“Let’s run away, together.”

 

We'll do it all…

 

“W-what?”

 

Everything…

 

“I’m sick of living with these chains pulling me down. Come on Wonyoung-ah… Let’s leave.”

 

On our own…

 

“How? We’re only in high school, what can we do?”

 

We don't need… 

 

“Exactly, we’re teenagers, we can do anything if we stay together, and if we put our mind to it.”

 

Anything…

 

 

“Yujin-unnie…”

 

“I know how much you’re hurting here Wonnie, so let’s run and never come back.”

 

Or anyone…

 

A tall puppy pleaded towards a taller bunny, both in high school, both with families who don’t support their future dreams… 

 

Both… 

 

Who had enough of this pain.

 

“... When?”

 

Yujin grinned, “tomorrow at nine AM, go to the park we always go to, I’ll be waiting by the swings.”

 

“N-nine? But we have school…”

 

“And? If we’re running away, we don’t have to worry about that.”

 

Wonyoung hesitated, only to nod at the older girl, “what do I need to bring?”

 

“A bag filled with clothes, food, money, all of that… And also a sleeping bag.”

 

“Okay… I’ll come with you.”

 

The puppy smiled, giving the bunny a tight hug, "see you tomorrow, love you~”

 

“Love you too unnie.”

 

Wonyoung watched as her crush ran back to her house across the street, the older girl waving one last time before heading inside.

 

….

 

7:20 AM… 

 

“Don’t be late to school.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

Wonyoung waited thirty minutes after her parents left for work to start packing. She threw on a hoodie over her t-shirt, shoving multiple pairs of clothes into her school backpack alongside all the money she saved in her piggy bank, tossing in a few snacks as well. She took out the rolled-up sleeping bag that was hidden in the corner of her closet, walking out with all her things only to stop in the kitchen.

 

The bunny glanced at her school water bottle, thinking to herself, “we’ll need water…”

 

She grabbed her water bottle, filling it to the brim with water before sliding it into her backpack.

 

8:55 AM… 

 

“Shoot-”

 

Wonyoung quickly made sure she had all her things, running out the door and into the sunny morning.

 

“Come on come on… Run faster.”

 

The girl will her legs to hurry up, she really should have been more active during school.

 

It was ten minutes past nine when she arrived at the park, the bunny panting for breath as she spotted a certain puppy sitting idly on a swing, her stuff next to her.

 

“Jinnie!”

 

Yujin turned around, giving Wonyoung a relieved grin as she stood up, grabbing her things and walking over.

 

“I thought you wouldn’t come…”

 

“Of course I’d come, I wouldn’t leave my best friend however dumb this sounds.”

 

The puppy showed her eye-smile, holding the bunny’s free hand, “let’s go.”

 

“Where exactly?”

 

Yujin shrugged, “far away from here.”

 

Wonyoung in her right mind knew this was a terrible idea, running away with barely any money, at sixteen and seventeen years old, with no destination in mind… 

 

But she always followed her heart, since that’s how she fell in love with Yujin in the first place… 

 

….

 

“Let’s stop here for the night.”

 

“Here??? Won’t we get in trouble? Then our plan will be ruined!”

 

“Don’t worry so much Wonyo, no one’s going to come here.”

 

The two set down their things at the trunk of a lone tree, unrolling their sleeping bags before smoothening them out on the grassy floor.

 

If I lay here…

 

Yujin pointed to the inky sky, the bunny barely able to see her arm in the darkness, “look up Wonyoung.”

 

If I just lay here…

 

“Woah…”

 

“Pretty right?”

 

Wonyoung stared in awe at the star-filled sky, “you know… I’ve never done this before, sleeping under the stars that is.”

 

Yujin chuckled, “there’s probably a lot of things you haven’t done before from now on.”

 

The puppy brought her sleeping bag closer to the bunny’s, crossing her arms behind her head as she laid back down.

 

“You know which star’s my favorite?”

 

“They all look the same unnie.”

 

“No not at all of them…”

 

Yujin turned to her side, tapping Wonyoung’s nose with her index finger, “you’re my favorite star, the prettiest too.”

 

Wonyoung flustered up, thankful for the darkness that covered her face, “pshh, stop flirting unnie.”

 

Yujin laughed, a little weaker than normal, “I’ll always protect you, Wonyoung-ah.”

 

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

 

….

…

…

 

I don't quite know…

 

“Wonyoung?”

 

“Yes unnie?”

 

How to say… 

 

The duo were in a new place now, able to use some of their money to get a ride to the outskirts of their city, landing them on the beach.

