#gomwriting

“Why would you do that!?” Yumi yelled as she jumped up to reach her friend’s phone.

Running away from her, Eunbyul yelled back, “Because you need a date and there’s no one eligible to take you to this event!!”

“I don’t need a date! I have you!!” Chasing her friend around the dining table, Yumi caught her breath as Eunbyul stopped momentarily, the both of them drained from running around their apartment.

“Look, I would love to go with you to this fancy private fashion event but Jaebum is finally finalising everything in his EP tonight remember?” Tilting her head sideways, Eunbyul continued, “You know I want to support him in every step of the way.”

Sighing, Yumi pulled out a chair and took a seat, glaring up at her friend as she said, “I hate that you know how much of a fangirl I am for your relationship.”

With a smile, her friend circled the table and draped herself over the smaller girl, “I hope you know I appreciate the support you have for us.”

Yumi could only scoff at her friend’s statement, unable to disagree with her truthful words. She pulled out the seat next to her and gave it a pat, indicating for Eunbyul to sit down. Taking it as a peace offering, her friend sat down and pulled out her phone, clicking on the Date For Hire app again.

“As I was saying before you rudely attempted to kill me, this Jinyoung guy seems really neat and fashionable so I think he’ll be perfect as a date to the event,” Yumi didn’t even bother looking over at her phone, already feeling defeated as her friend continued talking, “Now, I know you don’t want to see his face but I’ve already arranged for him to meet you at the carpark. I’ll send you his car plate number and the time he agreed to come so don’t worry about it.”

After glancing to check that Yumi was still paying attention, Eunbyul continued, “It says here that he’s studying to be a teacher so you know, he’s an all rounded educated man. It also says that he’s an introvert but he’s able to be just the right amount of polite extrovertedness for social events. How specific!”

Groaning, Yumi buried her head in her hands, her heart beating loudly at the fear of a stranger having to be her date for her first private event. Sensing her anxiety, Eunbyul rubbed her friend’s back, “I know you don’t want this but the invite did say to bring a date and this is the best solution I could come up for you as a friend without actually introducing a friend of mine that might potentially want to date you who has ‘no time’ for relationships.”

“Okay, you know what? I don’t care. I’ll just think of him as a really really new friend,” After choosing to sweep that concern under her imaginary mat, Yumi gave Eunbyul a small punch as she realised what her friend meant, slightly thankful that it was a stranger rather than anyone she knew. Feeling a little at ease, the girl thought of her next immediate problem, “So now, just help me find something to wear?”

With a relieved smile, Eunbyul answered, “Anything for you kid.”

Jinyoung leaned on his car as he waited, letting out a deep breath as he prepared himself for another full night out. He told himself that this was going to be his last night call in a few days, A straight four nights of being out not doing his body too well. Feeling a little light headed, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

“Uhm excuse me, are you Jinyoung?” Now, Jinyoung had seen plenty of beautiful woman during his time as a Date For Hire worker but he’s never been struck by a beauty as fast as he did with her. Her short sleeveless black dress fit her nicely in the correct places and it had some mesh material that made her midriff visible, the mesh coincidentally similar to the one on his own outfit. She had on fishnet tights and a pair of combat boots on, fitting the black but unique theme he was told about. Her makeup was simple and she had simple accessories on but what struck him was her smile. It was sweet and bright, conveying her nervousness instantly, something refreshing for him who was used to women who were always confident.

He stood up straight and noticed how he was almost a good 20cm taller than she was, shocking the small girl into taking a step back. Politely smiling, he started his duties, “Hello Yumi, my name is Jinyoung and I’ll be your date for tonight. I promise to treat you well and do as you wish - as long as it is within our guidelines.”

Yumi gave him a smile as he completed his introduction, unsure if she was supposed to clap for him or not but decided against it when he turned around to open the door of the passenger seat for her. He tilted his head towards the inside of the car and she climbed in, giving him a small, “Thank you.”

They both sat silently in the car for a while as Jinyoung started to drive. Quietly, Yumi was thinking about how Jinyoung was such an attractive man. She knew that the men working for the Date For Hire app were supposed to be smart and good looking but only now did she realise that they must have high standards for choosing their workers. Glancing at him as he drove, she admired his side profile in the dim lighting of the night.

