Hello! I wrote this last week and I just remembered that I had a compilation for all the one shots I didn't finish so here I am.

With that being said, enjoy!

 

—

 

The night was covering since a few hours the city of Seoul, and the streets of Hongdae were illuminated by the neon lights of shops and restaurants, still crowded at this time of the year. Some people were warming up with street food while others were wrapping themselves even more in warm coats and thick scarfs. The cold was biting lips, turning breaths into smoke, yet people were taking their time in admiring the street artists, whether it be painters, musicians or singers. Those were all freezing cold, but Christmas holidays were always one of the most productive time of the year, as people suddenly felt generous.

 

It was also the case for Mina, who was mindlessly strolling around, a huge cup of warm Americano in her hand while the other was buried in the pockets of her coat. They were the 23rd of December, and she, for once, didn’t have anything to do. Mina was an intern at a research laboratory and could be considered as a nerd. Actually, if it wasn’t for her two best friends, she would still be playing on her Switch in her bed, tucked in a warm blanket with 80’s music playing in the background. She loved math and chemistry, listened to old retro music pretty much all the time and had a weird fascination with penguin.

 

She came from Japan to Korea as soon as she graduated, her young self wanting to explore the whole world and being tired of seeing always the same landscapes. Don’t get her wrong, she was still kind of young (21 years old is young, right?) but she had grown a brain in the meantime, and now regretted her life choices. The first months after moving in were pretty much like hell. She didn’t know a single word of Korean, and her English skills seemed to fade as soon as she had to speak (say thank you to her anxiety). She had managed to find a part-time job at a cafe down the street were she lived, the “Once”, and befriended two beautiful but really weird women (or more like those women befriended her).

 

Their names were Sana and Momo, they also came from Japan and decided to adopt Mina on her very first day of work at the Once. She didn’t really have the choice and was a bit afraid of them at first, especially Momo. Sana was a bubbly and way-too-touchy girl, but once you got used to it, she was a literal ball of sunshine. But Momo, well… was Momo. The girl was slow (VERY slow) but sometimes snapped and became as flirty as Sana, maybe more.

 

Mina and her actually dated a few weeks after meeting each other, but they soon realized that they had mingled friendly and romantic feelings, and had decided to stay friends. It actually led them to grow closer, and Mina now considered Momo as much of a best friend as Sana.

 

The young woman sighed while thinking about them. She had to leave them early, partly because she didn’t want her sleep schedule to be screwed up, and also because Sana was very drunk and Momo guaranteed her to stay sober, and allowed Mina to go- no, to escape Sana, who was trying to kiss her at some point. They were weird, but they were the closer thing Mina had to a family here, her real one being in Japan and too busy to really care about her (at least, that’s what she thought).

 

Her family was actually nice, she had many great memories with them, but the problem was there: it was memories. Her brother was the first one to distance himself. He was busy with his daily rugby training, then his girlfriend, then his job as a surgeon. When Mina was young, he would always try to take some time to play with her, and even took her to his rugby training once.

 

(9 year old Mina thought it was the coolest sport on earth and thought that plating was just a fun hug. When she went to school on Monday, she ran to one of her friend before tackling them to the concrete, leading to both of them having a concussion and herself breaking her wrist. She thought it was a very fun story, but judging by their horrified looks, her parents didn’t. Her brother was since then forbidden to take her to his training.)

 

Her father was a compilation of all the “cool dad” clichés: he would work a lot, but it was an unending party when he was home. He was the one who introduced Mina to her very first game console, which was his favorite: the Sega Mega Drive. She spent hundred of hours in her childhood playing it, despite the fact that many game console were out, much better than the Mega Drive. She still had it, somewhere in her apartment, and would play Shining Force II when she missed her family too much. Her dad was very proud for being part of the project “Turning Mina into a nerd”. But the game console quickly turned into a distraction to the fact that he was less and less at home because of his new job as the director of the hospital he worked at.

 

But despite her dad being the coolest dad ever, Mina had always preferred her mom. Everyone in the family knew that and it had become a common joke between them. Maybe it was because of the way she would soothe mini-Mina to sleep when the kid just had a nightmare, or the way she would always be there whenever her daughter needed someone despite being a very busy lawyer, or the way she never ever laughed off the heartbreaks and troubles teenager-Mina would get herself in. She would let her daughter yell at her about not understanding anything, then would let her sob uncontrollably in her chest and let her fall asleep in her arms. When Mina gave up on ballet, she tried to understand why, unlike her father who thought it was only a hobby. Mrs Myoui knew too damn well that ballet wasn’t a hobby to Mina, it was her passion. And when she asked Mina about it after a tiring day and Mina broke down, once again, Mrs Myoui knew that something was wrong and that she was right.

