The Magic Shop: A BTS Short Story Compilation

5: Yeoreum

Time was running out.

If she failed today, Yeoreum knew she had to give up. In a week, she was supposed to do her family's bidding and marry Jung Hoseok, heir to the fortune of the country's biggest entertainment conglomerate. In another world and in a different lifetime, Yeoreum would have readily agreed. Despite being brought up in the lap of privilege, Hoseok was not just attractive, he was also incredibly kind. They had been friends forever so she could say for certain he'd make the perfect husband.

Yet ever since she turned eighteen, she had only loved one man--- the one in front of her.

"I... I need to tell you something."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm... I..."

Why have you forgotten me?

The sudden weight of her despair caused her chest to cave in, making it feel like her ribs had broken and pierced her heart. She gasped.

"Wha-what's wrong?"

Fueled by the soju in her veins, Yeoreum threw caution to the wind and pressed her body against his. She had wanted to do this for so long. To be his again. To have his arms wrapped around her while he whispered sweet nothings into her ears. Of course, she was the only one holding on to him now, but it was better than nothing. Closing her eyes, she inhaled his fragrance. It was the same as before. He was her earthy bamboo forest, drenched in amber, and infused with citrus. Ah, how she loved this scent. It was the scent of her nightmares. On those nights she'd dreamed he was with her again, then she'd jolt awake to an empty bed, unable to bear the agony of her longing.

Where have you been? 

Why did you leave me behind?

She had been asking these questions for years, ever since he didn't show up at their promised spot under the Mapo bridge in Yeouido Park. On that rainy day several Decembers ago, he had disappeared from her life, like a ghost that had been banished. She had sat at that dark park, with her backpack at her feet, gritting her teeth against the cold. The next day, she had searched for him everywhere, dead sure he must have gotten into an accident or something. That was the only reason he wouldn't answer her calls. After days of fruitless searching, she'd become inconsolable. Unable to sleep, drink, or eat, she nearly left the land of the living herself. Only when her older brother Seokjin promised to find Yoongi for her did she start fighting for survival again.

Who knew it would take years? In the end, it was Yeoreum who found him, recognizing his voice over the taxi radio. It took a lot of pleading to convince Seokjin to use his connections to get Yeoreum a job at the same station. Yet she was determined. To her surprise, however, when they finally met, she realized Yoongi had no recollection of her. 

After ensuring he wasn't merely pretending, she concluded he must have drunk the Forget Me soju. Why? She had no idea. Pondering the reason hurt too much so she put that question aside, focusing, instead, on doing everything she could to make him remember. She left clues everywhere. When subtle hints like wearing a dress he loved or playing music they both liked didn't work, she had resorted to using their radio program to write him letters. Yet none of them worked.

Of course, she had contemplated just telling him everything, but if he didn't actually remember, what purpose would that serve? Rather than having him recall the past like he was reading the pages of a history book, Yeoreum wanted to rekindle the emotions they once shared. She wanted him to love her again. But three months had passed and he still looked at her as he would a stranger. 

Pulling away, Yeoreum decided to lay her last card on the table.

"Yoongi-ah---"

If somewhere in his heart feelings for her still slumbered, surely the threat of her marrying another man would awaken it?