Summer Detour [Book 2] | Pentagon ✔

Chapter 16

Chapter 16
Dreams We Can't Afford
Hyunjoo

Hongseok and I sat by the van. After bidding good byes to Seunghee and Shinwon, he drove us off a hill, so now we're on oneㅡaway from the rest of the world. It's so quiet and dark. The only light we have were the stars, the moon, and the one coming from the van itself.

"Today was really fun." I told him with a sincere smile.

He turned and smiled back at me, then he held my hand. "It's the most fun I've had since high school." he said.

"Woah, really?" I nudged at his shoulder playfully. "I'm sure you've been into lots of parties in college!"

"Yeah," he admitted with a chuckle. "And parties get boring and college projects and homework took too much of my time. I know a lot of people hate high schoolㅡbut it was the most fun of my life; with my friends and the dance troupe."

"The cupcakes and love letters." I teased.

He laughed, "Yeah, that too. College girls don't make time for things like that."

"Oh, so you miss the girls!"

He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Don't be silly! I mean, things just changed too much in college. My friends in college are more like hangout buddies, you know. We don't really know much about each other..." he trailed off and sighed. "I guess I just really miss my best friends. Wooseok and Kino are tied for life. Changgu lives with Hui and Hyojong. Shinwon has turned his beach house into a dorm. He lives alone. I live alone, tooㅡbut I'm thirty minutes away from him. Yuto is in Japan. And none of us have so much time to spare."

I observed him as he talked and he looked so down that I pulled him in a hug. He chuckled beside my ear. "I'm sorry for whining." he said softly.

"It's alright." I told him and pulled away. "I guess change is really inevitable, but real friendship gets over all of that. You don't need to talk or meet up all the time. The important thing is, when you do meet up or when you talk, it would feel like you didn't spend so long away from each other at all."

He smiled slowly. "Yeah, I guess it's like that between me and them."

"Then you've got lifetime friendship."

"Like you are with Sorin?"

I nodded. "But I'm not exactly in college. You know that, right?"

He nodded, too. "I kinda figured that out."

"I'm thinking of applying to more universities before the summer ends." I said.

He straightened up. "Does that mean you're going home?"

I nodded thoughtfully. "I guessㅡit's time, you know? I..." I trailed off, watching shadows appear on his face. I tried to smile and gave his hand a squeeze. "Hey," I said softly. "Thank you for this summer."

He didn't turn to face me. He kept his eyes on the nightsky as he swallowed. "You say that like a good bye, you know."

I bit my lip and let go of his hand, hugging my elbows. "Um, I... you know I'm not good at talking." I said nervously. "When I left home, I really didn't know what to do. I was starting to think about going back. Silly of me to think I was so brave to actually have an adventure on my ownㅡand then you came. And as odd as it sounds, running away the last-minute of summer actually worth something. Though I didn't exactly expect to get my first kiss from a very cute guy, I would never forget all the time I spent with you."

He looked at me and our eyes met. We smiled faintly at each other, my cheeks burning in shyness. I reached out my hand to him and he took it, still smiling. "And you say you're not good at talking?" he said, now grinning.