 

But sometimes, she wished she wasn’t always right.

 

Mina’s train of thought was interrupted by the sound of music, a few meters ahead. She furrowed her eyebrows and buried her hand deeper in her pocket, the other clenching the Americano to the point her knuckles were starting to get white, seeking for warmth. She could hear a guitar strum ahead, a quite repetitive rhythmic that sounded really, really familiar.

 

She approached the music and was met with a heart-warming sight: a kid, maybe six years old, was watching closely as a young woman played some chords on a guitar, smiling widely to the kid. Two adults, who Mina assumed were the kid’s parents, smiled warmly at the strange duet in front of them. Mina stepped closer, and the young woman started singing.

 

Every breath you take

Every move you make

Every bound you break

Every step you take

I’ll be watching you

 

Mina smiled as she finally recognized the song. It was one of the melody her mom would sing when she had troubles sleeping, or just when she wanted her to sing. Her mom had a beautiful voice, so beautiful Mina thought she could’ve been an idol.

 

The kid was bumping his head a bit exaggeratedly, visibly enjoying the song. A few people had joined the scene, laughing softly at the kid or moving their head slightly along the chords of the song.

 

The young Japanese examined quietly the performer, who had her eyes closed, focused on the song she was playing. She looked younger than Mina, seventeen at most. Her black hair were cut right below her jaw and she was wearing a grey hoodie with a black and heavy leather jacket, black jeans and black combat boots. She had the face and the grin of a junior in high school, yet she was dressed like she was a member of some underground gang of Seoul.

 

Weird, thought Mina. She was about to leave, but then she noticed something that caught her attention. The musician had just finished the song and was thanking and bowing at the few generous people in front of her, smiling brightly at the public, dimple on full display.

 

With a mole under her lips.

 

It can’t be…

 

“Thank you! Now, here’s a song that means a lot to me. I hope you’ll enjoy it!”

 

She then started picking some other chords, and Mina thought she was going to cry.

 

Remember me,

Though I have to say goodbye,

Remember me…

 

Now it wasn’t just a thought, Mina was sobbing.

 

—

 

“Mina!”

 

“Hello, mom.”

 

Despite her calm tone, the young girl had a mouth closed smile on her face. She’d miss her mom.

 

“How was school today?” Mrs Myoui hanged her coat in the entrance of the house and began to remove her boots. Her daughter watched her , sat on the couch of the living room, a cup of coffee in her hands.

 

“It was okay. There is a new girl in the dance club. Apparently she got here last week, but she said that she’s there for only a year. That’s a bit sad.”

 

“Why do you think it’s sad?”

 

“Well, she might have trouble to make friends, even more if she stays for only a year.”

 

Mina sipped quietly on her cup of coffee. Her mom was now taking off her shoes. She looked tired. Maybe she had a rough day. But her smile was still there.

 

“Why would that prevent her from making friends?”

 

Mina lifted up her eyes to meet her mother’s warm gaze.

 

“Because… she will never see them again.”

 

Mrs Myoui smiled at her while going to the kitchen, also making herself a cup of coffee.

 

“You know, friends are here to make you happy. Some of them can’t stay in your life forever. Nobody can, even me. We all go, one way or another. But they always stay with you, in your heart.”

 

Mina furrowed her brows, a bit skeptical.

 

“That’s a bit idealistic. You always end up forgetting someone if you don’t see them for a long time.”

 

“Indeed, but if you love them, you will always remember them.”

 

The girl relaxed her face and looked at her mom who was now by her side on the couch, looking at the leafs falling through the window.

 

“I think you’re right.”

 

A pause.

 

“And I think I’ll try to befriend that girl. Plus, she has a dimple when she smiles, and that’s pretty cute.”

 

Her mom laughed slightly.

 

“Where does this girl come from?”

 

“She’s from Korea! I’ve always wanted to travel there, it looks so beautiful in the dramas.”

 

Another giggle.

 

“I went there a few times, it’s a beautiful country. Even though the dramas idealize it a bit", answered Sachiko.

