Resonance | Bboing AU

Rhythm

Driving along Byeonyeong-ro as they approached the harbor of Busan was supposed to be a panoramic experience. Instead, Do Hyun had spent the past hour throwing sidelong glances and listening to Youngie sing along to SIG's rendition of Unforgettable for the 7th time. Or 12th. Well she lost count. 

But she didn't have the heart to spoil the good time Youngie was having since she discovered that listening to this song didn't have any effect on her memory at all. 

She could still recall waking up to the sound of Youngie's squealing from her room the morning after Dawon gave her the raw copy of his record. How she frantically got up from bed to run to Youngie's bedroom, worried that she had suffered  yet another bout of panic attack. 

As it turned out, Youngie  only screamed in happiness because the first thing she remembered when she woke up was that new rendition of Unforgettable from Dawon's album. 

Perplexed, they spent the whole morning trying to figure out how Youngie could have possibly remembered that song when it was sung by someone she had never met before the accident.

And as they identified the factors, they came up with a few theories:

One; Because the song wasn't exactly new but rather just a new rendition of an old song that Youngie was already familiar with, her subconscious remembered it. 

Two; Because she did not actually meet the person behind that voice, technically speaking, Youngie's subconscious did not need to process any new piece of information such as the singer's face.

Or Three; Her condition did not count voice/sound as new information even if it came from a person she had never met before; and if that were the case, they surely had wasted a great deal of time and effort just to keep Youngie from listening to new songs for nothing. 

Since then, Youngie seemed to have grown so fond of that song that she would listen to it every chance she got. Perhaps the excitement of remembering something new for the first time since the accident made her radiate such sanguine energy lately, and Do Hyun was happy to see her so hopeful. 

But her happiness towards this new development in Youngie's condition did not exactly make her any less cautious. 

So when Do Hyun was called to do a two-day shoot in Busan, she decided to take Youngie with her. She had already learned her lesson from leaving her alone for a whole day on the anniversary of her accident and didn't want to make the same mistake. Her forgetful best friend refused to go at first, but after some negotiation, Youngie finally agreed on one condition - Do Hyun must take her to Dawon's performance which was set on the last leg of her two-day shoot. 

After giving it some thought, Do Hyun eventually capitulated to her demand. She realized that if Youngie were to suffer a panic attack, at least she would be there to help rather than be four hours away if she stayed behind in Gyeonggi. 

That was how Do Hyun ended up driving them to Busan instead of taking the train, to keep Youngie's interaction with strangers to a minimum. 

When they reached Busan late that afternoon, they went straight to a small diner near the hotel to grab some takeout dinner and drinks. The establishment was small and cozy, with only a handful of customers dining in because of its more popular takeout counter. 

Youngie settled at a window table while Do Hyun got in line at the counter to order their food. While she waited, one of the staff members handed her a complimentary cup of their house blend coffee. Surprised, she didn't get the chance to avoid seeing the waitress's face, making her panic just a little. But she politely accepted the free beverage with a slight bow and a small smile.