LIFE STORY

Friday 9th March 2018

Following their past discussion about Yeeun’s relationship with Hochang, mom and dad decided to take Yeeun to the house to tell her their expectations. Yeeun knew what her parents were about to tell her. She’s prepared for the worst, and she looked totally fine from the outside, but inside, her heart was wrenching. Despite the impossible twist that her parents would let her continue seeing Hochang, she still had a small hope that her parents would say otherwise.

Mom: Yeeun-ah…

Yeeun raised her head to look at mom who’s sitting across her on the sofa. Beside mom was dad, whose expression was as neutral and flat as it always had been.

Mom: Mom and dad have discussed enough about your future and your relationship.

Upon hearing mom’s opening sentence, Yeeun tried her best to maintain her composure. She didn’t want to let mom and dad see her vulnerable side. Mom continued,

Mom: We think that you should call it an end. If I have to be honest with you, there are so many other gentlemen out there who can give the best things fteor you. And mom knows you know very well our family’s legacy to marry someone from a prominent family. Yeeun-ah, mom felt empathetic about Hochang. I couldn’t imagine how hard he must’ve tried to go on after his dad’s passing, but I still believe that our family’s tradition and legacy outweigh my empathy for Hochang. You know what I mean, right, Yeeun-ah?

Yeeun who expected all the things that mom just uttered, tried to stretch her mouth a little, her expression was ambiguous, as it didn’t show acceptance nor rejection. She had had enough of an argument with mom. Yeeun thought, ‘It’s useless anyway if I even try to oppose her’.

Yeeun: Yes, I know that all too well, mom.

Mom: I hope you understand us, because we all want the best for you. You’re still young, and you still have a long way ahead of you. Mom and dad can find you a better candidate who can make you happy.

Yeeun wanted to curse so bad if it was possible, but she didn’t anyway. ‘What do you even mean by making me happy? Buying all those expensive designer items? Treating me to 5-star hotel restaurants? Bringing me to a holiday abroad? I don’t care about all those,’ Yeeun thought. She realized that happiness wasn’t just about money. She genuinely felt the love for Hochang, and she received the same, even though Hochang isn’t the heart-fluttering type. Aside from that, she knew Hochang could protect her from any kinds of danger, but it’s sad that her mom isn’t even trying to appreciate that.

The serious conversation was about to end, mom who felt that it was enough of an explanation, left the living room and entered her room. Yeeun raised from the seat and when she almost exited the front door of the house, her dad stopped her.

Dad: Yeeun-ah

Yeeun: Hm… appa… what’s wrong?

Dad looked back to see if anyone was around. There wasn’t anyone, thankfully, so he continued what he was about to say to Yeeun.

Dad: You don’t want to breakup with Hochang, right?

Hearing her dad’s unexpected question, her pupils expanded and her eyes went watery as she hesitantly answered with her shaky voice,

Yeeun: Honestly… yes, I don’t want to. But what can I do? Mom said no.

Dad who looked super concerned about Yeeun, and said,

Dad: Yeeun-ah. Don’t follow mom’s orders. Keep your relationship as it is with Hochang. Dad will take care of everything. Don’t worry about a thing.

Yeeun couldn’t hold her tears anymore and started crying as she couldn’t believe that her dad would actually say that in front of her. She remembered what Eun told her, that she must speak up about herself and try to find a win-win solution for her parents and herself. Before even trying to speak up, her dad, who’s the last person she could ever imagine would give in, was actually on her side now.

Dad who saw his daughter crying, kept her in his arms as he said,

Dad: Don’t worry, it will be alright. You’re such a nice daughter, do you know that? It’ll be alright. Honestly, Hochang is a good guy, dad really appreciates his effort to protect you. I think it’s unfair if I have to decide on your happiness. It’s already stressful that you had to go to Yonsei, although you do love your major. I don’t want to make myself a bad memory to you, all I want is for my daughter to be happy.

It’s been such a long time since Yeeun was in her dad’s embrace. The last time was probably during her high school graduation when her parents came to school for the ceremony. All these time, Yeeun just didn’t realize that her dad was honestly very caring towards her, and an actual ddal babo – A yes man to his daughter.

At the boutique

8.30 a.m.

It was Kang-eonni’s first day of work at the boutique. She arrived much earlier before the store opened as instructed by the manager who interviewed her. As she arrived at the boutique and put all her belongings in the locker, she introduced herself to all the employees in the store during the morning briefing.

Manager: Alright, good morning everyone… Today we have a new member to our team. Let’s all focus and work hard today.

The manager signaled her to introduce herself to the team.

Yina: Hello, my name in Kang Yina. Please take good care of me. I’ll work hard.

The team’s expression looked alright that day, and it somehow gave Kang-eonni strength for her first day at work

Manager: Alright, everyone, it’s a Friday, so do expect that more customers are gonna come especially during the second shift in the evening and night.

All: Yes, we’ll keep that in mind!

As all the employees seemed to understand what they had to do already, they all proceeded to their stations and started doing their tasks. Kang-eonni who wasn’t sure of what to do, took initiative to make sure that all the clothes are displayed extra neatly on the racks.

Her day at the store went quite smoothly at first, but maybe it just wasn’t her lucky day, as an ahjussi who seemed to be in his late 50s came into the store.

He decided to try on some clothes in the fitting room and shouted for an assistance

Ahjussi: Excuse me, can someone help me with the fitting?!

Some employees who were outside the fitting room could hear the loud noise and were all actually taken aback by the loudness of it, but since Kang-eonni wanted to show her best performance on her first day, she hurriedly walked towards the changing room cubicle and asked nicely,

Yina: Sir, how can I help you with?

The ahjussi scanned Kang-eonni from head to toe as he peeked from the curtain and let her inside the fitting room. Kang-eonni tried to maintain her expression as the ahjussi told her to button the silk shirt that was brought inside. Kang-eonni had sensed that something’s wrong, and something sure did. The middle-aged man deliberately molested Kang-eonni’s body. She tried to avoid making a fuss over that to keep her professionality, but her pride as a woman couldn’t let that happen.

Yina: Sir, what are you doing?!

Ahjussi: What are you talking about?!

The other employees in the store heard the sound of the customer and approached the scene. Luckily, there weren’t many visitors at that time, so it was easy to distract them from the commotion.

Just then, Dongjoo entered the store with his cougar. He purposely asked to go to that boutique so that he could see how Yina was doing on her first day at work. As soon as he entered the shop, he heard the fuss that was going on from the fitting room, so he approached the scene to see what was going on. As soon as he arrived at the scene, the ahjussi exclaimed,

Ahjussi: I told you I didn’t try to touch you! Is this how you should treat a customer?!

Yina: You know that’s not the truth!

At that moment, Kang-eonni tried her best to hold her tears from falling, but everyone could see how red her cheeks were from her suppressed anger.

Before the argument could go even worse, Dongjoo who had the grasp of the situation shouted,

Dongjoo: Kang Yina!

The fuss went silent suddenly as they heard the loud voice who screamed Kang-eonni’s name. She was started and couldn’t believe her eyes at who did it.

Yina: Dongjoo-ya…

What’s even more shocking is that the ahjussi was also startled as he saw someone whom he knew,

Ahjussi: You!

Suddenly, Dongjoo’s cougar jumped in and said,

Ahjumma: Yeobo?!

The argument ended as the ahjussi’s attention was altered as his wife suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. Kang-eonni too had some questions to ask as to why Dongjoo was there at the boutique. As Kang-eonni sneaked out from the scene, the ahjussi and ahjumma fought like cat and dog.

Convenience Store

06.00 p.m.

The sun has set as it signaled nighttime’s arrival. Kang-eonni’s shift had ended, and she sat outside a convenience store. Dongjoo came out of the store while bringing a couple can of beers and handed one over to Kang-eonni.

The two stayed silent for a while and then Dongjoo finally uttered a few words,

Dongjoo: You okay?

Kang-eonni opened the can of beer and gulped a sip before she replied with a sigh. She didn’t know how to explain her feelings, but she tried her best to,

Yina: I’m okay, but I’m not.

Dongjoo who heard Kang-eonni’s explanation suddenly turned his expression even more serious than before.

Yina: Even though I used to be a sugar baby, getting money from married men, I do have my pride as a woman. I don’t let just anyone touch my body. You know, it’s MY body and not even any girl can touch me. Do you understand?

Dongjoo understood how she felt. He’s also a player, but he had a perfect manner as a man.

Dongjoo: How about your work?

Kang-eonni let go of a big sigh, but she answered,

Yina: I talked to the manager, thankfully she understood my position. I’ll resume working next Monday.

Dongjoo nodded and felt relieved that Kang-eonni’s motivation to gain experiences during the break won’t go in vain. Wanting to get away from the topic, Kang-eonni tried to change the subject a little as she didn’t want to think further about the incident,

Yina: So are you done with that woman?

Dongjoo took a sip of beer and answered,

Dongjoo: I guess so. She texted me just now, saying that she and her husband made up.

Kang-eonni resumed,

Yina: Have you ever thought of stopping?

Kang-eonni didn’t exactly explained what she meant by stopping, but Dongjoo seemed to understand where the question was headed towards.

Dongjoo: Stopping? Honestly I have thought about it, but I can’t imagine my life without all those money that I can get from this job.

Yina: Well, you’re not exactly wrong, you get a good amount of money and the only thing you need to do is make your client happy. With your techniques.

Dongjoo stared straight at Kang-eonni and then asked,

Dongjoo: I’ve never dared ask about this, but why did you decide to stop?

Kang eonni smirked and responded,

Yina: Because I know this thing that I was doing won’t last, and I have to prepare for what’s gonna happen in the future. We’ll get old, and I didn’t even attend university at the time. If I turn old, who wants to use me? No one, right?

Dongjoo sighed as Kang-eonni finished her explanation. He was annoyed at himself because what Kang-eonni said was totally right and rational.

Dongjoo: You’re right.

At that very moment, Dongjoo sincerely thought of stopping his career and start attending school like Kang-eonni. The serious conversation highlighted their night and the two continued to finish their beers as the moon shines bright in the velvet dark blue sky.

Belle Époque

07.00 p.m.

Yeeun was laying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling blankly above her. She grabbed her phone on the bedside table. She opened the kakao-talk app to text Hochang

Yeeun quickly put on her coat and grabbed her purse and went out of the room. Eun and Eunjae were at the dining table eating ramyun from the pot. They all looked at Yeeun who’s out with her pajama pants, completely not her style to go out.

Eunjae: Yeeun-sunbae, where are you going at this time?

Yeeun: I’m going to the usual café, meeting with Hochang.

Eunjae looked at Eun and asked in whisper,

Eunjae: Did something happen to her?

Eun kind of guessed what happened, but kept quiet as she realized it wasn’t her place to tell other Yeeun’s problems.

At the café…

Yeeun entered the café hurriedly and went over to Hochang who’s sitting at the usual table. Hochang raised from his seat as he saw Yeeun approaching.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah, did something happen?

Without giving an answer, Yeeun wrapped her arms around Hochang tightly. She said,

Yeeun: I’m never gonna let you go. You understand?

Hochang then hugged Yeeun tighter, expressing his understanding. He thought, ‘I guess she met her parents…’ Despite knowing that Yeeun might have met her parents, he couldn’t exactly predict the outcome.

After some time, Hochang let go of Yeeun and asked,

Hochang: Do you want some smoothies?

Yeeun looked up to Hochang and nodded as she took a seat at the sofa, but before Hochang went towards the register to order, Yeeun added,

Yeeun: Hochang-ah…

Hochang: Hmm?

Yeeun: I’m hungry too.

Listening to Yeeun’s cute remark made him smile like an idiot, he wanted to pinch Yeeun’s cheeks so much,

Hochang: Arasseo. Wait here, okay?

Hochang is one super understanding boyfriend. He’s calm and mature, although he might seem like an anti-social guy. He being understanding was one of the reasons why Yeeun felt comfortable being with Hochang.

OH & PARK Entertainment

07.14 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae was clearing her desk as she prepared to go home, when her phone buzzed. She looked at the list of notification on the locked screen and realized that it’s from Jihun. She had exchanged kakao talk with him the day before, but didn’t really expect to receive a message from him.

Yoon-sunbae left the last message as read, and didn’t reply the text. She was happy that she got to meet her high school friend again, but she didn’t really like the fact that he’s her ex-crush. It would honestly feel uncomfortable for her even though there was no more feelings attached anymore.

Yoon-sunbae waited patiently for the elevator as she pressed the ‘down’ button. At the lobby, she saw the figure of a tall guy who’s dressed casually, looking different from the usual sweat pants and t-shirt fashion that he always had after giving dance classes.

As Yoon-sunbae approached him, Jihun said,

Jihun: You’re here~

Jinmyung: Hm…

Jihun: Let’s go!

The two exited the main door and they walked to the dinner place that wasn’t that far away from the office building location. The weather was quite chilly that night, but thankfully Yoon-sunbae wore warm clothes to protect herself from the chill.

At the Restaurant

08:00 p.m.

As the two sat down at a table and ordered their dinner plus soju, Jihun opened the conversation for the night,

Jihun: Jinmyung-ah

Yoon-sunbae looked up and waited for Jihun to continue.

Jihun: If you have the choice and miracle to go back to our high school time, would you do it?

Yoon-sunbae frowned a little as the question was odd in the first place, but she thought for a while and answered,

Jinmyung: Why do you want to know?

Jihun: You’ll be surprised if I tell you why I asked that.

Jinmyung: What do you mean?

Jihun: You really don’t know?

Jinmyung: Know what?

Just then, the ahjumeoni came with two bowls of sizzling beef soup and rice bowls. The weather hit a single digit that night, so ultimately hot soup was the primary choice of dinner menu for the both of them. Their conversation was cut off, but Yoon-sunbae who was still curious at Jihun’s statement said,

Jinmyung: Jihun-ah, you haven’t answered my question. Know what?

Jihun’s expression looked a little dumbfounded when Yoon-sunbae didn’t know what he was trying to say.

Jihun: We were always together in High School.

Jinmyung: I know that, so what?

Jihun: So? Do you even realize how many girls in our school literally sent me love letters and gifts every single day?

Jinmyung: Well, you were indeed famous. Of course I know.

Jihun: Why do you think I never once gave any of those girls attention?

That one question hit Yoon-sunbae so much. She was enjoying the gukbap a lot (it’s honestly her favorite food), but she was forced to stop, and her heart suddenly beat faster.

Yoon-sunbae’s expression was flat as ever, from the High School era, Jihun could still not read her expression well.

Jihun: I liked you. A lot.

All of a sudden, Yoon-sunbae whose heart was bursting suddenly had her pupils expand, surprised at Jihun’s words.

Jihun: It’s so sad that you never realized the things I did for you. I waited for you at the junction near your house almost every day so that I can take the bus with you every day. I put a pain reliever tonic on your desk during that time of the month, and I wrote all the notes for the subjects you missed during that time when you had to take care of your brother, although you know I don’t ever take notes. I didn’t expect you to thank me or anything, but you know, the feeling of not being realized by the person you like is more hurtful than being rejected.

Flashback – Mundo High School

Spring, 2005

Class 12-2

It was 8 in the morning, Jihun and Jinmyung arrived together at their class. The weather was sunny and breezy as the vernal equinox had passed a week before. Cherry blossoms had started to bloom and it’s beautifully decorating the view outside the class window.

It wasn’t a rare sight for Jihun and Jinmyung to go to school together, though, a lot of girls from every level definitely didn’t like the fact that she was seen around Jihun frequently. Despite that, the kids never suspected Jihun to land a feeling for Jinmyung as she really wasn’t ‘attractive enough’ in everyone’s eyes. She was that typical hard-working student who had no interest in anything but studying. No one would have suspected Jinmyung to like Jihun either, she’s just so cold towards any guy in general and had that image of a tough girl.

By the time Jihun and Jinmyung entered the class, Jinwoo – Jihun’s bestfriend said,

Jinwoo: oii Jihun-ah, some girls left things under your desk earlier

Jihun put on a poker face and walked towards his desk at the back of the class, leaving Jinmyung behind. Jinmyung just stared at Jihun’s back for a few seconds before sitting at her desk on the first row. Jihun bent his body to look at the under compartment and saw several nicely decorated letter and expensive chocolate bars. He took a sit and opened the letters one by one and read them.

Jinwoo who sat next to Jihun exclaimed loudly,

Jinwoo: Yaah, look at all those letters! Mwoya, isn’t this chocolate pretty expensive?! Those girls really are determined.

Jihun hadn’t spoken a word since then, and looked at Jinmyung’s direction instead of reacting to all those letters to see whether she’s bothered by it or not, but it seemed that she wasn’t interested by a tiny bit, as she was busy with doing some practice papers. ‘If only you knew…’ Jihun thought.

Honestly, Jinmyung heard it, and she could suddenly feel a throb in her heart when she heard that he’d received a bunch of letters and chocolates. ‘Jinmyung-ah… focus!’ she tried to distract herself from not caring about Jihun and pretended her best to study.

Fall, 2005

The college entrance exam was approaching very soon, and everyone was expected to stay for a night study period at school. From behind, Jihun could see Jinmyung touching her belly and flinched, seemingly in pain. Everyone seemed to be immersed in studying that no one noticed Jinmyung suffering in silence. It was break time, Jinmyung said something to her desk mate and brisk walked outside the class. There were two girls asking what’s wrong with her, and the desk mate said,

Desk mate: Period cramps.

The girls acknowledged it straight away and continued with their own thing. Jihun heard it, and being the most sensible guy by nature, he risked running out of school to buy a menstrual herbal tonic at a convenience store near school and ran back to class. Thankfully, all the kids weren’t paying attention, so he quickly slipped the tonic under Jinmyung’s table and walked back to his seat.

Jinwoo who was napping the whole time, woke up when Jihun came back.

Jinwoo: Where did you go?

Jihun: Toilet

Just then, Jinmyung came back, looking a little pale and moved towards her desk. She groped under her table to get her exercise books, but felt an unusual item. She took it and read the sticker on the bottle, ‘Menstrual Pain Reliever’. Jinmyung tried to look left and right to guess who could have given her the tonic. Jihun looked towards the window to avoid being caught by Jinmyung for staring at her too long.

After the night study

11.00 p.m.

Jinmyung walked outside and stopped before the school gate, she opened her bag and took the tonic out and cracked the cap open. On her last gulp, suddenly Jihun approached her from behind,

Jihun: Mwohae?

Jinmyung got startled and quickly hid the bottle away so Jihun couldn’t see it.

Jinmyung: Ani, nothing. I thought you went home already?

Jihun: Ahh…. I- went to the teacher’s room first. Kang-seonsaengnim wanted to see me. Kkaja!

The truth is, Jihun was there all along, waiting for Jinmyung to finish the tonic, but of course he didn’t want her to know this. After telling her to go, Jihun walked right away in front of Jinmyung, before she followed slowly behind.

The two’s high school crushing on each other continued to be like that. Jinmyung kept her feelings as discreetly as possible and Jihun remained careful but caring towards her. If only one of them had the bravery, they would have lasted for a long time.

Flashforward – Restaurant

Awkwardness quickly grew between the two adults, but Yoon-sunbae who at the time thought that she should clear everything out, said,

Jinmyung: Jihun-ah. You’re talking as if you’re the only one hurting, but you seriously don’t know the truth at all.

Yoon-sunbae continued,

Jinmyung: Honestly, I really liked you too. For the whole 3 years of high school.

Yoon-sunbae didn’t know why, but she laughed as soon as she finished her late confession.

Jihun: Jinmyung-ah. Are you being serious?

Jinmyung: Well, have I ever not?

Jihun knew Jinmyung’s not the type to play around, and if she says something, she means it. He pressed his forehead in frustration as he couldn’t believe the golden chance that he missed.

Jinmyung: When I met you a few days ago at the office, I was really concerned because you were once my ex-crush.

‘Ex-crush’ she said, Jihun thought.

Jinmyung: I have a man that I truly love now. He’s a chef, currently in Busan.

Jihun smirked as he heard Jinmyung’s painful explanation.

Jihun: Wow. I should have not hesitated back then.

Jinmyung; Jihun-ah, please… don’t.

Jihun: Do you know how much regret I have now?

Jinmyung: Jihun-ah, I’m not the only woman in the world, you see.

Jihun: But you’re the only one I can’t forget.

Suddenly, Yoon-sunbae felt as guilty as ever.  She never felt like that before. For some reason, she did feel sad when she had to say goodbye to her crush in high school without even being honest with her own feelings. Yoon-sunbae was a motae solo when she met Chef Park, and she didn’t know the art of dating and being a relationship, but he completely changed her to who she is right now.

Jinmyung: I’m sorry.

Jihun: Ani, don’t be sorry.

Jihun came to his senses and said,

Jihun: We can still be friends, right?

Jinmyung: Of course we can.

Jihun: Promise?

Jinmyung: Promise.

Jihun filled his shot glass with Soju and raised it to invite Yoon-sunbae to make a clink in celebrating their friendship. Yoon-sunbae thought the conversation would continue to be awkward, but it was really nice to see Jihun who could accept the reality.

Jihun and Yoon-sunbae didn’t realize it, but as they had the conversation, their bowl of gukbap went empty.

Jihun: So… you’re in a long-distance relationship with your boyfriend now. Don’t you feel that it’s hard?

Jinmyung: Well, it is really hard, but thankfully he’s moving to Seoul in June. He’s gonna set up his own restaurant in here.

Jihun nodded in understanding, and sighed,

Jihun: Well, I have to move on now, right?

Yoon-sunbae could only put on a bitter smile at Jihun’s rhetorical question.

10th March 2018 - Belle Époque

8.30 a.m.

Jiwon woke up from her deep sleep when her alarm rang. She hid herself completely with her blanket, but put it off when she realized that today’s her friend’s wedding day. She made her way down from her bed and went out of the room to get ready. There wasn’t anyone in the kitchen or living room. It was really a quiet weekend at Belle Époque.

When she went out, all dressed up in a pretty dress and her hair let down, Jiwon entered her room to spay some perfume and putting all the necessary things on the bag that she’s gonna use. Her attention was alarmed as her phone rang. Yeeun was still fast asleep on her bed, so Jiwon quickly answered the phone outside the room.

From the other side of the line,

Sungmin: Good morniiiing

Jiwon: Mwooo mwoo mwooo??? What’s up with you early in the morning like this?

Sungmin: I just woke up, and I just think of you right away.

It’s true. Sungmin was still on his bed, blanket still covering his body with his messy hair showing. Jiwon smiled when Sungmin said those cringe-worthy line.

Sungmin: Jiwon-aaaaah, I’ll come pick you up at Belle Époque

Jiwon: Hmm arasseo, go and take a shower now! The event starts at 11. Don’t even dare to come late. You’ll see what happen if you do.

Sungmin: Ayyyyy, okay Princess. I won’t be late. See you later!

Jiwon ended the call without even replying to Sungmin’s last words. ‘Seriously… How did I end up with this guy?’ Jiwon thought.

Suddenly, her phone rang once again. Jiwon quickly answered without looking at the caller ID, it must have been Sungmin again.

Jiwon: mwoo?! Why are you calling me again? You still want to listen to my voice?

There was silence for a split second from the other end of the line. Jiwon continued,

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah? Why are you so quiet?

Suddenly a woman’s voice could be heard from the call,

Caller: Yaaa, Jiwon-ie you surely are enjoying your relationship, huh?

Jiwon’s eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the voice coming from the other end.

Jiwon: eom...eomma?!

Mom: Geurae, it’s your mom.

Jiwon: Why are you calling early in the morning? Did something happen?

Mom: You always ask me if there’s something wrong, I just wanted to check on you. Everything’s alright, right? How about Im-seobang?

Jiwon: Im-seobang?! Eomma... Please…

Mom: Aigoo… mom just cares a lot about him, that’s why. He’s your first boyfriend after all.

Jiwon: Arasseoo arasseo. Everything’s alright. Next week’s he last university week, so I’m pretty much free until graduation

Mom: Graduation? Isn’t in In June? You have almost 3 months of nothing. How great, why don’t you go home to help us with some chores?

Jiwon thought for a while for an answer,

Jiwon: Okay, I’ll help

Mom: Good daughter! What are you doing today?

Jiwon: Me? I’m going to a friend’s wedding

Mom: Ah really? Im-seo- I mean, Sungmin-eun?

Jiwon chuckled a little and said,

Jiwon: He’s coming too.

Mom: Aaaah, alright. Don’t forget to take pictures and send it to me!

Jiwon: Arasseo-yo… eommaa… I’ll hang up!

Mom: Eung, be careful on your way! Send my regards to Im-seobang~

Jiwon: Hmmm

Jiwon’s lips stretched as mom called Sungmin Im-seobang again at the end of the call. She went inside her room to continue where she left off before getting the calls from two of the dearest people in her life.

Sungmin’s Apartment

09.00 a.m.

Sungmin came out of the shower, covered with a white bathrobe. He headed towards his closet to pick a clothing set that he’s gonna wear to the wedding. He picked a white shirt from the railing and buttoned it in his toned body before putting on a pair of black pants. His expression looked extra happy that day. It was his first time going to a wedding ceremony with his significant other.

