A new morning yet someone had stood by in the cafe for picking up the latter. She kept checking her phone and dialled the same number which out of reach. Her heart thumped hardly and unsteady. She worried if he would be late for his departure. She chuckled at the same time she saw a boy dragging his luggage with a blooming smile on his face.

“You’re late.” Seungin muttered, crossing her arm while she rolled her eyes deliberately.

Joshua merely giggled. “Sorry, noona.”  He gave a cocky yet cute smile towards her, still she gave no answer and walked away. Joshua followed behind as they headed to her car. “Hey, I said I was sorry.”

“Okay, okay.” She opened the baggage and signalled Joshua to put down his luggage there. While the latter performed his glum face towards her.

“Do you really want me to leave?”

She let out a sigh escaped. “Hey, Shua, you need to achieve your dream, right?” Joshua bit his lips. “But—”

She shook her head and pushed the latter to get into the car. “I don’t want to be an obstacle for you.”

“Noona.” He whimpered as he got into the car, following behind by her. Joshua pulled a face, annoying one, trying to show that he was sulking at her. But the older girl did not bother to pay attention at him instead, she turned her keys as she the machine. “Shua, just promise me that you’ll focus on your work.”

He stared at the street. “I will.” He retorted firmly. He had no time debating with her because he realised the girl who in charge of driving behind the wheel always urged him to reach out his dream where none remained supporting him in the same way. No matter how much Joshua wanted to change his dream and stayed under the same sky with her, he knew the girl would push him to get back to home town just for education and work. Nothing else.

It was his dream to pursue a dream back to hometown after growing up in Seoul. He wanted to get back the old house where he spent his childhood there. A content place to charge his mind, albeit he already charged himself with her smile and companion during these days, Seungin would urge him to go back and continue his master school and work there instead working in Seoul. She thought it would be best for his progress, despite Joshua had already gotten a promotion to work there instead of working in the branch office in Seoul from their university.

Both of them remained silent in a serene instrument which played in the radio right now. Joshua pointed his eyes on the sideways and watched people who seemed lost in deep thoughts while walking, meanwhile the other people walked in quick paces. He opened the window, then felt the air whiffling down. It was the clearest he ever felt, it made him feeling odd. Why everything seemed so natural and near the end? He darted his eyes to the driver seat. He observed her who driving in stony-faced.

“You’ll be fine here without me, right?”

She paused for a while, a lit bit grimacing silently without knowing that Joshua noticed her change. “I have Hyojung here,” she sighed, “I’ll be fine, Shu.”

Joshua smiled bitterly. He knew it would be unusual for them, living apart by two continents though he would be back to his old home. He would miss her so much. Even Joshua hesitated to depart if it’s not her request to continue his school in America. He tried to tag her along, but the girl refused it, without any reasons.

“You promise?”

Again, the boy tried to get what he wanted. He attempted to make her promising again and again. Seungin smiled, then hummed. It was enough for them. No one between them dared to talk afterwards. They were preoccupying with their own thoughts - - their worries and concerns towards each others and the aftermath of Joshua’s departure.

At the airport,

Joshua already re-registered his ticket and his luggage to the baggage before he got back to Seungin who waited for him patiently. The sight was possibly mistaken as a start of long-distance relationship where the girl would send her boyfriend to live abroad while she lived alone with her parents in the same place.  Joshua assumed the same though it would be only his dream — his wish to have as his girlfriend.

He held her hands tightly. He did not want to let her go, even for a second right now. He began to be afraid of everything, also hesitated of leaving her alone, again. He felt something odd lingering when he held her hand as if it was their last meeting.

“Noona, are you sure?”

She looked up, tip-toed to peck his cheek. “Remember to come back next year, Shua. I want to know your progress.” He nodded firmly, still griping her hand though people started to stare at them in askance.

“You will be right?”

