Eunji returned to her spot at the appetizers table  after the ceremony had ended and Sung Gyu then, was nowhere in sight. Not that she was particularly concerned either; in fact she was quite relieved that he was out of sight since the lunch feast was to begin in a moment and she couldn’t afford herself to be distracted by irrelevant thoughts. Nonetheless, while she was silently frying sweet potatoes she happened to notice it that Sung Gyu’s indie band has finally arrived.

The torch bulb was here.

It was out of feminine instincts that she immediately began to search in the crowd of people on the platform for a girl that was of likelihood to be Sung Gyu’s girlfriend. Despite being extremely perturbed by her irrational behavior herself (Because single-independent cat ladies gave no single about other persons’ girlfriends) curiosity really killed the cat for her. She immediately turned down the stove, wiped her hands off on her apron and began to peek in through the pool of crowd at the stage.

She didn’t’ have to do this any longer though, for with a single strum on guitar strings, the band managed to gain everyone’s attention. The crowd dispersed gradually, clearing out the view for her across the tables, and she could see Sung gyu seated on a stool with his band behind him, still in the god forsaken tuxedo suit, a box guitar placed on his lap and a million dollar smile.

Eunji’s heart stopped against her will and she could hardly concentrate on the potatoes, the previous thoughts of finding the torch bulb slowly became shallow and then gone.

Sung Gyu the singer was much more attractive than Sung gyu the jerk-next-door; and he hadn’t even started singing yet. Nonetheless he was simply too good to be true.

Eunji the stove again and began to deep fry the potatoes.

When Sung Gyu spoke over the microphone, the melody of his voice circulated throughout the warm ambiance of the reception. Eunji almost dipped her hand into the frier instead of a potato and hissed loudly when it burned; nevertheless it was overtaken by the wondrous sound of Sung Gyu’s voice, which was inviting the guests to enjoy the lunch feast they had prepared for them while being entertained by his band. Afterwards, one member after the other began to introduce themselves. There was her.

Her name was Yoora, and she was beautiful beyond words. For a moment, Eunji was in a daze, in wonderment, her mind couldn’t stop itself from thinking just how possible it was for any human being to be so perfect. Her hair was a jet-black mane and her lips were so soft and well-formed. Her doe eyes were glowing like stars, and her skin, so pale yet so smooth gave her the aura of an angel. She couldn’t believe how Sung Gyu could be in an on and off relationship with someone so perfect; but then again, she could understand why it was on and off. Sung Gyu couldn’t afford to lose her; he was holding on. And in that sense, Eunji was no competition for her. In fact, she had no prospects of a competition with Yoora herself. Eunji was no match for her. In all senses of sincerity, Eunji believed that the two were a match made in heaven.

Feeling angry and dejected, she put on the fryer in highest heat and continued to do her work. The potatoes were half boiled and unskinned, yet when they were being fried it gave out a scrumptious aroma, wafting around her so much that she began to feel like a potato herself. Maybe she was a potato; a cooking, cat-loving, helpless potato. This thought made her feel like crying.

To make things even worse for her, soon enough, after so much of talking which involved triumphant smiles and teary eyes, Sung Gyu’s band began to play. She wasn’t paying much attention to them to know what exactly they were playing. She wasn’t much a music snob either, but the songs they played weren’t of the crappy kind he played in his car. In fact, they were soft, smooth, heartening, like spring rain and honey lemon and buttermilk in red-velvet cakes. Sung Gyu’s voice was mesmerizing. Sung Gyu’s voice was like the wind on rainy days. Sung Gyu was indeed a flawless human being.

As her feelings heightened and when his voice hit the perfect chords, Eunji felt as though there were fireworks going on inside her heart. It was all about to burst, and that one potato in the fryer was over-cooked about which she couldn’t care less at that point of time. Suddenly, all she could see was him, hear was him, think of was him. He was standing there before the entire world, singing his heart out; eyes closed, lips spewing the words she couldn’t grasp and hair dancing gently in the autumn breeze. All that was in her mind at that moment was the graceful movements of his fingers across the frets, the flawless angles of his neck when he raised his eyes heavenwards as though the angels had called and the sweet-honey le voice of his which had settled itself in the deepest depths of her frail heart. He had taken over her mind completely in a way it had never happened before. Sung gyu had shattered all her cracked walls, shattered them into fragments that cannot be mend again. It hit her hard like a raging missile bomb. He walked into her peaceful, Independent-cat-lady life and turned it into an uncontainable tornado, and then, Eunji was in love.

