past and present
It’s been a month, seoyeon prefers not to think much about it but, she misses her and she knows it’s all her fault. She was the reason for what went down between them so she can’t really complain much.
To put it shortly, since that day she decided to act like she didn’t say anything through the phone, because the thoughts of rejection washed over her, her relationship with yooyeon had changed. It’s like those 2 months they’ve known each other for didn’t exist, it’s like they never apologized for a small misunderstandings with roses in hand, it’s like yooyeon never held her through that night, it’s like they were back to that first week of knowing each other. Distant, awkward and cold. Meals went back to how it was before, lacking warmth and shy smiles and seoyeon can’t blame anyone but herself for it.
It’s December, finals are around the corner and seoyeon can’t get herself to focus on her studies because of a certain someone who keep wandering in her thoughts. On the other hand yooyeon barely came back to the dorms, pretty much living in the library, and if she did it will be so late at night that she will always finds seoyeon cuddled up in her bed and she can’t help the little pang in her chest looking at her roommate from across the room, looking small, cold and so fragile in her eyes.
But December didn’t just mean finals to her, to yooyeon. December meant grief and that’s why she preferred burying herself in her books to ignore that feeling that never left her chest since she was a child, a feeling that will always linger and only intensifies during this specific month. A night that will never be erased from her memory no matter how young she was back then, everyone around her thought she won’t remember a thing about it considering she was only five but yooyeon does remember all of it.
That night they were riding back home from the Christmas market in her hometown, she was sat in her grandmother’s lap, happy, singing along to Christmas songs with her family. Then it all went down when the car came to a halt, for a second it was silent but then she felt her grandmother’s hands tighten around her and like it was in slow motion she felt the crash. brutal, aggressive and deadly. Next thing she remembers is her voice calling out.
“moma…?” but no one answered so she tried again.
“papa...?” no one answered either and then it’s like her ears started working again and she felt her head buzz from all the noises.
People talking, the ambulance coming their way in a distance and a men screaming. “there is a baby in there!” a gasp.
She then felt a hand in her arm and suddenly a light. She was a kid and she didn’t know much about heaven and hell and religious stuff but she was sure she made it to heaven in that moment. but then, the noises are back and all she sees is red. If not heaven then is this hell? she wondered. But her vision came back and all she saw was her father’s car, lit in fire.
Yooyeon hated the reminder of that night. So she made a mission to live in the library somewhere where she felt safe, somewhere surrounded by the only thing that keeps her sane during this month, books. Christmas break was just right after her exams and she dreaded it and every second of the 24th .
Xinyu knew she should be studying for her exams, they start on Monday and she should probably write her last few notes but she didn’t care because it was Friday night and what’s better than a drink in this cold weather. that’s why she was now standing, waiting for someone, in front of the sign written in big bold letters above the door. The vision club.
She had been here a few times after that evening seoyeon called them over. And in xinyu fashion she didn’t care if she came out as bald and confident because she made it her mission to make the barista park sohyun fold, she ended up being the one to fold everytime she caught the shorter girl looking at her when she wasn’t taking any orders.
Last time she was here, she got drunk and ended up embarrassing herself in front of the attractive short haired girl but hey! A win is a win because that gained her the girl’s number for some reason and xinyu couldn’t hide the surprise in her eyes as her face broke into a wide grin when she woke up the next morning and found the little note in her pocket.
You were alone last night and got pretty drunk, I had to open your phone and call your friend to come get you, sorry for invading your privacy without your consent but, here, +82 **-****-****
That’s my number text me whenever you want.
Ps: you looked pretty today.
Xinyu didn’t want to get her hopes up and kept contemplating if she should text the barista for over a week until nakyoung talked her throught it.
“So you are telling me a hot, attractive barista that you are obviously into, gave you her number and you haven’t texted her, and It’s been already a week?”
“Yeah…” xinyu was helpless.
“I thought I was the stupid one in this friend group but damn you guys are actually dumber.” at that seoyeon who was minding her own business, eating her pizza in peace perked up.
“Hey! That was unprovoked!” all nakyoung did was stick out her tongue like she was a kid and went back to scolding xinyu.
“As I was saying, don’t be dumb like this kid here…”
“HELLO?” it was seoyeon again but nakyoung ignored her and continued.
“Use your brain and take your chance, she gave you her number and called you pretty so don’t waste this opportunity like the stupid hamster is doing-“
And suddenly a plastic fork was coming nakyoung’s way from across the table…
when xinyu texted sohyun later that evening, they ended up talking for hours on end about everything and nothing at the same time until sohyun had to get to work. But then barely an hour later she heard her phone pang.
Sohyun:
Hey, are you free tonight?
My manager told me to take the day off and am all dressed up so I was wondering…
Do you want to hang out?
It was kinda embarrassing how excited she felt in that moment while reading the text to the point she ended up replying before she even thought her texts through.
Xinyu:
OF COURSE!
Oh my god yes
Let’s hang out
Where?
And that’s how xinyu ended up in front of the club’s door waiting for sohyun to come out.
She made a promise to herself to never hide her interest and tonight she was going to let sohyun know that she wasn’t looking for a friendship but more with the barista, even if it’s just in little actions and not words.
Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a quite deep voice calling her name from behind "Xinyu!"
Turning around she saw her. Sohyun looked different today.
She had her hair styled in a way that made xinyu's breath catch in her throat, her usual glasses weren't on and it looked like she spent hours in front of her closet contemplating what to wear. she was in suit pants, a white shirt, not all the way bottomed up, a tie and she wore a long black coat over it. it looked simple but for a moment it made xinyu wonder if sohyun did all of this on purpose.
Talk to her for hours, tell xinyu she had to get to work then suddenly she texts her saying her manager told her to go home and now 2 hours later she was standing in front of Xinyu looking like she was prepared to go on a date.
"Earth to xinyu?" Xinyu didn't really realize she was spacing out while looking at the girl in front of her but that definitely shook her out of it.
"oh! hi!" that was embarrassing...a way to impress a girl I guess she thought.
"Let's go?" with that sohyun gave her a timid smile and started walking ahead to the parking lot.