HITOMI'S POV

      I watched her as the wind made her dress sway and hair flow like it was a feather. She was laughing loudly as she ran quickly, trying very hard so that I can't catch up to her. I could hear her steps as she ran on the grass bare-footed. It was weird how everything seemes to slow down as I look at her pale skin that was glowing because of the sun's rays. When I'm here with her, nothing else seems to matter. She then stopped to look behind her and to look at me with a frown when she noticed that I wasn't running quickly anymore. I just stopped and smiled at her while breathing heavily, tired because of all the running.

      "Yah. It's like you aren't even trying!", Hyewon said, she then just glared at me while frowning like a weirdly offended little kid. I just laughed at her while still taking heavy breaths. It was weird how I ran so much but I couldn't feel a single sweat on my body.

      "Fine then.", Hyewon said as she sat down on the grass before crossing her arms. She glared at me for not taking her seriously when she wanted to race towards the part of the park where we usually hang out. But it wasn't even a minute after that when she signalled me to sit next to her.

      "Can we try something different today? The amusement park you have here, perhaps?", I said while I was still standing there, making me look down while she was looking up meet my eyes. She stared at me like she was confused.

       "But didn't you tell me  when I wanted to go there that you didn't like the idea of amusement parks because they made you feel more of a loner? Because they reminded you that you have no one to visit that place with?" What made you change your mind?", Hyewon asked. I'm quite impressed with how she seems to remember even the tiniest details of what I say. She now stood up and wiped her dress.

      "You.", I answered her seriously.

       "What the? Who taught you to be this corny?", she said while playfully looking at me with disgust. But then I saw her try to surpress her smile before turning her back so that I couldn't see her reaction. She walked to the direction of the door so I followed her.

      She then stopped walking and looked at me.

      "What?", I said as I walked to her side.

      "You're too slow.", Hyewon said before taking my right hand and then putting her fingers in between mine like she always does. She then now pulled me so that I'd be next to her now while walking. I just pretended to walk even slower so that she'll hold me tighter and smiled when she really did.

      "Lame excuse to hold my hand.", I said just to .

      "Whatever.", she said and then rolled her eyes before looking away again. I almost laughed at how she thought that she could hide her red cheeks but completely forgot about hiding her now red ears.
 

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      We then just sat next to each other while riding the ferris wheel. It was the perfect time and place to tell her how I feel. I'm not expecting that she'd return my feelings but I want to tell her how I really feel because it's hard to hide these things from the person I trust the most. I just want to freely tell her and show her how I really feel about her.

      Oh who am I kidding? Of course I'm hoping she'd say she feels the same way. Her reaction to the things I say, especially how she gets flustered, gives me hope that she does too.

      While we reached the highest point, she then stood up excitedly and stared at the sky. The ferris wheel stopped moving when we reached the highest part.

      "Hiichan, let me show you something.", she looked at me said. She then looked at the sky again, her face showed how hard she's trying to focus on what she's doing.

       I then saw how everything slowly went dark as the sun was then replaced by the moon and as the amusements park's bright surrounding was replaced by the artificial lights of the park. She then looked at me again and made me stand up. We stood next to each other while I waited for what she's about to do.

      She took my hand again and took a deep breath.

      I waited while looking at the sky too. I then saw how the dark sky is now filled with different colors of light quickly exploding in the air. The night had become even more beautiful as I watched the fireworks with the most beautiful person I've ever met.

       I smiled and then looked at Hyewon. I could see how satisfied and proud she is of what she did. The shadows on her face would appear and dance every time a new set of fireworks exploded and it would disappear when the fireworks would momentarily stop. I then took out my phone and took a picture of her.

       I watched how she smiled as she stared at her work. She then looked at me making me feel breathless as I saw how her smile got wider when she looked straight into my eyes.

      "Hyewon?", I said.

      "Hmmm?", she asked me while still not looking away from me.

