✓LOVER BOY | hwang hyunjin

36. Just Her

Yeseul turned off the phone. She still wasn't out of the trance from what had happened earlier. She rested her head on her knees, breathing out. Recalling it all over was even more worse. She kept wondering if she was right to do this, despite how Hyunjin had been against trying to open up the heart of a woman who had cut off all ties with him. Be it the blood that only held them close, Hyunjin knew what had happened back then was something that erased even that feeling of familiarity between the two.

Yeseul was nervous. She didn't know whether to tell Hyunjin about it. The conversation had made her feel like she was treading on the edge of a knife. She barely felt comfortable, despite the specks of hope that still filled her by knowing that there might be a chance to repair the relationship between Hyunjin and his grandmother.

Hyunjin...
What exactly were secrets he had been hiding from everyone? It made her feel queasy. The swirling emotions inside her were not helping her. And she now had a new engagement to attend to. The concert. She was more than nervous about the fact that she finally was meeting the boy she anonymously had poured her heart and soul to after all this time. Sam was attending the same school as her, but she had not one bit of idea who he could be.

The whole spiral of thoughts made her remember the audio tape Jeongin had given to her. The one in which Hyunjin had recorded his unreleased music. She walked towards her bedside table. In the drawer of miscellaneous belongings, she took it out. She hadn't listened to it ever since that day. Something about it was too personal. She treasured it a bit too much, but perhaps it was the only thing that could help her forget about the rest of the world. She fitted in the tape in the old player she owned. Yeseul laid back, the music blanketing her in its waves. She sighed, eyes closed. All she could see was Hyunjin's face.

_______

The day had arrived. Yeseul had been jittery since morning. She had scrubbed herself red in the shower while getting ready. It was 4, so she still had enough time. She walked in her closet, taking out the black dress she had decided on. It was a hard acceptance, but Yeseul was surprised to see herself in the mirror. She felt beautiful. The idea made her laugh.

Jeongin was ecstatic to know that Yeseul was coming. Soji was looking forward to meeting her. Yeseul was burdened down by the idea of meeting two strangers on the same day, but she couldn't deny that she was looking forward to it all.

Hyunjin was sweating too many nerves. He kept breathing in deep to ease a bit of the tightness of his chest. This was the first time he was performing in front of an audience, and the stage fright was something he didn't wish to experience this day. He had possibly spammed Sul by every single emotion he was feeling. She had taken it all like a warrior on the front. He sat backstage, strumming at his guitar. He had had too many rehearsals, but he couldn't stop himself from ensuring he had the sequence stitched down on his heart. He wanted it to be perfect for everyone in the audience.

Even for the ones that were absent.

Yeseul was dropped off ten minutes before the show started. She was in a constant state of panic since the last hour. The orange bulbs lightened up the path leading into the hall. But she had to meet her friend for the first time beforehand. Sam had told her to meet her backstage.

She looked around cluelessly. She stopped a worker who was passing by, and he was helpful enough to lead her towards the room. It was darkly lit there. Many people were running around, busy all over. She didn't even know what Sam looked like, so all she did was stand awkwardly near the door, clutching hard at her purse.

"Sul?"

Her heart leaped in her chest. She turned her eyes towards the person standing behind. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hyunjin?"

Hyunjin blinked. He felt a gush of warmth cover his ears. He couldn't breathe. She looked so beautiful. "Yeseul."

They barely opened their mouth. Their hearts beat in a familiar sync. Too much fluttering engulfed their insides. Yeseul was dazed about the whole situation, but Hyunjin already seemed to catch up on the possibilities of things he had overthought countless times.

"Hyunjin! We start in two minutes!" Someone shouted from behind the stage. Hyunjin nodded, his eyes quickly shifting back on her. He licked his lips, blinking. "You look pretty."

Yeseul couldn't even thank him, because he was already picking his guitar, running past towards the draped curtains. She was stunned. Piece by piece everything aligned. The music started in the background, and Hyunjin's voice floated towards her, every word melting like snowflakes into her.

Sam was singing tonight, and Sul was listening to it all. They had finally come face to face.

Something eased the worry of Hyunjin, because he somehow felt everyone disappear. All that stood in front of him was only one girl.