Memory

My Hometown

Wheein flipped the page in her sketchbook, the laughs from the other students distant in her ears. Starting a new school was difficult, especially for Wheein when she found that all of her old friends enrolled somewhere else. She was upset, but she couldn’t have gone back in time to prevent it from happening. So when the bell rung and break began, she decided to draw. Art soothed her. It helped her forget what gave her heartbreak in the first place.

However when she took out her pen and pushed the clicker, her thoughts were cut short when she heard something different from her classmates’ laughter and screaming. Someone was singing. Wheein lifted her head and whirled around in her seat.

In front of the lockers, a girl with short, black hair stood proudly as she let out an unwavering note. Wheein stared at her in confusion, one eyebrow raised. What in the world is she doing, Wheein pondered. There was no particular reason why the girl was singing by herself. Wheein glanced to her side. A few students observed the strange girl as well, but soon ignored her and continued with what they were doing.

Wheein shrugged and sat back down on her seat. The singing was random, but not unwelcome. Wheein thought the girl’s voice was nice—captivating even. But it had nothing to do with her.

That didn’t stop her from listening though, paying more attention to the voice behind her rather than what she was drawing. The girl’s voice tugged at Wheein, beckoning her to turn around, but Wheein kept her unfocused gaze down to her sketchbook.

Eventually, the song faded and Wheein blinked, finally noticing the music notes she drew. Wheein sighed, feeling a mix of disappointment and relief. She was ready to pour all her heart into her art. However, she was interrupted once more when someone leaned on her desk.

Wheein looked up, surprised to see the girl that was singing in front of her. The girl propped her chin on one hand, brushing her hair behind her ear with the other. What?

“Hey,” the girl said with a smile. “Wanna be friends?”

Wheein didn’t know how to respond. “Huh?”

“I fell for you,” the girl drawled out. “So...how about it?”

Wheein leaned back in her seat, mouth wide as she processed the situation. A giggle fell out of Wheein’s lips then, bringing up her hand to cover . This girl is so random.

The girl in front of her pouted, miffed by her reaction.

“O-okay,” Wheein forced between her snickering. “I don’t see why not.” She held out her hand towards the other girl. “My name is Jung Wheein. What’s yours?”

The girl held her hand firmly and shook it. “Ahn Hyejin.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Wheein woke up to the sound of banging in her bedroom door. She couldn’t remember the last time she had that dream.

She groaned, rolling out of bed and stood up to roll her joints. “I’m coming!” she yelled. She walked over to the door and turned the doorknob, welcomed by the sight of her mother tapping her foot against the wooden floor.

“Hi honey,” her mother rushed inside the room. “I know you just got back from college and you came back hoping to relax and spend quality time with your family— which you will— but of course we need to prepare the Lunar New Year right? And in preparation of the holiday the house needs to be clean, friends and family have to be invited, food—”

Wheein yawned and rubbed her eyes, barely paying attention to what her mother was babbling about. “What do you need me to do?”

Wheein’s mother lit up, patting her daughter’s head gently. “You are such a hardworking, kind girl.” She took out a list from her pocket, placing it in Wheein’s hands. “I’m going to be busy all day, so I was hoping you would go to the market and buy these for me.”

Wheein nodded. “It’s no problem. I was thinking of going out soon anyway, to find inspiration y’know?”

“Ah, for your project?” Wheein’s mother grinned. “Knowing you, that inspiration will come to you soon.”

“You think so?”

“Of course!” Wheein’s mother wagged her finger. “Your aunt had always said ‘Make sure your daughter doesn’t give up if she hits an art slump, she’ll never survive the real world if she does.’”

Wheein played along, pretending to wipe a tear from her face. “Such a way with words.”

Wheein’s mother chuckled and caressed her daughter’s cheek. “I’m glad you visited. Make sure you come home safely with the groceries alright?” She backed away and made her way downstairs.

At least there was one positive side to come from her return to Jeonju. Wheein watched her mother, finally letting out a sigh when she was gone. She went back inside her room and closed the door behind her. Going out would be easy, she told herself. All she had to do was not remember.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Hyejin rang the doorbell, breathing in the cold air. Her eyes widened when she made out someone screaming, “SHE’S HERE!” and a rumbling sound approaching the entrance. The front door flung open, barely missing Hyejin’s nose.

