*two chapters at once! check the previous chapter first
20th September
Sooyoung has taken free days from her duty at hospital for two days from now and then the wedding day. She said she would come so she has to come.
Getting off from the taxi, she goes straight to the Exchange Bar. The host guided her toward where the couple has reserved the place. Lots of her classmates have already been there. There was no change at the students' composition throughout Sooyoung's high school days, well, except Sehun's departure, everyone was together for the next two years until their graduation.
"LEADER PARK! OMMA!" The boys are screaming her titles when they notice that she is walking toward them. Sooyoung just shakes her head but smiles wholeheartedly.
"She's really coming!"
"I promised I would come, so I should come." She says that as she greets the couple. She then sits next to Jinwoo, as Jeonghwa asked her beforehand. "The leaders are coming back together now!"
Jinwoo laughs. "I am glad my wife isn't here. She will be mad jealous to know that my partner in high school for three years straight is this very beautiful woman."
Sooyoung rolls her eyes. "And you are still that full-of-flattering boy. How's your wife?"
"Other than yelling to me that I will spend time here, she's fine."
"How's your son?"
"He's fine too. My mother helps my wife to take care of him now so the fact that she still yells at me makes me thinking that it might be that my mother and her aren't getting along."
Sooyoung smirks. "You shouldn't joke too much about it. What if it becomes the reality? We all know their relationship is better and healthier than your and your mother's."
"Ouch, that hurts," but Jinwoo giggles, "guys, she is still that sharp-mouthed girl we know."
Everyone laughs and many of them throw some jokes or memories' pieces to the forum.
"Excuse me...," Jeonghwa gets up, "I am really thankful for you all to come here and celebrate our upcoming wedding. It's actually Sanghyuk's idea to also have reunion alongside our wedding day. And I am so happy to see all of us here! Let's make the toast! For our future!"
"For our future!" They all reply the bride's toast. "And don't forget to come to my wedding too. I have spent money to ask you all to come here so you have to pay it by coming to my wedding!"
They all laugh.
"So, Leader Park, the female one," Sojung asks when the toast time is over, "where is your husband?"
"Excuse me?"
"Haven't you got married?"
"No. I haven't gotten married."
"Wow," she reacts, "you are not that active at social media platforms so I don't know for sure, but there are lots of mentions that you have gotten married."
"That is a false rumor."
"But I saw your picture with wedding dresses. You posted it," another friend of them states and Sojung looks like she just remembers a thing, "yes! That photo! That's why I believed that rumor!"
"Wedding dress?" She seems to be thinking and then she turns to Jinwoo, who clearly knows the real thing but pretends that he doesn't know. "It was for his wedding. His wife and me share same size and she couldn't make it to the final fitting. Jinwoo-sshi asked me to be the doll for the dress and he took picture of it. As for posting, he took the picture with my phone so it was easy for him to take and post it."
Jinwoo shows his 'I am innocent' face and Sooyoung slaps his arm. "And you don't even clear that thing up!"
"Hey! Is it necessary for me to clean it up? I mean, unless you are into someone in our class, the rumor that you have married isn't that important."
Jinwoo and his antics. He clearly isn't changed at all. Sooyoung takes the glass of water to calm herself down. "So, you are still single?"
"Yes. Working in hospital clearly takes your time to date someone."
They laugh to her reply and then Sanghyuk seems to get a call. He goes out while everyone is still either eating or drinking and chatting.
When he comes back, he smiles big time. "Guys! Guess what?"
Everyone turns to him and his big smile. "What?"
"Oh Sehun is here! At Seoul!"
Many of them gasp in shockness; even Jeonghwa gives loud 'what' and then looks so excited. "He's here? Since when?"
"I didn't ask that detail from his assistant. By the way, that assistant is the one who called. I sent him our invitation but since he was on some kind of important meeting or seminar, his assistant couldn't really predict that he could come or not. Just now, he called me and stated that Sehun would come to this place because he was at Seoul!"
People begin to speak and anticipate. "So he does come?"
"Wow, it has been thirteen years since we last saw him, right?"
"Will he still have that orange hair color?"
"Silly, we are adult now! He should not be looking like that again!"
