bookshop (dreamcatcher)

6

Sua: Hey, I'm waiting in the subway station near the coffee shop.

You: Ahh, okay, I'm coming. See you!

Sua: Okay, I'm looking forward to seeing you!

You: Same here :)

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"Siyeon?" you hear a voice call quietly. "Um, is that you?" the voice continues. You turn around and see Sua standing near the shop, rubbing her arms and smiling shyly. She wears a flowery top and a grey skirt. You notice that she has cut bangs and they make her look cute and youthful. A delicate gold necklace hangs from her neck and she is wearing earphones with small bunny designs on them. Her face lights up and she waves at you. "Siyeon!" She looks you up and down. "You really seem to like black, huh?" As usual, you wear a black shirt and pants, like you do almost every day. "Heh, it's my favourite colour. Plus, it keeps me warm during this winter. Come on, let's go, you must be freezing." You hold out your gloves hand to Sua, and she hesitatingly holds it. You pull her towards the train and both of you start running. You step through the sliding doors of the train and both of you collapse on the torn seats, laughing. The train starts creeping forward, picking up speed, and you hold Sua's hand tighter. "Wow. You really weren't kidding when you said you were scared of the subway." Sua notices. She pats your hand with her free arm tenderly. "Uh...Uh-huh." You struggle to speak. Sua panics a little and quickly says, "Breathe deeply. Don't focus on the movement of the train." Beads of sweat start forming on your forehead, but you relax slightly.

The truth was, you had an irrational fear of trains ever since you were 12, when you got jammed between the closing doors of the train, because a group bullies obstructed you from entering the vehicle. Thankfully, a girl, whose name was Minji, helped you out of the gap and soothed you while you cried. Minji is now your best friend. Sua's actions remind you of her, and you feel a pang of nostalgia. "Hey, you okay?" Sua asks softly. "Yeah, I feel much better." Sua smiles warmly. "I'm glad. We're at our stop now." You shakily get up and stumble out of the train, Sua gripping your hand the whole way.

You walk down the high street, arm interlocking with Sua's. You spot a group of girls on the other side of the street. It may have been 7 years since you have seen them, but you would recognise those smug faces anywhere. You curse under your breath and start walking faster towards the coffee shop at the end of the road. Sua has a  surprised expression on her face. "Hey, Siyeon. What happened?" she asks. "No time to explain. I will describe everything once we're at the shop." I whisper. Sua looks taken aback, but doesn't say a word.

Once you are safely (or so you think) inside the coffee shop, sipping on a milkshake, Sua asks, "So, what was all that about?" You sigh and fiddle with your choker. "When I was about 12, I was bullied. Like really badly. There were these three girls: Lee Gahyeon, Kim Bora-." You see Sua visibly tense up. You don't think much of it and continue, "and Handong. They made me have my fear of trains, ever since they trapped me between the doors of a train." There is silence for a few minutes, but Sua finally speaks up with a small voice, "Siyeon. Siyeon, they're coming. They're coming into the shop." You wonder how Sua could know what they look like, but Sua quickly pulls you into the middle of the table. "I can cover for you. Just take my handbag and cover your face."

The girls walk in, giggling and gossiping. They seem to stop talking for a second, and you can see Sua stiffen. You can hear laughter and a cloyingly familiar voice squeal, "Bora! Fancy seeing you here!" Sua gets up from the table and walks somewhere, your vision is blocked due to the handbag. "What do you want, Gahyeon?" Sua growls. You hear some more irritating giggling and Gahyeon's voice, "Oh, nothing. Just wanted to see how you were after you left us years ago." Gahyeon says with a tinge of malice in her voice. You shudder and realise something.

Sua is Bora. Sua is the person who used to enjoy torturing you and seeing you bleed. You feel hurt and betrayed, but a light of hope peeks through in the darkness, the thought that maybe, just maybe, Sua isn't the same person she was all those years ago. She seems like such a different person to the person she was when she bullied you. Sua's voice cuts through your thoughts. "I left because hurting people isn't right. But you haven't seemed to realise that." You slightly relax but Gahyeon starts saying something and you whip your head around, exposing your face, but Handong interrupts. "Okay then, Sua, why don't you tell us why you're going on a date with the person you bullied? Siyeon, huh? I remember that you liked hurting her, Bora." You push the table away from your grip and stomp to Handong. You stand close to Handong's face, almost tasting her perfume. "Bora, or Sua, or whatever, she isn't the same person she was when she bullied me. She has changed, and so can you." Gahyeon retches. "Yuck, what's all this soppy talk? Bora; I thought you could do better." Sua breathes in sharply and says slowly, "What does better mean to you? You want me to hurt more people. Well, never. I was dumb and naive then, now I am not and I know this is wrong. I won't be afraid to fight you, you know? You deserve it, not like all the people you have bullied!"

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Hehe hiiiiii :) I updated whoop- also i changed all the parts where it says "Bora" before this chapter otherwise the story wouldn't make sense

stream boca!

-N