Sungmin came out of the closet looking super dandy with his hair styled part ways – on fleek. He stopped by the vanity at the end of his room to check himself up in front of the mirror. Sungmin then uttered convincingly,

Sungmin: okay, looks good. Jiwon-ahh, I’m coming!

On the road…

09.45 a.m.

Sungmin connected the Bluetooth connection on his phone to the car’s stereo and played a playlist full of his favorite songs. The morning sky was visibly beautiful. It was the definition of a good day. The weather was also not so cold, as spring was about to come in just one more week.

When the car approached Belle Époque, Jiwon was already outside waiting to be fetched. The time read 10.20, just in time for them to reach the venue before the ceremony starts at 11. Sungmin hit the car’s hand brake and alighted from the car quickly to give Jiwon a quick kiss

Sungmin: You look pretty today

Jiwon: I look pretty every day, you dumbass!

The two let go of a playful laugh before Sungmin opened the passenger’s car door for Jiwon.

They arrived at the 5-star hotel where the wedding was held at. Sungmin parked the car at the basement and they walked over to the lobby. Jiwon told Sungmin that she wanted to greet the bride first at the waiting room, so Sungmin had no choice but to wait outside the ballroom all by himself.

At the bride’s waiting room…

Jiwon: Aaaaaaah, Jinhee-ya! You look so beautiful today!

Jinhee: Gomawo Jiwon-ah. How did you get here?

Jiwon: My boyfriend drove me here.

Jinhee: Boyfriend?! You have a boyfriend now?

Thank God there weren’t that many people in the room, because Jinhee’s voice was really loud when she said that.

Jiwon: Hahaha, yes I do. It’s unexpected, right?

Jinhee: Totally! When I sent you the invitation, I was actually concerned because I didn’t want you to come alone, but I’m relieved now that your boyfriend is here too. Ahh, I can’t wait to see him later. Is he handsome?

Jiwon: You would probably regret marrying your husband if you see him.

The two ladies laughed happily at Jiwon’s joke. Just then, the photographer asked them for a photo. Jiwon put on her signature sweet smile and let the photographer shot a few pictures before Jiwon hugged the bride.

Jiwon: Jinhee-ya, I’ll see you from the guest’s seat later. Don’t be nervous. Fighting!

Jinhee: Eo, thank you! See you later!

Jiwon exited the room and went over to where she left Sungmin.

Jiwon: Sungmin-aaah, sorry for waiting

Sungmin: Ani, it’s fine.

They went inside the hall and took a seat at the guest seat section. Not long after, the ceremony started. The crowd cheered when the bride walked on the altar with her father. It was a beautiful sight for Jiwon. As the father handed Jinhee over to the groom, he teared up a little. This made Jiwon comment, ‘My dad will not cry at this thing.’ Sungmin who heard Jiwon’s nonchalant remarks smiled. The bride and groom exchanged the rings and shared a brief kiss. It was a smooth-sailing ceremony and everyone looked happy.

The MC for the day announced,

MC: Congratulations for the bride and groom! After this, for those of you – friends or relatives of the bride and groom who are single or still unmarried, please get ready to stand in front of the stage because the bride is going to throw her bouquet!

Hearing this, Sungmin said,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, are you going?

Jiwon: Do you want me to go?

Sungmin: Why are you asking me?

Jiwon: What if I catch the bouquet?

Sungmin gulped his saliva, his eyes wavered a little at Jiwon’s sudden question,

Sungmin: Then what? You’ll bring the flower home.

Jiwon showed her frustration at Sungmin’s answer, that wasn’t what she wanted to hear from him. Jiwon walked towards the end of the stage and joined the others who were standing, ready to catch the bouquet.

MC: Alright, ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to catch the bouquet! Bride are you ready?

Jinhee looked over to her left where the MC was standing, and nodded.

MC: Okay she’s ready… 1….. 2……. 3!

Jinhee threw the bouquet right away, Jiwon’s eyes widened as she wanted to catch the bouquet so much. Unfortunately, it went passed her and someone right behind her caught it. Jiwon swore in frustration,

Jiwon: Aish!

She turned back and saw a familiar figure standing behind her holding the bouquet in his hand.

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah… you!

Sungmin’s expression was rather bland, and he showed the bouquet that he caught. Everyone cheered in excitement. Having caught the flowers, the MC asked Sungmin,

MC: Wow a handsome young man caught the bouquet! If I may ask, are you single?

Sungmin: Uhm… no, I’m not.

MC: ahhh, so you’re not married yet, then. What is your connection to the happily married couple here?

Sungmin: My girlfriend is the bride’s friend.

That’s when Jinhee realized that the person who caught her bouquet was Jiwon’s boyfriend. Jinhee then grabbed the microphone from the MC and said,

Jinhee: Jiwon-ah!

Jiwon was startled.

Jinhee: Now I understand what you told me in the waiting room hahahaha

Not understanding what Jinhee said, Sungmin looked at Jiwon and asked in whisper,

Sungmin: What did you say?

Jiwon didn’t answer Sungmin and continued to smile and laughed.

Jinhee: Alright, you two be happy! To my family and friends, thank you very much for allowing your leisure time to attend my wedding ceremony and thank you for all the blessings. Jiwon-ah, I’ll wait for the invitation!

Jiwon nodded in happiness when she heard Jinhee’s closing remarks. Sungmin looked nervous as hell. As soon as she finished her words, she gave the microphone back to the MC for him to finish off.

MC: Right, we don’t know what story the bride’s friend told at the waiting room, but we sincerely congratulate the boyfriend for catching the bouquet! Don’t forget to contact me for your wedding MC hahaha. Now, for all the guests who have attended, you are welcome to consume the food that have been provided. Enjoy the rest of the event. Thank you.

When Sungmin and Jiwon were about to head to the dining area, suddenly two people walked towards them. Sungmin knew who they were, and he had a million questions as to why they were there. Sungmin quickly warned Jiwon,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, from now on, please be in your best behavior.

Jiwon: Why?

Before Sungmin could answer, the two people were already in front of them. Jiwon was confused at the whole situation. In front of her were a middle-aged man and woman, the two of them were smiling, without knowing anything, Jiwon initiated to show respect,

Jiwon: Annyeonghaseyo… nugu…?

The ahjussi and ahjumma looked at each other and put on a smile before answering,

Ahjussi: Ahh, of course, you don’t know us. We’re Sungmin’s parents. Sungmin had told us a lot of stories about you.

Jiwon who heard the ahjussi’s explanation nodded and surprisingly seemed cool, the opposite of how Sungmin had thought of her to react.

Jiwon: I’m sorry. Annyeonghaseyo, eomonim, abeonim, my name is Song Jiwon. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. The both of you look so young, who would have guessed you have a son my age

Mom: Hahaha, thank you for the compliment. By the way, we just found out that you guys were here. We saw Sungmin catching the bouquet. You are Jinhee’s friend?

Jiwon: Yes, she’s my friend from High school. We were really close back then.

Sungmin’s parents nodded in understanding. Jiwon asked a question in return,

Jiwon: How about abeonim and eomonim? What relation do you have…?

Dad: The groom’s father is my good friend at work.

Jiwon nodded at dad’s answer.

Dad: Ah, Jiwon-yang… we were just talking about this, when can we prepare a meeting with your parents?

Jiwon who could keep her cool from just now suddenly looked at Sungmin with her ‘save-me-please’ look, so Sungmin answered,

Sungmin: Abeoji, why don’t we take this slowly? I’ll talk about this over with Jiwon and make sure we can arrange a meeting.

Sungmin’s dad looked over to mom who seemed to agree with Sungmin.

Dad: Alright, I don’t want to disturb the two of you anymore. We’ll go over to the bride and groom’s parents.

Jiwon: Aniyeyo, abeonim, eomonim, you did not disturb us at all.

Mom: Arasseo. Until then.

Sungmin and Jiwon bowed in respect as the parents walked past them. Sungmin told Jiwon right away,

Sungmin: Jiwon-aaaaah

Jiwon: Mwoo?

Sungmin: You did well. I didn’t expect you to be able to carry a conversation with my parents so suddenly.

Jiwon: Well, you don’t call me Song Jiwon* for nothing.

Sungmin: You’re right. Okay, let’s eat!

Sungmin offered his right hand to Jiwon and Jiwon grabbed it right away. Oh right, the bouquet was still on Sungmin’s left hand.

[T/N: Jiwon (지원) in Korean can also mean Support or Backup]

- To be continued - 

Thank you guys for reading!

Belle Époque

4th March 2018

10.30 a.m.

Eun opened her eyes as the alarm on her phone rang. She reached out to her phone under the bed and turned the alarm off as the familiar alarm sound that she hears every day really annoyed her. 

She stretched her body as she had a really good night’s sleep from the night before. She stared at the ceiling and thought, ‘it’s today…’

That day, Eun was going to meet Sooji, her ex-bestfriend who’s no longer attached with her. Eun did feel very sad that she had to lose her precious friend whom she grew close with.

It’s only after almost a year that Sooji agreed to meet her again, and from the tone of Sooji’s messages, Eun couldn’t feel the ‘hate’ or the I-don’t-want-to-talk-to-you vibe, which really surprised her. 

After thinking about it for a while, Eun got up from her bed and took some clothes from her wardrobe and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

11.00 a.m.

Eun got out from the bathroom all ready and found Yeeun who was sitting at the dining table. She greeted her,

Eun: Yeeun-sunbae good morning!

Yeeun looked down that morning, as her eyes were fixated at the table in front of her. 

Yeeun didn’t realize Eun had just greeted her, so Eun sat down on the bench to wave her hand at her. Yeeun woke up from her zoning out moment.

Yeeun: Eo, Eun-ah... hm???

Eun: I said good morning, Yeeun-sunbae… Did something happen?

Yeeun: Ah… mian… Nothing so big, it’s just that I have a lot of things on my mind now.

Eun: What kind of things?

Yeeun hesitated to share her story to Eun, but she decided that it wouldn’t harm her in any way if she tells her, so she went on to share,

Yeeun: Hochang met my parents yesterday.

Eun waited from Yeeun to continue her story

Yeeun: My parents haven’t said anything about it. I’m sensing that something bad is gonna come from them. That I have to separate from Hochang. What should I do? Eo? Do you have any idea?

Eun who just found out about Yeeun’s situation, tried to digest all the information that she just heard. Honestly, Eun isn’t someone who’s an expert in solving matters between boyfriends and parents, because her own parents haven’t even met Janghoon who’s in the army. Well, they may not even know that she already has a boyfriend. But Eun tried as hard as she could to provide Yeeun with a comforting word, 

Eun: Yeeun-sunbae… I think you have to think about both your parents and yourself too, I don’t know much about the criteria of a boyfriend your parents like, but in the end I believe every parent wants the best for their child, right? You’re the only child, just like me. 

You must have felt the same thing as I do, like how my mother always asked me to cut my hair short, that’s why before I met you, Eunjae, Jiwon-sunbae, Yoon-sunbae, Janghoon, and even Kang-eonni, I had that boyish look in me and no hint of any femininity. 

To be honest, I do love girly stuff, but I realized at a point in time that I had to make myself brave enough to fight for what I like, and you see, in the end my hair is no longer short, and my mom doesn’t really force me to cut it anymore, because I told her what I want and why having long hair isn’t gonna be a problem.

When Yeeun heard Eun’s words of consolation in the form of her own analogy, Yeeun’s mind suddenly cleared a little. Yeeun smiled and replied to Eun,

Yeeun: Eun-ah, gomawo.

Eun: Aniyo Yeeun-sunbae, it’s really nothing. I was only telling you about my own story and experience. I hope everything goes well for you, Hochang-sunbae and your parents.

Yeeun’s lips stretched even more,

Yeeun: Eo, arasseo

Yeeun then noticed that Eun was dressed very nicely that morning, so she asked,

Yeeun: Are you going somewhere?

Eun looked at her clothes and said hesitantly,

Eun: Eo… I’m meeting Sooji today for lunch,

Yeeun who heard the shocking news, replied,

Yeeun: Sooji?! I thought you guys aren’t in good terms? What happened?

Eun took a deep breath and released it before answering Yeeun’s question,

Eun: Eo… It just turned out that way. I texted her yesterday if we could meet up, you know I just wanted to catch up with her, and she sent me a reply saying that she wanted to meet me today for lunch.

Yeeun who understood the situation, nodded.

Eun: Alright, then, I think I have to head out to the lunch place.

Yeeun: Eo! See you! Good luck!

Eun waved at Yeeun as she walked towards the main door to put on her black ankle boots and exited the main door.

Before walking outside Belle Époque, Eun took out her phone to text Sooji

She kept her phone back in her purse and walked away with a subtle smile on her face.

Eun alighted from the bus and walked towards the restaurant that she and Sooji used to visit a lot when they were still close friends. She opened the glass window and the bell rang as she entered the restaurant. 

She could still fell the familiarity and the cozy vibe of the place. She headed towards the seat where she and Sooji always sat at.

When she was seated, the ahjumeoni who’s also the owner of the restaurant approached her table with a menu on her hand. She recognized Eun by the face and said,

Ahjumeoni: Haksaeng, your hair has gotten long! It’s been such a long time since you came… But by the way, where is the cute girl with the pale skin and wavy hair who was always with you?

Eun put on an awkward smile as the ahjumeoni recognized her, but she felt even more awkward when Sooji’s visuals were brought up, so she replied,

Eun: Yes… It’s been a long time… I actually came here to meet her.

Ahjumeoni: Oh, really? That’s great. Then, please have a look at the menu and call me if you’ve decided on what to order. Do you want any drinks?

Eun: Uhm… I think I’ll just have a jug of water first and order later when my friend comes. Thank you.

Ahjumeoni: Okay… Please wait

Eun got back to her own world as the ahjumeoni left for the kitchen to prepare the jug of water that she requested. It was Sunday afternoon, so the restaurant isn’t as busy as weekdays, since the location is very near the offices in Seoul, where many workers head over to grab a quick lunch at the place. In the restaurant, there were only a couple who were sitting at the edge of the restaurant hall and a middle-aged uncle who’s having his own meal at one table.

12.35 p.m.

It’s been 35 minutes since the appointment time has passed, but Sooji has yet to arrive at the restaurant. Eun kept checking at her phone to look at the time almost every 30 seconds and at the same time check if there’s a message coming in from Sooji. To no avail, there wasn’t any message coming in. If there was, it’s just a spam message from the local operator.

Eun released a huge sigh and decided to check her chat with Sooji. She found that her message that she sent earlier prior to going to the restaurant hadn’t been read by Sooji. 

The ahjumeoni who noticed that Sooji hasn’t come after more than 40 minutes of waiting, approached Eun and asked her,

Ahjumeoni: Haksaeng, do you want to order some food? It’s already 12.40 p.m. now, I think you should be hungry. Why not wait for your friend to come while eating something?

Eun who heard ahjumeoni’s offer, thought for a few moments and responded,

Eun: hm… arasseo-yo… I’ll just have a portion of tofu-soup with rice please

Ahjumeoni: Alright. Got it!

Eun smiled at the ahjumeoni who seemed to care much about her. She once again let go of a sigh and stared at the window to see people passing by the street. Every second that she spent looking out of the window, she put a hint of hope that Sooji would come.

Flashback - Seoul Café

3rd March 2018

12.00 p.m.

Sooji: Ya, I’ll go to the restroom first, take care of my belongings, ok?

Kim Sora: Arasseo.

Sooji was out in a café with Sora, her ‘new’ bestfriend, or a replacement of Eun? Anyway, Sora kind of knew the situation between Sooji and Eun that wasn’t good for 10 months already. Everyone knew Sooji and Eun were bestfriends, and she also thought it’s really such a waste that a friendship as close as theirs could be cut so suddenly and badly.

Just then, she saw a notification on Sooji’s phone. It was from Eun, asking Sooji to come meet her on that day. Just then, Sooji came back to the table and looked at the notification on her phone. She locked her phone back and put it on the table.

Sora: Why?

Sooji: Why what?

Sora: Is it not an important notification?

Sooji: Ani, it’s just a spam. Don’t worry about it.

Sora knew Sooji was lying, but she just kept quiet and continued where they left off.

3.00 p.m.

Sora and Sooji were walking back when Sora couldn’t hold to keep what had been on her mind since she saw Eun’s notification on Sooji’s phone.

Sora: Sooji-ya.

Sooji: Hm?

Sora: I saw it.

Sooji who didn’t know what Sora was talking about, put on her more than confused face.

Sora: The message. It wasn’t a spam, right? It’s from Eun. But why didn’t you answer her?

Sooji was taken aback when she heard what Sora just confessed about. She was a little angry.

Sooji: Mwoya… You saw my phone?! Why do you care so much about it?!

Sora: Sooji-ya… I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s the way you should act towards Eun. I don’t exactly know what happened between you two, but it seems like you’ve never properly settled your problem with her. You don’t even wanna tell me what exactly happened. 

You know, as a friend who cares about you I do want to know what happened. I want my bestfriend to resolve all her problems well and be relieved.

‘Sora isn’t wrong about this,’ Sooji thought. But what’s annoying is the fact that Sooji knew her ego wouldn’t allow her to make up with Eun anymore. She’s hurt at the fact that Eun thought about her that way. That she isn’t straight. And the fact that Eun felt uncomfortable about it.

Sooji: What should I do, then?! I don’t know if it’s already too late to talk to her anyway.

Sora: It doesn’t matter. You see, Eun is definitely trying to make up with you, and you should at least appreciate that.

Sooji kept quiet as Sora advised her. She then took her phone out of her purse and opened the chat with Eun and typed her message.

4th March  2018

12.30 p.m.

Sooji woke up from her long long sleep. When she realized that the sun was shining so brightly already, she quickly grabbed her phone on the side table and jumped as she looked at the time. 12.30 p.m. She’s late for her appointment with Eun. Sooji ruffled her hair in frustration and quickly headed to the bathroom for a quick shower before heading out to the restaurant.

12.45 p.m.

After getting ready for the meet up, she waved down for a taxi in front of her apartment and hopped on to one. She ordered the taxi driver to go to the restaurant and urged him to try his best to reach the destination as fast as possible.

She hadn’t been able to check her phone from 15 minutes ago as she was too occupied with getting ready as fast as she could. When she saw the notification that Eun was already on the way an hour ago, she felt even sorrier that she ever did.

Thankfully, the driver knew how to reach the place through shortcuts, so she could reach the place within 10 minutes time. Sooji paid the taxi fare and got out, only to see Eun who was eating alone by herself at the table that used to be their usual spot. Sooji sighed and murmured to herself,

Sooji: She hasn’t changed.

Yes, Eun hasn’t changed. Whenever she felt lonely and disappointed, she never expressed it. The fact that she’s been waiting at the restaurant for nearly an hour for Sooji and not notifying her is just how Eun was like 10 months ago.

Sooji made her way to the restaurant and went through the glass window. She could see Eun who wasn’t paying attention to the door as she stared blankly at the tofu soup that’s getting cold already.

Sooji: Eun-ah.

Eun who saw Sooji standing in front of her, quickly stood up and replied,

Eun: Eo, Sooji-ya.

Sooji: Mian, I woke up late today and rushed here.

Eun thought to herself, ‘what a relief. I thought she changed her mind.’

Eun and Sooji then took a sit and didn’t talk to each other for quite a while due to the awkwardness. Sooji hated awkward moments, so she opened the conversation,

Sooji: I see you colored your nails now.

When Sooji pointed that out, Eun quickly looked at her nails and said,

Eun: Ah… Yeah, I just colored it yesterday. It’s the first time in a few years. I just wanted to try doing it. By the way… Sooji-ya… I want to apologize.

Sooji was startled when Eun talked straight to the point.

Eun: I know what I did was wrong. I should’ve been honest with you from the start. I really didn’t want to hurt your feelings, that’s why I kept quiet.

Sooji: I know. I know all of that.

Eun: You do?

Sooji: Of course I do. Honestly, I just needed time to understand the situation. It’s not like I don’t understand why you did that to me. I just realized that maybe too much time had passed and it’s already too late for us to make things up.

Eun: So… do you accept my apology?

Sooji didn’t say anything, but she nodded at Eun’s answer.

Sooji: But I think it’s gonna be hard for us to go back to how we used to be. So many things have changed now.

Eun knew very well what that meant, but at least one of her biggest burdens had been lifted, and she felt so much more at ease.

Eun: Arasseo... So, we can still go out for lunch on weekends like this right?

Sooji replied,

Sooji: Of course

Eun smiled as she heard Sooji’s answered. Sooji then asked the ahjumeoni in the restaurant for her order. It was a heartwarming scene of the two as they no longer feel the burden that lingered in them for a long time.

5th March 2018

12.00 p.m.

Kang-eonni just finished her class. She went over to the library to access her emails through the PC there. When she logged in to her email, she saw a message coming in from the recruiter of the Assistant Store Manager Intern position. She opened the email as it read,

Congratulations!

You’ve been invited for an interview to join our team as an intern for the Assistant Store Manager position.

Please come to our Seoul main boutique on Tuesday, 6th March 2018 at 10.00 a.m.

See you and have a good day.

Kang-eonni smiled as she thought her spring break is going to be productive with the internship program. She logged out of her email and turned off the computer to head out for lunch at a restaurant near the university campus. She pressed the call button on her phone and called someone,

Yina: Ya, I’m on my way already. See you there!

Kang-eonni kept her phone back in her bag and continued walking towards the restaurant. As she entered the restaurant, she saw Dongjoo who’s already sitting at one of the tables.

Yina: It’s been so long since we ate together, huh.

Dongjoo: Eo, I’ve been so busy

Yina: Aish, are they that clingy to you still?

Dongjoo sighed and replied,

Dongjoo: Eo, a lot of their husbands are busy with work, they feel lonely, so I’m their only resort to fill their emptiness.

Yina: Aigoo Dongjoo-ya…

Dongjoo: Well, isn’t that normal? Let’s forget about that and order, then. Is it the usual for you?

Yina: Eo.

Dongjoo shouted out the order for lunch to the waiter,

Dongjoo: Two sundae-gukbap please!

Waiter: Yes, coming!

While waiting for the food to come, Kang-eonni told Dongjoo that she’s been invited for an internship interview,

Yina: I’m going for an internship interview tomorrow

Dongjoo: oooo, Yina-ya, I didn’t know you’re so hardworking now.

Yina smiled at Dongjoo’s remark.

Dongjoo: Where is it?

Yina: YSL, the main boutique.

Dongjoo: Jinjja? You used to be a frequent customer there and now you’re gonna be the one to serve, are you okay with that?

Yina: Well, things are different now, of course I should be prepared.

Dongjoo liked Kang-eonni’s certainty in her answer. Just then, the waiter came with their food. They paused their conversation and ate the food in front of them to satisfy their empty stomach.

OH & PARK Entertainment

3.30 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae and her team along with the CEO were conducting a visit to check on the activities in the company, including the new girl group debut’s practice. As Mr. Oh went inside the practice room, the 5 girls who were doing the dance practice stopped and lined up in their formation to greet the CEO,

Leader: 1,2,3

The girls: Annyeonghase-yo Moonlight-imnida

CEO: Right right, continue on with your practice, work hard!

The girls: Yes, we’ll work hard!

Yoon-sunbae was standing at the back, standing still when the CEO and Moonlight were interacting. She was there to ‘follow’ her seniors anyway.

When the team has finished going for round checks, Yoon-sunbae took a break. Suddenly, someone called out her name,

Guy: Yoon Jinmyung?

Yoon-sunbae turned to where the voice came and stared at the person who called her. She couldn’t believe herself,

Jinmyung: You…

The guy approached Yoon-sunbae and stared at her before saying,

Guy: It’s me. Han Jihun.

Yoon-sunbae was really taken aback when the guy said he’s Han Jihun, her high school friend. What’s surprising is that he used to be her crush.

Jinmyung: Eot..eot..eottokhae…

Jihun: How did I come here?

Yoon-sunbae nodded her head.

Jihun: Ya… I don’t know if you paid attention or not, but didn’t you see me in the practice room just now?

Jinmyung: Practice room?

She tried to recall what happened in the practice room and then continued,

Jinmyung: Ayy, it’s impossible!

Jihun: Why? It’s impossible that I’ve become a choreographer?

Jinmyung: I thought you’d pursue your parents’ dream to go to med school? You were so smart.

Jihun: I thought hard about it, and I decided to pursue the career that I genuinely enjoy. You know I loved dancing a lot, right?

Yoon-sunbae laughed when Jihun asked that,

Jinmyung: How can I forget? Your duck-like dancing always made my day.

Jihun: Ayyy, don’t ever bring that up! That’s my dark past! By the way, which department are you at?

Jinmyung: Me? Strategic Management Team.

Jihun: Yeokshi. Once a good student, you’ll be a good employee too.

Jinmyung: So, are you going home now?

Jihun: Well, in a bit. I have another schedule to teach at my dance studio. Wanna go out for food sometime?

Jinmyung: Sure thing, why not?

Jihun: Arasseo. I’m going!

Jinmyung: Eo. Be careful!

Yoon-sunbae smiled and waved at Jihun as he went off. Suddenly, Kang Jinah stood behind her and said,

Jinah: You know him?

Yoon-sunbae touched her heart as she was startled at Jinah’s sudden appearance,

Jinmyung: Ah, he was my high school friend.

Jinah: Ah, jinjja? He’s younger than me, then… What a disappointment, he’s so handsome, though!

