Up in the Sky

Late Night Talks

Sakura lazily pushed her room door open. She trudged to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk. She spotted a younger girl. Her eyes wide and paused mid bite of her noodles.

"You look like a kid who's been caught eating food you weren't supposed to eat." Sakura chucked. The younger's eyes widened until she physically couldn't. Sakura smiled as she knew her eyes were still larger than the younger's.

"I didn't know you liked Yukhoe." Sakura chuckled. The younger set her spoon down beside the bowl and guiltily pushed the yukhoe towards the older girl. The corners of Sakura's lips curled upwards causing lines to form at her eyes. She patted the younger on the head before walking to the refrigerator. "No kiddo just eat it."

"Wow Saku-Chan. You sharing your Yukhoe? That's scary." The younger spoke.

"You talking with you mouthful is scary." Sakura remarked opening the refrigerator. "Yah did you eat all the Yukhoe?"

"I was really hungry and I didn't want to eat any of the other healthy foods." The younger defended shoving another scoop in Yukhoe into her mouth.

"You say that like Yukhoe is healthy." Sakura pointed sitting down across from the younger.

The two girls silently stuffed Yukhoe in their mouths. The younger chewed while maintaining eye contacted with the older. Sakura's eyes twitched. Her eyes burned the longer she stared at the younger. She stared until finally, her tears raced down her cheeks causing Sakura to close her eyes.

The younger pumped her fist before taking another bite of the red beef tartare. "You're too excited for Yukhoe." Sakura laughed.

"I think being happy is more important than anything else." Minjung told. Her body slumped. Her face depleted of energy. Lost to her words.

"But you're not." Sakura whispered. She was so quiet. In all honesty, the older girl was hurting. She didn't trust herself to make a sound.

Minjung sighed. "Is it obvious?"

"I can see the way you reacted after saying those words." Sakura said. Then, the older girl extended her left arm to hold the younger's. "I'm here and that's true. It might not be okay and you might not get over it. But I'm here. Or in the future if you call, 3 hours away. 1 hour flight 2 hour drive. So you better wait at least five hours before you do anything stupid."

Minjung didn't know what happened. She had no control over her response. She snorted after trying to hold in her laugh. And then she choked. "This is what happens when you go from serious to joking. Also what makes you assumes that I'll do anything stupid?"

Sakura arched her brow. "You've tried you kill yourself twice in five months. You better not do that again." The older girl relaxed. "Look,you can come and talk to me. Anytime of the day. Except for when I'm sleeping. I'm here for you. I promise."

Minjung's eyes disappeared behind her eye smile. Her pearly white teeth revealed themselves as her cheeks rose. She tilted her head at a forty five degree angle to the right. As quickly as it came, it disappeared.

"There it is! Do it again! We need that smile in this world." Sakura beamed.

"If I did. I'd be lying to myself and the world of how I feel."

"But you came back because you were okay! Are you not okay anymore?" Sakura melted.

"No... not really."

"Does it have to do with you sleeping here for the past week. Because I think you wouldn't come back if you weren't okay. But then somewhere along the line, you weren't happy anymore."