Polaroid Picture // hyungwonho

6

/TEN YEARS EARLIER/

« - Hyungwon ! »

I turned around, hearing Mia's voice. She was my best friend and I could always guess her feelings by hearing her voice. Right now, I could hear that she was sad, no, devastated, and I had no idea why.

It had been four years since our first encounter, and we hadn't separated since. Our parents were always joking about us marrying in the future and having kids, which always made my heart flutter, but it never seemed to bother Mia, because she'd laugh it off every time. She was that kind of person, always confident, and nothing could ever break her smile. I admired her a lot, and that was kind of the reason we worked so well as friends – I was always here to follow her crazy ideas and I'd never contradict her. I'd always be the quiet one, while she was chatty – I was the shy little boy, she was the friendly little girl.

We were so different, yet we worked so well. She stood up for me everytime one of our classmates would mock me or call me names, telling me that they were only jealous of my good grades for example, so that was the reason they would call me a nerd. I never believed her.

She always called me by my full name, never by a nickname or a petname. I think she just knew that I didn't like being called something else that my name, since everyone at school at already called me every name possible. I never thought about it twice back then, but now, I just feel grateful. She always seemed to know what triggered me, or my anxiety.

She was my shield, and that day, I lost her.

"- Hyungwon ! she screamed again, tears menacing to fall on her beautiful rosy cheeks.

- What's going on ?"

I was confused, but at the same time, inside of me, I knew. My anxiety had always told me that one day she would go away. She would get tired of me, or she'd find more interesting friends – but in my imagination, we'd never end up married with three dogs and two adorable daughters. We would never be in contact. I was alone, while she was surrounded by people. She was my world, I was her weight dragging her to the ground. But never, would I have thought that our separation would be someone else's fault.

"- I'm going away, she screamed again, still running to me in despair. She finally arrived, jumped in my arms, and I waited a few seconds to let her calm down a bit.

- What do you mean ?

- My father found a job in the UK, so my mom, my brother and I are moving with him, but I don't want to, I want to be with you, how could they do that to me, I hate them, I'll never find someone like you there, maybe I could ask your parents to let me move in with you, but I'd miss my family too much, and I don't know what to do, please help me, I don't want to go away from you..."

She finally breathed in after her tirade, giving me a chance to absorb whatever she was saying. Her ? to the UK ? But she couldn't speak English ! We were only about to turn eleven. We had all those plans, those secrets, we had each other. How could they do that to us ? It was unfair. They didn't have the right to take us away from each other.

But they had. They were the grown-ups, they could do whatever they pleased without ever thinking about us. And we had to follow them like two little puppies. I hated that. I hated how powerless I was, seeing my best friend and the only one I wanted in my life, crying her heart out, her face buried in my now tears-soaked neck.

"- We'll find a way, I murmured into her ear as I scrubbed her back trying to reassure her. We'll send each other letters. We'll get cellphones. I'll beg my parents to buy me one, okay ? You do the same with yours. I'm sure it'll work. It's us. They can't break us apart.