Only If We Could || Y.JW FF

ten - 12

[flashback]

The sound of the ocean hitting the sand was soothing, something Kyungmi looked forward to every summer. Kyungmi looked back at her mother who was sitting on a towel. Her mother buried an umbrella in the sand so that it hovered over her, protecting her pale skin from the sun. She held a book in her hand, peacefully reading.

Kyungmi smiled at her mother although she knew she wasn't looking at her, she turned back waiting to watch the water hit the sand once again. Her older brother, Jaejin, was running around the beach with Jungwon and his older sister.

Their giggles filled the air when Jaejin face-planted into the sand. Kyungmi's mother sighed heavily before moving toward her whining son. "Eomma, the sand got in my mouth," Jaejin cried.

Eomma shushed him before nudging him toward the bathroom to rinse the sand out of his mouth. Jungwon and his sister settled down beside Kyungmi. Kyungmi wiggled away from them, not comfortable with them being that close to her.

Jungwon looked down at the space between them before wiggling closer to her. "Kyungmi nuna," he called out to her when she started to inch away from him. Kyungmi paused and looked back at him. "You don't like me?"

Kyungmi froze. Did she not like him? Kyungmi simply shook her head. Jungwon smiled brightly before practically tossing himself next to her. "Good. I want to be your friend," Jungwon proclaimed, which shocked Kyungmi.

"Friend?" Kyungmi questioned, leaning away from Jungwon.

He nodded his head, an ear-to-ear smile plastered on his face. "Of course. Best friends!"

His sister chuckled at her little brother. "Don't scare her away, Jungwon-ah. Then she won't want to be your friend," she pointed out to him.

Jungwon looked at the shocked Kyungmi before moving away to give her some space. Kyungmi snapped out of it when she finally got some personal space, looking at Jungwon who was staring at the ocean.

Slowly, Kyungmi made her way, next to Jungwon. He smiled but didn't bother her. "You promise?" Kyungmi whispered to him, poking at his side.

"Promise what?" Jungwon whispered back.

Kyungmi looked at him, her big doe eyes boring into his. "To be my best friend?"

Jungwon smiled while nodding his head. "Of course. I promise," he stated, holding out his pinky. Kyungmi hesitantly wrapped her pinky around Jungwon's before pressing their thumbs together, sealing the deal with each other.

From that moment on, Kyungmi and Jungwon were inseparable. Wherever Kyungmi went, Jungwon followed, and wherever Jungwon went, Kyungmi followed. Their parents thought it was cute that they were so close, especially since they were neighbors. Yet, Kyungmi's mom felt the most thankful for their friendship.

She always worried that Kyungmi would shy away from people, but Jungwon brought out a part of Kyungmi that she only showed her eomma and Jaejin. Their friendship forced Kyungmi to be social, mainly because Jungwon had quite a few friends.

When it came time for Kyungmi to travel back to the States to visit her Aunt, she and Jungwon threw a fit, trying to convince their parents to either let Jungwon travel to the States with Kyungmi or to let Kyungmi stay with Jungwon and his family until her mother and brother returned.

Both parties were against it, so for two entire weeks, Jungwon and Kyungmi were separated. Now, to the eleven and twelve-year-old, it felt like an eternity. While Kyungmi was being dragged around the States by her cousins, Jungwon was patiently waiting for her to come back home.

While visiting her Aunt, Kyungmi received some news that was far from her liking. During dinner one evening, Kyungmi's mother announced that they were moving from Seoul to Busan. Which - ultimately - meant that Kyungmi and Jungwon had to separate. Almost two years of friendship spiraling down the drain.

Granted, Busan was better than the States; it was still going to be impossible to see Jungwon. Especially because of school. Kyungmi spent the rest of the trip moping around her Aunt's house. Not wanting to be bothered.

Kyungmi's mother was allowing her to be the one to break the news to Jungwon. So, once Kyungmi was back home, she spent some time planning on how to tell Jungwon. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to tell him, but she knew that she had no choice.

So after about a week back home, Kyungmi finally decided that she was ready to tell Jungwon. They had already decided beforehand that they were going to meet up at the park down the street, so Kyungmi thought it was the perfect time to tell him.

They were going to be alone so it wasn't like she was going to be interrupted and she could take her time. Once they arrived at the park, after walking there in silence, Kyungmi and Jungwon sat on the swings

After a moment of silence, Kyungmi turned to look at Jungwon. "Hey, Little Yang?"

Jungwon hummed before turning his attention toward Kyungmi. He noticed the tears welling up in her eyes and instantly grew worried. "What happened, nuna? Are you okay?" Jungwon rushed out the question.

Kyungmi shook her head before looking at Jungwon. "I'm moving, Jungwon-ah," Kyungmi mumbled to him.

Jungwon froze. "What?" He asked, not sure if he heard Kyungmi right. "You're what?"

"Moving."

Jungwon stared at Kyungmi to try and figure out if she was joking. She wasn't. He turned back around, turning his attention away from Kyungmi who was now completely crying at this point. "Okay," he whispered as tears of his own fell.

For the next few weeks, Jungwon and Kyungmi barely saw each other. Between school and packing to move, Kyungmi couldn't find the time to hang out with Jungwon. Not that she minded much, knowing that being around him would only make it harder on her, and she didn't want to give her mom a problem, especially since she already had a lot going on.

Moving day rolled around quicker than Kyungmi thought that it would, which meant it was time for her to say goodbye to her best friend.

Jungwon hugged Kyungmi tightly as they both cried, clinging to each other.

"Come and visit me often, nuna. Okay? Don't forget about me," he sobbed out.

Kyungmi nodded as she continued to cry. Kyungmi's mother allowed her to hang on to Jungwon a little longer. "Okay, Kyungmi, we have to go," her mother called out.

Jungwon made the move to pull away first from Kyungmi. "Bye, nuna. I'll miss you."

Kyungmi's bottom lip quivered. "Bye, Wonnie. I'll miss you, too."

They quickly hugged one last time before Kyungmi rushed to get into the car. Kyungmi waved at Jungwon as her mother pulled out of the driveway. Jungwon waved back, using his spare hand to wipe his tears.

Kyungmi settled back into her seat once Jungwon was out of sight. She continued to cry silently to herself. The first time she opened herself up to make a friend, he was torn away from her. Kyungmi cried until she eventually fell asleep.