Cherry Lollipop

4. A Surprise

*****

(A/N: Sorry for a long wait, I was originally planning to release this last Wednesday but that was the day when started to hit the fan and I'm sure everybody knows the situation that's been going on. A real roller coaster of emotions and things happened and all we can do is support them as best as we can while we all eagerly wait for their return. Once they do, let's make sure that they know that they're dearly loved by their fans from all around the world and give them the biggest comeback party/Fiesta they can ever receive. I have much to say about the situation but that's not for here so I hope to those who stuck to reading this story can enjoy this chapter. As usual, feel free to leave messages if ya want!)

*****

A blonde with long flowy hair decked in a denim outfit from top to bottom rushed diligently around hallways as she made her way towards the 5th floor of Eno Mag. After a few shots from a recent photoshoot, she was hoping to show a certain friend of hers some new shots she wanted feedback on. With the strap of a DSLR camera wrapped around her neck and holding onto it tightly, she quickly moved as light as a feather between desks and people until she finally reached her friend at her desk.

“Yo yo yo Kwangb-...uhhhh.....ummmmm....what are you doing?” the woman questioned as she saw Hyewon diligently focused on a piece of paper laying on her desk.

“Math.” Hyewon answered as she continued scribbling on the paper.

“.........and why?” the woman questioned again.

With a quick few taps of her pencil as a short break, she then started scribbling again and finished the problem she was on. “Because I’m stressed that’s why.”

“You solve math problems when you’re stressed? I know I joke about you being an Alien but are you one for real Kwangbae? Who does Math to de-stress?” the woman's eyebrows scrunched up in thought as she looked over at the complicated problems Hyewon was doing.

“Yaaaah Chaeyeonah...it’s just my way of dealing with it okay? I find it fun since it constantly makes me think of how to find the solutions.” she answered as she finally looked up at the blonde woman who just made weird faces at her.

"What are you even stressed about? You're usually so calm and collected but these few days I’ve visited, you've been spacing out a lot. From Minju, I heard it was because of a giiiiirl? Must be someone special to make you lose your focus huh?" Chaeyeon beamed with a sly smile growing on her face as she pulled a chair beside her friend. The dark-haired woman's eyes grew wide after knowing a certain clumsy brunette talked about her current situation.

"Did Minju tell you that? Yaaaaaaah, I'm gonna get her later!" she ranted as the blonde burst in laughter afterward.

"Ahahahaha don't get mad, she just said you were stress over some special date on Friday, she didn't say much specifically! Dates are always stressful especially a special date! She's innocent, really!"

Hyewon let out a huge exhale of breath as she shook her head in disappointment. "That Minju…..always at it again huh?"

"Hey, don't blame her clumsiness...that’s just who she is! Anywho, can I help out or anything?"

"It's okay, I got it….I think…."

"Got a name? If ya don't answer, I'm gonna bug you all day just to let you know…hehehe..."

"Miyawaki S-"

"SAKURA?! Are you serious?!" Chaeyeon blurted out loud which surprised Hyewon.

"What? You know Sakura?" the latter asked causing the former to laugh loudly that echoed throughout the office space which caused bystanders to chuckle at its addictive tone and nature.

Chaeyeon’s face shot back down at Hyewon while she made a goofy face of confidence. "Of course I know that friggin’ dork Miyawaki Sakura, she's my best friend! We see each other like every other day to hang out if she’s not too busy with work."

"Huh?! How come I didn't know that till now?!" Hyewon protested as she finally dropped her pencil to listen to Chaeyeon fully.

The blonde held out her hand in front of Hyewon and counted. "One: I’m a freelancer and don’t strictly work in one place so I don’t see you much anyway. Two: We always talk about work when we are together so there's never a chance. Three: You never asked. See? But wow ...my best friend is your date? I never imagined it! Ahahahahaha!" she babbled as she started spinning herself on the chair causing her hair to fly around like a whip.

"Well, she was my girlfriend from high school…." Hyewon stated causing Chaeyeon to abruptly stop herself and almost fall over. She looked over at the raven-haired beauty seriously as she squinted her eyes to study her face. With a quick tilt of her head, she tapped her chin in thought for a few moments until her eyes bulged out in revelation.

".........wait….. ...you...it’s YOU! You were the one that Sakuchan missed all those years ago!?" she cried out causing Hyewon to look at her like a crazy person.

".....huh?"

Chaeyeon drew a square around Hyewon’s head and ended it with a soft boop on Hyewon’s nose.

