Final
Change
Ashes Remain – Right Here (Don’t know how it ties in with the story; I just feel like it fits somehow…)
Please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes!
Nine years ago
Ten-year-old Hyerim loved to help her mother in the kitchen. She loved the delicate ways of being able to create delectable goods from ingredients that were better off being eaten cooked than raw or simply better tasting when combined with other ingredients. Whenever her mother entered the kitchen, little Hyerim would only be a heartbeat away. Though Hyerim was unable to create these delicious foods and pastries herself, she promised herself that she would be able to follow her mother’s footsteps and whip up the most amazing dishes anyone has ever tasted.
Eleven-year-old Kyungsoo liked helping his mother in the kitchen as well. Without a special reason like Hyerim’s, he only enjoyed helping because he appreciated his mother’s works. However, unlike Hyerim, he was able to bake desserts such as cookies and cupcakes, as well as create simple foods like pancakes. Kyungsoo liked being able to cook; this way, he would be able to lighten the load on his mother’s shoulders every day, helping her with chores whenever he deemed that she needed rest.
Little Hyerim had already developed a little crush on handy Kyungsoo, who, in her eyes, always seemed to be good at everything. She admired him from afar, and silently supported every single action he made. To show her appreciation and confess her feelings at the same time, she put a lot of effort into create the perfect batch of cookies. Though they only turned out alright and did not seem very special, one could tell that she had put in a lot of love in the batch as well; Hyerim could only wish that he would accept them.
Little Kyungsoo knew about Hyerim’s slight inability to cook or bake. Though they were not very important traits, he just couldn’t seem to find anything special about her that would label her as ‘approved’ in his books. When she appeared in front of him with the small pouch of chocolate chip cookies a few days later, he stared between her and the little pouch of him, debating on his answer. The moment he answered was the moment little Hyerim could feel a very hurtful pang shoot at her young heart; Kyungsoo felt only a very small sliver of pity as he stared at the girl in front of him.
Hyerim did not understand the feeling of rejection or heartbreak, but she could only understand the pain that remained in her chest. That night after she came home from school, her mother announced that they would be moving. Expecting a response, her mother was shocked to find her daughter react weakly with no emotions as she trudged up to her room. Hyerim’s mother could only guess that her daughter’s confession did not go well.
Kyungsoo did not understand that feeling of guilt, but he could only understand the hesitant feelings that resided in his chest once his day at school was over. That night when he prepared for bed, he decided to look for the younger girl and apologize for his lack of emotion when rejecting her. However, an uncomfortable feeling began to creep into his head. Shaking away his thoughts, he cleared his head as he settled into bed, determined to find her tomorrow to apologize. He did not know that his apologies would go unheard.
Present
Little Hyerim was no longer little. Growing up to become a beautiful young lady at the age of 19, she was able to brighten up anyone’s day with her pastries and desserts at her small bakery in her hometown. Living in an unknown area for nine years, she worked hard in school to make her now deceased mother proud. In the end, she was able to graduate two years early and was accepted into a school that taught her how to cook. Growing up, Hyerim had loved to help her mother in the kitchen; as her mother began to grow ill, she stepped up to the plate and began taking over the role in the kitchen. She was able to improve her culinary skills quickly, and she beamed at her mother’s praises. She decided at the ripe age of 12 to start her own bakery to brighten everyone’s day with delicious pastries and desserts, sweet enough to turn any frown upside down.
Little Kyungsoo had grown up well. He grew up to become a handsome young man at the age of 20, and he was now a famous idol under a company going by the name of SM Entertainment. As he grew up, he developed a love for singing and was determined to become an idol instead of a chef. However, there was always one thing that he never forgot as he grew up; he still needed to apologize to the girl who he had rejected nine years ago. He lost hope in finding her in the end, and instead pursued after his dreams of becoming an idol. In the end, he succeeded and is now part of a group that earns lots of love from fans country-wide and internationally. He developed strong bonds and great friendships with the other members of his group, and they all know of his wish of apologizing to the girl he had rejected years ago.