Yoon-sunbae heard Jinah’s words and smiled a little.

6th March 2018

9.50 a.m.

Kang-eonni arrived in front of the boutique store and stretched her lips before she entered the luxurious boutique door. When she entered the store, she told one of the store attendants that she was supposed to have an interview at 10 o’clock. She was brought upstairs to where her interview would take place.

She was seated on a table before a lady who’s in her mid-30s greeted her,

Lady: Annyeonghase-yo, my name is Jo Hyunhee

Yina: Yes, Annyeonghase-yo. I’m Kang Yina. It’s nice to meet you.

The lady scanned Kang-eonni from head-to-toe before she sat down in front of her. During the interview, Kang-eonni was asked some basic questions such as her university and major, and her interest and knowledge in high-end fashion. After the interview finished, she told Kang-eonni,

Hyunhee: Alright, Yina, I think you can start going here as soon as you can. So as I’ve explained, you’ll be helping us at the store from Monday to Friday and the schedule could be different every day based on the shifts that will be updated every week.

Yina: Alright, I got it.

Kang-eonni thought for a while before she said,

Yina: I think I can start working this Friday this week.

Kang-eonni recalled her schedule and realized that she doesn’t really have many more classes before holiday comes.

Hyunhee: Friday? Alright, I’ll see you on Friday, then/

There’s a reason why Kang-eonni chose to start her internship specifically on Friday. On Friday, the other employees are looking forward for their weekday work week to end, and people tend to be more relaxed on Friday, so she thought it’d be a good day to start working and get to know the others who will be working alongside her there.

Yina: Thank you very much for the opportunity.

Kang-eonni made her way down and went out of the store with a huge smile on her face. There was one person she had in mind after she got accepted,

Yina: Eo, Dongjoo-ya, I got accepted!

Dongjoo: Jinjja? Congrats

Yina: Where are you?

Dongjoo: Now? I’m on my way to meet my client, the one who owns Villa Sortino, that restaurant you begged me to make an appointment at

Yina: Aish, arasseo. You don’t really have to bring that up. It’s such a long time ago already. I’m hanging up.

Kang-eonni pressed the red button and put her phone in her bag before she headed over to have some brunch before going to class.

Yonsei University

10.30 a.m.

Jiwon was about to head to the university press office when people were staring at her. She thought, ‘is there something wrong with me?’

Jiwon: Why? Am I that pretty? Aigoo

Suddenly, Sungmin hugged Jiwon from behind and said,

Sungmin: Eo, you’re pretty.

Jiwon: Aish, Sungmin-ie you… You’ve become forward day by day, huh

Sungmin loosened his grip on Jiwon and started to act how he normally did.

Sungmin: By the way, what should I wear to your friend’s wedding this Saturday?

Jiwon: Hm… wait a second, let me check if there’s a dress code.

Jiwon opened the e-invitation on her phone and said,

Jiwon: Well, it says here dressy casual

Sungmin: Arasseo.

Sungmin offered his hand to Jiwon, and Jiwon who saw it held Sungmin’s hand and they walked hand-in-hand to the university press office. He now doesn’t have to suppress his feelings and affection for Jiwon anymore, because almost every Yonsei students know them as the Nation’s Bus Kiss Couple.

When Sungmin and Jiwon arrived at the office, the female hoobae who had a crush on Sungmin smirked and commented at herself, 

Hoobae: I knew it. See... It’s impossible that they won’t be together. 

7.30 p.m.

After everything’s done at the university, Sungmin and Jiwon decided to go back home. But before that, Chungwon suddenly approached them and said,

Chungwon: Hyung, Jiwon-sunbae…

Sungmin and Jiwon looked at Chungwon and waited for what he had to say.

Chungwon: Do you wanna eat dinner and have some drinks with me and Eunjae?

Sungmin and Jiwon looked at each other before Jiwon said,

Jiwon: Sure! Sungmin-ah, let’s go!

Sungmin just followed whatever Jiwon told him to.

At the restaurant…

8.00 p.m.

Jiwon, Sungmin, Chungwon, and Eunjae all sat down at the table. The restaurant was near the university campus, so there were a few other students who were eating at the place along with them.

Sungmin told Jiwon before ordering,

Sungmin: Don’t drink too much, okay?

Jiwon: Ayy, don’t worry too much about me. I’m gonna be fine.

Eunjae who paid attention to both of them said,

Eunjae: Do you realize how cute you two are?

Eunjae: Chungwon oppa, don’t you agree?

Chungwon: Hm, it’s true.

Sungmin and Jiwon both said,

Sungmin & Jiwon: We?

Eunjae nodded.

Jiwon: No wonder, look at that enormous views in our video. Aigoo, you might as well get married to me, Sungmin-ah

Jiwon’s words totally struck Sungmin. When Jiwon jokingly said he could marry her a long time ago, he brushed that off easily, but now that they’re both in a relationship, it’s a different story.

Sungmin: Shhhh, you’re being too noisy now.

The food and drinks came to the table and the four of them ate and drank with passion and laughter.

After the dinner…

After settling the bills, the four came out of the restaurant and said goodbye to one another. When Sungmin and Jiwon left the premise, Chungwon and Eunjae were just about to make their way when suddenly Jongyeol and his two guy friends were about to enter the restaurant.

Jongyeol’s face showed awkwardness as he had to encounter Eunjae who’s now in a relationship with Chungwon.

Eunjae: Sunbae, annyeonghaseyo

Jongyeol who heard Eunjae’s cool greeting just stayed quiet. He then saw Chungwon who’s standing beside Eunjae. He scanned Chungwon from head to toe and said,

Jongyeol: Annyeong, Yoo Eunjae.

After exchanging some awkward greetings, Eunjae and Chungwon parted ways. Jongyeol’s friends asked him to go inside.

Friend 1: Ya, Eunjae has changed a lot, hasn’t she?

Friend 2: Eo, Jongyeol-ah, can’t you see how confident she has become now?

Jongyeol kept quiet as he felt embarrassed of himself.

Jongyeol: She must feel so happy now, her boyfriend must be so understanding and caring. Look at the way he stood beside Eunjae, couldn’t you guys judge how protective he was towards her?

Hearing Jongyeol’s unusual remarks, his friends decided to change the topic and initiated to start drinking the beers and soju that were already on the table. They knew Jongyeol and Eunjae’s relationship didn’t really end well, and they knew that Jongyeol was still lingering up until that moment.

Who knew, a guy’s regret could come that late. Maybe it’s true that girls tend to grieve over the end of a relationship much harder, but it takes more time for a guy to forget their past relationship.

- to be continued -

Belle Époque

3rd March 2018

9.08 a.m.

Jiwon was fast asleep on her comfortable bed as she had a nightmare about Sungmin who got married to another woman. She tried her best to look at the woman’s face, but she couldn’t. She wondered why she was invited to the wedding, but just before the bride and groom announced their vows, Jiwon shouted,

Jiwon: Stop!

Just then, Jiwon woke up from her sleep. She covered her face with both of her palms and relieved a sigh as she realized that it was just a dream.

Yeeun who was still sleeping on the bed downstairs moaned as she heard Jiwon’s loud shout just now, but she tucked herself deeper in her blanket. She was probably tired of her mid-term exams that just ended that week.

Jiwon who couldn’t try sleeping any longer, went out of her room and headed to the bathroom to relieve herself. As she checked her phone, she saw an overwhelming amount of messages coming in from her friends, even those who rarely talked to her. Jiwon murmured to herself,

Jiwon: Did something happen?

She opened her chat with one of her female friends in the same major,

Jiwon thought, ‘video? What video?’’ She clicked on a video link that was sent to her in her other chats. Her expression turned from being confused to a shocked one, as the video titled ‘Nation’s Bus Kiss’ on her phone screen has been watched over 50,000 times. In the video, she could see Sungmin and herself kissing through the bus window.

Jiwon was shocked, but she put on a sly smile as she internally enjoyed it. She flushed the toilet, washed her hands and headed outside to grill some toast for breakfast while reading the comments under the video,

Dfgf****

[+8,292, -279] Wah… my heart flutters from watching this >.<

Jhhd***

[+7,692, -394] When am I gonna have a boyfriend ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Eyw***

[+6,982, -340] Aah, you two… please be happy!

Kang***

[+6,002, -209] Am I the only one who’s single and watching this? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Jiwon smiled as she read the comments, she didn’t know her kiss with Sungmin from the bus window could be the talk of the town. She closed the video application and munched on the warm toast that just popped out fresh from the toaster.

10.10 a.m

Yeeun woke up from her sleep. She sighed in frustration as she had to welcome the day where her parents will be meeting Hochang for the first time, or the last time?

It wasn’t enough that the mid-term exams had caused her brain to fire up, and now she had to face another hurdle, but deep down she wanted to overcome that successfully. She was determined to make her parents trust her relationship with Hochang.

Yeeun exited the room and saw Jiwon who was sitting alone at the dining table. She asked when she saw Jiwon smiling like an idiot,

Yeeun: Something good must’ve happened, huh?

Jiwon who realized Yeeun had already woken up, replied.

Jiwon: Eo… something VERY good.

Yeeun: What is it?

Jiwon shyly replied and showed her the video of her and Sungmin that went viral. Yeeun who saw the video blurted,

Yeeun: Aaayyy, who is that?! Why so cheesy?

Jiwon’s eyes widened in shock as Yeeun couldn’t recognize that the couple in that video is Jiwon and Sungmin. Jiwon responded,

Jiwon: Ya Jung Yeeun, you don’t recognize who those two people are?

Yeeun shook her head and said,

Yeeun: I don’t know.

Jiwon shook her head in disbelief and said,

Jiwon: It’s me.

Yeeun got startled at Jiwon’s answer, and she exclaimed in shock,

Yeeun: What?!

Yeeun snatched Jiwon’s phone and tapped the replay button on the video. Her eyes goggled as she recognized the couple in the video.

Yeeun: Daebak, I didn’t know you guys are that open in public?

Jiwon: Well… what do you expect, it’s me. Song Jiwon,

Jiwon laughed at her own statement. Yeeun who didn’t want to hear Jiwon bragging off further, went into the bathroom to shower. She had to get ready for the meeting.

Kang-Eonni’s Apartment

Kang-eonni has been studying fashion communication for about a year and a half now, and she’s doing pretty well in her studies. She didn’t expect that her old self who used to splurge on branded fashion items could help her in proposing great ways to deliver fashion brands.

Although all her fellow friends in the major are much younger than her, she didn’t mind it at all. In fact, they all look up to her who seemed to have a good understanding of the industry already.

Since holiday is approaching, Kang-eonni wanted to find some internships at fashion brands’ stores. She scrolled down the job-finding search page and stumbled upon an internship ad that says, ‘YSL Assistant Store Manager Internship’.

When Kang-eonni read the internship description, she told herself,

Yina: Ya… This is the perfect opportunity for me.

Kang-eonni clicked on the apply button at the end of the page and sent her CV to accompany her application.

Belle Epoque

11.47 a.m.

Eun went inside her room after a late morning shower. Since it’s Saturday, she doesn’t really have anything to do. Eun sat down on the wooden chair and scrolled down her chats. She thought, ‘I really have no friends.’

Eun sighed in disappointment as she had to face the rest of the day with no activity. Suddenly, her phone rang from an unsaved number, but the call came from a 010 starting digits, so it must be a local caller. Eun picked up the phone rather hesitantly and said,

Eun: Hello?

There was no answer, so she tried again,

Eun: Hello? Who is this?

At that moment, a reply came from the other side, it was a guy’s voice. Eun could hear him clear his throat first and said,

Man: Eo. Eun-ah, it’s me.

Eun could recognize the voice right away. It’s the voice she’s too familiar with.

Eun: Seo Janghoon?

Man: Eo. It’s me. Hey, I think it’s gonna be a quick call, so I’ll let you ask a few question.

Eun: Arasseo… How’s the first week?

Janghoon: Oooff, I was almost late last week when I came back to the base, but thankfully I wasn’t. I arrived at 2.58 p.m, and do you know what punishment I could’ve faced if I was late?

Eun chuckled and replied,

Eun: What is it?

Janghoon answered,

Janghoon: A deadly punishment. I have to-

Eun cut into janghoon’s words,

Eun: Forget it, I changed my mind. I don’t wanna know the details. Thanks so much for calling me and fulfilling your promise.

Janghoon: of course, I’m a man of his words.

Eun laughed subtly and continued,

Eun: After that?

Janghoon: After that what?

Eun scoffed and said,

Eun: I heard Twice came to perform…

Janghoon: Twice? What’s that?

Eun rolled her eyes but smiled shyly and replied,

Eun: Don’t date act like you don’t know!

Janghoon who realized he’s got caught, said,

Janghoon: Well, I just watched. But they weren’t that fun.

Flashback

26th February 2018

Army Senior: Everyone, today will be a rewarding day for us all.

Janghoon’s mate: Ya, I heard a girlgroup is coming to perform

Janghoon who heard his friend’s announcement, commented,

Janghoon: Jinjja?! Who???

Before his friend could answer, the army senior continued his speech,

Army senior: Today, a group of performers will visit the base to perform for us. As you may already know, they’re called…

Janghon frowned his forehead in anticipation, hoping it would be his favorite girlgroup.

Army senior: Twice.

When the senior said ‘Twice’, Janghoon jumped up from his seat and so did his other fellow friends. For one moment, Janghoon thought, ‘Being in the army isn’t so bad after all,’ but he was also conflicted by the thought that Eun might kill him if she found out. He shook that thought off his head and enjoyed the opportunity very much.

As soon as Twice members entered the stage, Janghoon who took the front seat shouted every member’s name and chanted, ‘I love you!’ He definitely had so much fun.

Flashforward – Call with Eun

Eun: Jinjja? They weren’t that fun?

Janghoon: Eo,

Eun: Arasseo. Don’t dare lie, or I’ll kill you.

Janghoon froze for a second, but then he tried to divert the conversation into something else,

Janghoon: But anyway, what are your plans today?

Eun sighed and said,

Eun: I don’t know. I don’t really have friends to go out with. Yej-

Before Eun could properly call her ex-bestfriend’s name, Janghoon advised,

Janghoon: Hm… I think you can try talking to her again. You guys were so close, it’s such a waste to cut off your friendship just like that.

Eun who wholeheartedly considered Janghoon’s advice, said,

Eun: I’ll try.

Just then, she could hear some noise from Janghoon’s end, ‘Ya! Don’t monopolize the phone! Are you the only one who wants to make a phone call?!’ With that, Janghoon said,

Janghoon: Eun-ah, I think I have to go… Good luck! I love you!

To end his words, Janghoon gave Eun a smooch from the phone.

Eun: Eung, arasseo. Talk to you again soon!

Eun ended the call, and then continued to scroll down the list of friends on he KakaoTalk before clicking on the name ‘Yeji’. She opened the chat and texted,

Eun stared at the messages she sent and locked her phone to wait for a reply.

Tani Next Door

12.15 p.m.

Yeeun met Hochang who was waiting in front of the famous Japanese fine dining restaurant. He looked noticeably dandier than usual. He wore a light-blue colored long-sleeved shirt and a straight-cut chino with a pair of boat shoes, looking like he’s more ready than usual to formally greet Yeeun’s parents.

Yeeun: Hochang-ah

Hochang who realized Yeeun’s presence, greeted her cheerfully,

Hochang: Eo, Yeeun-ah!

Yeeun: Are you ready?

Hochang: Yeah, why not!

Hochang held Yeeun’s hand this time and went inside the restaurant to wait for Yeeun’s parents to come. Yeeun and Hochang have ordered the food they wanted to have as soon as they arrived, so when Yeeun’s parents come, they didn’t have to wait anymore.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, both Yeeun and Hohang cold hear footsteps from outside the private room. They both shared a glance in acknowledgement that the parents must have come.

True enough, the usher who was wearing traditional kimono opened the sliding door and knowing that, Hochang and Yeeun stood up to show their respect. Hochang’s heart beat so fast all the sudden, it was his first time meeting a girl’s parents. The only ‘parents’ he’d personally interacted with were his friends’ parents in high school.

He didn’t have a clue on how to ’win’ the hearts of the girlfriend’s parents, but thankfully he did learn from the stories that his sisters shared after they had a meeting with their husbands’ parents.

As soon as Yeeun’s mom and dad went in, Hochang shook dad’s hand and did a 90° degree bow to both parents. Thank God, it wasn’t so awkward from the very start.

When the sashimi, sushi, ocha and some other dishes came to the table, shortly after the four were seated, mom decided to open the conversation,

Mom: So, I’ve heard a little bit about you from Yeeun. I heard you’re currently taking computer engineering studies?

To this, Hochang replied,

Hochang: Yes, that’s right. I’m currently in my final year, just like Yeeun.

Yeeun could see that her mom was still not highly satisfied, but she kept quiet because speaking could only make her feelings worse.

Mom: Alright, so what do your parents do?

Hochang paused for a while and Yeeun who understood Hochang’s family condition, looked at Hochang in sympathetically. Hochang responded,

Hochang: My father unfortunately have passed away just 2 years ago due to stroke, but he was an architect. My mother is a housewife.

Yeeun’s mom and dad who didn’t seem to show interest at first, suddenly gave him one, because they also felt sympathetic.

This time, dad asked in place of mom,

Dad: Stroke? How long did you find out before he passed away?

Hochang didn’t know why that question was asked, but he replied honestly anyway,

Hochang: Honestly no one really knew that he had stroke. He was such a passionate and hard worker as an architetct, so nobody realized he was that ill. Truthfully, as his only son and as the youngest child, I feel very much responsible, and I should’ve known about that sooner.

Yeeun’s dad knew best about stoke and internal illnesses, as he’s a specialist doctor. Although he may seem tough from the outside, he knew exactly how patients’ family members feel to lose their loved ones. Dad replied,

Dad: It shouldn’t be a burden for you. As a university student, you just need to focus on your studies and make sure that you can guarantee yourself a position in the dynamic and competitive workplace.

Hochang who carefully heard dad’s input nodded and hummed in agreement. Dad then continued with the ‘investigation’ to get to know more about Hochang.

Dad: So, have you had any plans for your career? What kind of jobs or positions are you aiming for?

Thankfully, Hochang knew exactly where his passion is, and he knew what kind of job he was going to apply for as soon as he graduated.

Hochang: Well, I have a keen interest and understanding about software programming, and I definitely have paved my career direction towards that field. I also had a quick internship at a prominent technology company last year during the summer break.

Mom and dad showed their satisfaction at Hochang’s answer. Truthfully, they didn’t really want to know much yet about Hochang, because they knew Yeeun was still too young to even consider building a family. Most importantly, Yeeun’s parents honestly wanted to make sure that Hochang is dependable enough to guard Yeeun and make sure she’s safe.

Yeeun who had been quiet since the start of the meeting, finally opened her mouth to share her thoughts,

Yeeun: Mom… Dad… there’s something I really want to tell you about Hochang.

Suddenly, the three people round had their attention on her,

Yeeun: If you care about me and how I truly feel, I am very happy with Hochang. Do you know how secure and safe I feel whenever I’m with him?

He always made sure I walked inside whenever we walk on the streets so I don’t get hit by vehicles passing by easily.

He let me express myself as who I am without having to pretend to be a person that I’m really not.

I very much appreciate his effort to design an electric buzzer for me so that I can defend myself from potential proprietors, he even made sure that I have an emergency application installed on my phone, so I can instantly push the emergency button if there’s something wrong.

The parents were a bit taken aback by Yeeun when she could utter the words she just said without fear. It’s been a long time since Yeeun last expressed her feelings so openly like that in front of them.

Mom and dad looked at each other before showing each other a certain sign. It wasn’t clear what it meant, but for now, Yeeun and Hochang could calmly accept the fact that they have both accomplished the parents meeting phase. That’s the most important thing,

Sungmin’s Car

1.32 p.m.

Sungmin was on his car, driving from his apartment going to pick Jiwon up for a weekend meet up. They have only been separated for less than 24 hours, but it literally felt like forever, Sungmin had a thought, ‘If only Jiwonie lives with me, I won’t have to act so crazily like this.’ Crazy for what? Well… Jiwon isn’t the type who shows her feelings to anyone easily, and the kind who’s capable of not meeting her boyfriend for a whole week without a problem. Sungmin knew well enough that he’s not the type to beg people, but in order to meet Jiwon, he had to.

Every time Sungmin says ‘I miss you’, Jiwon would only reply, ‘Yeah. I know’ and that’s it. But honestly, Jiwon is that dense, she didn’t understand metaphorical statements. By right people should know that when a boyfriend says ‘I miss you’ that means he wants to meet the girlfriend and ask her out, but Jiwon is a rare case.

Sungmin who was bored, turned on the radio. It was a sunny Saturday, a little bit chilly on the weather, and the DJ who hosted the radio show was talking about the type of boyfriends millennials are dreaming of these days.

DJ: Listeners, nowadays, millennials like relationships that are straightforward. And unlike in the past, millennial couples aren’t conservative anymore. So they’re not scared in showing public display affection. So for guys out there who are wondering, ‘what kind of guys do girls want,’ here are some answers.

Just yesterday, a cute couple video was posted online. It has now reached 80,000 views and it basically showed a guy and his girlfriend kissing passionately through the bus window.

Just when Sungmin heard of the description, he got reminded by what he did with Jiwon the day before, ‘what is this?’ Sungmin thought. ‘Do other people actually like to do those things too?’ At that point, Sungmin didn’t know the video that’s discussed was in fact his.

DJ: So what’s the point? The point is actions speak more than words.

Belle Epoque

1.48 p.m.

Sungmin reached the outside of Belle Epoque and he called Jiwon to notify his arrival. In just a couple of minutes, Jiwon who looked so pretty in her parka coat and jeans, got into Sungmin’s car. They greeted each other with a peck.

Jiwon: Have you eaten lunch?

Sungmin: Eo. You?

Jiwon nonned.

Sungmin: So, should we go now? Movie theater?

Jiwon: Yess! I can’t wait to watch that movie together..

Jiwon laughed as she imagined the scene that she saw in the trailer. What movie were they gonna watch? It’s the movie Yeeun and Hochang watched 2 weeks before on Valentine’s Day.

As the car accelerated and went onto the high street, Sungmin asked,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, I’m asking you cause I’m curious…

Jiwon looked at Sungmin to listen to what he’s about to say.

Sungmin: Is the bus kiss that we did yesterday done by many people? Cause I just heard on the radio that a bus kiss video had been watched over 80k times.

Jiwon’s eyes widened as she was shocked that Sungmin didn’t know.

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah, you didn’t know?

Sungmin: Didn’t know what? That the kiss is a popular thing? That’s why I’m asking you.

Jiwon: Ya, are you sure you’re calling yourself an aspiring journalist?! How can you not know that the video is our video?

Sungmin: What do you mean our-

Sungmin suddenly processed what Jiwon said,

Sungmin: Mwo?! OUR VIDEO?!

Jiwon: Eo.

Sungmin: Someone took a video of us yesterday?

Jiwon nodded.

Jiwon: I thought you knew already, that’s why you asked me out on a date~

Sungmin was silent, but then he said,

Sungmin: Wh…where is it, the video?

Jiwon: I’ll show it to you when we reach the theater.

In the theater after buying the tickets and snacks…

Jiwon and Sungmin sat on the sofa and then Jiwon showed Sungmin the bus kiss video on her phone.

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah, here

Sungmin looked over to Jiwon’s phone to watch the video. After watching it, his lips stretched so widely as he couldn’t contain his shyness over what he actually dare to do in public with Jiwon. Sungmin being Sungmin, he tried to not show his happiness inside,

Sungmin: But is this even legal?! Aren’t they supposed to ask us permission?

Jiwon replied,

Jiwon: Why? I’m so happy that people actually like our cuteness.

Jiwon tried to pinch Sungmin’s cheeks, but he pulled back. Instead, Sungmin pinched Jiwon’s cheeks back. They both laughed as they realized what they’re doing.

Announcement: Theater 5 is now open. Audience who hold the tickets to theater 5, please proceed to the theater. Thank you.

Jiwon and Sungmin got up from the sofa and went inside as they heard the announcement.

Belle Epoque

3.00 p.m.

Eun was still in her room. Her boredom still lingered as she literally had no one asking her out that day. She exited the room and found Eunjae who was coloring her nails. Eun commented,

Eun: Eunjae-ya… Mwoya, you color your nails?

Eunjae who realized of Eun’s presence, answered in cheerfulness,

Eunjae: Eo! Eun-ah, do you wanna do it too?

Eun hesitated for a while, but she thought it would be fun too, since she almost never colored her nails. As she sat down on the living room carpet, Eunjae told her to pick any color she wanted. She chose a pastel pink color.

Without Eun realizing, a notification came on her phone. It was from Yeji.

Yeeun’s House

3.10 p.m.

Yeeun’s parents just reached home and they sat in the living room. The helper delivered them Chinese tea for afternoon tea. Mom and dad took a sip and mom said,

Mom: Yeobo, what do you think of Yeeun’s boyfriend, honestly?

Dad: Well, personality-wise, I think he’s fine. He looked like a good student, and he knew where he wants to go career-wise. But I know one think doesn’t really support our family legacy.

Mom knew exactly what that meant. Hochang’s family isn’t influential enough to be included in Yeeun’s family.

