with Soojung for taking photos of her without permission.

That girl was absolutely gorgeous. Soojung almost had her jaw dropped but composed herself and professionally captured the model’s breathtaking y posed, captivated the hearts of the audiences. Soojung’s heart was pounding fast against her chest and mumbling “calm down Lee Soojung!”

Then their eyes met, Soojung forgot how to breathe momentarily. Her gaze was no kidding that Soojung forgot the reason she existed at the festival that night. When the model walked away, it left Soojung a brief feel of disappointment.

By the time the show was over and attendees were occupied in their own world, that’s when the thirst for cool drink hit Soojung’s throat. Walking over to the buffet table, Soojung chose an alcoholic drink, something that she loved and her favorite kind – and gulped down the strong taste in .

A familiar junior came by her side and politely greeted Soojung. “Are you perhaps alone, Soojung sunbae?”

The senior recalled her name was Seo Jisoo also a photographic major and involved in the mutual activity with her. Soojung nodded her head lightly with a hum and offered Jisoo a drink, which the latter gladly received it.

“I have a friend,” Jisoo started to speak, surprising Soojung with how friendly the younger girl sounded. “She has been interested in you…uh-oh-um I-I m-mean interested in getting to know you,” she resumed a bit stammering with mixed of words there, earning a subtle laugh from Soojung.

But it was also something among Jisoo’s words that caught Soojung off guard when she realized it. “Huh?”

Jisoo looked over behind Soojung and stretched out a hand gesture, instructing that certain friend to come over by her side. And when her friend did, emerging in Soojung’s sight by standing before her, she inwardly gasped.

That gorgeous girl!

She was Jisoo’s friend, the one that captivated the heart of Lee Soojung for some reason she could yet to comprehend.

Jisoo cleared before speaking up again, oblivious of awestruck looking Soojung. “Let me introduce you to my friend, Lee Mijoo.”

*
*

It had been a flowery path for the couple after reconciling from their break. Not only Soojung and Jihyo were content after getting back in each other’s embraces, but their friends had a share of happiness seeing them together too. It was that time when Soojung came for Jihyo she told she no longer wore the necklace.

“I throw it away.”

Jihyo gasped and waved her hand unsurely, not expecting her girlfriend would totally get rid of the accessory’s existence. “B-but I never told you to dispose the necklace. It was too beautiful to be wasted,” she stuttered, breathed with a gasp of air thinking how wasted it was for Soojung to not storing in the necklace that Jihyo so fond of.

Soojung burst into laughter upon seeing Jihyo’s reaction before cheekily poking the latter’s cheek. “I knew you’d be reacting this way,” she teased with a little more laugh remaining before cupping Jihyo’s face, the latter frowned and pouted at Soojung’s playful act. “I returned the necklace back to its rightful owner.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jihyo curiously asked bewildered. “What do you mean?”

“I gave it to Yein…” there was a pause before Soojung added more words in her sentence. “…so she can pass it to Myungeun to keep.”

Admiring her guts, Jihyo twined her arms around Soojung’s waist and face buried in her chest. “I love you, Soojung-ssi,” she barely uttered, sounded half air. The said girl reciprocated the hug neatly as one hand gently rested on Jihyo’s back and the other her silky hair.

*
*

It was another sleepover at Soojung’s house in the weekend. The older girl was going to fly to France on Monday for work purpose, according to Soojung – and Jihyo was not going to let her go without spending the leisure time together.

Jihyo’s friends no longer mind if she were absent most of the time, especially Jungyeon - understood that Soojung was a very dear person to her. They even wondered why Jihyo didn’t just move and stay permanently in her girlfriend’s place but the idea was opposed by Mina and Momo saying that their current condominium was mostly paid with Jihyo’s money.

Jihyo acknowledged that Jungyeon had now fully approved of her relationship, informed by Nayeon that her best friend went to confront Soojung herself – found out how their love was equally mutual. It warmed Jihyo’s heart knowing that Soojung loved her so much to let her go, according to her friends. She got teary eyed.

In that Saturday morning shortly after breakfast, Soojung meant to clean the house before stepping out for a grocery shopping. Jihyo agreed with the idea and helped her girlfriend to clean, she would arrange and place stuffs at the rightful storage while Soojung prepping the vacuum cleaner.

For someone who didn’t have fixed working time unlike Jihyo - sometimes overly long working hours, the flat was already cleaned enough and didn’t need much help from Jihyo actually. Except for certain items scattered around the living room, the place looked tidy from mess.

One interesting fact she learned further about Soojung was that they shared mutual hobby. Both Jihyo and her loved reading books like novels during free time and the older of the two had variety of them kept in the house.

“Where do I place these books?” Jihyo inquired not looking at Soojung who was busily vacuuming at the kitchen but on the titles. “There’s a bookcase in the room,” she simply informed and pointed her finger towards the room. Jihyo followed her instruction and arranged the books according to Soojung’s likes.

Shortly after that, Jihyo honestly got nothing else to do. She wanted to cook but the groceries were out of stock. So she just stood on the living room while waiting for Soojung to finish her chores while her eyes focused on the TV.

Upon watching her girlfriend in dazed, Soojung’s prankster instinct kicked in and decided to chase Jihyo around the house with the vacuum cleaner. The younger girl was surprised with the sudden attack and ran for her life. Soojung was strangely hyper and Jihyo found her prankster self annoyingly charming. They were elatedly laughing at each other as Jihyo whined “you’re mean” to Soojung.

Later after the chores had been done neatly, the couple went to the grocery store in walking distance not far from the apartment. They looked like a married couple went for grocery shopping and just upon that thought made Jihyo’s heart beat faster and wide grin spread on her lips unconsciously.

They cooked, ate lunch also dinner, and other activities to fill the day together. On the dining table while enjoying the afternoon meals, Jihyo randomly perked with curiosity and had the guts to ask something to Soojung.

“Soojung-ssi,” she called and paused in slight hesitance. “How does it feel when you lost Mijoo? Did you even get the clue that it was her last?”

It caused stunned looking Soojung. She thought she stopped breathing for a second then quickly back to the reality. Blinking her eyes, she asked. “Why do you suddenly bring up this topic? I thought we agreed to not talk about our history.”

Jihyo was caught between guilt and wonder. Nevertheless she still wanted to know the feel of losing someone she loved. “I’m sorry if you’re offended with my question but…” A sigh escaped from her lips. “…I’m just wondering your feeling the night before she died.”

Soojung took a deep breath and dangerously recalling the memory of the past that she wanted to erase. “Promise me you won’t be sulking anymore if I tell you,” she made Jihyo promise to which the latter laughed subtly. “I promise,” she replied half whispered.

There was silent engulfed the dining room. Collecting her courage, Soojung began narrating. “Well, I never thought I would lose her in a blink of an eye. In fact that night I was dearly waiting for her to come home from her dinner with friends. But then, it turned out to be a horrifying night when the cops came and informed about her death. It was a terrible nightmare for me.”

Anguished, pain, sadness, all was shot at once like a bullet wounding and scarring Soojung’s poor soul. She was greatly affected with Mijoo’s death and her entire existence was vulnerable, almost ended her life with a cut on her wrist in suicidal attempt to follow her lover, which was fortunately stopped by bawled eyes Jiae.

Jihyo had no idea where and when that thought came across her mind but one thing for sure - she couldn’t imagine living her life miserably if one day, Soojung was ever taken away from her.

*
*

Night felt so sullen and lonely. On Soojung’s queen sized bed, some heavy feeling tugged at her chest when the older packed her things in the luggage. Jihyo’s mood had gone down thinking of her girlfriend would leave the country in less than