 

Wonyoung glanced over from staring at the sunset, tilting her head, “what’s wrong Yudaeng?”

 

How I feel…

 

‘I love you."

“I… nothing.”

 

Those three words…

 

“Huh???”

 

Are said too much…

 

“Stay here okay? I’m going to get some food.”

 

“We can just eat the food we have here, we still have a bit left.”

 

Yujin shook her head, brushing the sand off her pants as she stood up, “I saw a pretty cheap place nearby. Call me if anything happens okay?”

 

They're not enough… 

 

Wonyoung nodded, taking out her phone as she leaned against a boulder. The puppy grabbed a few bills, leaving the bottom of the pier and trudging along the sand to the nearby market. Yujin shivered as the cold market air hit her, pulling her jacket closer as she looked around.

 

“Will a card along with dinner do?”

 

“That will be twelve dollars and seventy-five cents.”

 

Yujin took out the crumpled bills from her pocket, paying and grabbing the items before thanking the cashier. She noticed that the lady was staring at her weirdly, so she swiftly left before the woman could ask why some kid looked as if they didn’t shower for a week.

 

She set the stuff down at a table, "I have to write this before going back…"

 

Yujin uncapped the pen she bought alongside the simple card, scribbling down her whole heart and soul into the paper as the sun slowly set. By the time the lights came on, she was finished with her name signed at the bottom of the card. The girl gathered her things, walking back towards where Wonyoung would be waiting at the underside of the beach’s pier.

 

No one would find them there… It was covered with large boulders, enough to hide two girls running away from home.

 

“Wonyoung?”

 

The said bunny lifted her head up from her knees, “unnie!”

 

Yujin gasped as Wonyoung ran and wrapped her arms around her neck, “W-Wony-”

 

“What took you so long? I was getting worried…”

 

The bunny’s voice trembled, making the puppy sigh, “sorry Wonyoung-ah, took a lot longer than expected. But! I got us dinner.”

 

The two sat down, dimming their phone flashlights to be just enough to see what they were doing.

 

“Waa, thank you unnie~”

 

Yujin smiled, watching as the bunny ate, “anything for you…”

 

“Why aren’t you eating though?”

 

“Oh I will, I just want you to eat first.”

 

Wonyoung pouted, scooting over next to the puppy to bring a piece of chicken to , “eat you dumb dog.”

 

The two quickly finished the box of chicken, silence enveloping them as Yujin mustered up the courage to hand her the card she made.

 

“Wonyo?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

If I lay here…

 

Yujin pushed the card into Wonyoung’s hands, “h-here… I made this for you.”

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Just read it okay? And don’t say anything until you read it all.”

 

The bunny raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly to herself, “okay~”

 

If I just lay here…

 

“Yujin-unnie…”

 

“Y-yes?”

 

The older girl was playing with her hands in nervousness, glancing up to see Wonyoung with a smile as she continued to stare at the card. The younger girl looked up, startling Yujin by leaning over to embrace the puppy.

 

“I love you too… I have been for the longest time but I was scared of breaking our friendship.”

 

Yujin smiled, leaning against a rock as she hugged Wonyoung back.

 

“I’m happy knowing my bunny loves me back…”

 

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

 

….

 

61 missed calls from ‘mom’.

48 missed calls from ‘dad’.

16 missed calls from ‘Bunny’s mom’.

5 missed calls from ‘Bunny’s dad’.

 

Voicemail from ‘dad’ 6 days ago: Yujin where are you? The parents of that friend of yours said you weren’t with them as well.

Voicemail from ‘mom’ 4 days ago: Ahn Yujin you better come home this instant, and bring that girl with you as well, her parents are looking for her.

Voicemail from ‘mom’ 2 days ago: I can’t believe you turned off your phone tracker. If you want to leave so badly, then don’t come back you ungrateful child.

 

Forget what we're told…

 

“Yujin-unnie…”

 

“Hm? Yeah Wonnie?”

 

Before we get too old…

 

The bunny grabbed Yujin’s phone from out of her hand, putting it aside before pulling the puppy up to her feet.

 

“Stop listening to them…”

 

“Have you gotten anything from them Wonyoung?”

 

“... I deleted all the voicemails I got, I really don’t want to hear what they have to say. Come on.”

 

 “Huh? Where?”

 

“Just follow me unnie.”

 

The two girls walked hand-in-hand away from the area they’d camp out in for the night, heading into an alley nearby.

 

“Wonyoung, where are we going?”

