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Take Me Far AwayâLetâs run away, together.â
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We'll do it allâŠ
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âW-what?â
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EverythingâŠ
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âIâm sick of living with these chains pulling me down. Come on Wonyoung-ah⊠Letâs leave.â
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On our ownâŠ
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âHow? Weâre only in high school, what can we do?â
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We don't needâŠÂ
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âExactly, weâre teenagers, we can do anything if we stay together, and if we put our mind to it.â
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AnythingâŠ
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âYujin-unnieâŠâ
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âI know how much youâre hurting here Wonnie, so letâs run and never come back.â
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Or anyoneâŠ
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A tall puppy pleaded towards a taller bunny, both in high school, both with families who donât support their future dreamsâŠÂ
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BothâŠÂ
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Who had enough of this pain.
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â... When?â
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Yujin grinned, âtomorrow at nine AM, go to the park we always go to, Iâll be waiting by the swings.â
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âN-nine? But we have schoolâŠâ
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âAnd? If weâre running away, we donât have to worry about that.â
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Wonyoung hesitated, only to nod at the older girl, âwhat do I need to bring?â
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âA bag filled with clothes, food, money, all of that⊠And also a sleeping bag.â
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âOkay⊠Iâll come with you.â
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The puppy smiled, giving the bunny a tight hug, "see you tomorrow, love you~â
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âLove you too unnie.â
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Wonyoung watched as her crush ran back to her house across the street, the older girl waving one last time before heading inside.
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âŠ.
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7:20 AMâŠÂ
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âDonât be late to school.â
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âI wonât.â
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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.
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The bunny glanced at her school water bottle, thinking to herself, âweâll need waterâŠâ
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She grabbed her water bottle, filling it to the brim with water before sliding it into her backpack.
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8:55 AMâŠÂ
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âShoot-â
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Wonyoung quickly made sure she had all her things, running out the door and into the sunny morning.
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âCome on come on⊠Run faster.â
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The girl will her legs to hurry up, she really should have been more active during school.
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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.
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âJinnie!â
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Yujin turned around, giving Wonyoung a relieved grin as she stood up, grabbing her things and walking over.
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âI thought you wouldnât comeâŠâ
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âOf course Iâd come, I wouldnât leave my best friend however dumb this sounds.â
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The puppy showed her eye-smile, holding the bunnyâs free hand, âletâs go.â
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âWhere exactly?â
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Yujin shrugged, âfar away from here.â
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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 mindâŠÂ
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But she always followed her heart, since thatâs how she fell in love with Yujin in the first placeâŠÂ
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âŠ.
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âLetâs stop here for the night.â
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âHere??? Wonât we get in trouble? Then our plan will be ruined!â
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âDonât worry so much Wonyo, no oneâs going to come here.â
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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.
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If I lay hereâŠ
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Yujin pointed to the inky sky, the bunny barely able to see her arm in the darkness, âlook up Wonyoung.â
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If I just lay hereâŠ
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âWoahâŠâ
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âPretty right?â
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Wonyoung stared in awe at the star-filled sky, âyou know⊠Iâve never done this before, sleeping under the stars that is.â
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Yujin chuckled, âthereâs probably a lot of things you havenât done before from now on.â
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The puppy brought her sleeping bag closer to the bunnyâs, crossing her arms behind her head as she laid back down.
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âYou know which starâs my favorite?â
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âThey all look the same unnie.â
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âNo not at all of themâŠâ
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Yujin turned to her side, tapping Wonyoungâs nose with her index finger, âyouâre my favorite star, the prettiest too.â
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Wonyoung flustered up, thankful for the darkness that covered her face, âpshh, stop flirting unnie.â
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Yujin laughed, a little weaker than normal, âIâll always protect you, Wonyoung-ah.â
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Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
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âŠ.
âŠ
âŠ
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I don't quite knowâŠ
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âWonyoung?â
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âYes unnie?â
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How to sayâŠÂ
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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.
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Wonyoung glanced over from staring at the sunset, tilting her head, âwhatâs wrong Yudaeng?â
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How I feelâŠ
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âI love you."
âI⊠nothing.â
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Those three wordsâŠ
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âHuh???â
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Are said too muchâŠ
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âStay here okay? Iâm going to get some food.â
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âWe can just eat the food we have here, we still have a bit left.â
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Yujin shook her head, brushing the sand off her pants as she stood up, âI saw a pretty cheap place nearby. Call me if anything happens okay?â
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They're not enoughâŠÂ
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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.
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âWill a card along with dinner do?â
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âThat will be twelve dollars and seventy-five cents.â
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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 didnât shower for a week.
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She set the stuff down at a table, "I have to write this before going backâŠ"
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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 beachâs pier.
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No one would find them there⊠It was covered with large boulders, enough to hide two girls running away from home.
