Do You Still Love Me? | 2Yeon Book 2

12) Retrieval Cues

"Hey, Nayeon? Are you okay?" Jeongyeon shook me back into reality.
"This is the place we had the accident."
She looked very shocked, "Dammit! How did I forget? I'm so sorry, I forgot."
"No, it's fine." I reassured her, but I knew she felt really guilty; her face dropped into a frown, she was recalling the events that happened.
"Hey, let's go." I urged and we both entered the park.

What we loved was the place were it all started our friendship. A very special day, September 22nd 2003 back at the playground park. I was 7 years old and Jeongyeon was 5 at the time.

Flashback

November 1st 2002

I kept meeting with Jeongyeon, we became close and I officially called her my best friend. She was like no other, quite better than anyone else. I returned to the park and lo' and behold, she was there at the playground on her own.

I was somehow interested in her, she seemed very likeable. I even called her a best friend because that's I was, I called the people I like my best friend...

When she saw me she instantly waved with the biggest smile.
"Hey!" She ran towards me.
"Hi, you're quite excited." I laughed and we both sat down on the ground.
"So your parents let you stay for longer?" I asked.
"Yes and I'm more mature."

From hindsight our parents really trusted the area and the people around. I'm surprised nothing particularly happened to us.

"Now I'm a year older!" Jeongyeon cheered.
"Wow, happy birthday you're almost the same age as me!" I responded, but her expression changed.
"I want to be older than you, being the youngest sucks." She snarled at her own response.
"You're the youngest?" Surprised I was, I'm invested.
"I have two older sisters, they always tease me." She pouted.
"Does it make you feel better that I have a younger sister?" I said.
She turned towards me and twisted her head to one side like a puppy.
"You do?"
"Yup and she's quite annoying... but I love her." I smiled.

And for the whole day we bonded even closer, I never knew I would be so friendly to a stranger on my birthday. Well... she's not a stranger anymore.

"Look at this." Jeongyeon said and pulled a necklace from her pocket.
"What is it?" I inspected it from afar, the golden platted design out stood from the rest.
"It's a locket, my grandparents gave it to me for my birthday." She opened it revealing nothing inside, "They said if I put something special in it then it'll last forever."

Flashback End

Then a few years later we would be in the same school Middle School, High School, University and now work. It worked for us in the end even though the car accident. Although I lost my memories I soon remembered them thanks to Jeongyeon.

I totally forgot about the locket, I wondered if she had anything inside.
"I wanted to ask you, do you still have that locket?"
She paused for a moment, "Oh yes, you still remembered?" She smiled.
"I just remembered now."
"I always keep it." Jeongyeon reached into her pocket and pulled out the same golden platted locket.
"Did you put anything in it?" I asked.
"I did recently."
"Oh?" Truly inverted on what she had said, I wanted to know more.

"Here." She opened it; for what I thought would be a locket of how or a photo of her family, but I was wrong, it was a picture of...
"You and me." Jeongyeon smiled.
I looked closely? it was a photo of us together after we graduated.
"I thought of this special moment, the time I knew I would spend my life with you." She wrapped her arms around my neck.

My heart melted, I couldn't contain my emotions and so I forced my head forward and kissed her soft lips. She wasn't expecting it and to be honest I didn't too.
Jeongyeon pulled back, "I love you."
Then my mind went elsewhere, somehow those words recalled a memory.

Flashback

September 22nd 2016

"I love you." The young girl blurted out.
It took a while to process, I clung onto my diary which I had at the time.
"Is that you birthday present for me?" I joked.
She looked embarrassed, "Y-Yes... do you accept?"

But before I could answer, someone interrupted us.
"You're pathetic there bad girl. You can never win her love."

Flashback End

Then it all went blank, all I saw was their fight... and my diary... the pages were ripped out.
Was that why I was missing pages?
Jeongyeon... and an unknown person?
Who was it?
I have my hunches, but please let me be wrong.

"Hey, Nayeon?" Jeongyeon spoke.
"Yeah, I'm fine it's okay." I lied.
"We should go home." She slipped her hand onto mine as we walked home. It's true, yes; it took us a long time.
The moon arose and Jihyo was at the window assumably waiting for us, she rushed outside.
"Finally you came, it's been two hours. Did you walk back?"
We both nodded.
"We're sorry?" I raised my voice.
Jihyo sighed, "I made us dinner, it's in the fridge."
"Thanks Ji!" Jeongyeon winked.
"Shut up." Jihyo laughed and went inside first.

Jeongyeon flopped onto the sofa and let out a loud sigh.
"Do you wanna eat?" She asked.
"Yeah, just a sec. I need to do something first."
"Okay, I'll get ready."
I left her to her own devises and went to our bedroom. I scrounged from my diary, I wanted to see it for myself again. The ripped pages would make sense, but who did it?
Who were they?
That memory seemed like an enter tut. I didn't want to ask her, I think she knows more that she is telling...