RESTART

Just Like Old Times

Solar came back to her hotel and took a hot bath. As she soaked in the bathwater, she felt her worries slowly wash away. The warm embrace of the gentle water eased her mind. She closed her eyes and rested her weary soul, before she knew it she had fallen asleep. When did I fall asleep? I wonder what time it is now? She smiled and stretched, I guess it didn't matter. There was a new sense of happiness after her nap and she was content with that.

When she left the restroom, she noticed that her phone was filled with messages—forty-eight of them to be exact—plus fifteen missed calls, and all of them were from Whee-In. I forgot I told Whee-In I would call her once I'd landed. She glanced at the time, that was about 2 hours ago, she sighed in disbelieved. Should I ignore it? She's going to give me an earful. She tapped her foot as she stared down at her phone. After a serious consideration, I shouldn't, she must be really worried. She decided to return Whee-In's phone call. As she dialed, she braced herself for a loud lecture, and loud it was. The phone had barely finished it first rang when Whee-In's voice screeched from the other side.

"Where have you been!? I was really worried! I almost called the police! You said 8:30. 8:30!!! Do you know how many times I called you!? I—"

"Calm down. I'm fine," she spoke softly.

"Cal-Calm down!? Ho—?" She was baffled at the prospect. "I thought something bad had happened. You are always on time and you're over 2 hours late! 2 hours! This is the first time you did this to me, how could I not be worried!?"

"I'm sorry," she pleaded in a cute voice. "Please, forgive me. I'll try not to do it next time."

"Ne-Next time!? There's not going to be a next time!" She pouted angrily.

"Alright. Alright. No next time. Don't be angry, okay?"

She tried her best to calm Whee-In, but she couldn't do much. Whee-In stayed rowdy until another voice entered the conversation. It was calm and soothing, singing a sweet melody. Solar smiled happily, recognizing Hwasa's voice.

"Whee-In ah, don't lecture her anymore. She must be tired from her flight, let her rest," she said sweetly.

"Alright—" she mumbled and handed the phone to Hwasa.

"Hello?" she called out to Solar.

"Hey," Solar replied cheerily. "It's been awhile. How are you?"

"Good. Good," she nodded. "As you can tell, Whee-In is doing great. She was really excited when you told her you were coming back." She paused for a moment, "But why didn't you tell me? I only found out through Whee-In. That stung a bit, you know? Was it because I'm close to you-know-who?"

"Sorry—maybe that is part of the reason. I'm not sure myself. But Whee-In tells you everything, so I figured she would just let you know." She sighed, feeling sad she had let her friend down.

"It's fine. I'm just teasing. You must be tired, you should rest. Don't worry about Whee-In, I got her." She assured Solar that everything was under control.

"Alright, let's catch up sometime. Good night."

"Good night," she said cheerily.

Solar hung up, a serene smile spread across her face. She thought for a moment on how she could enjoy the rest of her evening. She poured a glass of wine, cranked up her relaxing music, and stepped out to her balcony. The gentle wind caressed her face as it passed by and a beautiful scenery greeted her, giving her a smile. She leaned on her balcony as she watched the city light below. It was lit up on every corner, filling the city with a gentle glow. Although she couldn't hear the loud music and chatter. She knew it filled the city, bringing with it all sorts of laughter. She returned to her bed and fell asleep with ease. Just like her calm heart, her mind was at peace. The moonlight wrapped her in its warmth, making sure she was safe and unharmed.