A Butterfly
Click to viewPlease listen to this song as you read :D
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Seohyun stared at the dangling necklace in front of her. A silver chain with a pendant delicately shaped as a butterfly.
Two long years had passed and yet she still wonders if there will ever be an opportunity to wear something so precious ever again. Life can be so cruel at times that even such precious gift has to be set aside because of its memories. Or more like its connections between the giver and the receiver. Or maybe it’s just because in reality, she is Seo Juhyun.
Only God knows how much she wants to carry around this piece of memory around her neck and show the world how much the little butterfly necklace has changed her. How much that person wanted to give her memories she will keep but instead she received the world in exchange. A world that only belonged to them.
"Oppa, why the butterfly?" They both watched the sky night in wonder. The dark scarlet color of the sky was perfect along with the moon and the stars.
It was a very quiet night.
He smiles softly, but doesn't look at her. "Why? You don't like it?"
She shook her head almost instantly as she stole a glance at him for a quick moment. "Aniyo, it's just..." she trails off. It's just she believes everything has reasons, was what she wanted to say.
"What is it? Tell me. I want to know what you're thinking." He encouraged.
But there was the hesitation she couldn't shake off. "Never mind. It's nothing."
And then they were quiet again. At least for a moment.
Without her knowing, he turned to her watching her intently as she watched the sky.
Then he spoke gently, "A butterfly symbolized acceptance of each new phase in life..." She finally turned to him, meeting his eyes. His voice stunned her for a moment as if casting a spell on her. "To keep faith as everything around you changed. You'll keep it close to you right?"
He smiled and turned away.
She smiled to herself as she watches him at the sky, knowing that the man beside will forever be kept in her heart. No matter what.
"I will. I promise." She whispered under her breath where only she and he would hear.
Jung Yonghwa was right-- things changed and accepting everything was part of it. But the part she is not sure of was the faith.
During the past years they've been separated, she learned that the hardest part was keeping faith and trust on whatever they had. It had felt like as things slowly changed around them they were both taking a step back farther away from each other until everything they had was now unreachable.
They are still friends, aren't they? But even that now seems like a blur.
He writes songs about love and sings his heart out on a stage and say they were from old experiences or from movies and dramas he had watched for inspirations. And she performs her heart out on stages and answers questions about her dreams and in between, in rare opportunities, she answers question about him and her- though the answers were almost the same, every time.
She doesn't mind everything though. There were moments she felt content with a family she has now and the love she receives, but there were also time when she wondered to herself about what ifs. Both of them were getting one step closer to their dreams, though one step back away from what they've had before.
She is different now, she knows. But so is he. The worlds they live in also seem to stand in different phases. But at times like this, where she is forced to go back and face the person who she longs for the most, she can't help but think back and feel all the emotions she had kept lock deep in her, a part of her hoping someday they would disappear along with the pain that surrounds it.
"The staff told me to get you, Hyun-ah. Are you ready?"A knock came and the door opened revealing Hyoyeon with a smile causing Seohyun to stand abruptly from her seat forgetting the tiny necklace in her hand as it fell on the ground without any sounds.
"Is everything okay?" Hyoyeon asked keeping her smile.
"Yes. Everything is good. Is… Is he ready?" She asked, hating how her words sounded hesitant and sad.
Her sister nodded seeming oblivious. "He's been practicing a lot, so I guess. Let's go?"
Seohyun nodded walking out first while Hyoyeon picked up the forgotten piece of memory left behind and followed behind knowing exactly what to do with it.
In a few more moments, she would have to face an illusion that was truer than reality. After all, there was nothing more to lose. She had bet all of hers just for another glimpse of him would be enough.
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Seohyun is more than glad that she didn't have to watch him perform in the sides, before her eyes or it would have been the end of her. It was already enough that her polite smiles, scripted words, and pretend happiness satisfied people, it didn't need to satisfy her too.
After this, she would drown herself with work where there's no time and space to think about him and what they have and don't have.
Now as she walks aimlessly in the hallway after their filming, she didn't expect to find him standing beside their dressing room, head bent down and hands on his pocket.
He didn't seem to notice her coming towards until she stopped in front of him and did a small polite bow and a greeting with a small smile going with the usual routine of being polite. "Oppa, Did something happen?" Her brows creased, unknowingly.
