AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thank you for Sparkle22 for the third awesome poster ^^

In this chapter and the other chapters going, this colour will means that the texts or the sentences is in Mandarin and black coloured is in Korean. Thank you ^^

And oh, don't forget to leave some comments!

THREE WEEKS AFTER LU HAN HAD FINISHED HIS STUDY

AT LU HAN’S HOUSE

The Lu family were having their dinner that was prepared by Mrs Lu. Xiao Qing sat beside Lu Han while across Lu Han is his mom and Mr Lu sat at where the family leader always sits.

“Uhm, dad,” Lu Han stopped eating and looked at his dad. His dad looked at him while chewing the food inside his mouth.

“Can I go back to Korea?” his mom and sister stopped eating too and looked at Lu Han with questioned look.

“Hm? For what?”

“Well, since I’ve ended my study, I want to meet my friends and stay for a few months there before I start working properly. About the expenses, maybe I could do some part time job to get money, so you don’t really have to worry about giving me a lot of money during my stay there.  Anyway, it’s been five years since I last saw them,” he then took a bite of the fried squid. His father kept quiet for a while – thinking.

“Okay then. You’ll be busy after you start working, so I guess it’s okay if you want to enjoy for a few months. You’ve been focusing on your study a lot before this that you never really go out,”

Yeah dad, I was ‘focusing’ on my study a lot before.

“Really? It’s great then. I’m planning to go there next week because there’s a cheap flight ticket for next week to Korea. I’ll book the ticket tonight,” his dad nodded and all four of them continue to eat again.

INCHEON AIRPORT, KOREA

Nice to set my feet here again. Lu Han took a quick short breath and lightly smiled after that as he walks out from the departure hall.

“Lu Haen~” huh? He turned his head to his right as he heard a familiar voice calling out his name in a weird way.

“Yah Baek Hyun-ah!” just as they were standing in front of each other, they wrapped their arms around each other and made fist-bumps seconds later.

“Nice to see you again, dude. It has been freaking five years since I’ve seen you in a real world,” Baek Hyun grinned as soon as he said that.

“Nice seeing you too, Baek,”

“So, you only see Baek Hyun, huh?”

“Chen Chen! Chan Yeol-ah!” Lu Han turned his body, hearing a deep voice behind him. He hugged them too right after that. Of course, he’s contented to see his best friends again.

“Eo? Where’s Sehunnie?”

“He got classes, so yeah,” Lu Han nodded at Chen’s words. All of them walked out from the airport while chatting and laughing together. They rode Chan Yeol’s car and headed to a café to catch up a few more things between them.

JI EUN’S POV

Urghh, finally home. I’m deadly tired today.

I just got home from the library just now, for a project discussion. Today is another hectic day for me. I have three assignments to submit on the spot today and to make it worse, 3000 words for each of it. Thank God, I don’t have to do my part-time work. It’s my free day. My stomach makes a grumbling sound. Oh right, the last time I ate was at 8 in the morning and it is 7 pm already right now. I head towards the kitchen and open up the fridge. Not good, there’s not much ingredients and I’m too lazy to cook right now. I close the fridge and walk towards a cabinet and take out a packet of ramyeon from it.

I put in some garlic in a small amount of oil to sizzles it before I add in four cups of water. After the water boils, I put in the ramyeon and wait for a few minutes before I put in the readied spice inside the packet of ramyeon into it. Right after I finished cooking the simple menu for my dinner, I put it onto the dining table and start eating.

Ughh, so gloomy. Of course it is; I live here alone. Sigh.

After finished taking a bath, I switch on my laptop. I need to do another assignment that needs to be submits in three days. No way I’m going to wait until the last minutes to finish it up. Waiting for the laptop to switch on, I walk towards the book rack in a corner inside my room and pick up an album from there. Haven’t look through it for quite a while, I think. Sitting down on the chair in front my laptop again, I look through the pictures page by page. So nostalgic. The pictures are mostly from my high school time and I could not help but to smile while looking at the pictures. Not to mention it, but I looked so immature and uh, so un-girly? Is that word even exists? I don’t care.

