Like the Old Times (drabble)

[qiguai]

Title: Like the Old Times
Pairing Jieun/Yonggook
Rating: G
Word Count: ~900
Warnings: none
Summary: "there's something in the corner of your eye, but every time you look, it's already gone, but you know it's still there, counting the hours until you will meet."
Notes: Inspired by Secret's "Starlight, Moonlight" music video. :)

In the middle of the train station, Jieun rests her head on Hana's shoulder and pretends to sleep. The distant sounds of the arriving and departing trains make sleep impossible, but she doesn't think she can take one more second of Sunhwa's banter. Hyosung is the youngest's current victim. Clutching her bottle in her hand, Sunhwa glows with excitement. "And then we held hands and walked along the beach. Do you think this is one of those, you know, premonitions, unnie?" "Maybe," Hyosung replies with a patient smile. "You think I'll really meet someone at the beach? Just like in my dream?" She doesn't wait for an answer. She sits back against the bench and sighs, her gaze cast off somewhere beyond reality. Jieun reluctantly sits up, the threat now gone, and rolls her neck. "That's what you get for being mean to Sunhwa," Hana mutters with a half-smile. "I wasn't being mean," Jieun explains. "I was being preemptive." "What's the difference?" her friend laughs. Jieun sticks out her tongue and checks her watch. There's still an hour until their train arrives. Why Hyosung had insisted on them meeting so early, Jieun has no idea. An exaggerated sigh. "I'm so bored." She leans back against the bench and crosses her legs. "Want to play a game?" "You'll lose," Hana shrugs. With a pout, Jieun concedes. No point in worsening her mood by losing to Hana again. The car-ride to the train consisted of enough of that, and they still had the train-ride to go. Hana smiles in triumph and Jieun pinches her side lightly. A poor decision, it turns out, as Hana turns right back around and begins to tickle Jieun mercilessly. As she tries with all her might to retain some composure while getting her friend to stop humiliating her in such a public place, something in the corner of her vision moves in a way that catches her attention. Across the station, a tall attendant is watching the two of them with a huge grin on his face. He doesn't flinch when Jieun glares daggers in his direction, just smiles even wider and chuckles a little. When Hana finally relents, Jieun gets to her feet and straightens her dress, face hot and red as she storms away from the bench. Someone is going to pay for this, and since trying to get even with Hana will most likely result in failure and worsen future punishment, Jieun sets her sights on the stupid, still staring attendant. "Good idea!" Hyosung calls after her. "We really should get our tickets." Hana makes a comment wondering why the hell they haven't gotten their tickets yet when they've been waiting so long, but Jieun keeps moving. The attendant doesn't make a move until Jieun is three feet away from him, nearly steaming at the ears. His grin falls and the very tips of his ears go pink as she fixes him in a silent, heated glower. "M-may I help you?" Yes, you can go slip on a banana or something, Jieun almost says until she realizes how lame that would be. "We're picking up tickets," Hyosung interjects as she moves around Jieun. He looks incredibly relieved and turns his attention to the much less angry-looking girl. All at once Jieun and her embarrassment are forgotten, at least to everyone but Jieun. She stares at the attendants back, willing a rash or something really uncomfortable to happen to him with her eyes. Hyosung pokes his arm and he laughs shyly. Jieun's hands ball into fists at her sides. She wants so badly so scream, but her voice is caught and she bites the insides of her cheeks. The attendant goes on his merry way, helping Hyosung get their tickets with a beaming smile that, to be quite honest, makes Jieun's knees go a little weak. In her rage she'd failed to notice his smiling, kind eyes, which look on everyone and everything with a surprised kind of joy. Jieun honestly can't believe she's thinking this kind of cliched, mushy stuff, and it makes her blush furiously. The way he helps Hyosung is so genuinely warm, Jieun's anger evaporates as quickly as it came. After passing Hyosung the tickets, he bows to the four of them with another of his bright grins. "Have a safe trip," he says, eyes on Jieun alone, sparkling in a way that's annoyingly familiar and wonderfully disconcerting. "Have we met before?" she asks in a voice barely louder than a whisper. His smile falters again and his head turns a little to the side as if thinking. Over the intercom a woman announces that their train is finally arriving. Hyosung grabs the still dazed Sunhwa and Hana drags Jieun by the arm away from the ticket booth. Jieun keeps her eyes on the attendant the entire way, and he never looks away until the wall of the station comes between them. Jieun settles into her seat on the train and places her hand over her heart to try and calm it. Suddenly she can't wait for their vacation to be over.