 

“Close your eyes, we’re almost there.”

 

“Wh-”

 

“You trust me right?”

 

“O-of course I do.”

 

The older girl sighed, covering her eyes with one of her hands as she blindly let Wonyoung lead her.

 

“We’re here.”

 

Yujin took a peek through her fingers, her eyes widening in awe as Wonyoung chuckled.

 

Show me a garden that's bursting into life… 

 

“When I was getting food for us today I came across this. I thought you’d like it since you like flowers so much.”

 

The girls were in an open area at the end of the alley they went through, the small space containing multiple rectangular pots filled with colorful flora. 

 

Lilies… Dandelions… Bellflowers… 

 

Those were only a few of the overwhelming amount of flowers in this small garden.

 

“Wow…”

 

Yujin walked over to a certain plant, crouching down to see that it had broken off from the rest in its group. She gently held the broken stem, walking back over to the bunny who could be seen staring in adoration for the older girl.

 

“Wonnie.”

 

“Yes unnie?”

 

Wonyoung’s breath caught in as Yujin brushed away a few strands of her hair behind her ear, the puppy smiling softly as she placed the flower in her hair.

 

“Daffodils… They symbolize new beginnings. Let this be a new beginning okay? Us running away was the end of that book, this is the start of another.”

“Dah, my Yudaeng’s so~ romantic.”

Yujin chuckled, intertwining their hands together, “let’s go back?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

 

….

…

…

…

 

“Wonyoung-ahhhhh.”

 

Let's waste time…

 

“Yeah unnie?”

 

“Hug me, I'm cold.”

 

Wonyoung sighed, “you should have brought a thicker jacket. Come here, this sleeping bag should be good for us both.”

 

The puppy grinned, slipping inside Wonyoung’s sleeping bag alongside the bunny, snuggling up close to her warm figure. The younger girl softly caressed the older’s hair, smiling subconsciously from Yujin’s presence… 

 

Chasing cars… 

 

“Goodnight Wonnie~”

 

“Goodnight Jinnie…”

 

Around our heads… 

 

….

…

…

…

 

“Unnie?”

 

Wonyoung glanced over to her puppy after realizing the girl hadn't answered or talked at all throughout their one-sided conversation. They decided to crash at a cheap motel tonight, Yujin sitting on the single bed while idly staring out into space.

 

“Yah unnie, are you okay?”

 

It was dark… The two got used to the dark after sleeping outside for the past two… almost three weeks, so they didn’t bother turning on the lights as the sun set.

 

“Wonyoung…”

 

The tone of Yujin’s voice worried the bunny, and she quickly stood up from her chair, walking over to see that the puppy had tears in her eyes.

 

“U-unnie what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

 

Yujin shook her head slowly, refusing to look up at Wonyoung as her voice shook.

 

“I can’t do this anymore…”

“W-what?”

 

I need your grace…

 

“This is too hard… I shouldn’t have run away with you, I shouldn’t have brought you this much trouble in the first blace… I’m sorry Wonyoung-ah…”

 

“Unnie there’s no reason for you to be-”

 

“I give up…”

 

Wonyoung stayed silent after Yujin cut her off, the puppy holding her head in her hands as her weeping became audible.

 

“I’m an idiot… I never think before I act. Wonyoung would be so safe if she was back at home… God, what was I thinking?”

 

Seeing that the girl had a lot on her mind, the bunny called out her name, “Yujin-unnie…”

 

“And now we can’t even go back home, we’re too far gone…”

 

“Ahn Yujin, look at me.”

 

Wonyoung grabbed Yujin’s chin, lifting her head up to look into her eyes.

 

To remind me… 

 

“Are you really going to back out now? After all we’ve been through these past three weeks???”

 

“...”

 

“Who are you? Yujin’s the kind of girl that will never give up on anything, she’s the girl that always tries until the end… So what did you do to her?”

 

“Wony-”

 

“T-this isn’t the Yujin I know.”

 

The sight of the Wonyoung beginning to break because of her tore at the puppy’s heart, and she grabbed the bunny’s arms, pulling her close into a warm embrace.

 

“S-stay strong Yujin-unnie, p-please… For yourself… For me.”

 

“I’m so sorry Wonyoung… ”

 

Yujin tightened her hug, rubbing the head that lay on her chest, the two girls’ sobbing the only noise that could be heard… 

 

Wonyoung’s words bounced in Yujin’s head, “She’s right… I need to stay strong. She’s been for this long, so why should I stop?”

