A/N : italics are thought

Eunha was hungry. She wanted to eat yet none of the food inside the refrigerator was edible. As in she found nothing inside it but milk. Eunha drank it all yet she’s still hungry. She plopped down on the couch. Eunha was lamenting her fate of spending the rest of the night starving. Her parents should at least leave something for her to eat before they went on a date. Thinking about it, her parents have always been so lovey dovey with each other, even after twenty two years of being married.

Eunha sighed. She wanted to have that kind of love too. Where she could stay in love even after years passed. Eunha halted her thought when her stomach was singing again. Eunha groaned. She contemplated of going to the closest convenience store to buy instant noodles or just called for a delivery.

She’s about to toss a coin to make a decision when she heard knocking on the door.

--

“Sowon-unnie?” Eunha titled her head. “Why are you here?”

“Yah, what with that reaction? I can’t visit you?” Sowon pouted. “And here I thought I will bring you some meal from home… oh well, I will just bring it back then—“

“NO, wait a minute! Unnie, I want the meal!” Eunha grabbed Sowon’s sleeve.

“Only my meal?” Sowon raised her eyebrow.

Eunha nodded.

“Alright, no food for you,” Sowon brushed Eunha’s hand and attempted to leave.

“Wait—nO! I want you too! Unnie, Goddess Sowon-unnie, I want you too,” Eunha desperately kept her hold on Sowon’s sleeve. “And, your food, please let it stay here too, I am starving…”

Sowon laughed.

--

“Unnie, I am still hungry,” Eunha whined.

“Huh, but, you have eaten all of the food I brought? You are still hungry???”

Eunha nodded. “Unnie, let’s go out to eat more?”

Sowon sighed. “Alright, where do you want to go?”

“Downtown?”

Sowon looked uncertain. “Are you sure that you want to go there? Don’t you want to try the new café near the central park instead? I heard it has some really good cheesecake that could make you curl your feet involuntarily because the amount of cheese is incredible. And some really sweet desserts. So sweet you could get toothache after eating it.”

“Huh? A new café? What is it called, unnie?”

“I wonder, hm…. Maybe it’s called ‘…talk’? Something with talk in its name.” Sowon scratched her head. “Ah! It’s called ‘Pillow Talk’”

“That’s a weird name for a café though…“

Sowon shrugged her shoulder.

“But, I guess, it sounds interesting. Let’s try to go there,” Eunha agreed.

Sowon looked relieved by Eunha’s answer.

--

“Come visit the festival at the Downtown, miss. We are holding our first moon festival. There will be fireworks and lots of stall to enjoy yourself!” a boy offered them a flyer once they almost arrive at the central park.

Eunha looked at the flyer enthusiastically. “Unnie, let’s go here instead, it sounds fun! We’ll go the café tomorrow. What do you think?”

Sowon nodded. “Alright then. It seems like we really should go to the downtown today.” Despite what she’s been saying, Sowon looked troubled. Eunha reached for Sowon’s face. She massaged Sowon’s frown, easing it so that Sowon wasn’t frowning anymore.

“Unnie? Do you not like the downtown? You looked troubled,” Eunha asked, “If you really don’t like it, we could visit the café instead right now.”

Sowon leaned on Eunha’s hand on her face. She smiled. “Downtown is okay, Eunha. It just seemed like there’ll be too many people. What if we got lost there?”

“I will be holding your hands tightly so that you wouldn’t get lost, unnie.” Eunha demonstrated by holding on Sowon’s hand. “Like this. I will hold it so tight, it will feel like our hands are glued together,” Eunha said, grinning.

“Alright,” Sowon replied with a smile.

“And, if we do get lost, we’ll find it, unnie. We’ll find a way to meet again,” Eunha said firmly. Confidently.

“Why are you so confident about it?” Sowon bopped Eunha’s nose lightly.

“Because I know that you will find me no matter what, unnie. And I also know that no matter how far I go, I’ll always go back to you, Sowon-unnie.”

“Alright,” Sowon replied again. Her smile was wider than before.

--

Eunha was pointing at food stalls as soon as they arrived. “Let’s eat that, unnie! Oh, and that!”

Sowon laughed when Eunha pointed at another stalls. “Unnie, that one looks good too!”