"YOU, you big dummy! She always went on and on about her girlfriend that ran away and that she was the blame or something like that. Wooooow…who would’ve thought!! Just so you know, she missed you back then...like a WHOLE LOT. It was kinda terrible seeing her back then when I first met her …..a dark place in her life honestly." she said as her face grew a bit weary in thought. Hyewon read her expression and faced downward with a frown on her face.

“I…...I see. I didn’t know.” she replied.

“Yeaaaaaaah…well….you do now I guess. Sorry to bring it up since it looks like it’s sensitive to you just as much as Sakuchan...”

"No…..it’s okay. I could only imagine since I felt the same back then...it was an unavoidable situation on my part.”

“I see...and I won’t pry.” Chaeyeon said as she lightly pats Hyewon’s shoulder in comfort. The latter looked back up with a small smile in acknowledgment.

“So ...when did you know her? High school?"

"Yeap, after you left I'm pretty sure. She was lost at the time…..like really lost. There are some things best left unsaid unless it’s said by her but luckily, she had me and 2 other friends back then to help her out.”

“I see ...I guess I’ll have to ask her about it tomorrow.”

“Do so. She’s probably still carrying that baggage on her shoulders so I suggest you talk to her about it…...especially if you want to pursue her in a deeper relationship. I’m sure you got a story to tell from your side so hopefully it works for you two.”

“Thank you Chaeyeon ...it means a lot.” she replied in comfort causing Chaeyeon to smile back. The latter leaned back in her chair and looked at Hyewon with a sense of amusement on her face.

“Still, it’s quite funny to finally know the mystery girl's identity. You know, I had a crush on her back in the day..." Chaeyeon informed causing Hyewon to shoot a look at her with intense curiosity as a small tingle started growing on the back of her neck in worry.

"R-really?!" she asked, her tone of voice clearly filled with anxiety.

"Yeap. And I'm gonna be honest with you so don’t get too mad at me...okay?” Chaeyeon uttered with an undecided look on her face that the other couldn’t really read.

“The past is the past and we were apart so go ahead….” the raven-haired woman murmured silently while bringing her face to what it once was, even though she was getting extremely nervous.

“You see ...I actually really wanted to get with her in a relationship back then. Just seeing her in such a broken state, me and others helped her a lot to get her back on her feet and I kind of fell for her throughout our little journey of improvement.” Chaeyeon stated as she shot her glances from the ceiling to Hyewon and back again. She couldn’t help but smile fondly as she thought of old memories of her time with Sakura.

“She made me feel like a person who belonged somewhere ya know? She was stressed but she still had words of encouragement for those who’ve helped her ...it was really endearing to see and hear. Sakuchan really has a way with words….I mean, she’s really good at making you feel important as a person and I really valued that as a friend...and as someone who fell for her. Though there was something blocking me and I finally know why. It was you.” she stated as she finally placed her eyes on Hyewon fully causing the latter to be slightly intimidated.

“Me?”

Chaeyeon let out a small chuckle and then sat straight to put her hand on Hyewon’s shoulder as she looked at her deeply.

“You must’ve done something pretty big that kept her sticking to you for all these years. I mean really ...did you save her or something? She didn’t want to replace you in her heart and trust me, I tried and I mean REALLY tried but she just wouldn't budge ...even though I did get close at times……….on second thought, that sounded kind of bad so I apologize.” she fretted as she placed her palms together in front of her as a gesture to forgive her.

“...............it’s okay, I’m not mad.”

“Thank goodness. As for the story again...well ...it was hard and took years for me to accept that but honestly, it turned out for the better." she said with a smile on her face as she leaned back on her chair once again and crossed her jeaned legs.

"......how?"

“I found someone else. The weird thing was that the person I’m seeing and Sakura almost had a thing...well technically, it was a 3-way tug of war of feelings between ALL of us that was sort of a huge mess. Everyone was close friends and nobody wanted to hurt each other ...but things changed with time of course. Sakura still waited for you and didn’t want that to change so she started focusing on her finishing college quickly. She spent most of her time studying and what not so naturally, me and our other friend got closer.”

“Do I know her?”

“Her? Nope, she doesn’t work in this business at all but she’s been kinda interested here and there because of my photography.”

“I see. What happened to Sakura during that time?”

