☙✨💖✨❧

It had been about thirty minutes since Ji Min left Won Woo to his friends, time seemed to just fly by while she on and off stalked Won Woo talking to his friends on the other side of the cafe. She had noticed a difference in how he acted around these other two compared to her, almost like he was a different person, but that’s to be expected since there was a two-year gap in their friendship of complete nothingness. How could things really be the same after such a long time away from each other? It’s not easy. She always saw those posts online about how some friends could go months or years without talking and when they get around to meeting again, they’re able to pick up where they last left off, like pausing a movie and resuming later on. It felt like that with Won Woo for a short bit up until now. Things seem really different, she’s missed a lot… it felt like the movie kept running while she was away in a sense.

But, it was a nice scene to see him talking to them, he even smiled and laughed a few times and that warmed her heart, it wasn’t like he hadn’t smiled before, it was kind of rare back then. Only sometimes would he smile and she always cherished those moments. Things have changed. She thought and felt bittersweet about it. She had been worried if he’s been having a difficult time in the big city all by himself, but it turned out he’s been doing just fine. At least things were well for him, from what she’s observed so far.

Since she was alone now, her mind started to wander with many thoughts. It was suddenly clouded with memories from her recent past with him. It was like a trip down memory lane while she sat there watching him from afar, she wasn’t sure why it had to happen right now, but it did. She started to think about the day when Won Woo moved away, he stayed in contact with her every day and told her how he was doing in school and even in dance practice. She was surprised he kept it up after moving away, she thought he would have quit after moving, but he didn’t. She wondered why since he never answered her when she’d ask. A year passed quickly and being alone in Changwon started to become difficult, difficult to the point she stopped talking to Won Woo.

It wasn’t her intention to stop talking to him, but she had been going through a lot to the point she couldn’t bring herself to talk to anyone. She was distant and preferred to be alone for the longest time. She had no friends at school after Won Woo left, she couldn’t make new friends either, all the girls for some unknown reasons hated her and bullied her. She had no one on her side and thus she could only shut herself in. It started to get worse over time, but luckily she held out until graduation and she finally got away before it could result in something serious.

So, she made the arrangements to move to Seoul shortly after graduation. It took a few months at first because of how busy everyone was at the time. But nearly five months later, here she is. She hopes to start anew in a new city. She was already feeling better now that she was out of Changwon and felt herself slowly coming back in time to meet with her brother Jaehwan, and now, Won Woo. But here he was, being a jerk to her.

Now that she was thinking back on it, they did get on each other’s nerves towards the time he moved away, and she thought maybe she just needed a break away from him? She snickered at herself for even thinking about this now. I’m just selfish, that’s all. It was the emotions talking, the puberty talking because once he left Changwon she found herself alone at all their usual hangout spots wishing he was still there with her. When you’re with someone the majority of the week for five whole years, of course, you’re going to miss that person and feel empty without them whether you like it or not.

Thinking about all of this now, it started to make her feel sad, because she remembered what had happened to Won Woo shortly before they met, and she felt guilty that she pretty much did the same thing to him two years ago when she stopped talking to him and dropped off the face of the earth, as he put it earlier. He had opened up to her about it one day when their dance team was on one of their camping trips to bond as a team. Won Woo had been the quiet one out of the whole bunch and kept to himself a lot. The other dance students never knew how to approach him or act around him and usually just ignored him, everyone but Ji Min.

She was the only one who ever made the effort to talk to Won Woo at dance practice because the other kids on their team weren’t very fond of him. She knew he was a bad kid and had a major attitude because she shared classes with him at school. She’s seen his behavior of how he talks back to adults and skips class at least twice a week. He would even pull pranks at school with some of the other bad students and would skip detention as well. He sounded like bad news but for some reason, Ji Min wanted to check it out for herself and approached Won Woo shortly after.

Naturally, he didn’t want to talk to her at first and was quite rude about it, but Ji Min was the stubborn type and didn’t back down. “I don’t think you’re as bad as they say you are.” She had said to him. “As cliché as it might sound, I’m sure there’s a reason why you’re acting out, right?” His silence at the time implied that she was correct, and she stayed by his side from that day in hopes she could learn why he was the way he was and if she could help him. She hated to see him so lonely in the corner by himself. She kind of saw herself in him at the time, lonely with no one to lean on.

And that was how they became friends and dance partners. Won Woo struggled a bit when Ji Min kept coming around him because he just wasn’t the social type after what had happened to him the year before. He didn’t want to talk about it whenever she asked, and he honestly felt he would never talk about it. Sometimes he’d hate her stubbornness and other times he’d admire it. He wasn’t sure what he did to deserve someone like Ji Min to come into his life and he was conflicted about it for the longest time. He didn’t know if he should be happy or angry from her attempts on being more social and opening up, he really didn’t like how nosy she was trying to be, but over time he started to realize he had to talk at some point. If he wasn’t going to talk to a professional, he could at least talk to his dance partner, right? It would be good for him to talk about it.

After a year had gone by, Ji Min became the second person in his life that he became close with and opened up about the things he stressed about and worried about, because she also shared similar problems and stress like he did. He told her how lonely he felt at home when his parents were away at work. She had the same problem, her parents were always busy with work as well after her older brothers moved to Seoul, so she understood how he felt and it was the first time he had someone else understand his feelings.

