Anniversary
HERSHESeulgi glanced back at the ladies' room entrance to check if the smaller woman is still there. She remembered the woman from yesterday, one of the girls Eric introduced to her, but couldn't remember her name.
"Seulgi..."
She turned around and saw the other girl the small one was with yesterday. "Oh. Hey."
"Do you still remember me?"
Seulgi squinted her eyes. "Mmm, Krystal, right?"
It made the woman clap her hands in joy. "I'm glad you remember!"
"Of course. So, this is where you're at?"
"Yes. We're at the center of this floor. Irene is sitting across mine." Krystal pointed at the table behind her.
Seulgi shifted her eyes to where Krystal is pointing at and saw a table with lots of stuffed toys. The biggest of them is a bunny.
"You remember her, right? She's the girl who's with me yesterday," asked Krystal.
"Yeah, I remember. I can tell she likes stuffed toys, eh?"
"She's a kid at heart," Krystal whispers, "but sometimes a monster."
Seulgi chuckled. "That's cute, though. So, she's fond of bunnies?"
"Yeah. She loves them so much. How about you, what are the things you're fond of?"
"Mmm. I love taking pictures, designing, drawing... anything artsy..."
"Pictures? Like portraits?"
Seulgi rested both her arms on Krystal's terminal. "Yeah. It's a hobby since I was in high school. Guess I've developed a skill out of it."
Krystal stood up from her chair so they could talk closer. "That's interesting. What are your subjects then?"
"Anything interesting; nature, landscapes, animals; but I'm more focused on humans."
Krystal's face lit up. "Wow. That's cool. If I may ask, why humans?"
"I just find contentment from looking at a human shot, a smiling human to be exact. I love smiles."
Krystal nodded. "Do you think I can be one of your models?"
"Yeah, you sure to be not the camera-shy type."
Krystal giggled. "I'm not. Do you usually prefer taking pictures outdoors or indoors?"
"I do both. I sometimes travel to take outdoor pictures. As for indoors, I don't have a studio yet so I usually do it in my place."
Krystal's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "You live alone?"
"Mmm-mmm."
"Where do you live then?"
Seulgi held off answering after getting a glimpse of Irene from her peripheral vision. She was expecting a little welcome from this person. To her surprise, Irene just walked past them and went straight to her terminal without even saying hi.
Getting a bit disappointed, Seulgi turned back to Krystal and played it cool. "Just around the corner."
"Oh. I bet you've already brought a lot of girls in your apartment," Krystal teased.
"Huh? No. No. I'm not that type of person." Seulgi chuckled as she shakes her head. She instinctively looked at Irene and noticed that the latter's head is slightly tilted to Krystal's direction.
"I hate to say this, but with that looks of yours, I don't believe you, Seulgi," said Krystal.
"Haha! I'm not like that. I do things professionally."
"Fine, if you say so. By the way, do you have plans later after work?"
Seulgi took one last quick glance and noticed that Irene is already doing something on her computer. "Yup. I'm going out with some friends tonight. Why do you ask?"
"I'm planning to shop around later. I was just wondering if you'd like to come with?" asked Krystal.
"Uh, well, I'd love to, but I can't cancel this one. It's an anniversary celebration," said Seulgi shyly.
"Celebration? With your girlfriend?"
Seulgi laughed. "No. No. It's my friend's."
"Ooh. I see."
"I'll make it up to you next time."
Krystal's eyes sparkled with the idea. "You promise?"
"Of course."
"Yes!" Krystal raised both her hands as if had won a contest.
Seulgi couldn't believe this is happening to her. Her first week in her first job wasn't bad. In fact, it was perfect. She's been receiving warm welcomes from everyone except for this one specific lady.
She looked back in Irene's direction and noticed the latter secretly smiling. Seulgi smiled to herself knowing that the smaller woman is secretly listening to them.
---
Seulgi unlocked the door to her apartment and entered the unlit room. She switched the lights on, bringing brightness to the entire place. Then she went directly to the fridge, grabbed a Vodka Cruiser, and sat on the couch with her arms and legs stretched out.
She sipped from the bottle, staring lost at the wall.
What she told Krystal earlier was true, she will really celebrate an anniversary. However, she's doing it alone.
---
"What? You're leaving?" asked Seulgi, shocked. She's sitting in the same spot on her couch.
"I got accepted into this modeling agency in Singapore."
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"Because I didn't know that I had the chance to get in."
"W-when are you leaving then?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"What? How long?"
"It's a year contract, Seul."
"One year? That's a long time, Joy."
"I know. That's why I came here, to let you know."
"Just like that?"
"Why, were you expecting something else?"
Seulgi attempted to speak, but no words came out of . It took her time before she could blurt out what's going on in her mind.
"W-what will happen to us?"
Joy stood in silence for a while. She then exhaled. "Seulgi... I... I felt something for you these past few months. It was special, really..."
Seulgi felt her heart beating faster this time. The anticipation is bringing her agony.
"But..."
"Joy--"
"But I am still unsure of this."
"U-unsure? W-what the hell is that?"
"Seul, you completely know that my biggest dream is to become a model, right?"
"I know."
"And I expect that you would be the first person to understand why I am taking this opportunity."
"But, chick..."
Joy said nothing. She stood there in silence, eyes on the floor.
"Do you love me?" Seulgi finally asked.
Joy was taking the time to respond.
"Just tell me, do you love me?" Seulgi insisted.
Joy shrugged. "I... I don't know..."
"You don't know? Then what is this we're having now? What do you call this?"
"I don't know. I don't know!" Joy finally looked into Seulgi's eyes.
Seulgi stared at Joy's eyes and noticed nothing else but confusion. "This is about my studies, right?"
"It's not like that. I just have a dream."
"Can't I be part of that dream?"
"How can you be a part of it? All you do is just fool around. You're never serious about anything."
"So, it really is about my studies."
"Seulgi, I don't blame you for being a rich man's brat, okay? But being with you for quite a while made me realize that you don't have a plan in your life. You even quit school just to travel around and take pictures of people everywhere."
"It's just one more year, Joy. I can enroll next semester to finish my last year in college."
"That's not my point. I just don't think you're serious in your life. Honestly, I don't even think you're serious about me either."
Seulgi stared at Joy, stunned.
"Whatever this is we're having now, this has to stop. Besides, I'm leaving. It would be better if we go our separate ways." Joy turned around heading to the door.
"Joy... I... I lo--"
"Stop it, Seul. Don't say that just because you felt you need to say it at this moment."
Seulgi bit her lip.
Joy turned back to her. "I'll be back after a year. I guess we both need to do a lot of thinking about our own lives, about us. I'm not even sure if what we're feeling right now is momentary or not."
Seulgi nodded.
"I'll keep the duplicate keys to your door for now. I'll return them to you when I come back. From there we can decide if we should take whatever we're having now to the next level or just remain friends."
"Joy..."
Joy smiled. "After a year, bear. I promise. I'll just barge in your door like I always do."
Even though it was against her will, Seulgi forced a smile.
---
Seulgi stood up from the couch and went into a small room beside her bedroom. She turned the lights on and framed photos appeared after hiding from the darkness. The biggest one is a gorgeous girl on a bed looking cheerful. She's wearing a white satin dress and her eyes were so joyful that the positive vibe reflecting on the image will make you smile even just by looking at it.
Seulgi stared at the photo and touched it.
It has been a year now since she'd last seen her. She's wondering now if she should still wait for her to come back.
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