Woo Me, Wooyoung ~ WooLix

~ Chapter 4 ~

The next day I woke up with a smile still on my face, having had another good sleep. I was feeling even better than I had the day before, and I put that down to all the things I’d done in the last twenty four hours.

After my peaceful nap yesterday, I had done some much-needed house cleaning, then ventured out to the supermarket to restock my fridge and pantry. I even spent some extra time choosing a few treats – something I hadn’t dared to do in weeks. Later on, after a simple dinner of ramen, I watched my favourite movie, then went to bed, tired but happy.

As I sat eating breakfast now, I thought back to the events of yesterday morning. Going back to the dog café for the first time in months, meeting Pepi, meeting Wooyoung...

At the thought of the charming waiter, my cheeks suddenly heated up and I looked down at my bowl to avoid non-existent stares. Why was I feeling like this?? I’d only met the guy yesterday, and I knew practically nothing about him – except that his mum was dead and he made hot chocolates that were out-of-this-world.

I just wasn’t used to meeting new people, that was all. Especially hot guys with cute noses and an obvious love of small dogs. Wait- a cute nose?? When did I notice that?!?

I blinked as I stirred my cereal thoughtfully. Was I paying too much attention yesterday? Had I been staring at Wooyoung’s face when I should have been looking – well, basically anywhere else...? My cheeks felt even hotter now (I hadn’t realised that was possible until that moment) and I pushed my bowl away. My hunger had suddenly disappeared, being replaced by an unidentifiable feeling in my stomach – like lots of little wings flapping around like crazy.

I decided to go and get dressed, so I could make another trip to the dog café – I told myself I wanted to see Pepi again, but a small part of me didn’t believe that for a second. I pushed that part down.

When I was in the bathroom five minutes later, though, another idea occurred to me, and it was so surprising that I stopped still, my toothbrush halfway to my mouth. I stared at my reflection for a few seconds, my eyes wide, then a smile slowly spread across my face.

With renewed confidence, I finished brushing my teeth, then put my shoes on and left the house. My heart was feeling lighter than it had in a long time, and my happiness had chased away the previous embarrassment. Even the butterflies had flown away.

A little while later, I was inside the local florist, trying to decide which bunch of flowers to pick. I wandered around, looking at all the different options, but just couldn’t make up my mind. I wanted them to be perfect.

In the end, I chose a bunch of beautiful white lilies. Their big petals filled up the bouquet easily, with some small flowers filling the spaces in-between.

After paying, I walked outside and continued on down the road, a skip in my step. As I neared my destination, though, my mood became sombre, and a weight settled in my stomach.

Eventually, I stopped in front of a big, wrought-iron gate. I looked up and read the sign above it: Hillcrest Cemetery. My heart suddenly clenched. The last time I’d been here was three months ago, only a few days after my mum died.

I was apprehensive about seeing Mum’s grave again, since I hadn’t come here once in the last three months – not even to bring flowers. My dad had come every day for weeks, but I was too caught up with my own pain to take much notice at the time.

This was something I had to do, though. I owed it to myself to take this next step in my journey of healing. And I felt bad that it had taken me so long to get here.

So I went through the big gate, making sure to close it properly behind me, and slowly made my way to where my mum’s grave was. I’d only been here once before, but that was something I wasn’t likely to forget.