“The only time they paid attention to me is whenever I got into trouble.” and that explained his bad behavior. He went on to say how his parents signed him up for dance in hopes it could help him relieve some stress from school and their absence, so he had something to do after school and wouldn’t be so lonely. He hated it at first, but after meeting Ji Min it became bearable. When they learned how both their parents were workaholics, they started to stick together more while at school, in dance practice and outside of both school and dance practice. They had things in common with each other, so he was comfortable hanging out and talking to her majority of the time and no one else. They were becoming good friends.

That’s when Ji Min got curious and decided to ask why Won Woo hadn’t branched out and made more friends other than her, it happened to be during their second camping trip with their dance team and the two had separated from the group to do something more fun. Unfortunately, they got a bit lost and were trying to find their way back and it started to rain. They felt so unlucky, but they managed to find some shelter under a tree even though it wasn’t exactly the safest place to be when there’s lightning, but there hadn’t been any lightning or thunder, it just seemed like isolated showers at the time. Despite how the rain started and stopped a couple of times, they were still pretty soaked from walking around in it.

“Won Woo?” She had asked and broke the silence between them. He looked her way and answered with a small “yeah” and she had a difficult time looking at him when she asked her question. “What happened to you last Summer?” Because she had heard some of the other dance students talking about it recently at the time and how someone hurt Won Woo and it really changed him.

She could never forget the moment when she saw 14-year-old Won Woo’s expression break and he lowered whatever walls he had up to protect himself from others. He had remained quiet and eventually the tears started to form in his eyes when the emotions he locked away suddenly attacked him. He never imagined he’d really choose to talk about it that day and did his best to talk through his tears about the person who had hurt him. It was the day he let her see a vulnerable side of him and it was the most memorable and difficult moment in both of their lives. It was hard for him to open up to her and it was hard for her to see him so hurt. He had talked about a friend whom he was close with… and how that friend left him without a reason, without a word, without a warning. Just gone and never heard from again.

Out of nowhere, the person he came to trust and cherish as a friend one day up and left without a word, there was no explanation from anyone. He had gotten scared and worried if something terrible happened to his friend, but shortly after he discovered his friend was just fine and had moved overseas because of his parents’ jobs. But Won Woo never understood why his friend didn’t tell him about the move, he had thought they were close enough that the other would at least let him know that, right? Quickly, Won Woo started to feel like maybe his friendship to the other meant absolutely nothing to them and it was why they didn’t even bother to tell him or get into contact with him. It really hurt Won Woo when it happened and since then he’s been cautious about who he opens up to… he didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again, he didn’t want to open up to someone only for them to leave him without a trace and feel like his friendship was meaningless and expendable.

But it seemed like Ji Min was an exception and a sign that he needed to get over it. Bottling up those feelings for so long was ruining him and distancing himself from others was making things worse for him and his persona. Keeping it all inside and to himself would surely make him go insane and depressed at that rate, so he had to do something about it quick. Once he told Ji Min about it, it felt like a weight was lifted and he could finally be free from the negative cycle he had going on with all the guilt and pain. Ji Min comforted him the best she could that day. She clearly remembers him crying on her shoulder while apologizing for being so emotional about it. She also remembers how she lightened the mood by calling him a crybaby and thus started their love-hate relationship.

For a while after that, they were close, like a pair of mischievous best friends. They’d pick on one another a lot because it just seemed like their weird way of expressing their friendship with each other. Everything seemed fine for a while but in the end, Won Woo was still a bad kid and Ji Min could only do so much to stop him from doing bad things. She didn’t understand why he was still acting out after venting to her about everything, she had thought his bad behavior would have lessened or at least stop completely altogether, but it didn’t. It seemed like he was still bitter about something and she would try to talk to him, but he didn’t want to and didn’t like it. He just wouldn’t listen to her and that always made her angry. The more she tried to help him, the more annoyed he got with her and they started to feud about it majority of the time with actual verbal fights and insults.

But they always managed to stay by each other’s side through all the negativity at the end of the day. It probably had something to do with how they express their friendship with each other, that was most likely what kept them together. Deep down they understood each other and there might not be another person who’d understand them like they understand one another, at least in their hometown. It was like they only had each other, so they put up with it for the next two years.

Unlike Won Woo’s encounter, the moment he heard he and his parents were moving to Seoul, he asked Ji Min to meet up with him, so he could tell her about it. Nothing really special happened when he told her, there weren’t any tears or protests, just acknowledgment and understanding and a few teasing comments thrown at each other. But Ji Min had put up a front at that time and made sure Won Woo didn’t see how much she didn’t want him to leave her behind, the last thing she wanted was for Won Woo to feel bad about moving and it stresses him out. She just hoped he would be able to start anew and be a good student in Seoul. It was a long year without him, she couldn’t fully adapt to life without Won Woo and then the bullying started.

