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youmenotyummy · 1 year ago

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Taste of Our Memories – P.JS [박종성]

synopsis☆彡 in which a girl awakens from a coma and recovers her memories through her tastebuds.

pairing☆彡 non-idol!jay x fem!reader

warnings☆彡 mentions of food, violence, mention of blood, automobile accident, coma

genres☆彡 angst, romance, falling in love for the second time, one shot

cast☆彡 enhypen's jay + you!

[brackets]☆彡 text inside of brackets are her memories!!

>>>inspired by Netflix's "Flavors of Youth" and "First Love"!

Hwang Y/N was 21 years old when she woke up from a coma that lasted for three years. Her fingers twitched, and her eyes slowly scanned her surroundings, indicating that she was, indeed, alive and out of her vegetated state. Her wandering eyes met with those of a middle-aged woman whose features were similar to her own. A cold hand caressed her face, and watery eyes looked at her. Similarly, a middle-aged man stood behind the woman with the same glossy eyes.

"Who are you?" slipped out of Y/N's mouth. This was enough to make tears spill out of the eyes of the two adults standing by her hospital bed. The woman muffled her quiet sobs and was gently pushed to the side by the man standing behind her. In a shaky voice and through a sad smile, he spoke, "We're your parents. This is your mother, and I'm your father."

Shocked and frightened by her inability to recognize her parents, Y/N felt tears well up in her eyes, yet they would not spill. Wiping his own away, her father reached for Y/N's eyes and swiped her tears with his thumb. "Don't cry," he would say. "Here, drink some water." He unscrewed the bottle and held out the bottle for Y/N to sip from. The room temperature liquid slid down her throat, as she tried to calm herself down.

She didn't know why, but the water suddenly reminded her of her family's house near a lake that would become crowded during fishing season. There, she would recall herself and two adults (presumably her parents) on their way to said lake with fishing gear. The first fish she ever caught was the first memory to come back to her.

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🥐

The first day after awakening, Y/N munched on a crunchy curry bun that came from a food stall residing in the park near the hospital. Her father bought her a dozen buns, "in case you get hungry later on" he would explain. The savory, spicy filling full of potatoes, carrots and minced meat filled Y/N's mouth, and the scent of it wafted in the air, causing her dad to steal a bun for himself.

The flavorful bun brought back memories of her first physical fight.

[Y/N's arm stung from being punched by a boy much older and taller than her. There was definitely going to be a bruise later. The male's large figure didn't intimidate her, however, as she persisted and swung her arms with all her might and kicked him wherever she found an open spot.

Behind her was a boy whose name or face she could not recall with two patrol guards following him. He was the whole reason why she was involved in this fight anyways. The boy had been shoved into a wall next to the entrance of the convenience store. Y/N assumed that it was a mutual fight between guys, as the boy she had been protecting looked like a typical tough, bad boy. She thought wrong.

Y/N stepped in when she witnessed the boy getting his wallet snagged off of him and getting punched to the ground. With her fastest speed, Y/N ran towards the thief and his victim with her school bag above her head. As she approached closer and closer, and as the thief looked back in surprise, Y/N flung her bag at his face, causing the wallet to drop. She picked it up and threw it towards its owner before being shoved by the thief.

"You have no idea who you're messing with!" A big fist stretched outwards. Y/N was moments away from being punched in the face. Unbeknownst to him, she had seven years of taekwondo experience tucked into her belt. Unluckily for her, her reflexes were not as great as her kicking strength. Although she took a great blow to the face, she countered his offense with multiple kicks. Y/N silently thanked her mom for signing her up for taekwondo. As she combatted the bulky teen, the other boy had brought two patrolling police officers with him to stop the fight and take away the man who attempted to rob him, which brings them to the current situation.

Y/N was pried off of the man as the two officers arrived in the midst of a hair-pulling competition. Her kicks deemed to be not as effective as she wanted them to be since her opponent sure knew how to block. Therefore, she resorted to the next best thing: pulling his hair until it comes out.

Once the two combatants were separated, the two officers held the thief by his arms, and the boy who Y/N had saved came up to her with a worried look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"I think I might have dislocated a shoulder, but I'm all good!" Y/N laughs heartily in response. Once she did not receive a laugh in return, she was quick to apologize. The boy noticed a bruise beginning to form on her cheek, so he commanded her to stay put as he ran into the convenience store. She picked up her bag and sat on the bench outside of the store.

