SUNDAY – INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Ji Eun didn’t even say a word along the way to the airport and even kept quiet besides Min Hyuk once they arrived there. She feels reluctant to be away from Min Hyuk again, of course. There are too many things that are worrying her and she’s afraid she can’t handle it well.

“Eun Min-ah,” Min Hyuk placed his right hand on top of Ji Eun’s left hand, making her to lift up her chin and lock eyes with Min Hyuk.

“Hm?”

Min Hyuk breathed out forcefully once before he pinched both sides of Ji Eun’s cheeks, earning a frown from the latter.

“Yahh, are you going to stay being all gloomy like this until I board the flight? Are you really not going to talk to me at all right now?” dissatisfaction was all over his face and he could not help but to frown too. “This is not fair, okay?” he pouted at Ji Eun. But instead of replying Min Hyuk with words, she slowly took down Min Hyuk’s hands on her cheeks and threw her body towards Min Hyuk, embracing him.

Kajima Oppa, jebal.

 Jebal kajima..

Kajima..

“Mianhe, Oppa. I can’t think of anything right now. My mind is scattered and I don’t know what I should do. Can you please don’t go?” her voice cracked at the end and tears were threating to fall anytime soon. It breaks him. It breaks his heart seeing how Ji Eun was being like.

Eun Min-ah, you can’t be like this.. What should I do if you beg me to not go like this?

“A-Aniya Eun Min-ah. Please don’t be like this, I’m just going for a while and I promise to come back as fast as I can, hm?” but what if during the time you were gone, this feeling starts to fade away? What if things won’t end like what we hope it to be? What if… what if… she hugged Min Hyuk tighter. Min Hyuk softly tapped Ji Eun’s head to calm Ji Eun’s and his own feeling. By then, the call for departure echoed.

Min Hyuk broke the hug and cupped Ji Eun’s face while giving a slight smile.

“Don’t be like this, I promise I’ll call you every day, okay?” she pouted at Min Hyuk. He’s still going, I guess.

“Arasseo~” she responded to Min Hyuk while standing up. Min Hyuk followed her to stand up and faced her after that. He fixed Ji Eun’s fringe one last time before hugging her tightly. It’s not like he likes to be away from Ji Eun, no. It took him 10 years to meet with Ji Eun after he left for the country he’s leaving for right now – Japan. How could he like to be away from her again?

“I’m sorry for leaving again. But I’ll come back, for you.  That’s why, please stay healthy and eat on time, okay? Don’t sleep too late, don’t fall sick. Because I won’t be around to take care of you,” he said, almost whispering. Ji Eun hugged him back before answering.

“Arasseo Oppa, you too. Say hi for me to your parents and say congratulations for getting married to your brother from me. I’ll miss you, Oppa,” they broke the hug and he grinned after he pecked Ji Eun’s lips. While Ji Eun could just give a soft punch at Min Hyuk’s chest, out of embarrassment.

After Min Hyuk boarded the air plane, she went to her parents’ house as she already asked for a two-day leave from Sweet and Simple for that day. She went to her parents’, considering she hasn’t went back for almost 3 moths and she won’t even have anything to do even if she went back to her house.

“I thought you already forgot the way to come back home,” Ji Eun pouted upon hearing her mom said that.

“Omma~ you already know I was busy few months ago because of my final right?” she hugged her mom from behind and tilted her head to her right a bit to try to meet her mom’s eyes.

“Eyy~ but you have time to have fun with Min Hyukkie though?”

“Mwoya Ommaaa~” she released her mom and walked towards the couch at the living room, sulking. Her mom could just laugh seeing her only daughter acted like that.

“Aigoo~ arasseo uri Ji Eun-ie. I’m just kidding okay?” she walked towards her daughter and sat down beside Ji Eun on the couch. “I’m glad to see you smiling brightly again after all--“

“Hajima omma, don’t say anything about that,” Ji Eun bit her lower lip while looking at her mom, hoping that her mom would understand she doesn’t want to talk about painful things that happened back then.