Deep down she really missed Won Woo and wished she could move to Seoul and reunite with him. It, unfortunately, took another two years, but it finally happened. She reunited with him, but she knew he was probably hurt when she stopped talking to him, they’d have to talk about it sooner or later and perhaps it could explain his attitude, he probably holds some sort of pain and anger from it. If she puts herself in his shoes, she would also hold some type of grudge against him too, especially if he won’t explain it to her and even give an apology. I’ll have to talk to him soon.

She did plan to contact Won Woo again eventually, but she was just lucky she found him quicker than planned. Now, here she was, sitting alone at a table in Moonlight cafe stalking Won Woo and his two friends. Another thirty minutes had passed, and it was officially an hour since they came to this cafe. The evening was approaching, and the weather was changing outside. She could see some threatening rain clouds in the distance.

Besides reminiscing the past, she wondered if Won Woo would ditch her since he had in the past because it was clear he hadn’t changed much since moving regarding his attitude towards her, if she has to use GPS to get home, she’ll do it. It’d probably be easier to just take a cab… She glanced over at Won Woo’s table and the three were still talking with each other. She let out a small sigh. It’s still her first day in Seoul, she basically doesn’t know anyone in Seoul yet besides Won Woo. She wondered if she would be able to make any friend once school starts, or even dance practice?

And just as she thought that she heard a group of girls at a table close by gossiping about someone, and it didn’t take long to figure out that someone was her. She was confused at first, why would they be talking about her like this when they didn’t even know her! Why can’t cliché characters like that stay in the dramas? She thought and tried her best to ignore their words. But when you’re in a situation like that, you tend to do a ty job of ignoring it.

“Look at her hair, does she even own a brush?”

Damn Won Woo and his sudden fleeing!

“And her clothes… no fashion sense whatsoever.”

What’s wrong with my clothes?

“Does she even know what makeup is? She should, it’d do her some good.”

Am I ugly?

“It’s probably why she’s alone. No friends or even a boyfriend for that matter.” They continued to gossip and snickered when Ji Min finally looked their way. Her expression had a hint of hurt in it, it felt like a repeat in Changwon. She was trying so hard not to let it bother her, it didn’t help that she was already in a sad mood from thinking back on memories with Won Woo, but it was that time in her life that she’s more conscious about what others think… the glorious high school life was haunting her long after graduating. Was that why I was so alone?

“We should go, don’t want her loneliness to rub off on us now do we?”

Ji Min sat there and resisted the urge to call them out in a public place. She didn’t want to cause a scene, but she didn’t want to sit there and just take it either… What the hell? How can girls be so mean? And for a split second, she thought she was going to cry. What did I ever do to them? I don’t even know them!

“If you cry, I’m not going to buy you your iced tea.” Suddenly Won Woo’s voice said across the table. Ji Min stilled before looking up. Like a scene straight out of an anime...

“What? He actually knows her?” The cliché group of girls seemed taken aback to see Won Woo sit at her table, on his own will too, and talked to her. They had been eyeing him with his friends for the past thirty minutes and had thought about approaching them. So much for that now.

“Are they gone yet?” Won Woo muttered and tried his best not to turn and look at the girls. Ji Min’s look of awe deflated quickly. Damn! He was being so cool until he said that!

“Wah, don’t they just make the cutest couple?” A voice chimed in behind the girls. “You can totally see how in love they are and everything! Ah, I’m so jealous… I hope to find love just like that one day.” It was the charming stranger from before!

“Maybe you should stop… you’re overdoing it. You’ll make him angry, too.” The Gongchan look-alike muttered and was clearly worried when he saw Won Woo glare at them. That’s when they noticed the girls got up to leave, but not without a hair flip after hearing Won Woo’s friend’s comments and the two headed over to the table once the drama queens were gone.

“How’d I do?!” The charming stranger asked eagerly like he was ready to be praised for his acting skills.

“I hate you.” Won Woo simply said and turned to the other. “I hate you, too.” This time it seemed like hate really meant hate.

“Sorry.” He chuckled and turned to Ji Min to check on her. “Are you okay, miss?”

“I’m okay, thank you.” She smiled shyly at his kind smile. Such a gentleman!

“Really now, who is this?!” The taller asked curiously with a pout on his face. It seemed like the anticipation was getting to him. Introductions usually happen within the first few moments when they first meet, it’s been nearly an hour since!

“Lee Ji Min, nice to meet you, Count Dracula and Gongchan!” She grinned. The two laughed at the way she addressed them. “I’m just a nobody like he said before.” She simply explained and side-eyed him. She earned laughs from the other two and even a small chuckle from Won Woo. This was how they always talked about each other because of their weird way of expressing their friendship in the past, that kind of assured her in a way, that maybe things really hadn’t changed as much as she thought and it was just in her head. “I just recently moved here from Changwon and we happened to bump into each other this afternoon. We went to school together and had dance practice together when we were younger. We were just catching up.” Not really, but what else was she supposed to say? That she helped Won Woo break into his own home because he locked himself out? They were only out and about because he promised her food when they were done.

“Really?” Dracula cooed. “I didn't know Won Woo was friends with a girl before?”

“What about it?” He frowned.

“Nothing!” His friend said with a sheepish smile. “Well, the evening is upon us, shall we walk you two home?” He offered with a friendly smile this time.

