“Umma!” Sakura hears the faint call of a child from a distance behind her.

“Joonie! Did you listen to appa today?”

Sakura stops in her tracks, briefly gasping. Her eyes are wide open. She whips her head around as she turns, during which the world seemingly falls silent.

It is her, she inwardly says. Her breath stops. There’s no way Sakura would ever forget that voice, and she wouldn’t miss it anywhere.

Sakura watches as the woman before her, with shiny, dark locks falling on her shoulders and a wide smile on a clean, porcelain face that still looks the same even after years of change, picks the little boy up and carries him in her arms. When she laughs, her laughter falls softly on Sakura’s ears like the gentle ringing of bells; Sakura does not hear the harmonised laughter of the man beside the woman.

She releases her breath and takes a hasty step forward.

“Kkura?” 

Sakura freezes at the call of her name, in the voice she has dearly missed.

It takes her a moment to find her voice back. “Eunbi.”

Eunbi gapes, but a smile creeps onto her lips. “Kkura!” she exclaims. She puts the boy in her arms down and hurries forward. “Kkura, it is really you,” she breathes, still in surprise, “it’s been such a long time.”

“Yes, it has,” Sakura pushes the corners of her lips into a smile. Sakura does not yet sense the growing ache in her heart, nor does she realise the difficulty to keep the smile on her face.

“What brings you to Korea again?” Eunbi asks, with a courteous smile plastered on her lips.

Sakura struggles with the conversation. “I work here now,” she answers, with some effort.

“Ah,” Eunbi nods. “Around this area?”

“Yeah,” Sakura nods. By now, her smile has completely faded.

“Really? I live around here,” Eunbi wears a look of disbelief. “What a coincidence, we should catch up over a meal sometime!”

“Yeah,” Sakura briefly smiles, and gives Eunbi a nod despite feeling otherwise.

“Right, this is my husband, and my son,” Eunbi gestures for the two to come over. 

“I see,” Sakura gives the man and the child a quick gaze, “you’re a mother now,” she says with surprise. No one finds the hint of melancholy in her voice.

“Yeah,” Eunbi chuckles shortly, slightly embarrassed. With her son beside her, she looks down and lightly ruffles the boy’s hair.

“You look happy,” Sakura blurts before she realises, but acknowledges the honest words from the bottom of her heart. 

Eunbi lowers her head and purses her lips. “Thank you,” she says when she brings her head up again, on her face a warm gleam that expresses her gratitude. “I hope you’ve been well, Kkura yah,” she says next, with sincerity that overwhelms Sakura.

Sakura smiles, the most genuinely she has tonight. “Thank you,” her voice is soft.

When their eyes meet, they find that their eyes begin to water. Eunbi takes a step forward and wraps her arms around Sakura into an embrace.

Sakura is taken aback, but reciprocates the gesture, as she wills herself to keep the tears in. 

“It is really nice meeting you again, Kkura yah,” Eunbi says again when they step out of the hug. I’ve missed you, she wants to say, but keeps her lips tight.

Sakura nods her head. “It is,” she softly answers.

“See you again soon, Kkura yah,” Eunbi does not realise how her words sound like a plea.

“See you,” Sakura mutters, unable to hold their gaze. 

“Goodbye,” Eunbi brings a hand up, while another hand holds tightly onto the small hand of her child.

“Goodbye.” Sakura waves back.

Maybe not, Sakura says in her heart when they walk away. Sakura’s footsteps are heavy on the slope to the train station. Let’s not see each other again, or at least not so soon, she thinks and drops her head, as the tears find their way down her cheeks. 

a/n: japanese title is as translated!

a short one, i wrote this quickly when the idea came and i might probably still try to edit it because i'm not all too satisfied with this. but i hope this finds you well anyway!