HEARTBEATS [2KIM AU]

twenty-four

Under the shade of the tree, she had her arms hugged her knees as she cried. Her head resting on her arms, she kept her sobs low as possible to not garner any attention to whoever walks near the spot. After hearing the first three recordings from the recorder left from Minju, she can't help but miss her more and it aches her heart knowing the she's gone and not coming back.

Her tears are far from stopping, it continuously run down her cheeks. The sound of the dancing leaves from the tree is getting faint as well as the passing cars once in a while outside the park. As if she's becoming deaf, she starts to hear nothing but footsteps coming near her. She wiped the tears formed on her eyes to have a clear view of the person coming to her before she finally looked up.

As if the world had stop, she couldn't hear anything but her own heart that's beating abnormally. The person walking to her stopped in front her, letting her one knee rest to the grass so she could be on the same level as Chaewon who's still seated by the tree, not moving.

"Hi." Minju greeted to the latter with a shy smile formed on her lips. Chaewon is frozen on her position, she couldn't move. The person she's been longing for a few days now is in front of her, smiling and talking to her. However, words can't be formed on her mouth, she can't say her thoughts out loud. She want to hug the person in front of her. She missed her warmth and everything about her.

"You can't move nor talk because it's forbidden now that you're seeing and hearing me."

Chaewon wanted to talk but everything she wants to say is kept in her head. The words can't slip out from her mouth.

"I won't be asking you about how have you been holding up because I'm watching. I told you, I'll always by your side."

'Is it really you, Minju? I miss you very much.' She thought, hoping that Minju would hear her.

"I'm sorry that I had leave in a very unexpected time. We were happy that day, aren't we?"

'Not really because that day, you left me. You left all of us. Why didn't you tell me? I thought we know everything about each other?'

The dried cheeks are getting wet once again because of the tears flowing. She wasn't aware of it, her mind is clouded with words that she wants to say to Minju at the same time, the questions she wants to ask.

"I know that you're still in pain because of my departure from this world. I only see you cry the past few days, barely taking care of yourself. I have no rights to say this but I'm sad you're doing all of those because of me."

'Everything is cold without your warmth, how can I continue walking the path when you're not with me?'

Minju went closer to her, she cupped her cheeks with her thumbs wiping the tears away from Chaewon's face. It's been a while since she felt her, as if she's really there with her. The palms touching her cheeks are warm. How she wish that she will not let it go.

After wiping the tears away, Minju smiled at her. Her hands went to Chaewon's and held them. This warm feeling under Minju's touch is something she's been longing since that day. The last time she saw her sleeping on the hospital bed, her body was cold.

"Unnie, I know it's still hard for you. Even though I'm not there anymore, you still have people waiting for you. Even without me, you still have a lot of things to experience. It may not be me but I'll be happy if I'll see you happy again. Because I love you. In this life, we're lucky enough to meet and love each other but maybe not so lucky."