Vintage dress
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
Every year, when August was slowly turning to an end, the atmosphere always got more and more gloomy. Especially around Doyun.
All the preoccupations, worries, and stress she had left behind with the end of school were slowly resurfacing as the new frightening idea of university invaded her mind. It was a constant thought for her now, even when she was simply having fun with her friends there was always a corner of her brain thinking about it.
She hated to admit it, but she couldn't stand change. She couldn't deal with that never-ending sense of loss she felt when big changes happened. She was getting so used to the calm and peaceful living of the resort that she could clearly remember the words she told her friend back in Seoul when she didn't feel like leaving for Jeju.
"It's just that... it's my first summer without school and I'd prefer staying here with you guys than working at my father's resort."
Every time she thought about it a sincere smile grew on her face. She wished she still had all Summer ahead of her, she wished she was still in Seoul, packing her things before leaving. Yet, there she was, only two weeks before the beginning of the same old – but new, at the same time – routine.
She tried to live the best two weeks she could, enjoying every moment of her day. She slightly regretted wasting some of her early days there staying in her room because of tiredness, because now she was trying to live every moment as if it was the last.
She had so many things to do, but simultaneously, time was running away from her.
That's why she decided to spend a day with all her friends in the hideout: Hanbin was there; Minji, Hanni, and Haerin immediately accepted that idea; Jungwon didn't hesitate to take a free day; and finally, Jake and the boys were thrilled to spend a day there.
Despite some of them knowing each other better than others, the day had been extremely good for everyone and Doyun was glad she had the time to spend some moments with all of them before all of that ended.
She enjoyed playing beach tennis with Hanni – the two were fierce competitors when it came to beach tennis. In the end, Hanni had the best of her, winning multiple rounds against Doyun.
"Yun-ie, you should exercise more! You're a little out of shape, don't you think?" Hanni mocked her, a bold expression on her face after winning yet another round.
Doyun loved even more relaxing after the multiple defeats. She played some volleyball in the water with Hanbin, Jay, and Minji, forgetting about her time there when she found out that she had spent more than an hour in the water.
She only realized how long they had been playing when her legs started to freeze in the cold water and her lips started to turn purple.
She even got closer to Heeseung and Sunghoon when Haerin and her started talking to the oldest about their passion for piano. Both Haerin and Doyun used to attend piano lessons together when Doyun used to live in Jeju. That's exactly where she met Haerin for the first time.
The two started talking with Heeseung about his role in the band as keyboardist and the three of them started to freely talk about their experience and love for the instrument.
After many years of not playing, Doyun even thought of getting back to it once she'd be back home in Seoul.
Sunghoon joined the conversation, entertaining them with little anecdotes about getting to know Heeseung and the rest of the band.
Unfortunately, Doyun hadn't had much time to talk to Jake.
He had been busy most of the time with Jungwon, trying to beat him at throwing flat rocks in the sea. Doyun remembered looking at Minji's face when she noticed the silly game the two were playing with a raised eyebrow and her distinctive cat-eye sunglasses slightly lowered. "Boys." She mumbled under her breath.
As Doyun was getting back to playing beach tennis with Hanni, a sudden hand grabbed her wrist, dragging her a little far away from the crowd.
"Where are you taking me, Jake?" Doyun smiled, looking at the boy in front of her with an amused face.
"Need to ask you something," Jake replied, mirroring the same smile that was displayed on her face. He stopped once he arrived at the entrance of the hideout, "Do you feel like going to town this evening? We don't have much time for ourselves right now."
Doyun looked away, flustered by his sudden proposal. She fidgeted with the small necklace around her neck and the shell-shaped pendant, "Sure, I'd love to spend more time with you." She nodded, enthusiast of that idea.
"Jake, I'm really sorry." Hanni's impatient voice interrupted the two, popping out from behind Doyun, "I know you two are probably having a lovely conversation, but I will have to steal Doyun for you for at least the next twenty minutes. We have a serious match going on."
