「 blue 」↳ bjh & ssh
Sixty-one days. That was how long she had gone by without the presence of her folks by her side. She called them, yes, but not on a daily basis as she had once promised due to the ridiculous amount of time she spent in uni and her shop. Business was abloom what with the latest fashion galore come mid-autumn. When she finally managed to steal a couple of minutes for herself during break, she checked her phone only to stare at the screen in absolute and utter shock at the number of missed calls displayed. Creases of worry began to form on her forehead, brows furrowed in unease. Did something happen to her parents?
Her fingers had gone cold from dread, her palms so clammy that the phone almost slipped out of her grasp. Tapping on the 'call' symbol, she then brought the phone to her ear whilst mentally preparing herself to hear the bad news. When the other line was picked up, the normally timid girl burst into tears and began firing questions in between sobs. Imagine how astonished she was to hear the tinkle of her mother's laugh coming through the ear piece. She sounded happy-- no, merry. She couldn't help but to let out a sigh of relief knowing that nothing bad had happened. With those worrisome thoughts pushed aside, her minds instantly worked on figuring out the reason of her mother's joy. Did one of her relatives stop by? But she didn't ask that, of course. She merely let her mother laugh to her heart's content; probably amused by her outburst earlier. Just the thought of it made her cheeks burn.
❝ Dear, we have Doctor Son here, ❞ her mother began after her laughter died down, although she couldn't quite keep the giggles away, "and we were just talking about you. Seho is on his way to pick you up for dinner. Don't be late! ❞
❝ But mo- ❞ The line went dead. Aside from the droning sound, she couldn't hear her mother's voice anymore. She could hardly believe that her own mother had just hung up on her. Perhaps she was busy with the guest, she reminded herself although it didn't quite comfort her as much as she wanted it to. Gathering her things, she quickly scribbled on a note and passed it to her class representative to inform their next lecturer of her absence. There wasn't any way to talk her mother out of something once she had her mind set on it. And just as expected, her ride was waiting right outside the campus gates. In a haste, she jumped in and rode all the way home in silence, just like how she always preferred it to be.
Her arrival was welcomed by a warm embrace from her mother, who squeezed the air out of her lungs in one of her bear hugs. But it wasn't until she stepped aside that Irene noticed a familiar face that belonged to one of the very few faces that once coloured her childhood days standing behind her. The corners of her lips curled to form a bright smile directed solely at her, head tilting slightly as she gazed at her fondly.
Seunghwan.