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âWonyoung?â
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The said bunny lifted her head up from her knees, âunnie!â
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Yujin gasped as Wonyoung ran and wrapped her arms around her neck, âW-Wony-â
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âWhat took you so long? I was getting worriedâŠâ
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The bunnyâs voice trembled, making the puppy sigh, âsorry Wonyoung-ah, took a lot longer than expected. But! I got us dinner.â
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The two sat down, dimming their phone flashlights to be just enough to see what they were doing.
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âWaa, thank you unnie~â
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Yujin smiled, watching as the bunny ate, âanything for youâŠâ
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âWhy arenât you eating though?â
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âOh I will, I just want you to eat first.â
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Wonyoung pouted, scooting over next to the puppy to bring a piece of chicken to , âeat you dumb dog.â
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The two quickly finished the box of chicken, silence enveloping them as Yujin mustered up the courage to hand her the card she made.
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âWonyo?â
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âYeah?â
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If I lay hereâŠ
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Yujin pushed the card into Wonyoungâs hands, âh-here⊠I made this for you.â
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âWhatâs this?â
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âJust read it okay? And donât say anything until you read it all.â
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The bunny raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly to herself, âokay~â
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If I just lay hereâŠ
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âYujin-unnieâŠâ
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âY-yes?â
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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.
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âI love you too⊠I have been for the longest time but I was scared of breaking our friendship.â
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Yujin smiled, leaning against a rock as she hugged Wonyoung back.
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âIâm happy knowing my bunny loves me backâŠâ
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Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
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âŠ.
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61 missed calls from âmomâ.
48 missed calls from âdadâ.
16 missed calls from âBunnyâs momâ.
5 missed calls from âBunnyâs dadâ.
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Voicemail from âdadâ 6 days ago: Yujin where are you? The parents of that friend of yours said you werenât with them as well.
Voicemail from âmomâ 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 âmomâ 2 days ago: I canât believe you turned off your phone tracker. If you want to leave so badly, then donât come back you ungrateful child.
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Forget what we're toldâŠ
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âYujin-unnieâŠâ
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âHm? Yeah Wonnie?â
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Before we get too oldâŠ
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The bunny grabbed Yujinâs phone from out of her hand, putting it aside before pulling the puppy up to her feet.
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âStop listening to themâŠâ
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âHave you gotten anything from them Wonyoung?â
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â... I deleted all the voicemails I got, I really donât want to hear what they have to say. Come on.â
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 âHuh? Where?â
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âJust follow me unnie.â
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The two girls walked hand-in-hand away from the area theyâd camp out in for the night, heading into an alley nearby.
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âWonyoung, where are we going?â
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âClose your eyes, weâre almost there.â
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âWh-â
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âYou trust me right?â
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âO-of course I do.â
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The older girl sighed, covering her eyes with one of her hands as she blindly let Wonyoung lead her.
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âWeâre here.â
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Yujin took a peek through her fingers, her eyes widening in awe as Wonyoung chuckled.
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Show me a garden that's bursting into lifeâŠÂ
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âWhen I was getting food for us today I came across this. I thought youâd like it since you like flowers so much.â
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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.Â
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Lilies⊠Dandelions⊠BellflowersâŠÂ
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Those were only a few of the overwhelming amount of flowers in this small garden.
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âWowâŠâ
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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.
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âWonnie.â
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âYes unnie?â
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Wonyoungâs 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.
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âDaffodils⊠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.â
âDah, my Yudaengâs so~ romantic.â
Yujin chuckled, intertwining their hands together, âletâs go back?â
âYeah, letâs go.â
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âŠ.
âŠ
âŠ
âŠ
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âWonyoung-ahhhhh.â
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Let's waste timeâŠ
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âYeah unnie?â
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âHug me, I'm cold.â
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Wonyoung sighed, âyou should have brought a thicker jacket. Come here, this sleeping bag should be good for us both.â
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The puppy grinned, slipping inside Wonyoungâs sleeping bag alongside the bunny, snuggling up close to her warm figure. The younger girl softly caressed the olderâs hair, smiling subconsciously from Yujinâs presenceâŠÂ
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Chasing carsâŠÂ
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âGoodnight Wonnie~â
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âGoodnight JinnieâŠâ
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Around our headsâŠÂ
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âŠ.
âŠ
âŠ
âŠ
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âUnnie?â
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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.
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âYah unnie, are you okay?â
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It was dark⊠The two got used to the dark after sleeping outside for the past two⊠almost three weeks, so they didnât bother turning on the lights as the sun set.
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âWonyoungâŠâ
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The tone of Yujinâs voice worried the bunny, and she quickly stood up from her chair, walking over to see that the puppy had tears in her eyes.
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âU-unnie whatâs wrong? Why are you crying?â
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Yujin shook her head slowly, refusing to look up at Wonyoung as her voice shook.
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âI canât do this anymoreâŠâ
âW-what?â
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I need your graceâŠ
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âThis is too hard⊠I shouldnât have run away with you, I shouldnât have brought you this much trouble in the first blace⊠Iâm sorry Wonyoung-ahâŠâ
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âUnnie thereâs no reason for you to be-â
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âI give upâŠâ
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Wonyoung stayed silent after Yujin cut her off, the puppy holding her head in her hands as her weeping became audible.
