"How do I look?" She asked me. 

"Right then and there I wanted to tell her that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. I wanted to tell her that if I were to die at that very moment, I would curse the heavens with great woe for not letting me live the fullest with her - my Kang Hyewon."



"Silence means there's something wrong..." She muttered to try and impetrate a response from you. 

"Err - sorry! I was a little winded. No, nothing is wrong at all. You look pretty, as always." You replied. 

That blank expression she's always been held iconic for in her days with IZ*ONE pulls through and transforms to a smile. You love it when she smiles, it's like everything was right in the world, and fate brought you to this very moment just see her do this normal human reaction. Loving Hyewon 'head over heels' was never the case, it wasn't as innocent and speared by chemicals, as it was an unnerving experience to be inches close to her. 

"It's been so long since we hung out, right? I'm sorry if it's only now ... You know how busy I've been." She tried to reference her idol life.

"Don't worry about it, Hyewon. I've supported IZ*ONE all the way to the very last shred of its formalities. You and your group never failed to make me laugh when I watch the Eating Trip videos." You confessed. 

She loved hearing the fact that you didn't hold any grudge between our friendship, even if she was never lacking in the first place. She was an idol first, before she met you. It'd be an understatement to say that it wasn't a miracle that you have become one of the few people that Kang Hyewon chose to be her friend. The word friend does not just equate to you and her like a noun, it was a set of letters that held the memories of yours to her, and her to yours. The times Hyewon would call you in the middle of the night because she needed someone to hear her cry, she needed someone to listen to her frustrations. The distance of the flags didn't matter, because it didn't matter to her. It shouldn't matter at all, and if it did, that would be the day she stepped down from her clouds to take you by the hand, and lead you to her heart. 

Hyewon wore her face mask again, and she started walking down the stairs, heading us somewhere to a restaurant she fancied like I did. Like it was just yesterday, my first time around Seoul, and this restaurant held a great deal of fancy. The reviews said in the article that it was like "A piece of Italy in Itaewon.", so I went for dinner. Little did I know that was where I would meet her. 
Skip over from two years then, and the wrath the cleric always spoke of came true, I return with the measurements of the pandemic in my grasps. 

Hyewon continued showing the way until the doorframe so familiar allowed passage for her and you to enter. A lady approached us to accommodate, but still kept her distance like required. She showed us to our table, and when we sat down, You could tell right away that this night was a night of wine - not champagne. It didn't take long until you and Hyewon ordered the main course meals. Hyewon kept it simple, Arrabiata Pasta for yourself, and she wanted to try an Authentic Italian Carbonara Pasta. It was a daring choice for her, since actual Italian Carbonara is bold, saltier than taste at this side of the world, and Guanciale is quite an adventurous piece in the dish. A Margherita Pizza wouldn't hurt for two, and a fine bottle of vino rosso. 

The evening boiled down to just both of you enjoying the conversation over small nibbles, and more on glass refills. Don't get it wrong, the food is good, but how will you reply to Hyewon if your mouth was full? It tests the patience and mood of a person to try and be kind, but for Hyewon, it came naturally. 

"Err - allow me, Hyewon." You said as you refilled Hyewon's wine glass. 

"고마워 ~" She replied. 

"In hindsight, we should've payed more attention to our meal first before draining the bottle to half. I'm feeling a little tipsy." You admitted. 

"건배!" Hyewon said when she lifted her glass up. 

"Cheers, Hyewon. What are we drinking to for tonight?" 

"To friendship?" Hyewon cluelessly replies. 

"All right then, to friendship." You agreed upon then you took a sip of your wine. 

Hyewon can't hide the fact she succumbs vehemently to the bitter taste of the spirit. That cute little facial expression she does when she takes a sip never gets old, it always warms your heart that she's trying. 

"But seriously, Hyewon. I can see through your eyes that something is bothering you. If you prefer not to talk about it-" Hyewon then cuts you off. 

"My boyfriend just broke up with me ... and I'm dangerously in need of a friend right now. So either you shut up, or you could just leave because I have no time for your comforting bore." Hyewon said. 

The suddenness of it didn't surprise you, nor the fact she was just like any other human being, drowning her sorrows with alcohol - but most conducively, with a friend. What surprised you was that she confided in you. You always thought you and Hyewon were close, but not that close to the point she was willing to give a piece of herself because she loved the fact she can. With the piece of information just shared with you, you nodded your head and called the attention of the server to order another bottle of red wine. 