Dad continued,

Dad: But one this I see is that Yeeun is happy being with that kid, and the fact that he even designed an electric buzzer for our daughter’s safety actually shook my heart as a father.

Mom sighed,

Mom: I know and I agree to all that you said, but isn’t family background the most important thing in here? If we let Yeeun continuously be with that kid and ends up not being able to separate from him, what are we gonna do, then? I think it’s better to tell her now that they should stop meeting one another.

Dad surprisingly agreed, and nodded as his wife explained her opinion on the matter.

Movie Theater

In the theater, in the middle of the movie…

As the movie showed the mature scene between the male and female leads, Sungmin looked over to Jiwon who’s sitting on his right side. His eyes blinked nervously and then diverted his eyes on the seat in front of him and not on the screen.

Jiwon, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy what’s played on the screen while munching on the popcorn on her lap. Jiwon looked at Sungmin who wasn’t paying attention to the movie and held his right hand. Sungmin noticed what Jiwon was doing. He smiled, while caressing Jiwon’s left hand.

When the movie wrapped up, the two exited the theater.

Jiwon looked happier than usual after watching the movie, everyone could guess it ended beautifully. On the way to the parking lot, she talked about the movie and asked,

Jiwon: What do you think? Mr. Grey is soooo romantic, isn’t he?

Sungmin: Well, is there a more romantic guy than me?

Jiwon chuckled and hit Sungmin as she couldn’t hold Sungmin’s super sweet talk. Sungmin pushed a button on the car key and unlocked the door to his car. The two went inside and left the building.

Jiwon turned on the stereo and stared at the clouds above that seemed to be moving together with them. The sky was naturally painted in gradient of pink, purple, and orange, as the sun was about to set and the night was approaching.

Sungmin hardened his grip on the steering wheel as he gathered his guts to ask Jiwon carefully,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah

Jiwon changed her attention from the sky to Sungmin,

Jiwon: Hm?

Sungmin: Do you want to eat ramyun and then go?* (T/N: Netlix and Chill)

Hearing this, Jiwon smiled and laughed saying,

Jiwon: Sure.

As Sungmin heard Jiwon’s answer, Sungmin took a deep breath as he was going to be prepared for it.

Sungmin’s Apartment

Sungmin keyed in his passcode and let Jiwon see it.

Sungmin: Remember this properly, okay?

Jiwon was a bit startled at the fact that Sungmin is letting her know the passcode to his place,

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah, are you sure????

Sungmin: Since when have I not been sure if it concerns you?

Jiwon nodded and her eyes was stuck on the keypad as Sungmin entered, ‘1236’. The door to the apartment opened and Sungmin let Jiwon enter his place first before he followed inside. 

Jiwon hooked her bag strap on the coat hanger in near the living room and blurted,

Jiwon: Where’s the ramyun?

As Sungmin processed Jiwon’s question, he frowned and put on his confused face,

Sungmin: Ramyun?

Jiwon replied,

Jiwon: Didn’t you offer me to eat ramyun before going home?

Sungmin sighed and clenched his fist at his girlfriend’s ignorance. He couldn’t believe Jiwon who confidently called herself the master of ‘mature activities’ didn’t know the meaning of ‘Do you want to eat ramyun and then go?’

Sungmin held himself back and headed to the kitchen as he prepared two packs of Kimchi Ramyun for the both of them.

While Sungmin was cooking, Jiwon approached the fridge to take a look at the fridge contents. Jiwon’s eyes widened in awe as she saw what’s inside Sungmin’s fridge.

It was full with containers filled with home-cooked food, not to mention bottles and cans of mineral water, soju, and beer filling up the door. Jiwon commented,

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah, you sure do eat well, don’t you?

Sungmin smirked,

Sungmin: From now on, will you be willing to eat more often with me? You see, my mom sent me all those food just for me. It’s such a waste cause I can’t always finish them.

With Sungmin’s request, Jiwon asked back nonchalantly,

Jiwon: Can I bring the girls too?

*Goat sound*

Sungmin paused and hesitated before responding,

Sungmin: …. Forget it.

‘It’s not that I can’t finish all the food my mom sent. I was asking so that I can meet up with you more with no special reason,’ Sungmin thought internally. ‘How can my girlfriend be this clueless…’

Sungmin put in the flavoring from the packets and stirred the ramyun as the water was boiling inside the pot. After that, he turned off the electric stove and sprinkled some chopped spring onions on top. He asked Jiwon,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, can you take the Kimchi and radish from the fridge?

Jiwon: Hm, okay. What else?

Sungmin: 2 bowls and 2 sets of spoon and chopsticks too please

Sungmin carried the pot and placed it on the coffee table in the living room. He sat down on the carpet before Jiwon joined him.

As the couple slurped the perfectly cooked ramyun deliciously, Jiwon said,

Jiwon: Yaah, this is it! If I’m the expert in somaek, you’re the expert in making ramyun.

Sungmin smiled as he heard Jiwon’s cute analogy.

Suddenly, Jiwon remembered the first time she went to Sungmin’s apartment. She recalled the fact that she and Sungmin were both sitting on the same spot. It’s just that they’re eating ramyun now while they were drinking together the last time. Jiwon opened a conversation as the thought hovered in her mind,

Jiwon: Do you remember?

Sungmin looked at jiwon.

Jiwon: That night when we drank together on this very same spot

Sungmin paused whatever he was doing and silently trying to recall the moment as well. Honestly, it was awkward for him to discuss about it, although they’re a couple now.

Sungmin however replied,

Sungmin: Of course, I remember. How can I not? It’s the moment that set us to realize our feelings.

Jiwon stared at the carpet and smiled as she heard Sungmin’s honesty. She had another question to ask,

Jiwon: That night. Why were you thinking of asking me to have some drinks with you? You know, you’re tnot the kind of guy who ever initiated to ask someone to have a drink together. 

Sungmin now smiled as he remembered the exact reason,

Sungmin: Because I wanted to spend more time with you. It was Valentine’s Day. And I wanted to spend that special day with the woman that I love.

Jiwon moved her brows up as she was touched and cringed at Sungmin’s heart-fluttering answer. 

When the two finished eating, Sungmin washed the dishes while Jiwon sat down on the sofa looking at her phone.

Sungmin finished washing the dishes and brought a couple of mugs filled with mineral water and placed it on the coffee table while he joined to sit next to Jiwon. He extended his right arm on the sofa behind Jiwon’s shoulders and asked,

Sungmin: What are you looking at?

Jiwon showed him the content of what she was reading and replied,

Jiwon: My High School friend is getting married next week on Saturday. She’s inviting me to her wedding ceremony and reception

Sungmin nodded while he drank from the mug. 

Jiwon continued,

Jiwon: It says here that I can bring someone to accompany me. Do you wanna go?

Sungmin raised his eyebrows and asked back,

Sungmin: Me?

Jiwon nodded.

Sungmin thought for a while and replied,

Sungmin: Alright, I’ll come with you. What will I not do for this girlfriend of mine~

Jiwon lauughed a bit and said,

Jiwon: Gomawo

Without them realizing, their faces were already very much close to each other. Both of them gazed at each other’s eyes and Sungmin went to kiss Jiwon’s forehead. Jiwon closed her eyes as she felt Sungmin’s deep affection. Sungmin continued to trace his lips to kiss Jiwon’s nose until his lips touched Jiwon’s. Their instinct and reflex guided them to passionately share a deep kiss and they changed their position from sitting down, to laying themselves down to cuddle on the sofa. Jiwon and Sungmin were both facing each other, with Sungmin’s right hand under Jiwon’s body to protect her. 

Thankfully, they didn’t proceed to the bedroom this time and could hold their desire to not cross the boundary.

No matter how dense Jiwon is, she’s able to show her affections fully for Sungmin in times like that, and that’s what makes Sungmin believe in Jiwon’s true and sincere feelings for him

Belle Epoque

6.29 p.m.

Eun went back to her room as she had finished painting her nails and talking to Eunjae for a good few hours. She realized that she hadn’t checked her phone, so she unlocked her phone and saw a few messages from Yeji,

Eun stared at the messages to break down the content. She couldn’t believe that Sooji actually agreed on meeting her again after all the problems in the past. Eun typed her response,

Just like that, Eun locked her phone back and stared at the ceiling while lying down.

- To be Continued -

Glossary:

Phrase: Do you want to eat ramyun and then go?

T/N: Korean “Netflix and Chill” 

It originated in a movie called 봄날은 간다 (2001). The English title is One Fine Spring Day. In the movie, the female lead wants to invite the male lead to spend the night at her place but she isn’t sure how to go about it, so she ends up suggesting he eat some ramyun before he goes home. “라면 먹을래요?” (Do you want to eat ramyun and then go?”

Once he’s inside and she’s making the ramyun, however, she changes her question. “자고 갈래요?” (Do you want to sleep *together*?)

Source

Thanks for reading! 

Love you guys a lot <3

Read the next chapter:

Chapter 7

Belle Époque

18th February 2018

9.00 a.m.

Yoon-sunbae exited the bathroom, wearing a feminine sky-blue dress. She painted her face with light makeup and let her shoulder-length hair down. She approached the fridge to check the contents. Unlike the day before, the fridge was full with home-cooked food.

She smiled and pulled out some containers from the fridge to heat them up and went over to the kitchen island to transfer some kimbap rolls she personally made early in the morning into two separate containers. Her expression showed satisfaction

10.00 a.m.

As headed out of Belle Époque’s front door, she saw Eun coming out from the room downstairs, who was making her way out as carefully as possible.

Eun jumped in shock as she was Yoon-sunbae and said,

Eun: Yoon-sunbae, you scared me!

Jinmyung: What were you doing?

Eun who got asked that, put on an awkward expression while whispering something to Yoon-sunbae’s ear.

Flashback

Belle Époque

17th February 2018

11.25 p.m.

Eun curled up on her bed, looking sullen. She was staring at her blank phone screen when a call suddenly came in,

Janghoon: Eun-ah, what are you doing?

Eun replied right away,

Eun: Nothing. Why?

Janghoon: Wanna have some snacks downstairs?

Eun agreed willingly and said,

Eun: Eo, I’ll go down now

Janghoon: Okay!

When Eun went downstairs, Janghoon guided her to the small living room in his place.

Janghoon: Let’s eat tteokbokki together!

Janghoon handed over a pair of separated bamboo chopsticks to Eun. They both started eating with silence in the air. 

After a while, Janghoon opened a conversation,

Janghoon: Eun-ah…

Eun cut Janghoon’s words and said,

Eun: I know. Just keep eating.

Eun knew. She knew Janghoon was about to tell her that he’s returning the next day. So for about 10 minutes, Eun and Janghoon ate the spicy rice cake silently. 

Eun commented,

Eun: Aaah, so delicious!

Janghoon offered her a cup of water to wash down the heat from the spice. When he saw sauce smearing all over Eun’s lips, he chuckled to himself, 

Eun: Why?

Janghoon didn’t reply and kept laughing to himself

He took a ply of tissue to wipe the sauce off her lips, but their faces were too close for them to resist each other’s lips. 

Janghoon leaned forward to kiss Eun, but Eun retracted shortly. Janghoon was confused, so he asked,

Janghoon: Is something wrong?

Eun didn’t respond to Janghoon’s question.

Janghoon who felt that something must be wrong, pulled Eun towards his body to hug her tightly. He knew all too well that Eun will miss him so much after he returns to the base.

Without notice, Janghoon carried Eun to his bed, thinking Eun might feel better if she was lying down.

Despite Janghoon’s height that’s a little shorter than Eun, he’s strong. Eun was a bit startled at Janghoon’s spontaneous act, but it all faded when she was lying on Janghoon’s soft mattress. 

The two lied down to cuddle and Eun said,

Eun: Seo Janghoon.

Janghoon: Hm?

Eun: Promise me.

Eun continued,

Eun: Promise me you’ll never forget to call me once a week. Promise me to not drool over girl group members who come to perform at the army base. Arasseo?

Janghoon who heard Eun’s cute request, just laughed and didn’t comment anything to Eun’s remarks. 

To this, Eun responded,

Eun: Why are you not saying anything?

Janghoon: Aigoo aigoo… Yes, Ma’am! PRIVATE SEO-JANG-HOON WILL ACCEPT AND EXECUTE YOUR REQUESTS.

Eun smiled brightly when Janghoon replied in his military speech style. Eun who already got comfortable with the position that she’s in, asked,

Eun: Can I sleep here just for tonight?

Janghoon was surprised to hear Eun’s question, but he replied open-endedly with a hint of shyness,

Janghoon: Well… If you want and are sure….

Eun closed her eyes to sleep, while Janghoon held her in his arms.

Janghoon murmured to himself,

Janghoon: Right. Let’s spend the night together just once.

Truthfully, Janghoon also felt extremely sad when he had to leave Eun alone for his departure to the base 5 months ago, but he kept it to himself until he even had to shed his tears during showers so that his fellow army mates wouldn’t notice that he was crying.

The thought that he had to leave Eun for the second time felt even harder, but the last 4 days that he spent with Eun – from their sweet date riding the Ferris-wheel, getting themselves a couple necklace, and now, cuddling together to sleep on his last day in Seoul, are all precious. 

It made Janghoon even surer that his feelings for Eun is only going to get stronger when he’s away later.

To end his midnight thoughts, Janghoon adjusted his position and tightened his embrace on Eun, before kissing Eun’s forehead sweetly to wish her goodnight.

Seoul Train Station

11.35 a.m.

Yoon-sunbae was waiting inside the train station to pick Jaehwan up from his train journey from Busan. 

She texted him earlier,

As Yoon-sunbae could see a tall and handsome figure in front of her, she approached and gave him a light peck before wrapping each other’s arms to walk out of the station.

Jaehwan voluntarily took the paper bags that Yoon-sunbae were carrying and asked,

Jaehwan: So, we’re going for a picnic date?

Yoon-sunbae nodded,

Jaehwan looked at the contents inside the bags and wondered,

Jaehwan: wow… you prepared all these by yourself?

Jinmyung: Eo. I woke up at 6 today to prepare all these… You’d better eat them all! Well actually, some of them are from my mom, so…

Jaehwan: Mom? You went to see her?

Jinmyung: Yup, I went home yesterday.

Jaehwan: That’s great!... Jinmyung-ah, can I ask you something?

Yoon-sunbae thought for a while first and suggested,

Jinmyung: Let’s head over to the park and talk about it over there.

Jaehwan agreed with ease on that one.

Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan chose Banpo Hangang Park as their picnic destination. 

The view from that park was nice as they could see Namsan Tower, The Hill and Seoul Cityscape all at once.

As they sat down on the picnic mat, Jaehwan helped Yoon-sunbae to unpack the food that she brought. Yoon-sunbae asked,

Jinmyung: So, what did you wanna ask me?

Jaehwan: When… are you going to introduce me to your mom?

Yoon-sunbae looked down and smiled a little,

Jinmyung: Why?

Jaehwan: Well… you know, we’ve been together for a while now and I wanna get to know your mom more than just hearing her from your stories.

Jinmyung: Hm…. Good news, then. My mom also wants to meet up with you soon.

Jaehwan smiled sweetly and hugged Yoon-sunbae before suggesting,

Jaehwan: what about next month? When I visit you next?

Yoon-sunbae sulked a little when Jaehwan said ‘next month’ was going to be his visit. ‘1 month is a long time,’ Yoon-sunbae thought to herself. Jaehwan noticed Yoon-sunbae’s expression and said,

Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, how?

Yoon-sunbae came back to her senses and smiled while replying,

Jinmyung: Of course, let’s set the date!

Yoon-sunbae took a roll of cut kimbap and fed it into Jaehwan’s mouth.

Jaehwan: Hm! It’s yummy! Yeokshi, you’re so reliable.

Jaehwan complimented Yoon-sunbae’s kimbap making skills to cheer her up a little. He continued to try the side dishes that Yoon-sunbae’s mom cooked, and his eyes widened in wonder,

Jaehwan: Wah… your mom is an amazing cook! Did her skills pass down to you?

Jaehwan teased Yoon-sunbae and laughed as he realized how cringe-worthy his statement was.

Jinmyung: By the way, how’s the restaurant doing?

Jaehwan: Well, it’s doing pretty well. We have a lot of customers coming in every day, and nice words have spread about the restaurant for the handsome chef who cooks the menu.

Yoon-sunbae hit Jaehwan’s shoulder as she heard his over-confident statement, but he’s not exactly wrong, though… because he really is handsome to the point that somewhere deep inside her, she’s scared that another woman might take Jaehwan from her. 

Jaehwan uttered,

Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, I have something I wanted to tell you. Well, I’ve had this thought for quite some time now, but I think it’s best that I tell you now.

As Jaehwan completed his sentence, Yoon-sunbae’s heart suddenly pounded uncontrollably. She thought, 'is he gonna propose?’ but she tried not to show any excitement on her face and answered back coolly,

Jinmyung: what is it?

Jaehwan: I…

Yoon-sunbae’s expression got more serious as she tried to hold her anticipation.

 Jaehwan continued,

Jaehwan: I want to…

Just then, Yoon-sunbae couldn’t hold herself anymore and blurted,

Jinmyung: Yes, I do!

Jaehwan who didn’t understand what Yoon-sunbae was talking about, asked,

Jaehwan: Do what?

Yoon-sunbae had so many question on her mind as she replied,

Jinmyung: Weren’t you going to… propose???

Jaehwan had a good laugh and said,

Jaehwan: Hahaha, I’m so sorry… but that wasn’t what I was about to tell you.

Right at that time, Yoon sunbae could feel her cheeks getting hotter and it turned so red that it could pass as a boiled shrimp.

Jinmyung: Then what was it?!

Jaehwan: I’m planning to move back to Seoul. In June. I’m setting up a restaurant business with a colleague of mine who’s an investor mainly in publishing, but he offered me this amazing opportunity, so I think I’m gonna go for it. What do you think?

Yoon-sunbae whose cheeks were red in embarrassment, suddenly blanked out and responded,

Jinmyung: Jaehwan-ssi, are you not kidding me?

Jaehwan: Of course not. Why would I lie about such things?

It was such a good news for Yoon-sunbae. It was even more ideal than getting proposed right at that point. To properly answer Jaehwan’s question, Yoon-sunbae replied,

Jinmyung: I’m absolutely behind you back for this one. I’m putting on my full support for you.

Jaehwan’s lips stretched widely as he heard Yoon-sunbae’s reply. There’s a reason why he agreed to open his own restaurant in Seoul .Well, number one is because he wanted to make his own authentic menu and build freedom in his own kitchen kingdom, but there is one core reason underlying that – he wanted to bring his relationship with Yoon-sunbae to the next level.

Belle Époque

9.56 a.m.

Eun opened her eyes as she woke up from her good and long sleep. She noticed that the room she woke up at wasn’t hers. 

After a while, she remembered telling Janghoon that she wanted to sleep with him for the last time before he returns to the base.

Eun looked right and left, but couldn’t find Janghoon anywhere, so she headed out from Janghoon’s place to go back to her room upstairs. 

She didn’t want to be found out by anyone that she spent the night at Janghoon’s, so she carefully watched her way out.

As she closed the door and turned her back to climb the stairs, she got scared by Yoon-sunbae’s presence who looked extra pretty that morning.

Yoon-sunbae asked her what she was doing, and Eun made a white lie to save herself,

Eun: I was just checking whether Janghoon was home, I wanted to go ask him out for lunch before he goes.

Jinmyung: oooh… really? Is he inside?

Eun shook her head to respond Yoon-sunbae.

Eun: By the way, why are you dressed so prettily like that?

Jinmyung: Aah, Jaehwan-ssi is coming to Seoul today, so we’re gonna go on a picnic date.

Eun: Ah, that’s right! How can I forget about that, you told me about it before last Friday when we met outside the courtyard. Arasseo-yo! Have fun! Please tell chef-nim I said Hi.

Jinmyung: Eo, thank you. If you see Janghoon, tell him I say goodbye, ok?

Yoon-sunbae made her way out of Belle Époque and Eun exclaimed,

Eun: Arasseo-yo. Bye! Be careful on your way!

As Eun saw Yoon-sunbae disappearing from her sight, she touched her heart and sighed in relief.

Come to think of it, Eun still wondered, ‘where is Seo Janghoon?’

Before giving up to return to the share house upstairs, someone shouted Eun’s name. She knew whose voice it was. Janghoon’s.

Janghoon: Eun-ah!

As Eun turned back, she could see Janghoon holding a few plastic bags. She asked,

Eun: What are those bags?

Janghoon: These? I just went to the market to buy some ingredients to make lunch.

Eun: Make lunch? You can cook?

Janghoon felt a little offended, but he didn’t take it seriously,

Janghoon: Eo, of course I can. How do you think I survived all these time living alone downstairs? And do you know we have cooking duties at the army base? One of the reasons why I got awarded this precious holiday is because of my cooking. My seniors loved it so much.

Eun who just found out about Janghoon’s hidden talent, nodded in acknowledgement,

Eun: Arasseo. So, what are we having for lunch?

Janghoon replied with a smile,

Janghoon: Budae-jjigae

Eun scoffed after hearing Janghoon’s reply,

Eun: Yeokshi. What else can you cook

Janghoon, who felt irritated, ruffled Eun’s hair and said,

Janghoon: Euuugh, is that what you have to say to your boyfriend who’s returning to his base in a couple of hours? Let’s go!

Eun who heard Janghoon’s sensitive reply, commented while laughing,

Eun: I know I know, I was just joking!

As the atmosphere brightened, the two went inside Janghoon’s place to start cooking.

Eun helped Janghoon unpack the ingredients from the plastic bags. Her eyes widened as the things she took out from the bags didn’t seem to come to an end. Eun blurted,

Eun: Why are there some many things in here? How can you remember all these ingredients?

Janghoon: Why? Are you amazed?

Eun scoffed,

Eun: ANI! Why do you have to answer it like that?

Janghoon was taken aback and said,

Janghoon: Eun-ah… what’s wrong with you today?

Eun didn’t say anything and proceeded to the basin to wash the ingredient she took out.

Honestly, she couldn’t stop thinking about having to say goodbye with Janghoon in a few hours-time. She wanted to stop the time so badly, but she knew it’s impossible.

As the air was silent and both Eun and Janghoon kept quiet, Eun took a kitchen knife to cut some sausages, spam, raw vegetables, and spices for the stew. Her mind was still overwhelmed by the idea of farewell. She hated separation ever since she was young. Learning how her parents separated really traumatized Eun until now that she’s become a college student.

Eun suddenly hissed in pain as she accidentally cut her left thumb while chopping off the sausages. Janghoon who thankfully was paying attention to Eun, deftly took the first aid kit to apply some ointment and paste a plaster around Eun’s lean thumb. Eun couldn’t stand the mixture of feelings inside her and started crying. Her face was red.

Looking at this, Janghoon consoled Eun,

Janghoon: Eun-aaaah…. Be careful next time, okay? And I know you’re sad too for having to say goodbye to me. I’m sorry okay I was a little harsh on you earlier.

Eun’s sob subsided as she heard Janghoon’s comforting words.

Janghoon: Now can you wait and sit on the chair over there until I finish cooking this?

Eun nodded in response as she still didn’t have the energy to produce a sound due to the lump she felt in her throat.

In about 30 minutes, Janghoon turned off the boiling hot pot of Budae-jjigae that he successfully cooked. He tasted his cooking with a spoon and let go a sigh of satisfaction and praised himself,

Janghoon: Ahhhh, it’s perfect!

He grabbed the pot handles with a pair of mittens and brought it to the dining table. He set up the table with two bowls and two pairs of cutlery before joining Eun who was waiting since her thumb got cut.

Janghoon instructed,

Janghoon: Eun-ah, take some!

Eun scooped down the stew that was filled with numerous ingredients with a ladle and transferred it to Janghoon’s bowl first, before taking her share.

As Eun tasted the dish, her facial expression lightened up and Janghoon who noticed it smiled and started eating his own share.

Janghoon: Is it good?

Eun swallowed whatever was inside her mouth and said,

Eun: Eo. It’s amaaazing.

Inside, Janghoon felt really happy and proud that his food can bring his girlfriend happiness. ‘Yeokshi, food is the medicine to a girl’s sorrow.’

Janghoon realized how much he’s learnt about relationship, despite it being his first relationship and the fact that he had to be away from Eun to serve in the military. But without long-distance relationship as an obstacle, he wouldn’t be able to cherish every second that was given for him to return from the base.

There was one thing Janghoon wanted to tell Eun before going,

Janghoon: Eun-ah,

Eun who was slurping the tasty soup, looked up at Janghoon who called her,

Eun: Why?

Janghoon: I only want to tell you this before I go.

Eun’s gaze was still locked at Janghoon.

Janghoon: Please be a strong woman. I want to you be strong as long-distance relationship and not being able to see me whenever you want to will be a difficult hurdle to jump over. 

I want you to be strong if anyone ever hurts your feelings. I know all too well how you can put on a straight face when in fact your heart is torn into pieces. 

And I want you to be strong, in protecting the key to my heart, because without that, I wouldn’t be able to return back to you.

Eun’s eyes that still felt sore were suddenly teary again, but this time, she openly wiped it with a ply of tissue and tried to control herself. Eun then replied,

Eun: Ya Seo Janghoon. I can’t believe you can make a girl cry like this… I’ll do it. I’ll be a strong woman. But don’t you forget what you promised me, okay? What did you promise? Do you even remember???