My hand freezes at the sight of this particular someone in one of the photos. I’m standing in front of him while making a ‘V’ sign while he is wrapping his arms around my shoulders – back hugging me. He slightly lowers his body and bumped his right cheek with my left cheek while smiling brightly in the picture. Both of us were smiling brightly actually. I touch that photo – or to be exact, touch his figure – with my fingers. I could feel my stomach twists and churns as I do that.

I miss you…

Sigh. Andwae, I can’t be like this. I close the album quickly and set it aside. Stop thinking about it, Han Ji Eun. He’s no longer here and no longer yours. I take out my notes from the backpack and starts doing my assignment.

A WEEK LATER - STILL JI EUN'S POV

It’s 4 pm and I’m at Sweet and Simple, working of course. My classes for today end at 2 pm earlier and I were at the library before I come here. I take a swift look around the café area and see only a few tables are occupied by customers. It’s still working hour right now. Since there’s no customer at the meantime, I take a seat at the drinks section while scrolling down my smartphone.

Huh? Yoon Mi is at the amusement park right now?

I double-click Yoon Mi’s photo that she posted on her instagram a few minutes ago – giving a like.

“An iced Americano, take out,”

“Okay, noted,” I answered without looking back at Min Ah, as I stand up again and slide my smartphone into the apron pocket and proceed to make the order. After I finish making it, I turn my body to give it to the customer. Unfortunately, my hand froze mid-air and I feel my heart stop functioning for a few seconds. My feet were rooted on the spot.

“L-Lu Han?” I know I’m stuttering as I speak his name out loud. I feel my knees tremble as I walk towards him with his iced Americano.

Tell me this is not a dream. Tell me it is really him.

“S-Sorry miss, I’m not the one that you said just now,” he quickly grabs the drink on the counter and rushes out of Sweet and Simple, but no, I’m not going to let him away, not again.

“Min Ah, I need to go outside for a while,” I rush out from the café and try to find Lu Han.

There he is. I quickly run towards him.

“Lu Han! Lu Han, stop!” he doesn’t even stop walking. I know he heard me. Why Lu Han? Why?

“STOP!” I shut my eyes as I shout and stop advancing for a moment. I see him stops walking after I have called him for the nth time. I know tears are rolling down my cheeks right now and I don’t even feel like wiping it off. I quickly run towards him and wrap my arms around his waist – back hugging him. I hug him, tightly. He feels so real in my embrace right now that I hope time would stop moving. He froze in my embrace and I know he’s gulping his saliva hard. I could feel it.

“Stop, Lu Han. Please, don’t go away anymore. Please, I beg you,” tears flow down more and more as I speak. I tighten the hug.

“I miss you, Lu Han. A lot. You never know how long I’ve been looking for you. Please stay Lu Han. Please,” I whisper as my forehead touch his back. Seconds later, I feel his hands on my fingers, trying to remove it from wrapping around his waist. I tried to not let it happens but he’s too strong for me. I reluctantly let him away. He turns his body and faces me. I look up with teary eyes and look at his eyes.

But what I see is not warmth, his eyes are arctic cold.

“I’m sorry miss, but I really don’t know you. And I’m not that Lu Han you’ve been calling me earlier,”

Liar.

“Then why did you stopped just now?”

“It’s because you’ve been calling out that name at me for too long that I have to stop. I don’t want people to misunderstand,”

“Why were you rushing out of the café just now?”

“It is because I have an urgent thing to do,” why are you doing this to me? Do you really don’t want to meet me anymore? Another tear slip down onto my cheek, hearing that. I look down to avoid eye contact with him.

“Fine, I’m sorry for mistaken you for someone else,” I said reluctantly as I wipe off the tears on my cheeks using my palms.

“I guess I miss him so much that I start hallucinating. Sorry for taking your time,” I take a step backwards and slightly bow at him before I turn my back at him and walk back towards the café.

This is what you want right? You don’t want me in your life anymore right? Okay Lu Han, I’ll do it for you. I’ll do anything for you; even if it means I’m killing myself inside.

END OF POV

LU HAN’S POV

I bite my lower lip, seeing her walks away from me. My heart throbs in pain, seeing her cried just now because of me, again. I miss you too, Ji Eun-ah. I miss you a lot, but I’m sorry. Seeing her walks away lifelessly like that makes me feel the urge to hug her tightly and to never let her go away. I crumple my palms into fists and take a last look at her before I walk away.  

I’m sorry, Ji Eun-ah.

END OF POV