A H N   Y U J I N    X    L E E   E U I W O O N G
 

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Alright look at the stars
They’re shining for you
-Star Blossom, 2017

LONELY NIGHT STARS

Being in the dark place alone has never been a sensible decision for anyone in this world. But for Ahn Yujin, the darkness managed to provide her some peaceful feelings she never had in the past. Laying down on the ground, staring at the infinite sky ahead of her with millions of stars splattered on it and a luminous full moon, sure make her happy at some point.

Like any other days, she was already preparing herself ready to go out. Yes, she barely reached 15 years old, but that doesn't mean her family could restrict her from what she's going to do; as if they care enough about her to prop her.

"Where are you going?" A voice halted Yujin from moving. She awkwardly held onto the sling bag she had on her shoulders, "It's already 15 minutes past nine," The boy complained and forced the girl to gulp, clearing .

Yujin slowly raised her head up to regard her older brother was standing at the refrigerator with a glass filled with orange juice, "A--As usual," She answered, in hope that her brother won't prevent her from going.

"Just don't come in late, or I will haunt you outside there," He warned his little sister, forcing her to nod, "Anyway, I'm dating Choi Yena. I just feel like telling you," He devoured the juice until the last drop before place it in the sink.

The girl's lips gradually curved upwards upon the shocking news, "That's great! You have liked her since forever," She was totally grateful that finally her brother took a step further and confessed towards the girl he likes. Such a relief news to know today, "I will catch up with you later," Yujin took a peek at her wristwatch, "I'm late for the stars!"

As soon as she uttered those, Yujin sprinted out from the house, wearing her shoes in a sloppy manner before running towards the bus stop. She must be on time or else, she might miss the shooting stars for today. She heaved out a sigh of relief when there was still no bus could be seen at the bus stop.

It required approximately 15 minutes for her to be there, so the watch currently strikes 40 minutes past nine and the shooting stars only come out 20 minutes later. What should she do while waiting for it?

Yujin looked around from where she stood and all she could see at present was couples everywhere... And she's in attendance, all alone. Her eyes caught on the couple who was currently allowing their fingers interlaced with each other, walking towards somewhere only they know.

Her eyes automatically fell on her own hand, "When will someone ever hold on to my hand?" She complained, pouting her lips before she looked back at the couple who was gradually disappearing from her vision.

She sighed, making her way towards the lively place where everyone used to be when they wanted to watch stars. Yujin casually secured a vacant spot with full of couples surrounded her. Suddenly, she felt like a loser for being here alone.

At the particular moment like this, a smartphone would aid her a lot. So, Yujin gripped her phone out from her sling bag and unlocked it before she clicked on Kakaotalk, checking whether there are recent messages or not, "Who would ever text me, right?" She gnawed her lips when there's nothing at all but then her eyebrows furrowed, "When did I receive this?" 

The latter clicked on the message before started to reply it, "Sorry, I noted it late. I'm currently at the park, observing stars as usual," Yujin clicked on the send button before put her phone aside as it only left with 5 minutes before the shooting stars appeared.

As Yujin permit herself immersed in her own world, she could feel someone silently captured the seat beside her, "Are you here alone?" A raspy voice could be heard and she was pretty sure it's a guy. She jerked her head towards the sources and frowned to see an unfamiliar boy beside her.

Oh, wait, he's not unfamiliar. She does know him. It's.... him.

The boy chuckled when he looked at the clueless expression given by her, "Oh, other place had been occupied so I need to sit here. I hope you don't mind?" Even though he told her those, Yujin still with her blank face, "I always see you here, alone, so I just thought I needed to talk to you. Hm," He paused, "Maybe, to accompany you and in that way, you will be less lonely?"

Yujin is actually still in a state of disbelief because the guy she has been observed for the past few weeks, currently sitting beside her and talking to her. For real. She wasn't dreaming. But to make sure she didn't, Yujin slapped her cheeks quite hard causing the boy to frown.

"Are you okay?" He urged and only by then she realized, it's a reality she needs to face. The good-looking boy she has been admiring, interacting with her, "Oh, by the way, my name is Euiwoong. Lee Euiwoong," He offered his hand for a handshake, and Yujin awkwardly received it.

