Querencia

11

"Let's see each other again next time", a male said with a big grin on his face as he looked at the crowd in front of him. "It's bringing back memories."

"Ooh...our class monitor is still alive", Freya joked, recalling a part of her memories during schooldays being led by the male. "Hana was the assistant but now she's living under a rock."

"It doesn't suit me anymore", the said girl shrugged, scrunching her face. "It's comfortable to lay low."

"What a shame. You led the class well", a girl added, draping her arm around Hana's shoulder. "Or maybe you prefer to be Juyeon's assistant...only?"

At that, Juyeon pondered, not very registering the meaning behind it. Or maybe he would never understand. The way he blinked with his lips slightly agape, both Freya and Hana have given up to keep the topic ongoing.

And so, the three parted ways with the rest, walking towards the nearest bus stop. The night breeze calmly hit their skins, sending shivers down their spines, nonetheless, it won't stop them from recalling the conversations they had back at the cafe earlier.

"Their heads are working well", Juyeon said, shoving both his hands into his jeans pocket. "They could remember all the things that happened back in school. How long had it been?"

It was then, that Hana eyed him weirdly, thousands of questions appeared on her face.

"Don't you remember anything from schooldays?"

"Of course I do", confidently he answered, looking down at the girl. Freya then chimed in, asking what had he remembered and his answer was an unexpected one. "Our chaotic classroom, the tensed examination, and the festivals".

"Only that?", Hana carefully asked, hoping to hear more.

However, when Juyeon nodded, she felt her heart shattered into pieces. Her feet that elegantly trailed the pavement were halted, unable to move any further, as if she had been stepping onto some glue on the ground.

She watched Juyeon and Freya walk ahead, did not realize that they both had left their friend behind. And Hana herself ain't even care to call them or make them noticed.

She was taken aback.

Did Juyeon not remember the day she confessed to him?

After they had pledged to be best friends, Hana did her best to show him that she had always appreciated his presence and would always be. She willingly did anything just to fill the spot, to prove to him that she would always be there for him.

Did he not remember?

"Hana."

The voice calling for her name snapped her out of the dream, spotting two pairs of eyes looking at her, questioning her decision not to move.

"Let's go", like how she always did, she faked her smile and jogged to join them ahead.

But it ain't stop her from thinking.

Walking through the door of her apartment, she soullessly walked through the hallway of the entrance, Juyeon's voice ringing in her head.

Not until someone's head popped up from the kitchen, greeting her, "Hi, noona. How was your party?"

"Good...maybe?" she shrugged, joining the boy at the kitchen counter. "How long have you been here, Sunwoo?"

"Maybe after you left. Eric told me that you just left when I arrived", the best friend of Eric spilled the story, pouring himself a glass of cold water as per his intention to be in the kitchen in the first place.

Nodded, Hana then sighed, laying her head down on the counter, "maybe I shouldn't have gone. It hurt me so bad."

Sunwoo was confused, his original big eyes became even bigger by the remark made. He exactly looked like a raccoon when he scratched his head with his finger. Once in a while, he would glance toward a direction, hoping to see Eric appear. For, only that boy knew how to manage such a situation.

"Did something happen?" he was concerned since the older seemed to be in pain - not physically but mentally.

Right on time, Eric finally came out from the toilet, startled to see his sister and his best friend were engaged in a tense atmosphere.

"When did you arrive?" the boy sat next to his sister at the counter, watching her lazily lifting her head. "What happened?"

Little did Hana know, something had crossed her mind - too fast, awakened her from reality.

"Boys, if someone didn't say anything about a memory you shared with them, what does that mean?"

"Maybe they forgot", Sunwoo confidently said, which somehow erased the bad thought about Juyeon in Hana's head.

"Maybe, he never cared", but Eric's answer did nothing but give her more pain than she already had. "We are talking about who?"

Scoffing, Hana was left speechless. Both answers she heard right now indeed were no wrong, they were possible, though she hoped that none of them were true.

She low-key hoped that Juyeon still remembered the moments they shared but he wanted to keep it for himself. She would rather hypnotize herself than believe that he never took any moments personally.

"I'm going to sleep", she rose from the chair and walked straightaway toward her room. But when she spotted two consoles in front of the TV, she seemed to know why Sunwoo was in her house. "Please don't make too much noise."

"Alright!" Sunwoo yelled after being warned like the good boy he was, wishing Hana a very good night and even telling her to get a good dream later as if one could arrange what kind of sleep they wanted to have for the night. When the girl's figure vanished behind the door of her bedroom, the boy turned to his best friend, questioning, "Do you think I have a chance?"

"What chance?" Eric asked back, his brows knitted together by the abrupt question he was thrown.

"To be your sister's boyfriend."