“So, Moon Byulyi and Kim Yongsun?”

“Yes,” Byulyi answered timidly. “Um, can we please get this done sooner? I’m kind of running late for somethi—” The police officer raised her hand to stop Byulyi from talking furthermore. I could see how Byulyi sighs in a bit of annoyance, she looks a bit stressed with what recently happened.

I decided to put a gentle hand on her back and rub it softly, mouthing “It’s okay.”

“Alright, so what were you two doing in the middle of the toll road?” The brown-haired officer asked.

She has this friendly appearance that doesn’t look all that intimidating for an officer. Her eyes were quite sharp and it makes me sure that if she were to actually tries to intimidate me and Byulyi, I wouldn’t even dare to say a thing. I think if that were true, it’s pretty cool.

Byulyi and I exchanged gazes at each other and before I answer, I took a short deep breath, trying my best to sound calm. “We were just talking. There’s something really important that I need to ask of her and I think it’s best if we stop by the sideline for a bit.”

I took a glance at Byulyi and she looked away.

“You have your driving license. You should know you’re not allowed to randomly stop by the sideline in a highway. Was it really that important?” The officer eyed me suspiciously. “You stopped not only for a bit because I’ve been watching for a whole twenty to thirty minutes there.”

With a defeated sigh I think it should be okay to tell the officer.

“Yes, I’m…really sorry but it’s really important, officer…” I take a look at the nametag and couldn’t see the first name so I used the last name instead. “…Kang.”

“Seulgi, Officer Kang Seulgi.” She corrected. “And what would be the important thing you need to ask of her that you can’t wait until you two arrive at home? Miss Moon, aren’t you going to help your friend to straight things up here? That way we can finish this faster.”

I could hear Byulyi groan softly before massaging her nose-bridge—a habit she always does whenever she’s a bit pissed and annoyed. Then she looks at me, for a few seconds our eyes locked at each other before she broke it first. “It’s a proposal, Officer Kang.”

Mentally choking, I could see how the Officer Kang’s eyes went wide. She didn’t expect that indeed—even I didn’t expect her to tell her what really happen in the car.

“Miss Kim was in the middle of proposing to me.” She sounded calmer this time. “Like you didn’t expect me to say this—I didn’t expect her to say what she said back in the car… So yes, we need more than twenty minutes to talk about it…”

I had to look away because I’m starting to feel flustered.

It didn’t help when Officer Kang asks, “Then have you given her the answer?”

I dare to look at Byulyi’s face again, she raises her head with a slightly annoyed look. “No.” Obviously… “No, because you came and knocked on her car window.”

If we had to go back and see what really happen after I confessed and proposed…it goes a little like this:

As you can see, I confessed and proposed to her in the car. I have no ring with me, I have no idea if she will reject me or not, I practically only has my feelings and guts and one specific decision. Byulyi was…sigh, I don’t know how to explain her reaction. She only froze there for almost a minute and then she asked me if I’m joking because if it is, she told me it’s not funny at all.

“Moon Byulyi…will say something already?”

After another two minutes passed, she spoke. “Unnie… Please stop joking.”

Honestly, I can’t believe it when she thought it was a joke.

“If you’re serious then where’s the ring?” That one question shut me up completely.

I admit, it was my fault that I didn’t even prepare a ring but was that really that important now? What matters now is whether she’s going to accept my proposal or not. So, yes, I may have raised my voice an octave higher when I said, “Yah! I told you I just had this thought yesterday! How can you expect me to go to a jewelry store so fast?!”

“But this just makes it all look like a joke, unnie! And it was so sudden—"

We almost argue because I got a little offended that after the serious talk minutes ago, she still has the audacity to think that I’m joking about my feelings and decision. In fact, we did argue a little before I told her, “I’ve been keeping these feelings from you and it’s suffocating me. You need to know and I need to know how you feel about me too because…I’m sick of hiding this for years now.”

I may have jumped into conclusion too damn fast thinking Byulyi must be feeling the same for me for god-knows how long.

But I know I’m not wrong when she said, “I feel so stupid now.”

When she finally looked at my way, I could see her watery eyes and honestly, she doesn’t need to say if she loves me too or not because I can see her eyes screaming those three sacred words for me. It’s crazy, it almost doesn’t make any sense but if her smile can flip my worst day to be the best day ever, then this crazy thing is definitely something normal.

