Promise

After crouching to the ground in front of her father's grave, Sooyeong leaned forward with her one knee pressed to the ground. Her hand trembled as she lit a few incense sticks then poked them into a vase which stood near the headstone.

It had only been a short few days since her father's demise but as each day passed she took his loss harder than the day she had actually lost him. The pain kept excruciatingly building up within her and it felt like something had been sucking the soul right out of her which made her feel as if absolutely nothing could be done to aid her pain.

All of the happy moments she had shared with her father were now just a memory - a memory which she would have to now hold onto so dearly and closely to her heart because like her father who she had so tragically lost due to a respiratory disease, she had no mother either.

In hindsight, her world was distorted and shattered. But one of the only thing she had left of her parents in physical memory was the warm home which she grown up in for the passed seventeen years.

Even though that one happy element still existed it was not enough to outweigh the misfortunes that followed her like an impending death which made her believe that the universe never actually cared about her. And probably never would.

First it was her mother's sudden and very horrific death caused by a car crash almost two years prior. Then, her father re-married sometime after that which obviously made Sooyeong furious and dejected because nobody could ever replace the role of her mother.

Never. Ever. No matter who it may be.

Another reason was mainly due to how wicked her father's second bride was. She was worse than Satan himself or perhaps more accurately, Satan seemed more of an angel whenever compared to her.

That women, Hyungsik Suhjin - also known as the Dragon Lady for the following reason, always looked as if she would let loose perpetual breaths of flamethrowers whenever Sooyeong was around.

Suhjin detested the orphaned child with an awfully and outwardly burning passion but the apparent reason for doing so was ever so simple; because Sooyeong was not her blood-related daughter as Ahro was.

Ahro proved to be Sooyeong's very snarky stepsister on many accounts. She was pure reflection of her devilish mother in the eyes of Sooyeong and although there was only a year age difference between them, Ahro always seemed to act much older than actually perceived to be.

Sooyeong's eyes had become watery and a soft sniffle from her reddened nose sliced the silence around her.

"Why did you have to leave me dad? I miss both you and mom so much. I can barely take it anymore." Her voice trembled before she bit her bottom lip to ease the pain she felt.

"Things are so much worse now that you're gone dad." She sniffled again and as she spoke her breath crystallized due to the icy cold air. "You were my yellow paint. What am I supposed to do now?"

Silence followed after and for a moment she sat still. Completely still.

It was almost as if she was waiting for a reply of some sort. To perhaps give her even a shred of hope in her crumbling world. She needed an indication - a foresight - about what her future held in the coming days and weeks but alas, she never got an answer.

Instead, she felt a sudden vibration from within the pocket of her warm black coat.

Naturally, she pulled out the vibrating smartphone but when she set her beautiful hazel eyes on the display screen a frustrated sigh left her pink-stained and slightly chapped lips (due to the bittering cold).

The caller ID read in plain text:

드래곤 레이디
(Dragon Lady)

If she answered Suhjin's call that women would literally chew her ear off with her monstrous shouting mainly because, at that very moment in time, Sooyeong should not have be at the Cemetery visiting her deceased father.

But rather, she should be at her once happy home cleaning away the none-existent dirt like a resident house elf which she had suddenly been pushed to become. That misfortune fell onto her because Suhjin had become the Lady of the household. Suhjin could not be contested especially because Sooyeong needed a place to live.

Sooyeong bitterly ignored the call. Shortly after, it went onto voicemail. She did that a couple times over until eventually the calls had ceased completely which gave Sooyeong a moments peace.

But that was it - only a moments peace because a short vibration from her pocket was suddenly felt, once again.

She had received a Kakao talk message from The Dragon Lady herself.

드래곤 레이디 (Dragon Lady):
You wretched child! How dare you ignore my calls! And how many times have I told you not to go to that damn Cemetery! Get home this instant! I need you to pick up something of mine!

A heavy sigh escaped Sooyeong's lips and she shut her eyes in frustration.

As soon as her father had died Suhjin suddenly took ownership of everything he had ever owned. Material things such as the property, the navy blue Land Rover, his earnings, insurances and everything in-between had been granted to her because apparently the Will he had left behind bestowed everything upon the mother-daughter duo.

To Sooyeong it felt unfathomable that her own father would leave her with absolutely nothing - except for a university fund, which she'd only be able to claim once she graduates from high school because as far as she knew, her father, just like her loving mother, had always cared about her betterment more than anything else this world had to offer.

Hence, for that very reason, within her gut, she felt otherwise but unfortunately barely anything could be done in her defence since the Will itself was apparently declared official by all of the attorney's involved just the other day.

She stood upright after she had wiped away her tears with the ends of her sleeves then gave the headstone one last look and her eyes ran over the engravings which read:

In memory of a loving father and husband, Min Jaeyeong. 15 December 1964 to 22 February 2022.

