dandelions | t-ara | eunyeon | 1/?
ham eunjung & park jiyeon; drama, romance; 3906 words; prologue
a/n: i hope this isn't too boring and you'll enjoy this story at least a little.
dandelions
I
leaves of lemon yellow sundrops
She had been leaning her forehead against the window's cool glass for a very long time, her face hidden from the other passengers by the marine blue hood pulled over her head, and her dreamy eyes followed the roadway aside as they quickly left Seoul. Eunjung held the hems of her sleeves with her fingertips, avoiding to expose them to the cold weather, crossing her arms over her chest and listening to the pop music blasting through her headphones with mild interest. It was a long trip from the capital to Boseong and as the landscape gradually changed from the modern surroundings of Seoul's lifestyle into the countless green tea fields and mountains, the girl sighed heavily, frowning at the sight. Eunjung placed her hands over the backpack resting on her lap, nervously holding onto it with unnecessary strenght. "I didn't deserve this", she muttered under her breath, "she's obviously torturing me."
When the bus finally stopped by the station, she waited for most passengers to step outside before following them, unwilling to have her feet touching the now unfamiliar dust floor of the county. She jumped off the last step, landing by a small group of girls, fixing her backpack's straws over her shoulders and offering them a smile. Eunjung was used to being mistaken by a guy these days, having a clean face most of the time-no makeup at all-and delicate, but not overly effeminate traces. The girls, who had been eyeing her since she got on the bus, giggled cutely and covered their mouths, inching away. Eunjung didn't mind: she had given up on being cute like other girls a long time ago, finding in herself a different kind of charm. The baggy, boyish clothes being a part of it.
She waited for the driver to pass her the remaining bags she brought before walking off to the regular bus stop. "And here I am", she announced with another sigh, dropping her headphones around her neck and checking the hour the bus was supposed to pick her up on the board by the stop, placing her bags down. What she hated the most about the place was how difficult it was to catch a bus on time, resulting in having to walk her way around. The teenage girl noticed with a scowl that she, indeed, had missed it by twenty minutes and there wouldn't be any other for at least two hours. "Aish... this is so frustrating", Eunjung whined between her teeth, waving her head and making her dark hair bounce around her head, the short locks falling over her eyes. She brought her hand to her face, brushing them aside, and huffing, she picked her bags up again, deciding to figure out the way over the school on her own.
It wasn't that much of a difficult task, honestly speaking, and Eunjung was surprised by how clearly she could remember the way. Following the track of persimmon trees through the fields, running around the way to school, their laughter filling the peaceful silence of the county under the early morning sunlight. Unexpectedly, the memories brought a faint smile to her face. "I can't imagine how my life would be if I'd never left this place", she said, raising her chin as she walked in her own pace, enjoying the way the sun would gently touch her face.
"Yah", she heard from somewhere behind her back, a loud, young male voice, followed by a horn of a pickup truck, "get out of the way! Do you wanna die?" Eunjung turned around to look at him, standing in the middle of the dust road with no intention of moving aside for that rude guy, when she landed her eyes on the stranger behind the wheel and saw a glimpse of resemblance-dropping her jaw and pointing at the guy. "Park Geonil, you jerk!", she cursed, raising her voice as well. The guy raised his eyebrows in surprise, not only by what she was saying, but precisely for how familiar she sounded-did he know that girl? "Didn't you develop some manners yet?", she asked again, smirking at him with what she considered to be a threatening glare, playful. "Should I give you another beating?" All of a sudden, Geonil widened his eyes, leaning forwards to make sure they weren't fooling him. "Ham Eunjung?", he thought out loud, nearly shocked at her appearence. "Are you really greeting me with a spanking? After all these years?" She laughed freely, unable to believe it was an old friend she was seeing now. "Come here!", Geonil said, pointing at the passenger seat by his side, and she hurried herself to the pickup, opening the door as soon as he unlocked it and sitting by him.
Geonil took a minute to examine the way she looked, still portraying that boyish look of hers she had always had, and breathing out a soft "Ah~", he said: "You're a big city girl now." Eunjung smiled at him timidly, unsure if that was supposed to mean a good or a bad thing. "I thought you would never come back."
"I'm back now", she said in a nearly apologetic tone, avoiding to mention it hadn't been her choice at all to move back to her hometown. Eunjung nodded softly, quietly pressing her lips into a thin line and moving her eyes to look at the dust road as Geonil turned the engine on and drove off. "How is everyone?", she asked out of curiousity, wondering how her childhood friends were doing now. Geonil's smile faltered for such a brief moment she didn't even notice, smiling at her brightly soon after.
