Soojung was a few months older than Suji, and when it came to her birthday, she was not the type to flaunt large parties. The night before, Soojung texted her if she wanted to go shopping. Suzy was flattered that the smart and pretty girl had asked her. In the past, Soojung was not that close, but over the course of a few years, she came to open up more often. Suzy often believed that Soojung’s stony features were a consequence of her arrogance, but it turned out that the girl was not arrogant at all. Despite her outer appearance, she was a darling in secret. When she laughed, her eyes crinkled, and she resembled a mischievous child with passion in her heart. 

Their day out shopping cemented the bond of their friendship. It turned out that Soojung did not ask the others to join her. She only wished to spend that day with Suzy. They traversed a lot of shops, but bought nothing. They had fries and burgers for lunch. They took a few selfies next to random points. Not once did they bring up Jongin between them, and the fact that he asked her out two years back for the graduation party. 

It was good time spent, just the two of them, two girls with alot of dreams in their heads. 

When the sun began to set, they sat inside an ice-cream parlour, just outside on plastic chairs. They watched the burning rays of the sun fall in the distance, washing the town in orange and red glows. Soojung took another bite off her cookie ice cream while Suzy took little sips at a time .
“Did you finish your homework for tomorrow?” Soojung glanced at her. 

Suzy nodded. “Yep. It wasn’t too bad. I’m really liking science at the moment. Our new teacher’s so funny.”

“Is this Kim Heechul you’re talking about?” Her friend laughed. “I’m not a science person. I don’t know how you can do that.”

“Hey, I do want to be an astronaut when I finish school.”

“I want to do something like business, and maybe have my own fashion brand with my sister,” said Soojung. “An astronaut’s too ambitious for my sake.”

Suzy beamed at her. She still held an obsession for the stars, though her time spent with her Sun, Moon and Earth were becoming less and less. The bigger school was eating up most of her time. In the future, she only wondered where they would all end up. Myungsoo no longer wanted to be an astronaut. His heart was set on getting into medical school. Jongin failed most of his classes. His ideal job was staying a bum. As for Hongbin, the boy’s desire to become a pirate was ruled out when he understood that pirates were criminals. He still hoped to travel the world one day. 

How life was unpredictable. 

“Can I tell you something?” Suzy stared at the clock tower not too far from her. Soojung’s silence encouraged her. “I don’t like Naeun.”

“I know.” Soojung grinned when Suzy sent her an astonished look. “Come on, Suzy. It’s been obvious for years. It’s sad.” She stared at her polished nails. “She really likes you.”

Perking a brow, her breath hitched in her lungs. “She does?”

“Yeah. She likes how spirited you are. You know, sometimes, you need to let go of old grudges, or the fact that Myungsoo is her brother.” A faint blush danced across her cheeks. “She looks up to you like a fan would to a celebrity.”

Guilt. It coursed through her veins. “I should be nicer to her in that case.”

“It’s never too late to start.”

They continued to speculate the gorgeous sunset, as it faded away with the remains of the day. 

***

The dining room’s old chandelier no long existed, and neither did the long table that separated mother from child. Instead, two round tables had taken its place, and spotlights illumined the calm blue walls. The carpet was replaced with wooden planks, so polished that shadows were reflected. 

The matron enjoyed a cup of mint tea, and some freshly baked scones with Hongbin. He was taller than she remembered, with curly hair that almost fell into his rounded eyes. His dimples were even more prominent now that his face was thinner and longer. He had been given braces for his crooked teeth, and they were also coming along nicely. 

In her heart, there was immense sadness-- sorrow for this boy that she once wished to be her son. Alas, she understood