Janghoon chuckled and pretended to forget.

Janghoon: … what were they? Uhm… aish I can’t remember.

Eun who thought Janghoon was being real, almost hit him with the back of her spoon, but before she could hit him, Janghoon shielded himself and said,

Janghoon: Call you every week and not to drool over girl group members. I remember it all, Eun-ah.

Eun repelled her motion and put the spoon down as she heard Janghoon’s answer.

As they both finished eating, Janghoon and Eun parted ways for them to get ready. 

Eun wanted to properly send him off this time. She’s not going to repeat the same mistake by staying cool like the last time.

Eun: I’ll come down when I’m ready

Janghoon: Okay. See you!

As the door closed behind Eun, she ran upstairs to pick her favorite outfit.

Jiwon and Eunjae who were enjoying the food that Jiwon’s parents delivered the day before, had their eyes on Eun who seemed to be ecstatic.

Jiwon asked eunjae a random question,

Jiwon: What date is it today?

Eunjae peeked at her phone before she answered,

Eunjae: 18 February.

Jiwon: 18 February… 18 February?!

Eunjae nodded.

Jiwon: Isn’t Janghoon supposed to return to his base today?

Eunjae: Oh ya! How can I forget about that?

Jiwon: But how strange, how come Eun looked so cheerful?

Eunjae who wondered the same thing, shrugged and shook her head at the same time.

Jiwon and Eunjae got shocked when Eun suddenly barged out of her room, asking,

Eun: Jiwon-sunbae, Eunjae-ya… Do you want to come and accompany me to send Janghoon off?

Jiwon and Eunjae shared a glance and Jiwon said in a shock state,

Jiwon: Eo… alright, I’ll go I’ll go

Eun looked over to Eunjae and expected an answer from her,

Eunjae: Yeah… I’ll go too.

Eun looked excited as Jiwon and Eunjae agreed.

At Belle Époque’s Courtyard

12.45 p.m.

Jiwon, Eunjae and Eun went out of the main door and saw Janghoon who was ready with his bulky army backpack, dressed in his army uniform plus cap, and not to forget - the lock necklace was there, hanging under his shirt. 

Seeing this, Jiwon teased Eun,

Jiwon: Oooo, Seo Janghoon! I didn’t know you can look this cool! Eun-ah, don’t you want to kiss this boyfriend of yours every single second?

Eun who got embarrassed, said shyly,

Eun: Aniyo, Jiwon-sunbae. Please stop it!

Janghoon looked at the digital watch he was wearing on his left wrist and said,

Janghoon: Alright, let’s go! I’ll be punished if I don’t arrive by 3 p.m. today.

Janghoon reached his hand over to Eun, while Eun offered her other hand to Jiwon and Eunjae. The 4 people walked hand-in-hand as farewell this time was full of light-heartedness.

Army Bus Depot

1.10 p.m.

As Janghoon sat on the bus seat near the window, he opened the window to kiss Eun for the last time.

Jiwon and Eunjae who witnessed the scene could only imagine themselves doing it with their own partners – Sungmin and Chungwon.

Suddenly, Jiwon and Eunjae stared at each other. They couldn’t believe the crazy thought they both had in mind. They wanted to persuade their boyfriends to go to the army. Just to get the bus kiss.

As the bus went off, Eun waved goodbye at Janghoon. Jiwon and Eunjae did the same from behind.

Han River

6.22 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan were having their final stroll around the Han River banks. The location was originally where many couple have their dates too, and it’s their turn to be like those other couples.

Jinmyung: Jaehwan-ssi…

Jaehwan looked over to Yoon-sunbae as she called his name,

Jaehwan: Hm?

Jinmyung: I know I shouldn’t be thinking about this, but I can’t help but to do so, because we rarely see each other.

Jaehwan: What is it?

After pausing for a while, Yoon-sunbae said whatever was inside her mind.

Jinmyung: Have your heart wavered for someone else besides me?

Suddenly, Jaehwan stopped walking. He was quite startled at Yoon-sunbae’s honest query, but he knew exactly what his feelings were.

Yoon-sunbae turned back to see Jaehwan who was standing before her. She waited patiently to get an answer from Jaehwan. 

She wanted to know his answer because whatever it is will determine whether she can trust him to be her lifetime companion.

As Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan both looked into each other’s eyes, Jaehwan explained,

Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, I understand where you’re coming from. I know our long-distance relationship makes you worried a lot, but I just want you to know that there’s no other woman who can make my heart waver besides you.

I have to admit how many times the customers in my restaurant have tried to get close to me purposely, but I always rejected them and said “I have a woman that I love back in Seoul.” 

Some of them even left negative reviews about the restaurant because of that. But I personally don’t mind that a lot, because I think it’s the right thing to do.

I love you. And I always will.

Yoon-sunbae almost shed tears as she heard Jaehwan’s words, but she kept it in.

For once, the suppressed anger and confusion that she had towards the long-distance relationship with Jaehwan subdued. 

From then on, she knew that the relationship wasn’t just about mutual love, but it’s also about trust and commitment.

Jinmyung: Arasseo-yo, Jaehwan-ssi, and thank you. It must’ve been equally difficult for you too. Being away from me, although Busan and Seoul aren’t that far away.

I’m so sorry that I’ve been selfish all these time. You were the one who always visit me in Seoul, and I never once had the initiative to visit you in Busan. I know I should be happy that you’re going to move back here in a few months, but I don’t know how I can repay you back, Jaehwan-ssi-

All of a sudden, Yoon-sunbae couldn’t hold her tears anymore. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to explain her complicated heart.

Jaehwan who watched Yoon-sunbae from the start, pulled her tight in his warm embrace and let the chilly night breeze of Han River calm the sorrow of his love’s heart.

Seoul Train Station

7.22 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan are at the station. They were ready to say goodbye to one another, but this time, Yoon-sunbae was sure that she didn’t have to worry about her situation anymore. Everything was all clear, and she trusted Jaehwan fully.

Announcement: Passengers heading to Busan, please board the train through platform 3. Thank you.

As Jaehwan and Yoon-sunbae heard the call, Jaehwan pulled Yoon-sunbae closer for a quick peck, before he waved goodbye and uttered his parting words,

Jaehwan: I’m going first. I’ll miss you a lot. See you!

Those words of goodbye were short and sweet, but it gave Yoon-sunbae the assurance that they were gonna meet again in the future.

University Newspaper Club

Friday, 28th February 2018

2.10 p.m.

Jiwon was sitting beside Sungmin in the club room. Sungmin was trying to focus on the planning of the first quarterly newsletter of the year that will be published at the end of next month, but Jiwon’s presence hindered him from focusing.

It’s not because he couldn’t control himself from not kissing her or to simply stare at her, but Jiwon was back being herself. Completely.

Since the morning, Jiwon had been following Sungmin everywhere. She even followed him to the bathroom when he had to answer the call of nature.

Outside the restroom…

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, why are you following me even here?!

Jiwon: Why? Why can’t I?

Sungmin: It’s seriously so weird. Please go back to the office. It won’t take long.

Jiwon: Aaaaanggg, Sungmin-ah…

Sungmin tried to ignore her to go inside the restroom, thinking that Jiwon wouldn’t follow him inside, but she did, so Sungmin headed out of the restroom and scolded,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah. Please. It’s urgent.

Jiwon: Why can’t I follow you? I’ve seen you without anything anyway.

Sungmin: Aish!

Just then, Sungmin’s life was saved when a group of guys went inside the restroom, and Sungmin followed through. He could see Jiwon’s lips putting in disappointment.

Sungmin knew Jiwon wanted to tell him something, but he couldn’t understand why she couldn’t just say it.

At the office table…

Sungmin: Why do you keep looking at me like that? I can’t focus

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah

Sungmin: Hm? Why?

Jiwon: Can’t you go to the army?

Sungmin: What? What are you talking about? Why all of a sud-

Before he could finish his words, something came up on his mind,

Sungmin: Why? Are you tired of me already? Are you bored seeing my face already?

Jiwon shook her head.

Sungmin: Then what? Why, Jiwon-ah?

Just the, Chungwon who’s been listening in to their conversation, jumped in,

Chungwon: Isn’t it because of the bus kiss?

Sungmin who knew nothing about it, asked,

Sungmin: Bus kiss?! What the hell is that?

Chungwon: You know, hyung. It’s that cheesy thing guys do with their girlfriends before they go off to the army. They kiss their girlfriends through the bus window.

Jiwon nodded and her eyes widened.

Sungmin understood Chungwon’s explanation, but he was curious,

Sungmin: but by the way, Chungwon… you... how do you know about all these?

Chungwon sighed.

Chungwon: Because Eunjae asked me the same thing.

Hearing that, Sungmin shook his head in disbelief, but inside, he was dying of Jiwon’s cuteness. He asked Jiwon to come out for a while with a hand signal.

Outside the office…

Sungmin: is it that? You want me to go to the army because of that cheesy bus kiss?

Jiwon: what do you mean, cheesy? It’s so romantic.

Sungmin couldn’t help but smile.

Sungmin: Hey. Don’t you forget that I’m your boyfriend already? If you want to kiss me, do it, then... I thought you were always that forward.

Jiwon: I know, but it’s different.

At that moment, Sungmin sighed and grabbed Jiwon’s hand to go back to the office.

3.42 p.m.

Sungmin went home together with Jiwon. This time, they took the bus together. It was the first time, but Sungmin wanted to feel how Jiwon goes to and off campus to Belle Époque. 

Since the bus also goes to his apartment too, Jiwon told Sungmin that he didn’t have to walk her home. 

As Jiwon alighted at the bus stop to Belle Époque, she waved goodbye at Sungmin.

Just before the bus went off, Sungmin asked the driver to hold on for a while. He sled the bus window on the right side and shouted,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah!

Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s voice, looked back.

Sungmin: Come here!

Jiwon who thought maybe she forgot something, ran back to towards the bus. 

But suddenly, Sungmin protruded his head out of the window and said,

Sungmin: This is what you want, right?

Jiwon smiled and tip-toed to touch her lips on Sungmin’s. They closed their eyes for a while and felt each other’s soft lips before the driver spoke loudly,

Driver: Young man, are you done with your business?

Sungmin who heard the driver’s words, quickly finished his job, and he waved goodbye at Jiwon once more before the bus started accelerating.

Jiwon who couldn’t believe Sungmin just fulfilled her dream kiss, grinned while touching her lips.

Back at the bus, he felt relieved for accomplishing Jiwon’s wish, but there’s one thing he didn’t realize.

His kiss with Jiwon went viral on the internet the next day, as a few passengers and people who were waiting at the bus stop took the video of the heartfelt sight. It was since then known as the ‘nation’s bus kiss’.

Glossary

Budae-jjigae = Army Base Stew

Spam = Canned ham

Thanks for reading.

Read the next chapter:

Belle Époque

17th February 2018

8.00 a.m.

Yoon-sunbae went out of the bathroom, damping her towel with her wet hair. It’s Saturday, and she had promised her mom to pay her a visit.

She opened the fridge to check the contents. There was nothing she could consume right away, so she took a carton of milk from the fridge door, and grabbed a box of Oreo cereal from the overhead cabinet. She poured a considerable amount of cereal in a bowl and poured a good amount of milk before consuming it for breakfast.

11.30 a.m.

It’s the time of the month again, when Yeeun’s parents and her relatives are gathering to catch up on everyone’s ‘accomplishments’.

Yeeun sighed as she saw her parents’ car approaching Belle Époque. She wore a feminine white dress with sheer short sleeves and tied her straight and long hair up this time. Yeeun sat on the backseat, staring blankly at the passing stretch of buildings as the car accelerated.

As the car was parked at the basement, Yeeun and her parents got out of the car. Yeeun’s mom scanned Yeeun from head to toe. Noticing this, Yeeun asked,

Yeeun: Why?

Her mom replied,

Mom: Nothing. Let’s go.

That statement meant one thing – Yeeun didn’t have to do anything about her lip color, her hairstyle, or even the dress she was wearing.

Yeeun’s parents walked in front while she followed behind them. It’s an exclusive Chinese Restaurant this time. Grandma and four of Yeeun’s aunts and uncles were already seated at the huge round table. Yeeun’s mom and dad shook everyone’s hands while Yeeun smiled awkwardly behind them. Suddenly, grandma asked Yeeun to sit next to her. Yeeun involuntarily agreed to her request.

Grandma: How is everything?

Yeeun: Everything is alright, Halmeoni.

Grandma: Are you doing well with the psychological treatment?

Yeeun was surprised when her grandma actually asked her about it.

Yeeun: I’m no longer receiving the treatment.

Yeeun relied with a smile on her face. She wanted to tell her grandma that she could manage herself well.

Grandma: Is that so? That’s great, then. What about a boyfriend? Do you have one, now?

Hearing grandma’s question, Yeeun answered reluctantly,

Yeeun: Well… I do have one now.

Grandma: Is he a nice boy?

Yeeun: He treats me well, Halmeoni. This time I really make sure he won’t do the same thing as what the previous one did.

Grandma: Really? Alright, Yeeun-ah… Honestly Halmeoni is very concerned about you. I think of all my grandchildren as precious, and I only want the best for you, and for our family’s reputation.

Yeeun forced a smile as she listened to her grandma’s explanation. She was glad a while ago when her grandma asked her about her therapy, but now that ‘reputation’ was mentioned, her feelings shattered. Yeeun knew very well what family reputation exactly meant.

For education, it literally means either studying law/doctor/business majors in a top university. For Yeeun’s case, it’s good enough that she went to Yonsei University, one of South Korea’s most prestigious schools. But even that’s not considered very impressive, as all her other cousins are either studying abroad, or taking those preferred majors.

Moving on to jobs. Well, Yeeun’s family members (uncles) are either politicians or those people who deal with law enforcement. Her dad alone is a specialist doctor. So Yeeun knew her major in Food and Nutrition couldn’t really par up to what her uncles and dad are doing, but she knew her major is where her passion is, and she’s going to prove that she can do well later on.

Last but not least, husband. Yeeun thought this would be the hardest thing to tackle. She knew everything too well for this matter. First he has to come from a well-off family. Second, he has to graduate from a top school. Third, he has to have a promising and stable job, someone who can guarantee himself to reach the top of a company hierarchy at least.

Yeeun thought to herself while eating on the round table, ‘My family is seriously no different than those families in a Makjang drama.’

The lunch thankfully didn’t last as long as the last time, and Yeeun was glad that only her grandma interrogated her. If not, her self-esteem could’ve been badly hurt.

On the way back in the car, Yeeun’s dad opened a conversation,

Dad: Yeeun-ah

Yeeun: Yes, Dad?

Dad: Your grandma told me that you have a boyfriend now.

When Yeeun heard her dad’s words, she panicked a little inside.

Dad: Are you sure he’s not gonna do bad things to you again?

Well, that question from her dad actually made Yeeun quite surprised. She thought he would scold her for telling her grandma that she’s dating a new guy after her last relationship fiasco. To that, Yeeun replied,

Yeeun: Yes… I have a boyfriend now, but no, Dad. I made sure that he’s a really nice guy. I’ve introduced him to my friends and they all agreed that he’s a really nice guy.

Yeeun’s dad could only hum at Yeeun’s explanation. Maybe he still couldn’t believe her daughter 100%.

Dad: Yeeun-ah, is it too much to ask if mom and dad want to meet your boyfriend together with you?

Yeeun’s heart suddenly beat fast upon listening to her dad’s request. She gulped and said,

Yeeun: Hm… Honestly it might be too early for him to meet you, but of course I’ll tell him about this and set up a date.

Dad: Is that so? Alright, then.

Yeeun’s mind suddenly got flooded with so many concerns. She was scared at the thought that her parents might reject Hochang.

Bus Station

9.30 a.m.

Yoon-sunbae rode an inter-city bus on her way to visit her mom. The distance between Seoul and he mom’s place wasn’t so far, so it’s actually quite convenient for her. Strangely, though, Yoon-sunbae just didn’t really have a close relationship with her mom ever since her late brother got into a vegetative state.

She considered herself very sinful when she wished her brother to die, but without that, her family would still be suffering until now. Yoon-sunbae’s relationship with her mom improved a little after the death of her brother, and more recently because she got herself a stable job in a reputable entertainment company.

As the bus reached the city bus interchange, Yoon-sunbae hopped off. The journey took her about 2 hours, which wasn’t too bad. She continued her journey with a local bus and finally reached the neighborhood where her house was located.

She walked towards a traditional Korean house that looked nicely managed. She flinched as the gate made a screeching sound upon entering the house’s courtyard. As she approached the main door, she knocked the door and said,

Jinmyung: Hello, mom… Jinmyung is here.

After waiting for a while, the door sled and Yoon-sunbae’s mom came out to greet her,

Mom: Oh, Jinmyung-ah, you’re here…

It’s been so long since she visited the house. The last time was probably 6 months ago, also when Yoon-sunbae’s mom called her to visit. If not, she wouldn’t have the initiative to do so. That’s just how estranged their relationship was.

As Yoon-sunbae stepped into the house, her mom asked,

Mom: Have you eaten?

Yoon-sunbae who was hungry as she’d only eaten a bowl of cereal in the morning replied,

Jinmyung: No, not yet.

Her mom looked a little concerned and said,

Mom: Wait here, I’ll bring you some rice and side dishes.

Yoon-sunbae sat down on the wooden floor in front of a small table that was meant to be for a dining table. She reminisced the times she spent in that house about 20 years ago when her family was still complete. Her dad, mom, and little brother were always with her at the dining table every night, every day.

Her dad unfortunately died from liver cancer when she was in High school. Since then, Yoon-sunbae and her brother couldn’t live the lives they used to have. Her mom didn’t exactly have a fixed source of income and would borrow money from loan sharks. That’s when Yoon-sunbae had to start working part-time while cramming to study for her university entrance exam. She was a hard worker from a young age, and she knew she was the only hope for her remaining family members.

Just when Yoon-sunbae graduated from High school with flying colors and got accepted at Yonsei University’s Business Management major, her brother was involved in a major accident that caused him permanent absence of responsiveness and awareness. The main cause of that was because her brother was devastated at their father’s passing, and he became a truant child.

Yoon-sunbae felt like her burden just kept piling up in her early youth. She remembered crying in her sleep every night because she felt like her life was too much for her to handle.

Just then, Yoon-sunbae woke up from reminiscing her painful memories when her mom came back from the kitchen with a tray full of home-cooked food.

Mom: Eat up.

Yoon-sunbae put on a smile and tasted the beansprout soup in front of her. She commented genuinely,

Jinmyung: It’s delicious.

Her mom smiled at Yoon-sunbae who seemed to joyfully enjoy the food that she cooked. It was a rare occasion.

Belle Époque

12.30 a.m.

The doorbell to the share house rang. Eunjae ran to open the door. It was the food delivery man. She handed in a few notes in exchange for the food that was delivered.

Eunjae, Eun and Jiwon were together at Belle Époque, and after discussing what they wanted to eat, they went for Tangsuyuk and some fire chicken for lunch because their fridge’s condition was dire. There was no food at all.

The three sat together at the dining table and started munching the food. Eunjae candidly asked a question,

Eunjae: Jiwon-sunbae, aren’t you gonna go out today?

Jiwon: Me? I don’t know.

Eunjae and Eun glanced at each other as they heard Jiwon’s reply. Eun added,

Eun: But why? You have a boyfriend now. You should go and meet him.

Jiwon smirked a little and responded,

Jiwon: So what if I have a boyfriend? I mean, we don’t have to see each other every day right?

Eunjae: But don’t you miss him already? Usually couples who just got together want to see each other every day…

Eun: I agree. That’s so true.

Jiwon being Jiwon, she replied,

Jiwon: Aish, don’t compare me with other people. Don’t you guys know I’m special and unique? I’m sure he’s fine. It’s not like he’s dying to see me now.

Eunjae and Eun just stayed still as both partly disagreed to Jiwon’s comment, but they brushed it off as there’s no point in talking back to Jiwon who’s all for her self-confidence.

Sungmin’s Apartment

12.35 p.m.

Sungmin’s usually a morning person, but strangely, he woke up past noon that day. It was the first time he could sleep that soundly after the misunderstanding incident with Jiwon the other day. He literally thought that Jiwon hated him, and he couldn’t get himself to sleep.

Sungmin stretched his body and put on a huge and happy smile. He reached out his hand towards his phone that’s on the bedside table.

He unlocked his phone and opened the message Jiwon sent him. He squealed and kicked his blanket when he saw it,

‘It feels like a dream,’ Sungmin thought.

Right at that moment, Sungmin wanted to ask Jiwon out, but he wanted to keep his cool, and decided to wait for Jiwon to say Hi or make the move first.

Sungmin went for a shower and thought Jiwon would text him, it was lunch time anyway, so he expected a message from Jiwon. As Sungmin finished showering and went out to check his phone with a smile, his expression suddenly turned disappointed as there wasn’t any message coming in from his girlfriend.

To calm himself down, he thought, ‘maybe she’s still sleeping. I’ll wait longer.’ He then went to the kitchen to cook ramyun. He turned on the TV and sat down on the sofa in the living room while eating the ramyun that he cooked right from the pot.

Knowing Brothers appeared on TV, and Sungmin seemed to enjoy it at first, but after 30 minutes trying to watch the variety show, it got boring, so he changed one channel up.

Right at that moment, the TV showed a drama where a couple was having a sweet date out on a beautiful day. He looked back to see the sky from the huge window behind him. He turned off the TV right away, went to his room to wear his navy bomber jacket, put on his shoes and stormed out of the apartment.

Belle Époque

1.30 p.m.

Yeeun reached Belle Époque and saw her parents drove off. She walked towards Belle Époque’s house entrance with her face looking sullen. She stopped halfway to grab her phone in her purse to call Hochang.

Hochang: Hello?

Yeeun skipped greeting him back and asked,

Yeeun: Can we meet?

Hochang was a little startled when Yeeun dashed him with a question right away.

Hochang: … Eo… of course. Where do you want to meet?

Yeeun: Just at the usual place.

Hochang: When?

Yeeun: Now.

Yeeun hung up as soon as she finished her words. She knew she was acting cold towards Hochang on the phone, but as a matter of fact, she really didn’t mean to talk to him that way.

At the café…

Hochang was already seated when Yeeun came in through the glass door. Hochang waved at Yeeun with a smile to signal where he was sitting. Yeeun took a sit in front of him.

Without beating around the bush, Hochang who saw Yeeun’s sullen expression, asked,

Hochang: What’s the matter?

Yeeun had her face looking down, just staring blankly at the table while flicking her nails. After a while, Yeeun finally looked up and answered,

Yeeun: You… are you okay if my parents want to meet you?

Hochang who heard what Yeeun just said, pointed his index finger at himself,

Hochang: Me?

Yeeun nodded her head twice to respond.

Hochang pondered and replied with confidence,

Hochang: Yeah. I’m okay.

Yeeun whose expression was dark, turned lighter. She clearly didn’t expect Hochang, whom she knew was ‘socially awkward,’ could answer the question confidently.

Yeeun: Are you sure?

Hochang: Yeah. Definitely.

Yeeun: You’re not scared?

Hochang: Ani, I’m scared, but I’ll meet them… for you.

Yeeun, who heard Hochang’s answer had her eyes teary, but before her tears could fall, she looked up and wiped it with her wrists. Yeeun told Hochang how she truly felt,

Yeeun: Honestly, I’m scared. I’m scared because I know what my parents expect of my boyfriend and I’m so worried that they may not accept you.

Hochang couldn’t stand Yeeun looking sad, so he stood up and sat beside Yeeun to hug her. He said,

Hochang: Yeeun-ah, it’s okay… It will all be okay.

Yoon-sunbae’s Home

12:34 p.m.

After Yoon-sunbae gulped down some water from a glass, her mom opened a conversation,

Mom: Jinmyung-ah…

Jinmyung: Hm…?

Mom: Aren’t you turning 30 this year?

Jinmyung: Yes…

Yoon-sunbae’s mom smiled as she seemed to remember something on her mind.

Mom: You know, when I was turning 30, I already have you who was in 1st grade and Jinho who’s 4 years old.

After her mom paused for a while, she continued,

Mom: I married your dad when I was 23 and had you when I was 24. It was honestly the best time of my life. Having a loving husband and a cute baby girl.

Yoon-sunbae’s lips stretched a little as she thought, ‘That’s true…. Dad was indeed a loving figure.’

Mom: So I was gonna ask you…

Yoon-sunbae looked at her mom’s eyes and waited for her to finish her words,

Mom: Now that you’re working in a reputable company and have a stable income, why don’t you build a family soon? Eomma knows you have a boyfriend.

Yoon-sunbae froze when her mom suddenly brought up marriage.

Jinmyung: Eomma… why are you suddenly bring up marriage?

Mom: Jinmyung-ah, mom is getting old now, and I have no one but you in this family... Before I leave this world, it’s my dream to see my child start a family of her own.

Yoon-sunbae totally understood her mother’s wish. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Yoon-sunbae responded,

Jinmyung: Eomma, you know what? I do want to fulfill your wish, I really do…. But I want to let fate decide when the best time for me to do it will be. Nowadays, there are so many things to consider before marriage. The least I can do is to introduce him to you first, but I can’t promise anything yet.