Hanni nudged the girl's shoulder slightly, looking at the two with a teasing smirk, "I'll take your lovebird back to you once I thrash her for the fifth time in a row."
And with that, Hanni dragged Doyun back to the shore, forcing her to play with her. As Hanni expected, Doyun lost once again against her.
The day slowly came to an end: the last thing they did together, in the late hours of the afternoon, was sitting all together on a few towels they had bought, listening to Jake playing guitar.
Doyun vividly remembered all the times she had heard Jake play in that small forgotten paradise on the beach, all the times his mellow notes had enveloped the atmosphere in the cave, the way they reverberated against the harsh and humid walls of the grotto, and every time felt just as magical as the first one.
Everyone admired his angelic figure play, too hooked in the moment to care about everything that was going on outside their little bubble.
They slowly left in small groups. Doyun left first along with Hanni and Minji. They were holding a bag each, reminiscing about every moment they spent together that day.
"I can't believe Jay lost that bad against us." Minji laughed, recalling the moment the poor boy had thrown the ball in the water splashing all of them because he had lost, "And I must say, Hanbin has gotten a lot better, last Summer he was trash at volleyball."
The other two laughed along with her as they slowly reached for the main beach, leaving shortly after, "So, what are your plans tonight?" The oldest asked.
"Oh, Doyun is seeing Jake." Hanni teased Doyun, remembering what she had overheard from their short conversation. Minji raised her eyebrows towards her friend, enjoying that moment, "Oh, I see..."
"Please, girls." Doyun rolled her eyes playfully, stopping at the main plaza. The two continued to tease her about her new romantic interest. They enjoyed seeing their friend so happy and since it was getting pretty late, they decided to let her go change so she wouldn't be late.
Doyun went back to her room. She took a shower, removing the salty feeling of the sea from her body and feeling regenerated afterward. She took her time, knowing by now that Jake was surely going to be late.
With all the times they had been out or had dates, Doyun understood that arriving late was a constant for the boy. He surely didn't do it on purpose, but by now Doyun knew that if the date was set for 8 pm, she had time until 8.15. Or even more sometimes.
She wore a light dress, one of her favorite ones. She remembered seeing that dress in her mother's closet back in her hometown when she was younger. The soft, white material of the dress shone brightly among the darker pieces of clothing in the closet, attracting the little girl to reach out for it.
The woman in the room with her smiled brightly at the sight of her daughter. "You like that dress? I wore it when I was younger, on the first date with your father." She'd say softly, crouching down to her height as she gently stroked her back.
The girl nodded, feeling the memories held in that dress with her own hands.
"You can have it if you like it."
Every year, Doyun brought that dress to Jeju, wishing it was finally the time she'd wear it. From all the memories it held, she knew it couldn't be worn on any occasion. It must have been the perfect day, the perfect moment, the perfect person.
Years later, Doyun stood in front of the full-length mirror of the hotel room, making sure that same old dress was perfectly wrapping her. She spun a few times, seeing the delicate skirt flowing around her.
Doyun grabbed the same purse she'd always bring and tied her mary-janes. She elegantly tied her front hair in two small braids, bringing them to the back of her head and tying them with a white bow.
She took one last glance at her reflection before leaving the room at 8.10 pm. She took the elevator, reaching the lobby in no time. She left the building, a surprised reaction leaving her when she saw Jake already leaning on the wall waiting for her.
The boy immediately took notice of her, putting his phone away in his back pocket. A big smile grew on his face as he admired her beauty, "Hey, you look... amazing."
Once again, their different styles heavily contrasted with one another, Jake's being way more casual than hers.
"Your dress is beautiful." He nervously said, playing with the hem of his oversized shirt, "I would have dressed a little more elegantly if I knew you were going to be this pretty."
A soft blush grew on her cheeks as she held his hand, starting to walk towards the exit, "You know I love your style. I don't mind us being so different."
He nodded, agreeing with her, "You're right, it's kind of cute." He walked with her hand in hand, glad that the girl was too focused on the street rather than his flushed face.
