HEARTBEATS [2KIM AU]

fourteen

"I truly remember that night as clear as the the sea in front of us." The now twenty-one years old Chaewon said as she looked attentively at the see before her eyes.

They're in a vacation and is currently at a beach resort that they will stay at for 3 days, it's their first night. After dinner, the two decided to spend some time at the shore and talk about stuffs.

The moon is so round with the twinkling stars surrounding it in the pitch black night sky. The sea was calm that they can see the reflection of the moon clearly. They're talking about that night, when the two became lovers. They're still together until now, their love is strong and endless that not even a day, they felt tired of the relationship--- which is a common reason why couples part ways. Chaewon is turning twenty-two in a few month which means they're both in the same age for a mean time. Five years, nothing made them get into a big fight except for those small jealousy they encountered once in a while.

"You know what's so memorable that night other than we became lovers?" Minju asked in a very serious tone as her eyes are still focused on the sight in front of her.

"Hmm, what is it? The surprise kiss you gave me before going inside the house?" Chaewon said with a chuckle as she looked at Minju who then met her eyes as well. It seemed a little serious with the way she looked at her.

"Well, that's actually something I didn't plan to do but no. It's the fact that you weren't even screaming when you're being blindfolded and held by an unknown person." Minju suddenly laughed which confused Chaewon at first as she expected it to be something serious. She slap Minju's arm lightly after hearing the response.

"I thought you're gonna say something serious and about the blindfold one, the way the person held my shoulders was familiar and I didn't feel the threat. I also smelled my father's scent, I know that with my whole seeing him every single day."

"Makes sense, maybe I thought of the same thing if it was my father except that I will still scream in a few seconds until I figure out."

"I definitely agree with that. You easily panic so I figured." Chaewon shrugged before looking at the sea once again but she felt a light punch from the younger who whined at her statement. They laughed and shared some more memories they could think of and laugh about. Until the laughter died down and their mood calmed like the sea, Minju rested her head on Chaewon's shoulder.

They stayed quiet for a while but it didn't bother them, it was comfortable for them. Feeling the calmness in their hearts when Chaewon suddenly speak. "Looking at the sea, it suddenly reminded of our relationship, not just as lover but also since the start of everything." Chaewon rested her head above Minju's as she kept her eyes glued at the clear reflection of the moon at the sea. Minju didn't reply for a while, it seems like she gave a thought about what the older has said but she eventually gave up after not understanding it.

"Hmm? Why did it reminded you of us?"

"See, the sea is so calm that it's such a sight to see. Well seas are beautiful originally like our relationship. The calmness of the sea right now made me think about how things are going on between us. Since we were friends, we never really got into any big issue or fight. The once in a while bickering about some nonsense stuffs and the times when one of us gets jealous, it's like the small waves that the sea have. It's like a flaw of the scenery but it's not a big deal, it's still a beautiful sea since its natural to a sea to have waves. Like those that I mentioned, they're not something that is big deal because we make up after or just laugh.

When there's a storm, the sea is very scary. It's a real deal because it's extremely dangerous. It could take away some lives if some treat it as small thing. I suddenly feared about what's to come for us. I love how things are perfect but just like this beautiful scenery before our eyes, it could be extremely dangerous that I fear I'll lose you just because of an event. Our life right now is like a dream but not all dreams are good, one night you can suddenly have a nightmare. The last thing I want to happen in this life is to lose you."

Staring at one another's eyes, Minju can see the emotion of fear in Chaewon's eyes. It's usually glistening with either love or happiness but right now she see nothing but worries in her eyes. She offered her a small smile before answering. "I know that, I rarely have the same thought. But don't overthink about it because thinking too much about may jinx our destiny or it might poison your mind, it will get vulnerable. You will get vulnerable about us."

Minju placed her hand on the top of Chaewon's before proceeding, an encouraging smile plastered on her face. "Listen, we can overcome everything, nothing can stop our run as long as we have each other. I trust you, I know you'll always be there and know that I'll always be here for you as well." 'What a lie, Minju. Another lie.'

A smile made it's way to Chaewon's lips and she nodded. Minju planted a kiss on the latter's forehead before embracing her into a hug, placing her chin above Chaewon's head. The expression on her face changed, she felt sorry. Chaewon has been trusting her with her full heart but here she is, continuously lying to her.

After a minute of being in Minju's embrace, Chaewon stood up and they decided to go back at their hotel which is not far away from where they are. They took turns to wash up with Chaewon going first then after comes Minju. When Minju came out from the bathroom, the older is already on their shared bed waiting for the younger. Minju rested her back at the headboard while she run her fingers to Chaewon's soft silky hair. The older said her goodnight knowing that she fall asleep because of what Minju is doing. "Sleep well. I love you too." Then not long ago, Minju heard soft snores. She chuckled at the latter's cuteness. She fixed the blanket then she laid beside Chaewon, cuddling her to have a good sleep.

More than ten minutes have passed and Minju's eyes are still wide open. She can't rest yet with the train of thoughts clouding her mind. "I'm sorry." She said in a low voice to the person in her arms. She thinks she's being selfish because of hiding the truth from Chaewon. Yes, it's true that she wanted to be happy and the happiness she wanted wasn't only for her. Chaewon was also happy, they're in love with each other, what's happiness for them other than being together?

Despite the fact that it's making both of them happy, she knows that the downfall of their relationship is caused by her. She knows that after she bring down everything, she won't be there for Chaewon. She won't be there for them to deal with the aftermath together. It's making her guilty but she knows that it's the best to keep it hidden, Chaewon's parents thought so as well.

5 years ago...