A simple tribute to one of my favorite Korean Dramas: Shut Up! Flower Boy Band.
I hope you like it!
Days Like Those
It had been 365 days since Buyng-hee had left. 366 days since he had uttered those dreadful words that seemed to had predicted his own death.
"I want to die in my happiest moment."
There were some days in which Ji-hyuk still wondered if it had been so. Days in which he woke up in the middle of the night, all covered in sweat and with tears burning in his eyes, after images of Byung-hee's death had played in his mind for the millionth time. The memories too vivid and the pain all too real.
Days in which he heard Byung-hee's last words so clearly that he thought he'd go crazy.
"You punk answer the phone. Come quick!"
In days like those, Ji-jyuk spent hours in the darkness of his room, gloomily longing for the days in which there were the six of them, and there was pool, and ramyun, and countless practice nights peppered with fame dreams and Glastonbury stages. The days in which they ruled the school and their only concern was the kind of music they wanted to play. When they would just shut up and run, running away from Shil-ba, when nothing had ever been tarnished by darkness and they all had naively thought in never would.
That morning hadn't been any different. He had woken up after barely getting some hours of sleep. He had opened his eyes only to realize it was Byung-hee first death anniversary. Immersed in the darkness of his room, he had gotten up after minutes of blank staring at the ceiling. Then, he had gotten dressed, and with Byung-hee's notebook in his hand and his guitar on his shoulder, he had hurriedly left his room.
He had ran all the way to Byung-hee's memorial vault; ran until his lungs burned and he was too tired to even think. Amidst the clear blue sky and with the sun just coming up.
He had made a habit out of that for whenever he felt lost or lonely. Sometimes, he allowed himself to pretend that his friend was still there, calling him "dog," telling him about the new songs he had just written or about how much he needed to find a muse. With a pang in his chest, he smiled wistfully.
In days like those, in which he felt as if he were trapped in a never-ending tunnel, even then, there was light. It was warm and comforting, and her name was Soo-ah.
In days like those, she just sat next to him while quietly slipping her hand in his, and it was that warm –the warm he felt whenever they touched, what would bring him back to reality. Then, together, they made their way back to their rooftop lives, young and free and restless, in which they would cook ramyun together, and he would sing for her, and she would, from time to time, surprise him with a brand new pair of tennis shoes decorated by her that he would proudly wear in days to come. They often spent sleepless nights in the roof, admiring the city's nocturnal landscape and looking at the stars, wondering which he was. Sometimes he told her stories about Byung-hee, and she let him rest his head on her lap, stroking his hair until he fell asleep.
Ji-hyuk looked at his worn white tennis shoes and smiled, not ruefully but contently, feeling light-hearted all of the sudden. He looked up and found her there, standing by his side, silent as ever, staring at him with her big brown eyes. He reached out for her hand, grazing her fingers. She smiled gently and mumbled something about Ha-jin telling her where to find him and about the rest of them planning to come as well.
He stood up, never letting go of her hand, and after giving one last look to Byung-hee's picture, they walked away.
There were days in which Ji-hyuk woke up in the middle of the night, all covered in sweat and with tears in his eyes, and days in which he longed for the lost days and wondered how things could have been; but then, he remembered that there were still the five of them, and that there was pool, and ramyun, and Woo-kyung, and Rock Kim and Shil-ba. That he had her. That they were still young and that they were free. That they could always just shut up and run.
As he walked into the night, with Su-ah by his side and the cold winter air on his face, he realized that it had been days like those which had taught them about life, love and friendship all the while making them stronger and wiser.
Kwon Ji-hyuk smirked and looked up at the sky.
"You bastard."
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