CHAPTER 21: POLARIZE

“This place is just…fantastic.” Eunji smiled proudly at the latest shot of the scenery she took with her DSLR camera. “Wow, Bomi really did hit a jackpot when she found this place…” She continued to mutter to herself, praising the beach resort they were in and her friend who found the place. The beam on her face never vanished as she scanned through the other pictures that she took earlier.

Raising the camera less than an inch from her face, Eunji scanned the area for more breathtaking landscapes. The clear blue skies meeting with the vast and calm ocean, the sequence of palm trees towering over the fine grains of sand where it was rooted, the green and brown grand mountains that acted as a backdrop behind their cottages located a few meters above sea level — ever since she started wandering around this early afternoon, her camera has already been filled with those kinds of sceneries, only in different angles. She took more of it, and much to her dismay, the subsequent shots didn’t satisfy her anymore so she quickly deleted them.

Eunji thought that she had already captured every inch of beauty that the place has to offer, but then a sudden view beg to differ. For her, breathtaking was an understatement to describe what she’s looking at through the lenses. Everything else just stopped, and she forgot how to move and breathe.

There she was – the person who has the ability to standout in the midst of other exquisite things.

In places like this, girls who are aware of their assets would still show off the obvious. Most girls would opt to go for the y look and show some skin to flaunt their curves. She, however, is different. Even though she only wore a loose, white shirt and a pair of denim shorts, her curves can still be seen; especially when the fabric traces the outline of her figure as the breeze smoothly passes through her body.

It was a simple outfit, but her complex beauty was there to make it all up. And by complex beauty, Eunji meant that she just clearly cannot understand, and she won’t bother trying to as well. All she knew was that her beauty was making her want to delete all the previous photos that she took.

“Are you taking a picture or not?”

The voice woke her up from her daydreaming, and she accidentally pressed on the shutter button. “I-I’m sorry, Naeun-ah…Let me redo it!” Eunji offered after seeing the blurred picture, but she didn’t delete it. “Still pretty…” she thought.

“Can I look at the photos that you took?” Naeun stood beside her and explored the camera without removing the strap from Eunji’s neck. “Wow…you could actually pass as an official photographer.”

“Wow, a compliment from Ms.Son. I feel honored.” The older one teased and laughed, which earned her a slap on the arm. Eunji just had to do that before the nervousness caused by their proximity seeps out of her body. “Where’s the other two, by the way?”

“Probably doing couple stuffs. You know, cuddling then fighting. Then back to cuddling…it’s a cycle.” Naeun explained as they both walked along the shoreline, letting the end of the waves hit their feet. “It has been a while since Bomi had her free time with Chorong, and as for me, I just wanted to spend my free time comfortably so…I pushed through this short getaway. It’s a good thing that Hani was there to help us.”

“Oh, she knew about this place?” Eunji raised an eyebrow upon hearing Hani’s name. “Isn’t she mad or something because, you know…Bomi…”

“I was actually surprised when she happily recommended this resort. Hani said that she’s working here for extra income, and the owner of this place is a fan of mine so…” Naeun shrugged.

“This is why it’s an honor to be friends with someone as big as you.” Eunji laughed as she pressed long on the shutter button, successfully capturing frames of Naeun’s reaction. In return, she got another slap on the arm.

As the teasing went on, so is the number of derp pictures of Naeun in her camera and the number of handprints on both of her arms.

“Will you stop it?” Naeun whined for the nth time, while Eunji just kept on beaming her with that usual blinding smile. “And please, even just for today…I want to live as the real Son Naeun.” She heaved a sigh as she looked at the boundless body of water right in front of her, smiling.

The beam on her face turned into a gentler one as Eunji observed Naeun, whose eyes were shut as she enjoyed the sea breeze. Even though she had never experienced being under the spotlight and the scrutinizing eyes of the media, Eunji understood what those words that came from the latter meant. It’s not like the Naeun everyone sees on screen is unreal, but somehow, she had an image to maintain. And that image, unfortunately, forbids her from expressing everything about her-self.

Fame and fortune does really come with a price.

Eunji then secretly pressed the shutter button. “The real you…” She muttered to herself as she checked the shot that she just took.

“Yeah…” Naeun exhaled deeply. “You know, without inhibitions.”