-

The time was now 10:35 PM, three hours after the time you and Hyewon step foot inside the restaurant, and it was closing time. Time to open that door, and let yourselves out into the world. It was a conventional feeling to see the restaurant manager wave you and Hyewon goodnight as you both walk away on the pavement. A funnier sight of it is that you and Hyewon are holding each other's hands so tightly to serve the other's balance. Hyewon could hold her liquor, but after the second bottle, it was a fair game between you two; you'd love to say it was the mutual level of intoxication with the two of you. Sometimes it's proven on the way to your hotel, but most of the time it isn't - when either you or Hyewon would stumble to the ground, or sway off on a nearby bush. 

Your hotel wasn't far from the district the restaurant was, but due to being sozzled, it took thirty minutes of walking, including the momentary stops and slight motions of vomiting. Now, you and Hyewon are in front of the hotel entrance, but before going inside Hyewon restrains you from walking up any further along with her. 

"잠깐만 ... Someone might take a picture, they'll see me going in a hotel with you..." 

You understood the concerns of Hyewon, apart from the fact that she is a known figure in the industry, she is a woman - and her dignity is important as well. You and Hyewon had no intentions of being viral on the online news outlets tomorrow morning, so you hatched up a plan that maximizes the antics of your tendencies. 
A few minutes of conducting the plan with Hyewon, and it was time to put it into action. You hoped she would understand the scheme through her drunkenness, above everything else like language barriers and etc. 

You walked in the entrance, waved the concierge and front desk hello. You went up to them to ask a few questions about the inclusions of your stay, and the room services you can avail during your stay. The plan may seem that you're just distracting the front desk, but that wouldn't be enough since you had to distract all eyes that were currently in the lobby - so now that you have the hotel staff's attention, it was time to move forward with the act. 

Whilst conversing with the front desk, you intentionally flopped to the ground like you've fainted. This prompted the front desk to call attention for help from the others. Seconds later at least six people have gathered for your aide, and you've continued performing like your life depended on it. Taking a small peek at the situation, you saw the small amount of hotel guests at the lobby firing their lazer-sharp focus on you. Some were already readying to contact EMS, but that wouldn't be necessary, since you saw Hyewon sneaking off at the background to the lifts. It dragged on for another minute or two, but once you heard the elevator doors open and give off that iconic bell sound, you opened your eyes completely and got up speedily. You assured the staff that you are fine, and because of this little episode, they offered you free tea - since they said it was quite evident you reeked of wine. 

You happily accepted the tea and thanked the staff that tended to your apparent need. You walked up to the lift and waited for its arrival to head to the floor of your chamber. Elevator arrived, you got on, and pressed the 21st floor whilst sipping the cup of tea with the other hand. Upon exiting the lift, you see Hyewon waiting for you in the anteroom/waiting area. 

"You are definitely crazy." Hyewon says with amazement and pride in her tone. 

"Nah, that was nothing. Just had to make sure all eyes were on me." You quipped. 

Hyewon bursted out chuckling, and one smart IZ*ONE reference later, you two just strolled it off to your chamber. 
You got your keycard out, and with one swipe, the door unlocked. Hyewon seemed elated, and this made you feel good about yourself, because you're fulfilling what she wanted from the beginning of the evening, and that was to have fun and forget about her troubles. 
Hyewon showed herself in and she just flopped her body to the bed, whilst you headed to the bathroom to wash your face. Undeniably still disoriented from being drunk, your senses were ameliorated due to the face wash, and when you got out the bathroom, you saw Hyewon fast asleep. 

Hyewon didn't even bother to take off her face mask, so you did it for her, and threw it in the trashcan. The bed was really comfortable, and you guessed that Hyewon was really lethargic way before, and she was just fighting the urge to fall asleep. You turned down the AC a bit so Hyewon won't be too cold and it would disturb her sleep to gather the blanket around her, and you went to the chair beside the bed to recline and sleep. 

-

Morning has broken all over Seoul, and you woke up with the light between the window curtains peircing through your consciousness. You looked over the bed to check Hyewon's well being, and she seemed to be relaxed, unarguably in good slumber. You stood up from the chair and slowly felt the lingering and climbing degree of a foreseen headache coming your way. The hangover was bad and excruciating, so you fumbled to your suitcase and brought out a tablet of Paracetamol. Accompanying this consumption with a hefty drink of water, and it will only be a matter of time until the pain goes away. With the occurrence of your hangover, it got you thinking that surely Hyewon will have a hangover herself too once she wakes up - so you phoned room service to order some breakfast for the two of you. 

45 minutes passed making it 9:16 AM on the clock when room service finally knocked on the door to deliver the meals. You let them in and you made sure to make everything extra quiet so it won't disrupt Hyewon's sleep. Room service was keen on seeing your purpose through, and noticing their efforts made you tip them generously. Another 15 minutes passed and then Hyewon woke up all by herself. She looked very fazed and distorted, but it was clear that she knew food was present in the room, so she tried her best to get up. 

