Remember
Remember"Hyejin-ah! Quick! Look at this!"
That's Jung Wheein. I've known her for nearly ten years now. She's been my best friend since middle school, my love since high school. My confidant, and my pillar.
"What is it?"
She plops onto the sofa next to me, "Just look! Look look! Isn't it adorable?"
She holds out her phone, and replays the video. It's one of those cat video compilations that she loves. She comes closer to me, until her arm touches my own. I should be watching the video, but I find myself watching her. A smile finds its way up to my face, and it never leaves. The video ends, and she looks at me now, expectant. Her smile quickly leaves her face as she realizes I wasn't watching.
"Hyejin! You didn't watch the video! What the heck!"
A small chuckle escapes me, "Wheein, you've shown me this video so many times. I can't even keep track of the amount of times you've made me watch it, more or less how many times you've watched it yourself."
She scrunches her nose, "Well sometimes it's better to just see and experience things again than to just... remember what it was..."
"Then let's watch it again, hmm? Come closer."
She swings her legs over my own, and leans into my shoulder. Cute.
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"Hyejin! Don't! And you weren't watching again!"
She starts tickling me in an attempt to punish me, "Why don't you give these cats some appreciation, huh? These kittens were filmed to bring joy to peoples' lives! Watch it with me~"
"Ah! Sorry sorry! I will, I promise!"
She stops and glares at me, trying to see if I'm being honest.
"Give me your hands, don't do anything and just watch the video."
"Sure, love."
There was more. I know there was more, but what?
"Hyejin-ah! Look!"
Jung Wheein. My best friend, and my love. My everything.
"What?"
She sits next to me, "Look! Isn't it cute?"
She -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. She comes closer to me, her arm touches mine. I don't watch the video, I watch her with a smile. The video ends, and she looks at me. She frowns when she realizes what happened.
"Hyejin! You didn't watch it!"
I laugh, "Wheein, I've seen this so many times. Literally everytime you watch it, you've shown it to me too."
She scrunches her nose, "Well instead of having to remember things, I can just look at it again."
"Then let's watch it again, hmm? Come closer."
She swings her legs over my own, and leans into my shoulder. Cute.
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"Hyejin! Don't! And you weren't watching again!"
She begins to tickle me, "Why won't you watch the kittens Hyejin! These kittens were filmed to bring joy to peoples' lives! Watch it with me~"
"Ah! Sorry sorry! I will, I promise!"
She looks at me, trying to see if I'm being honest.
"Give me your hands, don't do anything and just watch the video."
"Sure, love."
It's different this time.
"Hyejin? Are you doing anything right now?"
Wheein. My everything.
"No, why?"
She sits next to me, "Watch this with me!"
She ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------. --------------------------------------------------. -----------------------------------------------------. She frowns.
"Hyejin? You didn't watch it. You don't want to?"
My smile widens just a little, "I just like watching you more."
She blushes, "Uh, t-then let's jus-"
"Let's watch it again, hmm? Come closer."
She swings her legs over my own, and leans into my shoulder.
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"Hyejin! Don't! And you're still looking at me! Why won't you watch the kittens~ Aren't they cute?"
"You're cuter."
She fakes a cough, and takes my hand into her own. Wordlessly, she replays the video with her other hand.
"I love you."
No, this isn't it either.
"Hyejin?"
Wheein.
"Yeah?"
She sits next to me, "Watch this!"
She ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------. --------------------------------------------------. -----------------------------------------------------. She frowns.
"Hyejin? -----------------------?"
My smile widens just a little, "I just -------------------."
She blushes, "Uh, t-then let's jus-"
"Let's watch it again, hmm? Come closer."
She swings her legs over my own, and leans into my shoulder.
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"Hyejin! -------------! -------------------------~ Aren't they cute?"
"You're cuter."
She fakes a cough, and takes my hand into her own. Wordlessly, she replays the video with her other hand.
"I love you."
Wheein, my love. I miss you.
"Hyejin?"
Wheein.
"Yeah?"
---------------------------, "Watch this!"
She ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------. --------------------------------------------------. -----------------------------------------------------. She frowns.
"Hyejin? -----------------------?"
-----------------------------, "I just -------------------."
She---------------, "-----------------------"
"Let's watch it again, hmm? Come closer."
-------------------------------------, -------------------------------.
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"Hyejin! -------------! -------------------------~ Aren't they cute?"
"You're cuter."
She fakes a cough, and -------------------. ---------------, ---------------------------------------------.
"I love you."
Why can't I remember?
"Hyejin?"
-----------.
"-----?"
---------------------------, "---------!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. -------------------------------------------------------------. --------------------------------------------------. -----------------------------------------------------. ---------.
"Hyejin? -----------------------?"
-----------------------------, "--------------------------."
-------------------, "-----------------------"
"------------------------, -----? Come closer."
-------------------------------------, -------------------------------.
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"Hyejin! -------------! -------------------------~ -------------?"
"------------."
------------------------,--------------------------. ---------------, ---------------------------------------------.
"I love you."
My love, I'm trying.
Wheein-ah, my love. My best friend, my everything. I want to give up.
I miss you, so so much. I want to see your face again. I wish you used social media, I wish I hadn't listened to you when you said you didn't want me to post pictures of you. I wish you would have listened to me, and just come with me. I wish the neighbors had called faster. I wish the firemen had made it in time. I wish I was there with you.
"Hyejin!"
I wish I could hear you again.
I can only remember you yelling my name, sometimes it sounds like you were angry at me, sometimes I think you were crying. I don't remember. Maybe I should have written everything down when I did remember. I wish I had. After all, memories fade. I wish they wouldn't. And I really, really wish I could see you again Wheein.
I remembered.
As soon as I remembered, I ran straight to Yongsun unnie and Byulyi unnie's house. I wanted to forget it ever happened, but they kept everything. After the fire, they salvaged what they could, and they told me that they would keep everything in a box until I was ready. Wheein, my love, I am ready.
I look through the box, carefully so as to not break anything. I find my old phone at the top of the box. Thankfully it looks okay, just burned on the top, the sim card should be fine. I need this restored. I need that video.
"Hyejin-ah! Quick! Look at this!"
"What is it?"
She plops onto the sofa next to me, "Just look! Look look! Isn't it adorable?"
She holds out her phone, and replays the video. It's one of those cat video compilations that she loves. She comes closer to me, until her arm touches my own. I should be watching the video, but I find myself watching her. A smile finds its way up to my face, and it never leaves. The video ends, and she looks at me now, expectant. Her smile quickly leaves her face as she realizes I wasn't watching.
"Hyejin! You didn't watch the video!"
A small chuckle escapes me, "Wheein, you've shown me this video so many times. I can't even keep track of the amount of times you've made me watch it, more or less how many times you've watched it yourself."
She scrunches her nose, "Well sometimes it's easier to see things again than it is to imagine. And memories aren't always accurate, you know."
"Then let's watch it again, hmm? Come closer."
She swings her legs over my own, and leans into my shoulder.
I know she hates taking pictures, more or less videos. But she was right, it's better to just see somethings again than to imagine it. And as much as I love thinking about her, I love looking at her. Very carefully, not to catch her attention, I pull out my phone from my pocket and film her.
"Hyejin! No!" She swats my phone out of my hand.
She starts tickling me in an attempt to punish me, "Why won't you listen to me, huh? No pictures!"
"Sorry! I'll delete it, I promise!"
She stops and glares at me, trying to see if I'm being honest.
"Promise? Pinky promise?"
The corner of her lips rise, "Pinky promise!"
I lean in to kiss her, and she meets me halfway.
"I love you Wheein."
"I love you too Hyejin."
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