They quickly arrived in the town center, admiring the beauty of the lively square. If there was one thing Doyun loved, that was seeing how pretty her hometown got in the night. Tourists went out to have dinner in restaurants, while locals sat down outside of their homes chatting with their neighbors, and watching their kids play in the calm lanes.
Doyun waved to some people she knew along the way: a few of her parents' friends, old acquaintances who grew older just like she did, even her grandma's friend who – just like when she was a kid – spent every Summer night on a plastic chair outside of her house, petting a small black cat that, with time, grew older and older. The little kitten that Doyun remembered was now an old cat, with way more white fur and a tired expression.
Jake and Doyun stopped by the old lady as Doyun petted the cat on her lap, exchanging a few words with her.
"You are such a wonderful woman now, Doyun." The lady reached out to stroke her cheek, "You look so much like your mother and this dress..." A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she remembered how beautiful Doyun's mother looked in that same white dress. Despite it being more than thirty years before, it felt like just a few days to the woman.
"And who's this young man with you, Doyun? Is he your boyfriend?" The woman asked, noticing Jake standing right behind Doyun, their hands still tight together.
Before Doyun could reply to her, Jake stepped forward, putting a confident expression on his face, "I am, ma'am!"
Doyun looked at him with wide eyes as she felt his presence now next to her. He looked at her, a cheeky grin exposed on his face. Doyun's brain stopped working for a second, analyzing carefully what the boy had said. He squeezed her hand, bringing her back to reality.
"Oh, Doyun, you truly chose a handsome young man." She sighed, admiring the two in front of her, "You two remind me of your parents so much."
Doyun's eyes went from Jake's to the woman's tired ones as she kept petting the cat purring on her lap. "Why don't you go back to your things? Don't waste this beautiful evening with an old lady like me." She looked at the starry sky, "It was delightful seeing you, darling. I hope I'll see you again next Summer."
At the thought of the old woman not making it to next Summer, a lone tear fell down her cheek. She hugged her, petting the cat's ear one last time before leaving with Jake's hand still wrapped around hers.
"My boyfriend?" Doyun giggled, covering her flushed face with her hand, wrapping the other one around his arm.
"Why not?" He replied, walking along with her towards the main square. "She was so sweet." Jake said, looking back at the woman one last time. She was getting up from the chair, opening the door for the cat before entering the house as well. Jake noticed the tear fall down Doyun's cheek as he stopped abruptly, worrying about her, "Is everything fine?"
He wiped his thumb on her cheek as she snuggled her face in his hand, "Yes, just..." She smiled, looking at him lovingly, "I don't want to leave, I don't want to go back to Seoul, and I don't want you to go back to Incheon either."
Jake smiled, leaning closer to her, "Hey, don't worry, we won't be that distant once we go back. We can see each other plenty of times."
"Yes, but it won't be the same as here." She sniffed, looking down, "This place is so magical to me, so important and full of memories. I want to stay here longer. With you."
Jake didn't reply, instead, he embraced her in his arms, engulfing her with his cologne. In the distance of the square, an old man started playing the guitar. His sweet but melancholic melody enveloped the two of them even more, making that instant way longer than it felt like.
"I don't want to leave all of this here." Doyun's voice was muffled by the hug, as a tear fell right on Jake's shoulder.
"Don't worry," He pulled away, looking at her in the eyes which were loving and caring for her. Jake had never felt like that for anyone, let alone someone he had met in Summer, the season he considered so insignificant and empty.
She was able to change his mind: her, with those shiny big eyes, that delicate demeanor, she made him a new person in such a short time, "We'll live this again. Next summer, and the one after. I'll always be by your side. Every season, every Summer."
☆ AUTHOR 's SPACE ☽˚｡⋆.
Note: don't read this while listening on
loop to I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys
or you WILL shed many tears (telling this out
of personal experience 💪). We're so close
to the end I feel like I'm about to throw up.
Thank you for reading till here ♡ ,
JYR .