 

To find my own…

 

“Everything will be alright…”

 

If I lay here…

 

“I promise you, Wonyoung, I’ll stay strong for you, for me, for us.”

 

If I just lay here…

 

The two changed positions on the bed, lying comfortably side by side as they looked into each other’s tired eyes.

 

“And I will never break that promise.”

 

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

 

Yujin brushed away Wonyoung’s tears, slowly combing her fingers through the girl’s raven-colored hair.

 

Forget what we're told…

 

Wonyoung tried to smile, “good. I promise to do the same.”

 

Before we get too old… 

 

Yujin laughed, the younger girl giggling along, her melodic voice music to the puppy’s ears.

 

“Yakseok?”       (Promise?)

 

Wonyoung intertwined her pinky with Yujin’s, touching their thumbs together to seal the promise, “yakseok.”

 

Show me a garden that's bursting into life… 

 

…

…

 

My name is Jang Wonyoung, I ran away from home with this dumb dog next to me at age sixteen. 

 

All that I am…

 

I fell for that adorable puppy when we were both in middle school, and the flower in my heart grew ever since. It was a force that I knew couldn’t, and shouldn’t be stopped, whatever my parents said.

 

All that I ever was…

 

Her deep brown eyes seemed like it’d last forever, and I secretly promised myself after our physical ‘yakseok’ to always try to keep the lights in Yujin’s eyes… I couldn’t bear it if she gazed at me with such empty, sullen orbs again.

 

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see…

 

…

…

 

My name is Ahn Yujin, and I had enough of all the pain and neglect I got from home. I had enough of seeing Wonyoung in a constant state of desperation and fear.

 

I don't know where… 

 

So I took off, running away to who knows where with my crush, now girlfriend, at age seventeen.

 

I… honestly don’t know how we made it this far… 

 

Confused about how as well… 

 

But whatever the case, whatever happens, I will always protect Wonyoung. That’s a promise I made when I met her all those years ago, and that’s a promise I plan on keeping until my last breath.

 

Just know that these things will never change for us at all… 

 

…. 

…

… 

 

10 years later… 

 

“Yah!”

 

An all grown up puppy groaned, mumbling under her breath with her eyes still closed, “don’t yah me… I’m older than you.”

 

“You dumb dog, get up or we’ll be late.”

 

Yujin blindly reached for the body she knew was sitting next to her, hearing a yelp as the puppy found an arm and pulled the person down. 

 

“Five minutes.”

 

The girl huffed, “fine, but Eunbi-unnie’s going to be pissed if we’re late again.”

 

The puppy laughed, “just give her your puppy eyes Wonyoung, she’ll forgive us then.”

 

Eunbi… A kind woman the two stumbled across three months after their initial “running away” day… Who knows what could’ve happened if she didn’t stop to give them food, seeing two kids huddling close together in an alley with ice-cold hands trying to warm each other up. The older woman came again after seeing that Yujin and Wonyoung were technically homeless, giving them portions of what she had left in her bakery that night, then the next, then the next… Next thing the teenagers knew, she gave them a roof over their heads. The only thing the two girls had to do was help her out during work hours, and study when they went back to her home. She never d for answers on who they were, why they were alone… But she always listened whenever an ear was needed.

 

“Y-yah unnie! W-wh-”

 

Yujin hugged the flustered girl tighter so she couldn’t escape, “stay here with me for those five minutes, I’m cold.”

 

“Then wear the blanket.”

 

“Ahhh Wonnieeeeee.”

 

Yujin finally opened her eyes, pouting at the bunny who flinched from the sudden gesture.

 

“Wh- I- you- hnnnnng.”

 

Wonyoung grumbled incoherently as she returned the hug, “fine, but I’m setting an alarm for five minutes.”

 

This…

 

This was all Yujin wanted for her whole life…

 

To be with Wonyoung in peace, knowing nothing and no one would harm them… 

 

This was her dream…

 

This was also Wonyoung’s dream…

 

To love each other without consequences… 

 

If I lay here… 

 

If I just lay here… 

 

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

 

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Hello~ Thank you for reading this Annyeongz fluff one-shot! Kudos to a friend of mine that helped me think of a title 🤡 

Thinking about friends... 

There's an author here I'd like to shoutout, CoffeeYeeter, they're an amazing writer (amongst other things), and they write IZ*ONE fics/one-shots! (I promise their stories are way~ better than mine). Please check out their stories and send them some love~

https://www.asianfanfics.com/profile/view_author_stories/1836577/L

Other than that, thank you for reading! My next fic, "Armaggedon", will be out soon :) -Minah