The years passed by and your lofty dreams have almost dwindled into non-existence.....the familiar feeling of emptiness is starting to creep back. Will this person who has suddenly been thrown into your life be the one to bring the light back into y...
You walk with a heavy heart down the stairs to the ground floor after leaving Noona's apartment. You had been so happy only moments ago and then it suddenly got shut down. You understood what she said and her reasoning behind it, but how you feel about someone isn't something you can weigh out the pros and cons for. One thing you are sure about is that Noona has feelings for you. What you don't know yet is whether she cares for you as much as you do for her. You feel like you've known her all your life, but at the same time, you are (or were) excited to explore the future with her. You feel a tightness again in your chest as you recall how sweet it felt to taste her lips. You feel so disheartened right now.
You catch a taxi home and slowly walk towards your room. It's Friday night, so yet again, all your housemates have gone out clubbing. You flop to your bed and lay on your back, spread-eagled. You stare at the ceiling, picturing Noona's face. Suddenly you get a call on your phone and you jump upright when you see Jin's name on your screen. You answer and yell in Hangul, "Jin hyung!!! How are you? What time is it over there?"
"Ya, why haven't you call me all this time? Having too much fun in London to remember the person who brought you up for the last six years, eh?" scolds Jin.
"Come on, hyung, you know it's not like that. I'm in school all day and then practise all night. I always zonk out when I'm done. And usually I can't work out the time difference," you laugh feebly.
"More like playing Overnight and eating all night, don't lie to your hyung, Jungkook," Jin teases. "Hang on, Tae is here too, let's do a video call."
"JK!!! Guess what, I finally got to rap a few lines at Namjoon hyung's latest song from his mixtape!" Tae starts excitedly with a big grin on his face, then he looks closely at you and says, "Oh, man, you look rough, what's happened Golden Maknae? You look like you haven't eaten or slept well recently."
They know you too well for you to hide anything from them, so you briefly explain to them that you've met someone interesting, but circumstances are complicated and it doesn't look like it will go anywhere. You don't tell them anything else as you don't want to give away any more information. You sound so sad as you talk that the expression on their faces immediately changes. Tae looks particularly worried, "Jungkook, you've never looked this sad over a girl before, you must really like her?"
You nod quietly.
"Are you sure it's not just a small crush? You've only been there a few weeks and besides, you'll be leaving in a few months," Jin tries to reason. "Maybe it's for the best that you don't pursue it."
You remain quiet, looking down. Jin and Tae both look at each other worriedly, not knowing what else to say. The last time you were this down was when you injured yourself during a stage performance and couldn't perform the next set. You were depressed for days, thinking that you'd let the rest of the band down.
"Hey, remind me Tae, what do you call it when a small person waves at you?" Jin asks. You suddenly look up at your screen. Oh no.....Tae, hyung, don't.... He innocently replies, "I don't know hyung." "A microwave," Jin laughs before finishing the punchline, while Tae takes a second longer to respond. You clasp your forehead and smile. You know Jin hyung is just trying to lighten the mood, and you appreciate his effort, but it'll take more than a Jin joke to make you feel better right now. Not wanting to show them how sad you are really feeling, you quickly say that you have an early start tomorrow and need to sleep. You thank them for looking out for you and end the call with a promise to keep in touch more often.
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********************************************************************* BACK TO ANNA - present day:
You all pay for your brunches and get ready to leave. "What shall we do next?" Layla asks.
"Hmm, how about a nice walk in the park to burn some of the wonderful calories we just ingested?" you suggest.
"Brrr, it's freezing outside! Why don't we walk in the shopping mall instead and do some window shopping?" Mia counter-proposes.
"Yes to window shopping because I can't afford to buy anything right now," you reply in agreement.
"Well, when you say window shopping, you know I'm just gonna check out guys, right?" Layla says.
"Oh my God, what are you like? Haven't you gotten over your teenage hormones yet?" you berate, teacher-mode initiated. You all laugh as you go to the mall for some sight-seeing. Once inside though, you find yourselves battling to walk through a crowd of women. "Why is it so busy all of a sudden?" Layla asks. You all crane your necks over the many people coo-ing over something. You then crouch down to peer through the gaps in people's legs to see a few women doing some stretches under the guidance of an instructor. Ah, now the all-female crowd makes sense.
The instructor is a toned man in a fitted tank top and jogging bottoms. He finishes the mini-session and then addresses the audience. "As you can see, yoga is suitable for all ages and sizes. Why don't you take us up on our introductory offer today? If you collect a voucher from my colleagues, you can visit our Yoga Centre just outside on your left, and get 20% off your first session. Students, your first session is free!"
The management of this yoga group has been savvy in using its secret weapon to draw in new clients. Almost everyone in the crowd is now rushing to grab a voucher, Layla included. You and Mia step back to avoid getting crushed. You indicate to Layla that you will both wait for her in the nearest cafe. After almost 30 minutes, Layla practically bounces into the shop waving the vouchers at you. "I got one for each of us! We're signed up for the 9 am class tomorrow!"
