#readerxsan

8 years ago - 17 years old 

A quiet voice broke the silence of the night, "Eunbyeol." San whispered as he softly shook the girl’s shoulder. This tactic work as the young girl’s eyes opened immediately and her head rose from the table that she had been laying down on.  

"Mhhmm?" she mumbled, looking around and upon seeing San's face realized that she was still in the bakery. 

"I'm finished." San smiled, his eyes sparkling that moment too and Eunbyeol couldn’t help but flushed at the sight of it. He pulled her up from the chair, his hand lingering around hers a little until he was sure that she stood steadily on her feet. "I'm finished with the cake. Sorry, it took so long." 

The clock above the shelf on the wall told her that it was already past midnight. The summer night behind the small, cracked windows seemed darker when she thought about her father wondering where she was and why she wasn't home yet. He was more or likely freaking out; however, at the same time assuming she was with San-which she was. 

It never was really that hard to get her parents to like San. Them meeting him when he was ten to now as a teenager helped a lot, too as they saw San as just another one of their child. It was a mutual feeling with his parents to Eunbyeol herslef. 

She followed behind the much taller San now. She remembered when he was almost one of the shortest one out of his friends. Now, it just seemed as if he would never stop growing. She looked at where his hand was gesturing and saw the wide stainless steel table in the middle of the kitchen. 

Eunbyeol then witnessed the messy kitchen; there were bowls and knives spread all over the counter, and the table dotted with different substances. However, right in the middle of the silver and powdered table stood the beautiful round cake San had been working on for the past hours. She then thought about how something so perfect appeared so oddly placed in the middle of the chaos. 

Eunbyeol could see the pride in San’s eyes as he ushered her eagerly towards the table. He held her hand again, pulling her once more towards what she thought was his most prized possession that moment.  

She stared up at him and witnessed how he was still wearing the two white bunny pins in his hair that he used to keep his bangs from blocking his view; one on each side. She had given them to him when they were ten when she noticed that his fringes were bothering him while he baked with his dad. She couldn’t believe he still had them even after seven years later. The gesture alone made her heart swell. 

Eunbyeol inspected the cake in greater detail. It was a simple one-layer Decadent Fudge Cake which she assumed featured a rich, dark chocolate overlay that was frosted with velvety chocolate ganache. She saw that he also added strawberry toppings as well which may have seemed off; but for some reason didn’t. San had once said to her that everything was allowed when baking, as long as people enjoyed it. The phrase quickly became his one and only rule.  

Sometimes he would take his father's recipes and create something completely different out of it. Often it wasn't even the taste but just the visual. He would put sprinkles somewhere they shouldn't be or put an extra layer on top just to make the cake bigger or put color on anything that was white. His cakes were fun because he had fun making them and that was evident by the end result. Yet, no matter how wild and carefree he was or in what disastrous state the kitchen was afterward, whatever creation he had composed seemed perfect. At least in her eyes. 

"So what do you think?" The sunshine boy inquired, eager to hear what his best friend had to say about his cake.  

"It looks fantastic." Eunbyeol responded, straightening herself before looking at him. 

"Really?" He skeptically examined the cake again. The thing was that no matter how excellent Eunbyeol thought San’s cakes were, he was always unsure whether to believe her completely or not. He once stated that she was just being biased and too kind to say something critical because they were friends. To his parents, he said that they naturally always thought whatever he made was great as they were his parents, and it was their job to always be on his side. 

"It is." Eunbyeol's finger stroked the sketches he had made while planning the cake. His notebook was full of experiments, results of several tastings scribbled on the sides, drawings and words sometimes erased by colorful splatters. His sketches usually looked very different from the outcome because he didn't have to mind physics when he drew whatever his head had bred. But this time the cake and the sketch looked exactly the same. Everything down to the random strawberry on the top had been planned in detail. "It will sell out in no time." She smiled. 

San mumbled, "Well, I'm not so sure about that." It was the first time a cake he had made completely by himself, without any help from his parents, would be sold in the bakery. He wasn’t sure if anyone would find it appetizing enough to even look at and be interested. 

