In the realm of dreams

Chapter 22 - Regrets and aftermath

Baek Yoona

I convinced Sooho to escape to the roof terrace of the school building for our all-important talk. A tad dramatic I know. but I wanted to see if he would indulge me, and he did. Which was the first sign of admittance of his fault.

The view from the terrace was quite breathtaking. A clear day meant our gaze stretched as far as the lush hills to the north and a slight breeze heralded a newness around us.

I knew already I was going to forgive him.

'I am sorry for ignoring you, I was in a mood. My fault entirely.' He said , his eyes focusing on my face, his face was a map of consternation.

His dark eyes squinted behind his glasses but there was no question he was remorseful. Whilst he wasn't offering up a full explanation he was also not blaming anyone else or any event for his bad mood. That was something. I tried to ignore the small part of me that hoped he had done it out of jealousy and in a twisted kind of way that was attractive.

Sooho would never admit it outright of course. But he didn't have to. This was enough for today.

'Gwenchhana, it happens to everyone', I replied brushing aside some stray hair from my face.

'I will make it up to you', he looked sincere but his facial muscles relaxed.

'Cool, I intend to collect.', I heaved myself on to the parapet after checking if it was safe to sit on, there was a wraparound ledge on the outside wall there as if to catch any falling stars.

Dangling my feet over the edge felt exhilarating, freeing somehow. Sooho sat down next to me.

'Do you ever wish you could fly?', my gaze scanned the horizon which seemed full of possibilities. Birds must feel so free knowing they can fly away from any situation.

Sooho didn't answer for a few beats. Either he was carefully pondering his answer or he thought of the question as just another Yoona question, rhetorical.

'Not sure', he clasped his hands on his lap. 'I can't decide if I would love flying'.

I didn't know whether to take his words at face value or not. Maybe he meant flying seemed attractive at first but there was always a danger that you would hit something head on. I was getting quite attuned to Sooho's subtexts.

Choi Sooho

I was getting quite used to Yoona's random questions and musings, yet they somehow never fail to surprise me. They seem to come out of nowhere but they provide a window into the inner workings of her mind. Her weird and wonderful mind. Flying. It seemed attractive at first, enthralling even, but I was more cautious about liking something than Yoona. What if flying wasn't all that I thought it might be? The burden of disappointment might be too much to bear.

So I gave her an honest answer. I was not sure if I would love flying. I wasn't sure if I would risk flight, knowing there might be disappointment or danger ahead. If something seemed too good to be true it probably was.

I was relieved when she didn't demand a deeper explanation. I didn't know if I had the courage to admit my jealousy, unwarranted it might seem to most, or come up with a half-lie. Thanks to Yoona's magnaminty I was saved from scrambling for believable excuses for my behaviour.

'You know, SK High School are coming here for their away game this Friday. Do you think you will watch? The game I mean'. It wasn't the most elegant way of inviting her to watch the match I know, but it was all I could come up with.

She turned to look at me. 'I didn't know! but of course I will come and support our school and you'.

I liked that she included the word 'you' in addition to the school. I was not just a part of the school, I was a separate entity to her. important enough to support alongside the school.

Friday Match Day.

Baek Yoona

Damn it. it was so close but we lost.

Choi Sooho

I lost my concentration for a bit, just for one second when I saw the shape of Eun Geul walk towards where Yoona was seated. All it took was a lapsed moment of concentration. It was all over. We lost. But somehow I was more concerned about Yoona.