Stranger's Kiss ✔

61

S I X T Y   O N E

T h i r d   P e r s o n ' s

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Haesoo ran to where her friends are, as fast as she could get there. She was catching her breath upon her arrival, making the other girls wonder on wherever she had been. "Hey, what happened? Why were you rushing here?"

"L-let's go home."

"What?"

"I want to go home," Haesoo declared, panting. Haesoo suddenly wanted to go, making the three girls confused as to why she was in such a hurry. Haesoo immediately realized her doings—she must've been out of her head. She couldn't ruin the day entirely just because of her personal matters. She shook her head and breathed out. "Well... That's not it. I'm sorry. I ruined your birthday, Jisoo. I'm sorry, girls. You should all stay. I just have to go."

Yujin stood up from her seat. "Haesoo, why?" Yujin picked her bag up and the other two girls followed her lead. "Where have you been? I thought you went to the ladies' room."

Haesoo was still catching her breath when she responded to Yujin, a bit stuttering. "I just..." Haesoo hesitated. She knew she couldn't tell her friends about her hallucinating—seeing Yeonjun out of the blue. She must've gone mad, but she cannot be in that mall knowing she and Yeonjun met there for the first time. "I just want to breathe."

Everything Haesoo could say were only to display the surface of her emotions. She was feeling terrible, if she would be honest. She wanted to see Yeonjun and hold him again. She wanted to hear Yeonjun's voice again as he tells his story, and as they both apologize. Her thoughts were running wild that she felt suffocated by the fact that none of those could happen anytime soon, as Yeonjun was still battling against Seo Joohan's parents.

Haesoo wanted to breathe, and the only way she could think of was to completely distract herself out to where she wouldn't see Yeonjun from minute to minute, and possibly, to not think of him at all.

Jisoo ran to Haesoo swiftly, holding her hand. "Haesoo..." Jisoo whispered, forcing a smile, although she worried. She knew Haesoo wasn't okay, and she didn't want to see Haesoo looking down. "Okay. We will go. Okay?" Jisoo cooed. Though it was her birthday, she wouldn't be able to have fun if one of her friends is not doing alright.

On the other hand, Doyeon and Yujin looked at each other with worry.

The four of them walked slowly towards the main exit of the mall. Doyeon held Haesoo's arms as to cling to her best friend. They all walked across strangers without a care in their surroundings. The exit would still be further, so they had to carry on with walking.

Haesoo sighed. "Hey, Doyeon. I'm sorry about today. I guess I was just not feeling well."

"Hmm?" Doyeon smiled. "You can tell me about it. Always."

"I... I guess I was hallucinating, Doyeon. I think I'm seeing things."

"Things? Like what?"

"Like..." Haesoo viewed up think of an answer. "Like Yeo... Your dog. I keep seeing him." Haesoo made up an excuse. She did not want to complicate things, given she almost mentioned Yeonjun.

Doyeon smirked, and at the back of her head she knew. "So you really miss him, huh?"

"Well... It's seemed to be like that. It's just..."

"You keep seeing him from time to time, right?"

"Wait, that's correct. How did you know?"

"Kim Haesoo," Doyeon called, making them halt. "Don't be afraid to tell me about your feelings. I know you missed him and I know you want to see him around again, like before."

"D-Doyeon, I don't think I have that kind of relationship with your dog yet."

"I'm not talking about my dog." Doyeon's tone transcended into seriousness. "I'm talking about Yeonjun."

Haesoo immediately froze as if her secrets have just been discovered. So she knew all along? She knew about me admitting my stupidity and my fluctuating pride? People probably see through me, wishing I forgave Yeonjun sooner and not trigger a ticking bomb. Haesoo immediately felt ashamed.

She looked down and faked a smile to stop herself from being overly emotional. "Come on, Doyeon. It won't do anything good anyway–"

"Haesoo, we are your friends." Doyeon held Haesoo's hand. "You don't have to be too hard on yourself. Give in, and stop hurting your heart."

"In what way, Doyeon? How can I even do that? By being selfish? By lowering my wretched pride? By running to him again?"

"No!" Doyeon looked away. "He's already running to you, idiot," Doyeon said in almost a whisper, making Haesoo confused. "What I'm saying is, open your heart and don't stop yourself from loving that person. You're being hard on yourself, Haesoo."

Haesoo breathed out, appreciative of Doyeon's words. "Doyeon-ah..."

"Kim Haesoo, do you remember this place?" Doyeon asked an abrupt question, making Haesoo look around.

Haesoo could remember things clearly upon exploring that place through her eyes. It was the very mall in which she got kissed by the stranger whom she fell in-love with. It was the exact area—the exact time of the day, and the exact scenario. She was heading towards the exit next to her friend, Doyeon. It was the same scene all over again.

It all came to her as if she was taken back in time. "Let's walk to the exit, shall we, Haesoo?" Doyeon smiled. Haesoo didn't know what to feel—all she knows is that there is some type of Déjà vu lingering around her figure. Haesoo smiled back before they carried on walking.

Yujin and Jisoo were quietly following Doyeon and Haesoo's steps. "Anytime soon," Yujin told Jisoo. Jisoo was excited as she only just knew about what's going to happen.

Five steps, six, and everything seemed normal. Haesoo was walking inside the mall beside Doyeon, on their way to the exit. It was already 6PM. Doyeon's parents would get mad at her, perhaps?

And by an apparent moment, things began to slowly come to place. Haesoo and Doyeon's footsteps came to another swift halt. Haesoo's heart began to throb rapidly, racing like a sports car. She breathed in a slight disbelief and a hopeful perspective, as Yeonjun stood across her, near the huge glass door.

Yeonjun's smile seemed to have struck Haesoo's heart like lightning. Haesoo could not move nor can look away—like a child witnessing an angel appear before her eyes. He waved his hand, lips and eyes curved to complement their smiles. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and a tiny box that seemed to resemble the box of a token of a marriage proposal.