"We're still friends", he answered, turning his head to the side to peek at her. There wasn't much to look at on the road but the countless leaves laying on the floor. "The county is too small for us not to get along with each other." Geonil chuckled and the girl followed his lead, flatly, recalling all too well of how different living at the place was. It was difficult for someone to not know everyone when the city was so tiny: she loved how she could be just anyone in Seoul and most people wouldn't really care about it. The pressure from her hometown's society was too heavy-gossips were like a disease and the simple people's judgment, deadly. She never forgot about how they treated her right after the incident: it was like, all of a sudden, she didn't have any right to be alive. Not anymore.
"Ah", Eunjung murmured, with a small smile appearing on her face, "It didn't change the tiniest bit then." Geonil nodded, peeking at her with a bright expression, and smiled too.
"How come you're so pretty now?", he asked, leaning towards her and making her feel awkward under his sight. "I used to be scared of you... you were such a bully. When did this happen?" Eunjung punched him in the arm, lightly, but strong enough for him to go back to his seat, paying attention to the road.
"It's because you were an ass!", she deffended herself, puckering her lips. "Always picking on the girls, making fun of their faces... so annoying."
Geonil made a pause before admitting with a somehow wicked grin: "it's because I liked them too much." She rolled her eyes, letting a puff sound come out of her smiling full lips. "Where are you heading to, Eunjung-ah? I'll take you there." She met his eyes through the rearview mirror, hesitantly, and Geonil took only a few seconds to understand-allowing his jaw to drop a little in honest surprise: "You're going back to Banseok High?"
She nodded with a light "Ye" and bit on her thumb, nervously, while he silently looked at her. Eunjung knew what he was thinking of, there was no need for him to voice his thoughts: how could she even think of going back to the very same school that caused her to leave in the first place?
The answer-she was forced to.
...and maybe something else. The ashes of those feelings she believed to have burnt with everything else inside her-slowly crawling up from the depths of her heart: she diligently ignored them, but it was hard to unnotice they still were there.
"I can't believe you're back", he said, parking by the entrance gate. She had been staring at it for quite a long time, ever since it appeared from behind the bend of the road, but Eunjung shifted her attention back to the boy by her side when he spoke, flashing him a blinding smile. She was nervous, but unexpectedly excited, and it worried him the most-that she could get hurt.
"Isn't seeing believing?", she pointed out, joyful, unlocking the door and pushing it open. "Thank you for the ride, Geonil-ah." When she reached out to him, placing her palm over his head and caressing his almost curly hair, he caught it: the girliest side of her showing through her sweetness. He nearly blushed. She had changed so much. "Let's meet up with our friends anytime soon", Eunjung suggested before sliding off the seat and closing the pickup's door, waving him goodbye.
She waited for his car to disappear in the horizon, leaving a soft sigh before turning to the gates. They were almost as high as she remembered, but the golden tint was now fading every now and then, and while she pushed they open, she heard the creaking sound-they could definitely use some oil. The trees on each side of the path of the redish parallelepiped stones didn't seem to have changed all that much, framing the school's building at the very end of the path. She remained still by the gates, mesmerized by the sight she hadn't seen for such a long time, the memories from a younger self appearing behind her eyelids to haunt her, and when the cold wind sweeped the lemon yellow leaves towards her, Eunjung merely held her jacket closer to her body, finally walking through the path.
The school grounds seemed to be quieter than she remembered, filled with a peaceful, yet lonely feeling, and she wondered if it was due to the cold weather. Perhaps she had just been too noisy back then, getting in trouble whenever she had the chance, but she didn't regret anything-nearly anything.
Then, when she was merely a few feet away from the building's front door, she heard the bell ringing: four short, tingling tones, echoing through the grounds. Followed closely by the sound of countless voices overlaying one another until it was difficult to distinguish what they were saying. Eunjung just watched, while holding onto her backpack and bags-as nervous as she could ever be-like her life depended on it, the crowd of students leaving the building to enjoy the sunlight. Their skirts fluttering by the lightest touch of the wind and their laughter filling the cold weather with warmth.
The first girl to notice her was wearing a colorful beanie, with long locks escaping from under it and reaching her chest, looking at Eunjung with huge, curious eyes. She displicently walked towards Eunjung with slow, spaced footsteps that would probably only fit her long legs, holding her own wrist behind her back. "Are you lost?", she asked, tilting her head just enough to examine the other's features better, and it was clear to Eunjung the stranger was probably still wondering about her gender, even though they were at a girls' only school.
She placed her bags down on the floor and, looking through her jacket's pocket with one hand, Eunjung fished out a messily folded sheet of paper, flattening it so the words could be read. "Ah... I need to go to the Sun dormitory", she said. The stranger smiled.