“No, we’re good. I’d actually like to get her home alive.” Won Woo teased, he was hinting at his new nickname.

“Ugh, my name is Mingyu, Kim Mingyu. Please don’t call me Dracula!” The younger complained with an adorable pout.

“As much as I admire Gongchan… please call me Jisoo, or Joshua if you’d like.” The oldest said softly with another kind smile.

“You two are boring.” Won Woo laughed. He was definitely going to tease them about those nicknames later on for sure.

“So, Jisoo?” Ji Min asked.

“Hong Jisoo, yes.” He nodded with a nice smile.

“But… Gong… chan…” she held back a laugh at his unamused reaction. “Alright, Jisoo. It’s nice to meet you. I’m happy that Won Woo actually made friends after moving.”

“You say that like I didn’t have friends before.” Won Woo wasn’t amused at all even though… it was the truth. But he wasn’t going to let his current friends believe that.

“Did you?” She tilted her head and looked up like she was trying to think back on it and realized she probably shouldn’t have said that in front of the other two. But that was okay, they could fix this with their antics.

“Not like you’d remember with your goldfish memory.” He snickered. Her thinking expression soured, and she looked to his friends who were holding back their laughter. “I win.” Won Woo said victoriously. Ji Min just scoffed before he stood up and gestured for her to stand as well. “We’ll get going now.”

“Already?!” She frowned instantly. She was hoping she could talk to his friends for a few more minutes now that she finally got to meet them.

“Awh, then we’ll see you around?” Mingyu asked with a friendly smile towards Ji Min. He was implying since she was friends with Won Woo that they’d be seeing more of her from now on. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one who wanted to communicate.

“Maybe, depends.” She replied before Won Woo started to drag her away from his friends. “Wait, Won Woo! Stop, aren’t you going to say goodbye to your friends?!” She complained and in a matter of seconds the duo was gone a moment later and both Jisoo and Mingyu were kind of surprised with how the encounter went.

“So, Won Woo knows another girl?” Mingyu questioned and looked to his hyung.

“It appears so.” Jisoo with a small smile. “They seem to get along quite well, don’t they?”

“You’re joking, right?” Mingyu pouted.

“I am.” He nodded with a laugh. “We should get going, too.” He added and the younger agreed and they left the cafe as well.

☙✨💖✨❧

“For a second, I thought you were really going to cry back there.” Won Woo said when he and Ji Min came up to a crosswalk once again, they were hoping it’d be the last crosswalk of the evening. They heard a few rumbles of thunder in the distance, but it has yet to start raining on them. He was hoping they could get home before the first drop falls from the sky.

“Are you really bringing it up?” She sighed and felt slightly embarrassed about it. She just wanted to forget about that memory already… including Won Woo being all cool for her, that was such a foreign situation she wasn’t sure how to react. Perhaps thankful for getting the girls to stop their gossiping, but at the same time…

“Has high school been treating you that bad?” He continued. “What changed?” She felt stupid for thinking he wouldn’t notice that.

“Puberty. Hormones. Girls are more ruthless in high school.” She frowned. “I had no idea… they just pick on me for no good reason, it’s awful. And no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, it just got to me somehow. I don’t know… I guess I got a bit soft after entering high school, my thick skin is thinning…” when she only heard silence from Won Woo she looked up at him and was curious on why he was so quiet. He was staring at her. “What?”

“Didn’t expect you to tell me what was really going on.” He snickered and patted her on the head. If he was honest, it reminded him of the time he opened up to her on that camping trip. He didn’t really expect her to tell him how she was truly feeling tonight, but she did, he had a feeling it was connected to when she stopped talking to him a year ago. It just sort of had him think back on it when she started speaking. And in a way, it made him feel a little happy that their friendship with each other had not changed much even after being separated for two years with no contact. It really was like they were on pause and resuming now. “You didn’t really have to tell me, but if it made you feel better then I guess that’s good.” He blurted that out without really thinking about it.

“Eugh, why am I telling you all of this anyway? Forget it.” She smacked his hand away with a pout, but she secretly smiled on the inside. It might seem stupid but him petting her on the head like that brought some sort of comfort given how mean he can be to her sometimes.

“Well, whether you choose to listen to me or not… it’s over now. The worst is over and the best is yet to come, right? And I guess the cliché thing to say is, don’t listen to them, don’t let it get to you. So, just do that.”

“That’s ironic coming from you, you who never listened to me before… But fine.” She muttered when they crossed the street. She could tell her comment affected him a bit, but he didn’t seem pissed if anything he seemed a bit guilty and it was clear why. She didn’t know if they should continue talking about it any further, so she remained silent. Thinking of what he just said, even if it was cliché, he was right and she needed to hear that. When they were on the other side of the road, they heard another rumble of thunder and it sounded much closer this time. “Uh oh.”

“Stop, don’t jinx it.” Won Woo scolded and smacked her on the arm.

“I just said uh oh! What the heck!” She pouted and rubbed the arm he hit. She watched him look around like he was looking for a place to take shelter in and he managed to find a spot and started to drag her over to it. She was impressed since it started to rain seconds after they took shelter. “Are you psychic or something?!”

