The Wall | Yejisu

Chapter 12

Yeji's POV

"Good morning~" Lia gave me a smile like the sun rise. I didn't sit up right away but lay on the bed. She got up earlier than me huh. Lia must be excited about going to the beach. So am I !

She wore a sleeveless crop top, orange yellow, mango colour, and a white shorts. Again, I couldn't take my eyes off her. She looked like a girl that owns summer.

Then, I got up and changed. I remembered I put two shopping bags in her bedroom. They were a white T-shirt with pattern and a denim shorts. I put them on and an idea occurred to me. I curled up the T-shirt and made it look like a crop top.

Lia saw me.
"Oh you look hot! You will steal other people's attention"
"It won't be..I think?" I liked the way she pouted.

Then, we went out and got into the car. I drove to the beach like we did last time. And this time, I am gonna walk down and stand on the wide spread of sand.

We got there in twenty minutes. I parked at the parking lot, less cars than I thought. The beach wasn't crowded and some big umbrellas could be seen. We walked down the stairs and I step my feet into the sand.

"ooh, it feels like this" it sank and felt funny, like I walked in a steam or walked on moon.

I stood on the wide spread of sand. In front of me was the ocean. Breathtaking and mysterious. Waves came one after another and lapped the beach. It sounded soothing.

"Come on! the water" Lia walked ahead of me and said.

The sea water touched my feet. it felt fresh and cool! We walked farther till the legs were in the water. Then, you know, we splashed water on each other.

We met other people, boys and girls. They were college students. They invited us to play volleyball and soccer.

    Playing on the sand was another story. I felt like I was new to soccer, but in the end, me and Lia got a lot of fun. It was our first time playing soccer together.

With time coming close to noon, many food truck and bars started working. We went to a bar for some alcohol drink. I ordered two beer for us. We also brought fish and chips for the lunch. We saw a truck selling burrito, so we bought one too.

    After that, we changed to swimsuit and went swimming. I enjoyed the cool water very much. Sometimes waves would come and caught us off prepared. We laughed and splashed water at each other again.

    "So comfy~" I said while we lay back on the picnic blanket. Exhausted but fun.
    "What are you gonna do next??" I asked
    "Maybe, take a stroll and wait for sunset?"
    "Sounds good"

    We changed to the clothes and strolled along the beach. On the way, we saw sand castles and kids running around. We collected seashells and took pictures.

    We found a perfect place for sunset. Not many people around, and the sunset could be seen clearly.

"Yeji, do you know the story of Joe and Sophia?" Lia asked and I shook head.
"If you ask anyone in old town, they all know it. The beach and the sea reminds me of it"

Then, Lia started telling me the story.

"It happened before Miller. Joe was a young fisherman. He was an orphan and had a good heart. One day, when he arrived at the harbour after fishing, he saw a beautiful girl walk out from an exotic boat"
    "He was stunned by her beauty and asked everyone he met if they knew her. One man told him that she was Sophia. Her dad was a lawyer, hired by a rich man in town to help him on the court."

"And they fell in love with each other later?" I asked

"Yes. Joe won her heart and both lived together by the support of her dad. Sophia ran a tavern on the harbour. Every night, sailors and local fishermen would come to see her after work. And Sophia was still Sophia. She loved Joe"
"But, something bad happened to the young couple. There was a drought year in countryside. Food couldn't be delivered to town. Many people starved and crime was everywhere. At the same time, Sophia's dad failed and became a joke in the town"
    "Women hated her because their husbands always came home late due to her. At the end, everyone said she was a witch and should be burned to death"

"How did Joe save her?" I asked

"Joe knew if he hesitated, both would die. The only way to make sure her safety is to send her away first. On the boat, he promised Sophia that he would join her later. Sophia believed him and left"
"But" Lia said.

"But?"

"Joe lied. He loved her, but somehow he himself believed that she was a witch too. He couldn't let her die. So, he sent her away and returned to the town. He was exiled to a place far far away"

    Lia felt thirsty after talking so much. She went to buy a juice.

    I sat here and tried to imagine what face would Sophia have when she realised it. And suddenly, I sort of recalled something that I chose to forget long ago. A strong sadness and regret gripped me. My heart pounded, I felt like I can't breathe.

/

It was her.

A train station. The last time I saw her was at a train station. That day, I saw her walk onto the train with baggage and I watched her leave.

It was a train with white body and deep blue lines. It went to a harbour in the old town. The route had been shut down by gov.

A big ship. She told me that she would be taking a big ship in the old town.

Her name, I can't remember.
Her face, I can't remember.
But her expression must be the same like Sophia. A very disappointed, maybe angry, helpless face.

I felt someone tapped my shoulder.

/

"Here you go~I bought. are you crying?" Lia said
"Did I?"

I did.

I touched my checks and felt it wet with tear drops rolling down from my eyes. Why did I cry?

"Because of the story? You're the least likely to cry"
"Just sand in my eyes" I wiped the tears away quickly
"You sure? This is the first time I see you cry. It must be something." She insisted.
"Nothing. Lia. I'm fine"
She pouted.
"Take your drink or not?"
"Thanks..."

I bet Lia sensed that I was hiding something. I didn't want her to be unhappy at the end today.

"Hey, um, I'll tell you one day. When I'm ready to tell"
She took a sip of the juice.
"See! I knew you were hiding something. You promise?"
"I promise"

We both didn't say anything for a few minutes. Lia broke it first. She told me her experience on a cruise ship. It was like a moving hotel.

We watched sunset. The sun printed its colour on the surface of the ocean. It stretched to us and gleamed. The view, broke my heart.

On our way home, Lia fell asleep beside me. I covered her with the denim jacket. She was exhausted.

I carried her upstairs and put her down onto the bed. She smelled like sea. Her skin was warm after a long day under the sun.

I wrote a note to her saying that I have to leave. I guess it wasn't a good idea to stay here longer. I didn't want her to worry about me.
/