Chapter Text
She ended up moving back to Hugye. She had previously lived next to a university, bustling with people her age but she had never felt at home in the loud hectic crowds. She could never really connect with her age group. They had the privilege of an innocence and carelessness that she had never had. She much preferred the quiet streets of Hugye and the pearls of wisdoms hidden behind the rambunctious conversation of the older crowd. Her new place was now near Junhee’s. She had deliberately avoided the area around Ahnan Elementary School. There were memories there that she wanted to forget. It was a much better neighbourhood and was a small one bedroom. A bedroom. Such a luxury to have such space when before it felt like the world had no place for someone like her.
The ahjussis of Hugye had helped her move in, insisting that she save her money on a moving company. She felt her heart warm when the group of men immediately inspected the safety of her apartment while her ahjussi, ever the structural engineer, began to knock on the walls, as if he wasn’t with her when she signed the contract to this apartment. There was still an alarming gap in her knowledge of how the world worked due to her upbringing or lack thereof and he liked feeling needed.
As a thank you for their help, she hosted a small housewarming party for the ahjussis. They could barely fit in her tiny apartment but they were more than happy to come. With the help of Junhee, she cooked for the first time for someone else. Any home she had lived had never been so lively. As she watched the group of ahjussis, she couldn’t help but feel the absence of one man in particular. He had said that he would be running late but it seemed like nothing was complete for her without him now.
She gently laid another plate of food in front of her guests to the sounds of their raucous cheers. Her home felt packed to the brim with not only the extra bodies but the packages of toilet paper and household products that the older men brought with them. As she grabbed another bottle of soju, the sound of her phone made her pause.
“Hello?”
“I’m on my way.”
She smiled at the sound of the familiar deep voice.
“Is everyone there already?”
“Yes.”
“Alright,” he added. “Do you need anything?”
The question made her freeze. It was a question that she had heard numerous times before but never directed to her. The sound immediately warms her from the inside out.
“Just hurry.” Just you.
They could both feel the unuttered words between them. He is silent for a moment.
“Wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”