Hongki

            "Hongki-ah"   

            "Lime? Hyelim-ah" I recognized a familiar face running into me on the streets as I took my earphones off. "How did you got here?" I bumped into Hyelim unexpectedly on the streets. It's kind of awkward? I mean, I broke up with her but it seems like she's okay with it. She's still our band's number one fan. It's not like I did not want to see her. It's just that we were in a relationship I was not serious about, and she was.

            "Your band made it!" She proclaimed while her hands are in the air.

            "What?" It took a while for it to sink in. Our band made it to the FNC audition. What's left is the final round. We have been preparing for this now we made it! "Wow. Unbelievable" I stare at my hands but suddenly Hyelim hugged me without notice. My eye widened. Her warm arms on my shoulders, her trembling hands resting on my back and I can feel her right foot rising at her back.

            "Congratulations!" She said. I can feel her warm breath invade the insides of my ear. Then she let me go. I think she noticed my uncomfortable self because I was so stiff when she threw herself to me. "Oh sorry." She fixed her crumpled dress pushing it down.

            We sighed in sync. And both looked at the ground. She brushed the sad look on her face with a smile and looked at me in the eye. I notice her short blonde hair is blinding under the sun.

            "Wanna get, erm, some tea?"

            "But, I have this thing-" I lied. Not that I hate Lime or something. It was really awkward having tea after cutting ties with her. I had not feelings for her during our relationship. I just needed someone after Sungmin died, apparently she was there.

            "I have something to tell you." She said fastly stopping me to verbalize more lies. "Your band..." She looked worried with her eyebrows down. "Despite the fact that you passed the audition and all. I don't know how to say this." She mumbled. "You have to participate in practices, man."

            I acknowledge the fact that I have been busy with other things. I lost my guitar at the waiting shed. I've been out of practices a couple of times already and I didn't even know the great news Lime had declared to me few seconds ago. I'm happy but at the same time, a hint of sadness forms deep within the abyss of my stomach.        

            "Thanks." I assured her I was very thankful, patted her perfectly defined shoulder and left.

            I was running and I did not know why. I arrived at the studio and my band members were already packing up. They did not even tend to care that I was there. They have this oh-you-came face and they continued wrap up their gears. "Hi." I said. They responded with total nothingness. "I'm sorry guys. I know, I know. I have not been active nor attending practices lately. I do attend but I go away immediately after a song or two. Forgive me." I declared without hesitation.

            "You even lost your guitar?" Jaejin asked me. But before I could even answer Jonghun held out the guitar that I managed to forget at the waiting shed.

            "How did you even-" But before I could even finish my question, they all turned their head at the door behind me. Once I turn my head, Lime was there.

            "Hi." She waved. "I found it on the waiting shed. I noticed the familiar keychain." She let out a green lollipop and put it inside . "Now, I think you owe me one."

            "Yeah Hongki, how about spending time with her?" Seunghyun suggested.

            Lime let out a hand and that I did not know why I grabbed. Spending time with lime, I realized that half of the time I don't really know what I'm doing. She has this certain aura that you can't say no to her. She grabbed my hand and little did I know that she is taking me to Lotte World.

            "You would always take me here." I should have known. She always takes me here. Whenever I'm sad, or happy, or frustrated, or anything. She always takes the time to bring me here. When Sungmin died, she took me here. I don't know why, again, but I feel better. Contrary to our conversations- Soojin and I, where we barely talk to each other, where we keep our conversations short, direct to th epoint and concise- Lime right here has a lot to talk about. She knows practically everything about me. Before we were in a relationship, she was my childhood friend. She knew everything. She even knew my feelings for Soojin before I admit it to myself.  She might even know me better than myself.

            She likes to put on the bunny hair band whenever we come here which I must admit to be quiet adorable. She even bought me one but I insisted to not wear it. But she placed it on my head anyways. "Ok ok" I said. And out of the blue-

            "How are you doing with Soojin-ssi?" She asked making my eyes wider than they already were when she placed the fluffy bunny ears on my head. And then she's clapping slowly. "So you get to approach her, finally."

            "How did you-"

            "I just know." She proclaimed as I glare at her.

            "I know you don't just 'know things', Lime-ah"        

            "Ok ok!" She giggled. "So I saw you. How did you think I got the guitar. I saw you all lovey dovey down the street. You're hugging her, she seems fragile." Her tone became serious at the latter part of the sentence.

            "She is."

            "Oppa." She said while she orders 2 cookies and cream ice cream. "You should hang out with your band members more. I know you like Soojin unnie but, you know."

            "I know what?"

            "You know." She hands me out one ice cream. "They miss you."

            My band mates so cheesy. I love them.

            "Thank you Lime-ah." I pet her hair as if she's my little sister. Maybe that's what I think of her all the time. Just a little sister.

            After we ate ice cream and rid all the rides, we just sat on a bench drinking caramel machiatto. It's almost night time and as I stare at the moving clouds Lime is once again telling stories. It's nice that we are not really awkward after we've broken up and all, thanks to her extreme communication skills. She tells me stuff about her friends and I would tell her about mine but my friends before are still my friends now, nothing has changed. While my life is at a constant state, she has been working hard on fulfilling her own dreams. She tells me that she's going to debut soon.

            "Oppa. I'm gonna debut soon.' And she goes on how I should spend more time with my friends because it is a different world out there and how friendship will grow distant once you step into the training process. I think about what she is trying to tell me but I don't think I'll grow distant with my band members, I mean, we're gonna debut together. I did not mind it much because Lime just talks a lot.

            "Let's play a game." She suggests.

            "What?" I looked at her.

            "The usual. Loser buys dinner."

            "You're on."

            " in my pants" She says softly

            " in my PANTS" I said louder. It's a game where we have to say " in my pants" louder than the other opponent and a accent on the latter syllables.

            " in MY PANTS"

            "... IN MY PANTS!"

            And we just basically went on like that until I give up. People are staring at us, parents covering the ears of their child, store owners are looking at us strangely and girls looking at us with pure shock.

            I stared at them back and I can't believe what I see. Lime stood up and made a 90 degree bow.

            " in your pants, eh?" Nana giggled as she crossed her arms and on her right is-

            "Soojin-ah"