1 year later

Page 3 in the margin next to a sentence highlighted in a bright yellow colour, Hyewon wrote:

I want to be with you, it’s as complicated and as simple as that. Like the way you struggle to choose which ring to wear on what finger. So when I give you a gift I’ll give you a bracelet, you have too many rings anway. I want my gift to be special to you.

Eunbi smiled, seeing the added note in the margin. She hated reading, yet she never got tired of reading the book. May it be seeing the cute add ins Hyewon wrote that made her heart flutter, or maybe it was feeling like Hyewon was just a little closer instead of being 6,795 miles away.

It had been a year since Hyewon gave her the book, and since they last talked. Yet it felt like it was only yesterday since Hyewon knocked on her door saying their last goodbyes. She could always ask her friends how she was doing, but a part of her only wanted to hear it from Hyewon.

There were times when her curiosity almost made her ask for Hyewon’s phone number or ask her friends. But she never did. It was hard not seeing or knowing anything about her. There isn’t a day when she didn’t think about her and when they would meet again.

It wasn’t like she was unhappy, rather she would be happier if Hyewon was around. It’s difficult to not wish so when everyone else around her was happy with their soulmate. Missing the way Hyewon took care of her in the little ways she never noticed, or what seemed normal between them.

How Hyewon would open the bottle of water before giving it to her, getting her a drink or snack whenever she would get one for herself. The list would be too long to keep track of it in her head, so she started writing it down in the back of the book whenever she would remember one of Hyewon’s many small gestures. May it be their secret way to communicate.

Not much happened apart from getting into Seoul National University for dance along with Chaeyeon, and Chaewon and Sakura getting in, but in different departments. Dorming with Chaeyeon and Sakura was never a dull moment - or more rather there was no moment they didn’t express their love for one another.

College life wasn’t easy, being filled with many tests, paper and tedious group work. Somehow she could see Hyewon enjoying the work or at the very least be at the top of her classes while being ahead. They were complete opposites; it came naturally to Hyewon while she struggled to even read a single page about the history of dance. Who knew we still had to read for dance.

Chaeyeon and her plopped on the floor of their living room, throwing their gym bags onto the side. Groaning in pain as they stretched their arms. Sakura peeked through the kitchen, welcoming them home as she laughed at the two sprawled on the floor.

“Another rough practice?” Sakura asked, she only received groans and complaints as a response “I got some watermelon juice in my free period”

Sakura giggled, seeing Chaeyeon’s head pop up above the couch as she sat up suddenly before running towards Sakura like a child. Hugging her small figure from the back.

“Have I ever told you I love you?” Chaeyeon cooed, giving Sakura a tighter hug

Before Sakura could come up with a sarcastic response, Chaeyeon stole a kiss before skipping away happily with the watermelon in her hand towards the couch. Eunbi’s face scrunched up in disgust at seeing the two’s sudden affection.

“Hey Eunbi, how are you doing? I’m doing great thanks for asking,” Eunbi said sarcastically as she talked to herself

Sakura shook her head playfully “Don’t worry I got you a drink too” She said placing the drink in front of Eunbi

Eunbi smiled seeing the drink, it was ‘her’ drink - green tea with pearls and less ice. Eunbi picked up the drink, turning it around to see a heart drawn on the back. Time like this makes the distance feel small. Knowing Hyewon told everyone to draw a heart on the back, she appreciated each and every one of them.

She remembered when everyone suddenly knew her drink with a heart drawn on the cup sleeve, however none compared to the first. The day Hyewon left for Boston, Chaewon had shown up to her door saying she was asked to deliver this drink to her. Turning it over, she saw written on the cup sleeve was:

“The wait might be long, but I promise on our love that we’ll find each other again”

It was written in her messy penmanship, but she could tell that Hyewon took extra time to make the letters neater. Not forgetting the small heart she drew at the end, however she still wonders why Hyewon said “I promise on our love”

“Eunbi” Chaeyeon called out again, waving her hand in front of Eunbi to get her attention

Eunbi hummed as she turned towards Chaeyeon “You’ve been zoning out a lot lately”

“Are you alright?” Sakura asked

“Guy’s really I’m fine just tired from practice”

The two nodded their head, deciding to drop it. Chaeyeon went into her room, but Sakura took a seat on the couch next to Eunbi, laying down. “Have you decided yet?”

Eunbi knew what Sakura meant. They have been asking her for an answer for the past 2 weeks. Yujin and Minju had invited all of them to their graduation. And by all of them that would definitely include Hyewon, as she was the closest to Minju and Yujin is her younger sister.

But if Hyewon was coming back and was ready… she would have told her, right?