It was the voice of an employee of hers which brought her back to the sane world, telling her that she had burnt a perfectly good potato. In a half-dazed state, Eunji stepped away from the fryer, leaving the responsibility to the employee, took her cap off, tucked it under her arm and walked away from the buffet table. The crowd had already lined up and were savoring the lunch they prepared by that time, and by the looks of it, she could tell that they did enjoy their cooking. It was her mother’s service after all, though she was in charge and there was no surprise. Yet it was a matter of responsibility which made her return to her position and look through the needs. She tried her best to tune his voice, the sweetest sensation of it which sent her heart in frenzy, out of her mind. And then, much for her chagrin, the singers changed just after two songs and Sung Gyu stepped down the stage.

Eunji wished he never stepped up on it the first place.

Minutes passed by, and then she found herself mending to the liquor table with one of her employees, her mind still far in her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice ringing in her ears like wedding chimes.

“You got plum vine?”

“Potatoes” Eunji replied subconsciously while she dipped a Martin glass onto a dish of salt. “I am a Potato”

“Eh?” The voice went, and began to laugh. “What on earth?”

“Huh?” Eunji, distracted by the loud laughter, finally looked up; only to be greeted by Sung Gyu’s crescent-moon eyes. “Oh…”

“I asked if you had plum vine”

Not really registering what he was asking for (Given that she was extremely distorted by the very existence of him) she blindly reached for the martini glass and handed it to him, empty, with salt on the rim. This resulted Sung gyu to laugh even more and took the glass off her hand before handing it over to the employee beside her. Then he said; “I’ve got another bottle left, coming to celebrate?”

“Uh…” Eunji began, her eyes dead-on, on Sung gyu. Yet, before even she could form a response, a familiar figure, the contradictory force, the barricade, began to make herself towards the liquor table, an empty champagne glass in hand.

“Uh-oh…”

“What?” Sung Gyu whipped around and deliberately grimaced. Yoora, who didn’t seem to take notice of this gave him a huge plastic smile. “Hey Oppa!”

Her voice was like nectar, and Eunji felt that hers was equivalent to vinegar. Then Yoora turned to her and held out the empty glass. “Get me a refill please”

Sung gyu gave Eunji a questioning look and then at Yoora, looking as though he wanted to declare war. Yoora didn’t budge, not even when Eunji gave her a sour look and reached over to the champagne bottle in the ice-bucket. She began to unscrew it, her mind still elsewhere (Particularly on the man nearby) and then before she could stop it, the lid came off, champagne being sprayed all over Yoora, Sung gyu and herself.

“!”

Yoora looked murderous. There was the liquid dripping down her perfect hair and spilled onto her clean white lacey dress. Her eyes were depicting the darkness of the underworld and Eunji wondered if she should run for her life. “Oops?”

Sung Gyu, on the other hand, had apparently burst out laughing. He had champagne on his shirt and hair too, which was making him smell sweeter, yet he didn’t seem to give a damn. He could only find it a laughing matter which only made things worse. So then Yoora turned back to her. “You! Clean this up you irresponsible brat! You should know better of yourself to not do the work of a bar, you’re a damned cook for god’s sake!”

The laughing stopped, and there was silence. Eunji felt like she had been hit on her face point blank making all her senses go blind. She had never been called something so awful ever in her life. Nobody had ever told her something which was true in so many senses, and it killed her. What was she thinking? She wondered, looking up at Sung Gyu’s stunned face. She was a damned cook after all. Not an all-around qualified chef as per her degree in cookery said, not the bestowed heir to the throne of the catering business as her mother had said, but a goddamned cook.

“Oh…” Eunji said and lowered her head. There was the golden liquid still bubbling out of the mouth of the bottle, whizzing softly in the silence among them; it was strangely equal to the effects of the very words Yoora said, lasting so long and remaining a quiet blow.