      "I have to tell you something.", I said softly, my mind was now in chaos, contemplating whether I should tell her this.

      "What is it?", she said as she tilted her head a bit to the side, clearly curious about what I have to say. I held both of her hands, making her completely face me.

      "I like you.", I successfully said without stuttering. I expected two things, that my feeling would be accepted or I'd be rejected. I was fine either ways but I still felt really nervous as I didn't know how'd she react or what she'd say.








 

       But...



 

      What she said wasn't one of those two things.

      It was much worse. She removed her hands from mine and looked at me apologetically. The ferris wheel then started moving again, it was much more quicker now.

      I felt cold as she just stood there and looked outside, now with no expression on her face. I felt my heart getting tighter as I was expecting the worst. It felt like I made the wrong decision.

      When we exited the ride, she then quickly pulled me by the arm tightly. She started walking to the direction of the door, taking me with her. I had no idea what's going on in her mind right now.

      I kept quiet but only until I was now in the park. We were still walking to the next door, the door to the painting's room. It's the door that led me to the place I enter through or leave.

     "Hyewon. Where are we going?", I asked her and tried to pull my arm but she didn't let go, instead she held it tighter. I started to feel pain.

     "Hyewon stop.", she still didn't listen to me.

     "Stop, it hurts!", I now said loudly making her stop and look at me with wide eyes.

      "I'm...I'm sorry.", she said as she let go. She then just looked at the ground while we stood there, looking quite uncomfortable and worried.

     "What are you doing? I'm sorry if I feel this way, I'm not forcing you to like me ba-", I was apologizing but she cut me off.

     "Leave.", she said and then looked at me.

      "What?", I asked her, just to make sure I heard her right. Why was she making me leave?

      "You need to leave.", she said again making me more confused.

      "Why?", I asked her, feeling hurt that she's making me leave. She stood there and looked away again, her hands closed into fists and shaking.

      "Do you not like me?", I asked her but she didn't answer.

      "I...I get it. But like what I was supposed to tell you, I'm not expecting anything. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.", I said and tried to closer to her to hold her hand to stop it from shaking but she quickly stepped away.

      "It's not tha- I said leave. Just leave!", she was about to say something but changed her words. She looked at me with a stern face and said it through gritted teeth.

       "Why? I mean, we can remain as friends can we? We're friends, aren't me? W- why are you making me leave?", I said now as I could feel my tears forming and my vision getting a bit blurry because of them.

      "I don't wanna see you anymore.", she said and looked away again, I could see tears forming in her eyes too as she bit her lip.

      "Am I that bad? Am I that bad to you that the idea of me liking you disgusts you? Am I that bad that you have to make me leave? Why can't you just tell me why?", I asked her, my face now feeling the warm tears fall from my eyes.

      "I SAID LEAVE!", she didn't even answer my question and screamed at me. I could feel the park getting much darker.

      "LEAVE!", she screamed again, I could now see the lightning behind her followed by thunder.

      She pushed me making me fall on the grass. I looked at her while my tears continued to fall.

      "Hyewon...", I looked at her while I was still on the ground, crying.

       "Just leave, please.", she was now pleading. I could see how hurt she looked. It was like she was suffering.






 

      It was like she was suffering because of me.






 

      I gave up, stood up and just slowly walked to the door, hearing footsteps follow me. I still couldn't stop crying as I walked and tried very hard to wipe my tears with my arm.

      I opened the door and now entered the room with the black walls. I went to the frame where I could see my room from.

      I faced her and saw how she avoided my eyes.

      "I'm sorry.", I said to her and held out my hand for her to hold.

      She held it as I slowly went through the frame and entered my room. After successfully doing so, I looked behind me again only to find Hyewon in her original position, frozen and emotionless. She was back as the girl in the painting making me feel even more hurt as she didn't even say goodbye.

      I laid on my bed and covered myself with my blanket. I covered my mouth as I cried, not wanting the reason why I'm crying to hear me.