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Yoohyeon was sitting at the desk, nervously waving her leg, waiting for the exam result, which had a big impact on her further actions. It was extremely stressful for her, but she waited patiently, staring at the view outside the window.
"Kim Yoohyeon" this words caught her attention immediately
She turned her head towards the professor, but from his expression she could expect the worst.
"Unfortunately, not passed” the man said placing the exam on the girl's desk
At that moment, Yoohyeon felt something inside her crack. She was ready for this exam, she studied, often spending all night, and yet it turned out to be insufficient. Devastated, she put her head on the desk without even looking at the exam. She didn't have the strength, she didn't want to look at it. From the moment the results were announced, language classes had been going incredibly slow for her, all she thought about now was to go home and hide in her room. After leaving the building, she immediately thought about getting to the bus stop quickly, even though she knew she would have to wait.
"Yooh!" a familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts
A girl was standing at the gate. Dark short hair, wearing a yellow hoodie. The sight of her made a gentle smile appear on Yoohyeon face
"Binnie? What are you doing here?" Yoohyeon said coming closer
"What do you think? I've come for you” girl answered
Lee Yubin, the person who is always there for Yoohyeon and who knows her best. She honestly doesn't even remember exactly how she met her, but now she couldn't imagine a day without her. Even though she was a rather calm and withdrawn person, Yoohyeon felt that they somehow complemented each other. Sometimes it felt as though Yubin knew all too well when to show up to spend time with her.
"How's the exam?" the short-haired girl asked
"Well...I didn't pass it, but it happens” she said, sending her a gentle, forced smile
„I’m sorry to hear that...”
"Oh, don’t be. I still have a second term, right? Yoohyeon laughed
However, the indifference with which she spoke, tore her from the inside. She didn't want to imply to Yubin that she was broken, she didn't want her to worry about it.
"How about we get bubble tea before we get home?" Yubin asked
"Sure!" Yoohyeon sent her a bright smile.
She spent some time with Yubin. When she was in her company she felt all her worries somehow disappear for a moment and she was able to enjoy the fact that she could spend time with her without over-thinking. Yubin was often busy with high school and music school, but somehow she always found time to come and check on Yoohyeon. The time of parting with Yubin was always hard for Yoohyeon, when the girl hugged her, she didn't want to let her go, because only in her embrace she felt safe. She knew that when she got home, talking to her mother would be inevitable.
“I'm back!" she announced at the entrance
She took off her shoes and wanted to run to her room, she wanted to somehow avoid talking.
"Where are you running? As far as I know today were the exam results, and I want to know how it was?" she heard a voice that stopped her right away
"I didn't pass” she replied quietly
"You didn't pass it? This is how you study. Why do you even go to this language school?" woman said, crossing her arms
However, Yoohyeon was silent, standing with her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Failed to pass such an important exam…I can't believe”
"I still have second term..." Yoohyeon said quietly
"And why couldn't you pass it on the first term? Eh…go to your room now” woman said as she walked away
When she entered her room, she collapsed helplessly on the bed. Her mother was never able to support her somehow, which only made her feel worse. She hid her face in the pillow, she felt she might cry at any moment. It was up to this exam whether she would get a certificate and whether she would be able to go to study in London, which she had dreamed about for so long. Now, knowing she hadn't passed it, she felt resigned and reluctant to take any action. From her thoughts, however, she was awakened by a soft notification sound. She take the phone, bringing the screen closer to her face, and smiled softly
Yubin
You okay?
Yoohyeon
Yeah, I came home, my mom didn't take my exam result too well
Yubin
I thought so, but hey are you gonna care about her? Do your Yooh!
Yoohyeon
I know, and that's what I'm going to do
Although now she didn't know if she would continue to try. Failed exam affected her psyche quite strongly.
Yubin
And the exam results from high school?
Yoohyeon
This week, my last hope
Yubin
So…we will see
She sighed heavily as she put the phone down and put her head back into the pillow. She felt hopeless. Finally, the day of the announcement of the results of the high school exam came slowly. Another important test for her, she hoped to pass at least that.
"Kim Yoohyeon, so close, but unfortunately, not passed” the teacher said, placing a piece of paper on the girl's desk “remember, however, that you have second term”
However, at this point, Yoohyeon felt complete resignation, she gave up. She knew that when she came home, she would again receive a lecture from her mother about what she was doing with her life. The two most important exams she failed, she saw no further point in trying anything. After class, she left the school building, but today Yubin didn't wait for her but sincerely she needed her today. She came home still not ready to talk to her mother.
