kws - heart of gold
kim woosung [f. + slight a. requested, 973 words] heart of gold
the sound of the waves crashing always excited you. the feeling of the course sand under your feet. the honey-colored rays of sun hitting your skin. the beach was one of your favorite places to be. you made it your goal to visit as often as possible, but with life constantly getting in the way, you were down to only being able to go for a week every summer. it was your favorite time of year, thinking what better way to spend it than with your best friend? standing on the deck of your family’s beach house, you look across the vast ocean, staring out at the endless horizon.
“i could never get tired of this view.”
“you say that everytime we’re here.”
you turn around to see said best friend leaning against the doorframe. “well, what do you expect, sammy? i mean, just look at it. it’s perfect.”
“are you ready? the sun is about to set, so we gotta hurry if we want to make it on time.”
“i was born ready.”
he walks up to you, holding out his hand. you glady grab onto him, intertwining your fingers with his, as you make your way down the steps. walking hand-in-hand down the path, a certain contentment when you swing your arms lightly, back and forth. the moment you reach the sand, a wave of relief makes its way through your body. that feeling of every single care in the world, all your problems, all your worries just fade. your gaze lingers on the water. you glance to your side to look back at woosung. he senses your stare, turning his head to make eye contact with you. a small smile is shared. a comfortable silence resides as the two of you reach the trail leading to the cliffs. it was tradition to jump off the highest point whenever you were there.
the quiet being broken by sammy asking “who’s going first?”
“both of us.”
“umm… sweetie… we both can’t go first.”
you roll your eyes, “i realize that. i meant, we go together.”
he laughs at your remark. “fine. let’s do it.”
you take one last look at him. you see his soft hair getting ruffled by the breeze, his broad frame, the sharp edges of his jaw and nose. a true sculpture. the golden light surrounding him, displaying him with an ethereal aura.
with total disregard for your clothes, you run to the edge. staying in the air for several seconds, the world stills. you don’t realize you hit the water till you’re coming back up for air. your immediate response is looking for woosung. you circle around trying to find him, your eyes not seeing any sign of him. you call out his name. you feel arms wrap around your waist, turning you around.
“don’t scare me like that, idiot.” you wrap one arm around his neck, as the other slaps his chest. he only chuckles, prompting you to laugh back. you stay in the water, the glow of the setting sun reflecting on the waves. you both continue to leisurely swim, no rush.
by the time you’re heading back to the house, the sun has been replaced with the moon, sitting highly amongst the stars. you make your way into the residence, water dripping onto the floor. you both decide to get cleaned up and order some food.
an hour or two go by and you are sitting on the floor in the living room, going through old photo albums. “aww… you looked so cute…” sammy cooed.
“shut up, i looked so gross in middle school.”
“oh please… you were so cute.”
you don’t try to argue with him anymore. you open up another album, finding photos from high school. “aww… look: it’s us on our first day of freshman year, and when we went to homecoming. ooh… look at you, football player…” you say in a teasing tone.
“stop… that’s so embarrassing,” he says, cringing at the memories.
“what are you talking about? you were hot as a football player…”
“oh?” he says with anticipation.
you freeze. “you didn’t hear that.”
“it’s fine. i mean, to be honest, you weren’t so bad yourself.”
“oh, please. you know for a fact everyone had a crush on you: the soft and gentle, guitar-playing football star with a heart of gold. i’m surprised you even stayed friends with me.”
he just stares at you silently, a look of confusion adorning his face. he sits there, trying to understand what you just said.
“you’re not serious, right? why would i stop being friends with you? you’re my best friend. you always have been and you always will be. i love you, you know that.”
“and i love you too. i just find it hard to believe that you chose to be friends with me when you had the whole school wrapped around your finger. you were the “teenage heartthrob” of the school. everyone was in love you.”
“including you?”
it was your turn to be speechless. your gaze left him, scared of what his reaction could possibly be. you hands making themselves busy, fiddling with your fingers and the hem of your shirt—which was really just his that you were borrowing. “i don’t know what you’re talking about. i love you, i do. i just… why me?”
“say that again and i’m pinning you to that wall.”
you look back up to see that he’s already sitting next to you. your shoulders were already connected when you made eye contact. you didn’t have enough time to register what was happening until you felt him kiss you.
“i love you. i mean it, more than you know.”
you gulp at the words coming out of his mouth, the words you’ve been dying to hear as more than just friends for years.
originally written: 19 november 2020