"Turn to the left over there", she explained, pointing out the direction with her index finger. Eunjung noticed the electric blue color of her nail polish. "It's impossible not to see."
"Thank you", Eunjung said, offering the girl a toothy smile before picking up her bags and heading towards the place. She didn't remember the Sun dormitory, otherwise she wouldn't need directions-but it was only natural: why would a middle schoolar like she had been know where the high school students slept?
She turned on the bend of the path only to find herself staring at a few dozens of mahogany doors, partially hidden by the balusters in front of them and framed by the high pillars supporting the building and displaying the figure of the Sun. Eunjung remembered right then why people would send their precious daughters to Boseong-that place in the middle of nowhere-to receive proper studying: the school was recognized as a traditional and respectable place to raise young women and help them to bloom wisdom and beauty. It was truelly beautiful, every single detail of the school, from the gardens to the architecture-just like every woman.
After a moment, Eunjung recalled she was supposed to find her own room: they had clearly said she had to change into her uniform first thing in the morning. She dived her hand in her pocket once again and pulled out the piece of paper just enough so it would show the room number: "ah", Eunjung exclaimed unconsciously, showing the paper back inside and walking determinately towards the door. It didn't seem like anyone around her was paying too much attention to the newcomer, honestly, but when she happened to walk past by them and their eyes would meet, she felt the weight of their gazes upon her even when they were out of sight-quietly questioning who she was and what she was doing there in the middle of the semester. Just thinking about the amount of answers she'd have to give had her sighing loudly: perhaps she should've ran away when she had the chance, maybe go to Pusan and enjoy the sand under her feet tickling her toes, to find a part time job and take care of herself. She was old enough, afterall.
Eunjung dropped her luggage by the door, twisting the small silver key in the lock until she heard a click, before pushing it open to peek inside. There were two single beds in the room, sided by study desks, an oak classic dresser and a closet-nothing much. Noticing the framed pictures hanging from the wall just above one of the beds, she assumed that one was taken, kicking her heaviest bags towards the other one and dropping her backpack over it.
Looking around the quiet room, she felt an odd sensation of peacefulness: it was so silent in there it was almost like she was the only person in the whole world. If not for the casual pieces of conversations she'd hear whenever someone walked past by the door, she'd probably wonder if there was really anyone out there, besides the birds who seemed to enjoy flying and singing around the dormitories. She flopped down on her bed and unzipped one of the bags by her feet, taking out her uniform and quickly changing into it. She picked the pants over the skirt, finding it too unfitting of her: she wasn't as gracious, nor her legs were as beautiful, and it simply didn't seem to look alright on her. Plus, the pants were comfortable, and she settled for adding a sweater jacket on top of her white button up shirt, looking at her figure in the dresser's mirror. "It's alright", Eunjung said, pulling the hood over her head and finally switching her attention back to the room, no longer busying her mind with clothing choices.
Her sight wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to assimilate she'd be living there for the next few months, until she landed her eyes on the window. Without thinking twice, the newcomer walked up to it and pushed the heavy curtains aside, taking a peek of the outside. She really couldn't escape the sight of green: it was pretty much everywhere, from the grass to the countless trees, and she was definitely not used to it anymore. Maybe her lungs were addicted to the pollution of Seoul's air or the noise from the busy streets. Eunjung was certain she was about to go insane in that place-for so many reasons.
But the sound of the door opening caught her attention and with a "you!", she found herself sharing the room with the very same girl who had pointed it out for her. The stranger smiled. "So it was really you", she said, "Ham Eunjung, right?"
"Right...", she answered awkwardly, "and what's your name?"
"Hyomin." Eunjung watched her walk across the room and open the closet's door to find herself a scarf, putting it around her neck. Her hair fell around her face delicately. She was-Eunjung noticed-very beautiful. "Let's go", Hyomin said while looking at Eunjung excitedly, "it's lunch time. I'll introduce you to all the cool people."
She followed Hyomin quietly at first, feeling slightly shy to be around someone she barely knew, but the girl seemed pretty relaxed: she started to tour Eunjung around, pointing out places and explaining how the school worked. She would have told her she knew it all, but the girl looked so happy leading her she decided to only let her have her way: at least she wouldn't have to explain anything.
"And this", she finally said, holding her arms out to the double entrance doors, "is the cafeteria. I hope you don't have a too refined taste, there isn't any other option." Hyomin curved the sides of her mouth nearly apologetically, but Eunjung just chuckled.
"Do you like the food?", she asked and Hyomin nodded, holding the door for her like the good tour guide she was.
