“Didn’t you notice? Kim Kibum” Key pointed himself, “Kim Jongin” and pointed Jongin. “Our family name is the same; clearly I’m his cousin and not to mention my favorite cousin, Hyoyeon noona. We are family, Soojung”

Soojung sat idly on the table along with Jongin and Key. These two guys of the Kim family were talking about their relatives whom Key never met since he’s 10. He had been lived in UK for more than 10 years and rarely coming to his hometown, Seoul. She was still dazed with the fact that Key, the senior that she met in London, was actually the cousin of his long live best friend, Kim Jongin. She watched them talking, as she playing the pancake on the plate in front of her.

Kim Jongin hasn’t changed. He still has his tan, his snarky face, and that exact smile which made Soojung felt like it was home. He was sitting across her, separated only by the table, talking to his cousin. Soojung suddenly remembered that Jongin once mention his eccentric cousin back in their first year in senior high school, the cousin who gave him a very nice handmade backpack, which she acknowledged as Key.

Soojung secretly glanced at Jongin. She tried to accept the fact that the Jongin in front of her was the same Jongin who didn’t appear on her last day in Seoul. He was the same person, and they’re now breathed the same air; not separated for 5 hour time difference like they had been for the last 6 months. In the middle of the conversation, Jongin was smiled and he caught Soojung’s glance as he’s listening to Key’s words. She immediately looked away from him and focusing on the pancake in front of her which was ruin since she kept playing it with her fork.

“I think I should make you a new pancake, Soojung” Key said as he took Soojung’s plate and went to the kitchen, leaving Soojung and Jongin in the living room. Complete silence. The only sound heard was Key’s, who prepared another pancake on the kitchen.

Jongin gulped the orange juice on his glass and glanced at Soojung while sipping it. She clearly tried her best to look away from him. Her long hair was pulled to the back, made into a ponytail. The only make up she used was eyeliner and lip gloss, he noticed. She wore a peacock feather earing on her left ear, leaving the right one without any earing. The floral pattern jeans and her loose crème t-shirt matched perfectly well with her dark brown boots. Yeah, he’s still put a lot of attention to her, as she was never left his mind. Somehow, he felt she’s distance although they’re staying in the same room and even in the same table. Was she changing?

“So… you’re in New York last spring?” she asked, breaking the silence between them, referring to the video that her sister sent.

“I have a workshop there and went along with my noona. She introduced me to her dance trainer. Turned out your sister was there, so we met…”

She noticed that this was the longest words he said since their meeting a few minutes ago. “Had a good time there?”

Jongin nodded, but his expression was changed to a sour expression. This was not the conversation he wished to have with her. “How’s school?”

“It’s going well. Yours?”

“Pretty much fine…”

Silence again. Both of them realized that this was the crappiest dialogue between them ever. Soojung didn’t expect that they would be this awkward after being separated for a while. And she remembered again her voice mail to Jongin, on the day she left Seoul. Wouldn’t he want to talk about it?

“What are you doing here?” she curiously asked.

Jongin looked with his eyebrows frowned. “I was in Berlin previously. And I remembered that I haven’t met Kibum hyung for quite a long time, so I came here…”

Soojung was a bit disappointed to hear Jongin’s answer. She’s hoping that he would come… because of her. But of course, that didn’t make sense, so she nodded like she understood it well. Key was coming along with the pancake on his hand; put it in front of Soojung. Somehow, Soojung didn’t want to eat it anymore. She regretted her visit to Key’s place this afternoon and all she wanted was disappear from Jongin’s sight.

“Oppa, I’ll be going first” Soojung said as she suddenly stood up just a second after Key put his on the seat. Key looked at her in surprised while Jongin looked away from the table, playing his iPod on his hand.

“Why? Aren’t you going to talk with Jongin? He’s your school friend, right?” Key said as he appointed Jongin. He’s a bit confused as he learned that Jongin was friend with Soojung but somehow these two were not in a good terms of friendship, which was clearly shown ever since Soojung arrived at his place.

