Be Our Star Forever // TXT

03. Bat Rabbit

"Soobin, get out of your room, take your cousin out to the park." Grandma called from behind Soobin's door.

"All right, Grandma" Soobin answered curtly. When he arrived at the living room, Byeol was ready at the door with her expression looked so excited as if she would go to somewhere extraordinary. The expression that really bothers Soobin, he didn't actually want to go, he just wanted to be in his room.

"Soobin, she's not used to this place. So take good care of her." Soobin's dad who was sitting in the living room with Byeol's dad called him when he saw Soobin come down from his room.

"Thanks Soobin for accompany Byeol, be careful on the way." Soobin just answered his uncle with nod and then went with Byeol followed from behind.

On the way to the park, Byeol asked him a lot of questions about everything she saw and almost great  everyone she met on the street. Every time she asked Soobin, Soobin only answered briefly by making an expression not interested in his face. Hoping Byeol stopped asking questions, but it seems she didn't care and keep asking and asking. Soobin was very disturbed. He'd love to leave Byeol alone there, but if he did that he'll be scolded.

As soon as she was in the park, Byeol jumped and ran straight into the park. She looks so excited play there. Soobin chose to sit next to the park while reading the comic book he brought.

"You're just gonna sit there, not play?"

Soobin heard a voice in front of him, when he turned his head, Byeol was standing in front of Soobin. "No, you go play by yourself."

"Can I call you Binnie?"

"Can't you just go play, I won't bother you. So don't bother me." Soobin's getting upset because Byeol is so noisy.

Byeol just stood there, not trying to ask any more questions. By the time Soobin turned his attention back to his comic book, she was already going for a swing.

Time passed and when Soobin almost finished reading his comic book, he looked up at the sky, which means it was almost evening, it's time to go home. Soobin got up from his seat, but suddenly he realized that he hadn't heard Byeol's noisy voice in a while.

Soobin started looking for her but Byeol's nowhere. "Where did the noisy girl go?." Soobin kept looking for Byeol around the park, but he couldn't find her either. Until his attention was directed to an area that was next to the park.

Right next to the park he saw an area that grew with large trees making it look like a forest. That area is surrounded with the steel fence. From the outside that area look so creepy.

Soobin just stood in front of that steel fence. He thought that Byeol couldn't get in there and about to leave. But when he wanted to step out of the area, he was vaguely hearing someone ask for help. Heard that, Soobin was so surprised and thoughtlessly he went straight through the crack of the steel fence.

When he's inside, he's hard to see because the trees are so tall that has block the light from the sun. Soobin tried to sneak through the bush trying to find out where Byeol was. "Hey, are you here, where are you?" Soobin screamed but got no answer. He kept going in until he heard someone's voice but this time it wasn't the voice calling for help but the sound of singing, Soobin kept following the sound until he saw a big tree that seemed to be the center of the area. Then he found Byeol sitting on the ground near the big tree. The moment he saw Byeol all his worries were gone.

"What are you doing here?"

Byeol heard Soobin's voice and turned right at him. Her face was so happy right away after seeing Soobin. "Binnie, you found me."

"Why are you here, you noisy girl, you could be in danger and it'll trouble me." Soobin walked up to Byeol and sit next to her.

"When I was playing on the swing. I saw a squirrel playing in the park and I followed that squirrel, when I realized I was lost in the trees, and I tried to keep going through the trees until I got to this tree." Byeol explained how she got lost with her innocent face.

"In such that condition, you should be looking for help instead of singing." Soobin was a little upset to hear the silly answer from Byeol. He's never seen a girl so innocent that get lost because of a squirrel and sing instead.

"I've tried to shout for help though, but it seems that no one is listening. Then I decided to sing, so my fear and anxiety would disappear." Byeol answered with a big smile on her face. The expression makes Soobin become silence.

"Oh by the way, Binnie. How did you get here? I thought you'd come home without me?"

"How can you say that? I'm going around the park looking for you, hearing voices and coming here, and if you're missing, I'm gonna get scolded, and one more thing, stop calling me Binnie." When Soobin finished talking, he took a long breath. For the first time in a long time, Soobin talked so much to someone.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean that. But I like to call you that because you look like a rabbit." Soobin still upset with Byeol's words. But little did he he knows, he blushed to hear Byeol's answer and he's trying not to show it.

"Don't call me like that. I'm not a rabbit, just so you know I'd rather be equated with a bat than a rabbit, because I'm a bat boy." Soobin tried to show a bad boy expression that made Byeol laugh at him.

"Okay, okay I get it, you're a bad boy or a bat boy." Byeol tried to copy Soobin's expression and Soobin's way of saying bat boy word.

"Don't mock me." Soobin didn't like to see Byeol making fun of him. He stood up, decided to leave. But as he turned to Byeol, he saw Byeol reach out her hand as if asking Soobin to pull her hand. And Soobin unconsciously, he pulled Byeol's hand, helped her up.

"All right. We're friends now, right?"

Soobin's back nailed to the sound of Byeol's words. "Friends? "We're friends now?" That question is stuck in Soobin's mind.

Soobin never thought of having friends. He's also used to ignoring people. But why this time he can't ignore Byeol. The girl in front of him is like she's changed something inside of him.

From the first day Byeol called Soobin's name. Something from Byeol made Soobin feel something deep in his heart, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, even forgotten. Not even a day with her, Byeol was able to make Soobin talked so much, even more than Soobin used to do.

"What this girl has done to me." Soobin lost in his thoughts.

Byeol suddenly pulled Soobin's hand, which made Soobin realize from his mind, "Let's go home, Binnie."

And again, without him noticing, seeing the smile on Byeol's face. A smile sneaked on Soobin's lips.

They both went through the bush together to get out of the area and go home. Without them realizing, someone had been watching them both from behind that tree.