2
 

Tick Tock

 

 Pens down on paper. You stretch your arms out and release your brain exercise. You ran out your room and head to the front door.

   "Where are you doing?" asked your dad after getting out the bathroom.

   You claped your hands together, "I was going to visit Lee Dae Hwi."

"You mean that boy across the street?"

   "Yes."

   Your dad nods his head, "I haven't spoken to him in a while."

   You turned the knob and smiled, "Okay, see you."

   "(Y/N) come early for dinner, okay?"

   "Yes~" 

   Despite that you had plan to walk to your friend's house, Dae Hwi was standing on the porch.

   "Hi," he says, "Let's go!" 

   You two started to cross the road.

   "I have to come back before dinner, so I might not be there for much."

   "It's okay. You are just watching me play, right."

   "Yeah."

 

---

 

   Dae Hwi open the door for you to go in first.

   You sat on the living room couch, same place where the piano is at.

   Dae Hwi hits a note and chuckles before settling down. First he played a bit of Fur Elise.

   You began following the tempo by moving your head.

   Then he stop for moment, "Billie Jeans is my love She's just a girl that claims I am the one." His singing had some foul pronounciatons.

   You burst out into laughter.

   "Haha, how is it?" he asks as he laugh's with you.

   "Your English? I guess it's alright."

   "You guess?" he questions.

   "Sure." He turns around from the stool, "Try to say something."

   "I don't know anything," you scratch your neck.

   "Y/N), you're lame. Your mom from Canada, and she hasn't taught you English?"

   You muttered out, "Why you have know everything about my family?". Just then, your phone chimed. "Bye, I'm leaving. It's my dad. 

   Dae Hwi stands up. "You're lying. You just got here like 5 minutes ago"

   You blew a raspberry and crossed your arms.

  "Who was that?"

   "Just a drama." You exhale, "It's boring here, I want to go out."

   "Imagine watching yourself in a drama."

   You scoffed, "I watched your existence 75% of my lifetime. That's sounds boring watching you in a drama."

   "Wow then okay." he flips his hair, sitting back down.

   You two had a moment of silence.

   You thought back when that Unnie was talking to you. Just few years ago she had graduate and married her best friend. That long of an alliance... made them a couple.

    You did not know to explain it, so you improvised, "Dae Hwi, what would you do after high school?"

   Dae Hwi leaned forward, placing his elbows on his lap. "I guess college is my first step."

   "Of course," you respond. "What about the people around you ? Family? Friends? Leaving home?"

   He exhales from his mouth and was quiet.

   "I don't know what to do."

   "Goodness, (Y/N). You always look at somebody else's life."

   You gawked at the truth knowing he was talking about your hobbies, "But they are fiction, Lee Dae Hwi. Fiction."

   "Okay. There's having a career, home placement, making a family and so on," he lists.

   "Yeah," you said.

   "And there's you needing a life," he mocks.

   You threw a couch cushion at him and instead he caught it. "Aigoo..." you muttered.

   He puts the cushion onto the stool to sit comfortably.

   "That lady at the bus was talking to me. She thought you was my boyfriend."

   "What about it?"

   "She and her husband been friends since they were in school... Do you think it'd be the same for us?

He looks down trying to prevent eye contact, yet he lower his voice, "I don't mind growing old with you..."

   "What?" you blinked.

   Dae Hwi exhales looking at you, "I said I would not mind growing old with you," he says with a bold voice. "I mean what do you think?"

   "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."

   "Since we're growing up we have a whole life a head of us... And we have a stable relationship. But sooner or later I will never see you again. Like what happen when I went overseas."

  

   

 

 

   This conversation has gotten serous. Even though you were caught up with that lady from the bus, you would never have thought such things that Lee Dae Hwi would say to you about living life including your friendship. Yeah, your bonds with your best friend is well, but not many people can ever last a friend that long. Maybe not a man and women, yet in the end some would get hitched. Honestly you had never admire Dae Hwi as a boyfriend. He is squishy though.

 

 

   "(Y/N), I don't want to step up now, but I know we can't be just friends forever. And if we go our seperate ways then..." he thought the next words for a moment. "I just don't want to lose you once time goes. Like one we might not have time for each other."

   You nodded your head.

   "Anyways, you better get on home so you can eat," he says while standing up.

   You both went up to the door and said bye.

   Lee Dae Hwi closes the door on your way out. You shift your way crossing the road alone.

 

---

 

   Before you could even take a step on the porch, your wrist was yanked from behind. You turn around and saw it's just your friend.

   He fondles your faces and plays with your hair. "Has our (Y/N) haven't grown up yet? Is she still naive?"

   Just scanning his appearance you were tempted by those eyes on you.

   Dae Hwi cradles you into his arms, place his chin on your head. "Time flies doesn't it, Bang Hyo Min?"

   You took a whiff of his musk.  Feeling warm that Dae Hwi still holding on to you.

   Your dad opens the door with a cigarette in his mouth.

   Lee Dae Hwi repells from you to greet your dad.

   He gave you two an unslightly stare, "Who are you?"

   "You don't remember me, sir? Lee Dae Hwi?"

   Your dad pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, "Ah! Now I remember!" Your dad starts to chuckle, "I couldn't recognize you because of your hair colour."

   Dae Hwi smiles at him.

   "Wow, look at you! Yet I haven't even spoke to your parents in a long time," your dad says, "I remember when you and my Hyo Min played together when you were kids, we used to joke around talking about that one day we will be in-laws."

   The atmosphere was awkard, since there was not much to talk about.

   "Yeah. I must go. It was nice talking to you."

   "You too," he waves. (Y/N) let's go eat. Your mother made some hamburgers."

 

---

 

    As you and your dad walked into the dinning room, your mom has already set the plate on the table.

   "(Y/N), what have you been doing," asked your mother.

   "Nothing much." You took a bite of your hamburger.

   "Honey, I just saw Dae Hwi today," your dad begins, "He wrapped his arms around our daughter like this." He exaggerates his gesture.

   "Really, (Y/N)? Lee Dae Hwi is your boyfriend now?" your mom asks.

   You felt embarrased, "Appa! Stop it! It's not like that."

   He scoffs, "He even coloured his hair. I wasn't sure if it was actually him -- I was about to beat him for touching our (Y/N)."

   "You haven't seen him in a while, have you? Just last week I was talking with his mother," your mom said.

   "I was trying to avoid them."

  "Why, Appa?"

   "I lost a bet to Lee Hyun Dae."

   "That doesn't mean you have to avoid the whole family," your mom scolds.

   "Anyways," your dad ignored, "you should date him."

   "Yah!" your mom's yelling made the table rattle, "(Y/N) is not allowed to date at any circumstances." Then she turns her head at you, "You will not make any babies under this house."

   "Umma! Don't say things like that." You grabbed your hair.