She nodded. He realised he would miss her. Even standing in front of her, being by her side during the hard time after her post-break up and that incident, he missed every single thing. But now, when he would step inside the plane, he shall cut off his contact. It would be so unfair for him, where he needed to hear her voice every single night, now she told Joshua to cut his contact just for focusing on his study and work. She advised Joshua to socialise and regain a new friend in America to distract him from her also helped him to bear all his difficulties in America.

Joshua knew it was weird, however he could not understand and figure out what odd that disturbed him, just through her eyes which somehow told she hid something behind him. Joshua tried to be quiet at that concern.

 

 

- 0 -
 

 

She panted and checking her stuffs randomly with a rushing breathe. A blood droplets started to soak her skirt. She silently cursed herself to wear pastel skirt in the cold day she shall listen to Hyojung by wearing a warm pants in dark colour. She right away blocked her nose once she found tissue.

She panted.

She was trembling hard. The clock was knocking as though warning her that her time would be soon stop. She turned the steer and drove her car to the cafe she aimed before. She parked near the basement of apartment nearby. Afterward, she would walk in faster pace for reaching it so soon.

“You’re late,” someone greeted her, fidgeting the finger against the table.

Seungin had arrived at the cafe and soon tossed herself to the spot she always tagged iously as a requested table. She grinned at another female who lifelessly waited for her.

“Sorry.”

She pulled out the bloody tissue and threw it aside. Hyojung took another tissue and wiped the rest. “Wipe it all,” she said tautly as she helped her to wipe the blood which kept flowing down, “you’ll worry him.”

She nodded. “He…” Her eyes pointed at the clock.

Hyojung had promised Jeonghan who called her secretly to make them meeting each other, however Hyojung was a kind of best friend she ever had. She could not betray her trust to meet them without her permission. So she made another way, dragging her to her favourite cafe by telling it’s an urgent meeting. “Yes, he asks me to make you both here.” Well — it’s not a betrayal though. She could tell him to not meet her too anyway.

Seungin frowned at her remark, then bobbing her head slightly.  “Oh I see.” She could not blame her, better now or never to see the latter.

The ex she barely remembered.

Hyojung checked her phone after she requested a food as a treat for her. “He’ll come soon,” she informed. Seungin simply hummed as she killed the time by fixing her eyes at her phone, watched some videos.

Hyojung smiled, packing her stuff and grabbed the latter’s bloody tissue to throw at the bin before she stepped out from the cafe. “Call me if something happens, Seungin,” she reminded her.
 
Seungin let out a silent sigh under her nose. “I know.” Hyojung made a leave afterwards. She left her to meet Jeonghan. For the last time.

 

Meanwhile, Seungin had a debate inside her head. She was hesitant to meet him. Secretly she recollected a piece of her memories in a slow pace. She wasn't rush over it. But she kept recalling them whenever she woke up from her sleep. And the last night before she faced a days of sending Joshua back to the States and meeting Jeonghan on purpose, she saw them. She saw Jeonghan within her dream. This morning she just realised she used to be called Jeonghan’s girlfriend and a person who loved both equally. She used to…

Next, she cried.

She cried.

Yes, she cried. She remembered them all.

Every bad memories.

Every good memories.

Every smile of them.

Every quarrel of them.

A tear ran down on her cheek. She wiped it right away.  She knew it would not change anything even though she recalled it. The relationship was over. Joshua went back to States.

“Noona,” someone called her, brought her back from the reverie. There he was. Jeonghan was standing in front of him. She missed him.

Jeonghan waved a hand to her, tugging a smile. It’s the saddest one she could tell. Seungin cracked a smile. “Oh, hi. You want to have a lunch here?”

He nodded. “Yes,” he answered, “hm, do you mind if I sit here?” She kept that smile on her face, she knew it’s too much late and she would let him having the last time with her. Though it depressed her.

“No, it’s okay,” she quickly replied. Jeonghan pulled a chair and now they faced each other.  

 

 

 

Jeonghan’s POV

Here I was. Being so dense for meeting her. I missed her. So much. But I shall not be like this. She had no memory of me, yet my selfishness controlled me to keep hoping to meet her. Though I had no topic to talk about.