The boy came back out with a small pack of frozen fruit and a plastic bag with two buns inside. Once he caught sight of her, he rushed over and held the frozen package of fruit up to her cheek where she had been punched.

"Woah, that's cold!"

"Sorry..." The boy apologized. He then pulled a bun outside of the plastic bag and handed it to her. "Here, this is a token of my appreciation for saving me."

"Looks delicious, so I won't say no!" Y/N took a big chomp from her bun filled with curry and melted into the bench. She looked at the boy and thanked him with a smile on her face, cheeks full of bread and curry.]

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) ♥️

Later in the evening, Y/N sat mindlessly on her hospital bed while sucking on her teeth to get a piece of meat out from between. Her father's sudden appearance that came with the loud slam of her sliding door startled her and led to the girl biting on her tongue.

The metallic taste of blood brought back memories of an annoyingly painful paper cut she got in high school.

["Ah!" Y/N held her finger up with her other hand when she felt a stinging sensation spread across the pad of her index finger. A red horizontal line appeared, and more red seemed to peep out from the cut.

"Y/N! Are you okay?!" Y/N sucked on her index finger to get rid of the blood but quickly pulled it out once she felt the terribly painful sting on her finger.

"Just got a paper cut."

"Wait, I think I have a bandaid." Y/N watched the boy in front of her rummage through his backpack for his first aid kit. She watched as his hands pulled out a small plastic container labeled "first aid", and she watched as his hands gently took her own in his. He gently dabbed gauze on her finger before blowing on the cut. He then carefully wrapped a Pokémon bandaid around her finger. Y/N giggled upon the sight of Charmander.

"Thank you, $_>#%|."]

Huh, that was weird. She couldn't recall his name.

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🍨

The second day after awakening, Y/N was greeted in the morning by her father with a fruit parfait in one hand and another in his other hand (probably for himself). He told the girl about the scolding he received from her mother about how unhealthy it was to be eating a parfait with that much whipped cream and sugar in the morning, but "YOLO" as he likes to say.

Y/N laughed and took the first bite out of her parfait. The perfect balance of bitter flavor from the matcha and the sweetness from the fruits and whipped cream danced in her mouth.

The harmonious teamwork of the parfait's ingredients brought back memories of her first date.

[Y/N played with the outside of her parfait's cup; the beads of water on the outside of the glass kissed her fingertips. Her eyes remained on the whipped cream of her parfait and would once in awhile glance at her Charmander bandaid or outside of the shop in search for her date.

Her head perked up when she heard the shop's entrance bell jingle. A unison chorus of "welcome!"s from the staff were heard. A body in a school uniform matching her own made it's way towards the table she sat at.

"Sorry I'm late! I was waiting for the florist to finish my order." The boy pulled out a small bouquet of her favorite flowers and offered it for the girl to take. The scent immediately entered her nose and caused a warm, fuzzy feeling to arise in her chest. She smiled sweetly at the boy before handing him a spoon and pushing the parfait in the middle of the table.

"Cheers." she prompted. The flavor of matcha, cream and fruits engulfed them in a state of happiness... that, and their presence in each other's eyes.]

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🫕

Upon her third day of awakening, her mother was the one to visit this time. Y/N's morning began with the scent of fresh congee with green onions in front of her along with her mother sharing her story about nagging her husband to bring the girl a more nutritional breakfast the next time he were to visit.

"This is going to be your last breakfast in the hospital, dear. You're getting discharged tomorrow." Y/N's mother soothingly stroked the girl's head. "The doctor said you surprised her with your physical therapy results! She said you were able to stand and walk for a long period of time. That's impressive considering you've been asleep for three years."

"Kids in my class would have called that 'sleeper build'."

"You kids and your weird slang will never cease to confuse me."

Y/N laughed before taking a spoonful of congee into her mouth only to instantly regret it afterwards. Her mom scolded her for not blowing on it properly. The surface of her tongue burned with the piping hot congee being swished around, but it's homemade flavor was amazing nonetheless.

