It’s a warm morning in his apartment, the air conditioner is on, the sunlight is coming perfectly from the sides, and the most beautiful woman in his life stands in front of his kitchen and now sets up the table.

Jisoo brings a bottle of fresh apple juice, a box of rice, her homemade omelette, vegetables and yoghurt. She sets up the table, puts all of the food on the plates and sits at the left side of the table, eyeing Jinyoung to sit with her. Her expression is unreadable, but the atmosphere is indeed warm as if Jisoo has been there the whole time fixing his breakfast every morning.

Jinyoung sits silently in front of Jisoo and waits for her to eat first.

“Hope you like the food,” Jisoo looks for the second time and starts taking the food.

Jinyoung needs to wait a moment to make sure she meant every word. And as she eats the first bite, he speaks.

“You’re not busy today?”

“I’m not. I have no schedule today. Do you have schedules today?”

“I don’t have any schedule today.”

“Great, then we don’t have to rush this breakfast.”

Jinyoung waits, hoping she would continue, but she keeps eating.

“What is it you want me to answer?”

Jisoo looks up at Jinyoung, staring at his eyes softly.

“You don’t want to finish your food first?”

Jinyoung shakes his head and stares back.

“Why do you like me?”

Jinyoung’s heart skips a beat, feeling giddy and afraid.

He wants to immediately answer her, but he doesn’t want to let her down. He’s been wondering about this a lot, about his feeling towards her, about how affected he is because of her.

She is there, sitting in front of him and that alone provides so much happiness already, he wants to hug her right away.

“It’s a hard question isn’t it?” Jisoo smiles weakly.

“I know you’ve been telling me that you love me, Jinyoung-ah and I believe you meant every word. But for once, since I never ask, why do you like me, Jinyoungie?”

Jinyoung recalls his memory.

Her hair, that falls down on her cheek when she eats ramyun.

The weird tunes she constantly creates everytime something pops up in her mind.

Her morning texts right before he wakes up.

The soothing words she says to everyone who needs it.

It’s everything but Jinyoung holds himself back.

“I don’t know, Jisoo.”

Jisoo freezes on her seat, feeling hurt.

“You don’t know?” Jisoo asks without looking back at him.

“Yeah.”

There’s this myth, saying, when someone loves someone or something for any matter, they don’t need reasons. It’s fate. But Jisoo never believes that because all she knows is loving someone needs reasons, even if it’s only one. You can’t fight for something you love if it doesn’t have any value for them. So, hearing Jinyoung’s answer just breaks her heart.

It takes 10 years, well more than that, for them to have this conversation. It takes their whole career, hundred of awards and endless sleepless night to be in this situation where the both of them know that it has to be something more than a childish attraction of each other to keep their feelings going.

For that, Jisoo wants the answer to this question to be the foundation for their newly born relationship to have the strength to move forward. For her confidence to build up and for her to love herself more. But, if Jinyoung can’t even give her those assurance, she might as well give up and continue her usual life without Jinyoung around.

“Jinyoung-ah, I guess I need to get going then,” Jisoo stands from her seat, cleans her plate and brings them to the sink.

She washes her hand for a few seconds and turns around to find Jinyoung standing behind her back.

“Why do you like me Jisoo?”

Soft, Jinyoung asks.

“I always have doubt about us, did you know? I constantly need to remind myself, if you’re happy with me and if I was enough for you.

“I talked to Jackson, I asked him the same question. Why is it that I like you?”

Jisoo’s heart pumps faster.

“Because, all these years, I’ve been loved, by you.”

Jinyoung reaches Jisoo’s hand and drags her to his living room. They stand, facing each other.

“If you need the answer to your question, I probably will need the whole day to explain it to you.

“I like you, easily, as we met for the first time for Inkigayo. It’s not hard to like you, I bet everyone fell in love with you the moment you came to that door. So I told myself, let us be friends and have a great partnership.

“But slowly, I find everything you have amusing. Your giggles, your laughs, your eyes, your pair of bare feet, I constantly waited to see you every week, until I was becoming busy.

“I travelled a lot, I missed our job and left you guys alone a lot of times. I felt bad and guilty about everything. But then, your comeback came when I wasn’t around, do you know how I feel?

“I want to support you, I believe it was just a friendly feeling towards you back then. However, I found myself trying so hard to make you happy and that is why I was pushing myself to confess to you in the past. Because I was so sure I’m the only person that can make you happy, be it then or in the future

“Though I said that, with so much courage to Jackson as well, I somehow failed to do that. Didn't I?”

Jinyoung stops for a while and shifts his gaze to Jisoo’s hand. He carefully grabs it and pulls it close to his chest,

“Why is this little hand trying so hard to protect me? I thought it’s my job. I thought it’s the other way around. Do you know how much I feel bad about this?

“I like you Jisoo because I want to make sure that you’re happy with me; because I’m happy if you’re around. I want you to believe me for your future.”

Jinyoung stares weakly, he touches her cheek with his other hand to give himself assurance.

“It’s going to be hard for you to accept me, I understand that. Because I lost temper quite a lot in front of you, being selfish and pushing my will to you. I get it if you’re mad at me, so all I can promise is, I’m going to-

“Stop.”

Jinyoung doesn’t realize until she talked, but her eyes are already wet with tears.

“Stop,” Jisoo shivers on her place and cries.         

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I have to create such a mess. I was scared, I’m a coward, Jinyoung-ah. I always blame you when I know it's always been my fault.

“I know I’m not perfect, but I suppose I need to be happy when you accept me the way I am. I am happy though, I really do. So I’m sorry, I really do. So I’m going to trust you because I know you know better”

Jinyoung stares, deeply and calmly. And as if the whole world has changed into a new beginning, he grins.

“Are we going to announce this?”

…

Jisoo talked to the directors about her situation and circumstances the following day. She asked them to believe in her and have a good long meeting for troubles that may surface following the news. Jisoo and Jinyoung want the news to be delivered by them, vaguely on their social account. Though they don’t say it straightforwardly, their post contains information about being an adult and in a relationship and not long after, their agencies share the news through the media. It’s weird and scary all the same time.

The whole entertainment buzzing to the news, it scares the out of them. The public doesn’t get it why they both in a relationship. Some people speculated that they got close after receiving awards this year, some think they always have feeling ever since they worked together in Inkigayo, some just in love with their visuals.

But the news really calms Jisoo down. Though hate comments surface, it all covered with thoughtful messages. Most of her celebrity friends congratulate her for being the most talked person in Korea, few congratulate her for being in a relationship. Jennie called her the moment the news pops into her account. She screamed and told her over and over again she did a great job.

This is new and scary, and at the same time, exciting.

“I don’t get it why they follow me around so much these days,” Jinyoung talked on the phone with Jisoo. “They usually stop following me when I reach a certain kilometre away from my house.”

“You’re dating Korea’s most beautiful woman, don’t you know,” Jisoo mumbles.

Jinyoung laughs at her reply. In a month, Jisoo has changed so much.

“Don’t they follow you too?”

“I don’t have sasaeng Jinyoung, I’m an actress.”

“But it’s not fair, you’re equally as famous as I am.”

“I’m not the one on the cover of W with abs,” Jisoo sounds cute, annoyed but cute.

“Are we going to fight about this?” Jinyoung asks.

“I don’t mind.”

“Then could you please open your front door?”