“You can just ask me questions freely, don’t worry.” The corners of his mouth lifted as he spoke, his amused tone making Yumi feel warmth in her heart. He was still facing the road as he said this, making her think that he was quite a serious driver, the girl quickly and unexpectedly making assumptions about him.

“I just wanted to know what it takes to be a Date For Hire guy, that’s all.” He could hear the hint of playfulness in her voice and Jinyoung cursed in his head, gripping the wheel a little tighter at the sound of her soft laughing. He was surprised at his own reaction and made a mental note about how he shouldn’t get too attached, though this had never been a problem before. It was just a heart fluttering moment that could’ve happened with any other girl, he thought.

“Well, first we have to go through a grueling audition process at their headquarters where they strip us naked and inspect our beautiful bodies,” Injecting a dramatic tone as he spoke, Yumi realised how deep his voice was and she let out a small laugh, unable to believe that her heart was racing due to such a small thing. She gripped her black clutch bag and bit her lip, trying to contain the extreme warmth in her heart from showing.

“Anyway, could I ask why this event requires us to wear all black?” After realising that she didn’t continue the conversation, Jinyoung tried a different topic. Yumi hummed in thought as she properly pieced an answer together, Jinyoung annoyed how he thought even the sound of her humming was cute.

“Well, the designer wanted to go a step further to show his love for black outfits and clothes so he created the event to be in a white and clean backdrop, the contrast of everyone in black something he’ll be using as a means to show that love.” Thinking about it, Yumi admired how the designer was so passionate in creating the event specifically for him and the people in the business who have shown love for his creations through different mediums, Yumi being from the written medium albeit still relatively new to the fashion industry.

Jinyoung glanced over at Yumi as she went silent for a moment, realising how she had a thoughtful smile on her face and without realising it, he felt himself smile at the sight. Without warning, the girl turned to look at him and they made eye contact, something similar to shock visible in her eyes yet something else he couldn’t quite understand was hidden behind them. He cleared his throat and proceeded to face forward and continue driving, the ride silent but comfortable throughout.

Unexpectedly, there weren’t many people in the area of the event. Yumi had explained to Jinyoung that since it was more of a private event, there was no need for all the glitz and glamour, though there were some paparazzi who came anyway to try and snap some pictures of various celebrities who appeared. As she explained, she felt some kind of emotion overcome her being as she wanted to tell him more, like it was magic, “I write about the fashion events I attend for the magazine I work for.”

“So you’re a big deal huh?” As they were walking towards the venue, Jinyoung silently offered his hand to Yumi, the girl slipping her hand in his outstretched one, the warm enveloping feeling as he wrapped his fingers around hers sending tingles down her spine. He then brought her hand to wrap around his arm, giving her hand a pat with his free hand as they walked together.

Enjoying the feeling of having him so close to her, Yumi couldn’t help but want to tell him more than she should’ve, “Well, not really. The magazine I work for is experimenting with the inclusion of more in-depth fashion related articles and I’m told they see potential in me so that’s why they sent my supervisor and I to this event,” Without even thinking twice she added, “It’s honestly kind of nerve wrecking since my supervisor is into the more gossip side of the the fashion and entertainment scene so I’m afraid she might get me to do things I don’t want to do if she sees me later.”

By this time, they walked to the entrance and the bouncer requested Yumi to show her invitation and as the girl let go of Jinyoung to take out the letter from her bag, he placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her slightly toward him when a group of people walked past them quickly, unaware of their surroundings while leaving the venue. Yumi turned to look at him for an explanation and she could felt herself grow red as he said in a low voice, “Sorry about that. They nearly hit you.”

Unable to respond, Yumi gave him a quick nod in reply before quickly digging her bag to find her invitation, showing it to bouncer who let them both in, the air conditioning in the venue cooling her down a little.

The music in the venue was slow but upbeat, contributing to the overall minimal vibe of the event. Jinyoung was amazed by the various styles in black around him and he would’ve been frozen in his position if Yumi didn’t gently tug on his sleeve to get him moving.

Surprisingly, Jinyoung continued their conversation, unable to think past how Yumi seemed to be taken advantage off at work, “Why don’t you just tell her you’re uncomfortable with doing that? I’m sure she would understand since she’s probably been in your position before.”