“Apologize, Yoora” Sung gyu said all of a sudden, drawing the attention of both of them. His gaze was firm, posture steadfast and strong. He was suddenly a prominent presence between them. Not the jerk of a neighbor, not the singer but a Sung gyu she had never seen before.

“Tch, why should I?” Yoora said and placed a hand on her slender waist. “She made a mistake and she should learn how to stick to her responsibilities!”

Sung gyu didn’t say anything then, and just watched her for a moment, his eyes were cold and distant like he had gone off to somewhere they couldn’t find him. Then he let out a sigh and said; “You and I need to talk”

*

After Sung gyu and Yoora took off, curiosity was killing her. She tried to concentrate on serving the guests, giving orders to her employees and even cleaning and wiping tables at one point, being all bright smiles; she craned her head trying to grasp a sign of the pair around her too. But when she couldn’t take it anymore, when her skin began to itch and when her mind began to shred like toilet paper, Eunji too left all her work behind and took off in search for the two.

It was when she had neared the main house that she saw the familiar figure of Sung gyu standing while facing a wall in a secluded corner. By the looks of it, they were having a moment pretty intense; how intense and in what sense, she couldn’t fathom completely. She also understood that it wasn’t the nicest thing to do, to eavesdrop on what they were saying. But curiosity was winning her over; she wanted to hear what they were saying, she felt that she deserved to know. If it was about the champagne incident, then she was a part of it. Even if it wasn’t, she just felt the need of hearing it. So she looked around herself, noticed the line of garden bushes along the the residence’s curb, took off her cap and hid herself behind it.

From the edge of the wall behind the bush, the view was clearer but she could hardly hear what they were saying. Her attempts of hiding and eavesdropping profusely went on naught. Dejected, she just sat back, leaned herself against the wall and soaked herself in utter self-loathing. At one point it seemed to her as the only thing she was good at. Self-loathing, finding disappointment in herself at every point in her life, failing at love, never moving forward. Maybe Pepper would do much better than her if he was a person. Maybe he was already doing much better than herself as a cat.

After a while she decided to take a look at what was on the toll and took a sneak peek from the edge. She could see well enough, maybe even more than necessary, and felt her heart stricken a bit, like the chicken must be feeling after being stuffed if it were alive. There they were, Sung Gyu and Yoora, hugging themselves. Yoora had her face in his chest and he had his hand patting on her back. By the looks of it, they were having quite a moment for themselves where Eunji had no say in, no matter whether Yoora was being rude to her or not. She finally let out a sigh and then leaned on the wall again. Her chef’s hat fell off her arm and rolled out through the parting of the bushes unaware to her. With her head against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a few breathers. Maybe things were over for her the moment they started. Maybe this was the last time they should encounter and everything ends.

It was by the sound of someone clearing their throat that Eunji was brought back to her senses again. She was sitting on the floor, the behind of her black slacks felt cold due to the moss. She didn’t take notice of it all though, because Sung gyu was there standing before her, her hat in his hands.

“I know you were sneaking up on us” He said with a grin and held out an extended hand. “No need to hide and be shy”

Embarrassed at first, Eunji didn’t dare budge from her place. Sung gyu wasn’t making a move either, remaining the same, hand still held out for her and a slight grin on his lips. She couldn’t understand why he was doing this even; Sung gyu was possibly the most spontaneous person she had ever seen. But when it was beginning to get annoying, she rolled her eyes and got up herself. Sung Gyu just smiled, unperturbed, stepped towards her and soon his hand moved up above her head to tug off the stray leaves stuck in her hair.

“You can be so many things eh? A chef, a cat-lady, an -pain and a bush?”

“Shut up” She said through gritted teeth. He just shrugged then, and handed her the cap. “You don’t need to be on the lunch table anymore” He said.

“I have to” She claimed in a rather serious tone. “I’m the cook”

“No” he frowned and slowly adjusted the crooked cap on her head. “You’re the head chef. But now, you’re the person sharing the last plum wine with me”

“Don’t wanna” Eunji turned away, but Sung Gyu caught her sleeve. “I did say it’s the last, as in, the last bottle left”

Since the offer itself was rewarding to her, she shrugged, rolled her eyes and agreed.