“Shut up.” He sighed and pulled out his phone to check the weather. He didn’t know if this was a storm or an isolated shower. Maybe it would pass by quickly? When he saw the massive storm cell on his phone screen, he sighed again in defeat this time.

“What?”

“We’ll have to get a lift home, it doesn’t look like the rain will be stopping anytime soon.” He showed her the live doppler radar for the weather. Her expression dropped when she saw it. But it was also reminding her of that rainy day when she comforted him. She wondered if he was thinking about it too when she noticed him looking up at the sky.

“Damn, that’s one angry storm!” She whimpered when a flash of lightning lit up the sky followed by a loud clap of thunder seconds later. It startled her, and she clung onto Won Woo’s arm without thinking.

“Oh right, forgot you’re a scaredy cat when it comes to these kinds of storms.” He snickered and looked out to the rain pouring down on the city. “Should we just wait until it stops?” He asked a moment later and had to nudge her to snap her out of it.

“What if it takes too long?” She frowned. There was another small rumble of thunder in the sky and she grabbed onto his arm again, on purpose this time. Holding onto his arm was comforting and he took notice of that and allowed her to keep holding onto him while they waited for the storm to die down. Several minutes had passed and he could feel Ji Min get closer to him until she was almost glued to his side.

“Are you that scared?” He asked. He didn’t think the situation was that scary to be honest.

“No.” She replied in a soft voice and shook her head.

“Then why are you so close?” He gestured to the proximity between them.

“... sorry.” She quickly let go and turned away from him, she was a bit flustered, she had not realized what she was doing until he pointed it out. “It’s cold.” She managed to blurt out a second later.

“Oh.” He was a bit dumbfounded for a second since he didn’t see her shivering or anything like she was just saying that… but it was cold. There was something inside him that compelled him to give her a hug after knowing what she went through this evening with those mean girls, sure he tried to comfort her with his words earlier but it didn’t seem like it was enough and she was still upset, it seemed like she needed to be properly comforted with a hug. He wanted to give her a hug but realized it might be out of character for him in her view, but he really wanted to regardless.

And that’s when he realized what she had just said, it was cold. “I’m doing this to help.” Won Woo muttered a moment later and pulled her close to him once more, he found the excuse to hug her. He could tell she was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly in hopes his body heat would be enough to warm her because she said she was cold... “Is it helping?” He asked.

“You’re the one who gets cold easily! Remember?” She pointed out and instead wrapped her arms around him to give him warmth instead. “But thanks for trying anyway.” She was happy on the inside that he even thought to help her warm up, that was sweet, and she cannot deny it. “We’ll never talk about this again, don’t worry.” She added in a quiet tone like she was embarrassed, and he frowned. He didn’t think this was embarrassing at all. They don’t seem to be on the same page right now.

When the rain died down Won Woo suggested they make a run for it or they would be stranded out in the rain all night! After a few blocks, they finally made it to a familiar neighborhood now and she was relieved. “Finally!”

“We got lucky.” He was relieved.

“Thank goodness. Can’t imagine running in the rain. Surely would catch a nasty cold.” She rubbed her bare arms, she regretted not bringing a jacket with her when she left the house earlier in the afternoon, but it is summer, and she didn’t want to get overheated and have to lug it around.

“You’re still cold?” Won Woo frowned at the sight. “Come inside?” He gestured to his place.

“Uhm…” she paused and looked down to her brother’s house, the parking lot was still empty, and she recalled Jaehwan telling her he would be home late tonight. She still hasn’t had dinner yet either. Hanging out with him a bit longer wouldn’t hurt, right? Though she was nervous if they would end up talking about last year? “Okay.” She accepted his invite and followed him inside.

He knew his parents were not home still and would not be until late. He usually spends his days alone, but since Ji Min was around, he did not want to part with her just yet. “Do you want a jacket?” He asked when he noticed it was not that much warmer inside since the AC was on because… it is summer after all.

“Uh, sure.” She nodded while rubbing her arms again. She watched him grab one from the coat stand by the door and tossed it at her. She nearly missed catching it and he laughed at her. “Don’t throw things so suddenly at me!” She complained. Putting on the jacket, it was cold, but she knew her body heat would warm it up in no time. “So, what now?” She asked and took a seat on the couch with him.

“When will your brothers be home?” He asked.

“I’m not sure, Jaehwan said he might not be home until late and my other brother, who cares.” She sighed bitterly. “When will your parents be home?”

“Not until late.” He sighed and fiddled with one of his hoodie strings. “Well, since you’re here, have dinner with me?” He asked with a small smile and she stared at him. He was smiling again, and this time to her face. She always thought he never smiled enough back then, he has such a beautiful smile, she liked it and wanted to see it more, but it never would happen. But now…

“Ji Min?” He snapped her out of her thoughts.

“What?” She wasn’t sure why the way he said it got her so flustered.

“Have dinner with me?” He said it again and saw an unfamiliar look in his eye. Why is he saying it like that? Usually, he never asks that way, he always just asked what they should eat and never asked her directly like that. This felt different for her. He’s… changed. Not only did he get taller, but he got even more handsome. While his attitude was still there, something was different about him, about the way he looked at her. “What?” He asked when he noticed her staring at him with a mixed expression.