"And how?" she heard when she went inside
"I didn't pass"
The woman just laughed quietly
"Actually, what I expected...in your place, I would think about resign from language school. I don't want to hear that you failed the class because of it" woman said, leaving the room
Yoohyeon hid in her room. She was devastated, despite the fact that she knew that she had a second term on both exams, she stopped thinking about trying it again. She didn't feel it the way she did before, didn't feel the need to try. She was lying emotionless staring at the wall of the room when her phone suddenly rang
"Yeah?" she said when she answered the call
"Wanna hang out?" she heard on the other side
She sighed softly, expecting the Siyeon to call out of nowhere, without warning, as always, and encourage her to leave the house. All in all, it was the end of the week and she could go out and relax a bit, but not today, today she wasn't in the mood for the loud combination of Siyeon and Bora.
"Nah, not today Siyeon sorry"
"Oh, come on, it's friday!"
"Really Siyeon, not today"
"Something happened?" Siyeon asked slightly worried
"No, I'm just not in the mood"
"Alright, take care dumbass"
When Siyeon hang up Yoohyeon went back to doing nothing. She was drifting away, wondering about the meaning of the things she was doing, why she had failed herself, but the phone rang again. She reluctantly pick it up, thinking that Siyeon wouldn't let go of her if they didn't go out together, but now she saw another number on the screen.
"How you doing Yooh?" she heard a calm voice on the other side
"Fine, pretty fine and how are you?" she lied
"Good, wanna hang out?"
"Ah, I already told Siyeon that I'm not going anywhere"
"Who said I'm with Siyeon” Yubin laughed
"I thought-"
"Yeah I know, now come out, I'm waiting on the bus stop" Yubin said, hanging up
Yoohyeon left the house without a word, she wanted this meeting, she needed it. She was slowly approaching the bus stop and from a distance she could see the silhouette of the girl sitting on the bench. She smiled to herself as she saw Yubin stand up and spread her arms letting her hug her. She felt like in home in girl arms. As always, their goal was a place where they liked to sit together, a quiet corner right by the river. Near the buildings by the river there were vending machines where they always bought canned coffee and sat down on the bank with a drink in their hand.
"Yubin..." Yoohyeon began
The girl grunted questioningly, taking a sip of her drink. Yoohyeon gathered for a while to finish her statement, she knew that Yubin would find out sooner or later anyway.
"I think I will quit language school" she said
Yubin seemed to freeze, she looked surprised at the girl and sighed
"Are you sure?" the short-haired girl asked
"Yes, you know, I see no reason to continue" Yoohyeon said giving her forced smile
"If that's what you want...you know I won't stop you" Yubin said, smiling back
"Yeah, I think...that way will be better" Yoohyeon said taking a sip of her coffee
"Look..." Yubin said out of nowhere
Yoohyeon surprised looked first at the girl, and when she noticed that she was looking up, she looked at the sky. It was already dark, but Yoohyeon didn't notice that the sky today was incredibly starry.
"Just...enjoy the night Yooh" Yubin said quietly, leaning her head against the girl's shoulder
With her, Yoohyeon always felt calm, even though there was a storm inside her. She knew that Yubin wanted the girl to do what she loves, but she also knew that Yubin would always respect the fact that she herself didn't want to talk about exams or school. She sighed softly and rested her head against the girl's head.
"Yeah, you right..."
They spent a pleasant evening together. With Yubin, the girl could sit in silence for a long time, because she felt comfortable with her. It wasn't an awkward silence as is sometimes happened in other cases. Day by day, Yoohyeon started to ignore classes, she still attended language school classes, but didn't appear as regularly as before.
