✓ nostalgia | jungwon

chapter 49.

nostalgia, forty-nine.
❛ forget me not ❜

Fourteen days had never felt like an eternity, but as of the moment, it felt much longer than that.

Yang Jungwon could honestly say he felt stuck. The boy was half-convinced he'd been sucked into a time-loop ever since the accident, his waking hours a dreadful routine of heavy thoughts.

His friends worried for him. Jungwon had always been a good student, with grades that ensured him a university of his choice, and the status of a varsity athlete that laid scholarships at his feet. The only flaw anyone could think of when it came to him would probably be his stubbornness, that refusal to listen to others free of judgement.

Then, there was Han Yebin. Used to the short end of the stick, she never had to worry about the pressures of being on top. Happy-go-lucky, she liked to enjoy life thinking about the next small step and not the far future. That was one of the things she liked about art. It gave her freedom, the idea that it could come without instruction or formulas to rely on.

Jungwon preferred working towards the goals he'd set so high up the bar, while Yebin did whatever she had time to do that day. She let others influence her, and he never did, which was why she held such an impact on him remained a mystery. Then again, he learned not to underestimate the universe.

He marveled at who ever thought it was a good idea to pair two drastically different people together. Jungwon could admit that at the start, her inability to say what she felt irritated him. Yebin failed to read through the lines, and usually winded up as the most gullible person in the room.

It took him a while to realize that her kindness was what he often lacked, and that without her patience, she probably couldn't have listened to him the way she did. The way no else could. He figured that out, as recently he'd just been keeping his thoughts to himself in fear of brewing arguments.

She never argued with him. And she never had to. Despite their polar beliefs, they worked. Over the past several months, they'd grown an understanding of one another that even they couldn't understand. Because life-wise, they were each other's ruination. But now he couldn't live without her.

All Jungwon wanted was to see her smile again. He suddenly remembered that awkward laugh she gave him when he asked for an opinion on his outfit one time, not wanting to offend him. But, they couldn't really hurt each other at that point. That was how comfortable they were. And he worried that was something they could never gain back.

The sound of a ruler being slapped on his desk woke him right up, away from the thoughts he'd lost himself in again.

Jungwon winced at the noise, lifting his head up to face his disgruntled science teacher.

"This is the third time you've slept through my class this week."

"I know, sir." Jungwon blankly stood up as the dismissal bell rang, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "My apologies."

"Don't forget you're assigned to buy the flowers for tomorrow's project," his teacher huffed. "If you show up empty-handed, you'll be sorry."

Jungwon only nodded as he walked away, catching up to one of his classmates by the door.

"He's talking about the project for the exhibit. We have to investigate their pigments, so just buy some colored flowers," Haruto explained before he could ask.

"Ah."

"Are you okay, man?" Haruto sighed. "You're usually the one helping me after I fall asleep in class. Look, I know it's been a few weeks, but Yebin-"

"I'm fine," Jungwon answered, not wanting to hear the rest of his sentence. "See you tomorrow."

Watanabe Haruto stayed back as he walked out the school exit, realizing he probably shouldn't have brought it up.

The last time Jungwon had dropped by the shopping centre was around February. Valentines Day, he remembered. He went with Sunghoon to buy a gift for his mom, in the very shop he and Yebin exchanged their first conversation.

Passing Mrs. Hwang's boutique, he looked to his left, where the flower shop run by Yebin's mother used to stand. It was closed now, and it had been ever since she'd moved to Seoul.

A small laugh escaped Jungwon's mouth as he recalled when Yebin's alleged moving away. He thought she'd just leave and forget him over time, but fate had plans much worse for them.

He trudged into a random flower shop, picking out what he was instructed to. He couldn't help but think that had things been different, she might have been here, excitedly explaining to him what each plant meant.

Right by the counter, however, was a batch of golden-eyed flowers whose label immediately caught his eye. Forget Me Not, it read. He wanted to laugh at the sheer irony of it all.

The elderly woman at the cashier seemed to notice his staring, and she smiled warmly at the boy. "Thinking of someone?"

Jungwon tore his gaze away from the flowers, chuckling softly. "You caught me."

"Well, these are a great choice," the woman said. "Giving them to someone is a promise that you'll never forget them."

It was a little too late for that, but he figured he'd get them anyway. He was about to visit the hospital again, after all. "I'll get a bouquet."

She clapped happily. "This'll definitely put a smile on the face of whoever you're giving this to!"

Jungwon didn't have the heart to tell her, and chose to force a smile instead. "I'll count on it."

Before the woman handed him the flowers, she let out a long sigh with this wistful look on her face. "Ah, young love. You'll remember it forever, you know."

There was no doubt in Jungwon's mind that he would. If only Yebin could do the same.

a/n. let me tell you, i was in a writing slump for two days. then enhypen released forget me not, and the lyrics hit different when i thought of jungwon and yebin rip. now go stream forget me not it's beautiful!! (where are niki's lines at tho👺)