Reply Twenty-Nine

Spring 2009, May

I had approximately 2 months to apply for the fall semester at a university. Two months seemed so short. Because I had just graduated since February. That was 3 months ago. But it sincerely felt like yesterday. 

I honestly didn't know what was wrong with me, but I had recently started working on maths problems. So whenever my father asked me what date today was, I would say things like It's the (10-3)th. My dad always thought I was mocking him, but I wasn't. Something just wasn't right in my head anymore. 

Today, the (5+7-6)th of May, my aunt left her room - which was actually the guest room - with really, really fancy clothes. After her discharge from hospital, she had stayed at our home because her apartment in Myeongdong had apparently been already sold to someone else. Again, my parents never cared to let me in on important things. 

So I asked her, "You going somewhere?"

And she answered with, "Yeah, meeting my friends."

At the mention of her so-called friends, I had to cringe. I hate them was an understatement. But I still loved my aunt - which was actually new since I used to hate her - and I told her to take care of her health. She had just been discharged, and I doubted she wanted to go back to the hospital. Drinking alcohol wasn't exactly convenient for her. But she just smiled and said she always took care of her health. 

My mom was just downstairs when my aunt left the house. I walked to her after greeting my grandparents who were watching TV in the living room. Instead of her warm and motherly smile, I received her death glare because I almost knocked down a plate full of cookies. She was busying her hands with the utensils of the kitchen. 

"Why are you so hectic today?" I asked her. 

She glared at me again before turning her attention back to the boiling pot. "I don't have time, right now. Do something else. Go out."

My mom was being a beast again. Whether the time of the month was knocking on her door or she was just pissed off by my dad, I didn't even want to know. Just the fact that she was in her beast mode made me quietly leave the kitchen to plop down on the couch where my grandparents were eating apples as their desert. My phone suddenly rang, and it took me 0,99999+0,00001 milliseconds to answer the call. 

"It's me, Myung."

It was kinda awkward for me when he used his nickname, but I had the choice to ignore it which was what I did. Although we got closer, it was still strange for me to call him by his nickname. Not even Eunji did that, and she actually seemed to be closer with him that I did. 

"Are you free right now?" he asked. I had already noticed that with Howon, but Myungsoo's voice sounded different at the phone, too. Kinda cooler. And huskier. Also a bit strange like his usual voice was. 

"I am, why?"

"Come to Myeongdong. I'm gonna treat you to some late-night snacks." Me and you? Just the two of us? I decline. That was what I wanted to answer, but I was too scared to do that so I just agreed. 

When he hung up, I quickly asked my mom for permission. It wasn't like I couldn't go out at night. My mom had even allowed my aunt to hang out with her friends although she had been just discharged from hospital. The advantage of my mom being in her beast mode spared me some explaining. I think, back then, she wasn't even properly listening to me. 

So before I took the train to Myeongdong, I visited Eunji and begged her to come with me. Because Myungsoo and me with others was OK. But Myungsoo and me alone was not. Because I still didn't know what I could do for him. After our conversation at the end of my aunt's welcoming party, I made it my goal to take care of Myungsoo. I didn't want to be that ignorant and passive girl anymore. Myungsoo was a friend, wasn't he? And I wanted to support my friends. I wanted to get to know him better. 

But just the two of us was still a no-no. 

Eunji was more stubborn that I had thought. She had told me she didn't want to come in between him and me. So I had asked her what was there to disturb between Myungsoo and me. And she had said that we should start building a stable friendship first. But honestly, our friendship was stable. With a touch of awkwardness. 

In the end, I had managed to convince her. Myungsoo had already texted me the location, and while I wondered whether it was inappropriate for me to invite someone along, the Suji girl appeared behind the crowd of people passing by the food stall. Myungsoo was sitting next to her. 