Hyerim’s bakery lived up to its reputation. Though it was a fairly small shop, it never failed to receive loads and loads of customers and orders every day. With the help of three of her friends, it ran smoothly and efficiently. Jaehwa was a third-year college student, and he was, among the students and female customers, known for his good looks and athletic abilities. Aeri was a junior student in high school; she was, among the small group of four, known for her chirpy and bubbly persona, as well as her ability to become friends with almost anyone she meets. Seokjin, also known as Jin, was a first-year college student, and he was Hyerim’s best friend; being the same age, the two shared similar interests in sports and music, along with the fact that the two had known each other before they met Jaehwa and Aeri. If the group stuck together like glue, then Hyerim and Jin were inseparable. Though they may seem like a couple sometimes, they have a relationship of nothing more than an older brother and a younger sister.
Thought he enjoyed fame, sometimes Kyungsoo missed being able to help his mother in the kitchen and taste her cooking. Being away from home made him homesick, and he was upset that he was leaving his mother alone. Suddenly craving something sweet, he put on a disguise and went out to find a bakery. Though it was almost midnight, and most stores were closed by then, he managed to find a bakery that was still open, and there were very few customers left sitting in the small booths. He entered the bakery to be met with a homey feeling, immediately warming him up inside. A male, not seeming to be much older than Kyungsoo himself, lead him to a booth and asked him what he would like. Suddenly remembering his mother’s homemade dessert, he ordered for a raspberry and vanilla parfait with fresh fruits. The standing male suddenly smiled, telling the disguised idol that he was lucky that the particular dish was a special recipe dish that only one of the patisseries at the café/bakery made.
Hyerim was surprised when Jaehwa told her someone had ordered a raspberry and vanilla parfait with fresh fruits. No other person that she met knew about the dish besides two other people, and she definitely did not meet the other person yet. She met one out of the two, and that person was the one who had passed on the secret dish to her. Nevertheless, she gave Jaehwa a bright smile and told him that she’d give the dessert to that person instead. Jaehwa, chuckling, agreed and left to see if there was anyone that needed assistance. Hyerim smiled softly to herself, slightly reminiscing, “He used to love the parfait a lot. I wonder how he’s doing now.”
Kyungsoo waited, confused on why his previous waiter did not come out with the dish. He was then told that the person creating the dessert would later present it to him herself. He nodded in understanding before leaning back into his seat. Suddenly, the thoughts of the girl who was unable to cook or bake wandered into his thoughts. Guilty feelings rushed throughout his body as he remembered that he did not apologize to her yet. He bit his lower lip, frowning slightly. “Where could she be?” he thought, sighing. He didn’t like the feelings that lingered in his veins; they made him feel accountable for her moving.
Hyerim came out with the dish and walked towards the table that had ordered the special creation the certain person taught her. Placing it on the table, she bowed, “I hope you have a nice day.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. That voice was the same one he heard on the day before her disappearance. He looked up quickly, silently taking an intake of breath as he met eyes with the girl who he had been looking for.
Hyerim’s eyes widened as well. She didn’t expect to meet him here. She didn’t think that he’d be here. Her cheeks started to burn as she thought back to the day she confessed to him. Nothing good came out of that day; she earned nothing but heartbreak that day. Her brain malfunctioned, not allowing her to think, so she did the first thing that came into her mind a few moments later — she ran.
Kyungsoo couldn’t let her slip past him again. There was something that was nagging at the back of his mind, telling him that he would regret letting her run away once more. He’s waited so long for this moment unknowingly. His chest burned with an uncomfortable feeling; his mind went blank with no knowledge, so he did the first thing that came to mind when she ran out the door — he chased after her.