"Have you known that he is on the way of succeeding his father? Last time I saw him mentioned in economy magazine. He did not have that orange hair again."
"That article said that he had home in America and France, right?"
"Yeah, but he stated that he wasn't living permanently due to the business."
And so on.
But Sooyoung still is shocked. She can't speak anything other than doing her smile and drinking the water again and again.
She suddenly gets nervous.
"Now that we have to wait for Sehun, should we have another round of drinking and giving toast?" They all agree and Sanghyuk orders another round. He is rich since his family is rich and he is working now. So it is not a problem for him. Sooyoung drinks again but when she is about to be overboard, Jinwoo stops her.
"No. You can't face him in drunken state."
"Jinwoo-sshi...."
"I know. I understand. And that's why I suggest you to see him in sober condition. It's the best."
"But what if he--"
"He's still single. As far as I know, that economy magazine never mentioned any woman's name. Not that it is important to be featured at that kind of magazine, but still." He turns to her and smiles. "I take it that you never read economy magazines."
"For what? I have to read patients' charts everyday."
"I am right then. He looks better than his school days. Trust me. My wife said if she weren't married, she could go and offer herself to him. You are in good hands."
Sooyoung frowns. "We have--"
"He did confess to you."
"Oh, stop it! I don't want others to know!" Jinwoo just smiles knowingly and retreats back as he was whispering with Sooyoung before.
Not long after that, a figure comes into their area. "Hey, guys." Everyone looks to the direction and their eyes are about to pop out.
Oh Sehun is really there.
He is wearing suit and trousers, both in black color, and white shirt. It looks a little crumpled so it could be assumed that he was not that ready to come to this party.
And his hair is not orange again. It's black. The real color of his hair. A very jet-black color.
And he has become a mature man. His jawline is more prominent than before. He looks more muscular; his shoulders are widened than before.
"Oh Sehun?"
"Yes, this is me." He smiles then. But that cresent-shaped eyes are still there when he smiles. Sanghyuk is the first to get up and embrace him. "Welcome home, my brother!"
He returns the embrace and more males are coming to him. Jinwoo does get up and approach Sehun. "How are you?"
"Leader Park? Is that you?"
"Yes, this is me," they then embrace each other. The females ones even produce tears. After talking a little with those males, Sehun approaches Jeonghwa. "I hope this present is good for you. I just arrived at Incheon so I didn't have much time to choose wedding present for you."
Even the way he talks become more polite and more..., well, sexy?--anyway, he now seems to know how to make women swooned because Jeonghwa and others seem to be swooned over his voice and manner toward the happy bride.
Jeonghwa accepts the gift and then Sehun is directed to sit.
At the front of Sooyoung.
When he sits, he realizes that Sooyoung is there. She just smiles to him and he returns her smile. "It's nice to see you again, Leader Park."
"Pleasure's mine too," Sooyoung returns his greetings and then Sehun gets bombarded with questions from everyone afterwards.
"How are you? How is your father?"
"You are now big time man! Those magazines have nothing but to praise you!"
"Where are you living right now?"
"Where did you come from? Since you said you were coming straight from Incheon."
"Have you gotten anyone special?"
"Wow, look at you! I still remember you and your orange hair!" Sooyoung tries not to be so obvious at avoiding Sehun and his gaze or whatever it is, but that question makes her choke on her own drink.
Jinwoo gets surprised when Sooyoung can't stop coughing. "Hey, what happened?"
"Noo....nothing...." She tries to calm herself. And when she is success on doing it, she tries to smile at her best, "I just choked because I was careless."
"Hey," Sojung speaks, "Leader Park Sooyoung is now a doctor!"
"Yeah," Sehun replies and his eyes turn to her, "I know. I saw it from her account." Sooyoung swallows whatever inside her mouth and tries to keep her smile even though now she is so embarrassed and wishes she could just go from this party. Sehun's gaze seems like he is reading her all over.
"And she is not married!" Sojung still has that kind of mouth. It's not bad, but it makes her embarrassed even more.
Sehun, on the other hand, looks a bit surprised. "Really? I heard that she had--"
"She just tried my wife's wedding gown at the final fitting because my wife couldn't come due to her work and I took and posted the picture of it to her account just to make fun of it. But since she isn't that keen on operating her social media accounts, she didn't realize it until now. So..., that had been happened for four years."
