BGM: Juniel – Everlasting Sunset

 

When I look at the path that reminds me of you when the sun sets,

You warmly come to me in a time of longing

And just as you’re about to touch me, you disappear

In between the faint times, the thick tears, the falling leaves

You flicker off and get farther away and I'm only watching like a fool

 

JoongKi’s P.O.V

Hhhh….finally everything were set now. Finally I’m back to Seoul, build my own photo and sketch studio. Thanks to my only best friend Lee Kwang Soo who helped me a lot with these, the preparations thing, including gathering all of the information related to her. I was sitting comfortly on my armchair, lifting my head to admire a sketch on the wall in front of me. The sketch that I always displayed in the special spot whenever I held the exhibition of my photography work. There is one sketch of mine that I love the most, I titled it with “Everlasting Sunset”, it was a sketch of her, my lover since I was in senior high, Seo Joo Hyun. I hang the sketch on the wall at my office room. I stared at it for a few minutes, admiring her figure in her highschool uniform with her long wavy hair that were falling  loosely to her shoulder, her head turned back and smiled at me as she raising a sunflower.

Looking at her sketch like this, makes me flashback to the past years ago, reminiscence everything we’ve been through when we were still in high school. I still remember it, clearly, I was sketched it at our first time working together as a team to hold an art festival in our school back then. I was in my third grade and I’m the chief of Art and Culture department at the Senator and it also made me chosen to be the chief of Photography club in my high shool but I also love sketching, sometimes I taught sketching to the members whenever they asked me too, and Seohyun, she was my junior, second grade high schooler, and was a member of photography club, pianist and a main vocal on the school choir, and also the chief of CCU (Crisis Center Unit), kind of organization that not only giving their help with tons of rice or clothes when there’s a catastrophe in a certain area, but they also teach education for some poor children, and everything related to helping and humaneness. Well, she was not only the chief, but she was the founder of the organization, her idea was indeed gathered the agreement from teachers and the stakeholders, also from us, the students.

Yeah, she is a living goddess. No doubt she has a pure heart and a noble mind. She’s just perfect. And it was so obvious that it made her fanboys gained day by day.

 I close my eyes, then it drift me to that day, one day in the evening when the sunset was nearly to be seen, on our school backyard, one of her favorite place since there’s a lot of sunflower that blooming there. I was smiling for myself as I remembering that time, how happy we were back then, before unexpected things come out and ruined everything. Suddenly I felt like hearing her voice and her smiling face just popped out on my mind.

 

(Flashback, Namsan High School 2003)

“Oppa what are you doing? Come here!”

I heard her voice, as if signaling me to come near to her but I just stayed still, nodding hurriedly at her, since I was busy to make her sketch. At that time, we were busy decorating the whole school spot for the annual Art Festival in our school, the theme was “To The Beautiful Nature”, so we were only using stuffs that contained or formed from the natural one like simply grasses or leaves then we changed those things into something worthy and pretty than it does, including what we’re doing right now, well, actually what she was doing right now, since I was too busy to make a sketch of her face and figure.

“Oppa…Let’s use this sunflower to decorating the main hall, shall we? I’m sure teachers won’t get mad if we took all of the flower here. What do you think?”

She only turned her head and waving a sunflower on her left hand, asking for my opinions. I lifted my head and looked at her smiling face and answered shortly with

“Johhah”

She clapped cheerfully, hearing the agreement from me, but then she suggested another thing.

“Then, what if we put these dried leaves over here to decorate the front gate, oppa?”

I answered her shortly again without even took a glance to her, since my sketch was nearly to be done.

“Johhah”

She didn’t say anything for a while before finally she blurted out with “Oppa, you’re not listening!”

I heard her talked to me, but I was just paid attention fully to my sketch of her, so I didn’t answered her

“Joong Ki oppa!”

She started to raised her voice and it alarmed me, then with one last touch on my sketch by writing

 

Sunset, my sunflower Seo Hyun.

Song Joong Ki – Namsan High School, April 23^rd 2003.

 

at the down right corner on the sheet, and didn’t forget to put my signature, I closed my sketchbook and lifted my head only to find her already flaring nose, crossed hands over her chest, her stared sharply on my eyes, then her death stared dropped to my sketchbook.