“I think you should come, not because Hyewon will be there. But for Minju and Yujin,” Sakura said breaking the silence between them

“Besides it’s your sister-in-law and wife’s maid of honour’s graduation. I think you should go,” Sakura teased

Eunbi sat up to hit Sakura but the latter had ran away off to her room, locking the door behind her. Eunbi sighed in defeat laying back down on the floor. It wouldn’t hurt to go.

Hyewon and Yena arrived at Incheon airport, grabbing their luggage from the baggage claim. Yena was roaming around like a lost dog, Hyewon shook her head in disapproval. Her cousin was acting as if they had left the country for 30 years and finally just came back.

She tugged at Yena’s jacket stopping her from hugging a pillar “Don’t tell me you forgot to speak Korean too, I don’t think I’ll be able to tolerate you if I have to be your translator”

“Your no fun” Yena ticked her tongue, pushing Hyewon’s hand away

“God forbid your more demanding than my clinicians,” Hyewon said, pulling Yena towards their baggage carousel

They waited patiently, waiting for their baggage to come out of the carousel. Hyewon spotted Yena’s luggage. She went over to get it but before she could reach for it. Someone jumped on her back, she stumbled forward from the sudden piggyback. She recognised who it was the moment they jumped on her back. She laughed, seeing Yujin’s face peak over her shoulder.

“Unnie your back!” Yujin yelled in Hyewon’s ear

Hyewon winced at the volume, moving her head away. She smiled, seeing her younger sister still rowdy as ever. “Yujin did you get heavier?” She teased getting her back from jumping on her back

“After coming back, that’s the first thing you say to me?” Yujin whined as Hyewon put her down

“Do you want a kiss?” Hyewon teased, trapping Yujin in a tight hug, leaning forward trying to give her a kiss on the cheek

Soon after, Yena came in and joined, hugging Yujin on the other side, trapping her in between them. And they planted kisses on Yujin’s cheek. But Yujin got her revenge when she trapped each one of them in head locks, kissing them on their cheeks too. They laughed together, finally reunited after a year of not seeing each other in person.

“Do I get hugs too?” Minju asked from behind

“I’ll give you kisses too” Yena joked walking towards Minju with open arms

“I don’t know what Chaewon and Yuri would think about that” Hyewon teased before walking towards them getting into another group hug

Mr and Mrs Kang joined them soon after. Getting Hyewon and Yena’s luggage they had forgotten to get from the carousel. Greeting their daughter and niece, seeing how much they’ve grown. They were much different from the little girls they raised.

Hyewon placed an arm around Yujin and Minju as they all walked together to the car “I told you I wouldn’t miss your graduation”

“You never go back on your word” Yujin teased, squeezing Hyewon’s side

“You think we doubted you?” Minju added

“Okay, Okay don’t act like smart asses now since your graduating,” Hyewon warned, ruffling their hair

The day of the graduation, Hyewon watched Yujin from the door frame. Watching her adjusting the tassel on the cap for the nth time. She smiled, seeing her younger sibling growing up. It felt like yesterday when she was in the living room helping Yujin with her math homework. Correction, she still does, only now it’s over face time.

“The tassel goes on the right side,” Hyewon says finally ending Yujin’s fidgeting. She moves closer to help move the tassel to the correct side of the cap.

“How am I going to survive college with you or Yena?” Yujin leaned her head on Hyewon’s shoulder

Hyewon exhaled slowly, patting the top of Yujin’s head. It seemed this was something that had been bugging her for some time. Although they were never in the same grade, they were always a floor or classroom away. Being on two separate continents would be a drastic shift, Yujin wouldn’t be able to see either of them that easily.

“You know that’s how I felt when I was on my way to Boston. I thought how was I going to survive without either one of you around”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?” Yujin mumbled into her shoulder

“No, I’m saying it cause I meant it,” Hyewon pulls Yujin into a hug to whisper in her ear “And I think your forgetting you have a lot more people than us two now”

A sudden flash of a camera came from the door frame, turning their head to the source. It was their mother. They watched as their mother admired the candid picture.

“Look at my kids, all grown up and college students now” And with a single blink, a tear broke free from its glassy wall. She lets out a breathy laugh as she wipes away the tear.

“Don’t cry mom” Hyewon says opening her arm motioning for her mom to join them in the group hug.

\\

After the ceremony, their families all gathered together. Congratulating the new graduates, with Minju’s family and Yujin’s family getting their kids together to take the usual graduation picture. Taking the picture the same way during the two’s middle school’s graduation.

Yena standing next to Yujin posing funnily together. Doyeon standing behind Yujin and Hyewon with an arm around each one. However, this time Hyewon wasn’t the one giving Minju a bear hug. Chaewon snuggled her head next to Minju’s posing for the picture together.

They yelled cheese as their parents took the pictures. Off to the side, Minju saw Eunbi watching from the side. Stopping their parents, she called over Eunbi to stand next to them. She awkwardly stood next to Yujin, leaning in closer into the frame.