A soft smile crept over her delicate, paled and tired features then she gave a small bow, "I'll come see you and mom soon, I promise and I love you more than anything."

Afterwards she chucked her smartphone into her coat pocket and walked toward the exit but as she walked she noticed another presence nearby.

More clearly, it was a humanely figure. He was crouched down in front of a nearby gravestone but what caught her attention was due to the familiarity of the said figure.

Her head cocked slightly as she scanned the back of the male. He had dark chocolate brown hair and a brown coat. She watched him light a few incense sticks before he poked them into a small vase beside the headstone. Then, he stuck his slender hands together and shut his eyes for a moment of silent prayer.

Her heart ached at the sight because that was bodily stance a few minutes ago but out of nowhere something had struck her memory cells and she realised whose gravestone she had been staring at all the while.

It was Kim Taehyung's grandmother's grave site.

Her heart wrenched further but she pushed aside her ailing heart ache and made her way toward the boy who could only be Kim Taehyung himself.

Taehyung was a classmate of hers, who she had been close to once upon a time but despite their drifted friendship she still held onto the memories she had shared with him because the crush she had gradually developed over the duration of their friendship still lingered out on the horizon. It was like a stinging sensation that just wouldn't fade away.

Upon arrival, she crouched down beside him which suddenly caught his attention and despite his eyes boring into her (most likely noticing her puffed eyes and dark circles from crying as well as lack of sleep) she went on to light a couple of incense sticks for his grandmother.

She poked them into the vase then placed her palms together and said a silent prayer which allowed her mind to slowly drift into a state of serenity.

"Sooyeong?" Taehyung's rather innocent voice called, and the said girl turned to face him after concluding her prayer.

Her eyes fell over his features just as his fell over hers and they stared at each other, completely soaking each others features.

She noticed his paled skin, (now tear-filled) brown eyes that sometimes hid under his uniquely crafted eyelids (one's monolid), slightly curved nose that had a little mole near the septum, slightly pinkish lips and a sharply constructed jaw line which all seemed to conjugate so well together.

There was not a single doubt in her mind that he was strikingly handsome. The heavens had definitely taken their time when they were creating him and she was pretty sure one of the celestial beings had accidentally tipped the vile which read perfection into his cauldron.

And despite being blessed with such good genes he was an intellect as well. But alas, beneath all of that perfection lurked a rather quirky personality that somehow everyone had loved, admired and grown accustomed to. Including her and that may very well be the reason why she fell for him in the first place - when he had moved to Seoul roughly around ten months ago.

"Your grandma would be proud of you Taehyung ssi." Sooyeong voiced with a warm smile as some strands of her wavy brown hair fell over her shoulders. "And we finally made it to senior year so the best we can do is graduate with good grades to make the ones we love proud."

A small smile formed over his lips and he felt his heart warm up, "Then let's promise to do our best once winter breaks ends."

She nodded her head and linked her pinky finger with his larger one then both their thumbs touched soon after in order seal the promise.

"2022 is our year." Sooyeong declared and Taehyung smiled with a head nod.

Soon after, they released their pinky fingers and stood in front of each other. A short silence, Taehyung spoke up.

"I went to your house earlier to check up on how you were doing but someone that I thought was your brother who actually turned out to be your chef said you weren't there and that you'd be here..." He gave an awkward smile. "But when I arrived I couldn't help but come here first... I'm sorry."

His gaze fell over his grandmother's headstone and toward the latter of his words, his tone altered into sadness.

Sooyeong's features filled with surprise and a pang of guilt flooded her heart, "It's fine Taehyung ssi. Really." She reassured, before she took his palm in hers and gave it a light squeeze. "It's what makes us human."

He looked down at their attached hands and both their hearts pounded in sync but to avoid getting an elevated heart rate he graced her with his voice, once more.

"Can I light an incense stick for your dad?" He asked softly which caught her off-guard but ultimately she nodded in agreement, happy at his sudden request.

They headed over to her father's stone and there Taehyung lit a couple of incense sticks just as they both did for his grandmother.

Sooyeong only watched as he poked them next to hers and a small smile graced his soft features after he had read the name engraved on the marble. At that moment he seemed to be at peace just as she was when she visited his grandmother's stone.

"Min ssi. Sooyeong ssi may be kind but she's still strong at heart..."

Sooyeong stood appalled at his sudden words.

"Well... physically too... and I know this because of that one time she accidentally landed a punch on my chest. Literally, burst the blood vessels in my heart." He trailed with an awkward laugh.

She bit her lip completely embarrassed at the memory so she gently nudged him with her knee for teasing her like that but he only chuckled in reply.

"She'll get through this so please don't worry about her." He continued, softly. "Also, we promised to graduate with good grades so we can make the ones we love proud and I'll look out for her too. So again, there's nothing to worry about."

