Chapter 12

Kyu Jong slipped his mobile phone back into his pocket again and sighed 
as he leaned back against the tree.

The lights of the apartment are off. 
Is she not home, or is she already sound asleep?

For more than a month he had been resisting the urge to drop by, after 
learning from Ji Eun's mum that she's been residing in Young Saeng's apartment. 

Though her mum assured him she'd be alright on her own, he wanted to know 
if she was really coping well. And see her.

"Oppa…"

Ji Eun finally called out to the guy she had been observing from the side for 
the past few minutes. 

A pang of guilt hit her as she watched him hesitate whether or not to press 
the dial button, and then finally putting the phone away. 

It was then that she realized she had been too overwhelmed in her own sorrow 
to notice that the people who cared were also silently suffering along with her.

"Ji Eun ah… I…"

At a loss over her sudden appearance, Kyu Jong fumbled over his words and 
decided to let her speak instead.

"Happened to pass by? Visiting someone around the area? Or did you drop something…"

"Yah Lee Ji Eun…"

"Wae? I was just helping you find an excuse..."

He smiled upon realizing she was teasing him and hugged her tight, feeling glad 
she was doing better than expected.

"Mianhae, I broke my promise to give you time. I missed you…"

"Komawo…"

For still being around despite everything.

"This is what you've been doing? You're one talented photographer..."

Kyu Jong exclaimed as he browsed through the photographs Ji Eun showed him. 

He was pleasantly surprised when she took him by hand and led him to the 
apartment, even more when she began sharing with him about how she has 
been spending her time, traveling around with Young Saeng's camera, and 
putting to use the skills he had taught her.

It was tough at first, re-watching and tearing over the video for several days. 

But she eventually decided there was only one thing she could do, and that was 
to live well as how Young Saeng wanted her to.

"It's getting late. If there's anything you need, remember I'm just a phone call away"

"Arasso..."

--- 

"Don't forget our dinner tonight Hyung. Have you called Ji Eun?"

"De, but she'll be having dinner with her parents tonight"

"But it's your birthday…"

"It's just another day. I need to get back to work, see you guys later"

Kyu Jong made his way into the office after ending his conversation with Hyung Jun 
and found it looking more organized than before. 

A smile formed on his face as he found on his table a cup of coffee and a slice of 
cake together with a little note: Oppa, Happy Birthday 

He was about to make a call when he heard a knock on the door and Ji Eun 
entered soon after.

"Is the vacancy for Mr Kim Kyu Jong's personal assistant still available?"

"Any time for you…"

Ji Eun chuckled as she saw Kyu Jong pout after she cleverly slipped away before 
he could embrace her.

"But I'll only be able to return tomorrow though… Omma needs me to run some errands"

"Yah, aren't you going to at least sing me a birthday song before you leave?"

"Mwoh? What kind of request is this?"

Ji Eun's mobile phone started ringing and she smiled as she saw the name 
flashing on the screen, feeling thankful to her mother for calling at the right time.

"De Omma…"

Kyu Jong could only laugh as Ji Eun waved and playfully stuck her tongue out at 
him while making her way out of his office and talking to her mum. He returned to
work feeling more motivated than ever, feeling thankful that she had finally returned.

"Kyu Jong ah, will you be able to drop by for a while?"

He was on his way to meet the guys but ended up heading towards Ji Eun's place 
after receiving a call from her mum later that day. 

She sounded a little worried though she didn't say much, so he decided to drop 
by to see if he could be of any help.

"Happy Birthday!"

He received the second surprise of the day as he was was greeted by the sound of 
poppers the moment the door opened, and everyone else: Ji Eun and her parents, 
Hyun Joong, Jungmin and Hyung Jun.

"When did you learn to become such a sneak?"

"To think I spent the whole day getting everything ready… can't you say something nicer?"

Ji Eun said in protest to Kyu Jong's response. It has been a while since she last 
spent time in the kitchen whipping up a meal. And her first attempt in planning a 
surprise for him, which she decided prepare after receiving a call from Hyung Jun.

"Komawo"

Kyu Jong said as he made his way towards the dining table where a sumptuous 
meal was awaiting him and took the chance to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Yah! Appa and Omma are around…"