“Calm down, eat the one on your hands first,” Sowon said. She pulled Eunha toward her a bit closer to her. “And, stay closer to me, don’t kiss the cotton candy stall.”

Eunha blushed a bit. It was true that she almost collide with said stall if not for Sowon pulled her closer.

--

“Miss, want to try this shooting game? The winner could bring home the prize of their choice,” an eager game operator from a nearby stall said.

“Oh, sounds fun!” Eunha said.

“Here is the gun for the pretty lady,” the vendor gave the toy gun to Eunha.

Eunha tried to shoot a giant red fox doll but none of her bullets even touch said doll. She pouted. Sowon patted Eunha’s head. “Good things you are in the skating club instead of any other club that needed good aim, for example the archery club,” Sowon teased.

Eunha pouted even more. “Why don’t you try it too, unnie? Let’s see how good you are!”

Sowon chuckled. She took the gun offered by the vendor. She aimed at the doll Eunha has been aimed before. Surprisingly, she managed to shoot it right at her first chance. Eunha’s jaw dropped. “Wha—how—?”

Sowon laughed. “Here, yours.” Sowon handed the doll to Eunha who still gape at her. “Close your mouth already, flies are going inside~”

Eunha shut automatically hearing it only to open it again. “You are great at it, unnie! Why aren’t you in the archery club again?!”

“Because I am already a member of the skating club, remember? You are in it too, how could you forget?” Sowon ruffled Eunha’s hair affectionately.

Eunha hugged the doll closer to her, she gazed upon other toys on the stalls. “Unnie, could you get the rabbit doll too?” Eunha pointed at a small grey rabbit doll.

“Sure,” Sowon answered easily.

--

“Unnie, are you sure you don’t want to get into the archery club instead? You have pretty good aim,” Eunha said once Sowon handed the doll to her. “I bet that you are going to be amazing there! You will be like their most prized member.”

“Nah, the archery club doesn’t have you,” Sowon said simply.

“Huh?“

Sowon ruffled Eunha’s hair with a smile. “Shall we go to other stall?”

“Oh, Eunha? Sowon-unnie? You guys are here too?” familiar voices called at them. “Eunha, you cut your hair?”

Sowon hand on Eunha’s head grown stiff. “Oh, hi, Yerin.”

“Sowon-unnie, let’s go to other stalls,” Eunha said. She pulled Sowon away from the shooting stall and Yerin.

She said ‘you guys are here too.’ Yerin-unnie must have been coming here with her. I need to leave before-

“Oh, Eunha, you are here too! Hello, Sowon-unnie,” another familiar voice stopped them from leaving. “You cut your hair, Eunha?! It looks good on you!”

“Hello, Yuju,” Sowon politely greet the girl.

“Oh, shooting game. Looks fun, Yerin-unnie, let’s play it too!” Yuju looked at Yerin expectantly.

“Sure,” Yerin smiled.

Eunha kept on tugging Sowon’s sleeve.

“Ah, we’ll be going then, have fun you two,” Sowon said.

As soon as Sowon finished saying it, Eunha was pulling her out of that place. In her hurry to leave, Eunha knocked down a carriage full of paint. It resulted in her falling down. Sowon was quick to catch her but, Eunha seemed to have hurt her knee. Luckily the paint wasn’t falling down on her.

“Eunha are you—“ Yerin was about to ask. She stopped when she saw that Sowon has lifted Eunha’s body and carried her on her arms.

“Yerin, Yuju, once again, good bye. I will take Eunha to get treated,” Sowon said.

“Oh, right… take care. And I am sorry… for everything…” Yerin whispered.

“Why is that your fault, Yerin-unnie?” they heard Yuju’s question as they left the shooting stall.

--

Sowon sat Eunha down on a bench, far away from the crowded festival. Sowon then crouched down in front of Eunha. She examined Eunha’s bleeding knee. After a moment, she produced a clean handkerchief and a bottle of water. Carefully, she cleaned the wound. “It’s going to sting a bit,” Sowon warned when she’s about to apply the medicine to Eunha’s fresh wound. After she finished, Sowon lastly placed a band aid to the wound. Fleetingly, Eunha wondered where Sowon kept all those things. And why would Sowon even bring a first aid kit in the first place?

