Post-Breakup

 

When you live in a small island like Manhattan, the odds of bumping into the person who broke your heart are incredibly high. The odds of bumping into him when you look like are even higher. After a break-up, certain streets, locations even times of day are off-limits. The city becomes a deserted battlefield loaded with emotional land mines. You have to be very careful where you step or you could be blown to pieces.

"Taeyong!" Banging on the door woke me up from my position on the window sill, incredulously and sadly thinking about him.

"I'm coming!" 

"Unfold that face and grab your coat. We're going out!" Doyoung, my first ever bestfriend since I set foot on the city, said the first thing when I opened the door, marching down the living room like she owns the place. The usual. 

"Guys, I'm really not in the mood and this is not even Sunday." Yeah, Sunday, the schedule for our brunch ritual.

"Oh I know, darling. But this is a drastic measure, we have to get you out of this place."

"Okay, only if it's nowhere I could run into him."

"When do you think you're gonna be getting out of this hostage situation?"

"Doyoung..." And that was Jungwoo speaking, the second of my three best girlfriends. I met her a year after I met Doyoung in a park, fresh out of a break-up just like I am today. 

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Don't listen to her Taeyong, it's only been a month. It takes half the total time you went out with someone to get over them." Jungwoo, always the understanding kind. I'll marry her a long time ago if only she was a guy. 

"I always like a good math solution to any love problem." 

"It's the break-up rule. You and you-know-who only went out for a year. So she's got five more months to get over him." 

"No, you gotta cut your losses and get back in the game."

"You can't rush yourself into feeling good. The only way to get over somebody is to feel really bad, cry to your girlfriends and then to replay what you hated about him over and over in your head all day."

"That sounds about right."

 

And here I am, smushed in the back seat of a taxi heading to this hot new place I don't even know existed. When all I wanted is a place where I could drink at 10 A.M without judgement. Good thing I got it fixed.

"Coffe anyone?" Jungwoo asks the rest of the people on the table before facing the waitress.

"Already got mine," I said, acting nonchalant while raising my tumbler. 

"Give me that, I can't get enough beauty sleep with that new neighbour baby crying the whole night. If I ever wanted to have one of that, please hit me with a truck." This is Ten, the final member of our group. I met her when she was bartending at some club, now she got her own business being a publicist. 

"I didn't know you supply your caffeine with vodka nowadays." 

"Taeyong..." Jungwoo said in between concern and a warning. Well, I couldn't respond to that other than a shrug. 

"I'm proud." Yeah, this is Ten again, mouthing the word. She is always so carefree,  a thing I respect about her, living in the moment but would set for things that she wants. And she always gets what she wanted, well most of them are men. Never been a believer of commitment she enjoys the 'company' of them; if you know what I mean. We all do but she's just a notch different. But she's learning though, she met this one guy and she's been with him for almost 4 months now. See? Progress.

"Ooh, you see that guy? That fine specimen is the new Jung, he's younger and much better looking. I've heard he's in the list of the ungettable." Yup, still learning. 

That's when the guy flashes his smile and wave a hand over to us and I can't help but reply with a small wave too, mouthing a small Hi. 

"Oh, Mr Dimple over there? Taeyong you know him?" 

"No, I've never seen him in my life."

"Well if none of you gonna hit on him, I will." Definitely still learning.

"Sit down, you still have Johnny." Doyoung grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her back down. 

"Oh god, I almost forgot I'm in a monogamous relationship right now."

"It's okay, it's only the third time this week." 

"Not helping Jungwoo."

Overall we had a really nice brunch, I realized how much I missed them from locking myself in my apartment a few weeks back. A breath of fresh air, a little chit chat and spicy gossips really save the day. Well yeah nice and I just got myself a date for the Dolce and Gabbana party. 

I don't know if it was the vodka, something gave me the strength to ask the new Jung out.

"No, no! This is not the way it supposed to happen." Doyoung is the first to react seemingly mortified when I skipped back to them with my hands up in the air.

"Why? You told me I should get back in the game."

"Yeah with a balding C.P.A. or another boring rebound guy. Nobody rebounds with the new Jung, one of the city's notorious ungettable bachelor."

"Well, maybe I'm a new Taeyong. Come on, I still need a dress for that party."

"It's official, she's drunk."

"You just realize that now?"

"Oh come on, she's allowed to be drunk. She's going through a break-up."

"I am not drunk, I'm sedated from my pain." 

 

 

 

 

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This is quite a change, I'm trying to write from Taeyong's perspective. First-person point of view just like and the City. How do you guys think? Is it weird?