The warmness and subtle flavor of congee brought back memories of catching a fever and being unable to attend her school's function.

[Y/N turned her head in refusal to the spoonful of congee that her friend pushed towards her mouth. The boy sighed and put the spoon back into the bowl. He picked up the packet full of notes and assignments the girl had missed due to being sick and placed them on her vanity table. He sat down at the foot of her bed and sighed, still holding the bowl of congee.

"I know you're bummed about not being able to go to the dance, but you won't be able to go to any dances at all if you don't get better soon." Y/N childishly kicked the boy even though she knew it was true. The boy yelped and scooted further away from her. He placed the bowl of congee on top of the school packet. He stood up as an idea arose in his mind and pulled his phone out of his jacket's pocket.

With a curious look on her face, Y/N tried to peek at the boy's screen. He was quick to notice her snooping and turned his back to her before turning back around once a slow song filled the silence of the room. He placed his phone on the chair in front of the vanity table and held his hand out to the girl.

Although her heart was fluttering, Y/N held the blanket up closer to her face and scooted further back into a corner of her bed.

"You might get sick."

"Oh, I'm bound to get sick because of how many times I've been in here already during your fever." He walked closer to her. "A little dance won't hurt, will it?"

Persuaded by his handsome face and the slight teasing tone in his voice, Y/N rose from her bed and took his hand. He pulled her closer to him and placed his chin on top of her head. The two teenagers slowly swayed to the soft melody coming out of his phone. This was far from the glamorous night Y/N thought she would have, but it was far more perfect than anything she could have imagined.]

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🌭

Upon her fourth day after awakening, Y/N was freed from the hospital. With a slight limp, Y/N walked down the sidewalk from the hospital and browsed the various food shops that lined the streets. Her giant black boot that the doctor said would help her walk was starting to get annoying; however, her hunger was greater than her annoyance. She wanted those cheesy, meaty sticks of heaven with potatoes on the outside layer. She walked as fast as she could towards a Korean corn dog shop with her mother quickening her own pace to catch up.

Nearing the entrance, Y/N reached out to pull the door's handle, but the door had already opened and collided with her forehead. She yelped and stumbled backwards from the sudden impact.

"Woah! Be careful, there!" A firm and sturdy arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in to keep her from falling onto the ground. Y/N looked up and met a handsome face staring at her with concern. It felt like a sweet, long eternity being held in the arms of the man. His eyes seemed to widen for a split second once scanning the features of the girl's face, but maybe she was just imagining it. Ah, she must be in heaven. "Are you alright?" the man spoke. Nope, she was still on Earth.

"Oh, yes," Y/N regained her footing with the help of her savior and dusted off the imaginary dirt on her pants. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's not your fault! I should have checked if there was anyone outside before opening the door so hastily." The way he spoke reminded her of the boy in her memories. All she could recall were his mannerisms, the way he sounded and his height. His face and his identity couldn't be found anywhere in her jumbled brain. "Anyways, were you about to go inside?" Only then did she realize the man in front of her was an employee; the small cartoon corn dog on the breast pocket of his shirt gave it away.

"Uh, are you guys still open?" She pointed to the shop behind him.

"We were actually just about to close, but I can make you something before we do!"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to keep you behind."

"I insist. Think of it as an apology for earlier." The man glanced at her medical boot and held his arm out, indicating that he would let her use it as walking support.

"Well then, thank you." Y/N smiled sweetly. Her first encounter with someone outside of the hospital was a disaster, but at least it led her to meet the handsome boy—who she learned was named Park Jongseong, or Jay as he liked his friends to call him—and to one of the most delicious cheesy potato corn dogs she's had in awhile (likely in over three years). She paid no mind to the private conversation between her mother and Jay, thinking that they were discussing the payment for the corn dogs, and she continued to idly sit at her table and munch on her food. She swung her good leg in delight.

The crunchy, sugary exterior and long strings of mozzarella cheese reminded her of the boy once again—this time of the beginning of their romantic relationship.

[The humidity of the air made their school uniforms stick to their bodies. Their sweat acted as the glue between their skin and the fabric of their shirts. Despite the blazing hot sun's angry presence, the boy walked a good twenty minutes from their high school to this corn dog shop with the girl. No shaded area shielded them from the wrath of the sun, but the journey was worth every step.