    “My baby has come home!” Hyejin’s mother squished Hyejin’s cheeks, ignoring the annoyed grunt that escaped her daughter’s lips.

    “Micet pho thee vuu,” Hyejin muttered.

    Hyejin’s mother rubbed her daughter’s face in a circular motion. “I missed you so much dear. Are you eating well? Did you get a good night’s sleep?”

    A loud cough caught Hyejin’s attention, reminding her that the idol didn’t come alone. Hyejin pried her mother’s hands away and coughed into her fist. She snuck a glance behind her. The manager refused to hide her amused expression, biting her lip to keep from giggling at the sight. Meanwhile, the cameraman smiled as if it was his own family that was reuniting.

    “Mom,” Hyejin directed the older woman’s gaze towards her coworkers. “These are the people I talked about. They’re making sure the music video runs smoothly.”

    Hyejin’s mother gasped and adjusted her dress and apron. “Thank you for looking after my daughter.” She bowed, her black ponytail falling forward.

    The two onlookers stared at each other in bewilderment. The manager hurriedly bowed back, the cameraman following suit. The manager smacked his shoulder.

    “Ow!” he whispered. “What was that for?”

    “You’re supposed to be recording this,” she hissed back. “We don’t need clear shots of the floor!”

    Hyejin rolled her eyes. “So,” Hyejin stuffed her hands inside her pockets. “Can we go inside?”

    Hyejin’s mother clapped. “Oh my gosh, how rude of me!” Hyejin’s mother stepped aside. “Step inside, you three must be freezing!”

    Hyejin coaxed them inside, the employees making sure to wipe their feet on the doormat before entering the house.

    “Thank you for letting us in,” the manager said shyly.

    “Do you want anything to drink?” Hyejin’s mother asked as she shut the door.

    “Tea, if that’s alright with you.” The cameraman looked around the cozy home.

    “Right away!” And with that, Hyejin’s mother scurried past Hyejin and the RBW workers, disappearing into the kitchen.

    “Your mom is so tiny,” the manager commented. “Is that who you got your height from?”

    Hyejin scowled. “Don’t be a hypocrite, you’re not that much taller than me.” She crossed her arms, taking in the familiar sight. “What now?”

    “Take us somewhere that you think the fans would be interested in seeing,” the cameraman suggested.

    Hyejin hummed, wordlessly walking down the hallway. The other two exchanged a glance at each other before scrambling to catch up to the girl. Hyejin paused in front of the last door of the right. Hyejin shifted her gaze towards the cameraman. “Are you recording?”

    He gave a thumbs up.

    “Good.” Hyejin opened the door, immediately hit with nostalgia. “Exactly the way I left it.”

    The manager peered into the room, pressing her clipboard against her chest. “I’m guessing this is your bedroom?”

    “Yep.” Hyejin flopped on top of her bed, the springs causing her to bounce a little. “I missed this.”

    The cameraman observed the contents of the room. He was shocked to find how simple it appeared. There was the occasional poster of another girl group on her wall, but other than that, the only thing that struck him was the amount of picture frames on her nightstand.

    “Who are these people?” He aimed the lens at the display.

    Hyejin lifted her head out of the pillow. “Hmm.” She sat up, reaching to grab a random frame. “Well, this is actually me with my dad during a fishing trip.” She flipped it so he would catch it on tape. “My dad might seem happy in this picture, but seconds later the fish smacked him with its tail and jumped back in the water.”

    The cameraman laughed, which encouraged Hyejin to share more backstories that came with the picture. After reminiscing out loud about how her first attempt in cooking almost burned down the whole kitchen, she caught hold of the last photograph. Her expression became solemn.

    “Is something wrong?” the manager asked.

    Hyejin shook her head. “No it’s just that this one is really special to me. She showed the photo to the camera, the lens zooming in. “This was me when I was in middle school.”

    “Who’s the girl next to you?” the cameraman asked. “Is she your little sister?”

    Hyejin chuckled. “She’d probably punch you for saying that, she’s older than me.” She brought the picture back towards her, running her hand over the glass frame. “She’s… my best friend.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Wheein glowered at the two girls shopping next to her. Of all the things to be upset over. She wasn’t upset when it started raining and had to buy an umbrella, she wasn’t upset when she felt water soak through her shoes and into her socks, she wasn’t upset when she became aware of the fact that her mother forgot to give her money and had to use her own. But something about the two girls sharing an umbrella as they gushed over the various phone charms… bothered her.

