It was jam-packed when we got inside the train and so we didn’t have any choice but to stand up. While Hongki’s eyes wondered, mine were glued at our hands still holding tight.

When he noticed, he abruptly let go of mine with an awkward smile and then he looked away appearing to be embarrassed.

We were silent as we headed to our destination and after a while we finally got to sit. The people got lesser and lesser until five to ten persons were only left in the train excluding us.

Since it had been a very confusing and at the same time exhausting day, I didn’t noticed I actually slept until I woke up and found my head on top of Hongki’s shoulder and that his head was on top of my head too. I wanted to pull my head up but was afraid it would wake up Hongki so we stayed in that position for a while until my neck started to feel numb.

“H-hongki-ah?” it took me all my courage to say his name.

In my relief, he automatically dragged up his head as soon as he heard his name.

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” I said.

He just smiled and then looked around, “We’re almost there.”

“Chincha? Oh yeah I almost forgot. Where are we heading by the way?”

“De, well you’ll see. What time is it?”                                                         

“7:39. Wae?”

“We’ll maybe get there by eight o’clock. Want to listen to music first?” he looked at me side ways offering one of his earphones.

I nodded sheepishly and before I could get the earphone myself, he my hair behind my ear and plugged it in gently.

His action made my face blush; he noticed that too but in my relief he just smiled and sat back.

We comfortably stayed like that in silence until we reached our destination.

~~

A cold wind came striking me as soon as we were out of the station and that’s when I realized I was just wearing an over-sized shirt and a pair of jeans.

I was shivering and was rubbing my shoulders as I waited for Hongki outside. When he finally came, he handed over two cups of hot chocolate to me and took off his jacket. And just like what he did last time, he put it around my shoulders and then got the other cup from my hand.

Not until now I realized that his smell was as fragrant as the blossoming flowers of spring and that his only presence can be as warm as the sun of summer.

As I push my thoughts away he started, “You better drink that up before it gets cold.”

“Ah—de.”

He laughed at how jumpy I was every time he spoke. “Does your wound still hurts?” he asked as he drunk his chocolate.

I thoughtlessly pressed the patch in my head that made me almost curse in pain.

“Ya…Bapo ya? Why the hell did you do that for?” he sounded astonished and at the same time angry.

“Mwo? I just checked if it still hurts,” I answered back.

He sighed and whispered, “You really are clueless you know.”

“Mwo?!” I shoot him a flesh-cutting look.

But he just laughed and looked at his watch. “It’s almost nine o’clock should we run for it before it starts?” his voice was full of enthusiasm as he said that.

Before I could even disagree he took away our cups and held my hand as we broke into a race.

I was beginning to loss breathe but he was still running like crazy. “Hongki-ah!!! Where the hell are we going?!”

He looked over his shoulder and answered with a wink, “to fulfill my promise right?! Don’t worry we’re almost there.”

~~

Out of oxygen, we finally reached the beach and fell instantly on the soft sand. Hongki lied on his back while I on the other hand sat beside him catching my breath.

“Ya—why do we even have to run? It’s not like the beach would disappear or something,” I said as soon as my pulse slowed down.

Hongki bolted up and sat closer to me, “Naaa not because of that but because it’s about to start.”

“And what it might be?”

“There,” as soon as he pointed at the horizon, fireworks started to fly up in the night sky.

My mouth gapped as I watched the beauty of it.

But in the mid of watching, Hongki suddenly spoke up that made me face his direction. He looked at me deeply in my eyes and said “Ji Yeon-ssi—can we stop being friends?”