*

“We broke up, Yoora and I” Sung Gyu said, the moment he poured her a glass (This time, proper wine glasses) of plum wine and handed it to her. He didn’t look a least bit remorseful, which led her to make other sort of conclusions.

“Off, you mean?” She asked and sipped from her glass. The sweet but sour sensation dispersed in and she took a deep gulp.

“Nope” Sung Gyu said, and sat up straight, a glass in his hand himself. “For real…never going back”

Unable to form a proper reply to it, especially given that she just witnessed him hugging Yoora just a moment ago, she just went with a simple “Oh…”

Sung Gyu took a sip of the vine and leaned backwards, his palms pressed on the slightly damp grass. They were sitting out in the lawn in the backyard of the humongous mansion (Eunji decided that they truly were garden-people; they seemed to love the garden more than the house itself), and they were secluded from the rest of the wedding guests, as though they were in a safe haven of their own. Sung Gyu looked up at the sky, the wind at that time was slow; it made his dark locks dance slowly. He had his eyes closed and if not for the moment, it was indeed a much endearing sight.

“I saw you two hugging back there” Eunji quickly added and took a sip. At that point, Sung Gyu gave her a quick look and smiled. “I don’t necessarily put up fights and break up. Too much hassle”

“Then what did you do?”

“Spoke nice and slow…explained that we were not getting anywhere…”

Eunji gave out a loud scoff and rolled her eyes.

“Eh what?”

“Nothing” She replied and looked at the wine in her glass. “You’re putting up fights with only me, jerk”

Sung Gyu laughed, put down his glass, refilled and while doing so he laughed again. Eunji watched this with utmost annoyance and decided that she maybe wasn’t in love after all. “What’s so funny?”

“Potatoes” Sung Gyu said and laughed again. “What was it about, earlier, really?”

Without her knowing, Eunji blushed and quickly gulped down the drink in one shot before putting down the glass. “Nothing…just…”

He was watching her, eyes on her point-blank. She suddenly had that same feeling of being so open again and she couldn’t help but admit the truth; not entirely but to some extent.

“When you were singing…I was overwhelmed…because I was surprised.” Gulp. “It was really nice actually. I didn’t think you can sing so well…”

“Oh…” It was Sung Gyu’s turn to be silent then. Through this, he refilled Eunji’s glass, graceful and slow, which was a nice process to look at, and he finally sat back, looking bashful all of a sudden. “Well, thanks…I guess it’s a good thing?”

Eunji was secretly happy but her pride won’t let her make any more stupid moves. So she just rolled her eyes in response. “Don’t flatter yourself…”

“I didn’t, because I get it every day…used to it”

“Tch, conceited!”

Sung Gyu laughed. “Jealous!”

“I’m not!”

Sung Gyu just laughed and she took it a moment to become silent again. He too, fell silent afterwards and they continued to sip on their glasses, recoiling into the peaceful ambiance surrounding them. The loud music didn’t matter for them, the autumn cold wasn’t getting on their way like it usually would, and their clothes getting dampened by the dew on the grass was not a concern. It was a moment of mutuality, a moment for thoughts to wander and maybe meet each other. They liked it.

“I’m moving out” Sung gyu said after a while, his voice ripping through the silence. This came to her as a surprise.

“What? So soon?” She asked, baffled. It had been only about three months since he moved in as far as she could recall; even so, it wasn’t long enough for a rental contract to end. Unable to grasp what could have been the reasons for this, she went; “But why?”

Sung gyu seemed to ponder this for a while, his eyes focused somewhere far away, and finally replied.

“Things that I want to leave behind are too many; getting piled up…and living alone is no fun either”

Eunji could see that there was something deep and dark depicted in his eyes. Something with great meaning. Something that she wish she could grasp but she couldn’t. It was difficult to read him, especially given that she couldn’t exactly read what she felt for him herself; whether it was attraction or mere platonic compassion. Nevertheless she stayed silent for a moment and quietly said; “Then why did you break up with her?”

“Who, Yoora?” He asked.

Eunji gave him a nod.

He was silent again then, and poured himself another glass. Eunji did the same herself, and then with each gulp she could feel herself slowly succumb into a semi-drunkard state. Then he said, his eyes bearing into his glass; “Though she’s a part of what I want to leave behind, I’m not saddened by it…” Deep breath. “In fact, I think what she and I had was a wrong relationship.”

