Summary: Seulgi just cameback from a 4 and a half years exchange program in Japan when she meets a woman that makes her remember the past.
Pairing: Kang Seulgi x Bae Joohyun (Irene)
Notes: I made some references to some facts about Red Velvet and the girls. I can give an special reward to the first one to guess all of them... Also, Iām not a native English speaker so probably there are some mistakes below.
Listen to I Have the Moon - Lush while reading.
Everything in life happens for a reason, even if it is completely silly and stupid. It must be why Iām at 3 a.m in an almost empty train carrying two huge bags and a backpack.Ā
I just landed on Incheon International Airport after my four and a half years exchange program in Japan. My exchange was an amazing experience but my comeback to home wasnāt one of the best. I intended to go back to my parentsā house but I was basically kicked out with the excuse of āif you lived for almost 5 years alone in a foreign place, you can live alone in your home countryā so Iām going at night to my new apartment.Ā
Iām taking the AREX Line (light blue), line that connects the airport to downtown Seoul where Iāll live. Probably Iāll have to stay the rest of the night outside of the apartment, I donāt want to wake up my roommate. I should have taken the flight beforeā¦
The train stops at one of the stations and the only people that joined me on the car, a young couple, leave the wagon, but, another person enters, a woman that sits by my side. She has a dyed hair in a caramel color and is wearing a leather jacket, black jeans, boots and sunglasses. Under the jacket, I can see a t-shirt that seems to have a bandās album cover, Lush. I search about it on my phone and I find out that the album is called āTopolinoā and was released in 1996.
My clothes and Seoulās temperature contrast a lot with her clothes. My flowery sundress and my yellow sandals indicate that it is summer in South Korea and the city is hot even with the night breeze that refreshes us.Ā
āAre you coming back from a trip?ā She refers to me and I nod, looking at her.
The woman by my side has an astonishing beauty. I mean, what can I say, to me, all women are beautiful but she has something special. I must be having a āgay panicā.Ā
Looking at her, I see that she has a Moon tattoo on her right wrist which is the part of her body that is shocking with my body, more specifically, with my left wrist, part where I have a Sun tattoo. While I look at our wrists, I feel her eyes looking at me.Ā
āYou donāt remember me, Seulgi?ā I get scared hearing my name coming out of the womanās mouth.Ā
I was at Lotte World, one of my favorite places in Seoul, in a way of saying goodbye before leaving the country to my exchange in Japan. My favorite attraction in the park was the Ferris Wheel, up in there, I could see all the people. Families, couples, people alone, groups of friends...Ā Ā
I was alone in the line but I hated going alone. The view from the top was amazing but I still had some fear of something happening like me falling from it.Ā
āLady, would you mind joining another person?ā A female voice woke me up. The parkās employee pointed to one of the cars that was occupied by a girl my age.
āNo problem.ā I said entering the attraction. The girl inside the car was looking at the window, the same thing I used to do, observing Lotte World entirely.
āHi!ā I said sitting at the opposite side of the padded seat, caughting the girlās attention that looked at me on the moment she heard my voice.
āHello. Iām sorry for making you join me. I donāt like staying here by myself.āĀ
āItās ok, I donāt mind because I feel the same. My name is Seulgi, nice to meet you.ā
āYou can call me Irene.ā Her name sounded foreign, it was weird.
Irene and I started to talk about each other in the Ferris Wheel. We got so caught up in our conversation that we didnāt even payed attention to the technical problem the attraction had for about 20 minutes. We would talk about all kinds of things, we even talked about superpowers that we would like to have. I discovered that Irene loves fire and would like to be able to control it. I revealed I would love to fly.
While our conversation was flowing, I realized that we had tattoos that matched, mine, a Sun, and hers, a Moon. Both tattoos were on our wrists, mine on the left, and hers, on the right.Ā
āOur tattoos complete each other. Can I take a photo?ā I agreed and she took out of her backpack a black Instax. After the photo, Irene took out a marker and wrote on the Polaroid, āLotte World, 08/01/14, J&Sā. I understood that she wrote the place, the date and something else.
On the beginning, we were on opposite sides of the padded seat but, as time passed, our bodies got closer like two magnets, a negative pole and a positive pole, being attracted by magnetism. I felt our arms shocking and shivers on my body.Ā
Before I could understand our actions, we were already face to face and I could feel Ireneās breath. It seemed right that we would kiss, but, before we could glue our lips, we heard the carās door opening.Ā
āThe attraction is over. We are sorry for the inconvenience and for the 20 minutes that the cars stopped. We hope the trip was enjoyable.āĀ The employee stopped us before our kiss. I got so disoriented with everything that happened that I just left the car, walking slightly side to side.
I spent around 40 minutes in a Ferris Wheel with a person I had just met, we talked for a while and almost kissed. I donāt know what happened to me on that day, the only thing I know is the fact that I left the car with no information about Irene excluding her nickname and the Moon tattoo on her right wrist.Ā
The backpack, the tattoo, the fact that she knows my nameā¦ Many things connect. Would the woman by my side be the one I met 5 years ago on Lotte Park? Itās impossible! What is the possibility of destiny being that good with me and making me encounter her again?Ā
āYou donāt remember me, Seulgi?ā She repeats the question.Ā
āIrene?ā I question and feel my mouth drying.Ā
āSo you do remember.ā She says. āThat was a very special day to me, you know? I thought Iād never see you again.āĀ
āI also thought it would never happen. It must be destiny.ā I complement.
Like on the day we met, I feel our bodies getting closer with the necessity of touching. There is a flame in our bodies that claims for each other inexplicably. Itās really destiny.
āI think things havenāt changed much ever since we met.ā She affirms and I look at my own feet. Her presence makes me nervous, nervous in a good way.
āOn that day I told you I always wanted to fly. I think I learned to fly on my own way. Thatās why I went on an exchange program.ā I add.
āYou probably remember I said I loved fire and that hasnāt changed.ā She says and takes out of her backpack a lighter. Irene starts to play with the object on her hands. I nod showing that I do remember perfectly the conversation we had on Lotte Park.
I am afraid of losing Irene again. I am afraid of everything ending again after this conversation. I was lucky last time but am I lucky enough to meet her again? Irene stops my daydreaming.
āSo, youāre going to live with your parents orā¦?ā She questions and looks directly into my eyes.
āNo, I found a roommate in Hongdae and I going there.āĀ
āI live in Hongdae.ā She answers quite harshly.Ā
āDo you, by chance, knows someone called Bae Joohyun?ā I ask and my voice trembles a little. She ignores my question and searches something inside her backpack.Ā
āDo you remember this photo?ā She asks while showing me the Polaroid we took on the day we met. I nod. āDonāt you realize?ā
I look to what Irene wrote on the photo that day, āLotte World, 01/08/14, J&Sā. I finally understand what she meant with all of that. Finally everything makes sense.
āYou are Bae Joohyun.ā
āNice to meet you, Kang Seulgi, Iām your new roommate.ā
I posted this story on other platforms!
On Spirit (in Portuguese): here!
