eternal summer.

2.1/3

29th AUGUST, 2014

just like any other day, cha tae eun leaves the office at 6pm sharp and makes her way down the bustling street. with aching feet and a tired mind after a long day of work, all she wants is a bed to lie down on. despite the fatigue, however, tae eun finds herself walking towards the shopping mall where she knows the electronic boards are. 

d-3 to jeongguk's birthday, and she is glad that everything is already settled. his gifts are scheduled to be delivered on the day itself, buses are to make their rounds more frequently from today onwards, and electronic boards are set up at a few bus stops. the largest electronic board can be found at the newly opened shopping mall near tae eun's office, and although it cost her a large sum of money, she is extremely delighted with the end result. 

a short video that lasts about 1 minute will be on loop for 15 minutes or so, and play at an interval of 3 hours. it would be good if jeongguk or any bangtan member catches it, but tae eun knows she's spreading the love for the golden boy and she's more than happy with that.

subconsciously, she realizes she has been standing at the intersection for a few minutes. it is also then that she notices the tall figure a few feet away from her, staring at the electronic board. it's definitely not rare to see fanboys, or mere pedestrians even, paying attention to the video. 

but he looks and feels familiar.

tae eun stays rooted to her spot. not daring to move. the boy, clad in all-black, had a mask and a cap on. even when his features are obscured, everything about him screams jeon jeongguk. as pedestrians cross the intersection, only him and tae eun are not moving. silent boulders of rocks in the raging sea. her trademark logo 'eternal summer' flashing across the screen.

the video stops and he looks down. gaze brushing past her before backtracking. 

that pair of eyes is unmistakable.

in most cases, the idol would be the one attempting to escape. but right now, tae eun is the one acting like she didn't see him. with a trembling heart and darting eyes, she turns her back on him. desperately wishing the traffic light would just turn green already. 

the clicking of shoes behind her. "tae... no, eternal summer?"

she has no choice but to turn. gaze trained on his shirt, she replies, "i think you've got the wrong person, sorry."

when the light turns green, she makes a move to leave but his hand stops her. a hold that loosens almost at once, as if he was afraid of shocking her. "i-i think you're the person who made that." he gestures to the electronic board, before removing his mask. "it's me. jeongguk."

"... i know."

"then why are you... i don't understand..." he huffs in frustration. "you don't know me?"

tae eun knows he's not referring to the idol jeon jeongguk. he's talking about the 10 year old jeongguk — the boy who used to play at the swings with her. and so she lowers her head even further, breaking all eye contact with him.

"i'm not sure what you're talking about." the words that stab at her but slip from her lips so easily. with that, she brushes past him and finds comfort in the crowds. behind her, much to her surprise, he shouts, "cha tae eun! don't you remember me?"

she replies under her breath — an answer to herself more to than anyone else. "i do, silly."

a/n; what a plot twist