“Geurae, let’s not talk about that,” her mom held Ji Eun’s hands and grinned.

LU HAN’S POV

He is not here. He left. HE FREAKING LEFT! Nahh, just for a month though. But well, a month is better than nothing.

I feel like screaming out loud. Finally, I can talk to Ji Eun easier. Min Hyuk leaving for Japan really feels like it is a dream. I really need to use this period of time when he is not here to make up with Ji Eun again. The way Ji Eun looks at me every time our eyes meet feels like she’s disgusted with my existence, like I shouldn’t be here. Sigh. I still didn’t have a chance to talk properly with her about us. The other day when I started working at Sweet and Simple is not it. That is not a proper talk. No.

Suddenly, I thought of… Jia Ying. After I decided to cut off the marriage plan that both our parents made, we had never once contact each other. I wonder, what is she doing right now? Was I cruel to her for doing that? But, I don’t want to fake my feeling and hurt her later. That is even crueller. Mianhe Jia Ying, but I can’t be with you when all I ever have in my mind is Han Ji Eun.

“Hyung!” that voice made me slightly jumped, especially when it comes with a sudden tap on my shoulder. This kid is always trying to give me a heart attack.

“What the heck, Se Hun. Are you trying to kill me? Call me properly, kid,”

“Duhh, you’re the one who didn’t hear it, okay? I’ve been calling you for 10 times already,” he rolled his eyes before joining me standing at the balcony of his room.

“What are you thinking about so seriously?” unconsciously, I smirk at his question.

“Well, nothing special. It’s just that, Ji Eun’s boyfriend had left for Japan since yesterday and he’ll be there for around a month,”

“Like seriously? Heol,” his head was taken aback for a second after he heard what I said and I just give him few nods.

“But I don’t really know what I should do though. I did wrong to Ji Eun a lot and I don’t know how to start off. But I don’t want to give up before even starting. No. My biggest regret is letting go Ji Eun’s hands when she’s holding onto me tightly,” I finish up my words while looking up at the gloomy night sky. It looks like it will rain soon. Se Hun didn’t say anything; instead, he joins me looking at the sky.

I hope things between Ji Eun and me will go well from now on.

END OF POV

THREE DAY LATER, THURSDAY – AT SWEET AND SIMPLE

“Ji Eun-ah,”

“Yes?”

“Ha Gi Eonnie said that the she want to close the shop early today, and we are planning to go eat out and play at the karaoke place later. Eonnie said that it would be on her today,” Min Ah grinned excitedly to Ji Eun.

“Really? Assa! I’ll join in for sure,”

“Eung? Wait, why is she suddenly doing this today?” her excitement suddenly ended with a frown.

“Aigoo~ it’s her birthday todayyyy,” Ji Eun made the ‘suddenly remembered’ face at Min Ah while nodding her head.

“Okay thanks for telling me, Min Ah,” Min Ah left for kitchen after making a ‘V’ sign, to continue finish up her works.

Oh my goodness, it’s too late already to say that I don’t want to join today’s outing. Sigh.

She said that because she just realized Lu Han will be joining the outing too. But thinking that it is Ha Gi’s birthday, she thought that she should just let it off just this once. They went for dinner at a barbeque place and somehow, both Ji Eun and Lu Han were stuck sitting beside each other. If the fact that she accidentally saw Lu Han from far already annoyed her, imagine how she felt when Lu Han sat right next to her. But for Lu Han, of course it’s the opposite. He felt that that is the happiest moment for him since he return to Korea.

“Ji Eun? Thank you for sitting beside me,” Lu Han gave Ji Eun his signatures smile while Ji Eun just made a poker face.

“Do you think I’m that insane to plop down sitting beside you like this? In your dream. Behave yourself, Lu Han,” she gritted her teeth while she forcefully whispered the words at Lu Han. She coldly rolled her eyes at Lu Han before gulping down a glass of plain water roughly. Lu Han’s face twitched hearing what Ji Eun said.

