Hyomin’s pov

A feeling of someone touching my feet woke me up from my sleep.

Wait. I don’t remember sleeping though.

I was...

I open my eyes widely now that I remember the last thing that I saw before I passed out. I was with Eunjung and it seemed like she carried me back to her house. A pang of guilt hit me upon my realization. It must be hard carrying me all the way to here.

“Ouch!” I cried out feeling a sharp pain as her finger made contact with my feet. Eunjung was holding my feet and applying something on it.

I sit up to look at what she is doing. She was applying Vaseline on my feet’s blisters. Wow, I didn’t know I’ve got them. That must be because of heels that I worn the whole time while following her.

Eunjung put down my right feet as she done putting plaster on  the blister and grab my other feet to check on it. My eyes caught a bubble on it and gasped loudly as Eunjung is ready to popped it.

“Wait!” I stop her. Oh God. This is scary. She looks like going to popped it harshly, which is scaring me. Can’t she do it gently?

“It’s not going to hurt, okay?” She shoot me with a look which isn’t really convincing. She look rough the way I see it and that’s scare me.

“it’s hurt earlier” I said, softly, avoiding eyes contact.

“You are overreacting” She said and before I know it, she popped it already and it’s not that hurt. Opposite with how I think it could be, she gently wash it, wipe it, putting Vaseline on it and cover it with plaster.

“Thank you” I said, observing her clearing the tools for taking care of my blisters earlier.

“Hey. You seemed fine now. Can you stand and walk?” She then said, looking at me.

“Of course” I said, sensing that she mock me there. Must be related to me fainting. Is she asking me to go back? Now? At this hour? It’s midnight though.

“You fainted earlier” She put on her jacket. I wonder what she going to do.

“I’ve got history of low blood pressure and currently having a cold. I’m fine though now” I explained myself. I’m really fine now. Still a bit dizzy but overall, I’m fine.

“I’m starving. You want to stay or go grab some foods with me?” She grab a helmet and pointed at another one to me, asking me to pick it up if I want to go with her.

“I’m going with you” I haven’t eat anything too and now that she talk about food, my stomach suddenly growl.

She raise up a flip flop and show it to me. “You can use this” She said.

I then follow her to the back of her house where she parked her motorbike.

“You’ve got this. Why you still choose to walk that far” I asked, examining her motorbike. It doesn’t look bad. Seems like it got modification to make it look better.

“That is the differences of us. You rich peoples can’t relate” She responded, grabbing the helmet on my hand and put it on my head for me, helping me fastening it too.

“Thanks” What she said there hurt me but if I show her ill mannered as a respond, I guess I can’t prove that I’m not a rich snobbish as she might thought I am.

I awkwardly hop on the motorbike after her, trying hard to hide this is my first time riding on it.

“Is it your first time?” I guess I can’t hide it then.

I just nodded.

“Then” She grab both of my hand and wrapped it around her. “Don’t get me wrong but you will regret it if you not doing so”

Right after she said that, we start moving, causing my body to fall on her back. I tighten my hug on her, afraid that I might blow away by the wind.

It’s tiring to control my head to not fall on her back, so I finally rested my chin on her shoulder. Luckily she didn’t jerk her shoulder, so I took it as a permission to do so.

With this comfortable position, I finally can look around, enjoying the night view. It felt really refreshing. The air, the view, everything.

After a while, we stop after reaching at a night food stalls.

“Are you fine with this kind of place?” She ask, helping me to took off my helmet.

“Yea” I responded, observing the whole place. It’s a new experience for me eating on late night food stalls.

She then lead me to one of the food stall.

“In Jung ah” She call for a kid who run excitedly to hug her as soon as the kid saw her. “Why you haven’t sleep?” That kid named In Jung looks like she is around 4 – 5 years old.

“Halmeoni, appa is coming!” An old lady coming out from the kitchen as she heard In Jung call for her.

I widen my eyes looking at Eunjung. “Appa?”

“She thought I’m a guy. I told her to fix that thousandth time already. She won’t listen” Eunjung responded, rolling her eyes.

“Eunjung ah, long time no see you” The halmeoni greeted Eunjung and then turn to look at me. “Your friend?” She ask Eunjung.

“Yes halmeoni” She responded. “Give me the usual and my friend here got cold, you know better what to give her” She winked at the halmeoni. Eunjung look warm that way.

“Aigoo. Poor you” The halmeoni grab my hand and tapped on it.

“I’m fine halmeoni” I said, slightly bow, smiling brightly to her.

“I will make it fast” She then said before disappear to the kitchen.

I turn to look at Eunjung and grin at her. “So you are her appa?”

Eunjung scratch the back of her head and gave teasing look at In Jung, blaming the kid for me to ask that.

“Yea and her omma is beautiful. Right, In Jung?” Eunjung put In Jung on her lap.

