Moving Out

11:11

Looking at the cardboard boxes stacked near the entrance to the door, Seungwan couldn't help but feel a little wistful and apprehensive. Glancing around to make sure her best friend didn't leave anything behind in their shared home of the past two years, she rested her eyes on a photo frame of the pair left standing on the cabinet in the hallway leading to their door. The picture depicted Seulgi with frosting across her nose, Seungwan with a matching dollop of cream on her finger and painted across her cheek, both grinning ear to ear. Recalling the memory brought a soft smile to Seungwan's face, unwrinkling her furrowed brow as she recounted how Seulgi always relented to take pictures of people, but would never hesitate to take a shot of the two of them. 

"It's not like I'm dying, you know," Seulgi teased pointedly, breaking Seungwan out of her thoughts, "Now, are you going to help me find where I left my camera or not? It's not like it's the most essential to my career, which also happens to be the whole reason I'm moving out." 

"Maybe we shouldn't find it," Seungwan retorted, "That way, you wouldn't have to leave."

"Oh, Wannie," Seulgi sighed, her mischievous smirk giving way to a more gentle smile. "I tried reminding you that I'm not dying. My new place is only twenty minutes away! We could both take a ten minute drive and just meet in the middle whenever we want!"

Seeing Seungwan's frown relax, Seulgi went back to rummaging through the mess on the couch. "I really should stop letting you toss your things everywhere Seungwan. It seems like my camera always gets swept up in the wind of your antics."

"Well, it's not like you have to worry about that anymore," Seungwan posed, much more lightheartedly.

Tossing aside a sweater that Seungwan hadn't washed in days, Seulgi's lips pursed slightly. "Honestly, I'm much more worried about what's going to happen with you than I am with myself. Firstly, you're going to need to find a new roommate ASAP, and secondly, you're going to need to figure out how to pay my half of the rent in the case you don't find one fast enough. I've already given the landlord my half for this month, so at least that's one thing less for you to worry about."

"At this point, I think I might just grab some random person off the street and force them to live with me," Seungwan joked. 

"We can't have that! No stranger could take care of you like I could, and you know that!"

"That'll be their problem then," Seungwan smiled, before frowning again, "Meanwhile, I have to deal with the rest of this mess, literally and figuratively! My managers have been calling me wondering when I'm going to start writing more songs. I can't help that I'm in this huge rut and no amount of late nights spent with my guitar and a notepad can help me climb out of this hole!"

Gesturing towards their surroundings, and pointing more viciously in the direction of the singular striped sock on the TV stand, Seulgi huffed, "If there's any mess that you can start on, it's our living room."

"My living room."

Flinging a scarf in Seungwan's direction, "Yes, your living room, you big baby — Aha! Found it!" Seulgi exclaimed, pulling out her prized camera from underneath the blue t-shirt that has been missing from Seungwan's closet since last week. Cradling it within her hands as if it were her newborn child, Seulgi looks at the camera with all of the amazement she had when she first bought it.

"If you insist on only ever using that one camera, why do you misplace it so much?"

Offended, Seulgi pulled an incredulous look before launching into the same tirade Seungwan had heard so many times before, practically able recite the whole description of Seulgi's beloved camera after the sheer number of times she's gushed over its optics.

"It's the Canon AE-1 model with 35 mm film! It automatically values the light and the selected shutter speed and..." Seulgi rambled, before slowly coming to a stop upon watching Seungwan confidently finish the statement for her, "...actuates the aperture to the correct f-stop on shutter release! I've heard this a thousand times, Seulbear."

"If you heard it so much, you'd know that it is a dream to work with, and I wouldn't trade it for a million bucks!"

"Even if I had a lethal disease and you needed a million bucks to save my life?"

Seulgi hesitated, looking back and forth between the camera and Seungwan. She shouted in shock, "What are you... how could you! Why would you hesitate when the answer is so obvious?"

Seulgi's pout was enough of a response.

"I should just kick you out of this apartment right now."