I grinned at her, and hid my sketchbook behind my back. I can’t get caught now. I thought.

“Aniya. Of course I was listening! You talked about those dried leaves, aren’t you?” I said, pointing to the messy dried leaves on the ground behind her with my chin.

She pouted in defeat then she squinted her eyes and asked me “Why did you hiding your sketchbook from me oppa?”

I grasped my sketchbook tighter, afraid that she would take it away from me and found out her gift beforehand. This one is gonna be her birthday gift on June, she couldn’t see it now, not yet.

“Ani. I’m not hiding it. I just don’t want your dirty hands touch my sketchbook” I answered arrogantly.

Joohyun gasped and hang in annoyance as she said “Dirty hands you said, Oppa? What? Look! My hands is not dir--”

She cut her sentence, and observed her hands with her widened eyes, she looked surprised that her hands was indeed, dirty for she was plucked grasses earlier.

I really wanted to laugh seeing her priceless expression, but decided to hold it, when she was started to pouted .

I stepped closer to her, and took her left hand with my right hand as my left hand still holding my sketchbook tightly, then I said “See? I told you!”

“Ahhh….the soil’s filling my nail…..” she said hopelessly.

How could she’s still looking this cute even in those depression look.

Her expression change into a sterned look and saying “This is because of you oppa! You’re not helping to plucking the grasses or collecting those dried leaves! You’re just sitting here, busy with your sketch!”

She started to throw me her tantrums, but still I found it so cute and lovely so I just chuckled and grinned at her.

“But I agreed with all your suggestion, wasn’t that helping enough?”

She wasn’t answering me but just sighing in frustration, then her eyes started to glared sharply at me again, added with her pouting mouth.

But then she changed her expression again, her eyes were no longer glaring at me but it turned to an eyesmile, her pouting mouth changed into a smile, then to a silly grinned. She stepped closer to me as I was stepped back sensing something fishy in her expression.

“Aigoo…oppa…I just realized that your uniform’s sooo clean and white…may I touch it?” She said trying to reach my uniform with her two hands.

I stepped back hurriedly, as I asked her “Mwo…mwoya? What are you going to do?”

She grinned widely as she shook her said and answered me “Aniyo…I was just want to touch your uniform, what a CLEAN uniform you wear oppa….”

“Yah…Don’t you dare to get closer Seohyun!”

She took two stepped closer to me, and I was stepped back, then I started to run avoiding her right away after I notice what her intention was. It’s not because I don’t want her to use my shirt to clean her hands, I do want to, I could just give it to her easily, but I just want to have another fun and sparing a little more time with her. So I was running to avoid her and acted like I was afraid to get approached by her. She was chasing me, her two hands were straightened and her fingers were widely opened.

“Don’t you get close to me Seohyun! Go!” I said, still acting like I was really afraid of her.

She was laughing happily as she also kept running to chase me, and trying to scared me by saying “Raawwrrr!! Joong Ki oppa come here!”

Deep down inside, I’m really grateful that she finally could be more open with me, it took a year to me to approach her and finally get close to her until she finally could shared some jokes or goofying around with me, just like this time. I kept running as I finally could laugh happily just like her, had stopped my acted to pretending like I was afraid to got chased by her.

It was really a beautiful sunset, the most beautiful sunset ever.

Beautiful, because I could sparing my quality time with Seohyun, alone, without those silly questions about our relationship from friends, those suspicious eyes from teachers, or those hateful glared from her fanboys or popular girl groups who always ready to beat any junior that showed more popularity then theirs.

It was just two of us, me and her, sharing our merry laugh, under the sunset on our school backyard. What a blissful moment we had.

I feel content and alive.

(End of Flashback)

 

If I hadn't let go of that hand back then

Then you and I, we would've been so different

When I walk on this path that turned yellow

Will the remaining parts of you in me be erased?

On this path that I always walked and held hands with you

And everlasting sunset

 

KwangSoo banged my door as he hurriedly got in, which made me snapped back to reality after reminiscing the memories about me and Seohyun in highschool. He looked panting and hardly breathe, but then he finally managed to opened up his mouth and spoke out his intention to just barked in to my office room.

“JoongKi-yah….I… saw…I…saw…her…hhh…”

Then he sat on the chair across my desk.

