Souvenir | Seokjin [ revamped ]

4. None Stops Me From Running

A M O R O U S

• readily showing love •

"My wounded soul embraces fragility, as the last drop of rain fades away along with your voice."

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A month had passed away since Mrs. Kim sent the photo of mine with two ponytails and mascara smudged over my eyes to Seokjin, and he had also written a fast reply in his letter, noting an yes.

But we hadn't talked since then.

Not that I didn't send him more letters. It wasn't even the fact that maybe I forgot to spray perfume on any of them or my poems were too short, so he would be a bit selfish and made me wait.

What was the reason, I couldn't decipher, at all.

The sun was rising and setting, dew drops were turning into steam, mothers' call for their children to get up from the bed in the morning and return to home in the evening was repeating, but my contemplating was never ending.

I stared longingly through the silk drapes surrounding the windows, stood in front of the post office and kicked pebbles out of my way in frustration. However, all I got was the postman's encouraging smile, that maybe Seokjin was a bit busy and would reply later.

Not to mention, the sudden movement of mutineers from the Saechion city was all over the newspapers, on the grey televisions and the talk of the village. Old mans could be seen sitting on the mat, drinking warm tea with toast and expressing their concern upon the fact that even the Senators were speaking in the same tune as the mutineers.

Young and newly married ladies weren't having a great fuss. Though silently, they also showed a bit anxiety because many of the fresh groceries they were getting from the market were halted to come in this area, mainly for the reason that Saechion had delievered the goods before.

"Stupid humans," I dropped the water bucket on the ground one day and yelled at top of my voice in front of my friends, who stopped filling their pots and looked at me with an amused expression, "They had to raise protests at this very moment! For them, my husband can't even reply to my letters -"

"Hey, hey, calm down, lady..." Yoon Min narrowed her eyebrows, throwing me an intense glare, "You just can't claim him as your husband - you haven't even married him!"

"Who said that bullshit?" I retorted and flapped my hair on Yoon Min's face, to that she backed off immediately, "Marriage is only the...ehm...visible showcase of telling people that you are in love. And calling someone husband is the invisible showcase of telling yourself that you are in love. Have a big brain like me, pighead."

"Einstein," she muttered under her breath, "Cooking stupid equations and putting my life at the edge -"

"Oh, piggy..." there came Nova's intrigued chortle, "Still jealous that Mrs. Kim rejected you like that -"

"Nova, you -" Yoon Min started to protest but got cut by Sung Rin, "Don't take stress, Yoon Yoon, may you get another general in your life. I will pray."

"You all, stop it!" Yoon Min stamped her feet in frustration, as the rest of us laughed and started to fill our buckets again. There was a steady sound of rope making crunching noise while we pulled it together out of the well.

I sighed as I filled the fourth bucket, my palms reddening under the pressure, "After this, I will straight go to home and take a bit rest -"

"Tani!"

Suddenly, a familiar warm voice spoke behind me. I got to my full posture and turned around, to see a very cheerful Mr. Baek, the postman, riding on his bicycle and halting beside the well.

"Mr. Baek!" I clapped my hands and rushed to him, eyes sparkling in hope that he might had brought a good news, "You! This early!"

"Yes..." he smiled and rummaged through his bag, to that I leaped from happiness and whispered,

"A letter? From Jin?"

"Wait -" he scrutinised his eyes, and then, let out an yelp of surprise, "Wait - why am I searching my bag? Tani, he is here!"

"He - he is where?" I exclaimed in confusion, my ears refusing to believe what I had just heard. Mr. Baek shook his head, and continued,

"Seokjin has arrived at the village border. He said he won't stay for too long, because he had some urgent meeting with the camp leader of this area and will return to Hanchon soon. He hasn't planned of going home yet, but he wanted to see you, Tani."

"When did you meet with him?" I asked to clear my disbelief and instead, greet the warm flowers of spring waiting to bloom inside my heart, "He told you that?"

"Kids these days are extra suspicious." he rubbed his temple in exasperation, "Anyways, I was returning with the latest stock of letters while crossing the border. So he noticed me there and we had a pretty good chat, too. Now, he surely wanted to see you but are you willing to come...?"

"Of course I am willing to come!" I blabbed with my cheeks flaring at the possible thoughts that started to swirl around my mind, the joyous feeling of meeting Seokjin after a very long time made a great impact on me to jump on the bicycle right away and and hug Mr. Baek, "And we are ready to go!"

"Silly girl," the postman laughed, and began to paddle his wheels. At the moment, a female voice spoke up, and reminded me that I wasn't alone in there.

"Ehm," Yoon Min coughed and crossed her hands above her chest, "Are we invisible to the world now?"

"Yes, you are, pighead." I winked at her which just made her flare more, and the rest of the girls tried to suppress their laughter, "Wait until I return with the wedding ring on my finger..."

"What about your home?" her retorts started to fade away, as I waved my hands and yelled some words before leaving with Mr. Baek on his bicycle,

"Tell mom that the water bucket burst so I am off to town for a new one!"

"Bullshit!"

"Yes, Yoon Min, you are!"

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