COLLIDE [PARK SUNGHOON]

12.

"We're here" he exhales and tucks both his hands into his jacket pockets. My lips open in awe and I observe the beautiful scene as he walks on. 

It's a small clearing in the forest, consisting of bright green grass with drops of rain ready to sink into the soil at any moment. A large tree stands in the right corner and next to it is a small, damaged bench. There is some moss on the sides and the metal railing rusts a bit, but it still looks fine. The focal point of the scene is the small river that flows throughout the park and thus also here, but there is a small waterfall that makes a soothing sound.

Feeling Sunghoon's eyes on me, I turn to him while he has an unreadable look. "It's so nice and soothing, how did you find this?" I breathe out, still in awe of the scene.

A soft smile grazes his features as a memory flashes behind his eyes. "I like to walk whenever I can and one time I stumbled upon this. You're actually the first person I share this place with..." he murmurs as a frown of realisation shows on his delicate face. My heart skips a beat and I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling the need to be extra careful with this place, to protect it.

Clearing his throat, he continues. "Since then, I come here to relax, so I hope you'll feel better too." He flickers his eyes at the ground, rocking back and forth as he's a little shy about the matter. It must be very important to him.

Gazing at him with an unhealthy amount of gratitude, his cheeks seem to burn and he tilts his head. "Did I do something wrong?" Laughing at his genuine confusion, I shake my head. 

"Not at all Sunghoon, not in the slightest."

A sigh of relief leaves his body. "Well then, let's sit down" Rubbing my hands to get warmer I nod and trail behind him. The water of the small river provides a nice background sound while some crickets make light sounds as we are now seated under the crown of the tree, on the bench. The place is actually very hidden from tourists, as I reckon many would have walked past if they hadn't seen the overgrown path that leads to this quiet spot.

The gentle breeze blows black strands off Sunghoon's pale face as he stares ahead. The sun has already set and now we just watch the scene, with no words to say, because at this moment, silence is the melody that comforts us.

Slowly averting my gaze, I look at Sunghoon. The moonlight reflects beautifully in his eyes, the way he looks at this scene with again that blank face, but now I see that it was never really blank, he just expresses his emotion in his eyes. He observes and probably thinks more than he talks.

I start to break the silence and it might be the most daring thing to start a conversation with, but I want him to know. I trust him in this matter.

"My parents want me to quit roller skating."

The sentence lingers in the air. For a moment he's unmoved, but then Sunghoon frowns as shock is written on his face. "Really?" he breathes out and I nod watching the river flow freely with the reflection of the moon. I can feel him staring at me, but dare not look at him or I might start crying again, so I just look at my shoes tapping each other to distract myself.

"It's what I love most" I continue. "But they think it's rather stupid" I don't dare say that my grades have dropped because he may think it's his fault that I'm now doing two sports. He might feel guilty that he's the reason they may have dropped. I've noticed that he's a very thoughtful and understanding person.

Again, a silence falls, but he decides to break it. His voice is like a lullaby this evening that makes me want to curl up in my warm sheets and sleep like a baby. 

"You may think I don't understand, but I do" 

Intrigued, I look at him while his eyes were already fixed on me. It's as if some kind of mutual understanding has passed through our eyes, a glimpse into each other's similar memories, and I can't help but wonder what he means by that.