"Yoohyeon, can you please stay?" teacher said looking at the girl
She was about to end her high school classes when teacher stopped her. A little surprised she came to the teacher's desk and she didn't know what was going on
"I have noticed that your grades have deteriorated recently, can you explain why?" man asked
"I honestly have no idea why" Yoohyeon replied which was a lie
"Yoohyeon, if it goes on like this I'll have to talk to your mom"
At these words, Yoohyeon got a little scared
"There is no such need, professor, I’ll improve my grades" the girl laughed nervously
"I count on it Yoohyeon, you can go now"
Yoohyeon left the classroom closing the door behind her and sighed heavily. She didn't think her grades had dropped so drastically, and now she will have to improve it and it is only so that there will be no talk with her mother. Resigned, she returned home and, surprisingly, she didn't receive any questions at the entrance, as is often happens, she could safely hide in her room. Even though the weekend had started and despite her reluctance, she sat down at the desk to study. She didn't see the point, but she couldn't let her grades drop even further. In time she got into it, to the fact that she didn't even notice when it was evening. Having a hard time on one of the tasks, she moved away from the desk, taking a moment to rest, but not for long because her phone rang.
"Yes?" She asked when she answered the call
"Yooh, wanna come to my place? Also you can stay for night If you want ” she heard Yubin voice
"Oh, yeah I really would like to but...I need to ask mom about it" Yoohyeon replied
"Sure, just give me a sign"
"Wait a minute" without hanging up she put the phone on the desk and left the room
She directed her steps towards the woman's room. She hesitantly opened the door and peered out
"Mom, can I stay in Yubin place for tonight?"
"Yubin?" woman thought for a moment as if trying to remember who Yubin was
Yoohyeon just nodded waiting for the answer
"Fine you can, but come back home before noon" woman said
Yoohyeon nodded leaving the woman alone. Happy, she returned to her room, almost falling over, and sat down on the chair
"I'm coming to you Binnie!" Yoohyeon said laughing
"Great! I will come to bus stop for you” Yubin said
Yoohyeon packed a few things she needed into her backpack and left the house. Satisfied, she went to the bus stop. She reached the stop from which she reached Yubin's house without any problems and before she got out, she noticed a sitting girl through the window. When she got out, she immediately approached Yubin to hug her and the girl only laughed. Yoohyeon grabbed Yubin's hand out of habit, but it didn't seem to bother other girl and together they went to Yubin's house.
"You are alone?" Yoohyeon said surprised when she noticed that there was no one in the house
"Yes, my parents went to visit our family in another city for a while" Yubin answerd
"And you didn't go with them?"
"No, I preferred to stay" Yubin said, letting the girl into her room first
Yoohyeon sat comfortably on the bed, when she looked around she found that Yubin was working on something, before she came to her.
"Are you writing something?" Yoohyeon asked curious
"Not really, but there is a one thing I want to show you" Yubin said taking the guitar in her hand
"You want to song for me?" Yoohyeon laughed
"Maybe?" Yubin also laughed in response
They sat for a moment in silence, Yoohyeon watched as the short-haired girl checks if the guitar was tuned. Somehow, the sight made a faint smile appear on her face. The thought that Yubin was doing what she loves made her happy.
"I wrote it last night"
"I'm listening"
Tiny astronaut
What made you stop reaching for the moon?
Did you give up on your dreams
cause someone was holding you down to Earth?
Did you fall again
is that why your skin is all wrapped in bandages?
Tiny astronaut
What made you stop and stay where you hurt?
Yubin's calm voice and guitar sounds echoed around the room. Even though it was a short melody, Yoohyeon, as soon as the girl stopped singing, felt tears coming to her eyes. She immediately understood what, or rather who, the song is about. She understood exactly the message of this melody, she understood exactly what Yubin wanted to convey to her. Turning her head, she wiped her eyes, hoping the girl wouldn't see it, but it didn't escape her attention.
"Yoohyeon..." Yubin put the guitar back in its place, then approached the girl, taking her face with her hands and forcing her a bit to look at her
When their eyes met, Yoohyeon felt her eyes flooding with tears again.
"Don't give up Yooh, not now when you are close to have what you wanted, nothing is lost yet" Yubin said calmly, still holding the girl's face in her hands
Yoohyeon said nothing, at these words she burst into tears, cuddling up to the girl and hiding her face in her neck.
“You are stronger than you think…you've shown me this many times. You are smart, cheerful, a little goofy, but you are perfect the way you are...and you shouldn't give up when someone pulls you down"
Yoohyeon was still silent, crying softly in Yubin's arms, who let her let out the emotions that must have been inside her for some time. Slowly she felt the girl calming down and the sobs stopping. As soon as she moved away from her, Yubin again took her face with her hands and rested her head against her forehead.