“If that’s the case…” Eunji paused, and her hand found Naeun’s like it had a mind of its own. The younger one didn’t protest though, so it urged her to intertwine their fingers. She gave it a light squeeze, before moving on with what she wanted to say. “Just be yourself, then. Freely do anything and express yourself as you wish.”

The two got lost in their gazes at one another and slowly, everything around them faded. From now on, they’re in a world of their own where nothing else mattered; a realm in which there was only Naeun for Eunji, while there was only Eunji for Naeun. It may only be for today, but they knew that letting this — a maybe once in a lifetime opportunity — pass would leave them full of regrets.

Then, without any warning, Naeun scooped a handful of moist sand and wiped it all over Eunji’s arm like a sunblock before running away. “That’s for all of the stolen pictures that you took!”

“Hey, Son Na—eun…” It was supposed to be a shout, but Eunji ended up muttering the rest of Naeun’s name under her breath after getting a different look from the latter. A glint in the celebrity’s eyes and an unrestricted laughter that escaped through her wide smile — it was Eunji’s first time seeing all of those, and she sure felt a tug in her heart. It had been her wish to see Naeun genuinely happy, and she just can’t help but heave a sigh of relief now that it’s fulfilled.

And with that, Eunji took a hold of her camera once again and captured that moment before running towards Naeun. “I’m going to get you for this!” she exclaimed with a smile on her face.

“That’s if you can catch me!” Naeun stuck her tongue out and grinned like a kid as she ran further away from the older one who was already holding a chunk of sand in both of her hands.

---

Bomi was patiently waiting for Chorong who has gone to the restroom when someone from across the lobby called her name. She then gave a smile and waved her hand at the person who was approaching her direction. “Is it your shift now, Heeyeon-ah?”

“Yeah, but it’s my break time now so I’m off to eat.” Hani explained. “How’s your stay so far?”

“It’s really great!” Bomi exclaimed and did a two-thumbs up. “The view here is absolutely magnificent, the employees are doing their job well, and of course, the food is just…wow.” Her face quickly brightened as she praised and described their great experiences during the first day of their stay in the resort.  

On the other hand, Chorong furrowed her eyebrows as her face darkened upon seeing the lively conversation between the two after walking out of the ladies’ room. A part of her just cannot help but feel jealous and uneasy whenever Hani is around, even if Bomi is officially hers already. Truth be told, she hates feeling this way because it appears like she doesn’t have any trust with her partner, which is not true in any way. If anything, the one she doesn’t have a trust on is Hani, knowing that she still have this romantic feelings for her girlfriend. And actually, it somehow irks her when she sees Bomi treat Hani nicely but she just throws the concern out of the window since she cannot do anything about the latter’s natural friendliness.

“Bbom-ah, shall we go?” Chorong s her arm around Bomi’s before clasping their hands together. She then forced a smile and gave a light nod as a response when Hani waved hi at her.

“Anyway, it’s nice seeing you here. Thanks again for recommending this wonderful place.” Bomi smiled.

“Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for, right?” Hani beamed as she raised her hand to exchange a high-five, in which Bomi accepted.

“We’ll go ahead then.” The two bid farewell and walked out of the main lobby. Once out of the vicinity, Bomi glanced at her girlfriend with concern, knowing that she still has issues with Hani. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm.” Chorong hummed as she curt a nod. “Why?”

“Are you…still jealous?” Bomi hesitantly opened up the topic.

“Believe me; I’m trying my best not to be.” The shorter one heaved a sigh and cuddled Bomi’s arm. “And I just cannot help but feel uncomfortable seeing her approach you when we both know that she still likes you. I still…don’t trust her.”

“So…you trust me, but not her?”

“I just feel like she’s secretly devising a master plan to kidnap you from me.”

“Come on, baby. Give Hani a break.” Bomi untangled her arm from Chorong’s and draped it over her girlfriend’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “Besides, all she does right now is nothing but work since she’s now the breadwinner of her family. She even sacrificed her studies and took different part-time jobs just so she could earn money for her dad’s hospital fees. Do you think a woman that busy would have time to chase someone around?”

“Fine, I’m sorry.” Chorong pouted as she stopped on her tracks, wrapping her arms around Bomi’s waist and resting her head on the crook of her neck. “I’m really trying my best though…”

“I know…” Bomi in return, patted the shorter one’s head before giving it a peck. “Just always remember that I love only you, okay? Nothing could ever take me from you; not even death.”

