six

After him
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After their last class Jaehyun and Hyemi headed to her place so they could prepare for their project. Upon entering, Jaehyun took off his shoes and changed into house slippers when Tofu came running towards him. The cat rubbed his body around Jaehyun’s leg, earning a few scratches behind his ears. Hyemi brought a few snacks and drinks to the living room and placed them on the coffee table, along with her laptop. Jaehyun sat beside her, setting his laptop next to hers. Tofu took this chance and jumped onto Jaehyun’s lap.

“Tofu!” Hyemi scolded him. “Leave Jaehyun alone! You’re too clingy.”

“I don’t mind, he’s cute.” he caressed the cat’s body, Tofu purring under his touch.

“I’m sorry, you have cat hair all over your clothes.” She reached out her hand and dusted off his jeans on his knee. “Usually he’s not like this. He only clings on Haechan and me. He doesn’t really like strangers so I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” she wanted to take Tofu away but the cat stubbornly dug his claws into Jaehyun’s jeans and hissed. She let him go, afraid he might scratch a hole in his pants.

“I really don’t mind.” he reassured her and caressed Tofu again. The cat was comfortably lying on his lap after meowing at his owner. “Shall we begin?”

Hyemi gave up and nodded. Jaehyun suggested they should plan their work at first so it would give them directions and then they could follow through their plan. So they divided the parts and started taking notes after agreeing on dates when they would meet again. They had to watch a video as well and write a small essay. Hyemi appreciated that Jaehyun had great ideas regarding their project and it was easy to follow his way of thinking. He definitely was smart.

They’ve been studying for two hours straight when both thought it was time to wrap up. Hyemi stretched her arms and let out a yawn, while Jaehyun gathered the empty snack bags and threw them out in the kitchen. 

“I’m starving. Wanna eat ramen?” she asked him and turned off her laptop, placing it under the coffee table.

“Yeah, I’d love that.” he nodded.

She stood up, walking next to him in the kitchen and opened the cabinet to take out the ramen packs and a pot. Hyemi watched as Jaehyun took over and poured water into the pot then the stove, when a thought occurred to her.

“Haechan will hold a party on Friday. You should come if you’re free.”

Jaehyun gazed at her and a smile crept onto his face. “Sure.”

Her face lit up and she fished out her phone. “I text you his address then.” she said, Jaehyun thanking her.

“Do you have rice cakes? I usually put some in my ramen.” he asked as he stirred the soup after putting the herbs in it.

“Wow.” she clapped her hands. “Haechan does the exact same thing.” she opened the fridge and took out a pack of rice cakes, handing it to Jaehyun.

“Where are the others by the way?” he inquired as he put the noodles into the boiling water, adjusting the heat.

“Ah, Nari and Johnny probably are working, they have part time jobs, and Haechan…” she paused. “He usually just comes by out of nowhere. He doesn’t really inform us about his whereabouts. I bet he’s chasing some girl.”

“I see. You don’t work?”

Hyemi shook her head with a frown. “I had a bad experience so right now Johnny doesn’t let me work.”

“Oh.” he cocked his head to the side. “Sorry for asking.”

“No, it’s okay.”

It wasn’t a big deal, she thought. Last year she had been working at the same place as Johnny, but after many panic attacks during her shifts, her boss told her she wasn’t qualified for the job. She was devastated after hearing that. She felt like she was worth nothing. She was lucky since she was an only child and her parents could support her until she graduates, but she really wanted to have a taste of the real world, but after that incident, both her parents and Johnny decided she had to focus on her mental health and her studies. 

“What’s Johnny doing? Let me guess.” he snapped his fingers. “Bartender at a night club?”

Hyemi chuckled and shook her head. “Close enough. He’s a barista at a café near our uni.”

“Ah. That would have been my second guess.”

The ramen was ready and they sat down, Jaehyun putting the pot on the middle of the table. Hyemi gave him a pair of chopsticks and placed a few plates of side dishes on the table. They sat across from each other and dug in. 

“It’s good.” she said after tasting the noodles.

