End Of The Rainbow
Chapter One: I’m alone.Yuri grimaced at the unruly stack of folders in front of her. She grabbed the topmost folder and flipped through the pages, trying to immerse herself in the work before her. A frown set on her face when the document failed to register in her head. She rendered defeat with a sigh, closing it and pushed it aside. The brunette pushed herself off the chair, stretching as she made her way to the kitchen. She stood frozen when her eyes caught the glimpse of the keys that lay abandoned on the table top. A sigh unconsciously slipped out of her lips as she picked up the abandoned key, a sad smile gracing her lips. She gently stroked the jagged end of the key, letting it hit the table top with a click as she placed it down again.
*
Yuri sat in the backyard sipping her hot chocolate, watching the steam from the hot liquid swirl in solemn motions. Thick in terms of consistency near the surface of the beguiling liquid, yet so immensely thin as it lifted itself up to the recesses of the space before her. The sun's euphoric rays seeped through the foliage of the trees towering over her; the radiating warmth of the serenading sunlight sent a smile to scamper across her lips. Yuri diverted her attention from the cup, letting the breeze caressed her cheeks. The silence is interrupted by the occasional chirpings from the blue jays; a melody that Yuri had grew accustomed to. The spring breeze danced with the falling leaves to an exultant ballad, carrying scents of the nature with it. Yuri caught a scent; roses. It smelt so much like her. The realization finally hit Yuri that she had been staring at the empty seat before her.
“Yuri unnie! Unnie!“
“Yah! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!”
The brunette furrowed her brows, turning to glare at the younger girl. The girl grinned, adoring the reaction she is getting from the older girl.
“Unnie~”
The younger girl called again with aegyo. She teases the brunette, effortlessly blocking out the flying punches from her enraged girlfriend.
“You make me sound so old.”
Yuri pouted, defeated at the younger girl’s relentless teasing. She sighed, plopping down onto the white chair. The brunette grinned, leaning into Yuri’s ear.
“Well unnie, you’re old.”
The girl ran away giggling. Yuri bolted up from her chair in astonishment.
“I swear you’re going to get it from me.”
The pair ran around the house, giggling and squealing as Yuri attempts to catch the tease. The younger girl begged for mercy as Yuri cornered her. Yuri eyed her prey with a smirk, her eyes twinkling in mischief. The brunette lunged at the younger girl, crumbling into a mess of tangled limps, laughing together. Yuri smiled as the girl reached out to brush away a turf of stray hair from her face.
“Unnie, I don’t care if you’re old or not. I love you.”
Yuri snapped out of her reverie by the interruption of her cell phone. She dug into her bag, swiftly pulling out the black vibrating device. She growled into the receiver.
“Yah! Kwon Yuri!”
The receiver blasted loudly. Yuri grinned immediately when she realised who the caller was.
“Lee Sunkyu, what’s up?”
Yuri relaxed leaning back into her chair, twirling the liquid in her cup. It has been a while since she last spoke to the girls.
“Dinner tomorrow night with the girls! My treat! Join us?”
“Dinner together unnie?”
The younger looked up at her with adoring eyes. Yuri smiled, stroking the brown tresses that cascade down the girl shoulders.
“Okay. Same place again?”
“Yeah. You liked to eat there don’t you? I mean, I like it too. The ddokbokki-“
Yuri shook her head, the younger cocking her head in confusion. The older girl would always readily agree if they are going to have dinner there. It was Yuri’s favourite dining place.
“I would rather have you for dinner.”
Yuri whispered into the younger girl’s ear. She laughed when she saw the girl in her arms immediately flushed a deep red.
“U-unnie!”
“Yah! Kwon Yuri! Are you even listening to me?”
Yuri chuckled at Sunny’s agitation. Sunny smiled at the other line of the line. It has been a long time since she last heard that.
“I’m sorry Sunkyu-ah. I’m not so sure though. I might have something on. I’ll let you know tomorrow okay?”
“Okay. Make sure you call me. We miss you.”
“I promise. I miss you guys too.”
Yuri smiled, setting the cup down on the table. Her hands reach out distinctively to stroke the armrest of the empty chair, sighing.
It just doesn’t feel right.
“Take care, Yuri. Love you.”
Sunny sighed as she hung up the phone. She shrugged at the girls who had gathered around her. They had planned this dinner so that they could get Yuri out to have some fresh air but it seems the plan had backfired. Taeyeon patted her shoulders, giving her a knowing smile.
“Yuri still needs time.”
*
Yuri smiled in satisfaction as she finished typing the last sentence. She clicked the print button, taking the newly printed sheet and placing it into the folder. She had finally gotten the work all done before the summer break. She flexed her fingers, a wide smile on her face.
“Ah, it’s all done. Yah! Get me some-“
Yuri spun around. The smile on her face faded away immediately. The rest of the sentence died on her lips, the deafening silence consuming the dark night. The space before her was empty, missing its presence of the familiar silhouette. She had forgotten. The brunette inhale deeply, supressing the emotions that started to rise. Yuri forced a bitter laugh.
She is gone.
Yuri stood up and made her way to the kitchen. She jerk the fridge door open violently, grabbing the last can of beer and gulp it down. The familiar warmth hit the pit of her stomach and she felt a sense of comfort. This had became her usual escape from reality; the bitter liquid numbing her senses. She crushed the can with her fist, letting out a frustrated grunt when it missed the trash bin. The brunette kicked the crushed can with vengeance. The girl wanted to cry, let everything out in a wave of consuming tears, but no matter how hard she tried, they just wouldn't succumb to her wishes. The tears no longer fall; the hollowness in the chest was consuming what is left of her sanity.
She felt so lonely.
Chapter Two: The Rainbow.
“After summer's rain, God's promise is remembered- A glorious rainbow”
(Genesis 9: 8-17)
The rain pelted down on the roof with fervour, the morning sky hazy with the consistent fall of the endless rain. A large boom shattered the silence and Yuri couldn't help but feel the rumble of the clap plus the beautiful harmonies the rain tapped the pane. A downpour had marked the first day of summer. Yuri wrapped herself up in the faint yellow blanket, snuggling up in the bed to gather warmth for her trembling body. The gentle hum of the rain hitting on the roof lulled her into a drowse.
Yuri awakens when the rain had finally stopped, admiring the view of the sky after the rain.
A rainbow.
An optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere.
Yuri witnessed the magnificent view of the multi-coloured arc, a small smile spreading across her lips.
“Unnie, look! A rainbow!”
The younger girl jumped up and down, dragging a puzzled Yuri to the balcony.
“It’s really nice, isn’t it?”
The younger girl crooned, resting her head on Yuri’s shoulders. To Yuri, a rainbow was nothing out of the ordinary. It is just an arc of colours that appear after the rain.
“Hmm yeah.”
“I really like the rainbow.”
There was silence as the duo stood at the balcony. Yuri simply enjoyed the close proximity of the younger girl; the latter whipping out her camera to snap a few pictures.
“Unnie, have you wondered what lies at the end of the rainbow?”
“No one ever found the end, but I heard there is a pot of gold.”
The younger girl scoffed and swatted at Yuri’s arm. Yuri frowned, rubbing her arm where the brunette hit.
“What do you think lies there then?”
“Happiness.”
The younger girl’s answer was full of hope; like she believes this “happiness” lies there as an object waiting for her to discover. The younger girl spun around to face Yuri.
“No worries, no stress. No one but us to enjoy that happiness, freedom and joy.”
Yuri couldn’t argue more when the girl sounded so confident.
“Happiness. You definitely deserve that, Yoona. But it is not ours to share.”