As the corners of Yonghwa's lips lifted, she let out the breath she realize she'd been holding the moment she saw him. "Everything is more than fine, Hyun. I just came to ask you something."
His smile almost lifted all her doubts away. "What it is?"
"Actually... it's a favor. Is that okay?" He smiled his toothy grin just like before whenever he was unsure of something.
"Uh... okay."
"Really? Are you sure?" He asked, grinning.
"Ah, ne..."
And before she could even guess of Yonghwa's next reaction, his arm already reached her giving her a side hug stiffening every muscle of her body unable to move. Not to mention quickening the pace of her heartbeats just within seconds.
Things happened so fast she could barely catch to whatever had Yonghwa said as he ran to the opposite direction without looking. All she could manage to hear was "...thank you so much, Hyun-ah! I'll call you later!" And even the last words felt surreal to her.
Will he really?
She stood there daze with the lingering tingling sensation inside her that she couldn't quite name as if Jung Yonghwa had just cast a spell on her.
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Seohyun stared at her phone feeling remorseful to herself every second pass. She turned to the clock hanging on the wall that read, 11:35.
What would she say to him?
Now she feels like she's back two years ago all over again. The time when she waited for his calls or just simple messages that often came because they were in the stages of learning about each other and she didn't have enough courage to approach him first.
The door opened revealing Hyoyeon dressed in casual clothing as she continued to walk on her side of the bed sitting down facing Seohyun.
"Are you going somewhere, Hyo-unnie?"
"Hm, yeah. A friend invited me for dinner."
"This late?"
"I know, but I won't take too long."
"Okay..."
"Jung-seobang hasn't called yet?"
She turned to Hyoyeon confused to which her unnie responded, "Oh don't give me that look, Seohyun-ah."
Her brows creased. "Unnie!"
"When was the last time you waited for a call from someone?" Hyoyeon asked, raising an eyebrow.
She didn't answer. "So has he called yet?"
"No... But he didn't exactly say-" she felt her phone buzz beside her, and suddenly she feels flustered turning to Hyoyeon. "Unnie..."
"Great! I guess I have to disappear." Hyoyeon muttered getting up from her bed and walked towards the door.
"Comeback safe!" And Hyoyeon disappeared closing the door behind.
At the fourth ring, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hyun?"
"Oppa..."
"I'm sorry for calling so late. Did I wake you?"
"Aniyo, I was just... reading" she lied, almost feeling guilty about it.
She heard him laugh softly. "I see. Well..." he trailed off.
There was silence between them for a moment until, "I have something to say," they spoke simultaneously.
He laughed again while she felt embarrass. "It's okay, Hyun. You can ask first."
"Aniyo! You first oppa" she insisted.
"Okay then... about the favor I asked you earlier. Do you still remember?"
"Yes. I remember. What is it, oppa?"
"I... I like someone Hyun-ah... No, I know I loved her the moment I met her..."
Everything went completely silent but his words lingered in her head repeating over and over as something inside her started to hurt. Was it her heart? She wasn't sure anymore.
"Hyun, can you hear me?" His voice echoed on her ears once again finding herself completely still and rigid. She almost swears that she could hear his voice just somewhere near around her. But no words came out of her.
"I'm standing close to her right now... but there's a wall standing between us... and I'm waiting for her to come to me and break it herself."
"...o-oppa, I..." Then it dawned to her.
"Will you come to me?"
Seohyun didn't dare say a word as she stood on her feet and started to walk towards the door. She reached out and wrapped the knob tightly with her hand. Her ears were filled with the echoes of her heartbeat.
She took one step back, slowly opening the door revealing Jung Yonghwa standing in front of her.
And that's when she realized; you couldn't stop the motion of the earth or hold back the ocean tides, or break the pull of the moon. You couldn't stop the rain or pull a shade over the sun. And one human heart was no less a force than any of the rest.
Yonghwa revealed a silver chain dangling between his palms along with a heartwarming smile.
"I came to return this." I love you.
"Thank you." I love you too.
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A/N: I'm not exactly on my right of mind right now since its almost 2am to where I live but oh well! I haven't written a long one-shot in a while so if you ask me, I feel prettttyyy good right now~ haha 0.o even though my eyes are almost close. I hope you guys enjoyed reading! I guess you guys can treat it as my peace offering for being gone too long! Leave me some comments please!!!
night people!