Listen to 기억을걷는시간 by NELL : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEElVBPGoJY

“Weren’t those Belgian waffles just…”

“Heavenly?” Saya completed. Yoona sighed and grinned, clasping her hands to her chest in a dramatic manner for comic relief. The first few minutes of breakfast had been awkward but once Saya let go of herself and opened up about her past, anyone could notice the instant connection that had sparked off  between the two girls. Yoona had promised not to say a thing about Hyun Joong to anyone, not even Boa but Saya shook it off saying that in this new life, there was no need to keep any secrets.

“So where to next?” Yoona said, pouting her lips and looking around the road, as if a solution might pop up any moment. Saya cleared , catching her friend’s attention. Saya nodded at the board above them. Yoona furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and followed her gaze. A smile crept to her lips.

“Why didn’t you say so girl!” Yoona beamed and pulled Saya inside the shop that said ‘The Woosic Chart’. The store was one floor only, but the room had depth, with CDs neatly and systematically stacked up. Towards the right was a wooden counter with a large treble clef crookedly adorning it, behind it a chair that was designed like the bass clef. Saya’s eyebrows shot up at this creative design, something that Yoona noticed.

“Guess who made that?” she said, smiling from ear-to-ear. Saya cocked her head to the right and muttered, “Zico…”

Yoona widened her eyes. “How do you know his name? Oh yeah, Boa must have already told you…”

Saya remembered her resolution and caught hold of Yoona’s arm. “Say Yoona, do you by any chance know any good music… other than rock?”

Yoona grinned. “Verdelann is the right place for you! There aren’t many people who listen to rock here, don’t ask me why. There are the occasional b-boys and pop is a timepass for all of us but most of respect each other’s personal tastes. I listen to a lot acoustic, like John Mayer, Fleetwood Mac, the closest to pop that I have reached is Colbie Caillat… and then there’s Nell too.”

Saya was nodding her head at the first few names but her ears perked up at the last name. “No wait… Nell who?” The question seemed to have been wrong as Yoona gasped but at the same time, exclaimed a ‘Wait right here!’ upon Saya’s lack of knowledge. The latter waited and with her hands behind her back, strolled down the nearest aisle. Her heart clenched as she recognized most of the CDs as belonging to Hyun Joong’s playlist and quickly turned a blind eye, despite the memory of their first meeting returning to her.

They have a good collection, Saya thought and crossed out the line that said ‘Buy CDs for Mom.’ Her mother had recently bought an i-Pod and too confused by technology to download from iTunes, she sent Saya on an entertaining errand of finding music she used to listen to in college. Saya furrowed her eyebrows as she saw one band’s name still scrawled on her notepad.

“Simon and Garfunkel,” she muttered and bit her lip in frustration. Almost half-an-hour in the music store and she still hadn’t seen the album that her mother wanted. Helpless, she had even called the middle-aged woman, saying whether a ‘Best of’ could compensate. All she got was a scolding. Saya sighed and walked towards the counter with the other albums.

“Excuse me, but…are you sure you don’t have this particular album?” Saya showed the name to the teenage kid who scratched his head and raised an index finger, motioning for her to wait. He typed the name on the computer, only to be interrupted by a foreign voice.

“No need for that.”

Saya turned around and met with a tall young boy, his face strangely familiar. Must be someone from school, she thought to herself. The boy shifted his gaze from the counter kid to her and said, “That CD has been out of print for too long. Plus, this city is not the place to look for that particular piece of art.”

Saya pouted and nodded. “Thanks for your help…” She placed the Hall and Oates CDs on the table for billing, only to be interrupted again.

“Um.” Hyun Joong cleared his throat. Saya stared at him as he rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly smiled. “You don’t need to buy them.”

Saya furrowed her eyebrows while the counter boy looked on in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Hyun Joong, gave an awkward nod towards the bag and said, “I already have them at home, plus the S&G CD you’re looking for.”

Saya froze. Was he a ert looking for a chance? “No thanks, I’ll make an effort and buy them right now…”

Hyun Joong saw her face and laughed. “Oh, okay. I think I know what’s going on in your mind.” After no response, he said, “You’re Saya right? I’m Hyun Joong. We have history."

"What?" Saya asked. Hyun Joong retracked his words and smiled. "History class? I've been with you for over five years now."

“Saya? Saya!”

Saya was being shaken and turned to see Yoona staring at her with a panicked face, now sagging in relief. “Geez, I thought something hit you inside or something…. Anyway, give this a lesson, okay?”

She handed Saya a CD whose album artwork received a hesitated response from her. Yoona laughed and said, “Trust me! Their music is soothing but not boring, they’ll be a nice companion when I’m not there.”

Saya noticed the hidden emotions of concern and gave a wide smile. “I’ll make sure to give it a good listen.”

Yoona beamed at those words, when suddenly, her face fell. Saya followed her gaze and turned around. Standing at the door were three figures.

Saya heard the storeroom open and saw a tall boy with a round face greet them with a nod. He comfortably seated himself behind the counter, making Saya recognize him as Zico. The other three boys walked towards him, but only one lingered longer for a conversation. The other two, one fair with soft features while another with a brooding expression, walked through the aisles and glanced at the CDs with extreme disinterest. Saya faced Yoona and whispered, “Do you know them?”

Yoona bit her lower lip and looked away. Saya blinked twice. Was Yoona about to cry? Yoona faced her again, putting on a fake smile. “Everyone in Verdelann does.”

Saya didn’t believe Yoona. If not all three, at least one had some sort of a personal connection with her. She fearlessly observed the one at the counter, his thick eyebrows in a constant state of worry while Zico calmly listened to whatever he was telling him. The soft-featured one brushed his fingers on a metal band, his eyes fleetingly glancing towards Yoona. Saya felt achievement, her guess was right.

“Hey Aiden.”

It was the brooding one, the one who looked like he belonged to a Visual Kei band. He had dark hair that looked like they were naturally swept across his forehead in a slant, eyes that looked like he hadn’t slept at all and a voice that sounded like a whisper meant to frighten strangers. Aiden, the one who Yoona knew, lifted his head in acknowledgement and muttered a reply, “Hyung?”

Saya’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The visual kei guy was older? She turned around to question Yoona, but was at a loss as she found her friend at the counter, tapping her fingers on the wooden table. Saya saw her CDs in her hand, prepared for billing. She sighed to herself. Oh well, whatever the mystery, now was not the time to know.

Out of all the things she had observed, she hadn’t noticed Hero staring at her with utmost attention.