Soojung shook her head. “No, you can talk to him as long as you want. It seemed like he’s coming here to see you, Oppa” she said as she glanced at Jongin who’s still looking at his iPod. “I still have to go to some places. See you” she bowed to him, walked out from the living room, took her yellow coat on the door, and left.

Key looked at her with his jaw dropped. “What’s wrong with her? And…Pffft” he looked at the pancake plate. “She left it again”

Jongin smirked as he saw her left. He quickly stood up, took his jumper from the chair, and bid a goodbye to Key.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“Taking my second chance before it is too late, Hyung!” Jongin said as he waved to him and closed the door.

Key looked blankly too the door.

“That kid doesn’t even know the road… Where on earth he’s going to search his second chance?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Jung Soojung got angry or irritated, these three things will be seen: nose sniffing, sarcastic cynical way of speaking, and then a fast annoyed walking style. Those were happened and Jongin aware of these once he saw her left Key’s place. He had just gone out from the apartment and busy looking for her in the middle of crowded street. People were speaking in the language that Jongin rarely heard; he got dizzy as he couldn’t reach for her even though he saw her in front of him. He kept following her, looking at her back.

She walked fast in the middle of the crowd, but Jongin still could follow her pace. But then, he saw her touched her face, seemed like she’s wiping her tears. Jongin stopped walking and continued watching her. Was she…crying? Before he could reach for Soojung, someone accidentally bumped into him and Jongin was falling. The stranger helped him to stand, but once he stood up he couldn’t find Soojung.

He quickly walked to find her but apparently there’s no sight of Soojung on the street. Jongin looked around several times; he couldn’t lose her just like that, so he started to walk around the area. She wouldn’t be too far, he thought. Jongin stopped at the intersection, where people waiting to cross the road. He still couldn’t find her although he had been frantically looking left and right and even turned round for several times. He put both of his hands on his waist, still checking for Soojung presence. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, thinking where to find her. But then, as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw her at the park across him.

Soojung was sitting at the bench on the park; she was looking down to the ground, playing with her feet. Jongin sighed in relieve, he crossed the street and walked to the park. He came from the back side of her direction, and just like that, he plopped to the bench sitting next to her. Jongin looked straight to the front, pretending he didn’t see Soojung who was gasped and looked at him in surprised.

“Aren’t you supposed to be going somewhere?” he asked Soojung, making the girl next to him grew her eyes bigger listening to his words.

“What are you doing here, Jongin?” she asked in return.

“Are you busy now?”

“Why?”

“Aren’t we kept asking each other question?”

Soojung shrugged lazily, she was still surprised to see Jongin next to him. Wasn’t he supposed to be at Key oppa’s place?

“Would you mind to accompany me looking around?” he asked again. “This is my first time in London...” he added, looking at her.

“You can go with Key oppa, right?”

“Is it me or are you really avoiding me? Aren’t you missing me, Jung?” he said as he smirked to her.

Soojung felt her heart beat faster. It was just like her dream several days ago, the one when she dreamt of seeing him in the park. And now he’s sitting next to her…

“I miss you, Soojung” he said as he smiled to her.

Soojung really hoped that it was not a dream again, just like all of her previous dreams when Jongin included. But she knew it wasn’t as she found herself walking next to Jongin who couldn’t stop smiling to her, making her heart fluttered and gave a nervous feeling whenever she saw it. Soojung could refuse to go with him, but somehow she wanted to save her relationship with Jongin. Whether they will end up together or not, Soojung just didn’t want to miss up any chance to be with him, the Kim Jongin who she’d been longing for a long time.

 “Where do you want to go then?” she asked as they arrived in the bus stop.

“London Eye. Can we go there?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rather than being awkward, Soojung could wrapped the day perfectly with Jongin. She’s being a nice tour guide for him. They’re riding London Eye and then went around London, looking at the Big Ben and visited the Buckingham Palace. Actually, both of them were just sitting on the road and looked at the palace in awe. Jongin and Soojung even played around with the guardian of the palace. Well basically they’re just hanging around here and there spending the whole afternoon, just like they used to be back in Seoul. Both of them also went to the post office, sending a lot of postcards to their friends. Jongin wrote the message while Soojung busy choosing the postcards.

