Nine.
Twelve Meters and Closer
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"Hayi," Chaerin peeked inside her sister's room, smiling slightly at her rumpled up bed. "Still asleep? It's a beautiful day," she grinned and got ready to pounce on the bed, when a voice behind her startled her.
"What are you up to, eonni?" Chaerin turned, surprised, as Hayi herself, dressed and wide awake, squinted up at her sister.
"Darn it. I was going to wake you up." Chaerin pouted. "You're up early," she observed.
Hayi smiled. "I was thinking of looking up some things today."
"What things?"
"Umm," she hesitated. "Part-time jobs...and then some classes."
"Ohh," Chaerin nodded, impressed. "What sort of classes?"
Hayi smiled bashfully. "Maybe something of baking?" she let out a little laugh.
"Really?" Chaerin smiled widely. "Aww, that's amazing, baby girl! It's so good of you to finally think that up. I knew you didn't love pastries for nothing. You need to learn quickly and then design my wedding cake, ne?"
Hayi almost snorted. "What wedding cake? You're not thinking of getting married anytime soon, are you? The best time I'll be able to make you something is a birthday cake."
"Did somebody say 'birthday cake'?" their father appeared around the corner. "Hayi, I'm done with the computer. You may use it. Are you going to look up some cake?" He wiggled his eyebrows until his daughters laughed.
"Dad, she's looking for a baking school. She'll have no one else to feed her concoctions but to us."
"Really?" their dad smiled, then turned serious. "But what of your job right now at the magazine?"
"I was thinking of that...I'll save up first until the next term at the baking school, if that's okay, and if I can juggle a bit, I'll continue for a while. But since it gets too busy at the company, if it's like that until the next term, I'll quit and find a part-time while I study." Hayi hesitated for a bit. "If that's okay with you, Appa."
Her father looked at her for a moment. "It's going to be difficult starting from scratch again. But if you're sure that you want to go through that," he grinned mischievously. "And since there shall be bread and cake and no cost involved for me..."
"Appa!" Hayi exclaimed as Chaerin laughed loudly.
"All I'm saying is, you're young and you can do what you think needs to be done. Try it." He smiled at his daughters. "Appa and Eomma shall support you both all the way."
Hayi smiled gratefully at her father. "Thank you, Appa. Thank you, eonni." she gave them each a hug. "But if it doesn't work out --"
"You don't know that yet!" Chaerin laughed. "Just try it first. Then let's see where it takes you."
"Yeah..." Hayi said, thoughts drifting to a boy on the apartment across theirs. I hope we both find the same courage to move forward in our lives and see where that takes us, right, Hanbin?
Hanbin lingered outside the apartments even though it was fifteen minutes until his bus arrived, the bus that will take him to the train terminal, which will in turn take him to the university. It was Sunday night already; he held up five fingers as he counted off. It was the longest that he had stayed; yet it was probably the best. There's a niggling feeling of something different on the fringes of his life, mixed with anxiety. He had yet to figure out if it was good or bad. He gripped his suitcase tighter in his hand.
Jinhwan was nice enough to wait with him, though he stood a little distance away. In his hands were the banchan his mother made for him, in a pile of containers wrapped in yellow cloth.
Plastic boxes, in fact, that were brought to them by a certain little brown haired girl three years ago, with huge, observant, curious eyes.
The same pair of eyes he'd been anxious to see before he left.
He could tell Jinhwan was a little impatient, yet, as is his style, he didn't voice it. Mosquitoes were prevalent then, and he kept swatting his face with his hand.
Finally, Hanbin bit his lip and turned back to his hyung. "Sorry. Let's just go, I don't think she's coming."
He had texted Hayi earlier telling her to meet him in front of the apartments at 5:00PM, and that he had something to give her. Hayi responded with a lot of apologies, since she said she was in church and was st
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