"Not before I leave first!" Seulgi grinned back at the exasperated Seungwan. "Anyway, that was everything I had left. Help me carry the boxes to the car?"

As Seungwan started stacking boxes full of clothes and an assortment of odd vintage trinkets in her arms, she quipped, "I'll make sure to drop every single one of them, Seul."

"Good thing I'm carrying my own camera then! Can't let you hurt Wendy," Seulgi replied, caressing the camera straps jokingly.

"I can't believe you named your stupid camera after me."

"Two of the most precious things in the world to me!"

Seungwan rolled her eyes as she walked down the steps, "So much so that you can't even choose between the two of us if I were dying."


After shoving the boxes haphazardly in the trunk of Seulgi's old Kia Sorento, and what she called, "An oldie, but a goodie" (which Seungwan had never heard in reference to cars before) Seungwan leaned on the side as Seulgi clicked the door shut.

"I guess our whole affair," Seungwan gesticulated vaguely, "ended as quickly as it began."

Seulgi chuckled, "You're talking about it as if we were a summer fling! I really don't think that would be able to define the two years we've spent in this apartment together, not to mention the ten years before that when we met in middle school!"

"Could've stuck around for a couple more," Seungwan said dejectedly.

"You know I would've if I could, Wannie." She reached to brush Seungwan's bangs out of her eyes, before deciding instead to just ruffle her hair.

"Hey!" Seungwan swatted at her newly ex-roommate's hands.

"As much as I would like to, I can't stay here forever. I've got to start moving forward in my career, finding new places, new things to shoot."

The musician smirked, "Even when you have a perfectly good model right here?" 

Seulgi walked to the driver's side, peering over the top of the car to reply, "You know you're not my type Seungwannie, and definitely not the type for my camera either!" She paused, before taking on a more serious tone, "You know how I don't like to photograph people."

She got in, closing the door and rolling down the windows as the Seulgi patented megawatt smile returned to her face.

"Got something to say before I leave your life forever Son Seungwan?"

"I'm going to miss you."

Seulgi moved the stick into drive, "Don't, I'll only ever be a call away!" Pressing down on the gas, her old car rumbled to a start. "But I'll miss you more," she says, smiling before driving away.

Seungwan watched as the car that has seen far too many hangovers and spontaneous midnight road trips rolled down the city street, before turning right and out of view. "Ah, that Kang Seulgi, always getting the last word."

Stumbling sadly up the steps back to their — wait, her — apartment, Seungwan stopped at the top of the stairs to gaze across the skyline. It was sunset now, with orange and pink hues staining the sky, reflecting off skyscraper windows and casting the world in a golden glow. Thinking that Seulgi would've loved to take a final picture of this view, she smiled as she turned to enter their... no, her apartment.

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bluesandpaper
I have kind of a long message for announcements concerning this story, but these author's thoughts are awfully restrictive in length. Please check out the comment section instead! I'll post the announcements there : )

Comments

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seal14 #1
Chapter 15: i'm on my knees author 🥲
f8nt_echo
#2
Chapter 15: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/1467026/15'>Meeting Her Again</a></span>
I caught up reading to the last chapter. One way of extending their time is through dreams. Genius. This story is so beautiful. I will wait patiently for you authornim. Take your time.
f8nt_echo
#3
Chapter 12: Dang. Tears are just flowing over here 😭
f8nt_echo
#4
Chapter 11: So beautiful 😭🫂💙❤️
f8nt_echo
#5
Chapter 10: You exist 😭🙌💙❤️
f8nt_echo
#6
Chapter 6: WenSeul are dorks 😆. Them falling in love, adorable dorks 😁
f8nt_echo
#7
Chapter 3: I'm still at chapter 3 and I am truly invested in this story. It makes my heart full that I get to read something this good recently.
Marina_Leffy
1627 streak #8
Chapter 15: I miss this ❤️💙
36radios
#9
Chapter 15: I wonder if seungwan is going to experience a month in a dream. Man, if wenrene can fall in love all over again in her dreams, that'd be so cool
M_jeeh08
#10
Your back author-nim