𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
park jongseong
★ #20 | the park
"i'm glad to have met you."
.𖥔 ݁ ˖ nicole's radio station
is now playing...
my heart it beats for you • grentperez
"no matter what the future holds,
it's you my heart beats for."
_________
WALKING down the pathway, the cold air nipped at their exposed skin as they shared the random package of gummies Jay had bought previously at the convenience store.
Rambling about random things, Hyerin paused her sentence, realization hitting her as she turned her head to look at him. "Ahh, I'm sorry, am I talking too much?" She asked, smiling sheepishly.
Jay raised his brows at the sudden question, shaking his head, a breathy laugh leaving his lips. "No, no. Of course not."
"No, but seriously. It feels like you've barely gotten a word in." She laughed nervously. "Sorry for that."
"Don't be. Your voice is soothing, it's only natural I stay quiet and want to listen." He smiled, earning a nudge from the girl walking beside him before she passed him the last of the gummies.
"You know, you flatter me way too much." She sighed out, gaze shifting to the ground as she stared at the leaves coating the concrete path in orange and brown colors.
The boy shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Maybe, but I mean everything that I say." He confessed. Hyerin felt her heart flutter at the comment, a wistful smile settling onto her lips as she mentally cursed herself for feeling so fondly inside.
"It's my turn now." She said, earning a puzzled glance from the boy next to her. "I want to listen to your voice now." She said, as he tilted his head off to the side.
"Why?"
"Because, I've been the only one talking. That, and your voice is.. comforting to me. I'd appreciate hearing it again." She reasoned, watching as his expression softened.
"Now you're the one flattering me." He laughed, as she joined in on his laughter, nodding her head.
"Maybe, but I mean everything that I say." She repeated his previous statement, only to earn a snicker from the boy as he shook his head with a winsome smile adorning his face.
"Alright, alright. What should I talk about then, Ms. Min Hyerin?" He raised a brow, tilting his head to the side.
Hyerin took a small breath, shrugging as a soft hum sounded from her lips. "Whatever you wish."
"I don't necessarily wish to talk to you about anything, though. I only wish to be in your presence, that alone is enough for me." He voiced out, as the girl felt heat rush to her cheeks; practically melting at such heartwarming words.
"Please, you're being too sweet, Jay." Her tone was as gentle as the breeze that blew peacefully through her hair, doe eyes softening as her gaze wandered around aimlessly until coming to a halt at his side profile.
"Tell me.. tell me something about yourself that I don't know." Hyerin requested, "if you're comfortable with it, of course." She added on quickly.
Jay nodded in response, pressing his lips together in a thin line as he stared at the scenery in their surroundings.
"I mean.. I'm from America..?" He informed, turning his attention to her as he watched her eyes light up in surprise.
"Wait, really? That's cool!" She said, giving him a small nudge with her shoulder.
"Is it?" He questioned wholeheartedly. "I've never really thought much of it, to be honest." He admitted with a chuckle.
"Of course you didn't. You're already used to the fact you're from a foreign country, whereas others aren't." She explained, perking up.
"To me, it's interesting. I'm intrigued, honestly." Hyerin remarked, nodding firmly along to her own words.
"Where in America, might I ask?"
"Seattle, Washington." He replied, a soft smile forming on his lips. Although something he wasn't to say out loud, he couldn't help but to find her curiosity cute.
"Ahh, you'll have to show me around someday." She joked; knowing the chances of her going to a foreign country were little to none.
"Honestly, I'd be down. There was this restaurant I used to go to with my parents when I was younger that I think you'd like. Maybe, it's still open. It was quite small, so I worry it got shut down." He spoke, earning an eyebrow raise from the girl.
"Oh, really? Maybe one day, we'd go on a little trip. I haven't exactly traveled anywhere, so it'd be a fun experience." She said, a small smile on her lips.
"For sure. I vow to take you there one day, especially since it'd be your first trip. Experiencing that with you would be fun." He sighed out.
Averting his gaze forward, the boy perked up and paused his movements. "Rin, look." He said, gesturing towards the railing overlooking the river.
Atlas, they had finally made it to a point where they could see it. Taking her hand into his own, the boy tugged her gently along with him as they leaned up against the cold, metal railing.
The sky was filled with gray clouds, a calming gloominess lingering over the city as her eyes traveled to the ripples made in the water.
For a moment, a comfortable silence washed over the pair; nothing but the quiet sound of the water splashing around below them and the faint noise coming from the city filling the atmosphere.
"It's peaceful here." She spoke through the growing silence, lifting her head and looking towards him as he hummed quietly in agreement.
"It is." He said, turning to meet her gaze. "I don't know why, but I feel so calm whenever I'm with you." He confessed, hooking his hand around the railing as he leaned up against it carefully.
"It's random, I know. But thank you for that. It feels like I'm able to relax in your presence, if that makes any sense?"
Hyerin nodded. "I understand. I'm happy to know you feel that way around me, because the feeling is mutual. You're comforting to be around."
"I'm glad we're on the same page here." He let out, threading his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm glad to have met you."
"I'm glad to have met you. Honestly, I probably would've been rotting away in my bed if I hadn't met you." She laughed out, eyes forming into two crescents.
"Oh, come on. I'm sure you would've managed well. You're stronger than you think, Hyerin. With or without me, you'd realize that eventually." Jay settled, waving it off.
"Besides, you wouldn't ever be alone. You have Sarang, remember?" He raised a brow, as she nodded and perked up at the mention of the dog.
