Hyomin’s POV

She never changes, I mean she still holds a mysterious look in those dark brown eyes, and a signature smile on her face after all these years it’s still there, still the same. Despite the fact that Qri unnie is a few years older than me, I find her keeps looking young or even appears younger than me now, she must have taken a good care of herself, I inwardly smile.

Though our first reunion after six years appears to be a little too awkward at first, I feel thankful to Qri unnie for her attempt to smoothen our conversation here and there, and I must thank to the shows on TV that save me from lacking of things to say, I randomly pick up what I see on the TV to talk with her. We have been talking about weather, food , society and stuff.

“What do you plan to do after this?”

“I think I will try to find a job to do, may be something that doesn’t require much qualification”

 “Don’t you want to pursue your dream career as a nurse?”

“ I don’t think so, you know, no hospital here will accept inexperience graduate with criminal record”

Here I go again, some certain topics have been considered as off-limits for us but I fail to bury it at the back of my mind, I’ve asked Jiyeon not to mention it, still it keeps surfacing on my mind time to time, I guess it’s scar that I have to live with. I notice Qri unnie goes quiet, so I try to make a mood by laughing away to ward off bitter atmosphere.

“ Nah, I don’t think I want a stressful job”

“I can help you to make it happen if you want get this job”

“It’s ok unnie, I’ll just find something less stressful to do”

 “Just tell me if you need a help, ok?”

“ Thank you unnie”

“I heard you volunteered to work as a nurse inside there that was why you accumulated merit and was released earlier”

“ I happened to save a police women when she suddenly had a so they knew I had medical background so I was assigned to help to look after ill people there”

“See, I’m sure you can do it well”

“Let’s me think about that unnie”

“Just tell me when you are ready”

“Ok, unnie”

“So what are you up to these days?”

“ Just eat and sleep, haha, Jiyeon doesn’t let me do anything”

“ Jiyeon must be really happy now, she missed you a lot”

“ I missed her too, and I want to make it up to her”

“ I think she wants to do the same, you know though she tried to hide it but she has felt guilty all these time”

“ I know, I hope she doesn’t blaming herself anymore”

“ I hope so ”

“ I owe you a lot Qri unnie, thank you for always taking care of her for me”

“ Not at all, Jiyeon has helped me a lot too, she grew stronger than you thought”

“ Yeah, it looks like that but I almost got fooled thinking that she has grown up, I realize she is still a kid when she whines in the morning not wanting to go to work”

“ She just wants to spend more time with you”

“She must have annoyed you a lot, I’m sorry for that”

“ I think she is being childish only with you”

“ Hahaha, that’s kid”

I see Qri smiling with her eyes lightens up every time she mentions about Jiyeon, the look that I remember it once belonged to me, the one I saw it when we looked into each other eyes, I dig my nail into my skin at least to feel the pain because I’m feeling numb right now.  

“Hyomin ah …”

 “ Yes unnie”

“I want to talk to you about something”

“ …………….”

“ I think I…”

“ Unnie, I’m home”

Qri unnie and I turn our heads to a newcomer, Jiyeon enters the house carrying a handful of grocery bags in both hands, she stops her trance when she sees who I’m with

“Qri unnie!”

“Hi Jiyeon”

“You didn’t tell me you would come” 

“I was on the way back from my business, so I dropped to say hi to Hyomin”

“Just say hi?”

“Yeah”

“ Qri unnie, can you help me to carry these stuff to kitchen?”

“ Jiyeon, why do you have to ask Qri unnie to do that ? Let me help you”

“ No, Hyomin unnie, just sit back there, I have a little thing to talk to Qri unnie”

“It’s okay Hyomin, let me help”

I’m about to get up and help Jiyeon but she insists asking for a helping hand from Qri unnie , and Qri unnie just complies then follows Jiyeon to kitchen . I pay my attention back to TV but I can’t focus on it, it’s this feeling that bothering me, I know time changes, people change and I can’t blame it anyone, it would be selfish to ask for someone to wait for you when you didn’t even know what the life would lead to after the day I walked into the life behind the bar. Jiyeon and Qri unnie returns to living room after they disappeared to a kitchen for a short while

“Hyomin unnie, Qri unnie is leaving now”

“Don’t you have a dinner with us Qri unnie?”

“I have to take care of something”

“Oh I see, let’s catch up later then”

“It’s nice to see you Hyomin”

“It’s nice to see you again unnie”

I walk Qri unnie to the door and Jiyeon is trailing behind us; Qri unnie gives me a hug and I hug her back, it has been so long since I last felt this embrace, through how much I want to stay longer in her hug, I know she is too far for me to reach. Jiyeon just waves goodbye to her and walks back to the living room, I follow her.

“Unnie, what did Qri unnie talk to you?”

“ Just caught up and talked about random things, why ?”

“Nothing, I just asked, oh unnie, I bought a lot of your favorite food for you today”

“You should have asked her to stay and have dinner with us, it’s almost dinner time”

“Unnie, stop worrying about other people and start thinking about yourself”

“Jiyeon, Qri unnie is not other people, she has taken care of you while I couldn’t do that”

“Ok, next time unnie”

I hear Jiyeon sigh before walking away as if she doesn’t wish to resume our conversation, she looks pissed off, so I’d better let her calm down, she might have a bad day from work.

************************

Eunjung was picking up her clothes which were scattered on the floor, her once bare skin was now covered with white wrinkled shirt, she was buttoning her shirt and put on her dark blue skinny jeans, grabbing her wallet on the table, Eunjung took out some money note and put them on the table, she had one last look at a figure sleeping on the bed before walking out of the hotel room, neither she cared or felt anything, it was just a pure , no string attached, no feeling, and Eunjung preferred it that way.

The night was too young for her, Eunjung was driving her car in high speed on a high way, it was one of the way to make her mind stay calm, a love song playing on the radio made her wanna laugh, she thought how pathetic people were to believe that forever love was existed. Truth to be told, she once believed in it either but she learned that forever was a lie when a girl who promised to be with her forever, easily walked away from her.

Flashback

5 years ago

“Eunjung, let break up” Soyeon finally spoke after a long awkward silence, as if a thunder sound on a stormy night , what Eunjung just heard made her ears deafen

“What did you say?” Eunjung asked convincing herself that what she recently heard was hallucination.

“Eunjung I’m sorry” Soyeon lowered her head

 “You are kidding me right Soyeon unnie?” Eunjung was forcing her laughter and she hoped Soyeon would laugh along but she didn’t.

“I can’t take it anymore, it has been a year Eunjug but you are still somber” Soyeon said, “You are not the same Eunjung I knew anymore”

“Is that the reason you want to leave me?” Eunjung asked in disbelief.

“ Eunjung, you’ve should have seen yourself now, I can’t stand seeing you being like this anymore” Soyeon revealed

“Please unnie, I promise I’ll change, please don’t leave me” Eunjung quickly reached for Soyeon’s hand, she had lost her hope and now she was going to lose a love of her life, she wouldn’t be able to cope with it, the pain was too much.

“How much longer do I have to wait Eunjung? I’ve been here for you, waiting for you to get over your grief but you didn’t even try to move on” Soyeon hung on there for Eunjung for too long and she couldn’t bear it anymore. 

“ ………………..” Eunjung didn’t response but pleaded Soyeon through her eyes

“He is forever gone, but you have to live , life goes on, I’ve been watching you being depressed and acted as if you were all alone in this world, you didn’t even care that I’ve al