 

Mina had finished her cup of coffee and stood up to put it in the sink. However, she stopped halfway and turned slightly toward her mother, blushing a bit.

 

“If all Korean girls are that pretty, I really wouldn’t mind it if you took me there with you, someday.”

 

A gummy smile formed on Sachiko’s lips. It wasn’t the first time that her daughter implied that she wasn’t meant to be with a man, but she never properly made her coming out. It was okay though. Sachiko only wanted her happiness.

 

“What about telling your father that dinner will be ready soon? Then we can talk with him about this new girl- oh, what’s her name by the way?”

 

Her daughter came back from the kitchen, and her smile was mirroring her mother’s.

 

“Son Chaeyoung.”

 

—

 

Chaeyoung shivered slightly as she blew in her hands and rubbed them against each other, seeking for warmth in the cold night. She was sitting on a simple wooden box, her guitar resting on her lap and her good old cap laying on the ground, a bunch of coins resting inside. She’d been there for three hours now, playing non-stop, hoping to get enough money to buy a present for her best friend, Dahyun.

 

The pair had met on the very same street, with the latter playing piano. They grew closer, having the same taste in music and the same situation. Actually, Dahyun lived in a very modest family, who wasn’t able to afford her anything too expensive. Dahyun dreamed of visiting Europe, so she had bought a synthesizer, a speaker and was playing on the streets every evening and on the week ends.

 

Chaeyoung had another kind of story. Her family was wealthy, not millionaire but they had a nice house, went to vacations every now and then and could go to nice restaurants. They loved their daughter. They were strict, and a bit conservative, but Chaeyoung didn’t mind. She wasn’t really talking about her fascination for arts. She did asked for some paintbrushes, and even asked for a guitar a few years ago, and her parents didn’t mind it as long as she had good grades and had the right friends.

 

Here was the problem. The “right” friends. Chaeyoung didn’t really understand what they meant by that. All she knew was that her childhood friend, Tzuyu, was a yes for her parents. And, to be honest, that was all that mattered. But then, she went to Japan (asked by her parents because they were going to be very busy for a year and wanted her to discover new things instead of being bored inside the house all day. She agreed. She was a fan of mangas anyway.). She then met a girl. She was happy, because that girl became her friend, despite her staying for only a year. But then, she discovered that she needed to be more than friend with her.

 

When she went back home, her parents welcomed her nicely. They went to a fancy restaurant, ate steak, talked about this and that. On their way home, she started to talk about her Japanese friend. How the girl was doing ballet, was polite, funny, very smart. Her parents were happy to hear that. When she was about to go to bed, she told them that she loved that Japanese friend.

 

And they kicked her out.

 

Chaeyoung couldn’t even understand what she did wrong. Because clearly, everything was fine, right? She just loved someone. How could that be wrong? Her parents had never talked to her about homouality. They just assumed that she wouldn’t be concerned by that matter. So, when Chaeyoung knocked at Tzuyu’s door, face drenched in tears, her childhood friend sighed and welcomed her. Tzuyu’s parents didn’t have to ask, because Chaeyoung’s mom had just called to tell them about how her daughter was a sinner and would try to infec- Tzuyu’s mom hung up and welcomed Chaeyoung like her own daughter, making the guest room hers.

 

Thanks to Chaeyoung’s younger brother, she was able to get her stuff from the house without being seen. They would meet at the entrance of the school, right after Chaeyoung’s dad had dropped his son in front of school. Chaeyoung would stay hidden until his car turned to the corner of the street. Then, she would rush to her brother who would quickly give her a sports bag containing neatly folded clothes, art furniture or books. She would then give him the previous bag and, after a quick but warm hug, they would part ways, having classes in different buildings.

 

The most risky move was when Chaeyoung asked for her guitar. Apparently, her parents left it in her room, which they hadn’t enter since the Day^TM. Her brother had gulped, because the guitar wasn’t something he could hide in a sport bag, and he couldn’t go out without being seen by his father.

 

So, after a lot of negotiation with her worried, Chaeyoung went to her previous home, at night. She didn’t tell Mr or Mrs Chou, because she knew that they wouldn’t agree. She admits it, her plan was dangerous. But, when she looks back to it, it was worth it.

 

Really worth it.

 

—

 

She rub her gloved hands together before starting to climb a tree near the house. She could see her brother silhouette on her bedroom’s window, and started climbing faster. When she was a bit higher, she jumped and hang onto the window’s edge, her brother helping her to get into her room.

