사랑시 (Twinkling Watermelon ff)

10. Rescue me

Ha Eungyeol

"Stop crying already, Yi-joo"

I wiped off all the tears on Yi-joo's cheeks with my already damp hoddie sleeve for the thousandth time. She's been crying non-stop since I met her, concerning the others at the guest house. So I asked them to leave us alone for some time, which they thankfully did without asking me any questions.

“I-I'm sorry”, she sniffed and continued, “I'm just s-so fucking glad that you showed up”, she completed as a fresh batch of tears falls off her face once again.

Me too, Yi-joo.

“Brave of you to assume that I'd leave you alone. Not in this life, Yi-joo”, I whispered in her ears, hugging her tightly, hoping that it would stop her crying. She melted into the hug and wrapped her arms around my torso as I felt the tears soaking into my hoddie but I ignored it.

“All good now?” I questioned as she parted away after a good time. She nodded at my words, “Did Ahjussi find out?”, She questioned, referring to dad coming to the club during our SPINE9 performance.

I told her everything. From my conversation with dad to the La Vida music shop without leaving anything. She was so shocked when I told her that Ha Yi-chan was my dad.

“What about you? What happened?”

“It was the same shop. He traded me a guitar in exchange for my mother's diary," she continued to tell me about what happened to her.

That Ahjussi took away Aunt Sujin's diary, which would have been a great help in the situation we were in.

“But mother told me about my dad, and you know him”, she looked at me excitedly.

“I know him?”

“It's Oh M-”

“Runaway couple, grandma is calling you both for dinner”, Yi-chan appeared inside the room screaming.

“What do you mean by couple?” Yi-joo stood up, gazing at Yi-chan.

“I'm not blind, you both are so obvious”

“We are best friends. Not. A. Couple. Arraseo?” She gave him a death glare.

“If you insist”

“But why runaway?” I questioned.

“Both of you have no stuff and no place to go as well. It's not planned as I can see, and she bought a guitar with her. My guess is: She was not allowed to do music so she ran away, and you followed her”, Yi-chan's explanation made Yi-joo's jaw drop.

I opened my mouth to speak but ended up getting silenced by Yi-chan's finger on my lips, “Just don't. I know I'm smart”

Yi-joo pulled my sleeve (her way of asking me to bend down in curtsy to her almost dwarf height), and whispered, "Why is his personality 180⁰ opposite from Ahjussi"

“Yi-joo, will you teach me guitar after dinner?”, he got into the middle.

“Of course”, she smiled at him.

“I can also play guitar”

“I'm sure she's better than you”, he stuck out his tongue at me and pulled out Yi-joo with him.

I taught her how to play guitar, I sighed.

“He's weird, why do you know him?”

Yi-joo's faint laughter followed by Yi-chan's question.

And just like that, Yi-joo came once again to rescue me.