Down memory lane
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
Doyun couldn't stop smiling at her phone. Finally seeing her best friends and her brother after two weeks – which seemed considerably longer to her – was exactly what she needed to take a break from work and relax with them.
A radiant smile was still displayed on her lips when she snapped back to reality, running down the stairs of the building. Jake is waiting for me.
Her heavy steps echoed on the stairs, catching the boy's attention when she finally showed up in the lobby. Jake was leaning on the wall, scrolling through his phone as he waited for Doyun. Once she showed up, his head flipped towards the stairs where she was now panting, as she tried to catch her breath.
"You're here!" Jake smiled, putting his phone in his back pocket. His usual tote bag hung from his shoulder as he adjusted it. A light shirt wrapped his figure perfectly as if it was made just for him, while light blue denims concluded the outfit.
"Sorry for making you wait." Doyun excused, fixing the cross-body bag around her frame. She was wearing a light summer dress, with a flower pattern repeating on it. It was perfect for the summer season and the hot weather of that day, which was way warmer than any other day so far. Doyun was wondering how Jake could wear long jeans without burning inside of them.
"It's no problem, I was actually late too." He tried to lighten her mood, "I only arrived a few minutes ago."
Doyun nodded, opening the lobby's door before exiting. She left it open for Jake, who left the building as well before following Doyun toward the entrance of the resort.
"Have you already visited the village?" Doyun asked, eager to hear his reply. The small village was very dear to her, since it was her birthplace and where she had spent most of her childhood, other than her father's resort.
"Not yet," Jake started, "Heeseung and Sunghoon did though, and they said it's very cozy and pretty."
Doyun smiled thinking about the small town, "It is. I'm sure you'll love it too."
The two walked side to side down the main road that took to the village. Some cars would pass by them from time to time, that being the only source of sound. They were quiet, but strangely, this time it wasn't awkward.
They silently enjoyed the sounds of nature around them. The crickets' sing invaded the fields around them, while the wind brushed against the tall palm trees, bringing some breeze directly from the sea and cooling down the boiling air.
"So," Jake tried to initiate a conversation with the girl, "When did you move away from the village?"
Doyun spun her head towards him, raising her gaze to see his face, "When I was a child I moved to Seoul with my mom and brother. My dad stayed in Jeju just for the resort, but he comes back to Seoul every year for the Winter season."
Jake nodded, as Doyun continued, "I grew up on the beach, going there every day after school just to play in the water and forget about everything. Moving to Seoul wasn't exactly easy, but I got used to it eventually." She shrugged, "After all, I come back here every Summer, even though it's not the same as living here."
She looked up at him once again, meeting his eyes as he was watching her, "Sorry for rambling."
"Don't be," He assured her, "I know what it's like to grow up away from home."
"You do?"
He nodded his head, "I was raised in Australia, but I moved to Incheon when I was about 10 years old."
Doyun's eyes widened, "I didn't know you were from Australia." Jake's smile widened at her interest, "I never told you."
The two kept walking, cracking some conversations from time to time. The small road they'd been walking on finally led them to the first buildings of the village. The lanes were small and narrow and the buildings were painted with a shade of washed-off white, welcoming them in a cozy and inviting place.
The small windows were adorned with blue shutters and the rooftop's shingles were vivid red, contrasting with the cream buildings. The front doors were preceded by colorful doormats, laid down absentmindedly on small steps. Some of the doors were open, pointing out the welcoming atmosphere of the village.
It was Doyun's first time there that year. She never forgot how she felt when she used to run in those lanes, carefreely and cheerfully, her laughs echoing through the streets. She played on the stone path with her dolls, waiting for Ms. So, who lived just across the street from her, to bring her a cookie or any sweet she had made that day.
While walking down the street with Jake, Doyun felt light, as if any preoccupation was now gone from her body and soul, as she relieved her childhood. At that moment, she was letting Jake walk down her memory lane, learning about her without saying a single word.
