This is just a one-shot. I do not plan on making a series out of this because I don’t know what is going on in the series, and this could go waaaayyyyy off. I was just playing with the idea of Daeyoung really having a first love and those lies are not exactly lies – only half lies. So anyways, my apologies for the inaccuracy and all errors.

 

I just want to thank you guys who have been with me in 2013. We have finished Iris Collage (although some of you hated the ending… I am so sorry about that) and Doojoon have a new drama. Hoping for a more productive 2014!

 

Wishing all of you a merry merry Christmas and a happy happy new year. Happy holidays, guys! <333333

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Because I still haven’t completed my first love. She died too young from a terminal disease.”

 

 

Attorney Lee looked sincerely shocked at the revelation that Daeyoung would not date because of his first love, “What disease was it –“

 

 

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It hurts my heart.” Daeyoung said bluntly, his tone final.

 

 

“Oh… I’m sorry…” Attorney Lee looked embarrassed for pushing the limit.

 

Daeyoung continued, “The reason why I started working in insurance is also because I no longer want to be unable to let someone precious to me not get surgery even once because of money.” He looked outside pensively, imagining a young boy with wide smile and shining eyes, “I don’t want to let her go in vain.”

 

 

Coming back down to reality, Daeyoung quickly shifted back to his insurance man façade, trying to capture Attorney Lee unguarded, “Anyway this thing called illness can suddenly come even to a young person. So you must have an insurance.”

 

 

“Yes, yes, of course.” Attorney Lee said nodded in confirmation, “I also plan on getting one now.”

 

 

“You thought well,” Daeyoung smiled charmingly as he held Attorney Lee’s hands, “Of course, you will get it through me… your friends, right?” Attorney Lee gulped as she felt Daeyoung’s warm hand on hers, “If I am to plan your insurance, I need to know what you are thinking and what your goals are. So let me listen to your story.”

 

 

Daeyoung tightened his grip on Attorney Lee’s hands as she smiled sweetly, basking in the attention she received from Daeyoung. “Keep talking.”

 

 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

 

Yoseob huffed into the cold air, a smoke of mist coming out from his mouth. “Cold…” he shoved his mitten-gloved hands into his coat pockets. He should buy a new pair of gloves – real gloves with separate sheaths for each finger – instead of these mittens. A gust of freezing wind blew past and he cursed at the weather for being so awful. It was always freezing during early December and everyone wished for a white Christmas. Yoseob scoffed, pretty snow on Christmas day is miraculous. It was either a terrifying blizzard or it did not snow at all.

 

 

Ridiculous. Exactly what he was doing now.

 

 

The door tinkled open, and Yoseob turned his head to find Daeyoung strolled out from the small quaint café that Yoseob worked part-time in (he was off duty today, but Daeyoung insisted that he came). Daeyoung inhaled a long breath – the breath of freedom – and looked around. He grinned that grin of his when he found Yoseob sitting on the public bench in the park near the café.

 

 

“Yoseobah!” Daeyoung waved and jogged slowly towards Yoseob, who stood up and scrunched up his face because another damnable wind just blew past him again. This damned winter.

 

 

Daeyoung caught Yoseob’s expression and he frowned instantly, “What’s wrong, are you okay?”

 

 

Yoseob shivered again, because really, he was so cold and waiting in the cold for about twenty minutes was not fun at all. “I’ve been out here for twenty minutes. With the wind. I’m cold, and you are inside cozying up with the poor woman.”

 

 

 “Okay, I’ll get you new gloves for Christmas. The ones with separate openings for your fingers.” Daeyoung grinned, that damnable grin again and Yoseob rolled his eyes, cutting through the insurance man’s bull. “You told me you’d buy me a pair when I finished high school. I finished high school, finished my military service, and now I’m already in college, but you didn’t buy me any. Forget it.” Yoseob looked pointedly at the still grinning older man.

 

 

Daeyoung laughed as he ruffled Yoseob’s hair, “I’ll get you one this time for sure. So stop pouting, it makes me want to kiss you.”

 

 

Making a face, Yoseob scoffed and shook his head in disbelief, he was not amused. “Aigoo… sweet talking doesn’t get you anywhere. Is that Noona your newest conquest? I saw you hold her hands from the café window when I walked past.” Yoseob frowned in worry, “Stop using your charm for the wrong reasons.”

