"do you have everything you need?" soobin asked for what felt like the millionth time.
"yes, soobin," yumi sighed, rolling her eyes. "i packed everything."
"and you packed snacks for the-"
"yes, i packed snacks for the bus." yumi stared up at him in irritation, before turning and walking away with her suitcase.
soobin walked faster to catch up with her as he looked around warily at the other people in the transit station, "you don't have to be mad, i'm just worried about you. it's a long trip to namhae from seoul."
"i'll be fine, i promise," she smiled to reassure him, "i'll just think of it as a five hour power nap."
soobin nodded, before checking his watch, "your bus is the 9:30am one, right?" she nodded, which made him frown, considering 9:30 was only four minutes away. "it'll be weird without you here."
"it's only for two days, soobin."
he pouted out his lips, opening his arms, "goodbye hug?"
panicking, yumi watched as he walked closer, her heartbeat rising in her throat. without a second thought, she shook his hand and then booked it towards her bus.
soobin scratched his head for a moment, before chuckling quietly to himself at her antics. "cute."
➴➶➴
six and a half hours later, yumi had finally made it to her hometown on namhae island. she found herself smiling softly at the reminiscent road that lead up to her family home as she walked along.
"yumi!" she heard someone yell, causing her to quickly look up.
"dad!" she yelled excitedly, waving as she ran towards the man.
once they reached each other, her father pulled her into a hug, "i was wondering when i'd get to see my daughter's face again."
"i missed you," she hugged him, realizing just how much she actually had missed him.
"let's go in, the whole family is waiting for us!" he pulled away, grabbing his daughter's luggage.
around an hour later, yumi and her family were all sitting around the dinner table, conversing. everyone was so excited, as they hadn't all been together since their grandmother's last birthday.
"yumi," her grandmother called out, causing the girl to turn her head towards her.
"yes, grandmother?"
"do you have a boyfriend yet?"
"yes, she does."
immediately, yumi turned to taehyun, who shrugged as if to say what? don't look at me.
the two began to talk to each other with only their expressions, as yumi's face contorted in anger, you said you'd keep your mouth shut!
taehyun smirked, shaking his head, that ami girl has a boyfriend, so it didn't work out.
so that means you're just going back on your deal? yumi rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"they're doing it again," their cousin, yuchan, chuckled before nudging his uncle, also their father, "when are you gonna tell them that they're not in a drama?"
everyone laughed, making the quarreling siblings stop their side conversation. taking this as his chance to be the brat everyone knew and tolerated, taehyun spoke up again, "his name is soobin, he's a model, and he's absolutely smitten over yumi."
with her eyes, yumi shot daggers at taehyun from across the table, you're dead meat if you say another word.
"they even live together," taehyun smiled, as the entire family turned to look at yumi in shock.
yumi could feel her face heating up in anger, her eyes set on taehyun as she slowly dragged her thumb across her neck, dead. meat.
taehyun sprung up from the table, with yumi following, while screaming, "dad, yumi's gonna kill me!"
yumi grabbed her brother by the ear, pinching it as hard as she could, "i wouldn't have to kill him if the brat knew when to keep his mouth shut."
"ow, ow, ow!" taehyun cried out.
"release your brother's ear," her dad sighed, before turning to his mother, "i'm sorry, mom."
the old woman laughed, her smile never dropping as she looked over at her grandchildren, "it's okay. it wouldn't be a family gathering without those two fighting, now would it?"
the two siblings took their seat at the table, both of their arms crossed. their dad gave them both a look, causing them to drop their heads in shame, and say in unison, "sorry, grandmother."
"honestly, i thought that yumi would end up with that one guy she went to school with," yuchan commented, "what was his name again? wooyoung, right?"
taehyun nodded to agree, but his older sister's glare caused him to bring his gaze back down to his lap.
"anyone could see that he was in love with her."
finally having enough with the conversation about her love life, yumi abruptly stood up. bowing towards her family members, she pointed behind herself, "i'm going to get some fresh air."
once outside, she sighed, running her hand through her short hair. looking up at the sky, yumi realized that she could see the stars a lot more clearly here and that the air was more breathable, just as she remembered from her youth.
hearing the door open and shut, yumi turned to see her father walking towards her, a can of beer in both of his hands. "here," he offered one to her, which she gladly accepted.
before she could crack open the drink, yumi's phone began to ring, causing her to sigh at the name across the screen. "hello?" she answered.
"are you alive?"
"i answered the phone, didn't i?" yumi smiled to herself, "why are you checking on me? i only just got here a few hours ago."
"because i miss you, and i'm worried about you." she bit her lip, trying her hardest not to break out into another wide grin. "well, now that i've heard your voice, i think i'll be able to sleep. goodnight yumi, i'll be counting down the minutes to when i'll get to see you again."
"goodnight, soobin," yumi pulled the phone away from her ear, pressing the end-call button.
yumi and her father then proceeded to open their cans of beer at the same time, both of them taking a swig and then letting out a sigh as the alcohol was swallowed.
"i can see it in your face." taking another drink, yumi looked at her dad for further explanation, "the person you were on the phone with. that soobin guy, right? you love him."
coughing into her arm, yumi raised her eyebrows as her eyes went wide, "you're joking, right?"
"please, it's written all over you," he shook his head, taking another drink, "you can't even hide your smile as you speak to him."
turning away, yumi bit her lip in contemplation, then shaking her head, "no, i can't be."
"why's that?"
"i can't fall in love," she frowned, her eyes staring straight ahead at the ocean not too far from their home, "love tears people apart."
the two both drank again, her dad turning towards her, "you don't feel that way because of what happened between your mom and i, do you?" when she remained silent, he knew the answer to his question. "your mother didn't leave us because there was a falling out in our love; she left, because there was a falling out in her love for herself. she felt she no longer knew who she was."
hearing this information gave yumi a broader view on the subject, which made her intrigued as she listened to her father talk so nonchalantly about such a touchy thing.
"life and love don't always go the way we want it to; but that's okay. you just have to keep rolling with the punches. besides, you see me, right? i have two amazing kids, and i'm living life to the fullest."
frowning, yumi stared at her dad, knowing how he truly felt despite the smile on his face, "you miss her though, don't you."
not letting his grin drop, her dad nodded, "of course."
"do you think you'll ever be able to forget her?"
"there are certain people that you'll never forget, even if they're good or bad. your mother was a very important person to me. it was painful when she left, however i believe she had her reasons for doing what she did. sure, her decision hurt us, but sometimes you have to sacrifice other people's feelings to take care of the most important person in your life─yourself." the two took a sip from their beers, as they looked up at the night sky. after a few moments of silence, her father spoke again, "your mother was a good woman. i won't ever forget her. at least not in this lifetime."
feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders, yumi looked off into the distance, taking this silence as a chance to collect her scattered thoughts. do i love him?
she thought back to all the times he made her heart race, when she would steal glances at him, when she couldn't help but stare into his eyes, when she would think about him no matter what she was doing. and then she realized.
"i do."
her dad looked at her, his eyebrow raised in question.
she looked back at him, smiling, "i love him." but her happiness was short-lived, as she realized just what this meant.
soobin's mission was over: he had fallen into mutual love with someone.
drinking the last bit of beer, yumi let her head fall, as she sighed quietly, "i love him."
-
only like three more chapters until the epilogue EEK