“Is that so? Your wife?” I ask, laughing under my breath. Eunjung then show me her unbelievable look.

“In Jung ah, show her your omma”

To my surprised, In Jung shyly pointed at me before hiding her face on Eunjung. My face suddenly feel hot, surprised with what just happened.

“Eyy you betray me, you kiddo” Eunjung tickles In Jung playfully resulting on the kid laughing uncontrollably.

“Sorry. She used to show me girl group idol that she like as her omma”

“What about her real omma?” I ask, softly, so In Jung can’t heard it.

Eunjung shook her head. I got it so I didn’t ask any further.

I then peek at the kitchen to look at what I can help. Halmeoni refused my help but I insisted persistently. She ended up sharing her recipes with me.

When the foods are all ready, we both finished it too quick to be true. We are both indeed too hungry.

...

“Omma, you will come again, right?” In Jung hug me as we bid goodbye to her.

“Ough she got attached to you” Eunjung said, holding In Jung up to give her goodbye kiss.

“She is my omma from now on. She is so pretty like a princess” She whisper to Eunjung but I can heard it.

“Then, change your appa” Eunjung whisper back.

“No. She is my omma and you my appa” In Jung start to show sulk reaction.

“Alrighttt” Eunjung put her down and In Jung once again hug me before we both leaving the stall.

“Can you send me to your workplace? I leave my car there” It’s late but I think I can’t bother her more with staying at her place.

“You sure you can drive back? You fainted earlier” She said, putting helmet on my head.

“I feel better now” I said.

Eunjung stare at me for a while before she open . “Why are you following me earlier?”

I stay silence for a while before I answer her. “I have something to return to you”

She then laugh under her breath, shaking her head. “You don’t have to”

She know what I mean?

“Did you even know what I’m talking about?”

Without answering me, she ask me to hop on her motorbike. “Where do you live?”

“What about my car?” I ask back.

“That’s your problem” She responded.

I guess I need to come back there tomorrow morning to get my car back.

Right when we arrived at my home, she said her last words “Don’t follow stranger blindly like what you just did ever again. You don’t even know self defence and even faint without warning. It’s dangerous and don’t come to find me again”

Before I can even respond, she already leave me.

...

I can’t sleep that night. After a brief shower, I applied Vaseline again on my blisters before wrapping it with new plasters.

I scrolled on SNS to cease the boredom. My eyes caught Jiyeon last activities on Instagram was 5 minutes ago, so I guess she haven’t sleep too.

Hey, haven’t sleep? I sent her a text. 

She call me the next second instead of replying.

“Why haven’t you sleep?” She ask.

“I can’t sleep. What about you? Why haven’t you sleep?”

“I actually going to” She paused for a while before continue the talking. “You don’t have work tomorrow right?”

“Yea, I don’t” It’s weekends tomorrow. I suddenly remember my car. I guess I need Jiyeon’s help to get to it.

“Then let’s meet up” She suggested.

“Can you pick me up? I left my car somewhere”

“No problem”

After saying good night to each other, Jiyeon then hang up the call.

As I got nothing to do, my mind start to wanders thinking about what have been happening today.

I think about how different my life is with Eunjung. I’m not sure if she live a happy life or not. The only moments I saw her bright smile are when she sang on stage and when she met In Jung.

Don’t come to find me again.

Eunjung last words echoes on my mind once again. Is it the end of us?

I unknowingly drifted to dreamland while I’m on my train of thought.

It was a tiring day.

...

“There” I point my car to Jiyeon.

“Why you left your car there?” I know she will ask that.

As usual, my avoiding style of answering, “It’s a long story”

“Please cut the long story short” Jiyeon roll her eyes, know better why I said that.

“Later” I said, leaving her car to get to my car.

Jiyeon left her car too to follow me checking on my car.

“We don’t have to go with separate cars though” She said.

“I will send my car home first. I’m worried leaving it here” I told her. We planned to have lunch together today, while the rest of activities for today still undecided.

“Hey” We both turn to look at the owner of the voice that sound close to us.

I raised my brows, surprised with the sight of Eunjung approaching. Her face show unreadable expression.

Eunjung handed me my heels. “Oh” I just remember that I left my heels at her place yesterday.

“You left this at my place last night” She said, giving one look then look away.

I can see Jiyeon narrow her eyes, examining Eunjung face the moment she heard that.

“I will return your sandal too later” I then said.

“Just keep that” Eunjung said before leaving both of us.

I was stunned for seconds. Eunjung come and go like a wind, I don’t even have chance to introduce her to Jiyeon properly.

But wait. Eunjung don’t know me though. Maybe she recognize me but she still don’t know my name and she don’t know I know her name.

“Who is that?” Jiyeon ask, curiosity are obvious on her face.

I look at Jiyeon, not sure of how to answer her. Can I not tell her? But judging from the way Jiyeon look at me now, I guess I need to.

“I will tell you later”