"Haknyeon, will you go downstairs?" Seolhee asked, not looking up from her phone. "Food's here."
"Sure," he said, getting up from his place on the floor. Eric and Sunwoo were playing, and he was waiting for his turn while Hyunjun was napping on the floor a few paces away. Seolhee was on the floor beside him, painting her nails in a lilac color.
Ever since school ended, the five of them had become even more inseparable than usual. They were always either at Eric, Hyunjun, or Seolhee's place. Never Sunwoo's house, because he'd moved out a while ago and was now permanently living with Hyunjun. Hyunjun's parents didn't mind. They were always out, so they hardly noticed.
His house was available, but it felt strange without his parents. He had a good relationship with them, but they had been abroad for a while on urgent business, and when they got back to Korea they immediately had business to tend to in their countryside estate. He missed them, but he'd be seeing them soon. He'd be there for most of the summer, which was why he was trying to spend a lot of time with everyone now.
There was one person who's absence was making a gaping hole in his heart. Mikyung. He'd still barely heard from her, and he really wanted to see her. Especially since he'd soon be leaving. But he didn't want to tell her yet. He didn't want to rush her.
He walked downstairs, completely immersed in his thoughts as he went to open the front door.
And...
"Hey there."
Haknyeon stared, wide eyed. There she was, standing right in front of him. Her hair was in waves, as if she braided it overnight, and falling past her shoulders. She was wearing a cute summer dress and strappy sandals. Her eyes were sparkling, almost the way they used to. And more than that, she was smiling. She looked calm. She looked happy to see him.
"You... you're..."
Mikyung grinned, holding up two plastic bags. "Hungry?"
He couldn't shake the dazed look from his eyes as he ushered her in.
"You're staring at me as if you can't believe I'm real," she teased, placing the bags on the dining room table and turning to face him.
"I can't."
"I'm..." she trailed off, her eyes apologetic as she searched for words. But to his relief, she didn't apologize. Instead she said, "I think I'm back. I think you'll be stuck with me again."
Haknyeon laughed, finally believing his own eyes. She was back, and she was okay.
He couldn't help it, he rushed forward, pulling her into his arms. Mikyung laughed, resting her head on his chest and putting her arms around his waist, returning the embrace.
"How are you doing?" he whispered, cupping her cheek with one hand and looking down at her.
"Better," she whispered back. "Much better. It still hurts a lot but... I cry less now. I think I've finally started laughing more than crying. Same with my father. And Sangyeon and his parents. We're all healing."
"So your father is alright? Is there anything I can do to help you guys? And how's Sangyeon?" he asked. The first time he'd seen Sangyeon had been at the little coffee shop they'd gone to, and though he would never admit it to her, he'd been jealous at that time. He'd been jealous at how easily they interacted and how she smiled at him. Though she'd said they weren't dating, he'd still been jealous.
The last time he'd seen Sangyeon was at Mikyung's mother's funeral. By then, the jealous feelings had disappeared. At that moment, all he felt was gratitude. He could see how much he meant to Mikyung, and what an important presence he was in her life. And he was glad she had someone like him.
Haknyeon had been walking around that night after the service, and he'd found Sangyeon sitting in a corner in a lone room, sobbing. He'd remained strong throughout the whole ceremony. Strong for Mikyung, strong for his father, strong for himself. It seemed like he was someone who people relied on a lot. Someone who gave a lot of himself to others.
Haknyeon went to sit with him, hoping to be of some sort of comfort. And Sangyeon told him that two years ago, he'd been to a funeral just like this one.
The funeral of his fiancée.
That was when Haknyeon realized that behind all the smiles, and behind the confident and reliable exterior, was someone who was deeply hurting.
They'd talked for a while, talked and cried. And by the end of the night, Haknyeon could realize exactly why he was Mikyung's best friend.
"Sangyeon's fine," Mikyung assured him. "So is my father. We're all fine. How are you doing? I... I feel bad-"
"Hey. No apologizing."
She bit back her smile. "I've been trying not to. Logically I know I have nothing to be apologizing for. And yet I still feel bad."
"Like you said, you have nothing to apologize for," he said, taking her hand. "I'm just glad you're here. I'm glad you're back. But still, take all the time you need."
"Now, I want more of my time to be spent with you," she told him, looking up at him with a smile. She tippy-toed, kissing his cheek. His heart skipped a beat, and she grinned at him. "Let's go upstairs, hm? Everyone is waiting."