“Huh? Mwoga?” I asked him, clueless.

“Her…your…Seo…Seohyun….”

He finished his sentence then took my glass to drink the water from it.

I blinked, seemed like my brain couldn’t work properly.

After finished with his drink, Kwang Soo managed to talked calmer.

“I saw Seohyun, just got out from the taxi and got in to her building! Palli go get her!” his words were full of encouragement.

“Seohyun?” I asked, more to asked myself than asked him actually, and finally realized something.

Now, I really snapped back. I got up from my seat and say her name once again.

“Seohyun!” I exclaimed.

I hurriedly got out from my room, I heard Kwang Soo cheered behind me as he said “SONG JOONG KI FIGHTING!!!”

***

 

The fading autumn sky embraces your shadow, little by little

You vaguely fade away again and I can't say anything to you

If I had been honest and held onto you back then

Wouldn't I have been able to see your affectionate self again?

 

 

I was standing in front of my office building, staring to her building, I really want to just get in there, but I don’t know. I just feel hesitant and a little bit, scared? I was pacing out in front of my building then finally I decided to just greet her as her new neighbor. But when I was about to took a step ahead, I saw her went out from her office and I followed her immediately.

Our distance were so close, but I kept my pace to not stepping ahead of her, and continued to followed her paced. As she walked to her destination, I could hear she was humming a song, I didn’t know what the title was, but seemed like it was the song that she loved lately. I smiled to myself and murmured “Still didn’t change”. She used to be like that too, murmuring her favorite song when she walked to school, doing her assignment, or doing her stuffs.

“It helps me to be more concentrate”

She said, one day when she was capturing some views from her camera.

I was smiling like a fool as I remembered everything about her. She entered one of the coffee shop, I lifted my head to look at the banner “Zoo Coffee” it said. I kept shadowing her, but seemed like she didn’t recognize my presence, I was standing beside her when she was ordering her foods and drink, I heard she ordered an apple juice, one of her favorite drink beside goguma latte, then I decided to interrupted her.

“Always an apple juice” I said.

She turned around and looked at me in disbelief.

“Joong Ki oppa?” She asked me, still in a confuse and disbelief look.

I smiled to her, deep inside my heart I really grateful that I finally met her again. This time, I promise, I won’t let you go ever again, I won’t let you shed your tears again, everything that had happened years ago was just a mistake, all of it, it was just a misunderstood Seohyun-ah. Now I’m here, right in front of you, and I’m going to tell you everything, to explain it clearly so you can understand, that I never, ever betrayed you Seohyun.

Thanks God for giving me this second chance to finally meet her again.

I smiled then answered her with “Annyeong!”

***

In the sky that is spread with the sunset

Will my heart, smeared with tears be expressed?

It still feels like I'm walking on this path with you and everlasting sunset

When you silently disappeared, the small pieces of memories were left before my eyes

In the stopped time, I faintly hear your melody in my ears

 

After Joong Ki ordered the same foods and drink as her, they decided to sit on the chair beside the window. Well, it was JoongKi who decided to choose the seat, Seohyun was just being dragged to sit there by him. Joong Ki also knew that his presence was kind of shocking her, well, it wasn’t like he left her for 3 days or weeks or months without any saying something, but he left her for years, almost nine years to be exact.  He disappeared from her life, without exchanging goodbye, without giving her letter or any explanation, without everything, so he could understand why Seohyun was still showed him those kinds of look.

So now, here they are, sitting across to each other on the coffee shop near their office. Joong Ki stared deeply at her while Seohyun was avoiding his eyes, busy to played with her fingers.

 “I've kept my promise, I meet you now" he started.

Seohyun frowned and just gave her "Ne?" as the responds

JoongKi chuckled.

"Back then, in the hospital. We've met before, remember?"

Seohyun was still frowning, but now is not because her confusion, but she was trying to remember something.

"Ah! Ne, I remember! " she exclaimed.

"So, I bet you're better now. You know, at that time you went there to meet a doctor, right?"

"Ah...ne...majayo..."

"You look really pale back then, such a relief that now I see you in a good condition" he smiled again.

Well, back then, when they met at the hospital, Seohyun got a pale face wasn't because of the fever that she told him, but it was because she was so surprised that she finally could see him again after years apart, after all those years he was just disappeared like he was sinking in an ocean or something similar.