“Why?” Eunji asked, surprised. “She’s pretty, talented, flawless. Why would she not be a good match?”

Sung gyu gave her a look, something between amusement and gravity and gave her a smile. “It’s not only about looking so flawless…it’s about…”

Hesitance, silence.

“Hmm?”

“You, Eunji, are too independent to understand that” He said in the end.

“That sounds like something you said to get away” Eunji said.

“Probably?” He replied and refilled his glass. “Anyway, what I wanted to talk about was that. I nullified the rental contract. I’m moving out next week…so-,”

Then she realized what he was getting at, where they were going, and it pained her heart. “The deal, I see”

“The…?” Sung Gyu frowned, and then it hit him. He just shook his head. “Eunji, that wasn’t-,”

“Wait, we had a deal-!”

“Eunji, listen-,”

“You’re deducting twenty percent right?” She went on, ignoring him, her insides trembling slightly. She could remember him telling that they could not encounter ever again; and now, hearing that he was moving out, hearing him reminding her, she could say that it was indeed the truth. Sung Gyu had no hopes to meet her again. The crazy, hopeless cat lady. He was moving out probably because he wanted to leave behind the disgusting memories of Pepper and her he had to pull through during the last few weeks of his stay. It all made sense now.

“How much was it originally?” She went ahead, ignoring how he was there, looking at her, looking as though he was seeing through glass. “Right, eight hundred and fifty dollars. How much is it, twenty percent off? How much? How much?” She tried to make the calculations in her head, her mind all clouded and hazy, and her attempts began to go on naught. In fact, her attempt to stay sane was going down the drain, making her feel like crying. After all these days, months and years, the only man she wanted to get married to, was moving away. If only she could keep sane-

“Six hundred and eighty dollars”

“Huh?” Eunji said and turned to him, still dazed, her mind in a complete cloudy mess. It was so messed up that she didn’t even realize it when Sung Gyu scooted closer and tugged the stray leaves off her dark strands of hair, when he removed her slender fingers, gently off the stem of the wine glass; not even when he pulled away the chef’s hat from her hand and put it somewhere behind him. She was not taking notice of anything; not the small details but the bigger ones which kept her on her toes. The sparkle in his eyes, the softness of his lips and how his hair swayed in the breeze. He was mesmerizing her.

And then, slowly but surely, Sung Gyu moved closer, closing the gap between them; placed the fingertips of both his hands on either of her cheeks, stooped lower and kissed her on her lips. He took her breath away.

Eunji’s mind left her body completely, as if they were two different entities. Her body was at place, her mind zooming all around in a frenzy, and the effects of the liquor seemed to take over the control of everything. She couldn’t believe that she was being kissed by him; of all the people, her neighbor. Her neighbor who hated Pepper, her neighbor who was a complete jerk and also a sweetheart at the same time. This world was a strange place indeed.

But then, her pride happened to come between them. He was still kissing her; slowly, tenderly like she were the petals of a rose. And her heart was liking it. But her mind didn’t. It was too prideful and it had its own ways. It wanted the walls back, the lies back, the independence back, to put the walls back on. You’re the single-independent-cat-lady! It happened to screech in her head incessantly, and she realized that the simple kiss that they were sharing was liable to change her whole life. She couldn’t let it, she didn’t want it too. She convinced herself that she didn’t like him after all; and then with much effort, she pulled herself away from him.

“What?” Sung Gyu asked, breathlessly, his cheeks flushed pink and pupils dilated ten times than they usually were. “Is everything okay?”

“No” Eunji said and quickly made a grab for her Chef’s hat. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to run”

“Eunji-,” He started, but she wasn’t staying. She could say that he was most probably just drunk and plain stupid and completely insane, and she wasn’t buying them. Of course they didn’t have feelings. The impossibility was too much and it hurt her head. She wanted to go home.

“I have to go” She repeated, ignoring his pleas and got up on her feet. Sung gyu just sat there, looking dejected, and she met his eyes for one last time. “You’re drunk” She told him, as though to reassure herself that it wasn’t true; and quickly walked off on her own.