Sooyeong's eyes teared up like before but her heart puddled within her chest at the latter of his words but at the same time she really hoped that he didn't just say that out of pity just because she's an orphan now.

But despite those unsure thoughts, she really wished that Taehyung could have met her father before he left this world.

She was convinced that her father would have liked - more like loved Taehyung just as he loved Sooyeong's other two close friends; Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook, who meant everything to her.

She wiped away the stray tears with her loose sleeves, trying to not be too affected by the sweet scene and words of Taehyung but unfortunately the constant buzzing of her smartphone ruined that genuine moment between the two.

And as if instinctively she knew it was Suhjin calling since she hadn't returned home as yet despite being asked too.

"Taehyung ssi." He looked up at the sound of her subtle voice.

"I really have to get going. I'm sorry." She bowed slightly as he got up to look at her properly. "But thank you for this. It really made me feel at ease."

"Sooyeong..." Taehyung frowned then placed a hand gently over her shoulder, making her look up at him. "Even though we don't interact as much as before I'm still here for you if you ever need me. Okay?"

His smile somehow warmed her heart just as much as his words did and she couldn't help but smile brightly at him.

"Thank you."

She quickly embraced him in a tight hug but this hug, unlike all of the hugs she had given him over the passed months felt so very different.

She felt guarded, less broken and an overwhelming sense of warmth washed over her petite body which just seemed to hit in all the right places because it was so eerily similar to the warmth she used to experienced in her once happy home when it was just her and her parents.

All of those nostalgic emotions made her give into submission and she tightened her hold around him.

All she wanted was to stay embraced within his arms for all eternity but alas her brain battled her heart and easily subdued it by convincing her that eternity only meant sand castle.

Sand castle meant things crumbled and could never last forever.

Eternity. Forever. Always - are words that are so very thoughtlessly and loosely used with the objective of giving off a false sense of hope and security to those who so desperately needed to hear it more than anything else.

They wanted to believe that something as childish as fairy tails could exist with the aim of escaping from a hell called reality which was just so difficult to survive in but Sooyeong knew differently.

Her mind knew that there could never be such things as a perfect fairy tail life. There was only reality, where everything would eventually meet a wistful end.

That was life and that was how it worked. The only way one could conquer and survive all of its trails and tribulations was to adapt. To change yourself, accept your reality and to keep moving forward whether it suited you or not.

Moreover, she knew Taehyung would never have mutual feelings for her because he was loved and known by many. So it seemed impossible for her mind to wrap around especially since he drifted away from her after having formed new friendships with that bubbly personality of his.

And that only convinced her more that all good things have an expiration date.

Not long after Sooyeong's sudden embrace, Taehyung had slipped his strong arms around her to increase her comfort but somehow, to him, it felt as if she was comforting him instead.

It was as if she had re-opened the parts of his heart that he thought he had pushed away long ago.

Specifically those parts that held deep feelings for her which had been erupted by a simple sticky note she had pasted on his locker months back mostly because the message of it held so much meaning to him.

That sticky note created a connection between them by planting a seed of friendship which had soon blossomed into cute little high school crushes - unknowingly for the both of them.

But ultimately and very sadly, their banter full friendship met its wistful end when he had formed new friendships with people Sooyeong wasn't too fond of.

And although, those feelings for her were buried somewhere deep inside, it seemed as if a little leakage had unconsciously brought him here to check up on her.

His mind and heart boggled at the sudden rush of emotions that spread throughout his body and he tried to make complete sense of it but to his dismay the detachment of Sooyeong from his larger body interrupted his thoughts.

She stepped away from him, immediately having the cold air hit against the frontal parts of their bodies, leaving the both of them to slightly shudder at the sudden coldness.

- both their bodies missed the warmth of each other already but right now none could be done in its stead.

"I'll see you in school on Monday, Tae ssi." She turned away as her heart raced and her cheeks burned from their contact.

He watched her smaller form put distance between them.

"See you in school!" He finally called and she turned around to send him a little wave before disappearing out of sight.

Not long after she had left, his hand raised over his chest and he felt his heartbeat which was now well above the normal range but surprisingly enough he seemed perfectly okay with that.

- perfectly okay with how she made him feel with just a simple hug that was meant to comfort her, not him.

"Soo ah..." He mumbled softly. "From the way my heart is aggressively pounding, it seems like you've burst those vessels again..."

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

The first chapter is completely different from the first chapter in sticky notes
and it may probably be a little humdrum but I promise the coming chapters are much better!

Also, for those wondering what the hell is up with the yellow paint, clues have already been dropped in both this chapter and in the synopsis update. You can lay out your theories if you want but all will be revealed sooner than you think!

Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to vote and comment! I hope to see you in the next update!

Author, Lu. 💜