Our Last Summer {Jo Yuri FF}

Chapter 3

Underneath the dim moonlight, the shadowy figure approached you slowly. The streetlamp coincidentally lit up at the same moment. The sudden illumination of the light source partially stunned your eyes. 

"Hey Y/N, it's been a while, hasn't it?" The figure said in a hesitant yet soft tone, almost choking up the last few words. 

You blinked your eyes rapidly to adjust to the environment, the haziness slowly stabilizes into a solid image. The figure turned out to be a woman, she dons a tan windbreaker, sleeves neatly tucked in, and to her sides lays a red spinner suitcase. Her loose raven black hair rested tidily on her shoulder, the faint moonlight highlighted the edges, making it look like streaks of silver.

"What... what are you doing here at this hour?" Your eyes widened as you replied in a puzzled tone. 

This figure standing just a few feet away was none other than your childhood friend, Hwang Yeji. Despite being a year older than you, she had always treated you like a brother. The two of you go all the way back, so far even you cannot fully remember the day you've first met. Like superglue—that's how others described your relationship with her. It wasn't until middle school that she had to leave due to her parents' separation. You vividly remember the final day you two spent together, you reckon it was also close to this time of the year, during the beginning of summer.

The days were getting cooler, and the sun was setting earlier. The morning sunlight pierced through your bedroom curtains, after a restless night of sleep you were nonetheless filled with energy for your first summer playdate with Yeji. You hurried to the dining room after sloppily brushing your teeth. You were greeted by a peculiar scene, your parents murmured softly to each other; their coffee untouched on the table. They quickly paused upon seeing your arrival. After sharing one last concerned look at each other, your mom silently nodded to your father.

"Listen kiddo, we are unfortunately going to have to cancel your playdate with Yeji today." your father said in a comforting voice.

"Why?" you asked brokenheartedly, "I already did all my schoolwork this week and stayed out of trouble in school!" you added in a vexed overtone.

"You're not a child anymore, so we will just tell you the truth." replied your mother, after a momentary pause, she sighed and continued, "Yeji's parents... they have something to settle and unfortunately decided to move away earlier this morning..."

The memories afterward were murky, and you decided not to push yourself too hard. It has been nearly 8 years since you last saw her. Her sudden reappearance made your heart race. Blood rushed to your ears as sounds were drowned out by a piercing ring. Your cheeks heated up as emotions you've never experienced began to surface.

"Y/N? Y/N!" 

The loud voice jolted you back to the present. You quickly jerked back what felt like tears. Your brain began processing the situation before your body fully realizes it. It made absolutely zero sense for anyone to visit you at 10 pm, much less than her. You were about to pinch yourself to see if it is all a dream when the voice returned, even louder than last time.

"Hello?! Hey! You are now scaring me Y/N. Quit standing still like a statue!" She complained loudly.

"Oh, have I not told you? I will be staying here with you this summer!" she replied with a proud smile, her index finger pointed in your direction. 

From her expression, you could tell there was something else she wanted to say, however, her being the most stubborn person you know on the planet, she held back as always. 

"Hey, it's certainly been a while, you idiot, didn't even care to give me a call?" you replied nonchalantly, trying your best to mask your gushing emotions. 

Although absolutely flabbergasted, your childhood friend stood in front of you right now in the flesh. There is no mistake, it is the same Yeji as you remember, only taller and more developed.  It has been 8 years since you have seen her yet her mere presence melted your heart into a muddy puddle. Still questioning your sanity, you walked towards Yeji, pacing every step carefully as your legs felt wobbly from the tole you've put on your mind. While studying her face thoroughly, you pinched her puffy red cheeks to once and for all eradicate your disbelief. She squealed in pain and forcefully pulled your hand away before playfully punching you on the chest. 

"Yah! Are you really going to leave a defenseless girl like me outside in the middle of the night?" Yeji said in a distressed tone to match her dramatic expression. 

"I will be the defenseless one after letting some random person in my home." you replied warily. 

"Some random person? How dare you!" she remarked angrily, clearly offended by your statement.

"I didn't mean—"

Yeji suddenly burst out laughing, teasingly as ever.

"Very funny, anyways, let's take the conversations inside." you said with a sigh.

All the talking in the front yard alerted your parents. The front door swung open as you were about to insert the key. Your parents exchanged a few welcoming words with Yeji and soon headed back upstairs to bed. This must be sudden for your parents too as they did not address the sleeping arrangements nor why she came back after all these years. It left you baffled and with more questions than ever but right now you were stuck dealing with a roofless Yeji.

"Noona, since we don't have extra guest rooms, just take mine for your stay. I'm used to sleeping on the couch anyways. Make yourself at home," you said casually while carefully setting her luggage up in your room. She replied with a silent nod, something was off by the way she acted, but you did not push a conversation. 

You awkwardly collected your clothes as new questions kept popping into your head. 

"Did you miss me?" Yeji asked in a shaky voice as she picked up one of your framed photos, a picture of our younger selves on the playground. 

"Careful with that, it's the only good picture we took together," you said softly, purposely evading eye contact. The tension between the two of you was rising, you decided to distract her with some other story to defuse the atmosphere. 

"Hey, Noona, do you still remember the time when—"

Your words were cut off as something warm wrapped around you, you looked down to realize it was Yeji's arms, her fingers interlocked, holding on to you very tightly. You tried to turn around, but she simply won't budge. You felt the fabric on your back growing warmer as it soon became moist. You tried again to move, and this time she let you go. As you stared at her heartbrokenly, you noticed her mascara had been smudged. She covered her mouth and continued to weep softly. You took one step towards her direction and embraced her with your own arm. Under the muffled weeping and her intermittent sniffles. You patted her gently on the back and laid your head on top of hers. Despite the front of your shirt now drenched in her tears, you continued holding her close, promising yourself you will never let her go again.

"I'm right here, Noona." you gently whispered. 

You knew Yeji too well; this was the first time she had ever cried openly in front of you. Between her sniffles, she mustered her strength and delivered words that were almost undecipherable.

"I... I thought that was the last summer... I'll... I'll ever be able to share with you."