Eunha watched Sowon looked up at her. She’s looking at Sowon yet at the same time, she looked at nothing. She has tears in her eyes. Eunha stubbornly tried to suppress her tears. Because, it was totally—for sure, it didn’t hurt even one bit when she watched Yerin with her. Eunha has shed too many tears for it before, so she didn’t want to cry anymore because of it. Because even though meeting Yerin here felt like pouring salt into her freshly wounded heart. Eunha didn’t want to cry anymore. She was sick of crying over it.

But, why. Why did tears still come?! I don’t want-

Sowon, who has been kneeling in front of the bench Eunha sat on, pulled Eunha into a hug. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Crying is okay. Don’t hold it in. Let it all out. You’ll feel better,” Sowon whispered.

Eunha tightly hold onto Sowon. “…weak.”

“Hn?”

“I don’t want to be weak.”

“Crying doesn’t make you weak,” Sowon said, “You are not weak, Eunha. Instead you are strong. And crying are you trying to free yourself from the storm inside of you. It’s okay to cry.”

Eunha’s hold on Sowon’s jacket grew even tighter.

“And, you know, I cry too when I feel sad. When it’s hurting so much, I cried. Did that mean that I am weak?” Sowon asked.

Eunha shook her head. “Unnie, you are the strongest person I know.”

“Isn’t it the same with you? You are not weak just because you’re crying, Eunha. Just cry.” Sowon looked into Eunha’s eyes. “And, unnie is here, with you. It’s going to be okay, everything is going to be okay. Don’t you believe in me?”

And Eunha finally wept. She wept. And wept inside of Sowon’s warm embrace. Her tears made a puddle on Sowon’s shoulder yet, Sowon kept on patting her back comfortingly. Sometimes, Sowon will Eunha’s back too. Sowon continued to do that until Eunha’s weep turned into sniffles. Just like before, Sowon produced a handkerchief to wipe Eunha’s tears and sweat away.

--

“Look, Eunha, the fireworks are starting to bloom,” Sowon pointed at the sky. She still knelt in front of Eunha.

Eunha looked at the exploding fireworks. So many colors. So many shapes. It’s beautiful. She leaned into Sowon who held her closely. They stayed like that until the fireworks show ended.

“Unnie, let’s go home,” Eunha leaned back. She watched how Sowon didn’t move an inch from her spot. “Unnie?”

“Eunha, let’s stay here for a moment? I think my legs are falling asleep,” Sowon said. She slightly gritted her teeth.

“Huh?!” Eunha looked at Sowon in alarm. “Unnie, that’s—I am sorry! It’s because you are kneeling while holding me—I am so so sorry,” Eunha continued to apologize.

Sowon laughed. She patted Eunha’s head gently. “It’s okay. In a few minutes, it will be fine.” Sowon smiled at Eunha. Warm. And kind. Eunha felt a tug in her heart seeing it.

“Unnie…” Eunha reached for Sowon’s face.

Sowon-unnie, it feels like, her presence feels like a raincoat. Shielding me during a storm. Silently, gently, firmly beside me. Always, protecting me without words.

“Unnie, I… thank you.”

Sowon smiled at Eunha. She stood up. “Let’s go home, Eunha.”

Eunha nodded. She held the dolls Sowon got for her. She hugged it close to her heart.

“I wonder why you want the fox doll. I thought you will only aim for the rabbit one instead,” Sowon said.

“It reminds me of you, unnie,” come Eunha’s simple answer.

“Nn?”

“Your hair is red. The fox fur is red too. You are fast and agile. Though your bone cracked every once in a while, sign of old age, I supposed,” Eunha elaborated more answer to Sowon.

“Yah! Not that old!”

Eunha laughed. “And it’s strong. And wise. And it’s eyes. It’s the kind of eyes where I can’t guess what it’s been thinking about. Like you, I can’t ever guess what has been running through your mind, Sowon-unnie.”

Sowon smiled at her.

“And unnie, this rabbit doll, you keep it,” Eunha shoved said doll to Sowon.

“Hn?”

Eunha got slightly red. “If the fox reminded me of you… can the rabbit remind you of me?”

“I will treasure it a lot then, my precious rabbit.” Sowon kissed the rabbit.

Eunha got even redder. For some reason she felt shy when Sowon kissed the doll.

