You Make Me | Lee Eunhyuk

01

"Jiwon, get back into position! There is no time to relax, nationals are in a month! " Byungho, the Kumdo instructor, yelled at the young girl.

Jiwon deadpanned at the man; she'd been practicing for over an hour and was desperate for a break. Despite this, she took a deep breath and prepared to practice again.

The girl had been overjoyed to have qualified for nationals, but the arduous training had evidently dampened her spirits.

She slowly put on her mouth guard and helmet to extend her break by a few seconds.

The vast training room was deafeningly quiet except for the instructor's voice. It was also brightly lit by white lights, which contrasted with the dark wood walls of the room. A single wall on the girl's left was made up of windows through which she could see the rain outside, which contributed to her calmer and more laid-back demeanour.

She glanced at her instructor as she stepped onto the mat, got into position, and hardened her gaze.

"All right, start!" exclaimed the instructor.

After lowering their bamboo practice swords, they shuffled around, searching for the perfect time to attack. Seeing an opening, Jiwon came forward to strike, but as she did, the lights in the academy flickered likely due to the storm outside.

"Well, I believe that's a sign to quit practicing for the day," Jiwon grinned as she took a step back out of caution.

The main door to the training was suddenly opened as she finished speaking. Eunhyuk stepped into the training area clutching an umbrella, his hair and clothes wet in patches. With his typical expressionless gaze, he peered at Jiwon and her instructor.

"Let's go, Jiwon," he urged.

"Huh?" She voiced, pondering why Eunhyuk was here, but she ignored her queries and removed her helmet.

He patiently waited for her in the doorway.

"Thank you, Sir, I'll be leaving for the day," Jiwon said as she bowed to her instructor and turned towards the main door.

She dashed across the large room, grabbing Eunhyuk's arm and dragging him down the corridor.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she remarked with a confused yet delighted expression.

"I thought I'd come to fetch you because the rain is making it dark outside," he added, his expression straight as usual.

Jiwon took a quick peek outside through the windows of the corridor they were in, only to see that the storm outside was far worse than she thought. The brilliantly illuminated corridor had also become darker than normal due to the storm.

"Oh wow, I had no idea. I appreciate that" she remarked, as they approached the changing rooms.

The girl turned him around and placed her hand on his shoulder, pushing him down to sit on the bench.

"I need ten minutes to shower and change, wait here, okay?" she stated, making eye contact with the boy.

"Okay," he nodded.

She turned and headed inside the sweat and perfume-scented locker room. She dragged herself out of a uniform that had gotten heavier, either owing to her exhaustion or because it was saturated in perspiration. It generally took her took twenty to thirty minutes to get ready, but she didn't want to make Eunhyuk wait, so she sped through the steps of her routine. In ten minutes, she raced out of the locker room freshly showered, in casual clothes and with her kit in a duffel bag.

Eunhyuk appeared to be engrossed in something on his phone, so she planned to surprise him.

"Boo!" she said, crouching down, so they were face to face, but received no response, not even a flinch.

Eunhyuk raised his head and smiled gently, prompting her to return the smile. The boy's quick wit was unbeatable.

He stood up and led the way out of the martial arts academy to the bus station.

"What were you doing on your phone earlier? Get a girlfriend that I don't know about?" she inquired, amusingly adding.

"Definitely not. I was looking at some recipes," he answered, lightly shoving the girl next to him.

"Why?" she inquired.

"Eun said she wanted to eat japchae yesterday, so I tried to follow a recipe, but it didn't work out" he stated, as they strolled side by side under an umbrella.

"Oh, well, why didn't you just ask me? I can show you how I make it. I made a lot for Jaeheon's birthday if she wants any right now." the young girl replied as s she enthusiastically walked through the rain.

"I couldn't ask you to do that; you're busy enough" he said as he adjusted the umbrella to provide more coverage for both of them.

"Don't worry, I like making food for you both. You're always so agreeable."

"Well, your cooking is good," He said, looking down at his friend who was slightly shorter than him.

"Seriously? Do you remember how bad the gyoza I prepared last month was?"

"Not your best but it was okay," Eunhyuk stated.

Jiwon smiled and let out a small chuckle, looking in the direction of the bus stop.

Soon, she moved her gaze to Eunhyuk, she noticed him gazing off into the distance, a faint smile on his face.

It was at times like these that she was thankful for Eunhyuk's presence in her life. They met after night study in their first year of high school, but she felt she had known him her entire life.

They continued to converse as they reached the bus station, waiting for their bus to arrive.

Eventually, the two boarded a bus and sat towards the rear. The sun should have begun to set at this time, but due to the rain, it wasn't visible. The slow darkening of the sky was the only indication that the day was drawing to a close. It was incredibly peaceful.

As the girl was looking outside, Eunhyuk put his head on the girl's shoulder while letting out a yawn. Taking the opportunity, Jiwon laid her head down on his and promptly fell asleep.