 

 

Daeyoung’s eyes widened in excitement, “Do you know her family is the eldest son? She easily has a hundred people coming to the ancestral rite every month. Imagine that. Insurance King 2014 is easily in my hands.” The older man laughed maniacally while closing his fist in the air, a gesture to corroborate his plan to take over the world – the insurance world more like.

 

“You told her about your first love again, didn’t you?” Yoseob asked casually, as he started walking away from the park.

 

 

Walking together with Yoseob, Daeyoung nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want them to think I am available for dating or anything romantic. The first love story is always the best. Aren’t I the best for thinking up that strategy?”

 

 

Yoseob tsk-ed at the older man who behaved even more childish than him, “You should try dating one of these days, so you can understand people’s hearts. Drifting away like these… preying on women with your charm… your heart should know love.”

 

 

“Oh, my heart already knows love. From a long time ago.” Daeyoung answered.

 

 

“Yeah, yeah... What a lucky girl she must be.” Yoseob said sarcastically. The college student shivered and shoved his hands deeper into his coat pockets, “So cold… awful weather…”  

 

 

Daeyoung stole a glance at Yoseob and smiled. Not that kind of smile, but a truly sincere smile.

 

 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

 

“Oh, who are you?”

 

 

A voice filtered the apartment hallways sweetly as Yoseob locked Daeyoung’s apartment door. He turned his body to see a very pretty young lady – a girl – standing next to him. Her face was small and smooth with long wavy hair, wearing a really cute dress and really nice yellow shoes. She looked really angry as she crossed her hands in front of her body and glared at Yoseob.

 

 

“The Oppa who lives in apartment 806 is very close to me. Why are you coming out from Oppa’s apartment?”

 

 

Oppa.. Ah, okay.

 

 

Yoseob offered a hesitant smile, “I’m Yang Yoseob, Goo Daeyoung’s friend. Nice to meet you, you are…?”

 

 

She immediately smiled and what a really pretty smile she had, the corners of turned up and her eyes curved into two really pretty half moons. Pretty girl with a really pretty smile.

 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry! I am Jinyi, I live in room 804! Sookyung Unni said to be careful of strangers, so I copied her.” Jinyi said excitedly with a pretty smile, like she just met a wonderfully cute puppy.

 

 

Yoseob frowned a little, “Sookyung Unni…?”

 

 

“Ah, she is the Unni who stayed in room 805. She is so cool, she lives alone so she is really independent and brave. It is my dream to be like her one day.”

 

 

Yoseob stared at her in amusement, “She is the Ahjumma whom Daeyoung brought to the hospital last time when she was sick, isn’t she?”

 

 

Jinyi widened her eyes comically, like she was surprised, “Yes! Oppa looked so cool when he carried Unni to the hospital. Oppa is jjang, jjang man!” She blabbered dreamily and Yoseob was briefly scared for Daeyoung’s life. “Oh, how did you know that?”

 

 

Yoseob shrugged, “I heard a little from him. I’m glad that she is okay now.”

 

 

“Did he tell you anything about me?”

 

 

“… what?”

 

 

Jinyi looked absolutely embarrassed, her cheeks blushed into a cute shade of pink, her doe eyes hopeful. “Does he… erm… tell you anything about me? Like… anything about me?”

 

 

Yoseob wanted to kill himself if he told her the truth. Daeyoung had never spoken a word about the blushing girl in front of Yoseob, he was not even aware that room 804 had already been occupied by a new tenant. He wondered if this innocent girl knew what happened to the previous tenant – that she died while eating long-legged octopus – but he decided not to touch upon the topic, because right now he had to answer a very sensitive topic.

 

 

“Yes, I heard lots about you. It’s really nice to actually meet you.” Yoseob smiled and lied right through his teeth, just like what Daeyoung usually did.

 

 

Her smiled brightened, her eyes twinkled and Yoseob said to himself it was okay to lie a little, for goodness sake. She clapped her hands in excitement, “I am so happy! I am so happy! Oppa is jjang, jjang man! Oh, but what are you doing here?”

