Hazelnut - Ryeji

13

Brrring Brrring

My eyes opened widely as the loud sound coming from a cellphone melted the dream I was having and my peaceful sleep.

I stood up from the couch I slept on and looked at Yeji who was still sleeping soundly on the bed. 'I guess she's still tired from all that beer she drank last night.' I thought to myself.

The ringtone sound was still present in the room and it was very loud. I was a little puzzled that Yeji hasn't wake up because of it.

I carefully walked towards Yeji's bag that is on the floor. It was the same bag that she always use in school. The same plain black bag.

Her bag was open and there was a giant mess inside it. There was her phone and a bunch of paper and socks inside it. I crouched on the floor and I grabbed Yeji's phone to see who was calling.

It was Lia.

I held my head out of frustration. I didn't want to answer the call because Lia might think that Yeji and I are dating. I slowly stood up and I threw a glance at Yeji who was still sleeping.

"Shoot." I weakly said.

I decided to wake Yeji up so she can answer her friend's call. I walked towards Yeji and I sat down on the soft bed. The bed she slept on was way more comfortable than the couch. I decided to sleep on the couch because Yeji kept on kicking me when I was sleeping besides her.

I let out a cough while holding Yeji's phone. "Yeji, wake up." I gave Yeji a light tap on the forehead.

She was sleeping like a toddler. Yeji was holding her blanket with both of her hands and she's still wearing her beanie that made me chuckle a little bit.

I gave Yeji a tap on the forehead for the second time, but it didn't work.

"Hey, Yeji. Lia is calling." I said and started patting Yeji on the forehead hoping that she wakes up.

Yeji's eyes opened that made me breathe a sigh of relief. Yeji started stretching her limbs and fixed her beanie. "What?" Yeji asked as she rubbed her tired eyes.

I smiled and showed Yeji her phone. "Your friend is calling." I said.

Yeji rose up from her bed and sat down properly. Yeji took her phone from my hand and answered Lia's call without hesitation.

"Hwang Yeji!" Lia yelled.

I sat down besides Yeji and I brought my ear closer to the phone because I wanted to listen to their conversation.

Yeji let out a laugh while massaging her ear. "Why are you so loud, Lia? I just woke up."

"What the hell is going on?! Your mom called Chaeryeong and I to ask how was our trip to Gwangju and I was like what?!!!!!!!" Lia yelled that shattered our eardrums.

I looked at Yeji and chuckled. "Your friend is so loud." I murmured.

Yeji let out a small laugh. "Lia, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was a little difficult to lie to your mom. Anyways, I talked to Ryujin's sister and she said that she's in Gwangju. Hwang Yeji, is something going on between you two?" Lia asked.

Yeji forced a chuckle and looked at me. She tried to think of an excuse. "Lia, I'll explain everything to you when my time comes, okay?"

"What?" Lia asked.

"Don't worry, Lia. I'll explain everything to you." Without hesitation, Yeji ended the call.

Yeji placed her phone on the bed and let out a big yawn. She looked very exhausted, but she was very beautiful. Her eyes, her nose, her lips, everything. She's the definition of perfection.

"What are you staring at?" Yeji asked me that caught me off guard.

I looked away and I started looking around our hotel room. "D-do you want to visit the beach with me before we go back to Seoul?" I asked and waited for a reply.

Yeji nodded and stood up from the bed. "Sure. I'll go wash my face." Yeji said and walked to the bathroom.

A big smile formed on my face as I stood up and started stretching my limbs.

'This is the best weekend ever.' I thought to myself.

--

As my foot steps on the golden sand, I let out a sigh of relief. I inhaled the humid sea air and exhaled through my nose.

Yeji, on the other hand, is busy walking around and playing with the seashells she collected while watching the waves crash against the shore.

I looked above the infinite blue sky with a promising sunshine. The dazzling sunlight made the sand sparkle like a thousand tiny pieces of jewelry.

It was a very relaxing afternoon. Even though it was a weekend, there weren't that much people at the beach that made me even more satisfied as there isn't much noise present.

I looked to my right side and I saw people playing with their frisbee and volleyball with their friends. To my left side, there were kids building their own sand castle while the others are digging down through the sand hoping to see a buried treasure.

I let out a smile as I sat down and hugged my knees. "This is so calming, Yeji." I said.

Yeji looked at me while playing with the pale yellow sand with her foot. "I know. It's been a while since I went to the beach." She said.

I patted the extra space besides me. "Sit here, Yeji." I said.

The wind around me started sending my hair to different directions as I listen to the waves crash against a nearby rock. The smell of saltwater traveled to my nostrils, releasing a mesmerizing smell while I was feeling the gritty sand with my feet.

Yeji walked towards me and slowly sat down besides me. She suddenly rested her head on my shoulder that caught me by surprise. "I don't want go back to school, Ryujin."

"M-me too." I replied.

"I want some chocolate hazelnut ice cream." Yeji pouted.

Only Yeji and the beach can make me feel something this quiet and peaceful. I sat down properly and I placed my arm around Yeji's shoulder without hesitation.

Yeji looked at me with her shimmering eyes that remind me of the golden blazing sun. "This feels nice."

I let out a smile at her showing off my whisker-like dimples. "Good to know."

Yeji inhaled and exhaled sharply. "This is the type of stuff I want to feel everyday. Peaceful and warm with a little bit of romance. I want someone who will hug me and put an arm around me until the end of my time."

The smile on my face slowly dissolved. "So you still want to be in a relationship?" I asked.

Yeji weakly smiled. "What if I told you that even though I'm already dying, I still want a girlfriend? What will you do?"

I got a little flustered with Yeji's question. 'She said girlfriend not boyfriend. Is that a hint?' I thought to myself.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I asked.

Yeji chuckled and stood up from the golden sand. "It's nothing." She said. "It was just a random question." Yeji offered her hand to me.

"Let's go back to Seoul."