anata no mirai
Anata no Mirai
Kyuhyun/Sooyoung; g
It was sunset.
The sun leaves a faint warm glow and the leaves are starting to fall. Dusk will follow anytime soon. Kyuhyun sits on a swing and doesn't move. A grown man sitting in a rusty swing in a lonely park is a sight to behold but he doesn't care. Some passersby have thrown anxious looks at him but he doesn't budge. He is waiting.
Memories of thirteen years ago flashes in his mind.
----
"Kyu!" his face immediately brightened upon seeing a girl of seven ran towards him.
"Soo! You're late. Look, the sun will set anytime soon."
Sooyoung sat on the swing next to him and started swinging. "But I still managed to come, right?" she said without a smile.
Kyu noticed that she lacked the usual luster she has in her eyes.
"Yah, I was joking. It's okay though. Let's just watch till it sets completely." With childhood innocence, they watch the setting sun. It was the end of summer, the last remaining days of September before autumn comes.They've been doing this for four years since they first met. Sooyoung was new to the neighborhood then and Kyuhyun has been the one who have first became friends with her. They were never apart since.
"It is always beautiful no matter how many times we watch it." Sooyoung broke the silence.
"Hmmm..." Kyuhyun simply nodded. "Anyway, what made you turn up late?"
Sooyoung looked at her best friend sadly. "I've been helping umma." She let the silence linger for a moment. "We're moving out."
"Moving out?"
"Yeah." She sounded sad. "Dad has been promoted and we're moving to Japan."
Kyuhyun was speechless for a moment. "When... when will you leave?"
"Tomorrow." she said quietly. "Oh Kyu... I'm gonna miss you." her tears fell. Kyuhyun went out of his swing and walked towards her.
"No, don't cry." He hugged her from the back and rested his chin on top of her shoulder but the girl continued crying.
"I'm scared. What if the kids there are not nice? I'm really gonna miss playing with you. I... I thought we're gonna grow together."
Kyuhyun kept shushing her but tears were also falling from his eyes.
"Jinja, Soo, you're making me cry." He walked around the swing and knelt on the ground facing her. He held her hands and looked straight at her eyes.
"Everything will be fine. We'll see each other again." He held on tightly. "Here. At this same place, same date and time. When we grow up. Promise me."
Sooyoung kept on crying. "Will you still remember me when you grow up?"
Kyuhyun said nothing. He looked into her eyes and leaned closer until their faces were inches apart. He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "I can never forget you, Choi Sooyoung."
Sooyoung threw her arms around him and sobbed on his shoulder. "Oh Kyu... I promise. I will come back and look for you."
They stayed that way until the boy took the initiative to send her home. "It's late. Your mom is looking for you now." He smiled as he held her hand and walked her home. They stopped in front of her house, not knowing what to do next.
"Kyu... tomorrow. Don't go looking for me."
His brow creased in confusion but he let her continue.
"I'll just cry. Let me leave with this memory of you in my mind." She held his hand tight and kissed him on the cheek.
"See you, years from now." she smiled one last time and ran towards their house without looking back. Kyuhyun held the part of his cheek and touched it gently. "See you, Soo."
----
The last letter he received from her was five years after she left. They had moved to another town and had lost communication with her; but for the past thirteen years, Cho Kyuhyun always goes back to that swing in the park. Hoping, year after year, that Sooyoung will finally show up. He has no idea where she might be. She might have got married by now but he still keeps on waiting. He will wait until the sun will set on his life.
The sun has already sunk low. It's the end of summer and the chill of autumn made him shiver. He wraps his coat tighter around his body. He sits for fifteen minutes more until the sun finally disappears beneath the horizon.
Kyuhyun stood up with a sigh. He looks at the faithful swing and gave it a slight push. "See you next year."
He walks away when a familiar voice stops him.
"Kyu..."
Kyuhyun freezes in his tracks. He wants to turn around but he can't. It's as if he's been petrified.
He hears the shuffling of boots announcing that the owner of the voice is walking towards him. A hand clenches on his and he turns around to see a familiar pair of brown eyes looking back at him. Tears start to swell from behind his lids. This is it... the day he has been waiting for years.
"Kyu... I'm here." she says softly; her eyes getting misty. "Do you remember?"
Tears fall on Kyuhyun's cheeks as he hugs her tight, softly whispering on her ear.
"I can never forget you, Choi Sooyoung."