Summer Of August || RYEJI

Chapter 36

August 04, 2021

A cheeky smile plastered on my face while I'm comfortably seated here at the bus stop. I just heard Yeji deeply breathing after a little laugh.

It's summer of August. Few years ago when the same month brought butterflies in my tummy. Sadly, the butterflies inside never dies—they only vanished because of the sky that Lia painted in me.

The road is empty. Probably because this road isn't one of those from big cities. It's only a two way road and not a highway too. But it's better, after all those years, nothing have changed except from the fact that they put a lot more golden bell tree. Nonetheless, the old tree still stands out the most.

"Do you remember how we first met?" I asked to scratch the deafening silence.

"I hope...I could..." Yeji's head bent down which made my eyes gloom but before the voids totally eat me up, I let out a smile and a deep breath.

"Y'know what? You told me before that your memory was too good. Why did you forget about that then? Were you bluffing that time?" I sarcastically asked.

She chuckle, "Do you believe that if you touch a turtle with your bare hands, you'll eventually become a forgetful person?" Yeji asked. She do believe in a lot. Like a lot. From ghosts that wander around to touching turtle with your bare hands.

"I don't know about that?"

"Ah you sure is dumb. How can you not know about that Ryujinnie?" Yeji's voice became whiny that's why I looks at her with pure admiration. She's just looking ahead but I know she could see me from her peripheral vision.

The song tells right. She looks like just a dream, the prettiest girl I've ever seen.

"How did you know about that then?" I curiously asked. I've never heard that by touching turtle you'll turn into forgetful person.

"Sohee told me—" Yeji had a sudden pause, "Yeah. She did." she said at the end.

I wonder if...if Yeji is slowly regaining her memories already but she doesn't want to tell anyone because of the painful truth. Her girlfriend is gone. I don't know how painful it is to slowly remember the memories, the moments you both shared together, only to be reminded that the person is gone already.

"I look like a copycat of Sohee, right?" I asked instead.

Yeji's eyes shifted towards me. She's staring at me very well that I almost couldn't process the right facial expression. Enable not to feel embarrass at this moment, I nose scrunches before looking away.

"You look like her that sometimes—it feels like I'm talking with her."

At this time, I felt something that darted right thru my heart. I'm feeling the pain I shouldn't be feeling.

I wonder if...

Maybe Yeji likes talking to me because I reminded her of Sohee all the time. What if? What if she can see Sohee in me?

"What kind of memories do we have?" Yeji suddenly asked.

"Nothing exciting. You tend to approach me first because I was a timid kid. The first time we first met was when we played hide and seek, you held my hand and we both hid in the same place." I stated, "As we grow up, there's nothing much too. Far from your relationship with Sohee, far from Sohee, I'm not the one to join a group of friends. I was always far from all of you. Wherever my Dad goes, I'll always be there. So we didn't see each other that much. Mostly, we'd have a vacation in months of summer and since our rooms are facing one another, we sometimes sees each other from our windows. Of course, you're always the first one who'd approach me. You'd talk about things I never knew. Things I never believed...you're talkative but I think not. You just love talking to me I guess." I boastfully said at the end.

I sees Yeji smiling. I hope she can remember even just a single memory of us.

"What if I die? Are you gonna be sad?" I asks.

"I'd die twice." Yeji said without a second thought that astounded me.

Yeji stood up and my eyes followed her. Why can I see a broken glass in her? Why does she look so fragile?

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