Chorong knew that Bomi was being serious, but she just cannot help but cringe and react badly by slapping Bomi’s back. “You really never run out of cheese, don’t you?”

“I’m dead serious here, Park Chorong. I’ll follow you anywhere.” Bomi kept a straight face as she declared her loyalty to the love of her life. “Besides…”

“Besides…?” Chorong broke the hug and raised an eyebrow as she waited for Bomi to complete her sentence.

“I know that you secretly swoon over my cheesiness.” The serious face was then wiped away with a playful one, earning her another slap from the latter.

“Whatever, Miss Confident.” The older one rolled her eyes playfully at her girlfriend’s statement.

“I love you too, Miss Beautiful.” Bomi retorted with another tease and planted a kiss on Chorong’s cheek.

Just like that, the lovely couple’s conversation swerved into random and trivial topics until eventually, Hani was buried under the pile and totally forgotten.

---

After what seemed like hours, the two finally sat down on a log and rested as they decided to watch the sunset together. While waiting, the two just cannot help but laugh as they scanned through the pictures that they took, reminiscing all of what they just did.

Exploring the whole area, teasing and chasing each other along the shoreline, sitting on the sand as they built sandcastles around them, writing their names on the sand and protecting it from the waves, taking pictures of each other and them together, then teasing and chasing each other once again – all of these seemed uninteresting and childish for the people within their age, but for them, those memories were the ones worth keeping.

Eunji then came across a picture of them under the nipa hut when it rained for a short time, and it suddenly reminded her of that question from Naeun that she wasn’t able to answer. “Naeunnie, what was that Japanese question that you’ve asked me before? What was that called again?”

“Ah, a tanka.” Naeun answered. “Why?”

“Can you recite it for me again?” Eunji requested, smiling. “Please?”

“A faint clap of thunder, clouded skies, perhaps rain will come. If so, will you stay here with me?” Naeun then fluently delivered the piece of literature as she continued watching the sun slowly descend towards the sea.  She then noticed the smile and gaze that Eunji was giving her. “Are you up to something –“

“A faint clap of thunder, even if rain comes not, I will stay here, together with you.” Eunji recited the correct response for that verse. “Naeun-ah, even if it doesn’t rain, I will always stay here with you.” She added.

Naeun was shocked because she didn’t even expect Eunji to remember about the tanka, but just now she recited the correct response to that verse. The surprise didn’t last, however, as the lid to her emotions finally opened and overwhelmed her with the fluttering feelings that she have long suppressed deep within. Usually, she would’ve already walked far away from the latter even before her emotions get the best of her, but now it seemed pointless to do since the feelings that she tried so hard to keep bottled up finally spilled and continued to fill her entirety. She won’t be able to lie about it anymore.

She then remembered the exact words that Eunji told her a while ago: “Just be yourself, then. Freely do anything and express yourself as you wish.”

Naeun then held out her pinky finger. “Promise?”

Eunji’s eyes formed into crescent moons as a smile full of loving and assurance appeared upon her face. “Hey. I promised you before, right? I won’t go anywhere.” She then linked her pinky finger with Naeun’s and pressed their thumbs together, sealing the promise. “Oh, the sun is –“

“Jung Eunji…” Without letting go of the sealed promise, Naeun gently called and pulled the latter’s attention back at her.

The desire to witness the marvelous scenery vanished after her eyes drowned in Naeun’s gaze, just like how the sun sunk beneath the ocean. Eunji just froze, and all she was able to do was watch Naeun lean in for a whisper.

“I love you.”

Eunji felt the towering waves of emotions hammer on her body as those three words echoed inside her now malfunctioning mind. It was just too good to be true and everything felt like a dream but even before she could generate any response, Naeun already proved her otherwise by finally letting go of everything that she held back with a chaste kiss.

And that was the epitome of the real Son Naeun: freely doing whatever her heart wants and fully expressing what she truly feels.

---

“Bbom-ah!” Chorong hurriedly approached her girlfriend who just sighed in annoyance. “Listen to me, please.”

“No, you listen to me.” The younger of the two demanded. “If you’re going off somewhere, can you please at least let me know where you’re going and not make me worry like that?! I went nuts looking for you!” Bomi then remembered how baffled she was to see no one waiting for her at their table after she bought some snacks.

