nostalgia, twenty-six.
❛ a night and its aftermath ❜
Yang Jungwon and Han Yebin were definitely not themselves, but they didn't know that as they sat at the edge of the sidewalk, laughing away.
Jungwon turned to the girl. "What's so funny?"
Yebin paused in between giggles. "I don't know."
"I don't know either," Jungwon said, and they bursted out into laughter again. "Do you think we're drunk?"
"Dunno. I've never been drunk before." Yebin shrugged.
"Me neither." Jungwon sighed, before looking down at their arms. "Why are our arms linked?"
"Oh, sorry." Yebin pulled her arm away. "Do you not like it?"
"I don't really like touchy people," Jungwon admitted, sliding his arm back into hers. "But you're okay."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
They stayed quiet for a while, their dizziness turning to exhaustion. Their laughter died down, but they were far from sober.
Yebin yawned, shifting her eyes from the sky to the billboard several kilometers away. It was Nam Joohyuk's perfume advertisement.
"He's so handsome." She sighed longingly. "I wish I had a boyfriend like him."
"Like him?" Jungwon furrowed his eyebrows as she pointed at the billboard. "What about me?"
"I mean, I like you too," Yebin said nonchalantly. "But I don't know if you like me back."
Jungwon frowned. "Of course I like you. Isn't it obvious?"
"Huh." Yebin tilted her head. "I didn't know that."
"I didn't know either." Jungwon shrugged. "Do you think we'll remember this?"
"Dunno," Yebin replied. "Probably not."
Jungwon hummed in response, his eyes drooping slightly in doziness.
Then, Yebin suddenly felt sentimental. "Hey, Jungwon- do you believe in soulmates?"
"That's too deep of a question. I'm sleepy." He sunk back into the trench coat's warmth.
"It's just yes or no," Yebin mused.
"No," Jungwon answered her flatly.
Yebin sighed. "My grandma thinks you're my soulmate. She says we're lucky."
"I think we were just lucky enough to meet each other at the right time," Jungwon's words came out like a murmur.
"Maybe." Yebin yawned again. "But my birthday wish did come true."
Jungwon only hummed, but Yebin kept her eyes on the sky, noticing how a new star appeared every time she spotted one.
"So what did you- Jungwon?" Yebin paused as she felt his head fall to her shoulder. "Oh, okay."
She pulled her half of the trench coat around her snugly, and laid her head on his without thought.
They closed their eyes and let themselves lean on each other for support, an action that would have definitely been more hesitant if not for the current circumstances. Frankly, they didn't expect to spend their last day of spring break like this anyway.
Drunk words are sober thoughts. It's a very common saying. They'd spoken so honestly that night, and they had yet to realize what it would come to when they sobered up. But for now, they couldn't care any less.
After an hour or two, they'd thankfully come back to their senses. The aftermath was a car ride spent in silence, all the way from the restaurant to Yebin's house. They were too tired to talk, and Jungwon slept through the whole thing.
When Han Yebin got home, despite the pounding headache she'd acquired, she paced around her room, wide awake. The memory was clear as day. She wanted to bang her head against the wall for being so loose with her words, but then again- he liked her back, right?
She shook her head, falling onto her bed with a sigh. Pulling her phone out, she rang her best friend, who picked up after a few seconds. Tan Xiaohui's drowsy face appeared on her screen, her eyes squinted from the sudden glare.
"Did I wake you up?" Yebin asked, her voice nervous.
Xiaohui shook her head, rubbing her eyes awake. She knew her friend well enough to know it was better to lie. Yebin always beat herself up over the smallest things. "What happened? Why is your face all red?"
"I got-" Yebin lowered her voice even though no one was around. "I got drunk."
"Excuse me, you what?" Xiaohui sat up from her bed, her eyes widening at her phone screen.
"It was an accident," Yebin explained. "I was out with Jungwon and his friends."
"They gave you alcohol? Those dipshits-"
"No, it wasn't their fault. The drinks got switched. Jungwon got drunk too," Yebin said, wincing. "We said some things."
"Are you guys dating now?" Xiaohui laughed.
"No, of course not. I haven't even told you-"
"That he said he likes you back?" Xiaohui scoffed. "Babe, I knew from the start. Didn't think he'd admit it though."
Yebin furrowed her eyebrows at her, and Xiaohui waved it off. "I talked to him a while back. Knocked some sense into him."
"Xiao!" Yebin exclaimed, slapping a hand to her forehead.
"I just wanted to know why he was being moody." Xiaohui shrugged, before sighing. "Ah, who would have thought you would find a boyfriend before me?"
"I don't think you need to do any finding. Maybe, you see him everyday," Yebin told her, holding back a smile when Xiaohui grew confused. "At the skating rink."
"If you're talking about Park Sunghoon that motherfu-" Xiaohui stopped herself, raising a finger to her phone screen. "Nope, I chose positivity today. The point is that when you do get together, Jungwon better not break your heart or he'll be having a serious conversation with me, face to face- or you know, fist."
Yebin grinned. "Don't worry, I can protect myself."
"Sweetie, you didn't talk to me for two days after I refused to let you give the bee my brother killed a proper funeral."
Before Yebin could defend herself with 'he didn't deserve to die!', she heard feint laughter from outside her room. She told Xiaohui to wait, and opened the door to no surprise.
"Yeori!" Yebin groaned.
The fifteen-year old paused between laughs. "Sorry, I heard you guys talk about you getting a boyfriend and all that. Your jokes are really funny."
Yeori's smile faded at Yebin's expression. "Wait, you weren't kidding?"
Before Yebin could explain, her sister bolted to her own room and came back with her phone and pillows. Yeori looked dead serious. "Sleepover."
It had been a while since the last time they did this, and Yebin didn't even realize how much she missed it. After telling Yeori everything, they put on some music. Yebin swore her nausea and fatigue disappeared when 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' played.
"When are you seeing Jungwon next?" Yeori then asked.
"Tomorrow," Yebin said with a wince, remembering it was a school night.
Yeori gasped before rambling on, "You have to let me get you ready tomorrow. I have so many ideas, I can do your hair- hey, maybe you'll look good for once!"
Yebin nearly pushed her sister off the bed as she laughed aloud.
Eventually they'd dialed down, both lying face up on Yebin's bed. Yeori stared at the ceiling, going over her last few thoughts.
"Did you really want to give that bee a funeral?" she asked her older sister in mild second-hand embarrassment.
"Yeah," Yebin replied, holding no shame whatsoever. She sighed. "I bet he's in bee heaven right now, looking down at Xiaohui and shaking his head."
Yeori faded into a laughing-induced sleep, and Yebin kept her eyes open for a few more moments.
Maybe her younger sister wasn't totally demonic, maybe she wasn't as annoying as she'd concluded. Yebin shook her head, stifling a laugh at the despicable thought. No, definitely still annoying.