As soon as Yoon-sunbae finished her words, her mom held her hand and said,

Mom: Thank you, Jinmyung-ah....

Belle Époque

3.40 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae got back and everyone was home.

Jinmyung: Hello, girls

The girls looked at Yoon-sunbae’s direction and greeted her back,

Everyone: Annyeong!

Jiwon saw Yoon-sunbae carrying a large bag, and she quickly approached her to help with the things,

Jiwon: Yoon-sunbae, what are these? Wow… home-cooked food?!

Jinmyung: Hm…

Jiwon: Ya….. How nice! Did you visit your mom today?

Jinmyung: Eo, I did.

Jiwon expressed her sadness as she thought about why her mom or dad hadn’t visited to send her some side dishes. She really had no choice but to order in food for lunch earlier.

Suddenly, Jiwon’s phone rang and when she saw the caller ID, she smiled and tucked her hair behind her left ear.

Jiwon: Annyeong!

Jiwon answered the call cheerfully.

The Belle Époque girls had their attention on Jiwon as she exclaimed on the phone.

From the other side of the call, Sungmin said,

Sungmin: Come out.

Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s reply on the phone, frowned a little as she was wondering what’s happening.

She approached the veranda and looked down. Sungmin was there, standing outside the courtyard in front of his car. Jiwon swiftly ran downstairs as soon as she saw Sungmin.

Jiwon approached Sungmin with open arms, but just before she could hug him, Sungmin said,

Sungmin: Stop.

Jiwon who was confused about Sungmin’s word just stood still and thought, ‘why is he like this?’

Sungmin asked Jiwon while looking at the sky with both his hands in the pockets,

Sungmin: Don’t you miss me?

Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s weird question, replied,

Jiwon: Huh?

Sungmin: Aish… Don’t-you-miss-me???

Jiwon couldn’t answer Sungmin’s question and stared at him blankly. She didn’t know how to react.

At the same time, Sungmin couldn’t stand staying cool anymore, and quickly pulled Jiwon into his embrace.

Sungmin: Why didn’t you text me today?

Jiwon: I don’t know…. That’s how we always were…

Sungmin: I know, but we’re different now… Do you know how much I missed you?

After Sungmin popped hat question, he looked at Jiwon’s eyes and lips and moved his face closer to kiss Jiwon, but before their lips could touch, a loud voice came from across the street,

Man: Ya you scoundrel! What are you doing?!

A man and a woman in their mid-50s were seen standing from across the street with their hands holding bags of what seemed like packed foods.

Suddenly, Jiwon exclaimed with a joyful expression,

Jiwon: Appa!

Sungmin: M… mwo? Appa?!

Jiwon: Appa! Eomma!

Jiwon ran towards the man and woman and gave them a big hug.

Sungmin who was left standing outside Belle Époque’s courtyard freeze and thought, ‘I’m so screwed.’

Belle Époque

4.03 p.m.

Sungmin sat next to Jiwon on the sofa. He had both his hands on his laps, feeling more nervous than ever. On the front left sat Jiwon’s dad and mom. They were both scanning Sungmin from head to toe.

The Belle Époque girls were inside Eun’s room, all trying to eavesdrop from the door.

Feeling the awkwardness and tension dominating the atmosphere, Jiwon suggested,

Jiwon: Dad… Mom… Why don’t we do this another time? You all must feel tired from the journey to reach here, right? Hehehehehehe

Jiwon stopped herself from her awkward laugh as her parents didn’t show her any interest for her effort to make them return home.

Dad: So… What’s your name?

Jiwon’s dad asked Sungmin. He himself didn’t know where to start, so asking name was the best thing to do.

Sungmin: My name is Im Sungmin.

Sungmin’s heart beat uncontrollably fast as soon as he finished his response.

Dad: Hm... How did you know my daughter?

Sungmin: I first met her during the university orientation 4 years ago. Jiwon and I take the same major, and we’re also members of the same university newspaper club.

Dad and mom nodded in acknowledgement.

Jiwon’s mom was curious about Sungmin too, so she asked in place of her husband,

Mom: What do your parents do?

Hearing this, Jiwon uttered,

Jiwon: Eomma-

Before she could finish, Sungmin signaled her that it’s fine, so she stopped.

Sungmin: My father works in a TV station, and my mother is a housewife.

Mom: TV station? Is that why you pursued journalism? So you can follow your father’s path?

Sungmin: Not exactly, Eomoni… I really do have passion in journalism. I like to gather facts and think objectively abut current issues. In the future, I do aspire to become one of the key people in the industry.

Hearing Sungmin’s answer that’s full of confidence and certainty about his preference and life goal, Jiwon’s parents shared a glance and nodded in acceptance.

Dad: So… Why do you like our daughter?

Jiwon thought in nervousness about what Sungmin’s gonna respond, ‘is he gonna talk about my sexiness? Or my skills in bed?’ Realizing how inappropriate her thought was, Jiwon shook her head to come to her senses.

Sungmin: Jiwon is...

(The girls in Eun’s room gathered near the door, Eun had her right ear sticking on the door so that she could eavesdrop the conversation).

Sungmin: a person who makes me happy. She may be very talkative and hyper sometimes, and honestly irritating at some point, but I do feel comfortable being around her.

She’s the only one who can make me laugh and lighten up my heart during the hard times.

When I was preparing for my final exams last semester, she even delivered books to my desk at the university newspaper club. But more than anything,

Sungmin looked over to Jiwon who’s sitting beside him and continued his words,

Sungmin: My heart only flutters for Jiwon. That’s what I realized for the past 2 years while having a crush on her.

Without realizing, Jiwon’s mom was smiling ear to ear, her palms were covering her heart. She was deeply touched by Sungmin’s words.

Jiwon, who didn’t expect Sungmin to answer the question that way, had her eyes sparkling in wonder.

Eun overheard Sungmin’s words and whispered the content to the rest of the girls behind her. Yeeun and Eunjae squealed, but Yoon-sunbae asked them to be quiet, so the people outside won’t notice that they’ve been listening in.

After considering Sungmin’s answer, Dad told Sungmin while nodding,

Dad: Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.

Dad then suggested,

Dad: Yeobo, let’s get going then.

After learning that Jiwon’s parents wanted to go home, Sungmin offered,

Sungmin: Abeonim, Eomonim… Can I drop you off at the bus station?

Jiwon whispered,

Jiwon: Ya! Are you crazy?!

Sungmin didn’t budge, but he saw Jiwon’s parents sharing a glance. They agreed.

On the way to the bus station in the car, there was silence in the air, so Jiwon tried to open a conversation,

Jiwon: Eomma, Appa… Why did you come to Seoul so suddenly today?

Mom replied,

Mom: Well, what’s wrong with your parents wanting to see you and sending you food?

She added,

Mom: If we didn’t come, how are we gonna find out that you have a boyfriend already? Why didn’t you tell us?

Sungmin’s grip on the steering wheel fastened as he gulped in nervousness. Sungmin uttered,

Sungmin: I apologize, Abeonim and Eomonim… I should have sent my greetings to you first.

To that, Jiwon’s mom replied with a genuine smile, expressing her fondness for Sungmin,

Mom: Ani, it’s not your fault at all, Im-seobang.

Jiwon blurted,

Jiwon: Mwo? S…seobang?!

Sungmin blinked his eyes and gulped again as he was startled at Jiwon’s mom’s statement.

As they reached the bus station, Sungmin gave Jiwon’s dad a handshake plus a 90° bow, and Jiwon’s dad gave him a pat on the back, saying

Dad: Right, I’ll leave our Jiwon to you. Take care of her well.

Sungmin: Yes, I will, Abeonim.

When Sungmin was about to give Jiwon’s mom a 90° bow, she prevented him from doing it and instead gave him a motherly hug and spoke,

Mom: Thank you, for loving our Jiwon. You’re my daughter’s first boyfriend.

Sungmin could only smile at Jiwon’s mom’s words. He bowed once more and let the parents leave before them.

As Jiwon and Sungmin saw the parents disappear in front of them, Jiwon turned her body to Sungmin, teasing him with her cute voice, and pinched his cheeks,

Jiwon: Sungmin-aaaaah, you did so well!

Sungmin pulled himself back, trying to stop Jiwon.

Sungmin: Ya ya ya ya! Stop it! You-

Jiwon let go of her fingers on Sungmin’s cheeks and turned back, walking towards the car. But before she walked too far, Sungmin chased her and gave her a peck on the lips. He said,

Sungmin: This is for the failed kiss that I wanted to give you earlier in front of the house.  

Jiwon complained at the briefness of the kiss,

Jiwon: Aish! If you want to repay it, do it properly!

Jiwon tip-toped and kissed Sungmin’s lips with all her might. She sprung in her steps for the remaining distance to Sungmin’s car.

Sungmin chuckled as he saw his girlfriend’s cute and spontaneous behavior. He followed behind to his car.

6.12 p.m.

On the bus, on the way home…

Jiwon’s Mom: Yeobo, what do you think of that kid?

Dad responded,

Dad: Well, I like him. He knew what he wants in life and I can see the sincerity in him.

Jiwon’s mom nodded in agreement. Something came up on her mind suddenly and asked,

Mom: But I’m curious… Can a person who works at a TV station buy his kid who’s in the university a nice car like that?

Upon hearing her words, dad looked over to his wife and started to question the same thing.

Glossary

Makjang (drama): a sylistic, tonal, or narrative element in dramas that chooses to play up outrageous storylines to keep viewers hooked despite how ridiculous the stories become [T/N from dramabeans.com]

Tangsuyuk: Sweet and sour pork

Seobang: An expression used to 1) address one’s son-in-law or to 2) address someone’s husband (in this case it applies to no. 1)

Thanks for reading.

Read the next chapter:

Belle Époque

16th February 2018

11.00 a.m.

Kang-eonni, Yeeun, Eunjae and Eun were outside at the dining table in the middle of a fun conversation.

Jiwon came out walking from her room after talking to Sungmin over the phone, asking him to meet up at her favorite chicken place. She headed towards the bathroom holding on to her towel and clothes.

Yina: Going somewhere?

Jiwon: Eo.

Yeeun: Where?

Jiwon: To eat… chicken

Hearing Jiwon’s odd answer, the girls wondered what she meant. They continued their conversation as Jiwon entered the bathroom.

Eunjae: Jiwon-sunbae is eating chicken at this hour? Kang-eonni, are you sure she’s okay already?

Yina: Ya, she hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday, right?

Yeeun nodded.

Yina: Then let her be. That’s girl is happy. We all know chicken is her favorite food.

Eunjae who was wondering about it just nodded, as she understood the situation.

Yina: By the way, Eun-ah… I heard your boyfriend is grandma’s nephew? I heard he’s in the army now?

Eun: Yes… he’s supposedly an active-duty soldier, but he came back for a short holiday, he was given 5 days off

Eun ended her sentence with a smile, remembering that Janghoon worked hard just to return and see her.

Yina: Ya… how nice… When is he returning to the base?

Eun: This Sunday, on the 18th

Yina: You guys don’t have much time, then… Go and have some fun together. You might regret it if you don’t make use of the time left.

Yeeun: Kang-eonni is right. Eun-ah, you know… my friends who have boyfriends in the army never have a chance to see their boyfriends before the 2-year period is over.

Eun, who received the advice from her two sunbaes, thought she must spend some time with Janghoon.

Jiwon had just finished showering and she came out of the bathroom with a pretty look. She maintained her unique style – Kimono outerwear, white blouse, and a pair of jeans, but there’s something different from Jiwon that all the other girls sensed. Maybe it’s the glow of someone who’s falling in love.

Jiwon went straight to her room and grabbed her bag. She went out of the room to put on her shoes and headed out.

As Jiwon opened the front door, Kang-eonni exclaimed,

Yina: Good luck!

Jiwon who heard it, smiled to herself and waved at the girls before the door closed behind her.

Kang-eonni knew Jiwon was about to meet Sungmin.

Jiwon sat at the bus stop and saw a beer advertisement on the glass partition. She suddenly smiled and laughed to herself like an idiot as she recalled the incident on Valentine’s Day when she and Sungmin drank beers together before eventually kissing each other’s lips for the first time.

The people who were at the bus stop put on their judging face as they witnessed Jiwon’s strange actions.

The bus Jiwon was waiting for came and she hopped on the bus cheerfully.

Little did she know, later that afternoon, the close guy friend she had, was going to be her soulmate for the rest of her life.

Belle Époque

11.20 a.m.

Eun went inside her room after the small chit-chats with the girls at the dining table. She laid herself on the mattress and opened her chat conversation with Janghoon.

She looked over to the chair with the wood carving ‘My Eun’ that Janghoon crafted for her. She smiled and composed a message.

A few seconds later, a reply came.

Eun smiled and typed her response,

Eun’s smile got even bigger as her date night with Janghoon was pretty much confirmed.

OH & PARK Entertainment

12.00 p.m.

Right when the clock stroke 12.00 p.m., Team leader Jo proclaimed,

Team Leader Jo: It’s lunch time!

The guys in the room stretched their bodies to relieve their muscles. They’ve sat down on the chairs for long hours and finally break time came.

Jinmyung glanced at her watch on her left wrist to reconfirm the time.

She opened her chat with Jaehwan and a thought came to her mind, she wanted to ask if Jaehwan’s plan to visit her in Seoul on the weekend is still valid or not, because she knew too well that restaurants are even more packed on the weekends, as she used to work in a restaurant for 2 whole years to pay her tuition fees.

Jinmyung composed her message and clicked the send button with a hint of doubt.

After staring at the chat for a while, her attention dispersed when Kang Jinah, the senior who sits beside her at work asked her out for lunch.

Jinah: Jinmyung-ssi, do you want to go and eat lunch together at the restaurant across the street?

As a response, Jinmyung nodded her head a little and wore her coat before walking beside Jinah to go out.

At lunch while eating…

Jinah: Jinmyung-ssi do you have a boyfriend?

Jinmyung, who’s still a little reluctant in sharing about her private life, simply replied,

Jinmyung: Yes…

Jinah: Oooo…. What does he do?

Jinmyung: He’s a chef.

Jinah: How nice! He can cook for you whenever you want to…

Jinmyung, who didn’t want to open up about the fact that she’s in a long-distance relationship, forced a smile at her sunbae’s remark.

Sungmin’s Car

14.02 p.m.

Jiwon couldn’t believe herself when she had the courage to link her fingers in between Sungmin’s.

Honestly, even though she’s used to hitting and poking Sungmin’s butt in the past, the situation is different now, because they’re not just close guy and girl friends anymore. They’re each other’s romantic companion.

Feeling comfortable holding Sungmin’s hand, Jiwon commented,

Jiwon: Ya… how can our hands fit so perfectly like this?

Sungmin: I don’t know, maybe we’re just meant to be?

As Jiwon heard Sungmin’s response, she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Her heart fluttered, and she teased Sungmin for his cheesy words,

Jiwon: Im Sungmin, you learnt some sweet-talk skills, didn’t you?

Jiwon added,

Jiwon: Are you sure you’re a mosol all these time?

Jiwon saw Sungmin laughing instantly as soon as she finished her words.

(Read chapter 2.5 if you want to know what Sungmin thought about right at this point)

Jiwon clicked the ‘on’ button on the stereo and the song ‘some’ came to play.

‘I want to open my eyes to your text every morning

I want to fall asleep with your voice at the end of the night

On the weekends, I want to hug you,

In front of a lot of people as if I’m showing off’

Jiwon, who was enjoying Korea’s most popular song of 2014, got interrupted by Sungmin,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, do you want me to tell you a story?

Jiwon: What story?

Sungmin: I’m not sure if you actually realized this ever, but do you know what everyone in uni thought about us before?

Jiwon, who had no clue, tried guessing,

Jiwon: what? Weird guy and girl friends?

Sungmin chuckled and responded,

Sungmin: Ani… They thought we’re dating.

Jiwon was surprised and looked at Sungmin when she heard the answer.

Jiwon: Jinjja?

Sungmin: Hey, don’t you remember when that female hoobae asked if we were dating?

Jiwon: Of course I remember, but I thought she literally asked because she wanted to make sure that you’re single?

Sungmin: Are you sure she wasn’t actually jealous of us two?

Jiwon: …… you’re right.

Sungmin: But anyway, at least 10 other people have asked me the exact same question.

Jiwon: Seriously?

Jiwon covered her mouth with her palms when she heard the story.

Jiwon: Do you think we look that good together that people thought we were dating each other?

Sungmin: What about you? I think we look so good together. That’s why I like the way we are now.

Sungmin altered his gaze to Jiwon and gave her a sweet gaze.

Without them realizing, they have reached Belle Époque. Sungmin hit the brake such that the car went stationary.

He saw Jiwon unbuckling the seatbelt, but before opening the car door, Jiwon said,

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah

Sungmin: Hm?

Jiwon: Nothing…. Annyeong!

Without saying what was on her mind, Jiwon got off the car. Sungmin who thought something was missing, quickly got off the car to chase Jiwon.

Sungmin pulled Jiwon’s left shoulder with his right hand, such that her body turned to face him.

He put both his hands under Jiwon’s jaw and kissed her gently. Their lips touched, and the feeling was as sweet as honey. This time, it’s clear for the both of them that it was a genuinely real kiss.

If they were influenced by something to kiss one another at that time, it was probably the fried chicken that they had earlier.

From upstairs, Yeeun who was collecting her dry laundry witnessed the scene and paused her activity right away. She called out Eun and Eunjae who were sitting at the dining table.

The trio smiled in adoration as they witnessed the rare and heartwarming sight of the newborn sweethearts.

The kiss was brief, as it wasn’t meant for something than a thank-you and I’ll-miss-you gesture. As their lips disjoined, Jiwon hugged Sungmin voluntarily for the first time and said,

Jiwon:

Sungmin-ah… I really thank you.

Thank you for being honest with me.

Thank you for taking care and being there for me during my most difficult times.

And I’m sorry that I realized my feelings for you so late like this….

Sungmin, who was hugging Jiwon tight in his arms, loosened his embrace and held Jiwon by her arms. Sungmin responded with looking straight into Jiwon’s eyes,

Sungmin: There’s absolutely nothing you need to be sorry for. Okay?

Sungmin ruffled Jiwon’s hair to express his adoration and to stress that everything that happened in the past didn’t matter anymore. He conveyed his parting note,

Sungmin: Go in and rest.

Jiwon: Arasseo. Bye!

Jiwon turned her body and walked towards the entry door looking normal and relaxed. Sungmin was still behind to make sure that Jiwon’s safe until she stepped inside the house.

As spontaneous as Jiwon’s always was, she ran back before climbing the outdoor stairs to give Sungmin a peck before she fleed to hide herself from Sungmin.

When Jiwon entered the share house upstairs, she jumped in glee with a beaming smile and approached the sofa in the living room to let herself fall free to land on the cushion. She touched her lips and squealed when she recalled her kiss and hug with Sungmin.

The trio who watched the whole scene peeked through the veranda’s wall towards Jiwon who was squealing on the sofa, admiring their housemate who’s madly in love.

07.00 p.m.

Eun who just got herself ready for her date, reached her phone to text Janghoon that she’s ready to go.

Janghoon was already waiting in the courtyard looking dandier than his usual t-shirt and sweatpants fashion.

Janghoon’s eyes blinked in wonder as he saw Eun who looked extra beautiful. She wore a gray long coat over a white sweatshirt and black skinny pants. Her hair, that had grown longer over the 5 months, fell just below her shoulders.

Eun put on a shy expression and linked her arms with Janghoon’s.

Eun: Let’s go.

As they walked on the street outside Belle Époque, Janghoon commented,

Janghoon: You changed a lot.

Eun: How so?

Janghoon: In a way that makes me fall even harder for you.

--

OH & PARK Entertainment

8.30 p.m.

As Yoon-sunbae shut down her computer and prepared to go home, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Jaehwan.

Yoon-sunbae’s expression lighted up a little as she read Jaehwan’s chats. She typed her replies,

Just as Yoon-sunbae was going to keep her phone inside her pocket, her phone vibrated again. This time, it’s a call from her mom.

Jinmyung: Hello?

Mom: Jinmyung-ah, do you have time to visit tomorrow? Mom misses you…

Yoon-sunbae thought for a while and said,

Jinmyung: Okay. I’ll visit tomorrow.

Mom: Arasseo. See you.

As soon as her mom replied her, Yoon-sunbae ended the call.

She kept her phone and hurried home. She wanted to wash up and lay down on her bed after a long week of work.

8.40 p.m.

Janghoon and Eun went out of the meat place with a happy tummy. They walked along a stretch of street vendors selling various accessories and couple-related items. A particular item caught Eun’s attention. It’s a pair of couple necklace, two necklaces with a lock and key pendants

Janghoon who noticed it, approached the seller and asked how much it was before handing over some notes.

As soon as Janghoon bought the necklace set, he opened the hook of the key pendant necklace and tip-toed a bit to loop it around Eun’s neck. Then, he looped the lock pendant necklace around his neck. Janghoon said,

Janghoon: With these necklaces, it’s a promise that you’re the only one who can open this lock. My heart.

Eun stood still as Janghoon made his remarks.

Janghoon: Since I’m going to go back to the base again on Sunday, I really don’t have a clue on when I can see you next. It might take another 18 months.

In response to Janghoon’s words, Eun said,

Eun: I know. You don’t really have to explain it. I’ll always remember you with this…

Janghoon grabbed Eun’s cold hand and walked hand-in-hand while heading home. They had a great date night together.

As Janghoon and Eun approached Belle Époque, they saw Yoon-sunbae who was about to enter the courtyard. Eun shouted and waved at Yoon-sunbae,

Eun: Yoon-sunbae!

Yoon-sunbae heard the shout and turned her head to the source of the sound. She saw Eun and Janghoon who were holding hands and Eun who was waving at her. She waved back and waited for the two to come near,

Eun: You just returned from work?

Jinmyung: Yeah.

Janghoon: Hello noona. Long time no see!

Jinmyung: Eo, Seo Janghoon. When are you going back to the base?

Janghoon: This Sunday at 3 p.m., I have to be there already.

Jinmyung: Ah, that’s so fast. It would’ve been nice if you can stay longer. Eun will miss you a lot.

Suddenly, a thought came to Janghoon’s mind.

Janghoon: How’s Jaehwan-hyung?

Yoon-sunbae’s expression suddenly darkened a little.

Jinmyung: He’s really busy at the restaurant, but he’s planning on visiting this Sunday. It’s such a pity that you have to return on the same day, if not you could’ve met him.

Yoon-sunbae who didn’t feel like discussing about Jaehwan much longer, suggested Eun and Janghoon to enter the house.

With that, the couple waved goodbye as they went their separate ways – Eun upstairs, and Janghoon downstairs.

As Yoon-sunbae and Eun entered Belle Époque share house, Eunjae and Yeeun were sitting on the living room sofa. Yeeun uttered,

Yeeun: Yoon-sunbae! Eun-ah!

Upon hearing Yeeun’s exclamations, the two rushed towards Yeeun and Eunjae.

Jinmyung: Did something happen?

Yeeun and Eunjae shared a glance. Yeeun then explained what’s gonna happen, this time, with her voice whispering.

Yoon-sunbae showed a surprised look, while Eun just smiled and nodded at what Yeeun had to say.

9.35 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae and Eun quickly took a shower first before coming out to joining Yeeun and Eunjae again in the living room. Kang-eonni suddenly came in through the front door too and joined the girls.

Seeing that everyone was there already, each girl held on to their specified props: Yeeun – cake, Eunjae – a banner, and the rest – confetti.

The girls approached Jiwon’s room and barged into the room and shouted out,

Everyone: Congratulations!!!

Jiwon who was in the middle of a phone call quickly ended the call and exclaimed in surprise,

Jiwon: Gosh! You surprised me! What’s this all about?

Jiwon scanned all the girls and read the banner that Eunjae was holding,

‘Congratulations for your first and new relationship!

We hope it lasts for a long time!

❤❤❤❤❤

Yoon Jinmyung, Kang Yina, Jung Yeeun, Yoo Eunjae, & Jo Eun’

Jiwon, who totally didn’t expect the girls to find out already, asked in surprise,

Jiwon: Ya, how do you guys know? I never said anything about this to anyone.

Yeeun: Ayy, do you think we’re dumb? We saw you…

Yeeun was too embarrassed to say kiss, so she let her hands show the gesture of two people kissing.

Eun added,

Eun: You guys looked so good together!

Hearing everyone’s explanation, Jiwon said,

Jiwon: Aish, you guys!

Jiwon continued,

Jiwon: How was it? I was good, right? Tell me, how was it? Huh?

The girls exited the room and ignored Jiwon as they heard her absurd questions. Jiwon has returned to her usual self.

Jiwon who was excited, shrugged and followed the girls out.

At the dining table…

Jiwon sat at the edge of the table, and Yoon-sunbae was cutting the round cake equally for the girls.

It’s only been a week since the girls last gathered together, but since it’s a happy occasion, they’re back together again.

Eunjae who was curious about something, asked Jiwon a question,

Eunjae: Jiwon-sunbae, how did it start?

Jiwon: Well, of course he confessed. He couldn’t stand my sexy charm and beautiful face, that’s why-

Kang-eonni who couldn’t stand Jiwon’s exaggeration, stopped her from finishing her overstatement.