"I'm definite. It's wonderful, you did a great job, Choi San." Eunbyeol patted his arm encouragingly and smiled despite her sleepiness. 

San chuckled and looked down at the stains covering his apron and white shirt, he had made much more of a mess than he had anticipated, especially since he had sworn his parents to work cleaner this time. "Better than my dad?" he joked, but Eunbyeol took it as a genuine question when she turned away to think. 

"Yes." She nodded, very sure of her answer. San took a step back and stared at her, waiting for her expression to change and show that she had been kidding; however, her expression never changed. They stared at each other for a long time before Eunbyeol finally looked away, breaking the tensions that were building up between them. I cleared her throat, suddenly feeling somewhat shy.

"But don't tell your father, I don't want him to get sad," she said afterwards. San laughed and removed the clips from his hair, putting them in a dish by the door. 

"Got it," he answered, still snickering when he collected the dirty bowls and utensils he had used. Eunbyeol was satisfied with herself seeing him laugh and she took a moment to appreciate the sight of him happily traveling around the kitchen before she moved in to help him clean also. 

The air tasted crisp when the two stepped out of the bakery and into the warm summer night. Soundlessly, they turned towards the direction of the nearest bus stop. It was almost dawn now, with barely anyone out on the streets. Eunbyeol almost couldn’t believe how long they stayed at the bakery; but pushed it to the side as this was not the first time they’ve done this.  

Outside felt like one of those early mornings where you got the odd sensation that you were the only person in the world. Where you could scream and shout and no one would hear you because everything and everyone laid in shadows. 

San took a deep breath because it smelt like it was going to rain soon. He snuck a glance at his longtime friend, who was fighting hard to stay awake now. Her shoulders were slouched, and her body seesawed like she could fall over if she just took one more step. His hand twitched as if fighting itself from reaching over to hold her, to give her enough strength to take the next step, but he kept his arms to his sides. 

"How easier would it be if I were still living in this area." Her voice was soft as if she had accidentally spoken her thoughts out loud, but the night was in standing still, and there was not a single sound in concurrence with her words. She was looking at the house where she once lived, and San followed the direction of her gaze.  

They had cut down the cherry tree next to the wooden bench where he used to always wait for her whenever they met outside to play. It used to shed its petals over the whole street when spring came. He remembered how their younger selves used to loved standing under the tree just waiting to catch the next pink petal.  

Everything had been covered in fallen flowers and every adult had complained. 

Eunbyeol never complained though; instead, she had relished standing under the tree right when the blossom started falling to the ground. She remember how aggravated her father would be when the petals that got gotten caught in her hair would fall and scattered around their whole house. For her, the pink tree had been the one thing that made the plain, white house unique, the windows of which were pitch black holes now when they looked up at it. 

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14 Years Ago – 11 Years Old 

By the time they were 11 years old, San and Eunbyeol had fallen into a routine. They had rituals to which they would follow religiously. The promise was that when they went to school, Eunbyeol would meet San by his family’s bakery because he would already be there as his parent had to set up the shop. She would wave from outside the window shop and San would wave back before joining her outside. His parents would smile at the two and watched as they slowly made their way down the street to school. 

One day San had voiced that it was unfair how Eunbyeol was always the one who had to come and meet him. Even though Eunbyeol didn't mind being the one to pick up San, they came to an agreement that he would pick her up from her house whenever it rained, and she would pick him up when it didn't.  

The other promise was when school ended for the day, they would always wait for one another at the gate entrance. And when walking home they would take detours to their local store to buy a snack, sometimes to play at their neighborhood park, and sometimes just to delay their arrival time. 

But one afternoon San didn’t come when she waited outside the school gate. Dragging her foot over the gravel, she would look up whenever someone walked pass her thinking it was San, only to be disappointed to see someone else. Several times had she thought about leaving her spot but always stopped herself from doing so in fear that he would show up while she was gone. 

It was only when she saw one of San’s classmates Kang Yeosang walking down the path towards her did she raise her head expectantly. He was one of San’s friend at school and they were close, too.  