The corn dogs were as tasty as they looked. The excitement that took over the girl's body controlled her to order one corn dog in each flavor for herself while the boy had only ordered two. Appreciative of him walking through what seemed like hell to get here, Y/N gratefully paid for his food.

The girl happily swung her legs under the table as she finished off her first corn dog—the one with crushed dried noodles on the outside. Moving onto the second corn dog, she took a big bite and watched the cheese from the inside extend. The string of cheese stretched longer and longer until Y/N could not tilt her head back any further. The boy watched her with amusement as she tilted her head back once again to snap the cheese, but to no avail, the cheese only persisted. His adoration for her hearty appetite and her determination for any task given to her, both mundane and extraordinary, were only a few of the things he loved about her. It would take a long time to list everything he adored—maybe even longer than it would take for Y/N to finally break the never-ending string of cheese that seemed to stretch for eternity.

Chewing on the glob of stringy cheese she pulled out from the corn dog, Y/N nodded in victory and delight. She had transcended to her own world.

"Just watching you eat makes me full," he smiled while reaching his thumb out to wipe away the bits of sugar that clung to the corner of her mouth. "I feel like I could watch you eat forever." She only laughed and kicked him under the table.

"You better eat yours too! Before I gobble them up," she threatened. He laughed and picked up a corn dog. Without carrying out his primary intention of taking the first bite of his untouched corn dog, he held onto the stick of it and continued to watch her joyfully eat her third one. He knew how much she loved potatoes, so this one definitely had to be her favorite. He also knew how much he loved her and how she was definitely his favorite. Without much thinking, and due to his infatuation with the girl, he blurted out what he had hoped to confess for years.

"I like you." His confession was followed by a choked cough and Y/N hitting her chest to clear her airway.

"What was that?" she asked with a mouth full of cheese, potatoes and breading.

"I like you." Without a flinch, he confessed once again and moved onto taking a bite out of his corn dog.

"Then let's date." It was his turn to choke on his food.

"What?"

"I like you too, #%<^_."]

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🍛

Upon her seventh day of awakening, and her third day after meeting Jay, Y/N shakily did her makeup in the mirror of her bedroom's bathroom. Her own reflection stared back at her with clumpy mascara and sloppy eyeshadow.

"Yeah, let's maybe not wear makeup today." Y/N threw away her mascara, concluding that it was expired and way overdue its time. The posters of all of the boy bands and shows she adored from high school decorated her bedroom. Besides the neatly fixed bed, it was as though she hadn't been in here for three years.

After wiping the makeup off of her eyes, Y/N waddled out of the room and grabbed her bag on the way out. She slowly descended the stairs and announced that she was going to a curry restaurant to her parents.

"Do you have your boot?"

"Yes, Mom!"

"Don't take it off yet! You almost fell the last time you tried!"

"I hear you!" Y/N slipped through the house's entranceway and met the cool winter breeze outside. This was her first time going out without her parents after waking up from her coma, but luckily she wouldn't be completely alone today. A black car stopped in front of her gates, and the tinted window of the driver's seat rolled down to reveal Jay with a hand on the steering wheel. He caught sight of her and waved.

"Ready to go?"

"Yup! I'm super excited to try that place." She excitedly waddled to the passenger's seat of his car.

Maybe she was a bit too excited and not because of the curry. Seated at one of the tables in the curry house Jay drove them to, she nervously flipped through the menu while continuously stealing glances at Jay. Distracted and clammy, Y/N ordered whatever her finger landed on in the menu, and the waiter paid no mind to her behavior. Instant regret washed over her as soon as she took the first bite.

The overwhelming amount of onions and spices burned her mouth and violated not only her throat once she swallowed, but also her nostrils as it was filled with the scent of onions. She was experiencing a heavy sense of deja vu.

"Wow, you're brave for ordering the spiciest thing here. Even their regular curry makes my mouth burn."

The extremely spicy curry that brought tears to her eyes and made her stomach cry for help allowed Y/N to recall her second date with the boy in her memories.

[Y/N coughed and spluttered as she swallowed her first spoonful of curry. To no surprise, it was extremely spicy just as its name, "Super Duper Spicy Eye-Watering Curry", implies.

