Holding On to You ||| Hwang Hyunjin

Ch. 12

"Hey baby! How are you doing?", my moms voice echoed through the room from the laptop, laying in front of me in bed.

I haven't talked to her since I was in France, so we decided we'd have a FaceTime together.

"I'm doing great mom, how are you? How's Jean-Pierre?"

"He's doing great, you're living with your friend Yeji right?", she replied asking.

"Yup. And her brother Hyunjin"

My mom's face lit up on the screen. "Hyunjin? I remember him from when you two were little. How's it going living with them?"

I hesitated for a moment, the mention of Hyunjin bringing up the complicated situation we were in.

But I kept my tone casual. "It's going well! They've been super welcoming, and it's nice to have familiar faces around, you know?"

Mom smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear that, sweetheart. It must feel good to be back in Seoul, even if it's a bit different now."

"Yeah, it's been nice to settle back in," I said, glancing at the laptop screen. "How's France? You and Jean-Pierre still enjoying the countryside?"

She chuckled, her eyes crinkling with happiness. "Oh, you know us. We're loving it here—he's been teaching me how to cook all these traditional French dishes. You wouldn't believe how much butter they use!"

I laughed, picturing my mom in a kitchen surrounded by ingredients, with Jean-Pierre guiding her through recipes.

"I bet you're getting really good at it."

"Maybe one day I'll cook for you and Hyunjin," she teased, and I could see the playful glint in her eye.

"Yeah, he'd like that," I replied, the words coming out automatically.

There was an awkward pause, and I quickly added, "Yeji would too. She's always talking about how she wants to visit you guys in France."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! We could all take a little vacation together," she said, her excitement genuine.

"By the way, how are things going with Hyunjin? Are you two getting along well?"

I felt a slight twist in my stomach. I hadn't told her about the fake relationship, there didn't seem to be a reason to, and I didn't want to worry her.

"Yeah, we're getting along great. It's like old times, just with a bit more...maturity, I guess?"

Mom laughed softly. "That's good to hear. You know, he always had a little crush on you when you were kids."

I nearly choked on my laugh. "What? No way!"

"Oh, you were both so shy about it. But I could tell. Anyway, I'm glad you have him and Yeji there with you. It makes me feel better knowing you're not alone."

"Thanks, Mom. And yeah, they've been great. It's been really comforting to have them around," I said, feeling a warmth spread through me despite the complicated feelings I had about my arrangement with Hyunjin.

We talked a bit more about her life in France and my new job at the cafe. It felt good to reconnect, even though the distance between us was still palpable.

Eventually, we said our goodbyes, and I promised to call her more often.

As the screen went dark, I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I couldn't shake the thought of what Mom had said about Hyunjin's childhood crush.

It was silly, of course, things were different now. We were just pretending, after all.