 

 

“I help to clean Daeyoungie – this Oppa’s house. He is so messy and I just…” Yoseob shivered at the mess inside the apartment, “I just need to help him clean a little if he still wants to stay healthily and live for a long time.” Yoseob smiled sweetly.

 

 

“You are so nice! Since you are Oppa’s friend, you are practically my friend too. How old are you?”

 

 

“Twenty.”

 

 

“You are younger than me? I am twenty-three. I’m your Noona then. You can call me Noona.” Jinyi said, “I’m so happy. It is my dream to have a younger brother.”

 

 

“You sure have a lot of dreams…” Yoseob mumbled but quickly covered it up by asking another question, “I hope you don’t mind me asking this. Do you by any chance… like this Oppa?”

 

 

Jinyi looked even more embarrassed as she flushed red and tried to hide her face with her hands, but she nodded anyway and confessed, “I have told Oppa I like him, but he cannot get over his first love whom he met in Europe…” Jinyi said pensively and sighed, “… it was such a romantic first love story.”

 

 

Yoseob felt for her, he really did. He felt for her deeply because she did not know what kind of a lying bastard Daeyoung truly was. But for now, he agreed it was the best for Daeyoung and her. Daeyoung was not created for having relationships.

 

 

Awkwardly looking at his watch, Yoseob found his reason to leave, “Noona, I’m sorry but I have to leave now. It’s really great meeting you and having a chat. I’ll see you.” He bowed down politely and excused himself, quickly bolting from the scene.

 

 

“Oh okay, bye!” Jinyi waved her hands cutely in front of her, but she forgot something, “Wait, wait! Yoseobah, give me your SNS account!” 

 

 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

 

It was another Wednesday and Yoseob always came over on Wednesday afternoon to tidy up the wrecked ship that was Daeyoung’s apartment. It was out of habit after so many years knowing the older man and living with him before he moved out. The reason for Daeyoung moving out was still unknown to Yoseob, he just knew that one day Daeyoung decided to move out and Yoseob assumed the insurance man needed his privacy after living together for so long.

 

 

Yet, Yoseob still kept the habit of cleaning up Daeyong’s apartment, because it was a hole and the older man would die a horrible death if the mess continued. Daeyoung would usually come home with food and they would have dinner together (they had dinner on other nights as well, but Wednesday night dinner was a must schedule for both of them) before Yoseob went back to their old place.

 

 

It was in a middle of folding clean laundry when Yoseob felt lightheaded. He shook his head a little and ignored it, continuing on pairing the same socks together for easy access. But then his body started losing strength and he saw black and white spot, becoming increasingly larger with each blink – he tried to blink it away. He frowned because suddenly his body was so weak and he was so tired, he just wanted to sleep… sleep… sleep…

 

 

The last thing he remembered was the front door opening and Daeyoung rushing in to get him.

 

 

Yoseobah! Yang Yoseob! Yah! Yah Yoseobah!

 

 

And then everything turned completely black.  

 

 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

 

When Yoseob came to, his lids were so heavy and he needed extra strength to just open his eyes and groaned a little. He wanted to lift his arms, but decided not to because he was already exhausted as it was, he did not think he could lift his arms anyway.

 

 

He was lying down in a foreign place, a foreign bed, a foreign ceiling, a foreign blanket. There was a separator curtain, drawn shut around him. He heard a really soft but steady beeping sound from the machine next to him. His body felt like lead, heavy and immovable.

 

 

Where is he? Is he in the hospital?

 

 

The last thing he remembered was Daeyoung calling his name… and the clean laundry. Oh goodness, the clean laundry! Yoseob groaned in pure annoyance because the clean laundry must be already mixed with the dirty laundry by now and he had to wash everything all over again. That damned messy Ahjussi!

 

 

“Oh, you are awake?” A woman’s voice hit his ears and Yoseob prayed hard for her not to be Jinyi. He could not listen to her babbles at the moment.