"You okay? Is it too spicy?" He filled her glass with water. Y/N only shook her head and said she was fine despite how fried her voice sounded. This is the consequence of her own action, as she paid no attention when ordering and let fate decide what she were to eat that day. Despite her boldly asking the boy to date her, she was feeling shy on their date; this was only the second time they had been out together, but the first time as lovers. Her infatuation with the boy led her to eat the restaurant's spiciest curry available. She was surprised nobody had died from eating this.

"Here, I think you'll like this one." The boy took both of their plates in his hands and switched them. He didn't wait for the girl to say anything before chowing down on the gut-destroying curry in front of him. Tears really were brought to his eyes.

"Wait! You don't have to eat it for me!"

"I don't mind. Your stomach is gonna hurt later if you keep eating this."

"So is yours, silly."

"At least the restaurant won't be held accountable for false advertising. This really is bringing tears to my eyes, haha!"]

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🍝

"What do you mean by that?" Y/N clutched the strap of her bag.

"Sweetheart, she didn't mean it like that–"

"No no, I'm not offended. I'm just confused why Mom is so against me going over to Jay's house for dinner. We're making spaghetti and watching a movie. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with the spaghetti or watching a movie; I'm just saying that I'm not comfortable letting you be with him."

"Mom, I promise nothing is going to happen. Jay is a good guy, and you've met him already. At the corn dog shop, remember?" Frustrated and trying to contain her temper, Y/N's mother stayed silent and waved her off.

"Just don't stay out too long," she finally says before Y/N leaves through the door with a small "I love you" and "I'll be back soon".

Once their daughter leaves through the door, Mrs. Hwang looks at her husband and sighs.

"Why didn't you stop her?" Mr. Hwang gently strokes the side of his wife's face.

"I know it's painful, but we have to let her do this. She's been recovering her memories bit by bit, so who are we to get in the way?" He embraces her and feels the warm tears falling from her eyes getting caught on his sweatshirt. "I know, I know." He comfortingly strokes her head. "Let her find out herself, okay? We'll be there for her every step of the way. We can't keep one of the most important aspects of her life a secret from her forever."

A few hours after Y/N's arrival, the two sat on Jay's grey twill couch and chowed down on their spaghetti. Lady and the Tramp played on his wide flat-screen TV, and Jay watched as the girl intently paid attention to the movie in front of her.

"You know, I don't think I've watched this movie before. I can't remember if I have."

"Oh, is that so?" Y/N turned her head to look at Jay.

The reason remained unknown as to why her heart fluttered as much as it did in that moment she tore her eyes away from the screen and made eye contact with the boy who did most of the work when preparing their dinner.

The savory and slightly sour tomato sauce with minced meat paired with the bouncy pasta cooked to perfection brought back memories of her first kiss.

["?=*~\, can we please recreate this scene?" Y/N begged the boy as she showed him a clip of the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp.

"I've never even watched the movie."

"You don't have to when I'm showing you all the reference you need." He sighed as Y/N tugged his arm to get him out of his chair.

"You're helping me cook the spaghetti."

And so she did. Well, tried to at least. Her sloppy meatballs did no justice to the perfectly presented and appetizing pasta sitting atop two ceramic plates.

"We don't need this one." Y/N pushed one plate to the side. The boy sighed for the second time and pulled out two forks from his cutlery drawer.

It took at least ten minutes for the two to give up on "coincidentally" picking the same strand of spaghetti and for Y/N to manually pick one out and give the other end of it to her partner.

Their faces inched closer and closer with every small bite of spaghetti. Y/N's face felt hot, and so did his, yet he would never let it show that this flustered him. Their lips were a centimeter apart at this point. Y/N stopped biting and hesitated to make the last move. Thankfully for her, she had a boyfriend that was willing to do it for her. Their lips met for a brief moment before they pulled apart. The tension that they shared through their gazes directed into the other's eyes entranced them to collide their lips back together for a longer, sweeter kiss than what was shared in Lady and the Tramp. He thought they were a cuter couple than those two dogs, anyway.]