Eunbi met eyes with Hyewon “You look beautiful” Hyewon mouthed as she smiles at her before turning to face towards the camera

After the short picture taking, the family dispersed into their cars for the after party. Eunbi tried to catch Hyewon, but all she got a was a smile, before she turned around walking away from her.

Chaewon put her arm around her shoulder “She’ll come around don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll be in town for a few days”

Hyewon flattened Minju’s cap on top of her head playfully, “It seemed Chaewon took my spot in the picture. Only a year and you’ve already replaced me? I’m hurt”

Minju elbowed her in the ribs, “You need to hurry next time, you have competition now” It drew a laugh out of them

“It doesn’t help that you two are practically attached to the hip”

“Are you jealous?” Minju teased, poking at Hyewon’s side

Hyewon scoffed at the remark, “Me jealous? Who would I even be jealous about, definitely not you”

“You know there’s someone who couldn’t take their eyes off you this whole time,” Minju pushed, continuing to poke at Hyewon’s shoulder

Hyewon’s smile fell, taking a hold of Minju’s fingers in her hand. “Making a mistake once becomes a lesson, but making it a second time is by choice. I don’t plan on making it a choice”

“She has a choice too”

“I know Minju, I know. Just not now” Hyewon said before picking up her pace to get into the car first

Hyewon placed the last box from the moving truck down in the living room. She was helping Minju move into the apartment Chaewon had gotten for the two of them. Hyewon had volunteered to help Minju move in. It was the least she could do before leaving.

Chaewon leaned her head against the living room archway, watching Minju put away some of her things in the cupboards. Her bright doe eyes following Minju move between the box and the cupboard.

“I would’ve found you staring at her weird if you weren’t together,” Hyewon teased Chaewon as she walked up behind her, following her gaze.

A smile grew on Hyewon’s face seeing how much Minju has grown. Times like this she realises how much time has passed. Time moves in one direction, however our memory moves the other. No matter how much time has passed, we as humans intend to counter the natural flow of forgetting.

We remember the good; we remember the bad. We forget the time in between, but the memories spent in that time will never be forgotten. We hold on to them; we cherish them because we’re just scared of what’s coming next, the uncertainty that comes with the future.

But we have no choice to move forward, as time doesn’t wait. It continues to tick; it continues to move forward.

“Her heart’s in your hands now, please be gentle with her” Hyewon says leaning on the wall opposite to Chaewon as she reminisces her time with Minju

“It’s a good thing I have so much of her in my heart” Chaewon says with a smile as she turns to face Hyewon

“That’s the thing about love isn’t it, we feel them everywhere and we search for them in everything”

Hyewon leans her head on the wall, staring at the ceiling. She remembers times when she would see a poster of a dance recital, her mind would roam to the very first performance she saw of Eunbi. Or seeing a display of rings in a store and remembering the innumerable amount of rings Eunbi had.

Her mind always went to her first, in every decision she made, in every new experience, in every moment. Eunbi wasn’t a passing thought. Much like her heart, she lived in her mind.

“You know Minju always told me how you had a way with words,” Chaewon jokes

“It must be tough following me after knowing I was all of her firsts,” Hyewon teases back, throwing a playful look at Chaewon

“You may have been her first but I intend to be her last” Chaewon retorts with confident as her gaze returns to Minju

“Can I ask you for a favour?” Hyewon asks, her tone suddenly growing sombre

Chaewon turned to her, shocked at the sudden change but she nodded her head letting her continue.

“Since you were the first to deliver it to Eunbi, I want you be the last too”

Hyewon was asking Chaewon to stop all the little gestures they have been doing for Eunbi since she left and to pass it on to the others.

“Are you sure about that? She’s really grown attached to it”

“Just like my answer before, I’m not doing this for me but for her. I don’t want her to get too attached”

“Does that mean your not going back to her?” Chaewon asked, concerned for both of her friends

“No, it just seems that it will take me more time to get back to her”

Before Hyewon could say anymore, Minju called out to the both of them “You two aren’t working with your mouths right?’ Minju complained about seeing them talk int the corner, telling them to get back to moving things.

Hyewon turned to Chaewon “I know the consequences”

Eunbi paced around her room. She had been debating to see Hyewon for seven days now. She wanted to give Hyewon time to come to her first. But there was a shift in the way her friends acted when Hyewon would get dragged into the conversation, however mostly she noticed how the little gestures stopped.

Slowly her anxiousness rose, unable to decide. Fighting over the fact that Hyewon would have come to her first, or if she should just see her herself. But was she ready to be left again?

Nothing made a room feel emptier than wanting someone in it.

And right now she was waiting in the room, alone and in the dark. Desperately waiting for someone to come in and turn on the lights. She stopped pacing, staring at her car keys on top of her desk. She glanced around her room one last time before looking at her keys again.

