One
Somewhere Only We Know"Oppa, I've safely arrived!" I exclaimed into the phone.
"Haerin ah! I don't see you! Where are you?!"
My eyes scanned the arrival hall for a familiar figure. And about a meter away, stood a blondie in a bright turquoise T-shirt and black skinny jeans. We both met eyes and instinctively removed the phone from our ears.
"Jiyong?" I asked, just to be sure.
" HAERIN!!!" he exclaimed, practically pouncing on me.
"Jiyong ah... You're suffocating me!" I squeaked.
"Ah! Mianhae!" he laughed sheepishly, "I got too excited. It's been so long since we last saw eachother, dongsaeng ah!"
Still, he insisted on calling me his dongsaeng, despite the mere difference of a month between us. It was as if nothing had changed.
-
"Haerin ah, your birthday's in September. Mine's in August. Call me Oppa!" he proudly demanded after making this awesome discovery.
"Why?! I don't even call Seunghyun Oppa." I retorted....
-
Seunghyun...
"Jiyong, are you still living on that same street? " I quickly asked upon realizing that I could be taking a brisk walk back to the past.
"Of course! We never moved, Haerin." he stated as he grabbed my luggage out of my hands.
"We?"
"Haerin ah... You wouldn't have forgotten, would you? The guys... Taeyang, Daesung, Seungri, and Seunghyun."
Seunghyun...
My heart raced a little to that name, as if a sparkler had been lit.
"Of course I remember! How could I have forgotten, Pabo!" I flashed him and assuring smile. But that smile didn't last very long. Memories always have that effect on me.
-
"What did you call Jiyong just now?" Seunghyun finally spoke after everyone went separate ways, leaving the two of us alone on that street back to our homes.
"What did I call Jiyong?" I returned the question, confused by his sudden outburst after his unexplained silence. And then he stopped walking, causing me to pause as well.
"You called him Pabo." He bitterly said, staring at the ground a distance away.
" And?" I squeaked, afraid of what his next reaction would be. He sighed loudly, half in exasperation at how clueless I was, and half in complete disappointment.
"You always call me Pabo..." he mumbled.
Then I finally understood, and an unknowing smile sneaked onto my face, replacing the timid expression I had just a moment ago.
"Ahhhhhh. It was just a slip, Seunghyun. I guess i've been hanging around you so much that i can't get it off my tongue now. It's like you're always there with me." I giggled, awaiting the smile that i knew would soon appear on Seunghyun's face. And it did.The smile that signified that he's calmed down. The smile that told me he liked what i've said. The smile that made me feel like even if the world turned it's back on me,  I'll be able to talk him into staying by my side.
-
The cab ride back to Jiyong's place was too slow. I impatiently fidgeted with the strap of my bag while Jiyong blabbered non-stop about how glad the guys would be to see me all grown up and ladylike. I've never noticed this, but the trees never seem to grow, ever since I was a child. The bricks are stained, the imprints on the gravel roads have increased and the wooden benches by the road became much darker than before. Time had flaunted its effect on every corner of this town...But I guess it left out a few parts.
"You've grown prettier, Haerin..." Jiyong bashingly stated," I always knew you'd grow up to be a doll, but I never thought it'd be this big a change."
Change? I tilted the screen of my phone that rested on my lap to sneak a peak at myself in the reflection. I've never thought of myself as changed. Instead, in these 6 years, I thought I was stuck. Like everyone was moving ahead, while I stood still, unable- No... Unwilling to budge. Because of the promises I made.
-
"Rin, why is the world moving so fast?" Seunghyun questioned like a child.
"I don't know, Seunghyun. That's just the way it is." I shrugged as I hugged my knees to my chest. The sky was already dark. And like every other Saturday night, we were determined to stay till sunrise.
"What do you mean you don't know, Rin-ah?" he grumbled in frustration, "You always have an answer for everything."
"Not for this one." I sighed, resting my head on one knee.
" Rin, Mianhae."
I looked up at Seunghyun, who had his eyes on the sky in the distance.
"What for?" I asked.
"I'm not capable enough. I'm too afraid of the world to protect you."
I smiled inwardly at how sincerely upset he was with himself over this silly matter.
"It's alright, Seunghyun. I'll protect you instead. And no matter how fast the world spins, I promise I'll never change."
"Really?" he looked at me with hopeful eyes.
"Neh." I patted his head.
-
"Jiyong-ah... Is everyone... Still the same?" I asked discreetly, unable to get to the point.
"Well, we've all grown alot in size, that's for sure." He joked, "Daesung and Seungri are still schooling. Taeyang got himself a job. I go around performing with him at clubs sometimes. Just to keep ourselves occupied."
And it eventually came to the name I adored.
"Seunghyun... He's a part time student, full time bum. " Jiyong chuckled and I couldn't help but laugh along.
"Is he... Better now?" I cautiously asked. Jiyong kept silent for a moment, smile wiped off his face. I held my breath as I waited for his answer.
"He's..." Jiyong paused, unsure of how to explain things.
"He's?" I urged. Jiyong chuckled.
"You're still like this when it comes to Seunghyun. Always worrying about him."
"So how is he?" I ignored his statement.
"He's gotten alot better now. You wouldn't be able to tell he ever had a problem."
Seunghyun was never good with people. Despite him being two years older than me, he felt like a little boy to me... Someone I had to shower all my love on, just because I was the only person he trusted. He was always keeping to himself, isolating himself from the rest of the world. A part of me felt relief, knowing he's overcome his weaknesses. But a part of me was disappointed. At myself. For not being a part of it. I always thought it was because I felt like he was my responsibility... But I guess that wasn't it.
-
I was in class taking notes when I was suddenly interrupted by the vibration of my phone. I took a peep under the table and saw a text from 'Seunghyun pabo ^^;'.
'Turtle.'
I raised a brow, quickly shoving my phone into my pocket and bringing my focus back onto class. But 10 seconds later, I got another text.
'Bunny!'
I rolled my eyes, but smiled to myself.
And then came another.
'What do they have in common?'
I put my phone down on my lap, keeping it out of the teacher's view as I thought about his little riddle. A minute later, a final text came.
"Seunghyun!" I called out across the empty corridor as soon as I turned the corner.
"Come on, yo, let's skip~" I read his text out loud, imitating the tone I imagined he'd use.
He chuckled, grabbing my arm gently and led me up to the rooftop.
"So what do turtles and bunnies have in common?" I asked as we arrived before the panoramic view of our school field.
"They're both really cute." he shrugged, "Like me."
I scoffed.
They were really quiet too. Just like Seunghyun. When he's not around me, that is.
-
I snapped out of a train of thoughts as soon as we arrived in that town that made me what I am today. Every little corner brought back memories. Happy ones, sad ones, a few that I'd rather forget, and a whole bunch I promised never to forget. That promise, i kept.
It didn't take me long to realize that I was alone in this.
When we arrived outside Jiyong's place, I quickly got out of the car. The air here was different from the air America. The air here felt like home.
"Oh Haerin! I forgot to tell you, Seunghyun and the guys are living with me. We'll be living together. You don't mind, do you?"
I shook my head.
"Of course not." I replied with a smile.
Of course not...
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