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âIâm an idiot⊠I never think before I act. Wonyoung would be so safe if she was back at home⊠God, what was I thinking?â
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Seeing that the girl had a lot on her mind, the bunny called out her name, âYujin-unnieâŠâ
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âAnd now we canât even go back home, weâre too far goneâŠâ
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âAhn Yujin, look at me.â
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Wonyoung grabbed Yujinâs chin, lifting her head up to look into her eyes.
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To remind meâŠÂ
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âAre you really going to back out now? After all weâve been through these past three weeks???â
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â...â
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âWho are you? Yujinâs the kind of girl that will never give up on anything, sheâs the girl that always tries until the end⊠So what did you do to her?â
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âWony-â
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âT-this isnât the Yujin I know.â
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The sight of the Wonyoung beginning to break because of her tore at the puppyâs heart, and she grabbed the bunnyâs arms, pulling her close into a warm embrace.
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âS-stay strong Yujin-unnie, p-please⊠For yourself⊠For me.â
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âIâm so sorry Wonyoung⊠â
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Yujin tightened her hug, rubbing the head that lay on her chest, the two girlsâ sobbing the only noise that could be heardâŠÂ
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Wonyoungâs words bounced in Yujinâs head, âSheâs right⊠I need to stay strong. Sheâs been for this long, so why should I stop?â
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To find my ownâŠ
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âEverything will be alrightâŠâ
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If I lay hereâŠ
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âI promise you, Wonyoung, Iâll stay strong for you, for me, for us.â
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If I just lay hereâŠ
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The two changed positions on the bed, lying comfortably side by side as they looked into each otherâs tired eyes.
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âAnd I will never break that promise.â
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Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
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Yujin brushed away Wonyoungâs tears, slowly combing her fingers through the girlâs raven-colored hair.
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Forget what we're toldâŠ
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Wonyoung tried to smile, âgood. I promise to do the same.â
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Before we get too oldâŠÂ
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Yujin laughed, the younger girl giggling along, her melodic voice music to the puppyâs ears.
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âYakseok?â Â Â Â (Promise?)
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Wonyoung intertwined her pinky with Yujinâs, touching their thumbs together to seal the promise, âyakseok.â
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Show me a garden that's bursting into lifeâŠÂ
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âŠ
âŠ
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My name is Jang Wonyoung, I ran away from home with this dumb dog next to me at age sixteen.Â
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All that I amâŠ
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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 couldnât, and shouldnât be stopped, whatever my parents said.
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All that I ever wasâŠ
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Her deep brown eyes seemed like itâd last forever, and I secretly promised myself after our physical âyakseokâ to always try to keep the lights in Yujinâs eyes⊠I couldnât bear it if she gazed at me with such empty, sullen orbs again.
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Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can seeâŠ
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âŠ
âŠ
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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.
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I don't know whereâŠÂ
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So I took off, running away to who knows where with my crush, now girlfriend, at age seventeen.
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I⊠honestly donât know how we made it this farâŠÂ
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Confused about how as wellâŠÂ
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But whatever the case, whatever happens, I will always protect Wonyoung. Thatâs a promise I made when I met her all those years ago, and thatâs a promise I plan on keeping until my last breath.
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Just know that these things will never change for us at allâŠÂ
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10 years laterâŠÂ
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âYah!â
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An all grown up puppy groaned, mumbling under her breath with her eyes still closed, âdonât yah me⊠Iâm older than you.â
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âYou dumb dog, get up or weâll be late.â
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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.Â
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âFive minutes.â
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The girl huffed, âfine, but Eunbi-unnieâs going to be pissed if weâre late again.â
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The puppy laughed, âjust give her your puppy eyes Wonyoung, sheâll forgive us then.â
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Eunbi⊠A kind woman the two stumbled across three months after their initial ârunning awayâ day⊠Who knows what couldâve happened if she didnât 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.
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âY-yah unnie! W-wh-â
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Yujin hugged the flustered girl tighter so she couldnât escape, âstay here with me for those five minutes, Iâm cold.â
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âThen wear the blanket.â
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âAhhh Wonnieeeeee.â
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Yujin finally opened her eyes, pouting at the bunny who flinched from the sudden gesture.
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âWh- I- you- hnnnnng.â
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Wonyoung grumbled incoherently as she returned the hug, âfine, but Iâm setting an alarm for five minutes.â
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ThisâŠ
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This was all Yujin wanted for her whole lifeâŠ
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To be with Wonyoung in peace, knowing nothing and no one would harm themâŠÂ
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This was her dreamâŠ
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This was also Wonyoungâs dreamâŠ
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To love each other without consequencesâŠÂ
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If I lay hereâŠÂ
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If I just lay hereâŠÂ
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Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
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Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
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