October 26: 4:13pm, Nam Hae-Do

Jae Joong looks over at Hayaley, asleep in the front passenger seat. They had planned this trip before she left for Vietnam, hoping to spend some quality time together. They know his and her schedule are about to get more complicated and hectic. It’s important that they develop their relationship further before all these other distractions pull them in all directions.

But something else has been increasingly occupying his mind lately and meeting his friends for Yong Guen’s birthday last night has amplified it more. His upcoming military obligation. While he knows his friends were just trying to encourage and cheer him up, knowing he has some apprehension about the enlistment, it has made him think about how his two years away is going to affect his and Hayaley’s relationship. Will she understand? After all, she grew up in the U.S. and this concept of mandatory military enlistment may not make sense to her.

Then again, who says they are even going to last till March or April, when he goes off to fulfill his military duties? Judging from his track record, the odds are not good….That in itself is enough to give him anxiety. Will he have a better chance with Hayaley? Their circumstance is different…At least he thinks it is. And she is different.

Hayaley is definitely not the typical girl he would date. She is headstrong, independent and a female version of him when it comes to professional obligations. Yet, she can be affectionate and loving, though in a somewhat masculine way, exhibiting vulnerability only when it comes to her sister and the emotional scars she still bears from the plane crash.

This morning, she woke up at the crack of dawn to make him hangover soup. Her first time making it, she said. Her gesture almost warmth his heart more than the soup that warmed his tummy. She had jokingly said, “Don’t be expecting this every time you come home with a bad hangover. I’m not that type of woman.” Somehow, he knows she is not totally joking and surprisingly, it does not bother him because he knows she shows her care and concern in different ways, sometimes randomly and impulsively, which thrills him.

“Hayaley, wake up!” They have reached their destination.

She stretches. “Mm, sorry I fell asleep.”

“I know. One minute you were telling me about your Vietnam concert and the next you were asleep.”

“Argh…really sorry. Didn’t mean for you to have to drive that long way alone.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go check out the pension.”

They have managed to get reservation at one of the very few pensions available at German Village. A family had cancelled last minute and Hayaley called just at the right moment.

“Wow, this is nice,” Hayaley exclaims as she admires the three-storey house with a wrap-around wooden patio on the second floor and a smaller patio in the corner of the third. “Perfect for watching the sunset,” she thought to herself. The red gable roof, a signature of homes at German Village makes the whitewash exterior stands out more.

 “We have the whole place to ourselves?”

“Yep, I made sure.” That was important. They didn’t want anyone seeing Jae Joong here, especially with Hayaley. “I’ll go check in. Stay in the car.”

Jae Joong gets back in the car. The long drive tired him out, especially since he had a very late night of drinking last night. He closes his eyes and dozes off. Hayaley finds him napping about 30 minutes later. Not wanting to wake him up, she climbs back into the passenger seat quietly and observes him silently.

Last night, she had heard him come home. It was almost four in the morning. She heard shuffling feet staggering into his room and the mattress shifting from his weight. He had hugged her from behind, kissed her exposed shoulder then mumbled, “Don’t go…” She responded, “I’m not going anywhere.” But no response. He had fallen asleep.

Hayaley’s usually not the type to dwell on ambiguous things like that but she had felt a little uneasy when he said that. Did he mean today? Maybe he changed his mind about the trip. Perhaps he got worried about being in public together. They know they are taking a huge risk but they felt Nam Hae would be quiet enough and they would be in their rental car most of the time. They can disguise themselves a little if need be. Also, there is always the thrill of being incognito. But this morning he was all excited about the trip. So what else could he mean? Leaving this relationship? She feels herself getting anxious if that’s what it is. Almost as if he felt her emotions, he opens his eyes and smiles at her.

They walk hand-in-hand along the waterfront, looking like any couple enjoying a