--

They walked hand in hand until they reached Eunha’s home. They exchanged goodbyes. Eunha was already putting her key into the door, when she heard Sowon’s voice.

“Eunha,” Sowon called.

“Huh?” Eunha walked back toward Sowon.

Sowon took a hairclip out of her pocket. It has a small flower and butterfly embedded into it. She tucked Eunha’s hair behind her ear first. Then, she pinned the hairclip on Eunha’s hair. She stepped back to observe. “Hn, as I thought. It looks good on you.”

“Unnie…”

“You know how butterfly have to sleep inside her cocoon before finally it could spread its wings and fly?” Sowon took Eunha’s hand. “You are perhaps like that. For now, you should sleep and rest inside your cocoon. Take as much times as you needed because time is said to heal all wounds.”

“Sowon-unnie…”

“And I will be here, with you. Waiting with you, until all of your wounds heal.” Sowon touched Eunha’s hair. “It’s okay, I’ll always stay by your side, Eunha. So, take your time resting. Your wounds, it will definitely heal. I’ll make sure of it.”

Eunha threw herself into Sowon’s embrace. Sowon patted her head. It felt comfortable and safe. Eunha can’t express well what she felt inside her head. Inside her heart. Her heart was hammering so fast, that it has started to feel painful. “Unnie, I don’t know what to say to you. Just—just—thank you… but, just saying thank you isn’t enough… I—don’t know—“

“Sshh, you know what you should do? It’s enough if I could see your smile, Eunha. Therefore, smile.”

For a moment, it felt like Eunha’s heart was going to burst. Because Sowon has been really sweet and kind and thoughtful and understanding. Because everything Sowon has done, it touched her heart. The deepest part of her heart. Always has. Ever since they’re just a child until now. Everything Sowon said, everything she did, it’s always. Always touch her. Always warm her heart. And though her eyes were once again filled with tears, Eunha smiled at Sowon. Because this tears, it wasn’t one of sadness or pain. Because its, because this tears come from her overflowing feeling for Sowon.

Sowon touched Eunha's cheek which has been wetted by tears. "You are bealutiful even when you are crying... yet, as i thought, i love your smile the most."

Eunha laughed in between her tears. "How cheesy."

"And your laugh, i definitely love it, Eunha," Sowon said.

Eunha could only hide her face using her doll.

--

Eunha placed her fox doll on top of her bed. She smiled at it.

“Dear daughter, care to tell me why you are looking at your newest doll like that?”

“Mama! Don’t creep behind me like that!”

“I have been calling your name so many times. But, you only stare at your doll like that. With some kind of silly smile, actually,” Mrs. Jung said. “Where is your doll coming from again?”

“It’s from Sowon-unnie…”

“You didn’t deny that you look at it with a silly smile…” Mrs. Jung said. Somehow she has a satisfied smile. “Well, if it’s from your precious Sowon-unnie then, you have to treasure it~” her mother added with a sly smile.

Eunha nodded. Though, her mother’s smile is kind of troubling her because that kind of smile usually mean that her mother knew something she didn’t.

--

There’s a knock on the door. She opened it to a familiar visitor.

“How is she?” her visitor asked.

“Still the same. She continued to alternately looking at her doll blankly or trying to get herself drunk enough so that she could meet her, even if it’s only an illusion.”

“But, that girl, she has high tolerance level for alcohol. It’s difficult for her to get drunk.”

“She realized that too… and she’s feeling even more miserable because of it.” She eyed the visitor’s hand. “She wouldn’t accept your gift…” she pointed at the cake on the visitor’s hand.

Her visitor looked at her hand. “I know she wouldn’t accept it. But, it didn’t mean that I wouldn’t try. If she really didn’t want it, you could keep it instead.”

--

A/N : hello~ here is the 3rd chapter~ i hope you will enjoy this one too :)

and thank you for reading and taking some time commenting! reading your comments are fun~

psst, have you seen police officer sowon from the fansign?! it's amazing! o_o!! --> this is literally my expression when i see it. even now, when i remember it, it still got me like this o_o!! my heart is amplifying its beat just by looking at it. sowon is just wow.

the fan who gave her the police hat is a hero! sowon really looked amazing with it! like super super wow, o__o!!