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) ☕️

Her heart pounded as much as her feet ached. She rested her back against the ice rink's outer barrier that was outside of the rink itself. The ice skating shoes she wore felt a size smaller than the size written on it should have felt. She didn't complain, though; after being in a medical boot for almost a month, Y/N felt free to finally stand on her own two feet, and taking a blogger's advice to go ice skating for leg-strength training was a great decision since she found an excuse to ask Jay to spend the day with her. Her hands were at a higher temperature than the rest of her body due to the warm cup of hot chocolate Jay bought for her. In his own hands was a takeout coffee cup in the same size, but it contained a white chocolate mocha latte inside instead of hot chocolate.

Y/N took the first sip of her drink, but she did not dwell on her recollection of the first time the boy in her memories said "I love you" to her after drinking hot chocolate on a cold night like this.

The brief "I love you" that had sent her teenage self into a spiral for weeks earned back its spot in her memory archive, but she did not recall anything else the boy had said that night. Instead of trying to remember, Y/N turned her head to look at Jay who stood to the left of her.

"This reminds me of my first boyfriend."

"The ice rink?" Jay responded.

"No, the hot chocolate. He said 'I love you' to me for the first time when we were out together on a cold night."

"Oh yeah? Must've been quite special." She smiled at him; its warm effect on his insides did a better job than the coffee he was drinking.

Y/N didn't know why she suddenly spewed out what she said to him, but she felt like it was something worth sharing. She considered the possibility that Jay might've not cared, but it didn't matter to her. She wanted Jay to know everything about her just as she was rediscovering everything about herself. It was a journey she wanted both of them to take even if she thinks that her travel buddy may not care in the slightest.

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🍪

Despite the grumpy expression on her mom's face, Y/N watched as Mrs. Hwang took the box of cookies out of Jay's hands before thanking him and shutting the door in his face. In that same moment, she received a text message from him: 'I just dropped off cookies at your house. I gotta get to work, so I couldn't stay for long, haha. I hope you like them!'

She wanted to call him a liar because she clearly saw her mom deny his entry into their home, but she decided not to and thanked him for the cookies instead.

Determined to know what happens in the next episode of the drama she was watching, Y/N sprinted downstairs and snatched a few cookies from the box before going back upstairs. Paranoid about her daughter's leg not being fully healed, Mrs. Hwang yelled out for her to be careful or else "the boot goes back on!".

The cookies in her hands were still warm, and it left a good impression on her when she finally shoved one into her mouth. The sweet, chewy disc of goodness spread its flavor throughout her tastebuds. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and slouch in delight.

The very familiar recipe, however, struck a core memory that had been trapped away.

Jay's red velvet cookies surfaced Y/N's memories of a lovely picnic date turned sour.

["I can't believe we're graduating in a few weeks! Isn't that crazy?" The boy laughed in contentment as he stared up at the blue sky with clouds drifting by. He was met with silence from the girl laying down next to him on their shared picnic blanket.

"Hey, Y/N, are you okay?" The girl turned her body to one side and didn't bother responding. The boy placed his hand on her bare arm, and the warmth from it transferred to her cold skin.]

Y/N shuddered as a fragment of the memory came back to her. She took a bite from her second cookie.

["Baby, talk to me. Are you okay? Are you feeling cold? Is the food making your stomach hurt?" Annoyed by his questions, the girl pulled her arm away from his grip, and her skin was already missing the warmth of his. "Did I... did I do something wrong?"

"You're leaving me."]

Bite.

["Leaving you? What do you mean leaving you?"

"You're leaving me!" She sat up from her position.

"Why would I ever leave you? You know how much I love you!"]

Bite.

["You're leaving me to go back to Seattle aren't you? For that stupid culinary school!" She stood up.

"Y/N, I've been dreaming of going to that school since I was a kid! It's been my dream to open up a restaurant." He stood up from the picnic blanket.

"But what about me? What about us? What if you go off with some other girl while you're in America and forget all about me? Why am I the only one trying to keep our relationship standing?!"

"Will you just stop?! Did I get mad at you when you told me that you were planning to study in Japan? No! What makes it any different that I want to study abroad too?!"

"But the school I want isn't across the freaking ocean!"

"You're being irrational if you think I'm going to choose between you or that culinary school."]

Bite.

Roll. Drip. Drop.

