boo

Lee Eunsook / Kim Junghee / Kim Gwiboon / Choi Minjung / Lee Taeyeon ✩ Character Death ✩ 706 words
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It's 3.37 in the morning when Eunsook declares that she's tired. Taeyeon whines when they all agree that they should definitely hit home towards Hongdae where they share an apartment but despite Eunsook's tiredness and Taeyeon's whining, the mood is still high.

They walk through the streets, chattering loudly and Minjung clings to Gwiboon in laughter at a particularly funny story about a man she has been on a blind date with.

Junghee suggests they take Seogang Bridge instead of Mapo Bridge because it will bring them closer to home. She yawns and leans onto the eldest girl and Eunsook pets her soft, brown hair. It has Junghee smiling and Minjung joking inappropriately about the two girls. Gwiboon slaps her arm but doesn't say anything while Taeyeon leads them all towards Seogang.

On the middle of the bridge Taeyeon decides that it has become way too boring so she runs a few meters in front of them before she elegantly jumps up to sit on the railing.

“Take a picture of me!” she says and Gwiboon laughs out loud and runs up to take a few pictures.

“Get down,” Minjung says with a smile but Taeyeon shakes her head.

“You guys are so boring!” She pats the space beside her. “Come on.”

Eunsook shakes her head fondly but stands next to Taeyeon anyway, hand securing her thigh so she cannot fall the wrong way and into the river, before she smiles to Gwiboon who snaps a photo of the two.

“Beautiful,” she says with a smirk before she hands over the phone to Minjung and joins Taeyeon on the railing to have the tallest girl of them take a picture of the two girls.

Eunsook is holding Junghee’s hand while the smallest girl observes her best friends in a dangerous game. Minjung laughs when Gwiboon stumbles in her heels as she slips off the railing and Taeyeon swings her legs as much as she can. Minjung hands the phone back to Gwiboon who snaps three photos of Taeyeon and Minjung. Taeyeon then turns to Junghee.

“Come on, Hee,” she says encouragingly and reaches a hand out towards Junghee. Eunsook squeezes Junghee’s hand as she lets the girl climb onto the railing next to Taeyeon.

The wind is a little stronger on the bridge but it's not much and Junghee slowly dares to let go of the railing just like the young girl beside her. She sends Gwiboon a grin as she lifts both her hands in the air, balancing on the railing. Taeyeon sends her a smirk before she suddenly grabs at Junghee’s waist and shouts “boo”.

It doesn't have the wanted effect though as Junghee jumps a little, looses her balance and topples over the bridge, towards the water beneath. Gwiboon screams as the small girl slides off, Taeyeon is forcedly dragged onto the road by Minjung who are leaning over the railing to find where Junghee hit the water.

Eunsook is staying completely silent, staring at the railing where her girlfriend had been sitting 20 seconds earlier.

Everything is in a haze, Minjung ordering a completely terrified Taeyeon to call 119 and tries to comfort a sobbing Gwiboon against her chest. The ambulance boat arrives within in minutes and Taeyeon is already running back towards the Hangang Park so she can save her friend, a friend she never intended to scare to death.

Junghee is lifeless when they finally get her out of the water and hurries her to a hospital, every second counts towards saving her shocked body. Gwiboon sobs into Minjung’s chest while Taeyeon cries in guilt, sitting on the grass.

There are paramedics all around them, police trying to take their statements but all four girls are too shocked to say anything, to explain that a foolish picture, a stupid game had led to Junghee's death.

Eunsook doesn’t stay in contact with either of the other three, unable to ever look at the three girls who unknowingly and accidentally caused her girlfriend’s death.

author's notes

Sometimes inspiration comes randomly and this is truly one of those times where inspiration shouldn't have struck but did anyway. Because I was crossing Seogang Bridge with a friend - and we had done that many times before - but this evening I just vividly saw before me how the 5 girls of GIRLee would fool around on the railing, leading to the death of one of them. 

Thanks for reading.