When We're Together [양정완]

47.

The duo ran out of the school and onto the dim, crowded streets laughing like crazy, and out of breath. It gave Aera a sense of deja vu from the time they had first become friends and chased each other into the garden.

The female opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't get a chance before the boy spoke first. "Where are all these people going?" He questioned, gesturing to a long line of citizens wrapping around the corner of the street.

He followed the line around the corner and farther down the street with his eyes squinted from the lack of light. Finally, he spotted a small pastel themed building that looked brand new with a large ice cream logo on the doors.

"Ah, Ice Cream? This place must be famous or something."

The female nodded in agreement while still in awe of the huge line. "We should try it sometime. I haven't had ice cream in so long." Aera's mouth watered at the thought of the delicious treat as the boy watched her, trying his hardest not to laugh.

The male opened his mouth once more, about to suggest that they go get dessert right now, but a voice suddenly interrupted them.

"Jungwon!" a joyful, high-pitched voice called after the pair. They turned to face the source of the voice, and found none other than Hwang Minhye, the boy's childhood friend standing at a distance, waving.

She skipped over with a wide smile on her face, heading straight for Chae Aera. The latter smiled sweetly despite not being very familiar with the former, however the only greeting she recieved was a jab with Minhye's elbow.

Confused, Aera glanced around, noticing the strange looks the other people around them were shooting at her. She smiled nervously before stepping towards the boy, only to be blocked again by the other female.

"What's wrong with yo-?" before the female could finish her annoyed remark, the other girl suddenly turned to her with a serious glare.

"Just help a girl out, would 'ya? I'm trying to talk to Jungwon." She flipped her hair in Aera's face and turned back to the male, leaving the poor girl awkwardly standing there while she waited for their conversation to finish. However, as she waited, she suddenly realized what the other female meant. Talking to Jungwon?

Without fully realizing what she was doing, Chae Aera suddenly grabbed Yang Jungwon's hand and turned to face the other female whose jaw nearly hit the floor before she recomposed herself. "Hey, what are you-?" she started in a whisper shout.

Chae Aera's body suddenly seemed to act on impulse as she stood on her tippy toes and her lips gently met the flustered boy's dimpled cheek. "You haven't heard? This is my boyfriend, Yang Jungwon."

The male's eyes grew large at the sudden statement. Even though she had been the one to say it, Aera quickly realized what she had truly just said and done, but she tried her hardest not to show it on her face.

Minhye looked around at the young adults passing by who were giving the trio strange glances. Annoyed and reluctant, she scoffed at the girl before turning into a sweet angel again while facing her childhood friend. "Well, I'll see you around, okay? Call me, Wonie!"

She then walked down the road in a huff, leaving the supposed couple alone with each other. However, before the male could even get a word out, Aera grasped his hand and pulled him down the sidewalk for a long while until they reached a relatively empty road and the male dug his heels into the concrete.

"Your boyfriend?"

The flustered girl released the boy's hand and turned away, afraid that he might be upset with her sudden unexpected act. However, instead, the boy gently pushed her shoulder, turning the shy girl to face his smirking face. "Is that really what you think of me?"

Aera tried to form a word, a phrase, anything to excuse herself from the conversation, but she seemed to have an absence of voice. Before she managed to make a sound, the male spoke again, this time with his face nearly touching the female's. "I could get used to that."

She froze, knowing her cheeks were probably as bright red as tomatoes, yet the only thought in her mind was what he had just said. What did he mean he could get used to it?