“Screw it, I’m going” She mumbled before taking her car keys

After driving through the city well above the speed limit towards Hyewon’s house. Getting out of the car, she walked up to their doorstep. Hesitating to ring the doorbell, her hand hovers a few centimetres away from the button.

Staring blankly at the closed door, praying Hyewon would open the door and coincidentally bump into her, telling her she was coming out to look for her. She waited outside, but the time never came. And with the sudden gush of wind, so came her courage to close the gap between her finger and the button of the doorbell.

She heard the doorbell’s chime, and soon after the door swung open, revealing Mrs Kang with a smile.

“Eunbi! It’s nice to see you again, is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh, I was wondering if Hyewon was here,” Eunbi answered hesitantly

Eunbi watched as Mrs Kang’s smile fell, and so did her hopes of seeing Hyewon. She could feel her stomach sink, already expecting the answer.

“Sweetie, I’m so sorry Hyewon left for Boston yesterday. Did she not tell you?”

Eunbi put on a smile as she shook her head, trying her best to hide her disappointment, but it seemed her efforts had gone to waste as Mrs Kang could see her body deflating. She closed the door behind her, taking a step out, giving them some privacy.

“Hyewon’s a tough one, she doesn’t let people in easily and she isn’t one to show how she feels either. But I’m sure you know that more than anyone else,” Mrs Kang took a seat on their stairs, patting the space next to her for Eunbi.

“I could never tell what she was thinking,” Eunbi admitted

“Hyewon always prioritised her school and others before herself. She never seems to be satisfied with what she has and always strives for the best. I’m sure she will take over my position in the hospital”

Mrs Kang stared at Eunbi. The younger could see that Hyewon had her mother’s eyes, except unlike her mother’s hers were a lot colder - with most you could tell what they were feeling with just a glance into their eyes, but with Hyewon it was different. It was like a mirror that reflected the look in your eyes instead. 

It was clear in Mrs Kang’s eyes that maybe the love between soulmates was not the purest love in this world. But the one a mother has for their child.

“She never admits it to anyone, but she loves being a doctor, when she comes in and plays for the patients it brightens their day. She may have forced herself to volunteer at all these places, but she had to force herself when she went to the hospital”

“She’s taken me there once”

Eunbi remembers the time she saw Hyewon go between patients to play the guitar for them, the way she looked so content and at peace with herself getting lost in the music she played. She wonders if she played for the patients to take their stress away or to relieve her own - maybe it was a bit of both.

“She seems far, but she’s a lot closer than you think. It may seem like a lot to ask for more time. But I know she works hard to have a career in the medical field, but she works harder to be the perfect soulmate for you”

2 years later

Page 27 “I will look for you in every lifetime until we stay”

Hyewon was at the outside cafeteria of Massachusetts General Hospital, in her last year of residency. She’d been taken under Mrs Andrews care for neonatology, having been assigned under her service by the doctor herself. When Hyewon showed excellent potential when assigned to a case of newborn twins with breathing disorders.

Being under her was no simple job, as the doctor expected the most out of her - not only that, but she was well skilled in the ways of being passive aggressive. To top it off, she got assigned to the attending known for her harsh and merciless personality. They called her sergeant. 

She had many sleepless nights, often getting overlapped into 48 hour shifts with little to no sleep. Getting up early from to do rounds, competing against other interns for the best cases. It was a constant rush and competition to prove yourself. 

“Hey McAlgebra!” One of her intern mates called out to her

Oh, and how could she forget the god-forsaken nickname the group of interns had given her after helping a patient with their upcoming algebra test when they were admitted for a surgery. It was the only way she would be able to get the patient to do the surgery. She wasn’t a bad mathematician herself.

“It was one patient, give me a break” She whined, closing her books as the rest of the group took a seat at their table

They all continued to about spending the next week doing rounds instead of being in the OR scrubbing in. Mrs Andrews wasn’t happy with her and her decision, but she didn’t go back on her word. She helped saved a patient’s life and there wasn’t anything wrong with doing some math problems instead of running around.

But she enjoyed it oddly, the smell of the surgical floor. The urgency running from patient to patient. The different unique cases they would get, scrubbing into a surgery. There was an adrenaline rush every time she entered the room and took part in an operation.

Suddenly all their pagers went off one by one, each one looking down at their pagers as they were all called into the pit. Suddenly getting a surge from a nearby car accident on the freeway. It was true that they never got much time to themselves, their life rotated around their patients. They didn’t own their time.

But seeing the look on her intern mates faces and the code flashing on her pager, she was excited. She couldn’t wait to get back to Seoul and work under her mom, who specialised in the same field - but there was a hidden meaning to the field choice. The bracelet on her left wrist reminded her of that reason.

3 years later

Page 32 “I think sometimes we fall in love like dandelions grow” was highlighted in the sa