When she realized she has been staring at the boy like a creep, she swiftly
toss back her head, looking at the sky instead. As soon as she laid her eyes on the sky, she could see shooting stars across the universe causing a beatific smile to form on her lips. Yujin clasped her hand together, closed her eyes before started to make a wish.

A wish where the boy beside her will kept talking to her.

"You're adorable," Euiwoong complimented her and make her eyes widened to a maximum size.

She looked at the boy in awe, "Wh--What?" Yujin stuttered.

His lips curved upwards, forming a smile, "Nothing," He shook before continued appreciating the scenery in front of him, "So, what do you wish for?" He asked, filling his face with eagerness.

"I--It's a secret," Yujin found herself amusing to have her words came out stuttering everytime she tried to talk with the boy, "Then, what do you wish for?" She couldn't believe she just asked that question. She slightly hit her own lips, chiding herself from being too careless, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," The latter insisted.

Euiwoong hummed, "Actually," He paused for a while, looking for the proper time to continue his words, "I have someone that I like," The boy confessed, and Yujin stunned. 

So... he already had someone else that he likes, huh? Sorry, Ahn Yujin, but you're late again this time. You could never confess; again. Sigh.

"Then?" She didn't know why but she wanted to keep listening to it, yearning for his voice more and more as this would be the first time she ever interacted with the boy properly.

There's one time where she didn't know where the toilet located at, and the boy was the only one exists in the park, so she ended up querying him. Though Yujin was pretty sure, Euiwoong wouldn't remember her, at all, looking at how he treated her now.

He grabbed both of his knees, placing his head on it, "I wanted to confess but I don't really know how,"

"So, you were here to ask me on how you should confess your feelings?"

The latter bobbed his head, "No, it wasn't like that," He denied the question urged by Yujin, "I just feel like talking to someone else today," Euiwoong flashed a smile towards Yujin who was currently allowing her eyes, locked on the boy.

Yujin darted her eyes to somewhere else as soon as her eyes caught in his. She cleared , taking the water bottle she kept in her bag and gulped down the water. At that point in time, she devoted her attention back towards the boy with her shaking eyes. Yujin admired his side feature,  with her lips tightly clamped together.

A sigh escaped her lips when realizing the boy will never be hers. He had someone else that she likes, wake up Ahn Yujin. Wake up. You have to confront the reality; it's now or never.

"You kept sighing, do you perhaps found it uncomfortable for me to be here?" Euiwoong concernedly asked as he was afraid that the girl might feel awkward to have a stranger by her side. Though, every time he marked her, he would see the girl was all laughing, looking happy with her life.

The girl passed an assuring smile to Euiwoong, "No, not at all," She informed him, "Just, it was the first time ever someone talks to me when I'm here. As you can see," Her hands pointed out to all the couple surrounded them, "They were all having partners by their side so they never virtually see my solitary existence here,"

"But I constantly perceive you though," He tilted his head, looking at the girl as he set it on his knees, "You're always here, almost every day I guess?" It surprised her to know that the boy actually noticed her. Consequently, Euiwoong did know about Yujin, huh?

However, it won't alter the fact Euiwoong has someone else that she likes and clearly, it wasn't Yujin. 

"You do?" Yujin asked and the boy replied with a nod, "Wow, that's unexpected," 
She exclaimed.

Euiwoong shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it wasn't that hard to encounter someone without partner here, though," He explained, "Since, I'm one of it so it's kind of normal for me to regard you at the first place, right?"

"So, you never bring your crush here?" Yujin cautiously sought the question as it might be a sensitive topic or the boy.

He chuckled, "I never had a chance to," Euiwoong told, "Her parents didn't allow her to go outside at night, so I barely have any opportunities to bring her here. But that's okay, at least from now, you will be here every time I'm here, right?" 

"I wouldn't say every time, but you could find me here if you want," Yujin responded it with a smile plastered on her face. She wasn't sure it was a genuine one or she was trying in faking it because she totally wasn't happy when she knows Euiwoong had someone that he likes.

But seriously, since when you care about those things Ahn Yujin? Well, she never cared about boys before and barely interacting with one. Jokes. Half of her friends at school were boys and it wasn't a surprise to witness her, spending her lunchtimes with a bunch of dorky guys instead of girls.

