Jiyoung/Jonghun

1,046 words

"I’m left alone and I try hard, but the person who is hurting is me"

She can’t remember when exactly was the last time she had stepped inside the particular room. Perhaps about six months ago, when he was still by her side.

Before he disappeared without a trace, before he left her cruelly with only a simple goodbye.

At the corner of the room, stood the creamy white guitar she hasn’t played in a very long time. It still looks exactly the same, just like she has always remembers it.

Slowly, she strides over towards it and picks it up gingerly, blowing off all the dust that had been collected over the long period of time.

It naturally comes to her – how she’s supposed to hold it, how her fingers start to strum the strings lightly, how the melody plays so easily like she is meant to sing it.

The song they wrote together.

“I blankly lean on my memories for a long time...”

She had always longed for her own guitar, ever since she started playing one. She scrimp and save every little penny she had gotten from her part-time job, eager to spend it all on the dreamy white guitar she’s set her eyes on.

Skipping happily inside the music store, her bright sparkling eyes widened at the wide variations available. If she hadn’t already made a choice, she would have even more trouble picking on one – but since she knows what she wants...

She walked further inside the shop, stopping right in front of the creamy white instrument, staring wide-eyed at it as if couldn’t believing that the baby was about to be hers.

She reached out her hand to take it down from the rack, only to be beaten by another pair of hands which were faster by just a mere second.

gaped open slightly, staring in bewilderment at the guy who had just taken away her precious guitar, right before her very eyes. She waited for him to say a word of apology, or at least ask her if she would like to have it instead – but he didn’t. In fact, he simply turned away from her, smiling as he sauntered over towards the counter to make his payment.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

She was so close.

She didn’t know what made her do it – probably because of her huge fondness for the guitar, but she found herself tailing the guy discreetly from behind, all the way from the guitar store. She followed him all the way to the bus stop at the other end of the street, which was miles away from where she had come from.

Just when she thought he was never going to realise her presence and that she should probably just head home already because that guitar was never going to be hers – he stopped in his tracks all of a sudden and turned around slowly, taking her completely by surprise.

She froze on her spot, unable to say a word and unsure on how to react.

Thankfully, he spoke up first.

“Do you like this guitar that much?”

Biting on her bottom lip hard, she could only nod her head.

To her surprise, he smiled.

“We can share.”

The guitar belongs to him and her. It belongs to them.

It belongs to Choi Jong Hun and Kang Ji Young.

She brought him to places he has never been to. In return, he taught her songs she has never heard before. Wherever they went, their guitar would follow.

Her Polaroid camera was never forgotten either. She would use it to capture every single moment of the time they spent together – to be cherished as special memories. Once in awhile, when he wasn’t looking, she would snap a photo secretly and hid it away before he noticed.

Her favourites are the ones where he’d be in deep concentration while playing a song for her. When his eyes are closed, and soft, gentle melody escaped his lips beautifully.

She loves those moments, a lot.

“You have to lose yourself in the music,” he told her kindly one day, while they were having a picnic in the park and writing a song together. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her and enclosed his fingers over hers, guiding them patiently.

She could feel herself blushing furiously as she tried to pay attention on what he was saying. Her cheeks felt hot, as though they were on fire.

“You’re putting too much pressure on yourself,” he murmured and looked down on their now-intertwined fingers. “It won’t sound right if you force it.”

“I still have a lot of things to learn,” she sighed.

“Hmm...” she saw him smiling from the corner of her eye. “...I’ll be your teacher for a life-time.”

“Make a wish.”

They were standing on a bridge, overlooking the beautiful night-scene of the city and some fireworks could be seen in the distance. She remembers, because he had told her before how much he loved watching fireworks and that night, he was wearing the biggest smile she’s ever seen him with.

She thought about it for a moment.

“I don’t have anything to wish for,” she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I have everything I need here with me.”

She nudged him lightly to let him know what she meant. He simply chuckled in response.

“Just make a wish,” he urged her on. “Doesn’t hurt to have lots of wishes.”

She closed her eyes and said, “I hope that our song will touch the hearts of many people, and I hope that you’ll always stay by my side to be my guiding light.”

When she opened her eyes again, she saw him smiling down wistfully at her as he ruffled her hair lightly.

She grinned happily.

She puts the guitar down and lets out a soft sigh. Up until today, she still has no idea what had happened to make him leave her here all alone, still yearning for his return.

The only thing he left for her is his parting words, saying “You did a really good job, Kang Ji Young. Because of your perseverance and dedication, I’m sure our song will become a hit. I’m sorry I have to leave you, but it’s for the best. Take good care of yourself. I’ll always be cheering you on from afar.”