Rotten Aegyo// txt choi beomgyu ff

how many years has it been?

"Kim Hana.......Kim Hana...I...."

That voice. How long has it been since I last heard it say my name?

________________________

"3, 2, 1!"

*snap*

"Oh yeahhh goood!! Now another one! 3, 2, 1!"

"That turned out great!"

Yoonah ran up to her parents to check the photos. 

It was the day of graduation from University. After that day, everything seemed to be a temporary dream that ended as abruptly as we exited the building and rode on the same subway line to school. Yoonah didn't mention them to me. Neither did I. 

It's been almost 5 years. 

The sun was gradually more visible as the clock struck 12. Through the hand that I lifted to protect my eyes from the sunlight, I saw a figure that I could not mistaken anyone else for. 

"Yoonah." I didn't hesitate to tap her shoulder. 

"Yeah?" 

She paused to look. Instead of staring at the person who was striding closer and closer, I kept my eyes on her. As expected, her eyes widened, and her eyelashes trembled with emotion, shimmering with each step the person took toward her....until he stopped at only 10 meters away, in the shadow under the swaying branches of the cherry blossoms. 

"Yeon...Yeonjun oppa!!" 

Yoonah's voice wavered as she dashed toward Yeonjun, who was dressed in the same black outfit as that day. I witnessed his catlike monolids curled upward into a sentimental smile. 

He came back. 

So...has he? 

"Yoonah..."

I heard Yeonjun's voice from afar. It was still the same mellow tone, unchanged by time. It seemed like yesterday that us three were sitting around the table at the convenience store under a hazy morning sun... 

"Will you...be my girlfriend?"

I saw him growing serious as he uttered each word with care. 

"Yes!!!" 

She said almost immediately. 

"I'm not going anywhere this time."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Yeonjun's eyes were serious and determined under the translucent light, yet I was sad. I was the most desperate I've been for a long while. 

He promised. 

So, would he?

________________________

11:00pm

*creak*

*....cccreak*

I swung back and forth on the swings on the playground with a bottle of soju in my hands. The convenience store I worked at in highschool was the only source of light around me, aside from a few street lamps that were sparkling on and off. 

The night was dark, without a trace of starlight.

Good old days...good old days....

Whether it was because of the brightness of the light or the memories that flashed through my mind...or the strength of the alcohol...my eyes grew sore and a tear slicked down silently. 

I usually knew the reason I was crying. But this time, I didn't. I didn't know. 

Today was graduation, but I was not happy. I had Yoonah beside me while I stood on the podium to receive the graduation certification, but I was not happy. I saw Yeonjun and Yoonah in each other's arms...I was supposed to be happy, yet it was entirely the opposite. 

Now thinking back, I was never happy all these years. 

At this thought, I couldn't hold back the sob at my throat and choked on the sudden tears that flowed uncontrollably out of my eyes.  

The light from the convenience store blurred. I gripped onto the bottle of soju harder, until I thought it was going to break into shards and penetrate my hands...

...

Until it was taken out of my hands. 

"???"

At the sudden I tried looking around me, but I felt a weight slowly settling on top of me. I held my breath. 

I was still sitting on the swings, feet barely touching the ground. Two arms reached from behind to hug me...and a balmy breeze carrying a familiar lavender scent tickled my nose. In the distance, a heart, beating ever so faintly, matched the rhythm of mine. 

Beomgyu rested his head beside mine. 

He was silent, and I could feel him breathe steadily as his soft black hair brushed my flushed ears. 

It was real. 

I felt his warmth.

"Hana." After a long while when I stopped sniffling from the aftereffects of sobbing, he said my name. Unlike Yeonjun, his voice was deeper than 5 years ago...a resonance more mellow and captivating. "You shouldn't drink so much."

I couldn't respond. 

"Hana." He said again, slower this time. "mm.." He hummed as words were stuck on the edge of his tongue. 

"Would you be my girlfriend?"