“What are we eating?” She snapped out of it and averted her stare elsewhere.

“Whatever you want?” He said with another smile when she looked back at him, she definitely saw him wait for her to look at him before smiling and his smile was so sweet. “I’ll pay.” She could feel that weird warm and fuzzy feeling in her stomach. He’s smiling more… she believed he must not feel as lonely as before and that made her feel happy for him. “What would you like?”

“Uhm… takeout?” Ji Min was looking at him with a weird look again and he only laughed. He really confused her just now, didn’t he? “Chicken?”

“Okay?” Won Woo mimicked her tone. “Plain or spicy?”

“Plain?”

“What to drink?”

“Sprite?”

“Are you going to talk in questions for the rest of the evening?”

“Maybe?” She turned away with a pout. “Just hurry up and order, I’m starving.”

“Already?” He chuckled and got up, so he could go make the order on the phone in the kitchen. While he was away, she slapped her warm cheeks. What is wrong with me? She thought and glanced towards the kitchen when she could see him speaking on the phone. That was weird. Granted, it’s been two years since they’ve talked or seen each other, and while they were able to recognize each other and feel familiar with each other after reuniting, something has changed, definitely. She can’t deny he’s physically changed, he’s gotten taller and more attractive, his voice is much deeper than she remembers. He seems to smile more, not that he never smiled before back then, but she’s noticed he smiles easier now in some way. He seems to talk more, too.

Unless I’m just not really good at remembering that far back, but he definitely seems different in some ways. I suppose that’s expected now that we’ve grown up. We change in ways without realizing it ourselves, I guess. It’s been so long since I’ve met with him, it’s definitely going to be different. I mean, how can it not? Why am I even thinking about it so much?  

When he returned from the kitchen, she snapped out of it and avoided looking at him, which he noticed but didn’t do anything about it and gave her a break. He supposed she had been thinking about today’s events and how unusual it was. “It should be about thirty minutes; will you make it until then?” He teased.

“I will!” She blurted out and frowned at him. “I’m not going to turn ravenous or anything and start eating the furniture.” She earned a deep laugh from him and eventually laughed at her own comment.

“There might be some snacks in the kitchen if you want me to look?”

“I’m fine.” She quickly declined. She was still flustered about the way he asked her to stay for dinner earlier, but she did not want to confront him about it and only remained silent from that moment on, she really didn’t know what to say anyway. She focused on the tv show he the best she could instead. On the other hand, Won Woo was thinking about how she reacted when he asked her to stay for dinner. He knew he said it in a way she didn’t expect him to and it was amusing to see her reaction to it. Though he couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the same time. It’s best if I’m not too obvious right now. He thought while stealing glances at her from the other side of the couch. There is still a lot I don’t know about the last two years… He was curious about it and wanted to ask, but he knew it would have to wait for now.

Their food arrived shortly after and they managed to enjoy it. Ji Min put all her distracting thoughts aside, so she could eat in peace and he was happy to see her eating nicely. He was slightly worried if he made her uncomfortable earlier with the way he asked her to stay for dinner. That would be something he should control, for now, making her flustered. When they finished their food, Ji Min noticed it had gotten dark outside. “I probably should head home now.”

“Alright. I’ll walk you over.” He got up to follow her.

“You don’t have to, it’s only a few doors down?”

“I don’t mind.” He shook his head. “It’s not safe to walk alone at night.”

“Fine.” She felt like it would be pointless to protest, and he has a good point. Let alone… she’s not very fond of the dark. So, they were off.

The walk was quiet, Ji Min wasn’t sure what to talk about on the way to her brother's house and Won Woo had no idea what to talk about either. It made the walk over quick and they were already saying their goodbye. “What a day.” She chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You missed me that much?” He teased. “Already making plans?”

“Shut up, you said you’d show me around the city or did you already forget that?!” She rolled her eyes and snickered. “I can always find someone else to do it? My brother knows a guy around my age who can show me around. His name is Hulk or something.”

“The Hulk?” Won Woo almost laughed. “Is he big, strong, and green?”

“Maybe!” She pouted. “He’ll protect me from evil on the streets!”

“Fine, if you’d rather go with him, be my guest.” He held his hands up like he gave up his spot as the tour guide. Not that he didn’t want to show her around, but he had a feeling she’d rather have him show her around rather than someone she doesn’t know well. Even if it’s only been two years, he still remembers parts of her personality like that and he was sure it hadn’t changed yet because it’s not that easy to change, he knows it himself. “Have fun!” He added and took a few steps backward before turning to walk properly.

“Wait!” She called after him and he stopped and smiled before turning around with a small ‘huh?’ “We didn’t really get to catch up today… so let’s do that tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure. If you changed your mind, you know where to find me. Let’s go out again tomorrow.” He turned and faced her with that sweet smile again. She paused and stared at him. “What?”

“Nothing! Goodnight!” She blurted out and turned to unlock the front door. She stepped inside and shut the door a bit hard and left Won Woo standing there feeling amused. She sure got flustered. He thought to himself and chuckled. Won Woo lingered for a moment and smiled. It almost felt like he had just walked her home after a date. One day… One day that might actually be the case. With that, he started his walk back to his own home with a smile on his lips.

