Best Part (ChuuLip)

Yes, I'm Here With You

Jungeun checked the time on her phone. The bus she bought the tickets for is leaving in ten minutes. The female conductor started sending her questioning looks to which Jungeun ignores. From the time of the day and the position she sat on the shed, the morning sun directly shined on her face. Her sleepless eyes sting from the brightness and she squinted, hooding her eyes with a hand. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.

Jungeun looked up to see Jiwoo's face—well what's visible from her cover. Jiwoo wore a mask and a ball cap that hid her upper eyelids.

"Jiwoo?" Jungeun asked just to make sure it wasn't a stranger. She stood up, hooking her backpack on her shoulder.

"Yeah, it's me. Did I frighten you? I'm sorry, I'm just a mess right now."

Jungeun touched Jiwoo's arm. "It's all right, Jiwoo. I understand. Come here." She pulled Jiwoo into a hug. Her friend melting against her body. Jungeun can feel how exhausted her friend is. She sighed and closed her eyes, needing the hug as much as Jiwoo.

She would've stayed there longer if it wasn't for the conductor giving her a warning look. Jungeun pulled away from Jiwoo who clutched and prolonged the hug for a few more seconds before hesitantly let go.

"Let's go. I already bought the tickets."

Seated inside the now moving bus, Jungeun made sure both Jiwoo and herself are comfortable. She brought a neck pillow for Jiwoo, she always needed one when traveling. Though Jiwoo wore a hoodie, the color of peach, she pulled out her mini blanket and laid it down over Jiwoo's denim jeans. She also packed snacks and plastic-wrapped pastries as a remedy for their empty stomach. They'll arrive at lunchtime at Cheongju but doubted that they'll be able to eat anytime soon.

"What did the company say?" Jungeun asked when they were settled, relaxed back on their seats. She opened one of the said packed pastries. Jiwoo removed her mask and cap then turned to Jungeun. Without the cover, Jungeun took notice of the dark shadows under Jiwoo's eyes.

"They told me to take more than a two-days break. But I knew, I couldn't take advantage of their kindness like that." Jiwoo closed her eyes, "The more day off I take the more things we have to catch up to. I can see how dedicated they are to their job but I don't want to give them more work."

"You never cease to amaze me, " Jungeun said, prompting Jiwoo to open her eyes. Here she is, given an opportunity to spend more time with her mother who's bound in a hospital but refused the opportunity because it would trouble the people around her. "Wouldn't your mom be delighted though? That you stay for a little bit longer?"

Jiwoo let out a small chuckle. She took the pastry from Jungeun's hand, having found her appetite to eat. "Even though mom always questions me when I will visit home, they would be the first to send me back here," she took a bite from the savory baked goods. "It's not that they don't want me there beside them. They love it and I love them. They simply want me to live my life here and continue pursuing my dream. But..." Jiwoo looked out of the window, "... what will I gain from achieving my dream without the people I love with me? Nothing."

"I see."

Jiwoo turned at her short answer.

She took Jiwoo's hand and smiled. "I agree."

If she did ever debut and became the artist she aspired to be, she knows her friends would always be there. She knows Jiwoo would be there for her, with her. She would like it to remain that way.

"Do you worry about that, Jungeun-ah?"

Jungeun shook her head side to side. She ripped a packet of biscuits with her teeth, Jiwoo hadn't pulled her hand away and Jungeun didn't let go. "I feel reassured because I have you," She said as she averts her gaze away. She cannot say it while looking at Jiwoo but she meant every word. Jiwoo intertwining their hands told Jungeun she knows.