"Even...when everything goes downhill, I'll be there for you all the time Yooh...because I'm in love with you" Yubin said softly and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead
The girl fell silent, but looking at her face Yubin couldn't read anything that surprised and stressed her a bit.
"Ah, why do you tell me such things when I feel like crying!" Yoohyeon said and threw herself at Yubin forcing them both to lie on the bed
"Sorry...I guess...not the right moment?" Yubin said a little nervously
However, Yoohyeon didn't answer, just leaned over the girl and put a gentle kiss on her lips. Gentle, sincere, tender, slightly salty through tears, however, it made Yubin think that she wasn't alone in this feeling.
"No...it was perfect moment" Yoohyeon said and hugged the girl
Yubin smiled gently and embraced the girl, tightening her hug. She felt peace and joy that Yoohyeon now know what she felt for her and reciprocated this feeling
"Yubin..." Yoohyeon began
The short-haired girl only muttered questioningly
“You don't even know how glad I'm to have you. Recently...I don't see any sense in everything, I don't see any point in trying to achieve what I wanted to achieve, everything stresses me and kills me at the same time...however, when I'm with you...I feel like I would like to try again, I feel happy and like I could do anything ” Yoohyeon said hiding her face in Yubin's neck
The short-haired girl heard a quiet sobbing, which could only mean that Yoohyeon cried again.
"You know that I'm always here for you..." said Yubin reassuringly stroking her back
After a long moment of lying in silence and cuddled together as if the world were about to end, they gathered to get up and prepared to sleep. When they were already lying, Yoohyeon, with a slight hesitation, hugged Yubin hiding in the girl's chest. Even though she hesitated a little, she was able to fall asleep well knowing that from now on they were together as a couple. The next day, when Yoohyeon woke up, she felt that the place next to her was empty, and after opening her eyes, she only made sure that Yubin wasn't next to her. She muttered dissatisfied, turning over to the other side, but when the sounds from the kitchen reached her ears, she sat down on the bed, giving herself a moment to wake up, and then lazily walked towards the source of the sound. When she entered the kitchen she saw Yubin standing by the counter, making them breakfast.
"Good morning" girl said with a sleepy voice
“Good morning sleepyhead, how was your night?” Yubin asked
"Sad because you weren’t with me in the morning" Yoohyeon said pouting
"I'm doing a breakfast for us" Yubin laughed
"I don’t care"
"You want to do it by yourself?" Yubin said, stopping for a moment
“…no” Yoohyeon said resting her head on Yubin shoulder
"Sit down and wait for a moment" the short-haired girl said turning for a moment to place a kiss on Yoohyeon's cheek.
Yoohyeon obeyed the girl and sat down at the table patiently waiting for the ready food. Minutes later, they were both sitting eating the food Yubin had prepared. However, Yoohyeon at one point lost her interest in eating and began to stare intensely for Yubin
"What's going on?" Yubin asked surprised
"Nothing, just...I just can't believe that I have you and ... in a moment in my life when I was about to gave up on everything you decided to tell me that you want to be by my side more as a friend and now I know and I'm 100% sure that I have someone I can rely on… it's kinda unbelievable for me" Yoohyeon said smiling gently to the girls
"I've always been here, you stupid..." Yubin laughed
"I know but…"
"I know Yooh ... I was scared to say this for you, that I love you, but...something was telling me it was worth to try in this specific moment" Yubin replied with a gentle laugh
"And I’m glad you did this" Yoohyeon said
They cleaned up after breakfast and had time to spend it together, before Yoohyeon came back home. They were sitting on the couch, Yoohyeon cuddled up to Yubin and watching a movie on TV.
"Yubin, you know what..." Yoohyeon began
Yubin just muttered questioningly focusing her eyes on the girl
"I'm thinking about getting tiny astronaut tattoo on my wrist" Yoohyeon said laughing
"Really?" Yubin was a little surprised
"Yeah...that short song you wrote...I think...it means something for me now...cause it's about me right?" Yoohyeon said
"Well yes...and If you want to get this kind of tattoo...I would like to do matching one" Yubin replies
"Really?!" Yoohyeon was clearly excited
"Yes dummy" Yubin laughed and kissed the girl on top of the head
Day after day, Yoohyeon regained her energy not to give up so easily and hide her dream in a drawer, thanks to Yubin, who cheered her on all the time. Yoohyeon was finishing classes at a language school. Despite many thoughts about stopping this and resign, today she decided to talk to the teacher about the second term.