"It's good."
With a thank you, Eunjung stepped inside, simply facing several wooden tables where many girls sat by. The nearest to the doors looked at her confusedly-by now, in such a small school, the students knew pretty much everyone-until Hyomin grabbed her arm and gently guided her towards a table at the back.
"You'll be big news for the next couple of weeks", she said with a cheeky smile, "prepare yourself." Eunjung sighed heavily and Hyomin breathed out a short laugh, taking it as if her new roommate was a shy girl. "Don't worry, my friends will get your back", she promised and for a moment Eunjung believed her.
They stopped by a table and she tapped a girl in the shoulder to catch her attention. "Yah, unni, greet my friend~", Hyomin said. Eunjung thought it was cute of her to call a barely known stranger a friend. "This is Eunjung ssi."
The girl looked at Hyomin surprisedly, raising her eyebrows in a mute question, before moving her eyes to the figure beside her and realizing who exactly Hyomin meant. Her hair was at shoulder length and she wore thick, black glasses, having a definitely tomboyish feel about her. She took a whole second to recognize the newcomer: "Seriously?", the word escaped her lips before she could help it, spreading a wide smile across her face. The excitement in her slightly higher tone caught the attention of a couple of girls who sat beside her, but Eunjung didn't pay attention to them, all too focused on the face looking back at her. There was something about her... "Ham Eunjung? Eunjung oppa? This can't be you, right?" She laughed comfortably and Eunjung remembered.
"Soyeon ah!" She pursed her lips instantly, recalling how the younger girl would tease her about her face, calling her oppa just to have her pouting. Soyeon had a strong, bold personality, even to the older girls: she was the only one who dared to hang out with the sunbaes.
"Unni, what are you doing here?", she asked curiously, offering her a seat across the table and Eunjung sat down, having Hyomin siding her. "Weren't you supposed to have graduated at this point?", Soyeon added, making sure Eunjung understood her question.
"Ah..." And the questioning began. "I missed a year back then."
Soyeon merely pressed her lips together and nodded, keeping the story from back then a secret, and Eunjung was grateful for it. Meeting with Soyeon already had her stomach turning-she didn't want the gossiping to start any time soon. "It's good to have you back", the dongsaeng said, offering her a small smile.
Hyomin gasped. "So you used to study here? Aigoo... and I kept showing you around." She reached her hands up to her beanie and pulled it down to cover her eyes in frustration: Eunjung laughed at her childishness, whilst Soyeon merely rolled her eyes.
"A lot of things changed", she tried to comfort the girl.
"It's really the same", Soyeon teased, smiling at how Hyomin would sigh heavily. "Unni, now you're back, we can hang out together again. We'd be so cool!" She rested her chin over her palm, excitedly, and Hyomin shot daggers at her with her eyes-Eunjung was supposed to hang out with her too.
Eunjung leaned forwards to rest her elbows on the table and cross her arms over her chest, just about to ask her a question, "Soyeon ah...", but her words trailled off as a figure appeared from somewhere behind Soyeon and stopped by her side.
She could have recognized her even if ten, twenty years had passed by without seeing even a glimpse of the girl, how she let her hair grow longer until it trailed down her spine in unprecise dark waves; the way she wore makeup now instead of the bare, fresh face of years ago, making her eyes longer and her lips plumper. How her body developed curves she did not have back then-she felt her mouth getting dry.
"Unni", Eunjung widened her eyes at the sound of her voice, noticing it was even huskier than before; noticing she didn't forget even her tone, "why did you do that?"
It took Eunjung what felt like a very long moment to realize she wasn't talking to her-she wasn't even looking at her, barely noticing that, after all those years, she was finally sharing the same room as her again. It was oddly frustrating, how she felt as she simply sat there and stared at the girl, waiting for her to just look a little more to the side, hoping the girl to find her and recognize her: but she wouldn't. She barely looked at anywhere but Soyeon, even though Eunjung's heart was beating so fast she believed it would be able to fill all the silence of the school grounds.
Soyeon stared at the girl for a moment, suddenly realizing the situation as a whole, and she was just unable to answer her rightaway: her mouth hang open and she closed and reopened it a couple of times, trying her best not to peek at Eunjung-but her eyes betrayed her.
"Jiyeon ah...", Hyomin called, "greet my friend!"
Jiyeon turned her head towards Hyomin at first, noticing her usual smiling face, before shifting her attention to the girl beside her. She couldn't have worn any other more indifferent expression than the one she showed at that time: merely bowing her head slightly until her hair bounced forwards. "Nice meeting you."