"I guess he won't mind, then." I mumbled to myself. We, soon, arrived at their table when Myungsoo abruptly stood up and greeted us with his handsome smile. My eyes were focused on Suji, instead, because this girl was too pretty to be true. A pink laced top underneath a long-sleeved pullover and baggy jeans. Although the clothes weren't exactly embracing her tall and lean body, she still looked good which I envied. But looking at her wearing so many clothes made me sweat in my own shorts and tshirt. It was a pretty warm spring night. Oh, and her hair had gotten longer which made her even prettier. But now that they showed themselves together again, I wonder just what she was to him. A potential boyfriend? Just a friend? Maybe something different?

"Hey, sit down, sit down." Myungsoo held his gaze at me as Eunji and I took a seat at their table. Suji was introducing herself to my best friend and wow, when she moved her lips, she was even prettier. 

"What's the occasion?" I asked when we ordered our drinks. Sipping on my Coke, I glanced at Myungsoo, then Suji. 

"Suji moved to this place." Myungsoo's eyes were wide and full of joy. A big contrast to those from the last time I had met him. 

"Here?" Eunji asked, confused while looking around the food stall. 

Suji shook her head in amusement as she explained, "No, to Myeongdong."

"So your parents decided to move?" I asked because I could remember that she was living in my neighborhood. 

She held eye contact with me for a while before a soft smile broke out on her lips. Although her eyes were slightly crinkled because she was smiling at me, I couldn't help but notice her giving off a different feeling. Like she was hiding something underneath that smile. She reminded me of Myungsoo. "Actually, I'm moving to my parents."

So she was living alone all this time, I thought as I saw the waitress approaching us. Myungsoo ordered the food as we, girls, started talking about universities. 

"You are already studying?" Eunji asked Suji in amazement. My best friend was like me. An idiot who wanted to apply for the fall semester and who had half an year of time to sit around. 

"Myungsoo, too?" I added, looking at the male in front of me. He caught my eyes and smiled. And oh boy, I was temporarily distracted by his slight dimple. Why does everyone have a dimple?

"Yeah, I'm studying chemistry." he replied. "Are you two applying for the fall semester?"

We both nodded, and the food arrived on cue. Later that night, it was only Myungsoo and me, sitting at the table. Eunji and Suji had disappeared to buy some ice cream or whatsoever, but they hadn't come back for an hour, 13 minutes and 27 seconds now. I had thought it would be awkward between Myungsoo and me but to my surprise, it wasn't. Maybe because there were many people around us for late-night snacks. 

I looked around the streets when I spotted the bar where I had seen Sunggyu working at. I squinted my eyes, but I couldn't find out whether he was there today as well. Without me thinking about my words, I mumbled, "Do you know Kim Sunggyu?"

I wasn't expecting an answer because I was probably just talking to myself, but Myungsoo surprised me when he said, "We were close friends at elementary school."

I looked at him with wide eyes, still processing his words. The world held a lot of surprises. This whole conversation was getting me excited so I asked, "Really?"

He nodded. "Because we had the same surname."

"But Kim is a common surname."

"We were the only ones in our class."

I pursed my lips as I stared at his side profile. "But isn't he a year older than you?"

"He entered school a year later than everyone." Myungsoo responded, looking at the far distance. He looked unfocused for a while before he placed his attention back to me. "Which reminds me he turned 19 eight days ago."

We lapsed in silence as I wondered how Myungsoo and Sunggyu had looked like when they were elementary students. Myungsoo's mother had once showed me his childhood pictures, and now that I remembered, there was this one photo where little Myungsoo was standing next to a few boys and one of them resembled Sunggyu a lot. I had thought it was just me, but I guess I wasn't imagining things. 

"How do you know him? Besides him having attended the same high school." 

I could've said Because he was my first love's friend, but Myungsoo didn't know about me having crushed on Woohyun so I just said, "Howon is living with him right now."

"Oh, really? Sounds nice." I noticed that I had actually never seen Myungsoo and Sunggyu together back in high school. That was why I was so surprised when he said that they had been friends. Maybe they had drifted apart during middle school and weren't friends anymore. But wasn't that sad? Close friends suddenly drifting apart?