“She put all her thoughts on her future and got her Bachelor’s Degree in 3 years so she never had the time to hang out with anybody for a while. She was thinking about getting a Master’s but decided against it for reasons unknown. Until a year and a half ago when she got the job at Zi Fashion, she was free again...well from college that is. We started hanging out again after that and she finally found out about me and my girlfriend being an item! She was extremely happy for us and congratulated us for finally getting together….I thought it was gonna be awkward at first but nope, everything turned out great!" Chaeyeon smiled brightly as she clasped her hands together in thought. Hyewon smiled in return and patted her knees as a gesture of acknowledgement.

"I’m glad it worked out for you three in the end. Sounded like it could’ve been messy but thankfully it ended wonderfully. I was kind of in a similar situation like Sakura back then ...because of stress back then, I got caught up in college and got my Bachelor’s Degree in 3 years also. In High School, me and Sakura were in the same grade and had similar interests in fashion but she had more interest in writing compared to me. She was in the School Newspaper Club and I was in the Go Home Club…..."

"Ahahahaha, it’s a club most people went for so I don’t blame you. Still, how does it feel to see her again?” Chaeyeon asked as she raised and lowered her brows with a suspicious smile.

“.....I honestly don’t know. In a way, I’m extremely happy to see her face again...in another, I’m sad that she’s mad at me but I don’t blame her. Also she changed a bit it seems...a lot more mature than I’m used to back in the day. Appearance and personality wise I mean...”

“Have you seen her in a dress suit with her serious business hair?” Chaeyeon questioned causing interest to grow in the other woman about Sakura’s appearance.

“No…..will I?”

Chaeyeon slapped her knee and shook her head causing Hyewon to look at her with the curiosity of a cat.

“Oh man ...word of advice: Keep your hands to yourself. She’s like a whole different person in her business woman mode compared to her usual dorky friend mode. Maybe have a water bottle in hand or something....maybe.”

“.....that hot?” Hyewon questioned causing Chaeyeon to purse her lips as she stared at her in a undecidedly coy and bashful manner. Her look was all she needed as an answer causing her mind to fill with images of what Sakura would look like.

“Well…..she's waiting for you. Get her." Chaeyeon stated bluntly causing Hyewon to smile shyly.

"She doesn't seem like it when we met a few days ago. Though, we talked on the phone a few nights ago that did felt like the old Sakura..."

Chaeyeon smacked the raven haired woman’s shoulder causing her to look in surprise. "That’s the real her on the phone! She wants you and only you, seriously! Sure she's a little mad at you but not 'really'...in fact, she'd probably love to see you right now! She'll be a bit tsundere and act tough of course but just break through her defenses and you'll get to her in no time!"

"And how do I do that?"

The blonde started playing with her own chin and thought for a moment. "Give her something nostalgic maybe? Think of something that makes her think of a fond memory. And do it ...like now." she stated.

“Now? It’s 10:45am on a work day.”

After hearing the time, Chaeyeon leaped out of her chair with her face in shock. She took out her phone in her pocket and glanced at it quickly before slapping her forehead with a loud smack.

“10:45!? Damnit, I’ve talked too much! Anyway, you figure it out just like your crazy alien math problems! As for me, I’ve got to go now...heck I forgotten why I came to you in the first place!” she yelped as she placed her chair back where it belonged at another desk.

Hyewon shrugged her shoulders and pouted her lips before talking. “I dunno ...you just came up to me.”

Chaeyeon sighed and started back away while walking backwards. “Oh well I guess! See you whenever I come back next week on Monday aiiite?”

“Yeah, much thanks Chaeyeonah ...and thanks for the history lesson.” Hyewon replied with a small wave goodbye as Chaeyeon did the same as she furthered their distance from each other.

“Ahahahaha...no problem, gotta bounce now! Goodbye and good luck on your date with Sakuchan tomorrow! She deserves the world and so do you so believe in yourself!” The blonde then gave her a bowed salute before finally turning and disappearing in the hallways in the distance. Hyewon looked back at her desk and reached for a calendar with a schedule on her desk and smiled.

“Maybe I should visit her today….” 

-----------------------------

“You think she’s okay in there? Ever since that incident yesterday, she’s been pretty quiet unlike the usual her.”

“She’ll be back to her old self in no time, she just needs time to herself right now. Miyawaki san has always gotten through worse stuff than an old man yelling at her.”

“I know...but that man seemed like he knew her personally. You heard what she said right? Did she say she almost killed herself in despair? I don’t think I even would’ve thought Miyawaki san to do or think of stuff like that...especially how strong she seems to be at work. I just hope we can help her in any way...”

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter