Linger - Part 6
Part 6
A friend was leaving for university in Seoul and they were at the train station to send her off.
On the platform, Sooyoung and Yuri jumped and waved, till the train was but a speck in the distance before stopping and turning to look at each other. Wordless, they were both encumbered with varying degrees of emotions of seeing a close friend depart. It was also the dismal thought of being left behind in a small, backwater town, with no knowledge of what the future held for either of them that had rendered them momentarily speechless.
"There's Hyo gone now. " When Sooyoung broke the silence, there was that tinge of envy bundled along with wistfulness in her voice. Hyoyeon was the last in their small clique of friends to leave for the bigger cities, either to work, or to commence on higher education.
"She'll be back." Yuri threw an arm around her friend's shoulder as they strolled back towards the station exit. Hyoyeon had all these ambitious plans of transforming her family's rundown beach motel into a 5-star resort, or failing that, a revamp - which, in all honesty, they had thought was perhaps more achievable. But first, she had to study hard and return with that double degree. "Didn't she promise she'll bring you a cool-ass city boy when she comes home?"
"Meh. I'm not settling for anything less than a Brad Pitt look-alike."
"Crying out loud." Yuri couldn't understand Sooyoung's obsession with the movie star ."What's this fixation you have over Brad-with-the- square-jaw-Pitt?"
"Only the normal, girl-likes-boy type of fixation, so very unlike yours."
"I'm supposed to understand what that means?"
Every once in a while, Sooyoung would lapse into one of her quirky moods and say things that Yuri would deem unintelligible.
"Mmm...." Ignoring Yuri, Sooyoung seemed to be lost in her own thoughts for a while before continuing to say, "Not that your type of fixation is necessarily a bad thing, though."
"I really hate it when you get all cryptic-like."
They were now standing in the small parking lot outside the station.
"You're sharp. You'll figure." Sooyoung had just pulled on her helmet and was getting onto her scooter. "I wouldn't think any worse of you, you know that." She gave Yuri a few reassuring pats on her shoulder before riding off, shouting, "Come for dinner tonight!"
The hell was that all about? My type of fixation....?
She didn't want to admit it, but Yuri was beginning to see the light on what Sooyoung had meant for her to decipher, to figure out. She was only surprised that Sooyoung didn't blatantly say it to her face the way she had the other time.
*
There was only that one parking lot left outside the House of Choi - in between a van and an SUV, both of voluminous size.
For the last five minutes or more, Jessica Jung had been trying to parallel park her car next to the curb but without much success. As she maneuvered her car out of the lot again, she decided that driving out to get dinner wasn't such a terrific idea after all. But she had been cooped up all by herself inside the house for days and she desperately needed to get out to civilization again, even if it was only to eat dinner.
As she jerkily reversed her car into the lot at a precarious angle that would either put her at risk of grazing the SUV in front or hitting the curb, she wasn't aware that she was being watched by two pairs of eyes.
"People with bad parking skills shouldn't be driving a nice car like that," Sooyoung mumbled, shaking her head.
"Cut her some slack. That lot is a little tight for her car, " Yuri reasoned.
They had just returned from running an errand for Sooyoung's mother and had witnessed Jessica's parking predicament. When Yuri saw the car heading dangerously for the curb, she couldn't just stand by and watch any further. Putting her athletic prowess into action, she sprinted across the sidewalk and knocked urgently on the Beemer's trunk to get Jessica's attention. To her relief, the car immediately jerked to a halt.
Jessica stuck her head out of the window. "What? Did I hit something?" she asked nervously, biting her lower lip.
"Unnie, you almost hit the curb." God...that helpless female look...I can't... Yuri hadn't seen the woman in more than a fortnight since the day she had gone to mow the lawn and she certainly didn't think the next time they met would be in a situation like that. "I can park it for you if you trust me with your car?"
Jessica immediately shifted over to the passenger side, vacating the driver's seat for the girl. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting valet parking."
Yuri had her car effortlesly parallel-parked to near perfection in a fraction of the time Jessica Jung took just maneuvering it in and out of the lot without getting any closer to having it parked.
"Damn. Have you been doing this all your life?" Jessica asked, trying to keep the admiration out of her voice. "And I thought you didn't look old enough to drive."
Within the tight confines of her car, Jessica Jung took a good look at the girl, deciding that she liked what she saw, especially that shy, warm smile that Yuri had just flashed her when she told her, "I'm 18 going on 19, unnie. I'm definitely old enough to drive."
Even before his daughter could walk, K.S.Kwon had put her on his lap when he drove and had taught her to drive as soon as her legs were long enough to reach the pedals. Unofficially, Kwon Yuri had been driving since she was twelve-and-a-half.
*
Still standing outside on the sidewalk, Sooyoung observed how Yuri's eyes seemed to be focused on Jessica, trailing her, as she sashayed towards the House of Choi.
"How gallant of you, Sir Yuri," Sooyoung remarked snarkily, as soon as Jessica had gone into the restaurant and was out of earshot. Pointing to the woman's car, she teased, "Might that be the white steed on which you and your fair maiden would be galloping off together into the sunset with?"
Choi Sooyoung was as unpredictable as the spring weather and there was no telling what she might possibly say in front of Jessica and Yuri had merely wanted to remind her. "You will not, I repeat, you will NOT embarrass me in front of her, you hear?" she hissed. "Or I swear to God I'll tell the whole world that we've kissed each other on the lips before."
"You piece of dung. We were 6-year-olds playing house, pretending to be a married couple."
"Yeah, but I can always conveniently leave that part out."
"Lame."
*
"You like her, don't you? "
"What makes you think I do?"
They were behind the counter, talking in low voices. Yuri was slouched against the counter, pretending to read the menu while Sooyoung was perched on the high stool, outrightly staring at the woman who was seated at the table near the entrance, quietly eating her dinner of kimchi stew with rice.
"That puppy-dog look is all too familiar."
"Excuse me?"
"Shut up and just listen. Remember that doe-eyed girl, Im Yoona, who hit town with her folks last summer? You were all over her."
"Was not."
"Were, too."
"You're just jealous because I spent more time with her that summer than I did with you."
"Are you Brad Pitt?"
"Noooo."
"See? There is no cause for me to be jealous since you're not Brad Pitt."
"Okay, you win, but please stop already?" Yuri beseeched.
A short period of silence ensued, after which, it was Sooyoung who spoke first. There was none of that ambiguity she had applied on Yuri at the train station that morning nor that teasing tone with which she had taunted her with moments earlier out on the sidewalk. When she spoke, her tone was gentle, "Listen. If you're that way inclined, then embrace it, you get me? Hell, Yuri. We've known each other since we were in diapers and I know you better than you know yourself. It's not only Im Yoona or that Jung woman." She held up a hand when she saw Yuri opening her mouth, about to protest. "No, don't deny it. There are just too many instances that seem to point out to me that you're... " Sooyoung paused before breathing out, "Gay."
"How can you be so sure when I don't even know myself anymore ?" Yuri mumbled, directing her gaze to the floor. She couldn't quite look at Sooyoung because her best friend had once told her that she could read her like an open book.
"My gut instinct and I daresay it's pretty accurate."
"Then can you tell your gut instinct not to be too accurate? Because...because..." Yuri paused, then blurted, "I'm fucking scared, Sooyoung."
Sooyoung reached for Yuri's hand and held it in hers, peering into Yuri's distraught face. "Why?"
"It's all so...so... wronggg."
"Hey, don't be scared and stupidly deny yourself of love when it comes along just because you think it's wrong. There's nothing wrong when it's your true calling. It's only personal preference, Yul, and I think it's going to be a lot harder on yourself if you were to suppress it."
*
Jessica dabbed at her mouth with a paper napkin, glancing at the two girls at the counter, who seemed to be holding some kind of private conversation. They both happened to look in her direction just then and Jessica wondered if they had been talking about her. She then beckoned at them to come over to her table.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" Sooyoung asked.
"No, but hey, sit down. You, too." Jessica nodded at Yuri who stood behind Sooyoung, looking awkward. "I only want to ask you guys what there is to do around here? I can't be working 24/7, obviously."
"Well, the tea plantations are open to visitors, if you're interested. Or you can hire a boat to take you to the small islands nearby," Sooyoung suggested, pulling out a chair while tugging at Yuri's arm to get her to sit down, too. "You may want to go out to the pier to watch the fishing boats come in with their catch."
"There's more to do in the summer like swimming and such - we do have a pretty nice beach - and there's a place nearby where you can see lots of fireflies at night." This came from Yuri.
"Fireflies...hmm." Jessica's eyes sparkled with interest.
"It's autumn now but if you're lucky, you may still get to see them, only not as many as in the summer." Yuri was beginning to get over the disturbing conversation she had just had with Sooyoung. "And then there's the lighthouse couple of kilometers to the east where you can catch the most splendid sunrise anytime of the year."
"Could you take me there?"
When the conversation seemed to be centered around the other two entities at the table, Sooyoung smiled secretly to herself, folding her arms across her chest as she eased back into her chair. She had inadvertently become the third wheel. Not that she minded.
Your call, Yuri~yah.
*
The lighthouse was situated on a sort of breakwater, jutting out to sea. Four storeys high, it cut a pretty formidable structure in the moonlit night. It hadn't been operative in years and the local authorities had turned it into a tourist attraction where, in the daytime, visitors were allowed inside to explore. There was even a tiny museum on the ground level if anyone wanted a dose of local history. After visiting hours, one could still reach the top where there was a viewing deck, via a staircase that spiralled around the lighthouse.
At 4:30 in the morning, Jessica found herself climbing up those stairs, with Yuri following closely behind, each holding a torchlight.
They were almost reaching the top when Jessica missed her footing, almost falling backwards. "Oh shit...aaarrghh!" Immediately, she felt an arm encircle her waist and a hand on the small of her back, steadying her, pushing her upright, hence breaking her fall.
"Oops. No worries, I got you," Yuri breathed. She was positioned behind Jessica at an angle where her shoulder was pressed into Jessica's back, to lend some strength. "You okay?"
Rather shaken by her near fall, Jessica mumbled, "I'm fine." Feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks, she was terribly aware of their bodily contact, feeling the girl's warm breaths against her neck. Regaining composure, she patted Yuri's arm. "Uhm, you can let go now."
"Okay. Several more steps to go, unnie," Yuri said, dropping the hands that had shifted to Jessica's hips.
*
With a full moon making its presence known, the view at the top of the lighthouse was nothing short of spectacular. Leaning against the wrought iron railing, they took in the breathtaking sight of a dark, shimmering ocean with the moon reflected upon its surface.
It was cold and Jessica tucked her hands under her armpits for a bit of warmth.
"Are you cold?" Yuri noticed the thin cardigan that she had on. "Sorry. I should've warned you that it gets cold out here."
"Stop fretting. I'm all right."
"Do you want to go back to the car? We can still catch the sunrise from there, you know."
"But it wouldn't be the same." Jessica pouted.
Yuri shrugged out of her military jacket and offered it to her. "Here, take this... if you don't mind that it's old and smells of me."
Jessica shoved it right back. "If it smells of you, then I'd rather not." It really wasn't the reason for rejecting it but she couldn't bear the thought of the girl going cold just so she could be warm and snug.
"Unnie, there's a while more to go before sunrise." Yuri took a sniff at her jacket. "It really doesn't smell too bad. I put it in the wash only recently."
"Oh all right." Jessica relented. "Why don't we share it?"
"Huh? How?"
Jessica sat down on the floor, leaning back against the lighthouse wall, and pulling Yuri down with her. "Come closer." When Yuri didn't budge, she shifted herself closer to the girl until they were bumping shoulders, grumbling, "Of all the times, you have to choose now to be shy." She then draped the jacket over the front of their bodies. Putting her arm around Yuri's waist to draw her closer, for more body warmth, she asked, "You comfy?"
"Y-yes, unnie."
"So, kid, are we all set to watch Mr.Sun rise from the east in all his bright orange-y splendour then?"
Yuri nodded. Damn it. Did she have to spoil the moment by calling me 'kid' ?
"We'll just quietly wait it out, shall we?"
But in a matter of 10 minutes, Jessica Jung was out like a light- she had fallen asleep, her head lolling about Yuri's shoulder.
*
Yuri could see the sun slowly creeping up from beyond the horizon, the sky still dark with just a tiny blob of pink.
Gingerly adjusting the jacket which was in danger of slipping, she glanced at Jessica whose head was completely slumped over her shoulder. She felt numb but didn't mind it at all. If she could only have this creature fall asleep on her shoulder every night, what was a tiny bit of numbness?
There was a very faint tobacco smell mixed with the distinct scent of her shampoo which Yuri found oddly intoxicating. She couldn't help burrowing her nose in Jessica's hair to get more of that lingering scent and against her better judgement, she pressed her lips against Jessica's temple.
Jessica stirred the moment she felt something pressing against the side of her head.
Am I dreaming or did that kid just kiss me?
In an instant, her eyelids fluttered open, just in time to catch Kwon Yuri lifting her lips away from her temple. But strangely, she wasn't angry. It was utterly indescribable, what she was feeling at that moment. She only knew that it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, she quite liked it.
Stretching out her hand from under the jacket, Jessica reached for Yuri's face, tracing her finger along her jawline.
"Are you sure that's where you want to kiss me?" she asked in a voice heavy with sleep.
"I'm quite sure that's not where I want to kiss you," Yuri replied, surprised at her own candidness.
"Then where exactly do you want to kiss me?" Jessica drawled, turning to look at Yuri. When Yuri took too long to reply, she took matters into her own hands- lips -asking hazily as she slipped her hand around the girl's nape, drawing her head down closer to her own, "Would it be ...here?"
There was that fireworks exploding type of feeling - elation coupled with surprise and wonderment - the moment Yuri felt Jessica's lips on her own. Soft, luscious, yielding and terribly addictive. She applied a little more pressure to Jessica's lips to deepen the kiss, voluntarily opening her mouth when she felt Jessica's tongue urgently seeking a way in. Yuri let Jessica lead her, emulating her every movement. If the older woman sucked and tugged at her lower lip, Yuri made sure she did it back to her.
Breathless, they finally pulled away from each other, their chests heaving.
Taking a long, hard look at Yuri who was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Jessica couldn't help laughing.
"What?" Yuri asked out of indignation.
"Was that your first kiss?"
"No." Which was the truth. Yuri's first kiss had been given to Choi Sooyoung when she was 6.
"Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Where do we go from here, unnie?" Yuri asked. She didn't want to raise her hopes too high.
Hearing Yuri addressing her as unnie woke Jessica up completely. Caught in that awkward moment of not knowing what to say, Jessica chose not to reply. Instead, she pointed animatedly, exclaiming, "Look, kid! Mr. Sun has finally risen!"
Before them, the sky was splashed with a brilliant pinkish-orange hue, heralding the beginning of another day.
* tbc