IZ*ONE Drabbles/One-Shots

Last Summer Whisper (KwonChaeng)

"What for?"

"I shouldn't have left without telling you why." Eunbi looked back at Chaeyeon. She wanted all her pent-up emotions of regret, sadness and longing to reach the other girl's heart as she cannot fully convey her feelings through words.

"No matter how much you regret it now, you cannot change the past." Chaeyeon muttered in a low voice before the two of them fell into a deep silence.

"There wasn't a single day that I didn't think about you." Eunbi said in almost a whisper.

There was something with the way she said it... and it left Chaeyeon dumbfounded and somewhat confused. It was a simple sentence yet she couldn't process what she just heard.

Could it possibly mean...

Her emotions had a quick turn. The surprise on her face suddenly turned into loneliness topped with a small, bitter smile. She knows how sincere Eunbi is now but the pain she had to go through five years ago was just too much for her to handle.

Imagine being suddenly left by your partner without leaving a word... Chaeyeon kept blaming herself, thinking that she might have done something wrong... She didn't have any idea why; didn't know where she went; and didn't have any reason to assure herself that she did nothing wrong.

"I mean it." Eunbi collected all her remaining courage just to tell Chaeyeon the words she was dying to say. "I had to leave and follow my parents' orders so I could assure that I could come back to you... and spend the rest of my future with you."

"Remember our promise before? The one we made before I left... We promised that we'd be together forever and be kindergarten teachers someday."

Eunbi looked at her with her soft yet intense gaze. "Sorry, I failed to keep our promise. I really messed up and now I am regretting everything I've done."

She was trying so hard to keep her tears from falling. "Anyways, it was all in the past... and I really just wanted to see you."

Her bittersweet smile pinched Chaeyeon's heart and she is about to lose her composure any moment now.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing fine. You even look more beautiful-"

But her words were cut off when Chaeyeon's phone suddenly rang. She quickly stole a glance on the other's phone, curious about who the caller is.

"May I?"

"Go ahead."

The other girl swiftly walked away to answer the phone call. It took her a couple of minutes and when she went back to their table, Eunbi wasn't there anymore. Seems like she paid the bill and left a small note behind...

Chaeyeon sat there as her heart sank, feeling left alone like this, again. "She really likes leaving without saying good bye."

The note was a neatly folded small piece of paper. Chaeyeon felt her hands shaking as she opened the note...

※※※

I'm really glad to be able to see you and spend time with you again. Though it seems like I was a bit too late... I'm wishing for your happiness in life.

I just want you to know that I still love you and I know that no matter how many people I meet, no matter how many years go by, I always will love you since you already own a part of my heart.

Sorry for leaving so suddenly today. It feels like I couldn't say everything. Sorry for always being a coward. Until we meet again.

※※※