My Muse

Chapter 4: Goodbye?

  Side by side, Hwayoung and Young K strolled through the nearly barren pavements of Hangang Park. Knowing that Young K was on a time crunch, they had decided to take a taxi there with the added benefit that fewer people would see Young K in public. On the drive there, Young K got an extensive history lesson about his companion, finding out several interesting things by the time they arrived.

  Hwayoung was only a year younger than Young K which he found to be both shocking but a huge relief. She, like Young K, was an only child. Her father was an English professor, which meant that Hwayoung could speak the language somewhat fluently, though she bashfully admitted that she was "a little rusty". Due to her father's career, her parents had to temporarily move to Japan where he taught in an international school. Hwayoung stayed in Korea to complete her university education, living in a small studio apartment that her aunt was renting out. They later agreed that Hwayoung could live rent free if she worked part-time at the cafe that she owned. Of course, this meant that Hwayoung could suddenly be scheduled for shifts or asked to work overtime, but the pros outweighed the cons and she got by.

  Still thinking about all the new information that he'd just learnt, Young K couldn't help but admire the environment around him. He was fond of Hangang Park, having always been there with his band members and other friends from his trainee days. It'd been a while since he'd gone to the park at a late hour, or even at all. Just next to the pavement he was walking on was the Han River, tinted with the different colours reflected from surrounding lights. Although the park was mostly empty at such a late hour, they continued strolling and chatting absentmindedly until they reached an area that had no one lingering around. Upon reaching this point, Hwayoung leaned her body over the railing and stopped talking to fully immerse herself in the beautiful scenery around her. Young K did the same, taking a deep breath and inhaling the familiar scents.

  "You come here quite often with your band members, right?" Hwayoung asked, breaking the silence. 

  "Yeah, but not as much in the past few months," Young K replied regretfully. "Actually, how do you know that?"

  "You've been here a few times on VLive."

  Right. I almost forgot that she's a fan.

  As if she was reading his mind, Hwayoung asked, "Is it weird if I reference that part of your life while we're hanging out?"

  Young K took a moment to formulate the right response. "No, I don't think so. It's just that we don't usually befriend fans, so I'm not sure how to react when you say those things."

  Hwayoung admired the glistening river thoughtfully.
  "Well, aren't your friends supposed to be supportive of your music, anyway?" she questioned, to which Young K agreed. "Then, that doesn't make me any more of a fan than your normal friends, so I hope you'll think of me as such from now on."

  "Of course," Young K complied almost too easily. He leaned his body over the railing as well and extended his right hand towards Hwayoung. "Friends for tonight."

  Despite feeling slightly discontented, Hwayoung shook his hand warmly.
  "For tonight," she repeated. 

  Hwayoung could feel the callousness on Young K's hands, a given trait of a hardworking bass guitar player. Young K on the other hand was amused that her hands felt really tiny in his and found it hard to contain his smirk.

  "So when was the last time you came here?" Young K asked in a chirpier tone than before. Hwayoung recalled that she used to visit every few weeks with Joonhyung who loved riding his bike through the park.

  "You know he has a gigantic crush on you, right?" Young K teased, thinking fondly of the uptight man.

  "What? Are you kidding me? He's just a childhood friend," Hwayoung dismissed, laughing as if Young K had just suggested something absurd.