Our Last Summer {Jo Yuri FF}

Chapter 4

Patches of sunlight could be visible on your face as you slowly became conscious of the almost suffocating warm air. The ray of light surreptitiously crept up to your eyelids; a sudden and bright flash of yellow instantly awakened your mind. Struggling, you pulled your dead arm out of the gap in between the seat and the back cushion. Mustering enough strength, you got yourself up to a sitting position on the couch. Bzz. You began the hunt for your device, patting every corner until the cool steel finally made contact with your skin. One text message from mother.

Mom: Morning sweetie, Appa and I have left for work. I made sandwiches for you two in the fridge. By the way, since you are not busy, why don't you show Yeji around a little. I left a surprise on the dining table, don't forget to take it! Stay safe!

Your heartbeat shot up upon seeing Yeji's name. Yesterday felt like a chaotic dream, but the message proves otherwise. Curiosity overpowered your circling confusion as you remembered the hastily mentioned surprise. You walked along the hallway leading to the dining room and noticed the door to your room was opened in an inviting manner. Intuitively, you marched inside to grab some fresh clothes. As soon as you opened the drawer, you spotted a pair of red bras neatly tucked on the side. Initially confused, your cheeks quickly blazed as you realized those belonged to Yeji, making you slam the drawer shut with such force it made a loud, distinguishable bang. The sound echoed and following it was a soft grunt. You swung your head to see Yeji, still soundly asleep on your bed. Her hair is loosely scattered over the pillow, her arms in an unnatural position, sticking out from the bed frame. You couldn't hold back but smile at the way she sprawled on the bed. Feeling guilty, you gently tucked her in and tip-toed your way out, stealing one last glance before lightly shutting the door. 

"Whew," you sighed in relief and continued your way to the dining room.

Walking down the hall bloomed yet another memory of your days with younger Yeji. The sun was setting down peacefully in the west, yet the summer air was nonetheless hot and moist. The two of you rushed down a dirt-riddled shortcut towards the direction of your neighborhood. Being the competitive type, Yeji was always ahead of you.

"Yeji! Slow down!" 

She didn't hear you, or perhaps purposefully ignored you. She kept running and running without looking back. Despite being around a year older than you, she was much taller, your tiny legs failed to match her speed. Out of desperation, you continued to overexert your stamina until your legs finally gave out. With the assistance of an insignificant pebble, it rendered you out of balance. The mere resistance on your left foot made you lose your steps. The next thing you knew, you tripped and fell onto the dirty ground. Fortunately for you, the dirt ground cushioned your fall, making the impact on your bare knee less painful.

"Y/N! Are you okay?" A distant voice shouted.

You decided to act brave in front of Yeji, so you dusted your hands and stood up in one swift motion. 

"Oh my goodness! Did you fall?" The voice reappeared, only closer this time.

You look up to see Yeji with strands of black hair stuck on her face. The dim sky along with your racing heart made it difficult to comprehend her expression. Suddenly, the burning sensation on your knee began growing exponentially. No longer able to hold back, you felt your eyes watering up. The burning feeling now transformed into stings. 

"I'm really sorry Y/N, are you ok?"

You did not reply, as your mind was fully invested in keeping check of your tears. This time, she did not say anything and began observing your wound.

"Looks like it's just a scratch, you are lucky it's not bleeding," she reassured. "Sorry, I figure I was going too fast for you to keep up."

You nodded silently as you watched her wipe the mud off your knee. Suddenly you felt something warm and soft on your knee. It was a gentle peck from Yeji. She apologized again and began blowing softly on your wound. You simply looked at her in confusion, however, the cool air did numb the pain. 

"N-Noona, w-why are you kissing my wound?" You questioned her in a raspy voice, whilst sobbing softly. 

"To make it not hurt as much, don't move," she comforted. "This is what my parents told me, when a person I care about is hurt, kissing it would help it heal faster." she awkwardly added after a momentary pause. 

Both of you became quiet. Although you both were young and naïve, a strong yet strange feeling surfaced at that moment. Your urge to cry was overpowered by something peculiar, the stinging sensation on your knee also vanished. Of course, the feeling from that day was ineffable, simply too much for you to understand. The recall of that day came to a halt as your peripheral caught a white packet on the dining table. 

As you carefully inspected that strange packet, you were shocked to find a stack worth 200 thousand won inside. 

"Holy sh—" you paused upon hearing a familiar creak from your door. 

"Oh, morning noona." 

She lazily yawned, then without a second thought embraced you. Your hands were locked awkwardly on the side due to this unexpected gesture. Instantly, you were melted by the warmth of her body as you stared at the wall behind her, completely dumbfounded. Although having no clue how she could be so comfortable, you'd be an utter fool if you said this isn't what you wanted after all. 

"Go wash up, eomma prepared some breakfast for us." 

"Do I smell bad?" she replied defensively. 

Knowing she likes to joke around; you pinched your nose and stuck your tongue out. 

"Hmph!" she giggled and walked towards the bathroom.

Afterward, you shared a conversation with Yeji, suggesting that you show her around the city. She nodded in agreement while munching on her share of a bacon sandwich. She wolfed down her last few bites and hurried back into her room. Your confusion was answered when she came out asking you to select an outfit for her.

"I can't decide Y/N, which one do you think looks better on me?" she asked, placing different dresses hooked on to a hanger on herself while striking poses. 

"Before that, how in the world did you manage to fit that many clothes in 2 suitcases?" 

"It's a girl's secret!" she said, winking playfully.

Soon after, you were lost by the seemingly endless combination of clothing. 

"Y/N? Y/N? Mind answering my question?" she asked while she looked at your stupefied face.

It took a few seconds for you to come back from the endless clothing options playing on repeat in your mind. 

"I'm sorry I-" you tried to apologize but her laughter cut you off upon seeing your stumped expression.

You then took a closer look at the outfits she has in hand right now. It consisted of an oversized white T-shirt and a laced-up tiered mini skirt. By now, all your memories of the previous options have already evaporated. 

"This is it! I like this combo the best!" you exclaimed out of desperation. 

She then placed the outfit on top of her pajamas and smiled with satisfaction. After putting on the outfit and giving it a light spin, you recognized that the T-shirt belonged to you. No wonder it looked a little oversized for her. It was neatly tucked into her tiered mini skirt; despite the combination being simple in nature, it complimented her beauty. You nodded in approval and gave her a reassuring thumbs-up.

"By the way, mind telling me where we are headed Y/N?" 

"You'll see."