Seohyun only managed to nodded and gave him her awkward smile.

Joong Ki raised his hands to checked his watched then asked her "Hey, did you always come this early for work? It’s just 7.35”

Seohyun finally lifted her head to looked at him, her lips forming a dim smile, then she answered him “Ah…aniyo..it’s because I was just arrived from Busan and I haven’t check my clients files yet for today appointment, so…yeah…I’m a bit in a rush…”

Joong Ki stopped to his juice, then asked her again “Busan? Really?”

“Ne…attending my grandma’s funeral…” she said, then looked down,

Joong Ki observed Seohyun’s face, it’s obvious that there was still sadness in her face.

“I’m sorry to hear that...”

“Khamsahamnida…”

“Grandma must be happy now, since she doesn’t have to feel any pain from now on….” he added

Seohyun nodded lightly and said “Ne…you’re right…”, then she lifted her head to smiled at him.

Joon Ki still staring intensely to her face and finally said “Oraenmanineyo, Seohyun-ah…”

“Ne…oreanmanineyo…”, then she bent her head again.

“How have you been Seohyun-ah?”

“Seohyun-ah…that name…” She thought.

She lifted her head again and looked at him, now she dared to talked to him with looking to his eyes.

“I’ve been well, thank you. How about you, opp--, uhm…sunbaenim?

"It's good then. Well, I've been quite good I guess..."

"Ah...keuraeyeo...uhm...how about  Tif...Tiffanny...sunbaenim and your...child....? .” Seohyun asked, there was a hurt tone when she said the former and  later words.

The smile on JoongKi’s face suddenly disappear when he heard Seohyun mention about Tiffany and a child that she thought that it was his, added by the changed on Seohyun expression, he too, felt hurt for Seohyun.

He put down his apple juice, and answered Seohyun with a serious look and voice

“Look, Seohyun-ah. Let me explain, what happened years ago, when we were still in highschool--”

“What happened between us..” Seohyun cut his sentence and looked at him with a sterned look, she put down her fork then continued “...is nothing, nothing ever happened between us, you don’t have to explain anything to me sunbaenim”

Then she smiled, but JoongKi knew it was a bitter smile.

JoongKi was stunned for a while, trying to digest everything. He knew, he just knew how much he had hurt her. And he admitted that he deserved it. But he didn’t know, knowing that someone you love the most got hurt by you was this painful. He cursed himself for his stupid acted years ago, for not explaining to her, for not even saying goodbye to her.

He just ended up staring blankly to her, he wasn’t ready if this was really the end for him and Seohyun. Seohyun was just the same, she was staring blankly to him, hurt and pain were so obvious shown in her sparkling eyes.

She, herself didn’t know what happened to her, suddenly all of those feelings, all of the agonies, that she already buried years ago were just emerged without even warning her. The anger, the disappointment, the sadness, all of them were just rising up, until she felt like there was a lump in . At that point, she felt like she couldn’t hold it any longer, she was afraid that she would ended up crying in front of him if she insisted to stay there. So, she opened her wallet and took money from it.

“I’m sorry sunbaenim, but I still have another appointment with my clients. Nice to see you again. Let me treat you for the breakfast. Annyeonghigyeseyo.” Seohyun put her money on the table, she smiled and nodded before she finally got up from her chair, and left Joong Ki without even a glance.

JoongKi hurriedly got up and chased Seohyun, he grabbed her wrist and stopped her track.

“Wait Seohyun” he said.

Seohyun didn’t answered him, but she let go her hands forcefully, still shared her sharp glared to JoongKi. She continued to went out from the coffee shop, and speed up her steps. Once again, Joong Ki chased her and stopped her step when they were already went out from the coffee shop.

“Listen to me first” JoongKi started to beg.

Seohyun shut her eyes and sighed in depressed.

“What is it sunbaenim?”