It’s okay, I’m not mad at you. I know it’s my fault, honey.

While eating, Lu Han constantly gave Ji Eun glances and sometimes small smiles would even blossom on his face. His heart was a little bit at ease when he could see smiles on Ji Eun’s face THIS close, even though the smiles wasn’t because of him. He would also put in some meat in Ji Eun’s bowl and Ji Eun can’t help but to just fake a smile so that her colleagues won’t suspect anything.

After finished eating, they continued with some talks between each other and throwing birthday wishes at Ha Gi. So, Lu Han took that chance to talk with Ji Eun too.

“J-Ji Eun-ah,” but before Ji Eun could react with what he thought she would, he held Ji Eun’s hand that was on her lap.

“Wait, before you start lashing out at me, please, just give me a chance to talk, please,” he looked into Ji Eun’s eyes with high hopes. Please. Ji Eun heaved out a sigh before she broke the eye contact, giving the sign that she’ll listen to it. Lu Han released the grab on Ji Eun’s hand slowly after ensuring that Ji Eun would listen to him.

“Thanks. I don’t want to ask much from you,” for now. “I just want us to start anew and become friends again, can’t us?” he was literally pleading at Ji Eun that she would agree to start afresh. He can’t take the cold reactions from Ji Eun anymore longer because it hurts him to death. Yes, he regrets taking stupid decisions that involved his most beloved one, Han Ji Eun.

Easy for you to say that, Lu Han. It was me; it was me who FREAKING waited for you for years, Lu Han. Me. You don’t have any idea how devastating it was for me to keep looking up for someone who would never appear in front of me. And now that I manage to stand up again after all those horrible years, you want to become friends with me? If you think this is a joke, no thanks. This is the worst thing ever, Lu Han.

“You’re kidding me, Lu Han. There’s no such thing will happen between us. You, me, it’s over,” her tone as she spoke remained slow but it was as cold as possible.

“No, please Ji Eun. Okay, I admit it; I admit that it was all my fault. It was me who pushed you away and cut all connections between us back there, but I have my own reasons. And I really regret taking all those stupid decisions, believe me,” Lu Han whispered the words ‘believe me’ desperately, wanting to show how sincere and serious was he about that.

“Oh I don’t care about that, Lu Han. With reasons or not, I don’t give a damn about that. You know what? Maybe you should just stick to all those stupid decisions and stay away from me. That would be a pleasure,” Lu Han’s heart sunk.

You hate me that much, Ji Eun? I’m not asking much, I just want us to be able to talk comfortably again for now, that's all.

“Ji Eun please, list--,” his words were cut by a phone call for Ji Eun. Ji Eun took a glance at her phone that was on the table before placing it in her hold.

“I’m sorry; I need to answer this phone call. Now, if you could excuse me,” she rolled her eyes at Lu Han and stood up while answering the call. Lu Han felt hurt even more after he heard Ji Eun answering the phone call with a cheerful voice, greeting with ‘Eo Oppa?’

Great, of all time, he’s calling Ji Eun on time like this. Sigh. What should I do so that you would forgive me, Ji Eun?

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

My dear sweet readers and subscribers, I'm sorry for only updating this after two months. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know, it is not enough but I hope you guys will accept my apology.. College is hard, the medical course is hard, but I'm still trying to survive in the tough surrounding. And I know I'm slowly adapting to it already :)

My dears, actually, this is suppose to be my birthday present for you guys (my birthdate is on the 31st December, by the way) but I could only finish writing this chapter now. But oh well, this can be a New Year present too :) Guys, Happy New Year! I hope that everything will go well this year and may you guys stay healthy the whole year and for the next years coming! Time will keep on ticking and only you can decide what can you do for the time ticking in your life. You can choose to be happy, to create more wonderful memories as time goes on. So, enjoy! Have a good day everyone!

Sincerely, 

YongNa (aka leeya)