Eunjung felt her heart sinking inside her chest, drowning in a pool of cold water, when the realization hit her: she forgot about me.
a/n: i hope this isn't too boring and you'll enjoy this story at least a little.
dandelions
I
leaves of lemon yellow sundrops
She had been leaning her forehead against the window's cool glass for a very long time, her face hidden from the other passengers by the marine blue hood pulled over her head, and her dreamy eyes followed the roadway aside as they quickly left Seoul. Eunjung held the hems of her sleeves with her fingertips, avoiding to expose them to the cold weather, crossing her arms over her chest and listening to the pop music blasting through her headphones with mild interest. It was a long trip from the capital to Boseong and as the landscape gradually changed from the modern surroundings of Seoul's lifestyle into the countless green tea fields and mountains, the girl sighed heavily, frowning at the sight. Eunjung placed her hands over the backpack resting on her lap, nervously holding onto it with unnecessary strenght. "I didn't deserve this", she muttered under her breath, "she's obviously torturing me."
When the bus finally stopped by the station, she waited for most passengers to step outside before following them, unwilling to have her feet touching the now unfamiliar dust floor of the county. She jumped off the last step, landing by a small group of girls, fixing her backpack's straws over her shoulders and offering them a smile. Eunjung was used to being mistaken by a guy these days, having a clean face most of the time-no makeup at all-and delicate, but not overly effeminate traces. The girls, who had been eyeing her since she got on the bus, giggled cutely and covered their mouths, inching away. Eunjung didn't mind: she had given up on being cute like other girls a long time ago, finding in herself a different kind of charm. The baggy, boyish clothes being a part of it.
She waited for the driver to pass her the remaining bags she brought before walking off to the regular bus stop. "And here I am", she announced with another sigh, dropping her headphones around her neck and checking the hour the bus was supposed to pick her up on the board by the stop, placing her bags down. What she hated the most about the place was how difficult it was to catch a bus on time, resulting in having to walk her way around. The teenage girl noticed with a scowl that she, indeed, had missed it by twenty minutes and there wouldn't be any other for at least two hours. "Aish... this is so frustrating", Eunjung whined between her teeth, waving her head and making her dark hair bounce around her head, the short locks falling over her eyes. She brought her hand to her face, brushing them aside, and huffing, she picked her bags up again, deciding to figure out the way over the school on her own.
It wasn't that much of a difficult task, honestly speaking, and Eunjung was surprised by how clearly she could remember the way. Following the track of persimmon trees through the fields, running around the way to school, their laughter filling the peaceful silence of the county under the early morning sunlight. Unexpectedly, the memories brought a faint smile to her face. "I can't imagine how my life would be if I'd never left this place", she said, raising her chin as she walked in her own pace, enjoying the way the sun would gently touch her face.
"Yah", she heard from somewhere behind her back, a loud, young male voice, followed by a horn of a pickup truck, "get out of the way! Do you wanna die?" Eunjung turned around to look at him, standing in the middle of the dust road with no intention of moving aside for that rude guy, when she landed her eyes on the stranger behind the wheel and saw a glimpse of resemblance-dropping her jaw and pointing at the guy. "Park Geonil, you jerk!", she cursed, raising her voice as well. The guy raised his eyebrows in surprise, not only by what she was saying, but precisely for how familiar she sounded-did he know that girl? "Didn't you develop some manners yet?", she asked again, smirking at him with what she considered to be a threatening glare, playful. "Should I give you another beating?" All of a sudden, Geonil widened his eyes, leaning forwards to make sure they weren't fooling him. "Ham Eunjung?", he thought out loud, nearly shocked at her appearence. "Are you really greeting me with a spanking? After all these years?" She laughed freely, unable to believe it was an old friend she was seeing now. "Come here!", Geonil said, pointing at the passenger seat by his side, and she hurried herself to the pickup, opening the door as soon as he unlocked it and sitting by him.
Geonil took a minute to examine the way she looked, still portraying that boyish look of hers she had always had, and breathing out a soft "Ah~", he said: "You're a big city girl now." Eunjung smiled at him timidly, unsure if that was supposed to mean a good or a bad thing. "I thought you would never come back."
"I'm back now", she said in a nearly apologetic tone, avoiding to mention it hadn't been her choice at all to move back to her hometown. Eunjung nodded softly, quietly pressing her lips into a thin line and moving her eyes to look at the dust road as Geonil turned the engine on and drove off. "How is everyone?", she asked out of curiousity, wondering how her childhood friends were doing now. Geonil's smile faltered for such a brief moment she didn't even notice, smiling at her brightly soon after.