A tear fell from Y/N's eye.

["Then go!"

"Y/N, that's not what I meant–"

"Just go to your stupid school already, Jay!"]

Jay?

With every tear that dropped from her eyes, the mess of scribbles that covered the face of the boy in her memories were washed away. His face was that same handsome face she encountered in front of the corn dog shop. At that curry restaurant. At his house, on his couch eating spaghetti with him. At the ice rink. At the front step of her house just minutes earlier.

An immense amount of guilt washed over her. All of those moments spent with the boy she dated and tried to hold back from chasing after his dreams made her feel nauseous and stuffy. Does Jay remember her? Does he remember her as the girl he used to date? As the girl who got mad at him for wanting to pursue his passion?

She couldn't handle this. She needed to destress and sort out her emotions in some way. What better way than to get something from the convenience store? Yes, she was a stress eater.

(^o^)/ <(밥 먹자!) 🍦

Y/N hugged herself to gather warmth that would defend her against her hometown's cold winter temperature. Despite freezing her legs off from going out in shorts and a thin jacket, Y/N bought an ice cream cone. Eating ice cream in cold weather was a pleasurable feeling whose cause is unknown to the universe.

It became less pleasurable and rather miserable when yet another memory resurfaced after taking the first bite of her ice cream.

The soft serve vanilla ice cream reminded her of the event leading to her near-death experience.

["Was I too harsh on him?" she mumbled to herself and took another bite out of her vanilla soft serve. The argument with her boyfriend caused the couple to ignore each other for the last two full weeks of school before their graduation day. It made the girl feel awful, but she couldn't imagine how much pain she must have inflicted on her lover.

Deciding to apologize to him and encourage her boyfriend to follow his culinary dreams, Y/N nodded to herself and stood up. It was an hour until Jay's apartment complex closed its gates to visitors, so she decided to run as fast as she could.

Oncoming lights from cyclists alerted Y/N to move out of the way for them to pass on the sidewalk. It was dark outside, and it was colder than the past few days. With a red nose, aching feet and a heart that felt like it was going to burst, Y/N ran and ran and ran. There were only a few more blocks until she would be able to see her lover and apologize face-to-face and tell him how much she loved and supported him. The finish line was right there, but the universe must have wanted to take revenge on her for her nasty attitude towards the person who only wished her the best and cared for her the most.

Just as Y/N sprinted across the crosswalk, a motorcycle headed her way at full speed. Not only did it jam into her side and break her ribs, but it continued to run towards her body that flew a couple of tens of feet away and ran over her back. Without looking back, the motorcyclist continued to ride down the road. Fortunately, he was convicted of third-degree murder.

On the other hand, Y/N was laying face down on the cement of the road with her breathing becoming pattered and inconsistent. Her bones were shattered, and her organs were punctured, but nothing hurt more than hearing the terrified scream and call for help from Jay who had found her on his nightly run.]

Y/N dropped her ice cream cone and felt like throwing up. The horrifying memory sent her into a panic as she clutched her head with her hands. She felt like screaming and crying, but she desperately tried to contain herself. Her breathing became quick and short. She could feel herself shaking.

"Y/N?" A masculine voice immediately brought comfort to her, but at the same time, it released the tears welling up in her eyes. With a choked sob, Y/N stood up and rushed to hug Jay.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she repeated into his shoulder. She cried her heart out and stained his jacket with her tears.

"I'm guessing you remember me now?" Jay lightly joked. He pulled her in closer to him and tucked her head into his neck with his hand on the back of her head. "I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry." His voice gradually turned into a whisper. Jay could feel his own eyes watering until the hot streams of liquid fell down his cold cheeks. He kissed her head over and over until it caused her to look up at him.

With tear stained faces, they looked into each others eyes and cried. She was in the arms of her first love, and he held the person he loved the most close to him. As if it were an instinct, the two leaned in and softly pushed their lips together. All of the memories came flooding back to her. All of the memories of her dates with Jay, all of the times he came to her house to sing her to sleep, all of the times he would cook and bake for her, and all of the times he would tell her that he loved her. They were finally back to their respective safe spaces.

Hwang Y/N was 21 years old when she fell in love with Park Jongseong for the second time.

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