Jinwoo comes to the rescue. He just explained everything.
"Yeah, that's what happened," Sooyoung speaks; she has calmed herself, "I haven't gotten married. I am still busy working at hospital."
They are all silent until Sooyoung's phone is ringing (that silence also includes Sehun's gaze to her again). It's from her mother, actually, asking about her condition now that she is at the party and whether she would go back to home or just rent a room at the hotel or other options. But she sees it as an opportunity to get out. "Uh, I need to go to the hospital first. There's something. I promise I will come back, just a little quick round." She then gets out and everyone's eyes are following her but she tries not to care.
Once she arrives at the front lobby, she texts her mother that she is alright.
"I thought there was something at the hospital," Sooyoung turns and sees Sehun is there, "are you searching for taxi?"
"Uh, yeah! I am!"
"Then don't leave your purse behind." Sehun shows her purse that she did leave because she just wanted to be hurry. She smiles to him and takes it from his grasp. "Thank you."
"Autumn is here, isn't it?" He speaks and Sooyoung nods. "Yeah."
"Happy birthday then."
"Oh," she reacts and then tries to compose herself again, "thank you."
"Want to walk a bit?" She doesn't nod or shake her head but Sehun quickly leads the way and she just follows him. She still thinks she follows him until a coat arrived at her shoulders. It's his suit. "Autumn is colder than summer. You are wearing party dress. It will be cold for you."
"Thanks." They walk side by side and Sooyoung doesn't know what to tell or talk to him. It feels so awkward.
But then she feels that he stops. She turns to see him taking something from the ground. "Ginkgo leaf."
Yellow ginkgo leaf. He plays with it before approaching her. "I still keep your present, Leader Park. It's really useful. It is still my favorite book binder."
She tries to smile normally again. "Glad to know my present is useful."
"Are you afraid of me?" He suddenly asks and Sooyoung quickly looks to him. "You are afraid of me. You changed drastically when I sat in front of you."
"No. Why would I am afraid to you?"
"I don't know. You should tell me."
"I am not afraid to you."
"So why did you make lame excuse before?"
"What? Uh, I just need fresh air. I drank a lot before you came so I feel dizzy." She defends herself again.
"Do you not like the fact that I can come today?"
"Why would I be like that?"
"You sound so hostile to me. You use the same angry tone when we talked for the first time. Why would you do that? As far as I can recall, we have already reconciled."
"I...." She can't give any more excuses so she shakes her head and turns from him. "What is your answer?"
She stops and turns back to him. "What?"
He stares to her and then walks toward her. "I confessed to you, Park Sooyoung. Thirteen years ago, I said to you I loved you, and since then, I don't get my answer. I don't really care about this wedding, to be honest; what I care is the fact that you are coming to their wedding. I canceled my meetings, my important schedules, so that I could arrive at Seoul in time just to see you. I thought you got married so I decided not to bring this topic, but since you are not, I think I can ask you about it."
Sooyoung is stupefied. Her tongue can't move.
They keep staring to each other.
"Is this your answer? Being silent?"
She still can't answer it. He sighs then. "Fine. I don't think you reply my feelings too. Since thirteen years ago, you are like this. Well, not this hostile, but you never see me as someone special. I think I got my answer."
He turns and walks away from her. "Wait!"
He turns back and sees her. "I still have that letter. It's still with me. I put it under my pillow for thirteen years and dumbly waiting for that orange hair to come back to me. The dumber thing about me is that when he is here, in front of me, I can't speak anything."
Sehun blinks as he seems to digest the information he just gets.
Sooyoung walks toward him and her eyes are teary. "And the dumbest thing about me is that I can't say that I have had the same feeling he stated to me through that letter directly to him."
She finally arrives at the front of him. "I am so sorry I can't say I love you too when you asked, but that is the fact. I have been waiting for you so when you are here, I can't do anything else but to get shocked. I am--"
He pulls her into his embrace and she can feel the relief. "I am back, my autumn."
"Welcome back, my spring." Sehun smiles. She does remember the fact that he was born in spring.
*suck at making sweet ending. hopefully you all still like it