"We're still friends", he answered, turning his head to the side to peek at her. There wasn't much to look at on the road but the countless leaves laying on the floor. "The county is too small for us not to get along with each other." Geonil chuckled and the girl followed his lead, flatly, recalling all too well of how different living at the place was. It was difficult for someone to not know everyone when the city was so tiny: she loved how she could be just anyone in Seoul and most people wouldn't really care about it. The pressure from her hometown's society was too heavy-gossips were like a disease and the simple people's judgment, deadly. She never forgot about how they treated her right after the incident: it was like, all of a sudden, she didn't have any right to be alive. Not anymore.
"Ah", Eunjung murmured, with a small smile appearing on her face, "It didn't change the tiniest bit then." Geonil nodded, peeking at her with a bright expression, and smiled too.
"How come you're so pretty now?", he asked, leaning towards her and making her feel awkward under his sight. "I used to be scared of you... you were such a bully. When did this happen?" Eunjung punched him in the arm, lightly, but strong enough for him to go back to his seat, paying attention to the road.
"It's because you were an ass!", she deffended herself, puckering her lips. "Always picking on the girls, making fun of their faces... so annoying."
Geonil made a pause before admitting with a somehow wicked grin: "it's because I liked them too much." She rolled her eyes, letting a puff sound come out of her smiling full lips. "Where are you heading to, Eunjung-ah? I'll take you there." She met his eyes through the rearview mirror, hesitantly, and Geonil took only a few seconds to understand-allowing his jaw to drop a little in honest surprise: "You're going back to Banseok High?"
She nodded with a light "Ye" and bit on her thumb, nervously, while he silently looked at her. Eunjung knew what he was thinking of, there was no need for him to voice his thoughts: how could she even think of going back to the very same school that caused her to leave in the first place?
The answer-she was forced to.
...and maybe something else. The ashes of those feelings she believed to have burnt with everything else inside her-slowly crawling up from the depths of her heart: she diligently ignored them, but it was hard to unnotice they still were there.
"I can't believe you're back", he said, parking by the entrance gate. She had been staring at it for quite a long time, ever since it appeared from behind the bend of the road, but Eunjung shifted her attention back to the boy by her side when he spoke, flashing him a blinding smile. She was nervous, but unexpectedly excited, and it worried him the most-that she could get hurt.
"Isn't seeing believing?", she pointed out, joyful, unlocking the door and pushing it open. "Thank you for the ride, Geonil-ah." When she reached out to him, placing her palm over his head and caressing his almost curly hair, he caught it: the girliest side of her showing through her sweetness. He nearly blushed. She had changed so much. "Let's meet up with our friends anytime soon", Eunjung suggested before sliding off the seat and closing the pickup's door, waving him goodbye.
She waited for his car to disappear in the horizon, leaving a soft sigh before turning to the gates. They were almost as high as she remembered, but the golden tint was now fading every now and then, and while she pushed they open, she heard the creaking sound-they could definitely use some oil. The trees on each side of the path of the redish parallelepiped stones didn't seem to have changed all that much, framing the school's building at the very end of the path. She remained still by the gates, mesmerized by the sight she hadn't seen for such a long time, the memories from a younger self appearing behind her eyelids to haunt her, and when the cold wind sweeped the lemon yellow leaves towards her, Eunjung merely held her jacket closer to her body, finally walking through the path.
The school grounds seemed to be quieter than she remembered, filled with a peaceful, yet lonely feeling, and she wondered if it was due to the cold weather. Perhaps she had just been too noisy back then, getting in trouble whenever she had the chance, but she didn't regret anything-nearly anything.
Then, when she was merely a few feet away from the building's front door, she heard the bell ringing: four short, tingling tones, echoing through the grounds. Followed closely by the sound of countless voices overlaying one another until it was difficult to distinguish what they were saying. Eunjung just watched, while holding onto her backpack and bags-as nervous as she could ever be-like her life depended on it, the crowd of students leaving the building to enjoy the sunlight. Their skirts fluttering by the lightest touch of the wind and their laughter filling the cold weather with warmth.
The first girl to notice her was wearing a colorful beanie, with long locks escaping from under it and reaching her chest, looking at Eunjung with huge, curious eyes. She displicently walked towards Eunjung with slow, spaced footsteps that would probably only fit her long legs, holding her own wrist behind her back. "Are you lost?", she asked, tilting her head just enough to examine the other's features better, and it was clear to Eunjung the stranger was probably still wondering about her gender, even though they were at a girls' only school.
She placed her bags down on the floor and, looking through her jacket's pocket with one hand, Eunjung fished out a messily folded sheet of paper, flattening it so the words could be read. "Ah... I need to go to the Sun dormitory", she said. The stranger smiled.