"Yeosang, do you know where San is?" Eunbyeol bravely asked. She had a history of being shy around boys as she did not really have the mind capacity of a tomboy. Eunbyeol was rather girly and timid, and although she tried to be tough sometimes, her shy personality would always betray her. San was the only boy she could talk comfortably with. He just had that aura to him.  

The boy seemed surprised to be called out by her, as she rarely spoke when San wasn't around. He turned away from the friend that was walking next to him and examined Eunbyeol with his small eyes. 

"San left already." Yeosang responded, scratching his head. His movements and manner of speaking always appeared so mature that she often thought she was standing in front of a grown-up when she interacted with him. "It's been quite some time since he did so," he added and watched Eunbyeol's face drop. 

"Oh." She couldn't think of an explanation as to why San would leave without her, so she spun on her heel and ran in the direction of her house, leaving a startled Yeosang behind. She paused at the crosswalk by her street to gasp for air but then continued running after just two breaths. In a rush, she passed the tree by the entrance of her house and hurried to the bakery where even from afar she should see customers walking in and out from. 

Heavy breaths escaped her mouth when she stood in front of the shop to look inside the window. She felt something tightening from inside her chest when she saw San sitting at their usual spot, in the corner, working on his homework. He was sipping on a glass of orange juice and looked so carefree. 

Slowly, Eunbyeol walked up the steps into the shop, her hands tightly gripping the straps of her backpack. For once she didn't care about the sweet scent that enveloped her inside or the decorations for the beginning of spring hanging from the ceiling. She just wanted to be where San was at only. Only wanted to know why he never showed up at the gate after school.  

"Why did you leave without me?" She had intended for her voice to be sharp, pierce through him with the excruciating disappointment she had felt every minute she didn’t see him come out to the gate, but sadness had overpowered her tone in the end. 

San looked at her for a while. "I totally forgot." He jumped down from the chair but still held on to his pencil. "I'm sorry." 

Eunbyeol furrowed her brows because she understood that he wouldn't elaborate any further. That was who he was. San was someone who spoke a lot; however, he could also be quiet when he wanted to. She also knew that he was never one to over explained something if he didn't think it was necessary. He said nothing more of course, even after she quietly waited for him to do so.

San looked away to someplace behind her instead. 

Eunbyeo's throat hurt and her eyes began to sting. She was probably going to cry when she really didn't want to, especially not in front of San. She wanted to make herself be angry, but she was feeling sad instead. It was at that time then, when she realized what that other feeling was: betrayal.  

When Eunbyeol turned around to leave, she did it wordlessly. Only when she knew San wouldn't see her, she let out the tears that were fighting to fall from her eyes. 

It didn't rain the next day, but Eunbyeol wouldn't go to meet San at the bakery like she was supposed to. 

"Did you have a fight with Eunbyeol?" San’s mom asked. She had never witnessed San and Eunbyeol in an argument; but she did witness their little stare down yesterday and how the young girl walked away with teary eyes. It also didn’t help that today she did not show up to the shop like she usually did. 

San neither denied nor confirmed her assumption. He just blankly stared outside; his forehead leaned against the glass, still somehow hoping that Eunbyeol would appear on the other side at any moment. He shouldered his bag with a sigh, accepted a pat on his head from his mother and a "Chin up, son" from his father behind the counter, and left the bakery. 

The weather had gotten warmer with the new school year and for the first time since forever there was not a single cloud in the blue and endless sky. San’s feet shuffled soundly over the pavement but stopped when he saw Eunbyeol sitting on the bench outside her house. His pace quickened without his notice as he watched her wearily playing with the petals that had fallen from the cherry tree. In fear that she might disappear if he just looked away for one second, he never took his eyes from her slumped figure. 

Eunbyeol didn't look up from her fingers when San came to a halt next to her. For a moment he stood there, not knowing what to say or do. Then, after talking himself out of it, he walked to the other side of the bench and sat down next to his best friend. He knew that she was aware of his presence, but deliberately not speaking anything to register it. But he couldn't stop himself from breaking the silence. 