 

 

An unrecognizable woman’s face popped out above him and he winced reflexively. Who is this woman? He kept meeting strangers nowadays. It was a blur, but he could make out the woman’s feature well. She was older than Jinyi, maybe older than Daeyoung too, with a really sharp chin and elongated eyes. Her hair was shoulder length and the wave was perfect – in Yoseob’s opinions – and it made her face looks sharper and fresher. She did not smile, instead she frowned, like she was annoyed to death and angry at Yoseob. Well, he did not ask her to be there so she did not have any prerogative to be mad at him. She was worlds apart if compared to Jinyi, but at least she was quiet, so this was good.

 

 

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked, lacking the sincerity in her voice.

 

 

“Yeah,” Yoseob croaked out, his throat was so dry. “Where is this?”

 

 

“You fainted in Daeyoung’s apartment so he ran all the way to the hospital, while carrying you in his arms. You are now at the hospital where I was hospitalized not long ago. Aigoo… maybe he is the bad luck.” The woman huffed in irritation.

 

 

Yoseob cleared his dry throat, “You are…”

 

 

The woman smiled, but Yoseob knew it was forced, “I’m Sookyung, the neighbor who lives in room 805. I had appendicitis and he brought me to the hospital for surgery. He asked me to be with you for w bit while he stepped out to prepare your documents. So irritating, doing whatever he wants to do.”

 

 

Ah, the Ahjumma… Yoseob nodded. She was not as bad as Daeyoung described her to be.

 

 

She dragged a chair and sat down next to the bed, shooting Yoseob an apologetic stare, “Aigoo… it must be hard for you to be friends with that guy. He must pester you to buy insurance from him, right? He does that all the time to me.”

 

 

Yoseob frowned in confusion, “What insurance?”

 

 

“Health insurance and whatever. You have one, don’t you?”

 

 

Yoseob frowned and shook his head softly. He had never consulted any insurance company or signed on any insurance documents.

 

 

Sookyung tilted his head to the side, “Eh? That’s strange. He is preparing documents to be submitted to the insurance company on your name. Are you sure you don’t have one?”

 

 

Yoseob nodded. He was sure he had never had any insurance before.

 

 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

 

“Why is she here again?” Sookyung gestured towards a very excited Jinyi who sat next to her at the restaurant.

 

 

“We are eating good stuff, we need to share it with other people. Don’t be selfish, Noona.” Daeyoung answered and grinned at the end. “Because Yoseob needs to get a lot of nutrients, we are eating red bean noodles. I will buy this time, so eat as much as you want.”

 

 

When Daeyoung came back to the hospital room, Yoseob had insisted on getting released and going home. He felt fine, just a little tired and worn out. The older man had been angry at Yoseob, telling him that he fainted due to serious fatigue and was quickly admitted to the hospital. The scolding went for a bit until Yoseob suggested they go for snacks. Instantly, Daeyoung stopped the scolding and called Jinyi to join them for snacks. And this was how the four of them ended up together in around one table, looking at a giant pot of red bean soup, noodle, and dumplings.

 

 

“It’s my first time eating noodles with red beans. Is this kind of thing delicious?” Jinyi asked innocently.

 

 

“Don’t say that – “ Yoseob interrupted but it was too late.

 

 

“What?” Daeyoung asked, absolutely offended, “This kind of thing?”

 

 

Both women were shocked by the sudden change and Yoseob could do nothing but sighed in desperation.

 

 

Daeyoung his lips and started explaining explosively, “Like starting a party, the first taste is sweet. The chewy noodles repeat a tug-of-war in your mouth and eat your heart out. When you begin to get fed up of it, the small dumplings that appear… should I say is like the love that sprouts again? And whether you add salt or sugar, the taste is subtly different.”

 

 

Sookyung made a face, “Why is his explanation so long all the time? We get to know when we eat it.” She looked at Yoseob and Jinyi, and smiled sweetly, “Yoseobah, Jinyi-ah. Let’s eat.”

 

 

“Isn’t this really exciting? We should all eat together from now on!” Jinyi said.

 

 

Yoseob could not hear the complaints coming from Sookyung’s mouth because he was busy coughing the noodle that accidentally slipped down the wrong pipe in his throat.

 

 

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

 

 

This year Christmas fell on a Wednesday, and Christmas Eve fell on a Tuesday. So on Tuesday night, Yoseob went to the Udon makeshift store on the roadside to meet Daeyoung. The older man would treat him a bowl of Udon on Christmas Eve. How nice.