“Please, listen to what I’m going to say now. Me and Tiffany, what happened between us was--”

“Don’t” Seohyun cut his sentence, by raiding her hands, asking him to stop his explanation. She shut her eyes for a second and shook her head then she continued her words

“Please, stop. I…I… don’t have to know what happened between you and her, and like I said, you don’t have to explain anything to me oppa. I’m no one for you, we were nothing since the beginning, it’s not like we were in a kind of relationship before anyway, we were just….just…a friends, a close friends…I’m sorry I have to go now opp-, sorry I mean sunbaenim”

She shared a little glance to him, then she continued to walk, leaving JoongKi who was still in a state of speechless and startled.

JoongKi turned his body, looking to her back that walked ahead from him.

No. Right now, I won’t let you go again Seohyun.

So he chased her, pulled her wrist, that made her turned her body to face him.

“Please listen to me just this once, give me a chance Seohyun-ah”

She tried to released her wrist, but JoongKi grasped it tightly.

“Joong Ki sunbae, please, don’t be like this, everyone is looking”

Joong Ki scanned the circumstances, and she was right, everybody was looking at them, so he let go of her hands.

“Please listen to my explanation Seohyun-ah, just this once, please”

“You don’t have to explain anything oppa” she said in finality.

“But I want to! I have to!” Joong Ki started to raised his voice.

“For what?” she asked in whispered.

“For us, Seohyun-ah! For us. I want us could be back like the old times, not like you keep avoiding me like this”

But Seohyun remained silent, her eyes stared at Joong Ki eyes, like she was trying to read him through his eyes. She could tell that there’s a frustration in his face, in his voice, in his eyes. But no, she didn’t want to know the reason why did he left her for Tiffany, she thought that it wasn’t a big thing now, since she already had her own life and so with him.

“Please…” Joong Ki begged in frustration.

She let out a sigh and finally agreed with him.

“Alright, but not now, I have a lot of things to do”

Joong Ki sigh in relief, his smile was back to his face.

“How about lunch? Lunch will do right?”

Seohyun was silent for considering his suggestion.

Joong Ki took her i-phone from her hands abruptly, she was startled but she let him anyway. He touched the screen, then finally managed to saved his number on it.

“Here…” he handed the i-phone to Seohyun.

“I’ve saved my number there, I’ll wait for you in front of your building at lunch, but if there’s a change for our plan, just inform me, okay?”

Seohyun nodded and said “Ahrasseoyo…”

Joong Ki smiled widely, before he said “Wait a minute, okay? Don’t go anywhere!”

Then he just left Seohyun there, without waiting for her answered, he got back to the coffee shop earlier, then he went out with a pack of food and a cup of apple juice in his hands.

He was running towards here, then he stopped to handed her the food and apple juice.

“Here…because of me, you didn’t even touch your breakfast. So, eat this on your office, will you?”

Seohyun smiled and took it from him, she’ll feel bad if she also refused the foods.

“Ne…khamsahamnida sunbaenim…”

Joong Ki just nodded and smiled to her

“Let’s go to work then” he suggested, then he walked ahead from her.

Seohyun smiled, relieved that he could understand her, she speed up her steps, balancing her pace with his.

On their way to their office, they were just silent, half was because they didn’t know what to say after the chaotic scene they had before, half was because they were just wanted to enjoyed the silence between them, and silently grateful that they finally could met again. Seohyun didn’t understand, but at times, when she walking silently with JoongKi, even if it was just a moment, Seohyun managed to forget about her sadness about her grandma’s death, and also about what Yonghwa did to her on her wedding night and the untruth thing that he was hiding from her.

 

When I walk on this path that turned yellow

Will the remaining parts of you in me be erased?

On this path that I always walked and held hands with you

And everlasting sunset

 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

HAPPY BIRTHDAY URI GOGUMA QUEEN, URI NATIONAL MAKNAE, URI SARANGHANEUN LADY

SEO JOO HYUN <3

WOOOOHHHHOOOOOO :D :D :D

 

And.... I want to apologize for not putting YongSeo in this chapter. But, I think I've to describe about Joong Ki's feeling too, it really makes me feel like a hamburgers, keke, so I'm really sorry, but I hope you'll have some fun while reading this chapter. But, don't worry I'll make it up to you and I promise I'll update soon. ^^

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU For all readers, and the loyal one who always managed to left their comment, also thank you for all the subscribers. YOU GUYS ARE JJANG ^^

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Enjoy reading :D

And once again, SAENGIL CHUKKAE HYUUU~~~NNN <3