A small smile grew on her face, hiding something nostalgic in it. Jake noticed her relaxed expression, "You used to live here?"
She turned around, her contagious smile making its way to Jake's lips as well. She nodded, "Yes, just a few streets away from here." A sweet laugh left her lips, "I used to run around the lanes and play hide and seek with Hanbin. I can't even count all the times I fell on the ground and scraped my knees."
"I was a pretty quiet kid," Jake laughed along with her, sharing with her his childhood, "I was always at home, reading and studying."
"Not because I was lonely." He clarified, "I just loved studying. It was kind of a hobby for me, more than a duty."
Doyun's head tilted as her eyebrows raised, "I can't relate to that. I used to run away and hide on the beach because of the exact opposite reason."
As their reminiscing chatters filled the air of the quiet town, they arrived in front of a distinctive-looking building. The white bricks were decorated with vibrant graffiti, illustrating musical notes and peace signs. The door was wide open and a curtain of beige and white beads flowed gently with the wind, hiding the store inside.
A wooden plaque with washed-out writing hung on top of the door, but it wasn't possible to read it. A jazzy tune came from inside the store, making Doyun turn back to face Jake, "We're here."
The two moved the beads from the archway, entering the dimly lit store. It was a small room and the flooding clutter surely made it look even smaller. Vinyl records were displayed in big boxes, divided by artist and genre. Acoustic guitars were hung on the wall and a black and white framed picture showed the owner of the shop along with a famous guitarist native of the town.
Behind the counter, hidden by the vinyl boxes was a bored girl, too busy on her phone to notice the two new customers. Doyun knew the girl, they weren't friends but surely acquaintances. Roha was a feisty girl, and the niece of Mr. Park, the owner of the small shop and the man in the picture. Doyun wasn't sure she'd still be in town, since the last time she saw her they were both around 12 years old, but there she was, earning a living in her uncle's dusty music shop.
Jake's eyes sparkled, that place was definitely his cup of tea. His eyes traveled all around the store, studying every single detail he could see even in the most remote angle. He spotted a shelf where a sign read Music Supplies. He patted Doyun's shoulder, making her tear her eyes away from the girl behind the counter, "I'll look around for what I need." She nodded, walking towards the cash register instead.
"Welcome to Meari." Roha's bored voice mumbled. Her gaze looked up from her bright screen, eyeing the girl in front of her, " Moon Doyun? Am I seeing this right?"
Doyun left out an awkward smile, "In the flesh!"
"It's been a minute since I last saw you," Roha abandoned her phone on the counter in front of her, along with many unorganized papers and pens, "What was it? 4, 5 years ago?"
"About it." Doyun concluded, "How is it going in the shop?"
"Don't tell me about it," Roha rolled her eyes, fixing her posture on the wooden chair, "My uncle trapped me in this rat hole again. Everyone around here is old and surely doesn't know how any of this shit works, why is this shop still open?"
Doyun tilted her head, "Everyone is leaving, right?"
"As they should," Roha spat out, "By now, only tourists come down here, and not even them. They're all at the beach. All of our friends moved to the peninsula. It's really just a few people left."
Doyun's expression saddened. It's not like she wasn't waiting for it to happen, but it was predictable that the new generations wouldn't want to stay there. It was a nice place to spend the holidays, but it was far from ideal when it came to a long-term place to live.
"I'm leaving too in October," She continued, "I'm moving to Busan for Uni. You're in Seoul, right?"
A bubbly voice from behind interrupted them, "I'm done! I got everything I needed."
Jake came back from his excavation in the store with his hands full of stuff, including a Vinyl recorder. He placed all of the things he gathered on the counter, pulling out his wallet from his bag.
Roha's eyes moved from Doyun to Jake, before going back to Doyun with a mischievous smile, "You won't introduce me to your friend, Doyun-ie? Now, that's rude of you."