"It didn’t rain today."  

"I know." Eunbyeol’s head was still facing down. One after another, she let the bloom fall from her hand, the pink petals joining the pool on the ground. "I'm sorry for getting sad." Her eyes were still fixed on the ground. 

"No, I'm sorry for forgetting." He looked at her when she was still busy with watching the asphalt. 

"I think I just got sad because we won’t be able to walk to school together anymore," she said. 

"What do you mean?" 

"We're moving somewhere else." Eunbyeol announced. She had known for a while now; however, she didn’t have the courage to tell the boy. It was odd how she felt so close to the boy even though they’ve only known each other for a year. It was even more odd how she knew that he was going to be the person that she missed most. It hurt her little heart just thinking about not being able to see his sunshine face anymore.

San’s heart sank, panic to rose in his chest, and his heart began pounding loudly. 

"Where are you going? Very far?" His throat felt dry. 

Eunbyeol shook her head. "No, but to the other side of the town." Finally, she looked up at him and he couldn't remember ever seeing so much hurt in her eyes. 

Anywhere but this street felt far away for her. She wouldn't be able to walk down to the bakery anymore or help Mrs. Choi decorate the shop when the seasons changed or watch Mr. Choi every so often teach San a thing or two about baking even though the boy would just forget it moments later.  

She wouldn't be able to say hello to the old lady from the bookstore anymore, the one who always had the nicest smile reserved for her. She was going to miss the uncle from across the street, the one who owned the flower shop who sometimes gave lollipops to her when she passed by. 

She would miss all of it, even just sitting under the tree and watching the passerby, trying to figure out who had been here once before and who hadn't. 

"When are you going?" 

"Saturday."

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8 years ago - 17 years old 

There was no one except them on the midnight bus. The driver greeted the pair with a suspicious raise of eyebrow, but the Eunbyeol and San were too tired to comment on it. The air conditioner wasn't running so the air in the bus was hot and stifling. When they sat down far in the back, Eunbyeol slid one of the windows open and took a deep breath of the morning air. San always let her sit by the window. 

San could feel his shirt sticking to the sweat on his back and Eunbyeol's arm felt cold when it touched his as they swayed along with the bus. He noticed how her eyes were only halfway open, trying hard not to close all the way. It wasn't until they made their first turn when her head started bobbing up and down because she was occasionally losing consciousness. 

Sometimes she would lean her head on his shoulder, but lift it back up again quickly as if to hide how tired she was. There was a moment when she rose her head away from him again because he was shaking so much from trying to suppress in his laughter. He chuckled when she suddenly opened her eyes and turned to face him guiltily. "I didn't fall asleep."  

"Of course not," he answered, smiling now. 

Her eyes were teary when she looked at him as she had to concentrate hard to hear what he said. "I told you; you didn't have to wait up for me. Your dad is going to kill me as it is." He didn't even want to think about how late it would be when they reached her home. 

"Don't worry about my dad.” Eunbyeol assured. “Also, this was much more important." She shifted in her seat because she couldn't find a comfortable position to sit in, she would much rather lie down. "I wanted to be the first one to congratulate you when you were finished." She had said that several times the evening before, and San liked hearing her say it. 

"Oh, I forgot." Eunbyeol moved her hands to each side of her face, covering her lips and looked at San again. Her body was shaking from the movements of the bus, and her knee was touching his because she had closed in. San couldn’t help noticing how rosy her cheeks were, which he believed was caused by the heat of the air. She blinked several times, her expression still drowsy and her eyes still wet, but then her lips formed into a smile and her eyes sparkled with the color of the streetlights. "Congratulations." 

There were times when San thought that he had reached his capacity, that he was at the limit of how much he could feel for the girl, because he had gathered that much over the years. He felt that he would spill over if he felt more; that he could burst at any moment. But then she beamed at him despite her sleepiness, and it just completely melted his heart. 

He was falling more and more for his best friend.

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Hiya there, I hope you are enjoying this story so far! Leave a comment down below to let me know what you think San and Eunbyeol are going to do to keep their friendship going!