The Wind Loop

17 | collywobbles

"That's great."

"Did you go to a funeral that day?" she enquired, feeling that it was the right thing to do.

"A relative of a close friend." he said with a languid smile.

"I never see your friends, though. I have been living here since a while but I have seen that you're pretty much stuck within a particular boundary. Okay, maybe I can consider that friend you were visiting last time."

"I have a small circle, I guess." he tried to laugh it off. It wasn't a lie. He indeed had no one excluding Jung Woo and Ye Bin.

"Everything is cool between us now, right?" he asked, expectantly trying to subdue the reigning silence.

Ye Bin's eyes were momentarily drawn to his clasped hands and the lines on his forehead. He seemed to be harrowed and looked like he really needed an affirmative answer.

Ye Bin nodded which caused his features to relax a bit and he released the tension from his insides through the release of a big breath.

"It is. I'm sorry for whatever I did." she breathed out too, finally. "Let's maintain a good relationship for a long time. Let's communicate and not assume."

"Sure, comrade." he saluted as he straightened his spine, his chest expanding dramatically in the process.

Ye Bin had to bite her lips to stifle the string of laughter that was willing to escape her mouth. That was probably the thing she liked about Ju Ho the most. His ability to turn the atmosphere into a light one was somewhat admirable to her.

"Can I give you a hug?" he raised an eyebrow.

Seeing how baffled Ye Bin was looking after hearing about his sudden wish, he tried to explain his action.

"Don't get any wrong idea. I just want to give you a hug like a comrade. To celebrate this reconciliation, of course." he tried to express his views without a tremor in his voice.

"Of course. He isn't doing it for something else." Ye Bin thought as she nodded understandingly.

Ye Bin could feel her heart accelerate as his arms pulled her in a warm embrace. It was not some feverish dream but a reality. Her breath hitched as his body hit hers, lightly. She couldn't help but close her eyes as his cologne hit her nasal senses. It wasn't intense. Just the right amount. She realised that Ju Ho was actually quite physically wide and it was definitely not because of his loose clothing. He was towering over her even though she was quite tall or that's what she had thought throughout her entire life.

As he released her gradually, Ye Bin had to fight herself to not cling onto him again. She missed the caress of his arms on her body so quickly that she couldn't help how embarassed she felt. He was not going to know about that, thankfully.

"Um... I should get going. I need to start a new artwork." she fumbled, not quite understanding what to do next.

"Sure." he extended his hand to show her the way. His eyes were downcast, not quite looking at her anymore. His cheeks were burning and he really didn't want her notice the tinge of red on them.

"Leave your laundry here. I'll do them for you." he offered as he awkwardly tapped his hands against each other.

"I can't let you do that." she denied with a scoff.

"From what I can see, you only have a few handkerchiefs lying inside that bucket. It is nothing." Ju Ho gave her a smug look and picked up the bucket from the soil.

"Are you trying to impress me or something?" she joked as her gaze raked on his stature.

"I am, maybe." he winked.

Her heart dropped instantly. No matter how much she tried to explain to herself that he was just playing around, her body never really bothered to stick to her reasons and principles.

She waved at him and turned on her heels without responding to his flirtatious remark. She definitely did not have the valour to stop for a while and respond exactly that way.

As her hand glided against the railing of the staircase while ascending, she closely watched how he was wringing out the water and easily putting the moist handkerchiefs on the string. She couldn't deny how she was falling prey to his boyish charm. She had been living like a nun for a while and that fact wasn't helping either.

She had immensely missed that pair of jubilant eyes for the past few weeks. Just when she was thinking about him, he looked towards the staircase. Their eyes were locked briefly and he stopped his work momentarily. Her stomach twisted itself in the most languid way possible.

The flamboyant wave of his hand and the subtle hint of a smile on his face, brought a smile on her lips too. A rush of emotions made her heart rattle. She clutched onto the hard wooden surface of her balcony, feeling jittery.

The entire incident was almost a new experience for her. To see that someone was willing to acknowledge their faults and trying to reach out felt reassuring. At an age where ego clashes often end up causing an inevitable havoc, this was one of the bittersweet episodes in her life.

Ye Bin wasn't expecting him to come to his senses. Even though she fancied him secretly, there was a part of her which had been seeking for the chipper version of her friend.

It was the last day of the month of July and yet, she found herself hoping for a new spring that would be bearable for her heart.

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