 

 

“Give us two bowls, please.” Daeyoung requested politely and almost immediately two warm bowls on Udon appeared in front of them. Yoseob loved the Udon, he loved eating soup during winter, but especially the Udon.

 

 

As they slurped on the noodles, Yoseob remembered he wanted to ask about the insurance, “Yah, did you claim insurance for me during my stay in the hospital?”

 

 

“Yoseobah,” Daeyoung started, “Another year had almost gone by, when are you going to call me Hyung? Call me Hyung.”

 

 

“Do I have insurance?” Yoseob asked stubbornly.

 

 

“Yoseobah –“

 

 

“Do I?”

 

 

Daeyoung sighed, “Yes, you do.”

 

 

“But I did not sign on anything and I am sure my parents did not go to insurance company for consultation.” Yoseob said, confused.

 

 

“Your parents did sign for the documents, this was a long time ago. But they did not pay for it.”

 

 

“So who did?”

 

 

Daeyoung slurped his noodles deliciously, ignoring the question.

 

 

“Daeyoungah, who did?”

 

 

Daeyoung rolled his eyes in annoyance, “I did. I took care of your insurance for you, is this wrong?”

 

 

Yosoeb’s mouth opened but nothing came out, he closed it and opened it again trying to find a rebuttal, something to say.

 

 

“Insurance is very important nowadays, illness can come in any age, any way, any time. This is the little thing I could do for you – “

 

 

“Thank you.” Yoseob smiled warmly, gabbing Daeyoung’s forearm.

 

 

“…what?”

 

 

“Thank you,” Yoseob repeated. “Since I know I have an insurance I would like to start paying for I now.”

 

 

“I have to search for the documents. It was a long time ago so I don’t think I can find it.”

 

 

“I would like to pay for it now.” Yoseob said, his tone final.

 

 

Daejung grinned, “Okay, I’ll search for it.” He lied a lot, what did another small lie like this make a difference to him. He would never allow Yoseob to pay for any insurance. He had calculated everything and took care of it, there was no way he would ask Yoseob to pay for it.

 

 

“Thank you.” Yoseob smiled.

 

 

And then they ate in silence, each one relishing on the taste in their mouths. After they were done, Daeyoung paid the vendor and shoved a box into Yoseob’s hands.

 

 

“What is this?” Yoseob laughed because it was just hilarious.

 

 

Daeyoung stood up from his seat, “Just open it. I’ll get some fresh air, meet me outside after you are done.”

 

 

“What? Wait, wait – why do you – yah!” Yoseob tried to ask more questions but Daeyoung left the makeshift noodle booth quickly.

 

 

The box was small, navy blue in color, with a pretty silver bow in all four sides, meeting into a pretty and big box in the middle. Yoseob scoffed and untied the ribbon. When he opened the box, there was a pair of leather gloves inside, waiting for someone to wear them. They looked exactly like the ones Daeyoung was always wearing, although this one smaller in size.

 

 

He took up the gloves and smiled at himself, revealing a small card in the box, under the gloves.

 

 

A matching pair of gloves for you so it doesn’t look weird when you slip your hands in mine.

Thanks for everything. Merry Christmas.

 

 

 

The card did not make sense, but it made perfect sense to Yoseob. He quickly wore the new gloves – they fit him like a glove – and placed everything into his backpack. When Yoseob went outside, he found Daeyoung standing in the cold, his back to the booth, staring into the night, shoving his hands into his pockets due to the cold.

 

 

Yoseob approached him slowly and slipped in his gloved hand into Daeyoung’s pocket, meeting the older man’s gloved hand and intertwining their hands together. They fit like a glove. Every nook and cranny.

 

 

“Thank you.” Yoseob said, smiling so brightly it lit up Daeyoung’s whole life. He tip toed and whispered something into Daeyoung’s ears, in correspondence to the last few words in the older man’s card.

 

 

I love you, my first love.

 

 

I love you, too.

 

 

It was already past midnight, it was already Christmas. It was already Wednesday.

 

 

Now Wednesday had a whole new meaning.  

 

 

 

And Daeyoung could lay off the one lie that he could not date other people. It was true that he could not date anyone else since he was already dating his first love, Yang Yoseob.