Since the night was still a bit young, he opted to take a quick shower when he got back before he ate some chips and watched more TV. He headed to bed afterward. It had started to rain again after he got out of his shower earlier and had not stopped since. He started to think they were lucky they really didn’t get stranded in the rain. He snickered at the sight of raindrops falling against his window. He wanted to hate the rain, but he couldn’t help but like it. The fact that it forced him and Ji Min to stick together through it all is what made him like the experience. Being close to her was nice, too. It was something new and he liked it, very much.

After a short while of lying in bed, he thought about earlier… how Ji Min sat at the cafe alone and those stupid girls started to gossip about her. Commenting on how unappealing she looked to how lonely she was. Thinking about it made him angry. Those girls don't know anything about Ji Min and how wrong they are. Unappealing? He thinks she is gorgeous. Lonely? Not anymore, he is on her side. What happened for those girls to pick on someone they don’t even know? He doesn’t understand. It doesn’t only go for girls, he’s witnessed it happening to other guys as well, and occasionally it even happened to him. Other guys had made comments on his appearance before and he wasn’t sure if it was out of insecurities or jealousy at times. But he learned to ignore it because it didn’t matter what they thought at the end of the day. He’s worked hard on accepting himself and won’t let others ruin that for him.

He was never going to understand why most people get like that. Hopefully, it won’t be like that in college. It will be a whole new experience. Everyone will be adults and mature, the chances of bullying shouldn’t be too high, right? And even if it comes to that, he would protect her. I couldn’t protect you before, but I’ll protect you now. And on that note, he decided to go to sleep. Fatigue finally took over and he knocked out moments later while thinking of that moment when he held her close. A moment he loved and wished could have last longer.

☙✨💖✨❧

Won Woo was not the only one thinking about that moment, Ji Min down the street was also thinking about it and getting flustered all over again while lying on the living room couch. She hugged one of the couch pillows close to her chest. “He started acting strangely after that?” She muttered to herself. “I wonder why?” She didn't really understand it, it just felt strange to her and made her feel strange as well. “This is weird!” She pouted and shook her head from side to side before stopping. “He never acted like that before?” He had his moments when he was nice and sweet but today was overwhelming. She realizes they were younger back then, so of course, stuff like that didn’t really happen. But now that they’re older and have grown up, it’s different. It’s just in my head?

Maybe she was just overthinking it, maybe it really isn’t strange or out of the ordinary and she’s just making herself believe it that way. Maybe he really is just being a good friend, despite the time lost between them. Perhaps it’s one of the many things that’s changed about him? Maybe he’s more kind and more affectionate? Friends give each other hugs all the time. Friends are kind to other friends all the time. It’s pretty lame of her to just assume when a guy is being nice that he’s interested in her or it means something romantic, even though she hasn’t talked to many guys since Won Woo left and so how would she know if guys are interested in her, but still. She shouldn’t be that kind of girl who judges others by their actions.

So, maybe Won Woo’s personality was different from when they were younger, and now this older version of Won Woo seems out of character to her? That’s got to be it. Yeah, that’s probably it. He’s changed, and surely I’ve changed in some ways too, but I just don’t know it. I should just relax and not be so anxious about it. She wondered why she was so worked up about it in the first place. Sometimes she just doesn’t understand herself and the way she thinks. There wasn’t really any reason to overthink his gestures like that, he’s an old friend from the past who’s simply changed since last meeting him. Perhaps being alone in Changwon for so long messed with her head a bit. She worries if she’s socially awkward now and hopes it’s not the case when she starts to meet new people. I met two of his friends just fine before. I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s all in her head.

Despite how active her mind was, she was getting sleepy now.

Her brother Jaehwan had not returned home yet and she tried to stay up to welcome him home, but it was no use, she ended up knocking out on the couch. She was so close since he showed up thirty minutes later. He felt bad for making her wait but thought it was sweet that she was waiting for him. He smiled and scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs to her room. He tucked her into bed and gently gave a small pet to her head. “Thanks… Won Woo.” She mumbled in her sleep. Jaehwan was confused at first but quickly remembered who that was.

At his law firm branch, he believes Won Woo’s mother is one of his few co-workers. He recalls seeing her at one of their co-worker dinners before and she went on and on about her son since she had a little too much to drink. She said things like how handsome he is, how talented he is and if anyone else at the firm has a daughter that would be interested in marrying him. Fortunately, everyone believed she was joking and didn’t answer her. To which she pouted in the corner and moped how no one would ever love her precious Jeon Won Woo. Jaehwan tried to assure her that he was sure someone would come along and love her son just as much as they love dogs.

Flashback...

“He’s afraid of dogs!” She wailed. He and his other co-worker Hani took it upon themselves to help their sunbae home that night, where they were able to meet her son she raved on and on about.

Won Woo was embarrassed when his mother clung onto him and wailed about how she’s failed on finding him a suitable wife once again. “Mom, please!” He had complained. “I don’t want an arranged marriage!”

“She’s had one too many shots at the dinner, sorry about that.” Hani apologized and bowed a few times. “I’ll be sure it won’t happen again next time.”