Doyun's eyebrows angled into a confused expression, "Uhm, Roha, this is Jake. Jake, Park Roha."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Roha." She repeated her name, batting her lashes as she elongated her manicured hand towards him to shake it, to which he only replied with an awkward grin.
"Do you live here? How do you know Doyun? You damn surely don't look like her type." Roha stormed him with questions, and the boy could only stare at her in pure confusion.
"He's just a friend and stays at my father's resorts, why do you even care?" Doyun hissed with a twitch of an eye, weirded out by the girl's behavior, making her accent come out way more than she would have liked – something that only happened when she was annoyed. Doyun had always known about Roha's reputation with any kind of boy since such a young age and the fact she was trying to hit on her friend in such a pathetic way – mockingly invalidating her – didn't sit right with her. At all.
Roha's lips formed a devilish grin, "I'm not asking you, Yunnie."
"Look," Jake interrupted the two, looking at Roha, "I don't know what idea you got, but I'm not interested in you. I'm just trying to buy this stuff and leave with my friend."
The girl froze for a second, only sending a glacial gaze to Jake. Never in her life had she been rejected like that. Her mouth locked in a thin line, sending glances to Doyun as well, "It's 45,000 won."
Jake paid in silence, thanking her nonetheless when she handed him the paper bag full of his music supplies. The two left the store, leaving Roha alone in the room.
Doyun massaged her temples, bringing a few strands of her behind her ears, "Sorry for that. She..." The girl rolled her eyes, "She doesn't know how to act around boys."
Jake let out a small laugh, "Don't worry, I'm not a fan of people like her."
The two walked side to side around the village. By then it was getting late and after a short stroll around the main plaza, they both decided to head back to the resort before it would get dark.
Doyun was still thinking about Roha and her immature behavior. In her 18 years of life, she had never changed. Her blank expression was fixed in front of her, and her irritated expression gave it away for Jake, who tilted his head with a small grin, "Is everything okay?"
She snapped back to reality, gazing at the boy next to her. She shook her head, closing her eyes for a brief moment, "Sorry, I... I was still thinking about Roha."
"Forget her," Jake reassured her, "She's an immature person thinking she can seduce someone by mocking you."
A faint smile grew on her face, "You're right."
"I'm not even interested in looking for someone right now, Summer flings are not it." He absentmindedly said, kicking a rock with his foot.
Doyun blinked rapidly, "What do you mean?"
He snapped his head towards her, "Summer is brief, most people you meet on holiday won't last forever. Summer is too fast to create real connections with people." He spoke his mind.
Those words left a sour taste in Doyun. She was hopelessly devoted to Summer, everything about it being magical to her. Hearing Jake talk about Summer being almost bland to his eyes made her feel different than how she did before. For her, it was the exact opposite, the most precious and valuable people you know, are born from a Summer bond.
The fact that he met her that Summer, but still felt that way was wrong and unfair to her.
"Well, here we are." Jake said in a bubbly voice. Doyun didn't even notice they had reached the front gate of the resort while she was too busy contemplating his words. He probably kept talking about his bitter feelings towards Summer while she was in her own world.
"I have to catch up with the boys on the beach in 5 minutes." Jake looked down at his wristwatch, "You don't mind going back to the building by yourself, do you?"
Doyun shook her head, "Don't worry, I can go by myself."
A charming smile made its way onto Jake's face, "That's great. Then, I'll see you soon!" Jake waved goodbye to Doyun before disappearing into the crowd.
The bitterness in his words was bad news for the girl. She couldn't accept Jake not realizing how precious Summer friendships were, how those bonds were destined to live forever.
"You'll change your mind." She mumbled to herself, walking back to her room.
☆ AUTHOR 's SPACE ☽˚｡⋆.
This chapter was so hard to write
but I'm so happy with how it turned
out :,) Finally getting into the interesting
parts hehe I wish I had more time to
write tho because school 😪 Jake how
do you like studying❓❓
Don't forget to vote & comment and
let me know what you think of this
chapter !
Thank you for reading till here ♡ ,
JYR .