"Of course." Hyerin let out a breathy laugh, balling her bare hand into a fist before stuffing it into the pocket of her blazer. "Speaking of her; I'd better take her here sometime soon. She'd love it."
"As much as I hate to invite myself anywhere, I kind of really want to see the famous Sarang." Jay pursed his lips, earning a chuckle from the girl.
"I'm not declining you tagging along one of these days." Hyerin hummed in content, shrugging her shoulders.
"Honestly, if you really wanted to, you could see her on the way back home." Hyerin offered, earning an eyebrow raise from the boy.
"Would it be too much?"
Hyerin smiled, shaking her head off to the side. "No, of course not. I wouldn't have offered it if it was too much."
"What are the chances that Sarang happens to favor me over you?" Jay joked, quirking a brow as she huffed out a laugh.
"Zero. She loves me the most."
"We'll see about that." He narrowed his eyes, a teasing smile tugging at his lips.
"She'll like you. Especially if you give her a treat. But, I'll always be her favorite." Hyerin spoke, stealing one final glance at the river before looking back up at him as he shifted his position, standing upright after leaning against the railing.
"Okay, but that's unfair because you raised her. She's naturally drawn to you, since she's known you longer." Jay complained, subconsciously reaching out to grab onto her hand as he gave it soft squeezes in an attempt to warm it up.
Hyerin stared down at their hands before looking up to meet his gaze, humming in agreement. "Hmm, I guess that's true. But, it doesn't matter anyway. Even if that wasn't the case, she'd still love me more."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." He shrugged, massaging her fingers before a small breath left his lips.
"Are you ready to start heading back?" He asked, receiving a nod in response. "Sure, I don't mind."
Jay nodded, eyes traveling around their surroundings as he admired the scenery before meeting with her eyes, giving her a beckoning nod as he tugged her gently along with him, pulling his hand back into his pocket to shelter it from the chilled weather.
"Quick question, how do you feel about hot chocolate?" She asked, turning her head to look at him as he turned to meet her gaze.
"I'd say I'm quite familiar with it. What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing." She muttered, turning away as she felt her hand getting a comforting squeeze.
__________
THE soft chime of the elevator filled her ears as the silver doors slid open, revealing the familiar hallway. Hyerin turned her head towards Jay, giving him a beckoning nod as she gestured for him to follow her.
Digging into her pocket to grab her key, Hyerin snorted at the vague sound of scratching coming from the other side of the door. "How does she know we're here?" Jay laughed, brows raised in confusion.
"My scent, I guess? And maybe she heard our footsteps. I'm not sure." She said, twisting the key in the lock before pushing the door open.
Almost immediately she was greeted with the puppy pawing at her legs excitedly, tail wagging as Hyerin chuckled.
"Okay, okay. Hello." Hyerin spoke, reaching her hand down to pet the golden retriever before she made her way inside, Jay going to follow suit when the dog paused at the sight of him.
The boy kneeled down at the doorway, extending his hand out for the dog to sniff before attempting to pet her head gently.
Hyerin watched the two interact nervously after slipping off her shoes. It's not that Sarang was an aggressive dog in any given way; it was just that it was the first time she was meeting someone that wasn't herself or Mijin.
And, to be frank, she didn't exactly like Mijin. Mainly due to the fact that she'd get neglected by the older girl, pushed away and yelled at.
Hyerin swore a wave of relief washed over her upon seeing the dog lick his hand, to which she earned a laugh from the boy. "It tickles." Jay commented, petting the dog gently before standing up.
"Here, come inside." Hyerin spoke, stepping aside to make room for the boy as Sarang slipped past her with ease, heading straight into the living room to lay down on the carpet.
Jay closed the door behind him, letting out a small breath as he slipped off his shoes and coat. "She's even cuter in person." He muttered, earning a hum from Hyerin.
"Right? It saddens me to know she's getting bigger tho." Hyerin muttered, waiting patiently for him by the door as he nodded in understanding.
"Mm, yeah, I get it. But on the brighter side, she'll start to be able to do more things with you. Like, for example, longer walks since she'll have more energy."
"Hm, true." Hyerin said, leading him further into her apartment.
"Sorry for the mess. I didn't exactly expect to have someone over today." She apologized, a sheepish smile tugging at her lips as he shook his head.
"No, no. It's alright. It's not even messy. I really like what you did with the place, it's cozy." He commented, watching as her expression softened.
"Ahh, thank you. I tried my best to make it feel comfortable here." She breathed out, clasping her hands together.
"Oh, right, hot chocolate." She muttered to herself, wandering to her kitchen as Jay followed her movements.
"You don't have to, it's fine."
"Nonsense. It's freezing outside; this'll warm us both up. Plus, it's delicious and an excuse to have it." Hyerin shrugged.
"Would you like some help?"
"No, no. It's hot chocolate, I'm sure I can manage. But thank you. You can make yourself comfortable – get to know Sarang a bit better, too." She suggested, as he chuckled and nodded his head.
__________
★﹐authors corner ．﹗﹑
all this time spent on a boring chapter
oh my god 😨 but i have plans dwdw
just have to set everything up
anyway, it's 2am and i have to be up super
early in the morning for soccer practice so
i desperately need to sleep 😭 would've made
this chapter a bit longer if i had more time tbh
okokok goodnight mwahmwah <33
august 5th, 2023 -- 2:20am.
not proofread.