"Turn to the left over there", she explained, pointing out the direction with her index finger. Eunjung noticed the electric blue color of her nail polish. "It's impossible not to see."
"Thank you", Eunjung said, offering the girl a toothy smile before picking up her bags and heading towards the place. She didn't remember the Sun dormitory, otherwise she wouldn't need directions-but it was only natural: why would a middle schoolar like she had been know where the high school students slept?
She turned on the bend of the path only to find herself staring at a few dozens of mahogany doors, partially hidden by the balusters in front of them and framed by the high pillars supporting the building and displaying the figure of the Sun. Eunjung remembered right then why people would send their precious daughters to Boseong-that place in the middle of nowhere-to receive proper studying: the school was recognized as a traditional and respectable place to raise young women and help them to bloom wisdom and beauty. It was truelly beautiful, every single detail of the school, from the gardens to the architecture-just like every woman.
After a moment, Eunjung recalled she was supposed to find her own room: they had clearly said she had to change into her uniform first thing in the morning. She dived her hand in her pocket once again and pulled out the piece of paper just enough so it would show the room number: "ah", Eunjung exclaimed unconsciously, showing the paper back inside and walking determinately towards the door. It didn't seem like anyone around her was paying too much attention to the newcomer, honestly, but when she happened to walk past by them and their eyes would meet, she felt the weight of their gazes upon her even when they were out of sight-quietly questioning who she was and what she was doing there in the middle of the semester. Just thinking about the amount of answers she'd have to give had her sighing loudly: perhaps she should've ran away when she had the chance, maybe go to Pusan and enjoy the sand under her feet tickling her toes, to find a part time job and take care of herself. She was old enough, afterall.
Eunjung dropped her luggage by the door, twisting the small silver key in the lock until she heard a click, before pushing it open to peek inside. There were two single beds in the room, sided by study desks, an oak classic dresser and a closet-nothing much. Noticing the framed pictures hanging from the wall just above one of the beds, she assumed that one was taken, kicking her heaviest bags towards the other one and dropping her backpack over it.
Looking around the quiet room, she felt an odd sensation of peacefulness: it was so silent in there it was almost like she was the only person in the whole world. If not for the casual pieces of conversations she'd hear whenever someone walked past by the door, she'd probably wonder if there was really anyone out there, besides the birds who seemed to enjoy flying and singing around the dormitories. She flopped down on her bed and unzipped one of the bags by her feet, taking out her uniform and quickly changing into it. She picked the pants over the skirt, finding it too unfitting of her: she wasn't as gracious, nor her legs were as beautiful, and it simply didn't seem to look alright on her. Plus, the pants were comfortable, and she settled for adding a sweater jacket on top of her white button up shirt, looking at her figure in the dresser's mirror. "It's alright", Eunjung said, pulling the hood over her head and finally switching her attention back to the room, no longer busying her mind with clothing choices.
Her sight wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to assimilate she'd be living there for the next few months, until she landed her eyes on the window. Without thinking twice, the newcomer walked up to it and pushed the heavy curtains aside, taking a peek of the outside. She really couldn't escape the sight of green: it was pretty much everywhere, from the grass to the countless trees, and she was definitely not used to it anymore. Maybe her lungs were addicted to the pollution of Seoul's air or the noise from the busy streets. Eunjung was certain she was about to go insane in that place-for so many reasons.
But the sound of the door opening caught her attention and with a "you!", she found herself sharing the room with the very same girl who had pointed it out for her. The stranger smiled. "So it was really you", she said, "Ham Eunjung, right?"
"Right...", she answered awkwardly, "and what's your name?"
"Hyomin." Eunjung watched her walk across the room and open the closet's door to find herself a scarf, putting it around her neck. Her hair fell around her face delicately. She was-Eunjung noticed-very beautiful. "Let's go", Hyomin said while looking at Eunjung excitedly, "it's lunch time. I'll introduce you to all the cool people."
She followed Hyomin quietly at first, feeling slightly shy to be around someone she barely knew, but the girl seemed pretty relaxed: she started to tour Eunjung around, pointing out places and explaining how the school worked. She would have told her she knew it all, but the girl looked so happy leading her she decided to only let her have her way: at least she wouldn't have to explain anything.
"And this", she finally said, holding her arms out to the double entrance doors, "is the cafeteria. I hope you don't have a too refined taste, there isn't any other option." Hyomin curved the sides of her mouth nearly apologetically, but Eunjung just chuckled.
"Do you like the food?", she asked and Hyomin nodded, holding the door for her like the good tour guide she was.
"It's good."