I watched her about to open until someone knocked on my car window.

You guessed it, it’s the police officer.

It seems like we looked too suspicious because the officer didn’t even ask what we’re doing when she told us to come out and come to the police station for some interrogation. It was stupid though and ridiculous and just plainly embarrassing. The curiosity of wanting to know Byulyi’s answer is starting to eat me slowly.

Sure, I’ve seen her ‘I love you’ face but I still haven’t heard it.

I need to hear it from her.

“Well, I’m really sorry to hear that.” The officer gave Byulyi an apologetic look and then turn to me. “For one, Miss Kim, you really did break the rule. Your reason isn’t enough to justify the violation, but this, in fact, still a misunderstanding. You two looked suspicious and I have procedures, which is why you’re both here now.”

“Then what do we do now?”

Officer Kang shrugged, “Now we have no reason to keep you two here, obviously. But I still need someone, maybe a relative? That can guarantee you out of the station. So, can you give me a number and a name that we could call to pick up the both of you?”

Byulyi and I told Officer Kang the truth. Truth that I live alone now and that we just got back from visiting Byulyi’s parents in Bucheon. We ended up calls Wheein and Hyejin to come and fetch us at the police station. When Officer Kang calling Wheein, she seems to struggle to calm down the young girl on the phone—Wheein must be panicking. The phone call ended before Officer Kang can even say that there is nothing Wheein should worry about, I offered her a smile because I know how Wheein is.

“I’m sorry, there’s going to be another misunderstanding.”

“It’s okay, she was just panicking since we don’t regularly get a phone call from the police.” Officer Kang asked us to sit on the couch at the corner of the room as we wait for Wheein and Hyejin.

She handed back our stuff and IDs and right now Byulyi is busy with whatever she’s doing with her phone. I don’t know what is this huge wall doing standing in-between me and Byulyi but it’s making us awkward. Byulyi didn’t talk—she even sat down with a good three people gap from me. Was she avoiding me…? It does seem like it and I hate it every time Byulyi does this.

Around five minutes passed, Officer Kang approached us again and decide to give us the best hospitality by offering us a drink—in which I told her that she doesn’t have to go that far, Byulyi chimed in too although she didn’t talk much. “Don’t you want to go back to work?”

Officer Kang shook her head, smiling. “Lunch break in five minutes and I’ve finished everything so I’m okay.” I nodded along. “You okay there, Miss Moon?”

Byulyi raises her head instantly from her phone screen. “Hm? I’m fine. No worries… Also, you can drop formalities with me. I think we’re on the same age…or not?”

“Ah, ‘unnie’ then,” Officer Kang tilted her head to the side while Byulyi and I frowns, “You’re older than me, I saw it on your ID earlier.” Oh, that was really something. If anything, I would think she’s around mine or Byulyi’s age but turns out she’s even younger than Byulyi. “In fact, I should call both of you ‘unnie’—that, if Miss Kim is okay with that.”

I quickly wave my hand in front of my face, “No, it’s okay.”

“Yo, Senior Officer Kang! Someone’s here for you.” All of us turned out attention to the other police officer who just informed Officer—correction, Senior Officer—Kang about her visitor. He looks really young… If he hadn’t wear that uniform, I may mistake him as a high school student.

Anyway, as he informed Seulgi, there was another woman tailing behind him and I know her.

Yes—I know her.

“Oh, she’s here—”

“Thanks for the help, Jihoon-ssi.” The small petite woman stepped forward and before she could make any eye contact with me, Seulgi already went up her way and hug her with overwhelming affection. I can practically feel it all the way from where Byulyi and I sitting down on the couch.

I let my eyes fell on Byulyi’s figure who is drown in looking at that woman.

Oh well, I can’t blame her. That’s a normal reaction people will get the first time they saw this woman. She’s a real beauty—a Goddess living on planet earth­—and no, I’m not exaggerating anything here. This woman could just stay still and all creature can bow down on their knees offering her their roses.

She didn’t change over the many years since the last time I saw her though. If possible, she just got a lot more beautiful now with the slightly new hairstyle—it use