Yina: Aish, stop it with the exaggeration. So, what did you tell him?

Jiwon: Well, I said… he should’ve confessed earlier so I could realize my feelings for him sooner.

Everyone squealed as Jiwon’s answer tickled them. It was really unlike her personality, but maybe Jiwon is a soft-hearted human in terms of relationship anyway.

The girls’ conversation continued with laughter and smiles as the night marked the first day that no Belle Époque girl remained a mosol.

Flashback

Sungmin’s Apartment

9.35 p.m.

Sungmin decided to call Jiwon as he just finished showering and was lying down on his bed.

As Jiwon picked up his call, he said,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, what are you doing?

Jiwon: Nothing, just lying down on my bed.

Sungmin: Have you eaten dinner?

Jiwon: ani, I’m not hungry. Those chicken drumsticks we had earlier are still sleeping in my tummy.

Sungmin smiled a little as Jiwon made that as a reason.

Jiwon: What about you? What were you doing before this?

Sungmin: Me? I was thinking about you. In the shower.

Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s answer, grinned and said,

Jiwon: Ya! You dirty little brat, it’s only been a few hours since we got together and you already had those thoughts?

Sungmin: Who said I was thinking dirty about you? I missed you. That’s why you just appeared in my mind.

Suddenly, Sungmin could hear a loud sound coming from Jiwon’s end that said,

‘Congratulations!!!’

Before Sungmin could ask what’s happening, the call was ended. He tried to figure out what it was, but couldn’t seem to come to a conclusion.

He texted Jiwon and put his phone on the bedside table before setting himself in a comfortable position and head to dreamland.

Jiwon’s phone vibrated on her bed and showed two notifications coming from Sungmin. She was still outside in the dining area with the girls.

11.30 p.m.

The Belle Époque girls just finished their get-together. Kang-eonni who now lives in a rented small studio apartment, said goodbye,

Yina: I’m going back! Good night!

Everyone: Eo! Be careful on your way!

As Kang-eonni exited the front door, the girls went straight to their bedrooms. Eun by herself, Yoon-sunbae with Eunjae, and Yeeun with Jiwon.

Jiwon climbed up to her bed and put herself under the blanked. She checked her phone and as she saw the list of notifications on her locked screen, her lips stretched.

She opened the notification and saw these messages from Sungmin,

Jiwon simply replied the message with a heart, locked her phone back and put it under her pillow before closing her eyes.

That was how Jiwon and Sungmin’s first day as a couple ended. It was honestly like being on a rollercoaster ride. Jiwon cried, expressed her true feelings, and got kissed plus hugged all in one day. And now, just before the day changed, she received her first ‘I love you’ affirmation from the person who’s no longer her ‘boy’ friend, but her boyfriend.

Thank you for reading.

Read the next chapter:

Morning at Sungmin’s Apartment

15th February 2018

8.20 a.m.

Jiwon woke up from her good night’s sleep and saw a figure she’s familiar of laying in front of her. Suddenly, bits of memories started to flood her mind as she recalled the things that happened between her and Sungmin last night. Jiwon froze as her heart started to beat fast in panic.

She quickly went out of the bed and picked up her underwear and dress that were lying in disarray on the floor. She headed to the bathroom across the room, and wore all her clothes back.

Her legs felt weak suddenly, so she let her back slide off the bathroom wall, as she curled herself up on the black marble tiles - trying to recall every single detail of what happened on the night of Valentine’s Day.

She truthfully didn’t know what to feel. Did she feel regretful? Or was she satisfied that she actually lost it to Sungmin last night? She couldn’t work it out.

8.35 a.m.

Sungmin woke up from his sleep, and realized his bare state. He instantly remembered what happened last night with Jiwon, and lifted his body up as he couldn’t find Jiwon next to him.

Jiwon’s bag was laying on the sofa at the foot of the bed, so Jiwon must still be in the apartment, Sungmin thought.

He grabbed a towel robe that was luckily within reach beside the bed. He put it on and went outside the room to search for Jiwon.

The first place he checked was the living room and kitchen area, but he could only spot opened cans of beers, uncapped Soju bottles, and some alcohol glasses on the coffee table.

He had searched everywhere except for the bathroom opposite his room.

As Sungmin reached the bathroom door, he said softly while knocking,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah…

The air was silent.

Sungmin: are you inside?

There was no answer, so Sungmin warned that he’s going to enter the bathroom.

As he turned the door knob and the door opened, he saw Jiwon curling up on the bathroom tiles. She was wearing her pink dress and her hair was messy.

Looking at the sight, Sungmin gulped in uneasiness.

He approached Jiwon and let himself get into a squat position so that he could see Jiwon’s face clearly. 

He tried reaching Jiwon’s arms that were wrapped around her legs, but before he could touch it, Jiwon retracted her arms to the side.

Wanting to know what happened, Sungmin asked,

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, why are you curled up here?

There was no answer, so Sungmin tried to reach to her differently.

Sungmin: Do you want breakfast? I can make it for you…

Again. Nothing came out from Jiwon’. He tried again.

Sungmin: Do you want me to bring you home?

For the third time, Jiwon still kept quiet.

Finally, Sungmin asked her,

Sungmin: Did you regret it?

Hearing this question, Jiwon raised from her curled up position and exited the bathroom.

Sungmin couldn’t do anything, as all he could do was to witness Jiwon going inside his room to take her bag, barging out of his room, putting her heels on, and walking out of the apartment without looking and saying anything to him.

Jiwon walked out of Sungmin’s apartment in a hurry and pressed the elevator button down. She waited for the elevator to come and hoped that Sungmin didn’t follow her out.

Thank God the elevator came fast. She hopped on and pressed the ground floor. Jiwon combed her messy hair with her fingers when she saw her own reflection on the elevator doors. 

As the lift reached the ground floor, she walked out of the apartment through the lobby and headed towards the bus stop to go back home.

Flashback – After the trial at Belle Epoque

13th February 2018

Kang-eonni and the Belle Epoque girls (minus Jiwon) safely arrived at the share house after a long and nerve-wrecking car journey.

They entered the house one by one with sullen expressions as they were exhausted. All these time, Kang-eonni’s driving skill hadn’t improved much. 

As everyone went in, they crowded the sofa, seeeing Jiwon who’s fast asleep.

Kang-eonni clicked her fingers and gave the girls the I-have-a-plan look. She’s about to do something.

Kang-eonni took Jiwon’s phone that’s lying on the table next to the sofa. 

She tried to key in the 4-digit passcode to unlock Jiwon’s phone, but it failed the first time. She tried to think of what combination could match, and she finally unlocked it on the second try.

She went over Jiwon’s chat history and found Sungmin’s name on the list. She clicked on his name and drafted some words in the chat box while thinking how Jiwon would type it to Sungmin.

The messages read:

As the messages were sent and they’ve all been read, Kang-eonni showed the chat to the Belle Epoque girls. Eunjae gave her a thumbs up.

Kang-eonni quickly deleted the message bubbles from the chat history, locked the phone and put it back on the table so Jiwon wouldn’t find out. 

She went inside Yoon-sunbae’s room to make a phone call…

Yina: Hello? Dongjoo-yaa~

Dongjoo: Eo, what’s up?

Yina: Can I make a reservation at your woman’s restaurant for tomorrow at 8 p.m.?

Kang-eonni asked with her face full of hopefulness.

Dongjoo: What? Tomorrow? Ya, you know you have to make a reservation at least a week before at this restaurant, right? And tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Hearing Dongjoo’s reply, Kang-eonni tried to persuade him.

Yina: Ya, come on… I owe you a lot. Please please please???

Dongjoo: … Arasseo. I’ll tell her.

Kang-eonni was delighted to hear Dongjoo’s acceptance to help her.

Yina: Eo, gomawo! I trust you with this. Make the reservation under Song Jiwon, okay?

Dongjoo: What? Why Song Jiwon? I thought you’re the one who wanted to make the reservation?

Yina: Aish, why are you asking so many questions? Just do what I told you to.

Dongjoo: okayyy okayyyy, I’ll do it.

The call ended as Kang-eonni pressed the red button on the screen. Although Kang-eonni is no longer dating married man to earn money, she still maintained her network well.

Dongjoo was still pursuing his life as a cub, and the woman Kang-eonni mentioned in her call was indeed the cougar Dongjoo is seeing. She’s the owner of Villa Sortino, the 5-star restaurant that’s super popular amongst fine-dining goers.

In only about 15 minutes after Kang-eonni called Dongjoo, the reservation was confirmed. She smiled in satisfaction as her plan seemed to be working well.

So, that was how Sungmin got the messages from Jiwon telling him to eat at Villa Sortino on Valentine’s Day.

Flashforward – Seoul Café

9.25 a.m.

Sungmin who’s dumb about relationships asked to meet Chungwoon as soon as he washed up after Jiwon went out of his apartment. He couldn’t follow Jiwon out, because he knew it wasn’t exactly the best thing he could do at the time.

Sungmin sat down on one of the sofas in the café, zoning out. 

Chungwon who arrived saw Sungmin from outside the glass window and waved at him, but realized that something must’ve gone wrong as Sungmin didn’t seem to realize his presence.

Chungwon entered the café and approached Sungmin.

Chungwon: Hyung

Sungmin was surprised as he heard Chungwon calling him. He totally wasn’t paying attention at his surroundings.

Sungmin: Eo, you’re here.

Chungwon: Is something up?

Hearing Chungwon’s question, Sungmin couldn’t say a word.

Chungwon: I’ve never seen you like this before, Hyung.

Suddenly, Sungmin exclaimed in upset,

Sungmin: Aish!!!

Sungmin’s voice echoed around the whole café that the room turned silent instantly. Only the café’s song and the sound of the coffee makers could be heard. Sungmin covered his face with his palms to hide his face that was in dismal.

Sungmin: I think I made a huge mistake.

Chungwon who couldn’t grasp the meaning behind the statement, asked,

Chungwon: what kind?

Sungmin: We did it last night.

Sungmin continued,

Sungmin: We drank alcohol together at my place. It was uncontrollable.

Chungwon: Hyung…. Wait…. Are you talking about Jiwon-sunbae?

Sungmin didn’t answer Chungwon’s suggestive question, but silence means yes. 

Wanting to know more of the story, Chungwon popped another question,

Chungwon: So what happened then?

Sungmin let go a sigh,

Sungmin: I think she hates me now. What the f*ck should I do?

Chungwon: Alright, let’s be clear first. Who initiated it?

Sungmin tried to recall the incident first before answering the question.

Sungmin: Well, as I remember, we both kissed… Aish! This is so awkward! Why do I even have to tell you this?!

Chungwon: It’s okay. Continue.

Sungmin paused for a while before he continued on with his elaboration,

Sungmin: We both kissed at the same time, I saw her approaching me too. I took her to my room and then…

Chungwon: And then what?

Sungmin: Before we reached that stage, she took the protection from her bag and then I asked her if she’s sure that she wanted to do it.

Chungwon: so what did she say?

Sungmin: She told me to shut up.

Chungwon: … Seriously? Jiwon-sunbae told you to shut up?

Chungwon laughed at the story. 

But of course he knew Sungmin wasn’t joking in any way. All along, the Sungmin-hyung that he knew is someone who’s serious.

Chungwon: Okay Hyung, from what I see, I don’t think Jiwon-sunbae hates you. You see, we’ve gone out a lot with her to drink outside and I must admit she’s a strong drinker. She doesn’t get drunk easily, but well she does get hyper. Very. What you should do now is try and talk to her slowly. I’ll ask Eunjae if she can help.

Sungmin: Jinjja? Are you sure?

Chungwon: Yes, Hyung. I don’t dare bluff, especially to you. You’re scary. I’ll call Eunjae now if you won’t believe me.

Sungmin nodded a few times as he trusted Chungwon’s words.

Belle Epoque

9.27 p.m.

Jiwon’s expression was flat all the way from when she rode the bus until she entered Belle Epoque. 

At the dining table, Yeeun, Eunjae and Eun were eating breakfast when Jiwon came in.

Eunjae attempted to greet her,

Eunjae: Jiwon-sunbae an…

Before she could finish her words, Jiwon ignored everyone and went straight to her room.

The three girls exchanged glances to ask if anyone knew what happened, but to no avail, no one could answer. 

Curious, the girls discussed the matter.

Yeeun: Jiwon didn’t come home, right?

Eunjae and Eun nodded.

Yeeun: Didn’t Kang-eonni say she’s setting Jiwon up with Sungmin?

Eunjae and Eun nodded again.

Yeeun: Then something must’ve gone wrong somewhere between them.

This time, Eunjae and Eun looked at each other as they expected rhat something big must’ve really happened.

Suddenly, Eunjae’s phone rang. It was Chungwon. She picked the call up with a smile.

Yeeun and Eun were curious to find out what Chungwon were saying on the other side. 

Eunjae ended the call and prepared to say something,

Eunjae: Someone, maybe one of us should try to talk to Jiwon-sunbae.  Yeeun-sunbae, since you are the same age, why don’t you try talking to her?

After some hesitation, Yeeun replied,

Yeeun: Arasseo. I’ll try.

10.00 a.m.

Yeeun went inside her room and called Jiwon’s name softly, but there was no reply. 

She looked over to Jiwon’s bed and saw her fast asleep, wrapped under her blanket. Seeing this, she went out of the room.

20.30 p.m.

Yeeun went inside the room again to see if Jiwon was already up, but she’s not. 

Yeeun even brought a bowl of porridge for Jiwon to eat, but seeing that Jiwon is still asleep made her hesitate.

*zzzzzzzz* Jiwon’s phone notification showed 10 missed calls and a few messages from Sungmin, but there was no reaction from Jiwon at all.

Outside, Yeeun let the girls know about the situation and decided to call Kang-eonni for help. Anyway, she was the one who set Sungmin and Jiwon up for a fake date in the first place, so Yeeun felt that Kang-eonni was responsible.

Belle Epoque

16th February 2018

9.00 a.m.

The next morning, Jiwon woke up to relieve herself in the bathroom. When she came out, Kang-eonni was already there, waiting for Jiwon in the dining table. 

Yeeun, Eunjae and Eun were seated on the sofa, looking towards Kang-eonni and Jiwon’s direction. 

Without delay, Kang-eonni asked Jiwon to talk in private inside her room.

The three girls waited outside for the two girls to wrap up their sharing session.

Inside Jiwon’s room…

Jiwon sat on Yeeun’s bed and Kang-eonni dragged Jiwon’s study chair to face Jiwon. 

Kang-eonni waited for a while and finally started to talk,

Yina: Jiwon-ah, why is your face like that? Did something happen?

Jiwon: …

Yina: Song Jiwon… Jaebal, please tell me if something happened.

Kang-eonni waited patiently to hear Jiwon’s answer. 

If Jiwon isn’t her close friend, she would’ve blown up by now, but she lent her ear to Jiwon as she also felt responsible for setting her up with Sungmin. 

She knew Jiwon’s acting like that because of Sungmin.

Jiwon: I…

Yina looked relieved as she heard Jiwon talk for the first time in 15 minutes.

Jiwon: I did it.

Yina: Did what?

Kang-eonni tried to guess the meaning behind Jiwon’s statement, and she kind of guessed what it’s all about. 

But the thing sis she doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, judging from Jiwon’s expression that was flat.

Suddenly, Jiwon exclaimed in her cheerful voice,

Jiwon: Kang-eonni… I finally did it!!! 

Kang-eonni who heard it, understood Jiwon’s feeling right away. 

Jiwon’s overjoyed.

Yina: Yaa Song Jiwon… you went that far??

Jiwon nodded ecstatically. Her expression switched from flat to all smiles in literally no time.

Yina: ya, you sly b**ch! I thought something went terribly wrong with you!!!!

Kang-eonni squished Jiwon’s cheeks to show her adoration and irritation towards her friend who’s no longer a virgin.

Jiwon’s ecstatic state didn’t last long, however, as she’s now looking confused. 

Jiwon opened her mouth to ask something,

Jiwon: I know I should be happy, because I finally did what I always wanted to do in the first place. But I don’t know why I feel weird?

Kang-eonni, who’s back to not understanding Jiwon asked,

Yina: How so?

Jiwon: I don’t know

Yina: Do you like him?

When Kang-eonni hit Jiwon with that question, something came up on Jiwon’s mind, and she wanted to clarify that out with her.

Jiwon: If you like a person, does your heart beat like crazy when you look at that person’s eyes? And does your stomach feel weird too?

Kang-eonni tried to give an honest answer.

Yina: Well, I’d say yes to the former, but the latter… seems to suggest you need the toilet. 

Yina: But anyway, who initiated it?

Upon hearing Kang-eonni’s response, Jiwon tried to recall that moment at Sungmin’s apartment.

Jiwon: Well…. we kissed at the same time, and I could feel that we both enjoyed it a lot

Jiwon: But for THAT matter… I think I took the lead. He even asked me first if I was sure. At that time I spontaneously told him to shut up, because I couldn’t hold it anymore.

Kang-eonni poked Jiwon’s shoulder to make fun of her.

Yina: So what’s the problem, then?

Jiwon: I’m embarrassed.

Jiwon’s honest statement made Kang-eonni feel like there’s absolutely no reason why Jiwon should feel that way.

Yina: Embarrassed of what? The Song Jiwon that I know is never embarrassed of anything.

Jiwon: Facing him. 

Jiwon: I’m embarrassed because we’ve seen each other with no single thread on our bodies, and truthfully, our relationship is still friends. We didn’t say anything about feelings yesterday. I mean, we were too drawn into the mood.

So, that’s how Jiwon felt. No matter how outgoing and vulgar Jiwon is, it’s still her first time and honestly she felt so damn awkward and nervous when she woke up to find Sungmin beside her. 

All these time Jiwon saw Sungmin as her close guy friend, but the fact that they broke that wall that one night changed it all. That’s why when Sungmin found her curling up in the bathroom, Jiwon avoided him and refused to be driven home in his car.

With no hesitation, Kang-eonni provided the simplest solution to Jiwon.

Yina: Then you should make you and him not friends anymore.

Jiwon looked up to Kang-eonni as she heard her advice. Her eyes goggled as her heart pounded quite strongly.

Kang-eonni stood up from the study chair and exited the room. 

The three girls who were waiting outside instantly looked at her to ask how it went.

Kang-eonni gave them the smile and the ‘ok’ gesture to express that Jiwon was okay and everything went well. 

‘Yeokshi,’ everyone thought. ‘Kang-eonni knows how to handle everyone’s problem.’

At Jiwon’s room…

Jiwon checked her phone and saw the numerous amount of missed calls and messages from… Sungmin.

She hesitantly opened the chat and read it. It was from yesterday.

Jiwon sat and thought for a while before she hit number ‘1’ speed-dial button on her phone. 

Right. She set the primary speed-dial for Sungmin’s number. 

She felt so foolish that she just realized how important Sungmin was in her life.

Sungmin’s Apartment

9.35 a.m.

Sungmin was home in the living room, zoning out while staring at his phone for don’t know how long already. 

As soon as his phone rang with Jiwon’s caller ID showing on the screen, he reached out to his phone, cleared his throat, and answered the call.

Sungmin: Hello?

Jiwon: Hm…

Sungmin who’s relieved to hear Jiwon’s voice replied,

Sungmin: Where have you been? I’m dead worried that something might have happened to you. Are you alright?

Jiwon: You don’t have to worry about me… I’m fine.

After some pause, Jiwon continued,

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah…

Sungmin: Eo… why?

Jiwon: Let’s meet.

Sungmin heard Jiwon’s request and quickly agreed to it.

Sungmin: Where do you want to meet?

There was only one place Jiwon could think of at that time.

Jiwon: My favorite chicken place.

Hearing Jiwon’s reply, Sungmin laughed a little, as he couldn’t hold her cuteness.

Sungmin: Do you want me to come over to pick you up?

Jiwon: ani, it’s okay… I’ll go there by myself.

Sungmin who wanted to respect Jiwon, ended the call with his last response,

Sungmin: Alright, see you.

Sungmin shouted out in glee as Jiwon finally called him. 

He hasn’t been able to sleep the whole night, thinking about Jiwon and the possibility that he might have committed a wrong doing to Jiwon the other night.

At the Chicken Place

11.00 a.m.

Sungmin was the first to arrive yet again. 

He ordered the menu that Jiwon liked and waited for about 5 minutes before Jiwon came and sit in front of Sungmin at the usual table. 

Jiwon couldn’t look at Sungmin in the eyes as she was still embarrassed. Her cheeks was red like ripe cherries.

Sungmin tried to catch a glimpse of Jiwon’s face but failed to do so as Jiwon completely buried her face such that her long hair covered her whole face.

Jiwon gathered her courage and finally looked up and say,

Jiwon: You…

Sungmin was all ears as he wanted to hear what Jiwon had to say,

Jiwon: What’s the re-

Before Jiwon could finish her sentence, the chicken and coke that Sungmin ordered earlier came to their table. 

The waiter, who was familiar of Sungmin and Jiwon commented,

Waiter: Oh you two are here! It’s been a long time. Enjoy your meal.

Sungmin and Jiwon could only smile in response to the waiter’s remarks. As the waiter walked away, Jiwon continued where she left off,

Jiwon: What’s the reason that you kissed me last night?

Sungmin’s heart almost exploded in reflex to Jiwon’s straight-to-the-point question. But as a man, Sungmin gathered his guts to tell her nothing but the truth.

Sungmin: Honestly…

Jiwon’s pupil expanded as she looked forward to Sungmin’s answer.

Sungmin: I like you.

Jiwon stayed completely still as she heard what Sungmin just uttered. It felt surreal.

Sungmin:

I like you. A lot. Okay? I REALLY LIKE YOU. Everytime you got into trouble, it makes my heart race like crazy and it makes me so worried about you.

And whenever I see your gloomy face for whatever reason, I really wanted to hug you to assure you that everything’s gonna be alright.

And when you teased me to go date that female hoobae, or to tell other girls that I live in a big apartment, I can’t. Because you’re the only one I’m concerned about. I don’t want anyone else.

Didn’t you get why I asked you if you’d be okay if I date that hoobae? I wanted to find out if you at least have a tiny bit of feelings for me.

But do you know what’s even harder? It’s the thought that I might have to sacrifice our togetherness if you reject me. 

I’m so scared to lose you.

All the sudden, Sungmin felt his heart so much more at ease as he finally let all his suppressed feelings for Jiwon out all at once in words, something he couldn’t do all these years.

Jiwon who was all ears hearing Sungmin’s confession burst out in tears. 

She opened her mouth to react,

Jiwon: You bad guy. Why didn’t you tell me all that before?!

Jiwon kept sobbing as she expressed her thoughts. 

Sungmin handed out his handkerchief to Jiwon and told her to wipe her tears.

Jiwon: If you told me earlier, I would’ve realized that I like you sooner.

Jiwon: Do you know how confused I was? I didn’t know how to face you because I thought we were still just friends and last night was just a result of our thirst.

Sungmin who heard what Jiwon just said twitched his eyes as he couldn’t believe that his feeling was reciprocated.

Sungmin: So that night was real for you too?

Sungmin asked Jiwon to confirm her feelings.

Jiwon: Eo. It was. Ya! You’re the one who told me you need to lose it to the right person as it’s something very precious. Do you even remember your own words?

Sungmin, who understood what she said, smiled.

Sungmin: Seriously, Jiwon-ah… I thought you were mad at me. Your actions yesterday morning made me dead nervous. 

Sungmin: I thought I’d lose you from that moment on.

Jiwon: Just accept it. We women tend to show complicated feelings.

Sungmin sighed as he heard Jiwon’s reply, but he knew all too well about this kind of thing.

Sungmin: I know. I know. 

Sungmin: Wahh… this reminds me of the times when you said “Don’t worry about me,” when you curled up in the university newspaper office. I did exactly what you told me to, but you kept pouting and your eyes were teary. I couldn’t hold to not care and ended up asking you what’s wrong. Do you remember?

Jiwon smirked in remembrance as she heard Sungmin’s words.

As the atmosphere has now cooled down, Sungmin offered Jiwon her favorite fried chicken drumstick and smiled as Jiwon ate it deliciously, with the spirit of the Song Jiwon he knew.

On Jiwon’s fifth drumstick, she blurted a question casually for Sungmin,

Jiwon: By the way, my skill in bed was phenomenal, right?

Sungmin choked upon hearing Jiwon’s nonchalant question and blinked his eyes numerous times to control himself.

Jiwon: Well you don’t have to tell me, I know I’m good. To tell you the truth… you were not bad.

During all those 4 years of knowing Jiwon, Sungmin still couldn’t fathom Jiwon’s coolness every time she talked about vulgar things. 

Sungmin gulped down a pint of coke in front of him to cool himself down.

Sungmin and Jiwon finished eating and headed out towards the car that’s parked on the street.

In the car, Jiwon held Sungmin’s right hand that’s unoccupied, and fit her slim fingers in between Sungmin’s. 

Jiwon commented,

Jiwon: yaa… how can our hands fit so perfectly like this?

Sungmin: I don’t know, maybe we’re just meant to be?

Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s cheesy words, teased him,

Jiwon: Im Sungmin, you learnt some sweet-talk skills, didn’t you? 

Jiwon: Are you sure you’re a mosol all these time?