With a thank you, Eunjung stepped inside, simply facing several wooden tables where many girls sat by. The nearest to the doors looked at her confusedly-by now, in such a small school, the students knew pretty much everyone-until Hyomin grabbed her arm and gently guided her towards a table at the back.
"You'll be big news for the next couple of weeks", she said with a cheeky smile, "prepare yourself." Eunjung sighed heavily and Hyomin breathed out a short laugh, taking it as if her new roommate was a shy girl. "Don't worry, my friends will get your back", she promised and for a moment Eunjung believed her.
They stopped by a table and she tapped a girl in the shoulder to catch her attention. "Yah, unni, greet my friend~", Hyomin said. Eunjung thought it was cute of her to call a barely known stranger a friend. "This is Eunjung ssi."
The girl looked at Hyomin surprisedly, raising her eyebrows in a mute question, before moving her eyes to the figure beside her and realizing who exactly Hyomin meant. Her hair was at shoulder length and she wore thick, black glasses, having a definitely tomboyish feel about her. She took a whole second to recognize the newcomer: "Seriously?", the word escaped her lips before she could help it, spreading a wide smile across her face. The excitement in her slightly higher tone caught the attention of a couple of girls who sat beside her, but Eunjung didn't pay attention to them, all too focused on the face looking back at her. There was something about her... "Ham Eunjung? Eunjung oppa? This can't be you, right?" She laughed comfortably and Eunjung remembered.
"Soyeon ah!" She pursed her lips instantly, recalling how the younger girl would tease her about her face, calling her oppa just to have her pouting. Soyeon had a strong, bold personality, even to the older girls: she was the only one who dared to hang out with the sunbaes.
"Unni, what are you doing here?", she asked curiously, offering her a seat across the table and Eunjung sat down, having Hyomin siding her. "Weren't you supposed to have graduated at this point?", Soyeon added, making sure Eunjung understood her question.
"Ah..." And the questioning began. "I missed a year back then."
Soyeon merely pressed her lips together and nodded, keeping the story from back then a secret, and Eunjung was grateful for it. Meeting with Soyeon already had her stomach turning-she didn't want the gossiping to start any time soon. "It's good to have you back", the dongsaeng said, offering her a small smile.
Hyomin gasped. "So you used to study here? Aigoo... and I kept showing you around." She reached her hands up to her beanie and pulled it down to cover her eyes in frustration: Eunjung laughed at her childishness, whilst Soyeon merely rolled her eyes.
"A lot of things changed", she tried to comfort the girl.
"It's really the same", Soyeon teased, smiling at how Hyomin would sigh heavily. "Unni, now you're back, we can hang out together again. We'd be so cool!" She rested her chin over her palm, excitedly, and Hyomin shot daggers at her with her eyes-Eunjung was supposed to hang out with her too.
Eunjung leaned forwards to rest her elbows on the table and cross her arms over her chest, just about to ask her a question, "Soyeon ah...", but her words trailled off as a figure appeared from somewhere behind Soyeon and stopped by her side.
She could have recognized her even if ten, twenty years had passed by without seeing even a glimpse of the girl, how she let her hair grow longer until it trailed down her spine in unprecise dark waves; the way she wore makeup now instead of the bare, fresh face of years ago, making her eyes longer and her lips plumper. How her body developed curves she did not have back then-she felt her mouth getting dry.
"Unni", Eunjung widened her eyes at the sound of her voice, noticing it was even huskier than before; noticing she didn't forget even her tone, "why did you do that?"
It took Eunjung what felt like a very long moment to realize she wasn't talking to her-she wasn't even looking at her, barely noticing that, after all those years, she was finally sharing the same room as her again. It was oddly frustrating, how she felt as she simply sat there and stared at the girl, waiting for her to just look a little more to the side, hoping the girl to find her and recognize her: but she wouldn't. She barely looked at anywhere but Soyeon, even though Eunjung's heart was beating so fast she believed it would be able to fill all the silence of the school grounds.
Soyeon stared at the girl for a moment, suddenly realizing the situation as a whole, and she was just unable to answer her rightaway: her mouth hang open and she closed and reopened it a couple of times, trying her best not to peek at Eunjung-but her eyes betrayed her.
"Jiyeon ah...", Hyomin called, "greet my friend!"
Jiyeon turned her head towards Hyomin at first, noticing her usual smiling face, before shifting her attention to the girl beside her. She couldn't have worn any other more indifferent expression than the one she showed at that time: merely bowing her head slightly until her hair bounced forwards. "Nice meeting you."
Eunjung felt her heart sinking inside her chest, drowning in a pool of cold water, when the realization hit her: she forgot about me.