And now, here she is, getting envy with the girl in their topic of conversation when she barely knows the boy beside her? It might scarcely be a silly crush, she always had when she saw a cute guy walked in front of her. It might merely be her heart who exaggerating things too much on this matter.

Still... why does both her mind and heart telling the same thing now? That she genuinely likes the boy beside her without any exception. That she already fell so hard. That she already... in love with him.

Just by seeing his smile, it would flatter her a lot. When he's here, sitting beside her, her heart wouldn't beat at the average rate it used to be. She could feel the pace her heart made at the moment was practically impossible for an ordinary girl like her to handle.

Her heart is literally killing her.

"Just confess to her," She swears to God, her heart wanted to do something else but her brain worked before she could ever realize. Screw yourself, Ahn Yujin, act all great and later you will be the one with heartbroken.

He flashed a slight smile, "I don't know how," Euiwoong kept giving some excuse again and again. Literally, yes, he had no idea on how he should put words together, telling the girl that he likes her. In fact, he was terrified that the girl might reject him later.

"I like you," Yujin uttered those words with her eyes locked on Euiwoong. The situation went tense for a while before the latter let out a small chuckle escaped her lips, "That's how you should say it," She wanted to say she was sincere with her sudden confession.

But it's almost impossible for her to do that, right? Knowing Euiwoong's heart will never be hers.

"Veritably, you could just simply confess your feelings. You don't have to think so hard about it. No matter what you did, I'm pretty sure she would understand the gesture of yours, notifying her that you like her. You could call her stupid if she didn't detect it after all the things you had done for her,"

The laugh made by Euiwoong managed to attract Yujin's attention. It sounds infectious to her as she wanted to hear more of it, "So, have you ever confess to anyone?" His question swayed the girl for a while. She didn't know what kind of answer she should give him.

I just did it. those words stayed in her mind, only, with no attention to voice it out loud, "Not really, since I don't have anyone I like," She blurted out a white lie to redeem herself from falling into the pit of misery.

"Ey," Euiwoong seemed like he couldn't believe her words, "It was almost impossible for you to not have anyone that you like,"

Yujin hummed. I do have. He's currently sitting beside me. It's you, Euiwoong. The one that I like. And again, she responded to it using her inner voice, "I wish I could find someone soon," She uttered, and Euiwoong agreed with it right away.

"I hope you find someone that you like and when you did, bring him here, okay?" He said heartily, "Introduce him to me and I will introduce my soon-to-be girlfriend to you too," Euiwoong claimed.

She found the needed of nodding to his words, "Sure," Yujin passed a strained smile, "I think I need to go," She told the boy when there were tons of messages attacking her, most probably sent by her lovely brother. It's rational for him to start getting worried as it's on the brink of 11 pm now and the last bus would be here anytime in the near future.

"Oh," Euiwoong glanced at the watch on her left wrist, realizing it has already been this late. He never stayed too long here but maybe, the fact he gained a friend today made him spend a long time here than he could ever imagine, "I should go too," He notified the girl.

The latter stood up, cleaning the grass and any other things on her dark blue jeans before properly placing the sling bag on her shoulders, "I think, see you again?" Yujin looked at Euiwoong with a smile.

Euiwoong followed the girl's action and currently standing in front of her, "Do you mind?" He took out his phone and passed it to the girl. At the start, Yujin was quite clueless but after some time, she grabbed the phone from his grip and started to key in her number on it. 

When she had done, she gave the phone back to the boy, "Here," Upon completing it, she started to walk away before his voice immobilized her from walking.

"Wait!" Euiwoong halted the girl, "What is your name, by the way?" Only by then, he realized, he has been talking to the girl without knowing her name. What a fool he is, though...

Yujin shifted her head, looking backward, "Yujin. My name is Ahn Yujin," She answered before continued walking, abandoning the boy alone, "Good job, Yujin. You did a good job today, too," Her lips curved slightly upwards before a bead of tears escaped her eyes.

Why would you cry over someone who probably didn't care about you at all?

A beep sound distracted her emotion. She took out her phone just to see a new message from an unknown number,

"It's nice to see you today, Ahn Yujin! Hope to see you often ^^ - Lee Euiwoong"

"But why do I wish for the opposite one?" She muttered under her breath.