Sungmin laughed as he heard Jiwon teasing him. 

But to answer that question, Sungmin thought to himself, ‘yeah, I was a mosol, but not anymore. Because I have you.’

So that was how Sungmin and Jiwon finally confirmed their feelings. 

Both went through a lot to finally have their hearts intertwine.

From now on, their journey is going to be filled with ups and downs. 

It’s only natural that two people in a love relationship go through some frictions in between.

But if those frictions are approached with open hearts, it would only strengthen a couple’s relationship.

Glossary

mosol = motae solo = Forever alone (single since birth)

Thank you for reading.

Read the next chapter:

After dropping Jiwon off at Belle Epoque, Sungmin went back home to rest. 

When he laid himself on the bed, the conversation he had with Chungwoon last year came to his mind.

5th October 2017

Chungwon: Hyung, you like Jiwon-sunbae, right? Then why aren’t you guys dating?

Sungmin: Is being in a relationship better than being friends?

Chungwon: Eeey, Hyung, what happens if Jiwon gets herself a boyfriend? It’s not that you don’t like her, but you’re scared of confessing to her, right?

This statement really made Sungmin’s blood boil, he cursed at Chungwon for lecturing him on his love life. 

Sungmin pretended to sleep, but he was kept awake all night, thinking about the possibility that another guy might really like Jiwon and take her away from him. 

Honestly, some of the things Chungwon said was right, but his pride and ego as a guy refused to agree to it.

Sungmin himself is a motae solo. He doesn’t exactly know how to approach the opposite gender, and he’s THAT awkward when it comes to romance and love.

 He does watch a lot of romantic films, dramas, and even read the most cliché romance novel out there, but theory and practice are two drastically different things. 

So, putting all the things he learnt through watching all those cheesy romance on screen together with his current state of friendship with Jiwon, is challenging.

For the first time, Sungmin actually put much thought on his feelings, even though it stays as a monologue, at least he’s being honest with himself.

Jiwon is my precious friend. I honestly don’t know how she feels about me. I’m afraid that she’ll reject me and we can’t get back together as friends. Even if she accepts me and be in a relationship, what will happen if we breakup? Can we stay as close friends again? I’m so afraid to lose her. More than being selfish, I’d rather have her beside me as a really close friend.

Sungmin paused his monologue as a notification came out on his phone screen. He opened it and saw messages from Jiwon.

‘Is this even real?’ Sungmin thought to himself. Sungmin was startled and he hesitated a lot, but he agreed to go anyway. ‘It’s in a 5 Star restaurant’. The place itself is already suspicious, ‘oh well… Maybe she really wanted to thank me.’

14th February 2018, Morning at Belle Epoque

8.00 a.m.

Yeeun woke up to her morning alarm she set at 8 a.m. She reached out for her phone and swiped the off button to make the alarm stop. She sat down on her bed and stretched her body with a smile on her face. 

She saw Jiwon who’s still fast asleep on her bed and quickly grabbed her towel and clothes she has prepared the night before, and went to the bathroom to get ready. 

Yeeun wanted to doll herself up cause she’s looking forward to her date with Hochang. She doesn’t know where he’s gonna take her, but she does have high hopes.

As Yeeun did her makeup, Hochang messaged her to meet him at the subway station, in which Yeeun replied: Ok ^.^

9:33 a.m.

Back at Belle Epoque, Kang-eonni called Jiwon early in the morning that she has set her up for a blind date with an acquaintance.

Jiwon: Hello?

Yina: Annyeong, good morning!

Jiwon: Why are you calling me so early in the morning?

Yina: I’ve set a blind date for you today with my acquaintance

Jiwon: Is he handsome?

Yina: More than handsome, I think he will suit you perfectly.

Jiwon: Arasseo. Where is it?

Yina: Villa Sortino, 8 p.m.

Jiwon: That 5 star restaurant?!

Yina: Eo, what’s wrong?

Jiwon: Ani, I’m super excited! Kang-eonni, yeokshi… you’re the best!

Yina: Arasseo, have fun! Thank me later. The table is reserved under your name okay?

Jiwon: Hm…

10.00 a.m.

The doorbell rang as Jo Eun who just went out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth, opened the front door without looking at the monitor. 

She almost fainted as she realized who’s standing in front of her. It’s Seo Janghoon in his military uniform and cap.

Before Janghoon could say a word, suddenly the door in front of him was slammed hard and it closed. 

Eun who’s inside didn’t know what to do when she found out her boyfriend is standing just outside. She rubbed her eyes to check if she’s actually dreaming, but she’s not. 

She opened the door again and asked coldly,

Eun: Why are you here?

Janghoon: Is that the first thing you have to say to your boyfriend who’s been gone for 5 months?

Eun: I freaking missed you. You! Why didn’t you call me? I was waiting for your call day and night.

Janghoon who couldn’t stand looking at Eun who was sulking, tip-toed to kiss her lips.

Janghoon: I missed you too. Should we go on a date today?

Eun’s expression instantly brightened when Janghoon said that, showing her excitement for their Valentine’s day date.

Janghoon: I’ll wait for you downstairs. Call me when you’re ready.

Eun: Arasseo. See you later!

Subway Station

11.25 a.m.

Yeeun sped up as she saw Hochang waiting in front of the station, looking more stylish than usual, still with his glasses on, though. 

‘He looks great,’ Yeeun thought silently.

Yeeun wrapped her arms around Hochang’s and asked

Yeeun: So where are you taking me?

Hochang: It’s a secret. Let’s go eat first! What do you want to have?

Yeeun: Anything!

Hochang: Wanna have beef stew? I know a famous place people have been recommending.

Yeeun: Hmm, okay, we can have that

Hochang led Yeeun to go down the subway station as they head for the restaurant.

Restaurant

12.08 p.m.

As it’s a very famous place, all the tables are occupied, but luckily Hochang and Yeeun secured a table.

Hochang: Eat it deliciously, okay? I wanna see you eat a lot today, it’s gonna be a long day.

Yeeun: Since when did my boyfriend become this caring? Arasseo, I’ll eat well!

‘Forget about diet,’ Yeeun thought. ‘When I eat with Hochang, I never had a problem enjoying whatever’s in front of me.’

As Yeeun ate from the bowl of beef stew happily in front of Hochang, he smiled…

After lunch, Yeeun initiated that the two of them watch a movie

Yeeun: Can we go watch a movie? I’ve been wanting to watch this movie.

Hochang: Of course we can, let’s go!

Movie Theater

14.05 p.m.

Hochang: What movie is it?

Yeeun: The new movie of 50 shades.

Hochang: What?! Are you sure? (Hochang asked as he felt awkward watching that kind of movie with his girlfriend)

Yeeun: Eo, I’m sure. You’re an adult already. There’s no need to be so scared

Hochang: (He tried to give in, as all he wanted to do that day is to make Yeeun happy). Arasseo, I’ll buy the tickets and snacks.

Theatre Room

14.30 p.m.

The lights went off as the screen started to play advertisements for a long 15 minutes….

…

The scene in the movie showed the main characters’ passionate lovemaking. Hochang swallowed his saliva and clenched his fist hard, as he’s not used to it (well, actually who doesn’t watch that kind of movies? But Yeeun is beside him, so he’s oddly nervous).

Yeeun who saw what Hochang did, quickly grabbed his right fist and held it to assure him that it’s not a big deal and that he’s gonna be okay. Hochang who realized Yeeun’s gesture loosened his fist.

16.40 p.m.

Yeeun and Hochang walked out of the theater, and when Hochang became aware that it’s still 4.40, he thought, ‘oh shit, it’s only 4.40?! What to do…’

Yeeun: What are we gonna do now?

Hochang: …

Yeeun: Mwoya, I thought you had everything planned?

As Yeeun criticized him, he scratched his head and got a little nervous.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah… Actually…

Before Hochang finished his words, suddenly someone called Yeeun and Hochang from afar.

Yeeun: Eunjae-ya! Eun-ah!

Eunjae: Sunbae! What are you doing here?

Yeeun: We just finished watching a movie

Eunjae: aah, okay…

Yeeun: What is this? Now you guys are having a double date together? Janghoon, how come you’re here? I thought you’re in the army?

Eun: Eo, Yeeun-sunbae, Janghoon received a 5-day off holiday. Isn’t it so cool?

Yeeun: Wah, you’re so lucky!

Janghoon scoffed: Hahahahah, I know. She should be thankful that her boyfriend is working so hard so that he can go home to meet her before the 2 years period.

Eun glared at Janghoon for his petty statement.

Chungwon: anyway, Hochang-hyung and Yeeun-sunbae, do you want to follow us? We’re going to the amusement park.

Hochang: It’s a great idea. Yeeun-ah, do you wanna go with them?

Yeeun: well, alright!

Eunjae: Let’s go!

Maybe God is with Hochang this time. Without meeting the two couples, Yeeun’s mood could’ve gone down in a slope now.

Amusement Park

17.20 p.m.

While the girls walked in front hand-in-hand, being excited with the occasion, the guys walked together behind, staring at their girlfriends’ backs.

Hochang: Hey, what to do… I have a reservation dinner at Namsan Tower today at 8 p.m.

Chungwon: waa Hyung, you prepared a lot for today, huh

Janghoon: Gwaenchana, you can stay here for about 1.5 hours and just take taxi from here. It won’t take long, 30 minutes I guess. Check the map.

Hochang: But isn’t 1.5 hours too fast to spend in here?

Janghoon: don’t worry. We’ve got your back.

Chungwon: Eo, anyway Yeeun-sunbae would be tired already since she already watched a movie with you, no?

Hochang: Arasseo. I’ll rely on you, ok?

The couples rode so many attractions at the theme park, and Yeeun couldn’t believe the awkward Hochang that she knew is actually an extreme-ride maniac. He’s so fun when it comes to amusement park activities.

Chungwon and Eunjae came back wearing couple head bands, those cute ones that could pass a children’s accessories. Eun and Janghoon stared at the sight with total awkwardness, as they both thought those matching things are cheesy and childish. But what to do, they’re inexperienced when it comes to dating, so they don’t know exactly what to do.

By now, the couples have separated from each other and are now doing their own things..

Janghoon grabbed Eun by her hand and said,

Janghoon: Eun-ah, let’s go ride that (while pointing up)

It’s a ferris wheel. 

Eun nodded and held Janghoon’s hand tight as they walked past the sea of couples who seemed to be enjoying themselves at the amusement park too.

The sun has set and the sky has gone darker at 6.30 p.m.

Eun and Janghoon queued in line, waiting for their turn to hop on the ferris wheel. As they reached the front line of the queue the operator told them to be careful as they step onto the capsule, because it’s not gonna stop.

Finally, It’s just the two of them. For the past hours, they’ve been hearing loud noises of people in the amusement park. People screaming, laughing, and talking casually.

Eun: It feels nice, and the night view from here is so pretty.

Janghoon: are you happy?

Eun: hm…

Without them realizing, they’re reaching the top of the ferris wheel, and without notice, Janghoon told Eun earnestly,

Janghoon: Eun-ah…

Eun kept her eyes on Janghoon, waiting for what he’s about to say.

Janghoon: Saranghae.

Janghoon leaned towards Eun who was sitting in front of him, and kissed her as the capsule reached the highest peak of the wheel. 

It was delicate and pure, reminding Eun of their first kiss outside Belle Epoque.

19.00 p.m.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah, are you tired?

Yeeun: A little…

Hochang: Actually, I still have something I wanted to do with you

Yeeun: what is it?

Hochang: Let’s go.

Hochang and Yeeun rode on a taxi outside the amusement park, heading to their last destination of the special day.

19. 45 p.m.

Yeeun: Namsan? (she asked with a big smile on her face)

Hochang: Hm…

Hochang held Yeeun’s hand and headed towards n.Grill, a French restaurant located at the top of Namsan Tower. 

Hochang made a reservation in this restaurant from a month before. That’s how much he put his thought to give Yeeun a nice Valentine’s day experience.

As they reached the restaurant, the waiter showed them to their table. The view was so breathtaking. Yeeun’s face was bright in awe of the night view of Seoul, she couldn’t feel any happier.

Yeeun: Kwon Hochang…

Hochang: ?

Yeeun: I’m delighted. I didn’t expect you had prepared this much for today. I’m sorry if I hurt your feeling today after the movie.

Hochang: Yeeun-ah, no, you don’t have to feel sorry for anything.

The food that has been ordered in advance by Hochang came out not long after they arrived. 

Eating in a fancy restaurant isn’t a rare occasion for Yeeun, but that night was special, because she could be herself in front of Hochang. She doesn’t have to suppress her desire to eat, unlike when she had to do it in from of her mom. 

Moreover, Seoul’s night view and the dots of lights painted the glass window beautifully, as Yeeun and Hochang had their first and most romantic dinner.

19.40 p.m.

Yoon-sunbae was about to head home when she had the time to check her kkaotalk messages.

Jaehwan:

I’m sorry.

I can’t go to Seoul today,

I know it’s a special day

I’ll visit on the weekend.

Love you ❤

Jinmyung understood how difficult it is for Jaehwan to visit her in Seoul. The last time she met him was during New Year’s celebration over a month ago, where they went to a countdown show together in the cold, cold winter. She missed Jaehwan so much, but she knew distance is there to halt them from meeting.

Jinmyung types on her phone before finally sending her reply:

Jinmyung:

Gwaenchana-yo.

See you this weekend ❤

Jinmyung kept her phone back in her blazer pocket and forced a smile, before walking outside the office to go back home.

Villa Sortino, Seoul

19.45 p.m.

Sungmin arrived at the restaurant first. He parked his car on the side of the road and went in.

At the reception

Receptionist: Yes sir, how can I help you?

Sungmin: There’s a reservation under the name Song Jiwon?

Receptionist: Yes, there is… For two people? But you came alone?

Sungmin: Ah, yes… She’ll come later

Receptionist: Okay, let me take you to your table.

Sungmin sat down at the table while waiting for Jiwon. He turned his head left and right to observe the restaurant.

10 minutes later, he saw a figure he couldn’t recognize approaching the table with the receptionist earlier.

As they got closer, Sungmin couldn’t believe his eyes as the girl he’s known for his whole uni life is standing in front of him, probably looking the prettiest in the course of her life. 

Her hair was straight with waves at the bottom, and the dress she was wearing was pink, decorated with delicate floral embroidery. Not to mention, she smelt so damn good.

Sungmin’s zoning out moment stopped as Jiwon exclaimed

Jiwon: Ya! You! Why are you here?!

Sungmin: Me? You’re the one who invited me here. What do you mean?!

Jiwon: What? What are you talking about? I never— Aish! Kang-eonni!

Jiwon grasped that Kang-eonni must’ve set her up with Sungmin. ‘Why?’ Jiwon thought hard to herself.

Sungmin: are you disappointed?

Jiwon: I don’t know.

Sungmin: Just sit down.

Jiwon followed Sungmin’s words as he told her to sit opposite him.

Sungmin: What do you want to eat?… Steak?… Pas-

Sungmin was about to say pasta, when he remembered what Jiwon said about pasta last year when he caught her outside the restaurant, spying on him.

‘Do you think pasta is just a meal? What is pasta? It’s a meal for a couple.’

Jiwon: I’ll just go with Pasta.

Sungmin gulped in nervousness as Jiwon decided on that. But in the end, Sungmin ordered pasta too, for don’t know what reason.

In the middle of eating…

Jiwon: Well, since we’re here already, why don’t the both of us just do what people do during blind dates?

Sungmin, who doesn’t know what people talk about in blind dates (as he never went to one), responded,

Sungmin: What do people do during blind dates?

Jiwon: Well, they ask about each other’s interests, hobbies, what kind of food they like, what countries they’ve been to… Things like that? But for me, I like to make it extra special. Drinks!

Sungmin: Forget about those background checks. Think about this. What do I not know about you? and what do you not know about me? Can you think of any?

Jiwon: (Jiwon hesitated a lot and said), well, we’ve known each other enough to know everything about each other.

Sungmin: Right? Okay, let’s go get some drinks, then.

Jiwon: ooooo, Im Sungmin, did you get striked by a lightning? you’re so lively now.

Sungmin just smirked as Jiwon commented nonchalantly. 

To be honest, he just wanted to spend Valentine’s Day together with Jiwon for a longer time, that’s why he asked her to go have some drinks.

As they both finished eating their pasta, they headed to the cashier to pay the bills. 

Sungmin grabbed his wallet from his pocket and paid their meals in full. Before they left the restaurant, the receptionist commented.

Receptionist: You two look good together. I hope you’ve enjoyed your date on Valentine’s Day. Hope to see you again on your next visit. Thank you!

Jiwon thought, ‘Valentine’s Day?’

Jiwon: Today’s Valentine’s Day?! (Jiwon asked Sungmin as she just realized the date).

Sungmin: eo, why?

Jiwon: Then what am I doing?! I should be doing something romantic with a guy now.

Sungmin’s heart plunged as he heard Jiwon’s statement. But he quickly brushed it off.

Sungmin: Let’s go have some drinks. And what’s with that pout? You look ugly.

Jiwon followed Sungmin as they headed towards the car.

21.58 p.m.

Sungmin parked his car in the basement of a high-end apartment complex. 

Jiwon: Ya, where are we?

Sungmin: It’s my place.

Jiwon: are you rich?

Sungmin: no, my parents are.

Jiwon, who just found out about this, nodded in acceptance. 

She thought she knew everything about him, but no, actually, she doesn’t. It made her realize just how mysterious Sungmin is.

Jiwon: But why are we at your place? Aren’t we supposed to have some drinks?

Sungmin: I have lots of soju and beers at home

Jiwon: You brat, why did you never ask me to come have a drink at your place?

Sungmin: Molla. Let’s go.

Sungmin and Jiwon went inside the apartment building’s lift, and Sungmin pressed the level number ‘25’.

…

Sungmin entered the passcode to his apartment door, and when the door opened, Jiwon was in awe at Sungmin’s luxurious apartment. 

Jiwon: Do you live alone in here?

Sungmin: Hm...

She put her bag in the living room, walked around the open space, and even went inside every room she could find in that enormous apartment.

Jiwon: Ya Im Sungmin, how come you never had a girlfriend? If you told them you live in an apartment like this, girls will line up for you everyday.

Inside Sungmin’s heart, he thought, ‘you dense girl, it’s you that I like. How am I supposed to be with another girl?’ 

Sadly, he couldn’t say it out loud. Yet.

Sungmin left Jiwon to wander around the apartment, and prepared the drinks and glasses from the kitchen counter. Sungmin put the bottles of soju and beer on the coffee table in the living room.

Jiwon came out of one of the rooms and joined Sungmin who was already sitting down on the carpet in the living room.

There was silence between these man and woman as they realized that they’re the only ones in that place now, isolated from any other human beings and disturbances.

Sungmin poured himself a shot of Soju. 

Seeing this, Jiwon gave him a word of critic.

Jiwon: ckckck, how old-fashioned. Here, I’ll make you the best somaek (soju + beer) you’ll ever taste in your life.

Sungmin kept quiet and let Jiwon mix it for him and herself. 

The two hit their refreshing glasses of somaek before gulping it down in one shot. They let go a sigh of satisfaction from the burning sensation.

Sungmin: You’re good, (while smiling).

Jiwon: See? What did I tell you?

Sungmin: hey by the way, how long have we known each other for?

Jiwon: We first met during orientation, so 4 years?… It’s been 4 years already?! Why is it so fast… I feel like I just met you a few months ago.

Sungmin, realizing that they’ve known each other for 4 years, thought about how long it’s been since he literally never landed another woman except Jiwon in his heart.

The two kept drinking and drinking while at the same time sharing so many stories they have yet shared in those 4 years. 

Maybe it’s the magical effect of alcohol, but Sungmin never felt this comfortable in his life. He never shared so much about his experiences with anyone, no one but the beautiful woman who’s sitting next to him now.

For every glass of somaek Sungmin drank, he became more and more honest each time. 

Jiwon, who’s quite a strong drinker, laughed as she witnessed the rare sight of her quiet friend acting funny.

Jiwon: Im Sungmin, I didn’t know you’re capable of making jokes like that, Jiwon complimented Sungmin with laughter.

Sungmin who heard Jiwon, gazed at her eyes. 

‘And it happened yet again…,’ Jiwon thought. Just like the day before.

Flashback

In Sungmin’s car after the trial

Jiwon was thankful towards Sungmin who’s been there to support her in investigating Mr. Han’s case.

Jiwon: Sungmin-ah… Thank you.

The car stopped as the traffic light turned red. Sungmin who was looking at the road now has his eyes on Jiwon’s. 

As they’re both now locking their gaze, Jiwon felt a weird feeling she’s never felt before. She tought, ‘what the hell is this? Why does my stomach feel funny? And why is my heart beating like this?’

Luckily, there were sounds of cars honking at the back, so the two got back to their senses. 

When Sungmin dropped Jiwon off at Belle Epoque, she touched her heart to feel it. She laid herself down on the sofa and murmured to herself.

Jiwon: Do I… like him?, while staring at the ceiling.

Flashforward

Sungmin’s Apartment

The two are still gazing at each other’s eyes. At that moment, both of them totally forgot what’s happening and what they were even doing in the first place.

Sungmin who’s a little tipsy and Jiwon who’s completely awake approached each other’s lips at the same time. 

As their lips touched, Sungmin cupped his right palm on Jiwon’s left cheek and his left palm on Jiwon’s neck. 

He felt their lips and tongue danced in synchronization, as he let his suppressed feelings for Jiwon all out. He couldn’t hold it in any longer, as this long overdue kiss was all he’s been longing for.

Jiwon got more and more immersed in the intimacy, and squeezed Sungmin’s loose shirts around his waist. 

She could feel Sungmin’s soft lips playing with hers gently and full of passion. Honestly, it felt so damn good. It’s as if the world belonged to her and Sungmin.

Sungmin pulled out his warm lips and detached it from Jiwon’s, stood up from his position, and carried Jiwon’s light figure, heading towards his room at the end of the hallway.

While Jiwon was carried by Sungmin, she thought, ‘so this is how a real kiss feels like. I want more.’ 

Sungmin pushed the door to his room with his back, and closed it with his feet as he approached his bed to lay Jiwon down on the mattress, caressing his lips once again on Jiwon’s soft lips that he’s gone familiar with now. 

The burning passion of the two equally lustful man and woman continued. As the rhythm got stable, Sungmin unbuttoned his shirt one by one, with the help of Jiwon who’s in the mood. Sungmin then dragged down Jiwon’s dress zipper in a moderate speed and pulled the dress off her body. 

Jiwon switched her position, and now she’s on top of Sungmin, who has his back on the sheets. 

Jiwon who’s left with her matching lacy black underwear on, kissed Sungwon’s neck and traced her lips down to Sungmin’s hard chest, all the way to his sculpted muscles on his belly part. Both Sungmin and Jiwon could feel the sensuality created by their strong affection for one another.

As Jiwon reached his lower body, Jiwon said.

Jiwon: Wait, where’s my bag?

Sungmin: Outside, why?

Jiwon: Protection.

Sungmin: Thank God. You carry it with you?

Jiwon: Of course. Who knows when I’m ever gonna do it, right?

Sungmin: Ah, sorry I’m so bad at this

Jiwon: ssshhhh. that’s not important now.

Jiwon hurriedly ran towards her bag in the living room, took it with her to Sungmin’s room and reached out a packet of condom. She jumped back to the bed and instructed Sungmin,

Jiwon: Take it off, (while pointing at his pants)

Without further ado, Sungmin removed his pants and tossed it to the side of his bed.

Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, are you sure?

Jiwon: Shut up.

Jiwon who couldn’t resist Sungmin’s charm, pulled his body up such that her legs are now wrapped around Sungmin’s waist. 

As they gazed at each other’s eyes for a moment, they attached their foreheads together, put on a subtle smile and let their lips lock again. The kiss was deeper this time. 

Sungmin’s fingers reached out to Jiwon’s back to unclasp her bra and reached her lower waist, as he removed whatever was left on her, Jiwon did the same to Sungmin as she helped him take off his boxer. 

Jiwon tore open the packet she took earlier with her teeth and gave him the night’s savior, the protection she’s been keeping in her bag for the longest time.

As they’ve reached this state now, there’s no going back. 

Sungmin and Jiwon continued on as the night of privacy and intimacy between them developed into a dangerous yet romantic moment they’ve never experienced in their life before. 

‘So this is how it feels,’ Jiwon thought to herself. It’s so good, and it made her happy. ‘But I’m sure, I can feel it this way only because it’s Sungmin.’

As they reached the peak, they laid themselves facing each other and covered themselves with a warm blanket.

A moment of silence was created as the two locked their gaze, Jiwon’s eyes was shining, and it was focused at Sungmin, whose eyes were full of his affection and love for Jiwon. 

Without them realizing, they both closed their eyes in sync, lips hooked while letting their gut feelings and reflex guide them to the deepest French kiss they’ve only witnessed in those Western movies. 

They weren’t exactly sure how much time has passed, as they both tried to catch their breath from kissing. They stared at each other for a moment with sweet smiles on their faces. 

They gave each other one last goodnight peck before getting into a comfortable cuddle position – Jiwon placing her head on Sungmin’s broad chest, and Sungmin hugging Jiwon tight in his arms, as they both head over to dreamland.

Thank you for reading.

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