    “Will that be all?”

    Wheein snapped back into reality, focusing on the old man. “Excuse me?”

    “Will that be all?” the vendor repeated, pointing at the new, see-through umbrella.

    “Oh—um,” Wheein browsed through the cart. A pair of phone charms captured her attention. She knew that she would end up using only one of them, the one shaped like a small paintbrush. She considered giving the other to Myung-Hee, but remembered how much the latter hated it.

    “I usually end up losing those charms, so I never went through the trouble of buying one,” Myung-Hee said once, when Wheein told Myung-Hee how bland her phone looked.

    There was no reason why she should purchase the pair.

    “I’d like these please.” Wheein held the trinkets.
 
The old man squinted, adjusting his round glasses. “Will do, missy!” He carefully bagged them and Wheein passed the money to him.

    Wheein opened the umbrella, relieved to finally have protection from the rain. She walked by the teenage girls, noticing how they were admiring the matching charms attached to their phones. Wheein frowned. She kicked a nearby puddle in irritation because she was remembering.

   Wheein’s memories were like the rain. They were constant, but fell in small portions. They were bearable. She was able to breathe.

“Wheein?”

    Wheein froze. tightened and all of a sudden the freezing air was too hot and she had to get away from Jeonju, away from here. She regretted listening to Myung-Hee, regretted stepping inside the train, regretted persuading herself that she wouldn’t see her here— because she let her leave.  

“Wheein, is that you?” the voice asked, the tone softer. Vulnerable.

Wheein closed her eyes, counted to three, and turned around.

    It was useless. Because when she saw Hyejin and watched the biggest smile she’d ever seen emerge in her delicate features— it was too much. The memories were too much, spilling over her umbrella, over the pavement. Wheein was drowning.

 

 

———

———

 

[Author’s Note]: Hi guys, sorry for the late update! I was struggling with some of these scenes, but I managed to finally get through them. I’ll try my best in updating the next chapter as soon as possible.


Also, by the way the scene in the beginning was based on Wheein’s story in TV Chosun Idol Party, where she discusses how she met Hyejin in middle school! I thought it was really cute and so I decided to write that scene in too.

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Comments

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mmm_always #1
Chapter 10: THIS IS SO GOOD
Wheesateas
#2
Chapter 10: I'm not gonna lie but when I first saw the number of chapters I didn't except this slow-burn to be this angsty. I thought it'd have some drama until they'd figure it out but I certainly didn't think it'd affect me this much. My insides were twisted almost throughout the entire story, especially whenever they interacted. I cried more than once and during Hyejin's focused chapter my heart actually sunk...I felt so bad for her when Wheein said all that stuff to her.
I'm rambling but my point is that I love angst and this story hurt so well, I absolutely hated and loved it.
Thank you so much for taking your time to write and share this and I hope you'll share more in the future :)
noubliepasdetaimer
#3
Chapter 10: just wanna saying that this is the best slow-burn fic that I've ever read! I kept coming back to re-read it, you did so well, I really love the ride of the rollercoaster of emotions of this story :')
thank you for this fic, Author.
aglaonema #4
Chapter 10: Damn, I love it
SilverTiles #5
Chapter 9: AAAA THIS IS SO GOOD ;_;
smolwndy
#6
Chapter 10: i read it in one go and ahskdldlfg gosh my heart

i cried a lot more than i should :') seeing my baby wheein sad really tore my heart. but, like what wheein said, it was definitely worth it. this is definitely one of the best mamamoo fics i've read.

thank you for the wonderful work, author-nim!
Squeakytoys
#7
Chapter 10: Ahhhh, this was wonderful, thank you sharing authornim, I’m crying at 1 in the morning, but it’s the good kind of crying, the one where you’re just delighted that there’s a happy end to all the suffering (people can be so daft)
Again, thank you very much for sharing
starrynight0417
#8
I read this a long time ago and I've just realize that I haven't left any comment nor an upvote. I really love this, I can't imagine if Wheein didn't become a singer.