After three years of studying abroad, Ahn Yeoreum was finally home.

 

The tight-knit neighbourhood she grew up with made an unanimous decision to gather at the Ahn household, where they had the largest courtyard. It was then when Yeoreum came face-to-face with Hwang Hyunjin, the small, shy, mousy boy from the opposite street, who turned up to the neighourhood party with a large bowl of salad in his hands and a bright smile on his face.

 

 

Yeoreum almost didn't recognise him.

 

 

 

No, Yeoreum didn’t recognise him at all.

 

The Hyunjin she remembered was the one she always wondered if he would ever grow taller than her. He was Hyunjin, who, unlike the other neighbourhood kids, had a burning passion for art, just like she did.

 

But that was one thing about him that didn't change.

 

Hyunjin, who had somehow found his way next to her, was now barely a centimeter away from her as she kept an eye on the other neighbourhood kids. He leant in just a bit closer and asked in a quiet voice, if she was still into art, and if she’d be interested in seeing some of the new art exhibitions in town. With him. Just him.

 

 

 

Art exhibitions.

 

The idea seemed so foreign to her, yet it was something she had such a close relationship with. Galleries were once her second home. But ever since she started law school, she barely had time for herself. At one point, Yeoreum did wonder if she should’ve pursued art school instead of her all-time dream school, studying her dream degree. 

 

 

Going to art school seemed more like a passion project than something was sure about committing to in the long term, so she let that go.

 

Did she regret it? She wasn't even sure.

 

 

But even if she did, it was all a bit too late.

 

 

It wasn’t a foreign idea to visit art galleries with Hwang Hyunjin, because she did it before. Before they both graduated from high school, there was a time when a spontaneous art trip happened. Both of their mothers tagged along. To say it was an awkward experience was not at all true. Yeoreum loved art, and Hyunjin adored it. They spent the day fawning over art pieces and talking about their favourite artists. At the end of the trip, she still wasn’t as close to him as some of their other friends. But she started to feel an undeniable bond with him.

 

It wasn’t a bond that seemed obvious to either of them. Everyone knew she was closer to Han Jisung... or even Lee Felix, but it was there.

 

When Yeoreum glanced at the tall, lanky boy standing next to her nervously, and told him she thought going out together was a great idea, she couldn’t help but notice the relief that spread across his face. He was smiling now. She looked away quickly. 

 

Have Hyunjin’s eyes always shined when he smiled?

 

 

 

 

Almost a week later, Yeoreum found herself sitting next to Hyunjin on a bench at the train station, stretching out her legs after a long day of gallery visits. She shivered a little at the coldness that was brought along by nightfall. It had been an amazing day. Spending three whole years out of the country turned Yeoreum into a tourist, but Hyunjin seemed to know all the shortcuts and secret pathways around the arts precinct. Neither of them could drive yet, so it was a whole day of commuting, walking, chasing after the bus, and walking around art pieces. Hyunjin looked like he could keep going for another few hours at least, but Yeoreum felt like her legs were pretty much disassociating. She didn't have the heart to tell him that, though. He looked so happy.

 

 

“Want some music?”

 

Hyunjin held out the other pod of his earphones to her and she took it with a smile. He mirrored her smile and for a moment, all she could see was him. His wavy hair couldn't sit still behind his ears. The wind ruffled his stray strands all over the place. He was watching her with a gaze that would melt butter. Yeoreum had fallen in love before, and she knew what kind of sentiment was carried with gazes like these.

 

When he looked away, she was terribly lost. She had just spent 10 hours with Hwang Hyunjin, a boy she grew up with but was never that close to. He had taken her a few hours' bus ride out of their neighbourhood, into the edgy arts precinct. She had been pretty much isolated with him for the whole day. An introvert like her would've hated this.

 

Yet, she liked it.

 

 

She liked talking to Hyunjin. She liked the sound of his voice. It wasn't a deep voice, but it wasn't the shrill voice he had when he was little, either. He teased the foreigner accent she carried when they spoke their mother tongue to each other. She liked receiving his playful nudges. When the bus got too crowded, he would hover a hand behind her so other people wouldn't bump into her, but when they were alone, he would gently bump his shoulder against hers.

 

And they'd giggle. Like kids do.

 

 

She learned he was heading off to arts school after Christmas, and she told him a little about law school, about the antics of the ridiculously stressful exam period. He listened, and he listened well, but with a sad look on his face every time she talked about the stress.

 

 

 

 

At one point, he gently tugged on the headphone cord to get her attention.

 

“Hm?”

 

Yeoreum only had to avert her gaze slightly to see the side of his face. His body turned just slightly so he was able to look at her, to study her expressions.

 

“Why law school?”

 

“I like it there. It’s been my dream since childhood.”

 

Hyunjin nods and twiddles with the cords for a while as he found the right words to say.

 

“Is it really?”

 

She looked up at him, and this time, he didn’t look away. Something in him changed when she had been away. He wasn’t a child anymore, and at the back of her mind, she realised that. He was no longer the small boy who always sat at the back of the room in gatherings. He was no longer the quiet boy from across the street.

 

“You like art.” he said softly, his fingers grazing over her knee as he fiddled with the earphone cord. “You like it so much, and you’d have to be a fool not to realise how much you like it.”

 

Yeoreum wrapped her arms around herself as another cold breeze embraced them.

 

 

He really made her think.

 

“You don't only like art, you love it. And… you’ve always been the smartest among us, but sometimes I think you’re almost just as dumb as I am.”

 

“Please! That’s not true at all.” she laughed aloud, rolling her eyes.

 

“Yeah, actually you’re right, Han Jisung is dumber.”

 

She laughed again. This time, it was a genuine, humourous laugh and she looked up to meet his eyes again. He didn't look away this time. The breeze was picking up a bit more, and she reached over to smooth down his ruffled dark locks.

 

 

“Honestly, I’ve been so lost, I don’t even know where to pick myself up again.”

 

 

He was quiet for a moment.

 

The train came, but there was an unspoken agreement not to board it. Hyunjin held her gaze like a million stars as the doors shut for the last train home. It was as if he dared her not to look away. She didn't.

 

 

His music continued to play.

 

 

It was so gentle, she almost didn't feel it. He had slipped his hand into hers.

 

“Do you want to run away with me?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Thank you for reading! There will be a part two.