We remained in silent for a couple of minutes before she broke the air into calling a waiter for taking note of my order.

“How’s life?” She asked frankly, tried to not be awkward - I guessed.

I snorted. “It’s find, I guess.” She cocked a brow at me, seemed untrusting what I said earlier before giving a slight nod.

I sighed. We fell again in hush. She scrolled over her phone, seemed someone texting her yet I could not sneak a peak who it was.

“Joshua has already gone back to States.” She bluntly said. I widened his eyes. “He did?” I was shocked - no, I was still surprised that Joshua would make a way to get back to his country instead of staying in Seoul.

Joshua had told me once to continue his degree after he got the Bachelor but soon, he changed it right away to stay in Seoul with us. Now, he sticked unto his first decision, I was likely being abandoned by a male who named me as his used-to-be best friend. However I checked on her expression, I bet that the girl before him convincing him to not make a wrong decision just because of a person. He knew she could do it.

She did not change at all.

“How about you, Jeonghan?” I choked up. “I stay here, noona,” I said as I looked away. I felt a remorse by a chance to take her into a sudden meeting like this. She didn’t change, at all — utterly though she had an amnesia, she kept convincing people to do their best without burdening themselves to stay for a person and brought an ease to their mind. I used to feel it before I became a fool to cheat behind her, playing with Shinbi. At some points I felt glad to see, just because I missed her. I wanted to recall some memories that only I remembered how to do it.

She would not know how heartwarming the memories were in the past before I was too dense to not protect her heart. I was unable to look after her. Furthermore, it was not only breaking the relationship, yet also tearing my friendship with Joshua. I fell into a deep thought, pondering how the end would be like this. I also lost a moment for bidding a farewell towards, apologising to be a worst friend to him and unable to look after the girl whom we loved the most.

I lost it all.

For the third times, we fell into another hush, preoccupying to look around the empty table, or scrolling on social media while she finished her lunch. Even after a waiter came down to serve my order, we’re still in silent mode, not wanting to speak up our mind — or  well my thought loudly to her. I wished she would not ditch me here to finish up alone.

There, my wish was granted. Although she kept pressing her phone, she was still there. I ate in silence while she patiently waited for me.

“I heard that you’ve had a girlfriend, where she is?” I almost choked up at her direct question. I grabbed the water and drank it.

I shrugged hesitantly. “She’s nowhere, noona,” I answered. “Can’t we talk about another topic?” She jiggled her head then looked away before calling a waiter for her and whispering something I did not hear. I was busy for finishing my lunch and intended to leave right away. Out of sudden, we made an eye contact.

“I’ll pay.” Then she stood up before I could say any about. I could not make a scene at the restaurant though it was not crowded as usual. But there were three until four people filled the table as I ogled the place. She headed to cashier but a thing I noticed, she tagged her stuff along with. I gulped.

“Noona…” I tried to call her but her move was fast. She left me eventually.

In the same time, I got a message.

Hyojung sunbae :
i’m done with you. it’s the last time and the last chance I let you to meet her. you ruin it.

It’s done. There was no way for me to meet her ahead. And I lost my chance to say everything. It’s gonna be a plenty of unspoken words in the end, I would not be able to show her how sorry I was, nor how badly I missed her presence beside me. Everything would be left unspoken.

 

 

—

 

 

In the different time, Hyojung checked her phone, feeling remorseful towards her best friend after a decision she’d agreed before. Also, the latter did not reply her chat. She sipped her tea while fidgeting her fingers against the table. Though she was supposed to be working at that hour, this matter distracted her a lot.

TING!

ㅅㅇ:
it’s okay, don’t say sorry. in addition, it’s awkward at all.

She was upset to hear it. She hoped for any good news about them before, although it’s impossible to happen, she kept hoping that. Because it’s the last time and she wanted to hear that they went out after the lunch. But, the result was uncovered now. Jeonghan wasted his chance to enjoy a day of hanging out with her.

 

 

-tbc-