“When I confront someone it usually doesn’t end well, for them that is,” With a sheepish smile she continued, “I get a little overboard with what I say so I’d rather not do something risky like that especially if it’s related to work.

Taking it all in, Jinyoung nodded in understanding, letting out a small laugh as he said, “That’s probably the most confident you’ve sounded in yourself tonight.”

Letting out a laugh of her own, she looked him in the eyes as she said, lightheartedly, “I wish I had that confidence at work honestly.”

As Jinyoung gave her hand a pat of encouragement, Yumi realised that the both of them had naturally returned to their positions, her arm wrapped around his. Despite being embarrassed at the thought of being naturally physically close to him, a slight feeling of sadness struck her as she realised she would probably never have this with anyone else. Jinyoung was indeed hired to be her date but the fact that he helped her feel comfortable around him was too much of a bonus for Yumi to comprehend.

“So, do you see anyone you know yet?” After getting the feeling that Yumi’s mood dropped after her last statement, Jinyoung steered the conversation elsewhere as he looked around at the many people, making eye contact and smiling in greeting as they went about.

With a sigh, the girl said, “I haven’t seen anyone I know yet and I’m still kind of frightened at the sheer scale of this supposed small event so, uhm no, no one I know yet.”

“Jun…” Softly, gently, broken yet relieved. He hadn’t heard that nickname since before he yelled at his friends to stop calling him that years ago, Hyena being the creator of that nickname. She stood up from the bed, the food wrappers falling to the floor in her rush. He stared at her, the flash of pain in his eyes changing to confusion, trying to understand why she was there. As if it was a wakeup call, the school bell rang and made Junhoe blink, his eyes now devoid of emotion and he quickly turned around to leave the room. Not wanting to pass this opportunity, Hyena stepped forward and grabbed his free hand with both of hers. Junhoe turned to look at her, anger filling his eyes while sincerity was brimming in hers. They both looked down at their hands and Hyena let go upon realising the origin of the sticky feeling. She looked Junhoe up and down multiple times, the boy trying his hardest to stare her down, but to no avail.

Before Junhoe could say anything to her, Hyena dashed past him into the main room and grabbed the nearest first aid box she saw, quickly wiping away the stains on her hands with some wet tissues she spotted on the table, immediately turning back as she was done and back into the room, pulling Junhoe down next to her to sit on the bed. Despite being shocked, he pulled his hand away from her and stood up to leave, embarrassment and anger filling him up all at once. However, choosing to bear with his rage, Hyena once again grabbed onto him and pulled him down. In a shaky yet firm voice, she said her first real words to him after seven years, “At least let me do this.”

Her hands that were still slightly stained with his blood were gently pulling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbow where the cut was, something sharp that was thrown in the fight probably causing it, but he couldn’t actually remember what the cause was. He was too focused on how the colour of her hair was a little darker from how he remembered, focused on how her feet still didn’t touch the floor when she sat on the bed, focused on how she was blowing onto the cut as if it’ll get better just like that. He let out a scoff then, and a new anger started to boil inside of him at the realisation of his own fondness towards her.

Distracted by his voice, Hyena cautiously looked up, only to directly meet his gaze, his intense and unfaltering gaze. A wave of embarrassed hit her but she knew better, so she held onto his gaze and gave him a small, genuine smile before returning her gaze to his cut. Her grip on him loosened and she held his wrist lightly, both her hands shaking as she continued whatever she was doing, her demeanour and actions completely contrasting.

They sat in silence as she cleaned up his wound and put a bandage on it, the wound being a bit too large for a normal band aid. The howling wind outside accompanied the silent hum of the air conditioner, and gradually the intensity of the fresh autumn wind toned down ever so slightly, much like Junhoe’s negative emotions towards Hyena. Before cloudier thoughts could emerge in his mind, Hyena slowly looked up at him and met his gaze as she asked, “Are you okay now?”

He now felt how their palms were touching, felt how soft her skin was below his rough hand, noticing how much smaller her hand was in comparison to his. Something stirred inside of him as he felt heat rising to the back of his neck. Not wanting to back down, he held her gaze, trying to convey his dissatisfaction of having her there with him, “No I’m not but it doesn’t matter how I feel does it?” With that, something changed in Hyena’s hopeful eyes, a miniscule to others but noticeable to Junhoe kind of change, and he took her stunned reaction to good use, easily slipping away from her grip before quickly leaving the room, the curtain closing behind him fluidly, softly, with the harsh slam of the door following after.

