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CHAPTER 5
“Promises remains as promises before they are discovered to be broken.”
It was the first time that Ara found herself rushing to the airport knowing DAY6 would not be there. She ran as fast as she could the moment she got off the taxi. Then, she spotted her fellow fansite masters amidst the crowd. She caught up with them and they rushed hurriedly towards the departure gate together. People stared and nodded away, deducing the group was about to miss their flight. The girls couldn’t be bothered about what the bystander thought of them anyways.
“Hanna,” Ara shouted.
She spun around in surprise upon seeing her friends lined up before her panting heavily.
“Why are all of you here?” She gasped.
“You idiot” ShinYe scolded as she ran up and hugged her.
Hanna hugged the crying petite girl back with tears falling uncontrollably. The rest gathered around them and joined in for a group hug. Hanna found herself crying harder at the unexpected farewell by her friends. She had wanted to disappear quietly. She hated farewells because she knew this would happen. It only made the "goodbye" harder.
“How could you only tell Haru you were leaving. . . “ShinYe mumbled between tears.
“I am sorry”
“Are you sure about this? You don’t have to-“
“I’ve always wanted to go to the States to further my studies, the incident only brought forward my decision. I am really fine, you don’t have to worry too much” She assured.
“I will miss you” Ara confessed.
“Me too” Hanna chuckled, wiping a strand of tear from her cheek.
“It’s time for me to board the plane” Hanna checked the time and said, putting on her brightest smile.
“We will meet again, right?” Ara tugged at her sleeve sadly.
“Yes, definitely” She responded, “DAY6 will have their tour 3 months from now remember” she added.
Smiles lit up their faces at her response and they waved back at the leaving girl.
“Take care of yourself”
“See you soon”
With that, Hanna entered the departure gates without turning back.
They knew she probably didn’t want them to see her crying.
Ara felt tears brimming in her eyes when she saw Sungjin enter the departure gates. He was wearing the gift Hanna gave him. It didn’t take her long to recognize it. Sungjin scanned the crowd and returned his gaze to the front. Ara felt her heart being squeezed as she looked at Sungjin wearing the jacket. She remembered the day when Hanna was brimming with excitement while holding onto the gift bag, waiting for Sungjin to appear. If she were here, she knew she would be jumping around in joy and blabber incoherent words. She always has a 4D side.
Ara stopped walking when she noticed Sungjin halted. He turned to his side and looked to Ara. He noticed she was still filming him and he smiled. Pointing at the jacket, he stared into her DSLR lens and whispered a soft ‘Thank you’. After which, he continued walking, leaving a dazed Ara behind. It happened so quickly that Ara thought she was imagining things. Ara felt a warm feeling in her chest at his actions.
“Sungjin knew,” Ara thought to herself.
Ara sent the video to Hanna the night and she knew she would probably be bawling her eyes out at the video. The girl must be overjoyed knowing Sungjin wore her gift and noticed her absence. Within the next hour, she received a reply from Hanna. Excitedly, she opened the chat.
To: Ara
He is making me miss him. Thank you, Ara.
Ara had expected a reply filled with caps and incomprehensible typos but she didn’t have one. She was disappointed.
To: Nicole
You’re welcome! I missed you ): How was school?
Her reply came a week later, “it’s stressful but fun” Ara wondered if Hanna had found new friends, new besties, and a new life which didn’t consist of them. People always talked about how distance changes a relationship. Ara never really believed those words in the past.
On a free day, Ara found herself sitting at the corner seat of Sungjin’s recommended café, reading her favorite book, and enjoying a cup of a caramel latte. She valued alone time, especially when she had things on her mind. Ara understood why Sungjin liked this café in particular. The café had a relaxing ambiance and it was always quiet. Ara closed the book, slipping in a bookmark between stopped pages. Her eyes were getting tired from hours of reading. Stepping out from the fantasy world in the book, she finally realized it was getting late. Somehow, the café reminded Ara of the café where Jae was sitting in one of their MV. Gathering her things, she stood up. Then, she thought she saw someone familiar. Despite his black cap, shades, and masks, it didn’t take long for her to realize who it was. Ara sat back in her seat and took her phone out.
“Just a few shots,” She thought to herself.
She has always been amazed at how Sungjin appeared so perfectly in her pictures. He was so beautiful, like a walking piece of art. In any scenario or location, he appears to be in a photoshoot in those pictures. Ara watched how Sungjin stopped stirring the tea before him and shifted his body closer to sniff its scent. Reclining back into the sofa seat, he smiled with his eyes closed. The exact actions he did were like a replica of her dream scene. Ara gasped in response, wondering if he would not notice her and mouth, “Why are you here?”
Ara felt her heart race quicker at the thought of it.
“Sungjin oppa!” She squealed, taking the seat beside him.
“Did you miss me?” the girl asked, lying on his shoulder.
Ara watched Sungjin ruffled her long, wavy hair, and tears welled up in her eyes.
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