“It’s okay.” Won Woo assured them and struggled to keep his drunk mother standing, she had started to knock out. “Thanks for bringing her home.”

“Of course.” Jaehwan smiled. “I live down the street. And so, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Right.” Won Woo looked unsure, what could he possibly need from his mother’s co-worker, but he supposed it was good to know if he had any trouble, he could go to him.

“Oh, forgive me, we forgot to introduce ourselves!” Jaehwan figured maybe that’s why Won Woo seemed so questionable. “My name is Lee Jaehwan and this is my co-worker, Ahn Hani.”

“Jaehwan?” Won Woo repeated. The name sounded familiar. It looked like he wanted to ask something but decided against it.

“Yes.” Jaehwan didn’t want to pry at the moment, but he was sure if Won Woo decided to ask what he wanted to ask, he knew where to find him. “Again, I’m just down the street, so if you have any trouble tonight, just know I’m there!”

“Thank you.” Won Woo tried to bow but it was impossible with his mother leaning on his shoulder. The other two adults got the picture and gave him a sheepish laugh before saying their goodbye. It was definitely an interesting first encounter for sure.

After they left their sunbae’s house, they had gone to his own house where they talked about the encounter a bit further. “I think her son used to go to school with my younger sister,” Jaehwan explained and Hani did a small gasp. “They were dance partners too. If I remember correctly.” She did a dramatic gasp this time and he laughed at her antics.

“Why didn’t you say anything when we were there? Maybe he would have liked to meet you?”

“I’m not sure if she really ever talked about me to him before, it’s probably why he seemed so distant toward us. We’re just strangers to him, you know.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” She nodded while rocking from side to side in her seat on the couch next to him. “You said your sister plans to move to Seoul after graduating, right? Will she be staying with you?”

“Of course. Where else would she go?”

“Well, you know, leaving the nest to start a new life in a new city, maybe she’ll live in the college dorms or find an apartment and get roommates? You know, like what you did.”

“I honestly don’t think my sister is capable of doing that if I’m honest.”

“Why not?”

“Well…” he wasn’t sure if he should say much. He and Hani are friends outside of work and it’s something that’s been bothering him lately, but he really had no one to talk about it with. He couldn’t even talk to his own brother since Hongbin didn’t really find interest in talking about their younger sister. And so he and Hani talked about his younger sister Ji Min that night. To which Hani opened up about her relationship with her step-sister, LE.

They bonded as friends that night and became closer. It was nice to have someone to talk to for once, he had been holding back since he never wanted to bother his friends with his worries and burden them. Sometimes he knew others don’t know what to say and it doesn’t feel good to vent and be met with speechless friends. Not that he expected everyone to have an answer to all his worries, but it seemed pointless to him if his friends can’t even give advice or tips on how to not stress about his situation. Just listening can be helpful, but it’s not always helpful.

“I haven’t really opened up about my siblings like this before…”

“That’s okay.” Hani gave him a few gentle pats on his back. “I’m happy you trusted me enough to talk about it. Don’t worry, you can always talk to me when you need it. I’ll listen!”

“Thanks.” Jaehwan really appreciated it. “Now can you please stop rocking back and forth like that, you’re going to make yourself sick.” He lightly scolded and she only laughed at him before her expression dropped and he quickly helped her to the nearest bathroom where he spent the next two hours holding her hair and rubbing her back while she regretting eating so much at the dinner.

End Flashback…

Jaehwan left his sister’s room shortly after his little trip down memory lane with a small chuckle and got ready for bed. He really was her dance partner back in Changwon, right? He thought. He moved to Seoul about three years ago… so they must have reunited, or she is still looking for him? He was curious and wanted to ask her next time because if she hadn't he could just tell her he lives down the street. He made a mental note to let his sunbae, Won Woo’s mother, know that her son’s friend was back in town.

They had talked about it after a while at work during a lunch break, about the history between Won Woo and Ji Min. His mother seemed to know a lot about it since before moving to Changwon, Ji Min would be at their house most of the time. And on the nights she’d manage to come home, they’d eat together. Jaehwan was happy to know Ji Min wasn’t so lonely back then, but he couldn’t imagine how lonely she might have gotten after Won Woo and his parents left for Seoul. I should work on arranging a dinner with them. He thought to himself while setting his alarms for the morning. He thought it’d be nice to get together with Won Woo and his parents and have dinner with Ji Min. Maybe Hongbin could join, depending on his mood that day but he wasn’t too hopeful for it, he realizes he shouldn’t set his expectations so high, or he’d forever be disappointed.

Since he has work early in the morning, it’d definitely be too early to catch her in the morning, he decided to leave her a note and some money for her to use on food. I should contact Wonshik and see about getting his younger cousin to show Ji Min around the city, at least she would have something to do while I’m at work. It was on his mind, but he ended up forgetting to do any of those things before he knocked out for the night. As for Hongbin, he never came home that night, which went unnoticed by Ji Min since she expected that and Jaehwan was too busy getting ready for bed and work the next morning. This would probably be a reoccurring event, unfortunately.

Chapter Two!

Jaehwan: Tch… *judging his brother*

Hongbin: *Not listening*

LOL