She could see how his eyes squinted at the other couple, and how his hands shivered while gripping the trolley handle. Thus, Eunji laid her hand above his and squeezed his hand gently, trying to snap his mind back to reality. Realizing different warmth above his own cold hands, he blinked and turned his head to find her smiling and comforting him.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Woohyun-sunbae, Soyou-ssi,” she managed to responded their greeting in behalf of her husband as well.

“Woah, are you shopping together with your husband, Eunji-ssi?” Woohyun seemed fascinated by the fact of Sunggyu accompanying his wife.

“Yes, we’re going to make our dinner together at home,” she drew a brief stare to her still silent husband. Kim Sunggyu seemed uncomfortable with the situation around him, with the people he didn’t opt to meet. It was obvious that he tried to not look at two hands of the other couple that intertwined in front of him. Thus, Eunji thought that it was their time to bid farewell, “So then, I think we shall go now. Um, see you later, sunbaenim, Soyou-ssi, Yoseob-oppa.” She then turned to look at her husband who was still in his blank expression and squeezed his hand once more. “Let’s take the grained rice then, Oppa?”

“Uh? Oh, okay.”

***

Kim Sunggyu was too drowned in his own little word. He didn’t throw any word nor show any emotion after his sudden meeting with Woohyun and Soyou that afternoon. Before, he said that he want to help his wife preparing for their dinner. However, noticing his unusual mood, Eunji let him just sitting on the couch, staring blankly on the TV screen he didn’t really watch at.

“Dinner is ready!” she exclaimed.

Sunggyu stayed still on the couch in the living room as if he didn’t hear her at all.

“Oppa,” she approached him and poked him on shoulder. “Dinner is ready,” she notified.

“Oh, okay,” he then followed her to their dining room and sat across her facing their Thailand-styled crab dish. Though it was one of his favorite dishes, however he seemed were in different world and stared blankly almost the time unless Eunji call him again and again. They managed to have dinner in silent and awkward vibe and Eunji felt uncomfortable with this mood swing of him.

“Oppa-yah…,”

“Hm?”

Eunji didn’t respond him back and he felt more awkward by her silence.

“What is-?”

He lifted his head from his food to take a look at her and found her watching at him intently. He stared back, and then they’re glancing at each other for some couple minutes. He blinked at this awkward feeling he had though Eunji kept staring at him.

“W-what? What’s wrong?” he stuttered and lowered his head avoiding her gaze.

“Nothing,” she shook her head instead and back to her own food.

Another couple minutes of silences. Another couple minutes of awkwardness. None of them try to speak out their own mind.

“Oppa,” she called him again.

“Hm?”

“I just wanna say, if you have something bothering your mind, you can tell me instead of just keeping it for yourself,” she finally mouthed her words. “I am willingly to hear anything you want to share me about, Oppa-yah,” her wide smile told him that she was sincere with her words. She wasn’t force him to speak out his problematic thought, but she would always beside him anytime he needed her.

He gazed at her sincerity. His lips pressed in to a thin smile. He himself didn’t really sure of what happen to his own mind. But he realized that her accompany did comfort him a bit that he somehow amazed of why his temper didn’t blow out as usual. Did he finally move on from his bitter past?

“I have nothing to share…,” he muttered and back to avoid her gaze again. “But I—I’m—” he stuttered. “If you have anything you want to ask for… I—I’m willingly to answer any of your question.”

Eunji choked by his sudden statement. She stared at him in disbelief of what she just heard of. Was he signaling that he finally start to open up his heart toward her? Though he already confessed to her, though he already showed her his sincere affection, he has not really told her about what he felt, about what he kept on his mind all this time. But now, he asked her to ask him first, as if he told her that he never intended to keep it all just for himself. He just required some trigger and encouragement to tell her about anything.

“Anything?” she inquired.

“Hm.”

“But… I’m afraid that you will get mad again, Oppa….”

He was taken aback by her words. It was true that she already asked him before, but ended up by him yelling at her and judging her as a somewhat nosy wife.  He regretted that. “I won’t. I’ll try my best to not get mad at you though….”

He was trying, she convinced herself that he was trying. She thought that it was time for her to encourage him and to believe in him. She stretched out her hand and reached for his hand. Again, she squeezed his hand softly thus he lifted his head to look back at her. “How do you feel, Oppa?” she asked.

Though there was a pitying tone in her words, he didn’t mind at all. “I don’t know,” he was honest about it. He didn’t even sure of what he felt at that moment.
“What do you feel after meeting them?” She kept alluring him. Her thumb rubbed his back of hand repeatedly.

“I don’t know. It just…,” his gaze turned to their cl