“Ramen is best after a hardworking day.” he stated and poured a glass of water for Hyemi, placing it in front of her. She thanked him and had another bite, chewing on the rice cake. Jaehyun casually reached out his hand and wiped the side of with his finger, causing her to stop chewing. “Sorry. Smudge.”

“Oh,” she let out an awkward laugh and coughed a little. “T-thank you.”

She smiled at how comfortable he was at their place. He basically cooked the ramen and even gave Tofu his dinner while she was just chilling and spurting nonsense. They were enjoying the food and talking when the front door opened and a wild Haechan trotted in. He froze when he saw Jaehyun peacefully eating, his expression merging into a mixture of worry and anger, but upon seeing Hyemi’s smile he put his ill feelings aside.

He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took a seat beside Jaehyun, having a bite from the ramen. When Hyemi told him that Jaehyun had put rice cakes in the soup he patted his shoulder and complimented his cooking skills.

“So,” Haechan sat straight and cleared his throat. “I figured out the theme for my next party.”

 

 

 

Hyemi didn’t consider herself a party animal, however she didn’t mind attending Haechan’s parties once in a while. Haechan was good at throwing parties. He would come up with the most ridiculous ideas, like the cowboy theme last year, but it’s always working and everyone has a great time. For the first party of the semester, he started with an 80s retro party theme. 

Hyemi gaped as she entered the gates. His mansion was decorated with neon balloons and glow in the dark decorations, led color lights rotating on the ceiling. The few vintage boom boxes, funky painted cassette tapes, iconic 80s movie posters added whimsy to the entire set-up. Hit songs of 80’s singers and bands like Michael Jackson, Billy Idol, U2, Madonna, Cho Young Pil and more busted from the speakers, even the floor vibrated. In the garden stood the usual beer-pong set-ups, along with other games like picture scramble, twister and a Dance Dance Revolution machine. Haechan even managed to set up a roller skating rink. The man was insane.

The place was packed with college students from their university, Hyemi didn’t even know most of the people. She knew a few girls from her major and she noticed the guy who had asked her out. He waved at her and Hyemi mimicked his motions with an apologetic smile. At least he’s not mad. She was walking around with Nari and Johnny when Haechan jumped in front of them.

“I told you to dress up.” he made a face at Nari.

“I did!” she yelled at him and pointed at her attire. “I’m wearing mom jeans.”

Hyemi hid behind Johnny, afraid Haechan might snap at her too. She was also wearing mom jeans with white sneakers and a leopard printed top. Over that she was wearing an oversized denim jacket and accessorized herself with a few necklaces and rings, also a big, hoop earring. On the other hand, Johnny went crazy. He’d found somewhere a colorful baggy pants and that was something Haechan appreciated. 

“Here.” Haechan handed Hyemi a neon pink plastic cup. “Non-alcoholic.” He added and she flashed a thankful smile. 

“I hope we can avoid Hendery and Yangyang.” Nari looked around carefully. “My head hurts every time those two idiots are around.”

“I think they’re funny.” Hyemi shrugged.

“Out of all people…” Nari furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief. “Out of all people I counted on you to dislike them. They’re loud and annoying.”

“I love them.” Johnny chuckled, Nari glaring at him.

“Not you too.”

“Jung Jaehyun!” Johnny exclaimed and Hyemi felt her stomach tightening. She looked in the direction Johnny started walking and noticed the arriving Jaehyun.

“Jeffrey!” Haechan exclaimed happily.

Jaehyun wasn’t even fazed by the nickname anymore since Haechan was calling him Jeffrey since Johnny had made their group chat.

He was wearing jeans and a white shirt tucked in, with an oversized denim jacket on top. He pushed his hair back from his forehead, taking Hyemi’s breath away. She had to admit that he looked pretty y at that moment. He greeted Hyemi, asking her how she was. Meanwhile Haechan disappeared, Johnny and Nari also wondered where to go next. They didn’t have a drink yet, so they headed towards the drinks with Hyemi and Jaehyun. 

“Still no alcohol?” Jaehyun peeked at Hyemi and she lifted her cup.

“I have my mango juice, but thanks.”