“Why I never get any postcard from you?” he hummed as he wrote the postcard. Soojung pretended she didn’t hear him and continue choosing the postcards.

Soojung also brought him to her college and took a tour around. Jongin was really cheerful and happy that day. For once, Soojung finally could see Jongin put his grumpy face away. She remembered how Jongin was always the gloomy kid that annoyed other whenever they’re taking a school trip. Jongin was always being grumpy and a loner, fooling around by himself; until Soojung decided to accompany him.

For the whole day, Soojung realized that she didn’t even being bothered about their last farewell. Jongin was also enjoying the day like a reunion of two friends that had been separated for a while. Sometimes she would glance at him, watching his expression but quickly looked away when he looked at her. Jongin would sometime grab her hand, just to lead her crossing the street; but then he’d immediately lose his grab once they crossed the road. But it’s enough for Soojung; she couldn’t ask more for the sake of their revised relationship.

“Are you sure you know your way back to Key oppa’s place?” Soojung asked in worry. It’s dark already when they arrived in front of her place.

Actually it was easy to go from her place to Key’s, but for a newcomer of course it’d be a bit hard. She had offered him to take him first to Key’s place, but he refused.

“I’ll just take the taxi” he answered with a big grin.

Both of them then looking each other awkwardly after that; building another silence between them.

“Ok then… See you, Soojung” he said as he waved to her and took the taxi that’s waiting on the side of the road, she waited there until he left with the taxi.

Once Jongin left her place, Soojung quickly got inside her apartment and immediately went to her cupboard where she put all of her belongings. She took out one of the boxes at the bottom of the cupboard, the round one. There she found her old cellphone, the one that’s broken right when she arrived in London. She never used it again and decided to put it on the box, just in case she needs them later on. And now, she needs it…

Soojung took out the phone card and placed it to her current phone. She her phone, and as predicted, there’re messages and voice mails recorded. Before she opened it, she remembered clearly their conversations earlier on the park…

“I’m sorry, Soojung”

Soojung looked at Jongin who’s sitting next to her. “What for?”

“For not properly bid a goodbye to you” he answered while looking at the ground, holding the coffee can tighter.

Soojung could feel her heart beat faster as Jongin mentioned that day, the day she left Seoul.

“Uh… that’s fine”

“Your phone… Are you changing your phone?” Jongin asked Soojung who’s munching the burger on her hand.

“Yes, the old one was broken. Why?”

Jongin changed his sitting position so he could face Soojung, watching her eating.

“I left something on your voice mail” at the mention of it, Soojung stopped munching and looked at him. “I’ll be going back to Berlin the day after tomorrow. Can I have the reply of my voice mail on that day?”

“Wh-what reply?”

“Just listened to it… and let me know”

Soojung looked at the sign of the voice mail on her phone. She clicked and started to listen to the voice mails, one by one. There’s some messages left by her high school friends, her cousins; she still couldn’t find the one that Jongin left. After lots of “Goodbye, Soojung” and “Good luck, Soojung”, she finally heard a familiar voice. Jongin’s.

“Could you please text me when you arrived there? I’ll call you later”

Soojung looked at the phone in disbelief.

“That’s all? That was the entire thing that he said on the voice mail? And he’s waiting for a reply? God, this guy is seriously… Urgh” Soojung sighed and pouted, that’s such a flat crappy message. Soojung was clueless; she didn’t know what to respond. She confessed to him while all he said was only to text him later on when she arrived in London? Unbelievable.

Soojung lose her mood to check the rest of the voice mails, but still, she continued to check it before she threw the card away. To be honest, those voice mails were just a repetition of a sweet talking, making Soojung feeling worse. She’s then moved to the last voice mail.

“I like you too, Jung Soojung. Always”

“Oh my God”

Her phone fell from her hand as Soojung was sitting on the floor. She closed with both of her hands. After all this time, Jongin was actually like her too?

This couldn’t be dream again, right?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh it's chapter 5 already...

Am i make it too long? ~~~