“Hyena!!” Hyena spun around as she saw Hanbin, another familiar face. It had been about a week since Hyena had talked to Junhoe, her emotions changing from sadness, from thinking about how he’ll never forgive her, to feeling hurt, from how harsh his words were and how it didn’t have to go down like that, to understanding, eventually backing away from her initial plan of further pursuing their friendship and let him have some time to himself, the situation probably too much for him, she had though. Hyena shook her thoughts away and instead focused on how Hanbin was jogging towards her, a smile spreading on her face since she hadn’t seen many of her elementary school friends other than Miso and Jinhwan in the past few days, with Junhoe being the exception, of course. Somehow aware of her situation, he softly questioned her, “So, have you found a way to talk to Junhoe?” With a shake of her head and a dejected smile on her face, Hyena bit her lip under her smile to stop herself from feeling too emotional. 

Hanbin gave her a pat on the head as he said, “I wish we had more time to talk but I have to rush to my dance practice. Maybe we could have lunch one day with the others? Yumi has been chewing my ear off talking about when she can meet you.” Hyena laughed heartily at the mention of another one of her childhood friends and nodded in agreement before they exchanged their contact numbers. She felt a bit better after they stood there chatting for a while, glad to feel a little bit light hearted even if it’s just for a little while. They eventually said their goodbyes and Hyena watched as he left. As he was about to turn the corner, Hanbin unexpectedly stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, a grin on his face, “You know what? I think I remember seeing him going to the library. But then again, it couldn’t be him.” With a wink, Hanbin spun around and turned the corner, disappearing from her sight.

It didn’t take long for Hyena to find him. She practically memorised how the top of his head looked like after the countless times they spent in the community library for her sake when she was in her bookworm phase one summer and wanted to go to the library every day to read a book before they played. The summer where Junhoe and her were inseparable. The summer where he would fall asleep opposite her on the table, his sleeping position the same as it was now. A soft smile spread on her face, warmth spreading in her chest as she realised how much she had longed to see him like this.

Her grip on her bag strap tightened as she sat opposite him, like old times. She placed her face in the palms of her hands and gazed at him fondly. Feeling an incredible sense of courage from him being asleep and unable to hear her, she started talking to him like he was awake, “Hey Jun. It’s been a while hasn’t it? Well, this is kinda weird.” She laughed softly, careful not to cause a disruption, “I’ve been trying to bring myself to ask you… if you really hate me for leaving. You have every right to be mad at the fact that I just left and came back unexpectedly.” With a bitter smile she continued, “I guess I had no courage to tell you about what’s really going on.”

She let out a deep sigh and laid her hands on the table, staring at them, remembering simpler times where they would go to swimming parks together, holding onto each other tightly, the fear of the rides disappearing like magic as soon as they were together. As the nostalgic emotions engulfed her, she opened her mouth to say something, anything, but her voice came out barely above a whisper as she said, “I miss you so much, but I’m so scared of you. I’m scared of what will happen to you if I stay by your side this time.” Her voice cracked slightly as she continued, “I’m really afraid. I’m scared that we changed too much as people and I’m afraid of hurting you again because we might’ve changed too much. I just wish…”

Hyena caught herself before she said anything she might regret and took a deep breath, calming herself down, embarrassed at herself for getting so emotional. It was her first time being able to properly convey her feelings to him since she returned, although he wasn’t even consciously with her. She stayed there with him for a bit, feeling sleepy herself as the sun beginning to set. Battling with her fear inside, Hyena got up and went to his side, the side where his face was visible. She crouched down a little to look at him, shocked to find patches of dried blood and scratches on his face. She stood up and took a deep breath before giving him a light push, gently calling out his name to wake him up. No answer. She pushed him slightly harder and called his name a bit louder. No answer. With a sigh, she resigned from her attempt and sat on the chair next to him, gazing tenderly at his bruised sleeping face, thankful to have this rare chance and taking in every moment she had with him like this.