"Good Morning. How's your head?" You introed

"Hurts a little." She replied.

"Yeah, I was expecting that. Here, have some Orange juice, it will cure the hangover fast." You explained and handed over a cold glass of OJ.

Hyewon received it and drank without hesitation. You prepared your breakfast and Hyewon's by unveiling them from their covers. You brought out the small table from the corner of the room, and placed it in front of Hyewon. You served her breakfast to her, and she looked quite astounded by your efforts. 

"Bon appétit. Hope you enjoy." You said as you served her meal. 

You brought your meal over to the desk a few feet away from the bed and started munching your meal as well. 

-

11:05 AM marked all across the clocks in the room from various electronics, from the TV, to your phone, to the digital alarm clock detrimentally placed inside the closet. Hyewon was inside the shower, she was rinsing off the dirt of yesterday, and she was looking forward to spend more of the day with you. She didn't bring any change of clothes though so she had the wonderful idea of borrowing your shirt and jeans. You happily obliged, but the more you did, the more it got peculiar and spacious from reality. 
Hyewon stepped out of the shower looking refreshed and ready to tackle a new day of impulsiveness with her friend. 



"So, where do you plan to drag me today?" You asked Hyewon.

"Come on, you make it sound like I'm taking you out against your will!" Hyewon complains. 

"Pfftt. I'm just joking, Hyewon. You know I'll glady let you take my hand and drag me wherever you wanna go." You reassured. 

"In that case, I'm taking you to a park." Hyewon revealed. 

"A park? Is this park like a historical park of sorts?" You asked. 

"No, it's just a small park near Banpo Bridge, overlooking Han River." Hyewon answered. 

"Oh! That sounds lovely, we could take a few photographs." You responded. 

And what went on as discussed, you and Hyewon took a bus from the nearby stop from the hotel to the park she was talking about. You had your overcoat on, and Hyewon wore the same overcoat she did last night. The trip took 30-40 minutes, and when you both got there, you both agreed it was time for lunch. Rather than stopping at any eateries along the way, Hyewon had a wonderful idea to introduce to you the wonders of the Korean Delivery System. 

Arrived at the park, you and Hyewon found a shady spot where the trees intertwine their influence, and Hyewon worked her magic wand. 

"How does chicken sound?" She verrified.

"Sounds amazing. Anything to eat would be great at this point in time. Is there a nearby chicken place here?" 

"No! We're gonna get it delivered to us!" Hyewon enthusiastically answered. 

"Wait, what? You can get chicken delivered anywhere at any time of the day here?" You confirmed in astonishment.

"Not only that, you can get anything delivered anywhere at any time of the day." Hyewon corrected. 

"That's bloody marvelous. Sure, let's have some chicken then!" 

Hyewon started ordering your lunch, and it only took around 20-30 minutes before it arrived. You and Hyewon splitted the bill and paid equally the share. Now that was over, it was time to have some chicken wings and a cold soda under a shady tree, during a wintry and gusty afternoon. 
You and Hyewon enjoyed the wonderul array of flavours selected upon by her, ranging from the spicy tip, to the lovely 'cheese snow' phenomenon. It was basically a burst of ineffible awe from your part, and you can see Hyewon never gets tired or used to eating such viand. Whilst eating side by side, Hyewon rested her head on your left shoulder. She looked satisfied, joyful, and content with this kind of connection with you, and little by little you saw how much it meant to her. 

"There I realised the art of moving on wasn't limited to just finding someone to replace the love you gave to someone. It wasn't just replacing someone in your heart, but it was something that would make you overflow your cup until it runs over to the very handle of it [the cup]. It can be anything, from a family member, to a pet, to an instrument you're fond of playing, to a friend. I was that friend for Hyewon, the one she knew that could make her happy, the one that she needed to seek the remedy. It's something platonic, yet something romantic at the back of the minds of those involved." 

You rested your head on Hyewon's which was currently lying on your shoulder. You grabbed a piece of tissue paper and wiped off the stains from your hands, then rested both your hands on your lap. Hyewon did the same and steered the conversation to what she pleased. 

"Thank you for last night and today ... Thank you for being my friend." Hyewon muttered. 

"You know I'll always be there when you need me. I got nothing better to do, to be honest." You chuckled. 

Hyewon laughed along and disconnected her head from your shoulder to grab something from her bag. A few seconds of searching comes to an end when she brought a selca of her and her ex. She stood up from her spot and walked towards the railing of the riverside. She tore up the polaroid and threw the pieces to the water, and returned back to your side to resume lying her head on your shoulder. 

"You know, Hyewon - what you did was littering." You sniggered. 

Hyewon slapped your arm and grinned ear to ear from the happiness she felt by your side.