"Hoya's not here today. Don't you know that?" 

I looked to my right, spotting that Inguk guy who eyed me suspiciously. His arms were folded in front of him as he pursed his lips. His light green uniform looked smaller on him and when I glanced at his name tag that had Sunggyu's name on it, I realized why. "I know that. I'm not here for him."

Which was the truth. I honestly wasn't at the convenience store because I had missed Busan guy. Granted, I did miss him but it wasn't like we hadn't texted each other. Inguk squinted his eyes as he scanned me from bottom to top, leaning against the cash register behind him. "Why are you here, then?"

Truth to be told, I was here since 1pm without having had lunch. If you added 2 hours, you would know how late it was right now. I shrugged my shoulders, shifting in my seat (I was sitting on empty crates of Coke) because it was awkwardly uncomfortable. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Inguk widened his eyes immediately as he backed away a little. I knew what was going to come out of his mouth the moment his playful expression changed. "Don't tell me Hoya rejected you, and now you are trying to seduce me."

I rolled my eyes, arms trying to grab a hold of his collars. "How many times do I have to tell you that Howon and I aren't like that? And who would want to seduce you. Just thinking about it gives me chills."

I rubbed my hands against my arms to emphasize my words. When he mimicked me mockingly, I decided to speak up, "I was asking because I have a friend who would suit you."

"Oh, really? Is she hot? Give me her number. Or better, show me a picture."

"Like hell, I'd do that now. You are gross." I turned away from that troll, contemplating whether I should go now when Sunggyu passed by me, leaving a bag of chips on the counter next to me. At first, I thought he wanted to buy it since it was placed on the checkout counter, but then he disappeared off. 

"You know, he is a really good worker." Inguk suddenly started saying, my eyes following Sunggyu outside. "Not that he works exceptionally. He works like a normal dude. At a normal pace. But he is indeed the perfect co-worker. You want to know why?"

I nodded, urging him to continue. With a genuine smile, he said, "Last time, I was wearing my fringe to the right. And they normally fall to the left. Gyu noticed."

"That's not really a great achievement..."

"It is. Because Hoya and Miyoung didn't notice at all." He nodded proudly. "And there was one time where I covered my mole with foundation and drew a new one under my right eye. He noticed right away."

Now, I was speechless. Because that dude who was supposed to be the shop owner's son acted like a immature adult, playing pranks on his co-workers. Where did he get those ideas from, anyways?

"He is a really considerate guy. Even giving you these chips. That reminds me I need to subtract the price from his salary."

I looked at the bag of chips next to me, lying lifelessly on the counter, as a growl erupted from my stomach. So those were for me.

At a Saturday afternoon when I was starting my applications for the fall semester, my aunt stormed into my room with extremely heavy make-up. She asked me whether it was OK for her to come in, and I just nodded. Then, she said, "Wait outside."

Only when I looked out of my room, did I realize whom she was talking to. In the corridor, a tall male was standing in front of my room, hands stuck into the pockets of his jeans. I couldn't see his face because his back was directed to me. 

"Hana, can I take this bracelet?" My aunt asked, and I averted my attention away from that male. 

"Where are you going?"

"To a bar." she answered casually, turning on her heels to leave when she spotted something on my desk. "Hana, you are allergic to peanuts. Why is this here?"

Funnily enough, I was still keeping Woohyun's reminder on my desk. The bag of peanuts. Oh, the nostalgia. It took me back to Summer 2008. 

"I can eat it for you."

"NO!" I yelled so suddenly, even the male outside my room was startled and turned around. We met eyes for a short moment when a few things ran through my mind. Slender fingers. Clothes. Stress. Noticing the little things. My aunt and that male. 

Spring 2009, and university wasn't my only worry. 

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The ships are moving forward.

And secrets will be revealed. 

This stupid author loves her readers and thanks them from her heart.