Wonyoung

2 years ago

8th Grade (Last Year of Middle School)

Yujin and the others are playing fireworks. 

We're in one of Tan's vacation house near the beach.

Miku invited the whole class here because her Parents recently bought it and they wanted happy noises to surround the house.  

Its a tradition they said. 

We're here for 3 days and 2 nights. 
Today is our last night before we all go home in the morning.

Mrs. Tan and her husband were grilling the meat and I'm helping them cause I got nothing else to do. 

It's not that I'm afraid of fireworks, I just hate the sound they make. 

"You should rest first, I'll go make Miku prepare the plates" Mrs. Tan smiled at me.

I nodded and went to on the porch inside the house. 

I ended up looking at the night sky. It was cold and breezy.

I caught Yujin laughing at something Dino said and they were holding sparklers together 

For a moment, I was jealous.

I wanted to have fun as well.

That's when the fireworks began.

It was a small bang-up in the air that got me covering my ears and closing my eyes tight.

I brought up my legs to my chest.

My heart is hammering as if it wants to break out and I felt a sick pit in my stomach.

Otoke.

It was a trigger warning.

It was one of my worst memories, my sister and me crying while the fireworks lit the night sky.

That's when I felt a jacket on my shoulders and a hand covering mine.

I opened my eyes startled, Dino was sitting next to me his hands brought up to my head and covering my ears as well.

It was just a split second before I closed my eyes again when the next bang occurred.

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

Dino

I wasn't even gonna lie when I said I'm surprised she's here.

"I thought you're not participating?" I asked. 

She shrugged first smiling, before scowling at me.

  
The many faces this girl can make. 

"Yujin wasn't able to convince Mr. Henry so yeah here I am" 

She's wearing a red tracksuit with her hair tied up with the yellow ribbon we're supposed to wear to show our team color, mine is hanging on my wrist.

She got her hands stuff inside her pockets.

The red tracksuit looked better than ours. 

Silver is the Artist Program Department color. 

The Annual Sportfest is supposed to unite the 2 departments by pairing each class from both departments together.

My class got paired to Wonyoung and because we're both tall, we got voted as Muse and . That's why we're automatically paired together and became the representative for the three-legged raise. 

"You guys ready?" Jay my friend and classmate asked. 

I nodded and turn to look at Wonyoung.

"Yah" she muttered approaching us.

She placed her right foot to my left and Jay tied a yellow ribbon around it.

We weren't able to practice at all cause I thought we'll be disqualified knowing Wonyoung wont be participating.  

"what's the point," I said to myself then.

Turns out she can't really back down after getting voted a muse. 

"Place your hand on my shoulder" she muttered. 
I looked at her weirdly, but she eyed me and placed her hand around my waist. 
She a little shorter than me but we're both tall as heck. 
We both waited for the whistle to blow before we took off.

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

"Come on get up" Dino coaxed.  Wonyoung is crouching in front of him, her head thrown in her arms hiding her face. 

"I don't want to" her voice is muffled. Dino sighed.

He patted her head several times before he stood up.

"Should I call Yujin?"

Wonyoung shook her head. 

Yujin will probably mock her for crying because she lost. 

She hated loosing which is why she didn't want to be part of the game in the first place. 

That and the fact that Dino is her partner. 

She lifted her head and looked up at Dino standing in front of her. She squinted a little the sun above her.  

He looked Tall standing there. 

Not to mention he's blocking the sun 

"You look ridiculous" he mocked. 

"Puffy" Wonyoung muttered before wiping her tears on her sleeves. 

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

Wonyoung

As the Muse of our Section, I'm standing on a mock-up stage along with the other representatives of a different class. Dino is with me watching his friends dancing with a smile on his face.  

The Artist Dept prepared a Chinese inspired dance number with a lot of martial arts move.  

They were really good as expected from the Artist department.

"Why aren't you with them?" I asked voice low,  afraid someone hears us. 

What happened back then became a rumor for the past weeks before it died down. 

It was because Dino stopped coming over the General Department. We always go home together then it suddenly stopped. My friends kept bugging me but Yujin shooed them away, she's the only person who knew about the confession. 

"Escorts are not allowed to participate in any intermission" 

"Really? that's stupid"

"tell me about it"

The silence fell on us again. He'd been nothing but nice to me since the day started. 

Me and Dino we're tight once, but we never interact for the past year until Yujin forced me to.

Yet-

It feels nice talking to him again. 

I was about to ask something when I heard the first bang. 

Instinctively my hands went to my ears and my eyes shut tight as I bend over as if the sound is behind me.

I forgot the annual firework lighting.

It's a thing that happens on the opening day of the sports fest.

 Hyewon-unnie skipped sports fest all throughout her year here by booking every possible photoshoot on the day of the opening.

Unfortunately, I don't have that power.

I collect myself and stood straight.

"You're still afraid?" Dino asked beside me. I ignore him determined to get out of the stage when another one went up to the air with a deafening sound. 

I'm already panicking when a pair of hand covered my ears. 

"What-"

Dino is standing behind me his arms on my shoulder and his hands covering my ears. 

"I gotcha" he whispered. 

And for some reason, I believed him.