✓Pivot || MCND Bic

CHAPTER 7 - 🧩

"No, we're not actually..." I said.

"You're not?" She said, surprised. "That wouldn't be good. The whole neighborhood would be so, so disappointed."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was getting confused. Is she mistaking us for someone else?

"The wedding, of course!" She said, almost laughing. I looked at Seungmin and he's just looking at the floor. Isn't he finding this weird? "I remember that day. When you were little, you knocked on the doors of the whole neighborhood saying that you'll be getting married at the playtree." She laughed. "You and your friends made a whole fuss about it and you actually did held a ceremony the next day. The adults thought it was so sweet."

I smiled at her, mostly just to be polite, because I have no idea what she's talking about. "I think you got the wrong people." I said. "We're really just friends." I turned to Seungmin who is now just looking at me. "Right?"

"Really?" The woman said. "I am sure it's the two of you. You're faces didn't change that much, you see, still handsome and pretty. But you already lost all that baby fat around here." She gestured on her cheek and laughed. "Well, if you still want to enjoy the tree, you can go back tomorrow. It's dangerous at night."

"Okay," I answered and she went on her way. "What was that all about?" I said as soon as she's out of earshot.

"So you don't remember." Seungmin said. I shot a look at him, shocked. He nodded toward the direction where the woman went to. "What she said."

"What? Did we attend that wedding or something?"

He shook his head and sighed. "She's right. It was us but I guess it's not that important to you to the point that you don't remember."

He sounded upset but I laughed it out. "You mean that wedding child's play?"

He just nodded. "You call it that. Now it all makes sense." He sighed but I can tell that he's trying his best to remain calm as his eyes water.

"What does?" I asked. What is this all about?

"Do you even remember why we stopped talking to each other?"

Now that he mentioned it, I really don't. It's like there's a blank space in my memory where I can't recall some of the details. I know we were friends, and close one at that. Our families are close too. We'd been through a lot together, especially when we were kids but seeing him react like this, there must be something I'm missing. Did we really held a wedding play?

I shook my head, hoping that he will tell me more.

"We stopped being friends because you were afraid we'll keep being friends." He said and when he saw the confused look on my face, he continued. "We had this whole plan at the start of middle school. It was stupid and I shouldn't have agreed to it if I knew this would happen."

"What are you saying?" I asked but something is coming back now. It was one of our first days at a new school and we were talking. That's the last time we actually talked because I remember, almost vividly, the memories that had happen from then on and he wasn't in any of them.

"You really don't know?"

When I shook my head again, he turned away from me. Probably to hide a tear but I still saw it twinkle when the streetlight reflects on it as it fell from his eyes.

"We stopped hanging out," He started. "Because you said friends aren't supposed to date each other."

All of a sudden, something clicked in my mind. I remember saying that and it was out of pressure. My new friends, at that time, were having bets whether Seungmin and I  will be together but almost all of them said it's not possible because friends aren't supposed to date.

"We were at that age," he continued. "And that worried me too. So we stopped being friends and went our separate ways. We were so sure fate will bring us back together." He gave me a sad smile.

That certain memory is coming back to me now, like pieces of puzzle forming a big picture in my brain. As he talk, it becomes clearer and I feel so bad that everything we talked about slipped out of my mind.

"Do you remember now?" He asked and I hesitantly nodded but I still can't believe there was a time that our friendship reached a romantic level.

What could've gone through his mind all these years? Knowing Seungmin, he'd hide his real feelings behind his smiles. We had a promise and I forgot about it. How did I forget something so momentous?

"Do you realize how painful it was watching you get close to Haneul?" He tried to laugh but failed miserably as another tear fell to his cheek. I can feel myself starting to cry, too. "Imagine how I felt when news started to spread that you were already together. I just kept it to myself and had trust in you. Because we promised!"

I just listened to him, not knowing what to say. 'Sorry' isn't even cut out for what I've done. A promise is an important thing. No matter how old you are when you made them, it doesn't make it less of a big deal.

"I thought I should've just come for you sooner but I guess I was already too late." He shrugged. "I still waited and waited until I just gave up and started to be happy for you. In the eyes of so many, you were the perfect couple. How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"But it isn't enough reason for you to take advantage of the situation when I recently just broke up with him." I said, knowing that's my only defense but I know it doesn't matter, not here, not now, not ever. I felt my heart twist in pain. I shouldn't have said that but I just needed to say something.

"You know what?" He said and he stared at me deep in the eyes that I couldn't look away.

His eyes are sparkling with tears. How can his face that used to be all smiles and mischief looks so sad?

"I was genuinely happy for you and at some point I already accepted that we aren't for each other. It was really okay if you'd just moved on but what upsets me right now is that you completely forgot about everything as if it wasn't important, as if I wasn't important." He offered me a smile as the tears in his eyes overflowed down to his chin and he let me see it, he let me stare at it like a punishment. That was his years of waiting in pain for me and I deserve it.

After that, he walked away, leaving me crying on the center of the road. This time, he didn't think it was more annoying to do so.