ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ🌙 𝐍𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗. 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧

Friday, a breeze blew by cooling the slightly humid air of midday.

"This rainwater and my tears, the rain that was really cold someday"
- downpour, I.O.I

The two girls decided to spend their afternoon today at the beach after school.

Although it was mostly Chaewon's idea.
Whenever she feels lonely or when the unendurable pain is too much for her to handle, she would go to the beach and share her pain with it.

Most of the time, in the past, Chaewon would scream out her worries there, hoping the lapping sea could somehow understand her, and reply back to her.

Across the horizon, a line drawn between the coast and the sky, Chaewon would usually take a picture of the scenery, saving it as a memory in her photo album.

When she met JinRin, the photos started to lessen, day by day.

She no longer felt the sense of sorrow of losing someone that was dear to her.

Today, Chaewon was glad and happy that JinRin had taken up time to spend with her.

Instead of their occasional retail therapy, Chaewon thought that relaxing at the beach was a better idea.

Looking to her side, Chaewon muttered an apologetic sorry. She felt guilty for leaving her friend hanging, and not spilling the tea to her.
The actual reason why she was so distant for the past few days.

"You don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable Chaewon, I understand how important this is to you"

"But we promised a no secret policy in our friendship"

"What- that doesn't matter, your feelings matter the most."

"Our friendship matters to me"

"Chaewon, I trust you with all my heart, soul and life, besides, you even told me you're darkest secrets, that you once— "

"Okay! No one needs to know that, shhh"

"hahaha.. but besides the point, there must be a reason why you hadn't told me your secret"

"It's because it happened before I met you. It hurt me really much Rinnie "

"My best friend, or now ex best friend, she left me all alone, with no sorts of communication, notes, letters or even a last message left for me"

"I was so worried then, I thought something happened to her"

"I went to search for her, like a treasure hunt, hoping that at the end of it, I would be able to contact her or speak to her one last time"

"I couldn't bear it, we did everything together, just like you and me. We even worked at the same café"

"She was my first best friend and my only friend at that time, so when she left, I had no one to lean on, I had to endure everything myself"

Listening attentively, JinRin saw the look of emptiness in Chaewon, the look she herself once had.

Every single word seared through her heart, the girl in front of her, who once chewed bubblegum, was spilling out her bitter story.

The girl who once swung her pig tails everywhere, now have a messed up bun on her hair, strains of hair protruding out, some hair sticking on her face.

At that moment, she looked like the literal definition of broken, and all JinRin wanted to do was to give her a big bear hug.

JinRin had always assumed Chaewon had been cheerful all her life and had never been through hardships or heartbreak.

She regretted thinking that. Everyone has their own forms of pain, guilt and remorse. Sometimes they hide it well, sometimes they let it out.

For Chaewon, she hid it exceptionally well, so well that she made it seem as though she had no pressure whatsoever, living a carefree life.

JinRin immediately hugged Chaewon, patting her on her back, consoling her. She wanted her best friend to know that she wasn't her young self anymore, there is someone there for her, always.

Sobbing and letting out all her hidden emotions, the balloon encasing her sorrow burst.

"I tried moving on, I missed her everyday, hoping that one day I would meet her, maybe a miracle would happen."

"That was till I heard news of her from my other workmates, saying she moved school and shifted her hometown."

"There were many other rumours about what happened to her, but I didn't care about them one bit"

"All I cared about was the fact that she told everyone her well-being except for me"

"I was the only who truly cared for her, the one who she was with since day one"

"She ditched me, betrayed our friendship"

"She never came back..."

"Until this week. I saw her in school, although she completely changed, I could still tell it was her"

JinRin furrowed her eyebrow,
"Is she the new girl, the glitter and glamour girl"

"Yes, it's her, it's Ji Geon"

"Why am I not shock"

"Wait- have you met her before?"

"Yeah, she is an evil witch, playing her magic around with everyone, could see right through her"

"I guess we both can agree on that"

"Definitely"

"But Chaewon, are you going to talk to her, or at least find out the reason why she left?"

"I don't know, we both have probably moved on by now and besides her life is her life"

That was how their day ended, with the two girls, laying on the soft and sandy beach, enjoying the constant pounding of the wind and waves, hoping they couldsweep their worries away.