Chapter 3

Even though I’m small, I carry many tasks and many of them are important.

I am always used when eating; I take part in protecting the body from unwanted objects; I even have big role in women’s appearances.

But so often, I become women’s strongest weapon—especially in their relationship.

Whether it’s for verbal contact or physical contact.

Since lips were invented because sometimes words fail.

I am a loyal companion in Agassi’s life.

I’ve been with her since the day she was born in this world and never once I left her. I witnessed her growth, her development, her emotion turnover throughout years of Agassi’s life—well, I basically witnessed everything about her—and I remember everything—not missing a single thing even, because I’m always used to express her emotion.

Yes, I am lips.

Lips—the most simple sign in expressing your emotion.

Lips—which convey smile, laugh, anger, and sadness.

Lips—which is titled as the most used part to express your emotion.

I can say many things about me, Agassi, or everything about Agassi’s life (which one do you like? Childhood? Teenager? University days?), but I wouldn’t say much this time. Since time prohibit me to do so, this time I’m going to tell you about Agassi’s emotion for the past 1.5 months.

1.5 months. It may be a short time for many of you, but for Agassi, these past 1.5 months have been a roller coaster ride for her emotional life.

Let me start from the beginning.

1.5 month ago—well… It was bad. Please emphasize the ‘WAS’ and read it as a past tense.

Agassi’s negative emotion—sadness, anger, disappointment, frustration, hesitation—piled up for that month. Especially when Agassi’s husband—yes, that no-good-for-her bastard—confessed that he has a boyfriend (please do emphasize BOYFRIEND); that he couldn’t look Agassi the way he supposed to be—as his wife, as his life companion, as the future mother of his child; that he couldn’t do anything to fix the mess he started. That bastard even told Agassi to do whatever she pleases and he’d turn his eyes blind—pretending nothing happened in Agassi’s life.

For one exact week after that confession happened, Agassi’s brain and heart never told me to move—not even a slightest movement—to express her emotion. What I had to do for one full week was keeping a straight line.

There were no smiles, no laughs, no cries, NOTHING! Agassi locked herself in her old apartment—the one she lived in before she moved to that bastard’s house—and didn’t let anyone in for the whole week.

Sure, as a good woman that she is, she pretended that everything was alright.

Agassi still called her parents, her sister, her mother-in-law, and a few of her closest friends everyday—something she always do even before she got married. She told general lies (like, “Yeah, I just came back from a nice afternoon tea with my high school friend” or “I just finished cooking dinner for Taec and I’m waiting for him to come home”) to everyone. She even requested the maid Ahjumma—who have been taking care of the bastard’s home for 10 years—about the general lies she tell her parents so she could help Taecyeon to match his answers to hers.

That bastard is sure lucky to have that angel Ahjumma for the past 10 years, because that Ahjumma is sure an angel. She just followed Agassi’s request all along and helping Agassi to pretend everything was okay.

A week like that passed, and finally, the day when Agassi came out from the apartment came.

It was the day when Agassi visited an art exhibition and met that ‘gentleman’.

When we arrived at the exhibition, Agassi’s brain and heart still told me to stay still. It was when Agassi met a stunning lady and her son, brain told me to move into a humble upward curve. I moved into humble upward curve for several times, until Agassi met that gentleman.

That gentleman’s words and wittiness could made Agassi’s brain and heart moved—whether in shock, amusement, or intrigued mind. Those brain and heart’s movements finally made command for me to move in dynamic movement—in order to converse with the gentleman and to express Agassi’s emotion.

Yes, during the conversation with the gentleman, Agassi finally let me function properly again.

Especially when the gentleman took Agassi to the restaurant. They surely talked a lot, ate a lot, even drank wine a lot. For the whole night, Agassi’s brain and heart constantly made me to move in several directions—whether to curve a smile, help laugh come out, form a frown, or just make a flat line. As one of her loyal companion, I am glad that Agassi was happy during the time she spent with the gentleman.

Then, should I tell you a little bit about Agassi and that gentleman?

If you don’t want hear my story, please do leave this page.

But if you want to hear the story, please be my guest.

Well…

I could sense that Agassi is intrigued with the gentleman—his name is Choi Seunghyun, by the way. But I prefer to call him gentleman, just like the way he acts—and probably have romantic feelings for him. I’m not her heart nor her brain—who know Agassi well, but judging from brain and heart command for me, I’m almost certain that Agassi has special interest for the gentleman.

Every time they meet—they meet once or twice a week since their first meeting— Agassi and the gentleman always do something new. There was one time when they went café hopping to look for the best coffee in Seoul; there was a time when they paint a big canvas together—as the gentleman is an artist, he asked Agassi to experience ‘his world’ by painting together; there was a time when the gentleman accompanied Agassi to buy groceries—FYI, Agassi still lives in her apartment instead of that bastard’s home; there was one time Agassi accompanied the gentleman to do wine tasting event; there was a time when Agassi accompanied the gentleman making sketches in a suburb area in Seoul; there was another time when they went to bookstore and had heavy discussion regarding social, economy, and environment issue.

They did numerous different things together, but there was one thing they never fail to do every time they meet. Yes, a good conversation is always present in during their meeting.

Agassi and the gentleman always have high quality conversation, with a very wide spectrum in terms of topic. They can talk about economy, politic, art, environment, charity, fashion, current affairs, even their family, without difficulties. As a body-part which helps Agassi to talk, I really love how their conversation is so diverse and rich—since the conversation made brain and heart gave a lot of command to me, which I happily obliged by the way.

At the end of their meeting, Agassi and the gentleman always say, “See you later,” with a bright smile on their faces. On her way home, Agassi always made me curve upwards too.

I’m beyond happy for Agassi to finally regain her life as a woman.

Especially when Agassi meeting that gentleman.

Like… this afternoon.

“Yoona,” a deep baritone voice was heard nearby. Agassi turned her head left and right, to find the source of the voice, and found the gentleman was heading to Agassi’s direction. “Have you been here for long?” The gentleman said when he stood in front of Agassi.

Agassi shook her head—it wasn’t a lie though—and made me form a smile. “I just arrived 5 minutes ago Seunghyun.” 

The gentleman smiled and linked Agassi’s hand to his. With this gesture, Agassi’s brain and heart told me to keep smiling.

“Where are we going today?” Agassi asked as they walked towards the subway station. Yes, despite their enormous wealth, numerous assets, and their status as conglomerate, they still take public transportation and go to hip places where everyone else go—instead of going to luxurious and private places just like the conglomerates—to avoid gossip and speculation regarding their status.

They may be not public figures—so most people don’t recognize them—but in conglomerates’ circle, gossips circulate fast. Agassi must have considered her status as married woman to choose this path with the gentleman. Not that the gentleman complaining though. I saw him enjoying the dates as much as Agassi did.

“Can we go to National Theater? There is a play I want to see.” The gentleman asked Agassi. Agassi’s eyebro