With intertwined hands, a small Hyena in her favourite adorable yellow sundress pulled his hand forward, her mouth forming his name, “Jun!” She called. They were already holding hands, yet she turned to look at him, expecting him to come closer, “Jun!” She called again. The wind blew at them softly, the bright blue sky above them, no clouds in sight. He felt the grass tickling his exposed legs as he ran with her and glanced down, his khaki shorts reminiscent of his younger days. As Hyena pulled him further into the meadow, he looked down at their intertwined fingers, his hands so big compared to hers. Fully immersing himself in the moment, he lifted his head only to be faced with another Hyena. The new Hyena. Her small face was framed with her beautiful long black hair, her plump cheeks a pretty shade of pink from the running and her brown eyes formed crescents as she laughed, and a brilliant laugh it was. The soft sound of wind chimes in the air and her childlike laughter brought a smile on Junhoe’s face, a genuine smile that hasn’t appeared on his face in years.

The scene changed then, the clear skies behind Hyena suddenly turning dark. They had stopped running through the meadow, the tall grass still and cold against his legs. His grip on Hyena tighten instinctively and as he was about to pull her behind him, unexpectedly, she resisted him. He met her eyes and took in a sharp breath, her once bright eyes holding no reflection of himself in their now stone-cold state. She was staring right at him but in her eyes, she was looking at nothing but the meadow behind him, like he didn’t exist. Speechless, Junhoe’s grip on Hyena loosened and she used this chance to slip her hand out of his, the girl quickly dashing through the now muddy meadow, thunder booming above them. Realising too late, Junhoe ran towards her at full speed, his hand reaching out to her. He called after her, “Hyena! Don’t go!”

As he got a grip on her, she turned to look at him, a monotonous voice leaving her lips, “I’ll leave you again anyway, so why don’t you just let me go Jun?” As soon as that was said, she sent him flying upwards with one push of her hand. The boom of the thunder rang in his ears and Junhoe looked down at the meadow, his eyes following Hyena, the girl running further into the meadow, disappearing into the horizon, like how she disappeared from his life.

With a gasp, Junhoe opened his eyes, his breathing erratic and hands sweaty. He placed his elbows on the table before him and buried his head in them, rubbing his head as a headache started to form. Out of nowhere, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped from his seat to a standing position, the scraping of the chair echoing loudly in the quiet space, his face showing a horrified expression.

Hyena quickly retracted her hand from his shoulder, her heart rate increasing as she stood up and started to speak, “A-are you okay? W-what’s wrong?” Junhoe looked up at her, a confused look on his face, his eyebrows furrowed and lips slightly parted. Afraid of what he had to say about her being there, Hyena’s hands formed fists and she dug her nails in her palm, embarrassed and apologetic as she said, “I didn’t mean to wake you up I’m so sor-“

Without thinking, Junhoe took a step forward and extended his hands around her head and back, pulling her in for hug. He shut his eyes tightly and his unsteady breathing turned heavier, causing Hyena‘s eyes to grow wide with worry. Habitually, she brought her hands up and gently stroked his back with one hand, the other gripping the fabric at his waist to steady his shaken body. With a slight emotional crack in her voice, she softly said, “It’s okay. I’m here. You’re awake now.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. Don’t leave. Please” Junhoe’s voice was low and fragile as he brought her closer, his mind picturing her empty expression, and a shiver ran down his spine. The dream felt so real to Junhoe. Her tender touch, her small body and her warm voice. Her warm and shaken voice. Her smaller than his body. Her real physical tender touch. Suddenly realising the reality of his dream, Junhoe opened his eyes, the view of the worn wooden bookshelves of the school library in front of him. He blinked a few times, trying to swallow down the information that this was real. This hug is actually a real hug from the real Go Hyena. She was still whispering to him that things were going to be ok, telling him that she was there for him, “I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

The reality of the situation brought a wave of distrust and annoyance over his heart hearing that, and he brought his hands to her shoulders, pushing her away from him, purposely being a little rough. He closed his eyes as he prepared his expression, since he didn’t want her thinking any weird thoughts about this situation. With a deep breath, Junhoe opened his eyes and looked straight into her eyes as he gruffly said, “Don’t misunderstand, I thought I was still dreaming.” Realising how it sounded like he was dreaming of her, his voice wavered ever so slightly as he added, “It was a fucked-up dream and I just needed to hold onto something and you just happened to be here, so don’t misunderstand.”