"Professor I wanted to- "
“Oh, Yoohyeon great you stayed. I need to talk to you right now because I have a great news for you. Give me a moment" man said
"Great news?" Yoohyeon, apparently surprised, sat down at the desk
“Yes about your exam. I didn't check them, but I had access to all the works and...I didn't want to believe that you had such a low score, so I checked it myself. And I was right" man said putting one of the exams in front of Yoohyeon
"What do you mean?"
"This is your REAL exam, you only missed 3 points to 100%" man said sending a smile to Yoohyeon
Yoohyeon, being in shock, took a exam to her hand and began to look at it. In fact, she recognized her handwriting, but didn't understand how such a mistake could have occurred.
"How did this happen?" she asked
“Someone above made a mistake. Today I am sending a message about it and…we'll see what happens, but don't worry, you will be able to apply for a certificate, I promise. You can go now, I'll keep you updated" man answered
Yoohyeon still in big shock left the class, stood in the empty corridor processing what she had just heard. She didn't know exactly how to feel, but after leaving the building she felt tears flowing to her eyes, but they weren't tears of sadness but of joy. A trembling hand took the phone out of her pocket and dialed Yubin's number, she had to share the news with her.
"What's up Yooh?" she heard a voice
"Do you have a minute?" she asked
"Yes, I'm on a break. Something happened?" worry crossed Yubin's voice
"I didn’t failed the exam…" Yoohyeon began
"You mean your language exam?"
"Yes, professor said it was a mistake...someone above check it wrong...on the right test I got nearly 100%" Yoohyeon was still in shock
"I can’t believe ... but I’m so happy to hear that, that’s a great score!" Yubin replied and Yoohyeon could hear her smiling
"That brings me so much stress and...lowered my self esteem...I-" Yoohyeon said
"I know, but what's important that the mistake was noticed and they gonna fix it right?"
"Yes, of course, professor said he gonna take care about it...sorry I don't think straight right now" Yoohyeon laughed
"Dummy...what would you said if I proposed to meet later today? I think we need to celebrate that” Yubin said
"Willingly!"
~ About 6 years later ~
The morning sun was flashing throught the window, which began to irritate Yubin. She muttered dissatisfied, turning over to other side, noticing that the place next to her has become vacant, and when she opened her eyes she noticed that Yoohyeon wasn't there. She sat up, stretched, and stood up, directing her steps towards the kitchen. When she noticed Yoohyeon standing at the counter and making them breakfast, she smiled to herself, came to the girl and hugged her from behind, resting her head on her back.
"Good morning" she said sleepily
"Good morning Binnie, how was your night?" Yoohyeon asked turning towards the girl
"I can’t believe that I'm a sleepyhead now" Yubin laughed
"Stop, I need to wake up earlier than you, you know it and you can sleep longer" Yoohyeon laughed hugging the girl
Yubin smiled and placed a kiss on Yoohyeon's lips. Sitting on the balcony and watching the city come to life drinking their morning coffee has become their routine, and today was no exception. They sat holding hands, watching the morning sky. A delicate smile appeared on Yoohyeon's face as she looked at Yubin who looked at the sky thoughtfully. Even though it's been almost 6 years since they've been together, she still sometimes can't believe that Yubin is next to her, her greatest happiness, her everything. Her eyes went to their hands, their fingers intertwined, and she fixed on one thing.
"I really like this tattoos…" Yoohyeon said softly
Yubin snapped out of her thoughts, looked first at the girl, and then at their hands. They both had a similar small tattoo of an astronaut on their wrists. Yubin laughed softly and tightened her grip.
"Dummy..."
"Binnie..." Yoohyeon began
Yubin just muttered questioningly because she was just sipping coffee
"Can you...sing the continuation you wrote when we moved to London?" Yoohyeon asked
"You mean..."
"Yes, you know what..."
Yubin smiled at the girl and before she started to sing something she approached her and kissed her softly on the lips, then her quiet and calm voice sounded, singing melodies that became really important for Yoohyeon
Tiny Astronaut
Where are you now? Are you on the moon?
Did you fulfill all your dreams and you are in a happy place now ?
Did you find someone who is there by your side pushing you up to sky?
Tiny Astronaut
Where are you now? Are you happy now?