 

“Got you!”

 

Her brother was looking at her worryingly.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Geez, Jeonghun, you ask this every single time we meet. For the last time, I’m fine! I still have you after all”, Chaeyoung finished with a playful grin.

 

“Haha, really funny. Here’s your guitar, I didn’t forget the pick and the capo. But there wasn’t any case, is that normal?”

 

His sister winced while adjusting the guitar’s strap on her shoulder.

 

“Well, you know how much they know about instruments. They thought guitar were like pianos, and that the case was included.”

 

Jeonghun laughed nervously while shaking his head.

 

“I’m buying you a case at your next birthday.”

 

“Yeah right, with what money? It’s okay bro, don’t worry. With that being said- hold on.”

 

Chaeyoung was about to climb on the edge of the window when something caught her attention.

 

Tucked under her bed, was a piece of paper. She knew very well what it was and, putting her guitar against the wall, rushed to retrieve it.

 

Jeonghun was a bit confused. It was one of the many sketchbooks Chaeyoung had used since she got into art, a dozen years ago. The cover was in poor condition, the print starting to fade out.

 

“Hey, Jeong,” his sister called out, biting her lip.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Mom and dad… they didn’t see it, right?”

 

“The sketchbook? Nope. I told you, they didn’t enter this room since… you know.”

 

Chaeyoung let out a sigh of relief and relaxed a bit.

 

“You know...” she looked up to her brother, a sad smile on her lips. “I drew a lot, back in Japan. It was probably the most productive year of my life, artistically. I filled, like, ten notebooks. But… this is the sketchbook I used to draw… her.”

 

Oh.

 

Now that made sense.

 

Chaeyoung chuckled lightly before carrying on.

 

“That’s ridiculous. We weren’t meant to be, and yet here I am, holding onto a sketchbook filled with drawings of her like onto dear life. I’m sure she doesn’t even remember-”

 

“Hey, sis.” Jeonghun interrupted Chaeyoung, whose voice was starting to tremble. “It will be alright. I mean, you guys loved each other, right? It was one year ago, there’s no way she won’t remember you. Love is timeless, they say, right? I’m sure it will be ok.”

 

The younger felt a bit embarrassed. Unlike his sister, he never felt at ease with words. He globally never felt at ease with expressing himself. When he was a kid, he had developed an endless frustration because of his inability to find the right words, leading to anger issues. Fortunately, one of his teachers understood what he was going through, and urged his parents to enroll him in a kickboxing club. Surprisingly, it worked, and Jeonghun was now a well-tempered high school boy.

 

With a tendency to throw high kicks to bullies.

 

Chaeyoung snorted at the attempt of her brother to comfort her.

 

“Shut up and hug me, you dummy.”

 

Jeonghun let out a grunt before obeying.

 

“Why do I know you again?”

 

“Because I’m your favorite sister and you love me so much you can’t live without me.”

 

Jeonghun playfully shoved the said sister away from him, but pushed a bit too much and Chaeyoung’s back hardly hit the closet with a thud.

 

“Ouch!”

 

“Oh ! Are you okay?!”

 

“What the hell Jeonghun have you ever heard the word “gentle”?!”

 

“Well, it’s not my fault if you’re a midget, 158cm!”

 

“I’M NOT 158CM I’M 159 FOR GOD’S-”

 

“Jeongie? Is everything alright?”

 

The siblings immediately stopped bickering when they heard the voice coming from downstairs.

 

“Yes mom! I’m just rehearsing for next week’s play!” Jeonghun yelled while (lightly) pushing Chaeyoung to the window.

 

“I thought they were both sleeping!” Chaeyoung whisper-shouted to her brother while tucking the sketchbook inside her jacket.

 

“Well I thought too! Now go!”

 

Chaeyoung was about to jump to the tree when Jeonghun stopped her, a bit worried.

 

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

 

The young woman laughed before winking to her brother.

 

“Of course Jeongie, who do you think I am?”

 

—

 

Aaaaaand cut!

Okay so first of all I hope you enjoyed this. If some things don't make sense, it's normal, I tried to proofread but I wrote this during the whole week between classes lol

Tell me what you think about it, and if you'd like to read the whole thing hehe

See you soon!

PS: I know I didn't finish the first one shot, but I couldn't write something satisfying. This one is actually the first I'm able to write since my writer's block, so maybe I'll complete The Rain when I get the inspiration hehe