n

n

n.

nIf so, that was very Yoo Chun Young, who never thought about the abstract area. I decided to understand him like that while shaking my head.

nAt that moment, Yoo Chun Young continued his remark again.

n“Just because you can’t remember, that doesn’t mean it’s totally gone.”

n“What?”

nAs I asked him back involuntarily, Yoo Chun Young closed his lips for a second then opened them again to slowly drop his words.

nHe lifted his hand and touched the watch he was wearing on the other side of his wrist. The smooth watch crystal reflected a glimmer of light.

n“You know, memories change every time you think of them.”

n“…”

n“Let’s say… I can hate something that I liked before.”

nI nodded my head. Touching his watch again, Yoo Chun Young kept on his remark.

n“Then, the memory I had with what I liked can turn into something dreadful to recall or something completely incomprehensible… Maybe, it’s likely to be worse than nothing.”

n“Uh-huh.”

nI nodded again. Yoo Chun Young then raised his gaze and directed it on my eyes.

n“However, that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t happy at that time. It simply can’t deny the feelings I had.”

n“…”

n“If there is something that I want to do today but maybe not tomorrow, I think I must do it right now, and therefore…”

nPausing for a second, Yoo Chun Young soon continued to speak.

n“I decided not to care about whether such memories last or not… Do as you please; I will do what I like.”

nCasting down his eyes, Yoo Chun Young added, “If you can’t stay with me because you’re frightened that I’ll forget about you, there’s nothing I can do for you. No one can do anything against ourselves losing memories. It’s beyond our will.”

nStaying still for a while, I shortly replied “Yeah,” with a heavy voice.

nWith those blue eyes, Yoo Chun Young continued to make eye contact long enough for me to feel somewhat persistent. He then kept on speaking at a slow pace.

n“And if you don’t mind whether I forget our memories…”

nCatching his breath, he uttered, “I’m gonna stay next to you. That’s what I want to do for now.”

nAt the end of his remark, there was a moment of silence. I just looked up at him for a while.

nHe understood everything I was saying.

nI then shook my head, thinking, ‘No…’

n“I decided not to care about whether such memories last or not… Do as you please.”

nYoo Chun Young clearly stated like that earlier.

n‘Perhaps, that means…’ I clenched my lips, ‘Back in the day, when I’ve chosen to stay with them even if they forget me later, Yoo Chun Young might have already decided something too.’

nI wondered what if he was going beyond his initial decision and being considerate right now while saying that he would be there for me.

nFacing Yoo Chun Young’s eyes during the whole time, I stealthily diverted my gaze. Looking in his blue eyes for so long, I even had the illusion that my eyes were going to burn. When I looked away from him, Yoo Chun Young, however, stepped closer to me.

n‘Why are you coming closer?!’ That was when I took a step back with that thought in mind.

nA cheerful voice from beside me penetrated between us. Only then did I recall that Ban Yeo Ryung was next to me.

n“Yoo Chun Young, you…”

n“Uh-huh.”

nLooking at Ban Yeo Ryung, Yoo Chun Young replied and tilted his head.

nShe was tinged pale. That was when I tried to ask Ban Yeo Ryung, ‘What’s the matter?’

nClenching her fist tightly, she flung a question.

n“You… Did you take some debating courses during the break? Is that why you’re so fluently speaking right now?”

n“…”

nA cold silence swept the space.

nThe moment when Yoo Chun Young and I stared at Ban Yeo Ryung mutely, she shouted while biting her lips firmly.

n“I… I’m also gonna quit my part-time job and take some speech classes. Watch me!”

n“Um, uh… chill, Yeo Ryung.”

n“Didn’t you hear just now? It was him, but his tongue… that wasn’t Yoo Chun Young!”

nOh, lord. How could she be so straightforward…

nLetting her stop bombarding such rough words, I, on the other hand, threw a glance at Yoo Chun Young. He seemed to look a little hurt.

nWhen he squinted his eyes but soon loosened them up and tried to say something to Ban Yeo Ryung, a black car that came across the darkness glided to a halt in front of us.

n“Oh… it’s been late,” said Yoo Chun Young, looking at the car.

nHis brows then met in the middle as if something felt a bit strange. A moment after, the driver came out of the black sedan and opened the door for us.

nExchanging eye contact with Ban Yeo Ryung, we moved our steps one after another while bidding farewell to Yoo Chun Young.

n“Then see you later, Chun Young.”

n“Get some sleep.”

nYoo Chun Young smiled faintly at what we just said and nodded his head.

nBan Yeo Ryung was the first to go in, and the next was me. The headlights reflected white light over the black road, so my view turned a little blurry.

nWhen I tried to bend my waist to get in the car, Yoo Chun Young suddenly came close to me.

n“Wait.”

n“Huh?”

n“I said I’ll do what I like.”

nDid you? Tilting my head in wonder, I soon nodded at him.

nYeah, you did or more precisely, you put out, ‘Do as you please; I will do what I like.’ At some point, that could be the fairest suggestion for all of us.

nHowever, Yoo Chun Young’s voice just now sounded a bit of behaving like a spoilt child. Was it my misunderstanding if I heard it that way? The way he spoke those words resembled a kid whining for an un-agreed gift.

nAs he saw me nodding, Yoo Chun Young hinted a smile on his lips. He then tossed another remark.

n“So, I have something… that I would like to do right now.”

n“Yeah.”

n“Can I?”

n“Um…”

nThere was a prolonged silence as I didn’t respond. His lips that were curved into a faint smile slowly returned to its original shape. Meanwhile, Ban Yeo Ryung asked, ‘Donnie, aren’t you getting in?’ from behind me.

n“Yes, I will.”

nAnd that was when I tried to open my lips.

n“Eun Jiho was treated as his birthday today.”

n“Oh, that’s because…”

n“I only need a second.”

nYikes, I was at a loss of words when he spoke like that.

nBesides, he said it only took a second, so I nodded my head. Suddenly, something came across my head, the fact that I was used to looking at Yoo Chun Young’s face at this close distance at night.

nAs I came to realize, Yoo Chun Young’s one hand was on the car door, and the other side was somewhere on my back. His posture right now looked as if he was about to trap me in his arms.

nAs we were standing in front of the door like that, our faces were, of course, almost closely attached. Since Yeo Ryung was sitting deep inside the big vehicle, she could hardly see us being together like this, which I felt thankful somehow.

nAt that moment, I heard Ban Yeo Ryung calling me again from the car. That was when I tried to answer back.

nA soft touch, once again, swept my cheek then disappeared. It happened like a flash. Raising my head, I yelled, “Hey! You’re not doing this again?!”

n“Thanks.”

nReplying shortly, he turned around and receded at a fast pace.

nI stared at the view of his back in a daze then opened my mouth to let out a sigh.

nWatching him disappear in the dark, I murmured, “Should I thank that he didn’t ask me this time whether I feel fluttered or not…?”

nRubbing my cheek, I got on the car.

nBan Yeo Ryung asked me what took so long with Yoo Chun Young. If I told her the truth, I would never get to see Yoo Chun Young in this world again, so I made up something that sounded suitable for now.

nFeeling so exhausted, I, at last, leaned my forehead against the window and thought it was such a long day today.

nI then murmured, “Oh, but now I’m feeling better?”

nThe time I spent with Yoo Chun Young was only a few minutes, but something changed up my mood.

nAnd there was another strange thing, which was… I lifted my hand and touched my cheek that seemed to have some feeble heat left until now.

n“Weird… it doesn’t feel that bad…”

n