Hyerim ran. She ran with no destination in her mind. Though she knew she should never run away from her problems — in this case, a bad memory — she couldn’t help it. She ran faster when she heard the footsteps come closer; she slowed down when they faded, and she stopped in front of the old park that she used to play at. She sat down on one of the benches, pulling her knees close as she wrapped her arms around them and buried her head in the gaps.
Kyungsoo chased. He looked around frantically for her when he lost sight of her. “Think,” he thought desperately, biting onto his bottom lip, “Where could she be?” His eyes brightened up when one place came to mind, and he immediately started to run. When her figure on the bench came to his eyes, he rushed up behind her and threw his arms over her shoulders and buried his head into the crook of her neck. He acted on impulse.
Hyerim felt her heart stop. Sensing that her old feelings were acting up again, she quickly shrugged his arms off and quickly scrambled away, increasing the distance between the two. “What do you want?” she asked quietly, but a tremble could still be heard in her voice.
Kyungsoo had the feeling of being a bully, though he was nothing close. At that moment, she seemed so small, so vulnerable, so…hurt, that he could only blame himself for letting this happen. He moved out from behind the bench, causing her to take more steps backwards, wanting to keep distance between the two.
Hyerim was scared. She was afraid that she would fall in love with him again. She had spent so much time pushing those feelings out of a window, burying herself in schoolwork and the determination of making her mother proud. She did not want to have to suffer through another heart-break.
Kyungsoo suddenly felt like embracing her. The way she looked at that moment scared him; was there something that happened that caused her to become like this? Surely it wasn’t just the rejection; she didn’t seem like the type of girl that would let a single rejection ruin her like this.
“Hyerim,” he said cautiously, “That’s you, right?” She didn’t reply, staring at him with scared eyes. He bit his lip again, unsure of what to do. He took very small steps towards her, being careful, “Hyerim-ah.”
“I want to say sorry.” That sentence took her off-guard. Sorry? Why was he sorry? “Why?” she whispered, staring at him. She wasn’t going to run away at the moment. She knew she couldn’t run away anymore because her mother had always told her not to run away from her problems.
Kyungsoo slowly stepped forward, standing only a few feet away now. “I want to say sorry,” he said quietly, hesitating, “for being emotionless and blunt that day. It was somewhat ruthless of me to not think about how you’d react after. I’m sorry.”
“Why apologize?” she asked him, slight hurt evident on her face, “Why now after how many years have past? Do you even know how much it hurt back then, knowing that you were rejected just because you weren’t labeled as ‘approved’ in someone else’s book? It hurts, you know. It hurts a lot.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he repeated, ashamed in himself. A few months after she had left, he had suddenly realized that labels were the one thing that kept others in the cliques that everyone is in today. Because they’re labeled as ‘popular’, ‘nerd’, ‘geek’, or ‘outcast’ doesn’t mean that they’re any different from one another. He had realized that too late.
Hyerim can still remember the pain. Now, she was able to label that pain as the pain of heartbreak. It seemed like it happened just yesterday.
A silence fell upon them, holding them back from being able to say anything at all. “I have to get back,” she whispered, giving him a slight bow, “Good night.”
Something burned in his chest. There was an urge to do something that he should’ve done a long time ago.
His hand shot out to grip onto her wrist lightly, being careful not to injure her as he spun her around, catching her off-guard. His arms wrapped around her waist as his head dipped down slightly to give her the answer he should’ve given her. Her eyes widened as she felt his lips on hers, but soon, they fell closed, kissing him back timidly.
After a few moments, they parted, slightly panting for air. Her face grew warm as he stared at her, “Is it alright if I change my answer right now?” She bit her bottom lip, her cheeks tainting a slight pink. He gave her a small smile before kissing her lightly this time on the nose, resting his forehead on hers as he asked her, “Will you give me the honor of being my girlfriend?” She blushed again before nodding, burying her face into his chest as he smiled softly.
Sometimes, change was nice, especially if this was supposed to be the outcome of what was supposed to be.
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