Chorong on the other hand was so driven by her panic that whatever Bomi has said didn’t register in her messy mind. She tightly grabbed both of Bomi’s arms and shook the girl. “You’ve got to talk to Hani and convince her to delete those pictures!”

“What…?”

“Hani…Ilhoon…They know each other, Bomi-ah. Then I saw her secretly taking pictures of Eunji and Naeun, so I think she’s –“

“Are you ing kidding me?” Bomi snapped. She had enough of her girlfriend’s personal issues towards Hani that nothing seemed to happen but just worsen. How come this argument is about Hani again? Was Chorong this possessive to say something completely outrageous and absurd against her friend just to push her away? 

“Do you think I have the guts to make up stories like this and joke about it?!” The older one also retorted in a raised voice.

 “Then how would you expect me to believe such nonsense? I swear to freaking god, Chorong. Everything that you said just doesn’t make sense to me!” The younger one argued back. “Are you saying that Hani is now working for Ilhoon? Please, that’s just…impossible!”

“How can you be so sure, huh? I saw it with my two eyes! And you know me, Bomi. I won’t recklessly accuse someone like this.” Chorong tried her very best to convince her enraged girlfriend about what she saw.

“Yes, I know you well but I also know Hani, and I probably know her more than you do! She won’t do that.”

“Please…Bomi-ah…” Chorong begged. “Don’t you trust me enough to believe?” She asked as her tears started to well up out of frustration.

“Did you just ing ask me about trust?!” Bomi just completely lost it after hearing such question. If there’s someone asking here about trust issues, then that would be her. “What about you, then? Don’t you trust me enough to believe that her intentions and advances won’t work against me? Were my efforts still not enough to prove you that she cannot do anything about us? Are you that desperate to have me all by yourself?! I’m not your ing prisoner—“ she wasn’t able to finish her sentence after she felt the sharp sting on her cheek as it made contact with Chorong’s palm.

With that, the argument didn’t proceed any further as a devastated Chorong stormed out of the room with her endless tears and broken heart.

---

“How’s Bomi, by the way? She looked like a mess when you and Hani brought her back from the bar.” Eunji approached Naeun who just got out of the room. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t able to help.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t that hard since she passed out already.” Naeun heaved a sigh. “And I think the two have fought about something really serious.”

“Why? Did she say something?” Eunji took a peek inside the room to check on her knocked-out friend.

“Well she wasn’t that completely unconscious when I changed her clothes, so I heard her mumble. There were only two words that made sense to me, and those were "sorry" and "Chorong"."

“I see…” she responded with a nod. “Speaking of which, I need to go and find Chorong. While you…” Eunji placed a hand on Naeun’s shoulder. “…go get your rest, okay?”

“Wait!” Naeun stopped Eunji with a backhug, hesitant to let the older one go out and drive after hearing a series of low grumbles of thunder. “Do you really need to go?”

“Naeunnie, I just can’t let my best friend drive and wander alone at night, especially now that it looks like it’s going to rain.” Eunji explained as she turned around and returned the warmth. “And don’t worry, okay? I’ll be fine.” She patted the younger one’s head gently, giving a sense of reassurance.

“You’ll be back…right?” Naeun pulled away and looked straight at the latter’s eyes.

Eunji leaned in and placed a kiss on the celebrity’s forehead before she grinned confidently; her eyes formed into the usual pair of crescent moons that Naeun loved.

“Of course.”

-----

A/N: Surprise? XD I just felt like I need to give another update before I go on a semi-hiatus again. (WHY IS TIME ALWAYS AGAINST ME)

Yes. Unfortunately, I’ll be taking a break again but for a very important reason.
I’ll be really busy because I have to finish my thesis, and without it I will not be able to graduate. So I hope you guys can understand. I’ll try to see if I can insert some time to write a few chapters…I’ll also try to post another update this week before I indulge myself in floor plans and perspectives.

It’ll last long until the end of November, so until then, I hope you all can wait. I’ll also understand if you hate me already and unsubscribe because I update like an injured turtle. :(

Please pray for my success as well. I need all of the strength so I can finally get out of college. Thank you ^^

Like always, thank you for patiently waiting, reading, subscribing (hello to my new subs! I hope I won't disappoint you ^^), commenting, and liking this story. I love you all! ^^