The other three clinked their cups and downed a soju beer mixture. The music changed to Michael Jackson’s Beat it and Nari grabbed Johnny’s arm, saying it was her favorite song and wanted to dance. He dragged Johnny with her, leaving Hyemi with Jaehyun.

“Let me guess.” he lifted his index finger and pointed at her. “You don’t dance. You can’t. You’re a terrible dancer, you have two left feet, you always step on the other’s feet, even destroying the decoration around you.”

Hyemi chuckled upon hearing him. “Exactly something Lee Haechan would say, for sure.” she sipped on her juice. “Actually, I’m quite a good dancer, but I don’t feel like dancing right now. Maybe later.”

Jaehyun clutched his chest and grimaced. “Aw, you shoot your rejection right into my heart, but okay let’s wait ‘til your juice kick in. What about roller skating?” he asked and nodded towards the rink.

“I’ve never tried that.”

“There’s a first time for everything. Come on.” he suggested and held her arm, pulling her along with him.

They reached the rink and Jaehyun asked for two pairs of skates with knee pads and wrist guards for Hyemi. He helped putting the items on her, also helped with the skate. She stood up unsteadily, grasping Jaehyun’s shoulders. He helped her get in the rink then explained the basics of roller skating. Jaehyun stood in front of her and held her hands as they were gliding slowly. Occasionally Hyemi lost her balance and almost fell but Jaehyun caught her every time, making sure she was alright. 

“You’re good.” Hyemi stated as Jaehyun was skating backwards, still helping her.

“I was an active kid.” he shrugged.

“I bet.”

“Enjoying it?” 

She stared at her feet, her hands grasping Jaehyun’s arms so she won’t fall face to the ground. “It’s… interesting.” she peeked up.

“We can try ice skating in wi

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yashaletti
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Elderberry #1
Chapter 33: This is so beautiful! I loved it! So happy for all of them and extra happy for Johnny. Always felt like though he seemed ok, he was also the one who felt pain the longest but had to be strong always watching over the others. So heartwarming to se them all gathered and seeing them all moving forward. Simon would be proud!
This is so well written and I loved reading every word of this story. All the of the sad, painful, happy and silly moments. Thank you for this beautiful story!
lanasnowflake
#2
Chapter 33: Awwww I loved it so so much!
Loved how all of their friends gathered together for one last time, loved how Johnny seemingly found himself a girl, loved how all of them are happy, loved the small interaction between Johnny and Hyemi and I absolutely loved the very last flashback. It gave such a nice frame for the story overall.
My heart still aches for Simon, he was such a good man and his last words will resonate in my head for a long time because it's so painful but true.
Thank you for writing and sharing this story wiht us, I loved every chapter and every moment!
tonnettie
#3
Chapter 33: We all need this kind of support group.
lanasnowflake
#4
Chapter 32: I'm glad Hyemi found a friend in the sharehouse and they helped each other healing and Leeteuk's final speech was amazing. I guess the puzzle is finally pieced together. Now we know the reasons behind the tattoos, the pink hair, the change in demanor, why she didn't drink alcohol, didn't date and everything. The scene with Jaehyun at the grave really clenched my heart, it shows just how huge impact Simon had on the people around him, that even someone who didn't know him mourned him.
and now finally Hyemi can let him go without sad feelings
lanasnowflake
#5
Chapter 31: Johnny is so sweet TT__TT best friend for sure and
my heart!!!! Jaehyun wrote the quote on her cast suuuuch a sweetheart !!! I love all of them
Elderberry #6
Chapter 31: Johnny is such a sweetheart! So glad Hyemi is surrounded by so many amazing people and warmth. I just love all of them
Elderberry #7
Chapter 29: This chapter was just heartache on top of heartache with some more heartache...
Cant wait for the next chapter.
lanasnowflake
#8
Chapter 29: okay okay okay okay, so after all that sweet stuff you did not just....
Simon's last date was so heartbreaking omg
I can't wait for the next chapter ._.
Elderberry #9
Chapter 28: Its official! They are so cute!
Cant believe she forgot that, but I hope she can let go of the guilt and be happy like Simon wanted for her.
davian
#10
Chapter 28: Oh God, she forgot that? No wonder she lives in guilt