Chpt 4

The budding relationship between Irene and Jiyong didn’t just stop at the coffee shop as the two did share the house attached to the store together. Normally the pair would let Wendy and Seulgi come over and have something to eat before leaving but some nights left the two with only each other’s company. These were quieter times, but still pleasant as they still shared the company of one another. Irene had taken up cooking recently and made meals every day. Jiyong didn’t mind, she’d become skilled in the past month but would complain about cleaning up, despite always doing so willingly. If you didn’t know better would assume they were a married couple.

“Jiyong ah, are you down with the dishes?” Irene called out as she bought out a box from the café into the main room of their house

“Yeah” He called back as he walked out of the kitchen wiping his hands on his pants taking seat next to Irene “What’s with the box?”

“Oh this? It’s a special gift I just made for the elderly couple across the road” She replied as Jiyong nodded nonchalantly in response

“Those two. There good people” Jiyong said as he watched Irene grab her coat to prepare to leave

He just sighed and grabbed the box “Okay let’s go then” as he decided to follow her causing Irene to just beam, nod and then walk across the road with him

After giving the door several knocks, they were greeted by the jolly old pair as the Halabeoji answered with his wife “Aigoo, what brings you kids here?”

Irene smiled and said “Oh nothing much, just to say hello and bring you a cake to thank you for helping us settle in” before nudging a delayed Jiyong so he’d hand the cake over

“You’ve been a lot of help to us Halabeoji and Halmoni” Jiyong said handing the cake over

“It’s nothing much. Thank you for the cake kids, we are glad to help out” The Halabeoji said as he received the cake joyfully

The Halmoni chuckled “You kids remind us of when we were newlyweds. Thank you both and have a happy life together” She said causing Jiyong to wince and Irene to redden as she said goodbye.

The door shut after the Halmoni’s statement which left Irene awkwardly looking up towards a blank Jiyong as the pair stood there for a while “Um…. shall we head home?”

Jiyong just nodded as the two started to walk back as they began stealing awkward glances at one another before Irene choose to break the silence “So uhh how do I say this” She muttered

“You have something to say Irene?” Jiyong stopped turning to face her with a soft gaze

“Okay here goes” Irene sighed and then took a breath “The eldery couple think we are newlyweds, Wendy and Seulgi believe we’re together and we’re constantly together anyways. So, what are we?” she bravely asked him

Jiyong cracked a sly smile “I don’t know, but a married couple sounds nice. And we’re living like one anyway”

“Jiyong” Irene sternly scolded him “Most people don’t become married couples with someone they run away with after a month”

“Romeo and Juliet planned to run away and elope and they knew each other for 3 days” Jiyong replied only for Irene to give him that look to say ‘stop being an idiot’

Jiyong sighed and placed his hands gently onto her shoulders and looked into her soft eyes “Look time shouldn’t be a basis for emotions. You want to know what are we. Currently we are two people that live together and run a café together. What will we become, that all depends”

“Depends on what?”

Jiyong leaned in closer bringing their faces together. Their breaths intertwined and each detailed feature could be made out and heard. He then moved closer and whispered into her ears “Do we like each other?” before pulling back and heading home leaving a flush faced Irene who took a while to snap back to reality

The two later lay in their rooms both thinking about that incident and that question. What were they? Irene wondered about liking him. Did she like Jiyong because of their current situation and him being the person she could rely on the most, or did she like Jiyong as Jiyong himself. Jiyong on the other hand was worried. Everything he should be doing should be in order for the Devil’s ruby, the Heart of the Demon King to be returned to him. But now, was he doing things for her because he wanted to do things for her. A simple question has begun to change the lives of two different people.