Time, it was something that we couldn’t interfere, sometime time flew too fast and we think 24 hours wasn’t enough for us, sometime time will passed slowly for our liking that make us think another plan. For Eunji, the time felt like flew so slowly, a second like a minute and minute like an hour.

They were on the barbecue party which set on the backyard near swimming pool. What a sudden barbecue, it was quite unusual for another people but for Jung family they prefer something more casual to welcome their guest. They always have some ingredient prepared on the refrigerator because her mother was a typical woman who loves cooking even she wasn’t a full housewife and it was good to prepare something, in case there were guest come to their house, she thought. What Eunji could wish when her mother announced the barbecue party was the time would pass as soon as possible and regretted as she changed her flight from tomorrow into today.

Mr. Jung and Mr. Kim sat on the chair while sipping their red wine, yes it wouldn’t call a barbecue party without a wine. Mr. Kim joined the sudden reunion party on Jung’s house after drove back from office. They probably talked about the past time when they got through together until they become success at this rate and they cherish that moment.

The mothers prepared everything they need while the boys making the grill ready. What Eunji did, of course she put an effort to avoid Sunggyu. She willingly did some errands for the moms; going back and forth to the kitchen even they had a maid there. She would slow her pace when walked back to the backyard and sometime got scolded when she forgot to bring some stuff. She hoped this would end soon.

Eunji wasn’t denying the fact that the view of two men over there distracted her. Silently, she took a glimpse of the two young men that busy prepared the grill while talking and laughing. She wonder what they are talking, it must something interesting for young men like work, hobby and girl. She sighed about the girl part and remembered about the girl back than on their Senior High School. The girl with long wavy black hair and had a good impression for every people, not only beautiful but she was smart, what a perfect girl to be a girlfriend. And she wonder, how was she, no it should be how was they. Although she really curious about it, she didn’t have the right to asked him about, after she left her friendship with him, though she didn’t mean to left but just to avoid and ignore it. 

The two young men stood still while patiently waiting the grill set and beef to be ready, they were still on their formal attire from the office but with slight differences; the sleeves was rolled up right until the elbow, without a necktie so the upper button was left open and hair styled up a little, typical rich guy on the drama, indeed they were rich. That kind of sight made her stared at them in awe, how could the two men that she love become this beautiful though even on the high school they were cool but now they become even more and add the word manly to them. Eunji couldn’t left her eyes from them and didn’t realize that her mother called her name several time.

“Oh, Eunji!” Mrs. Jung raised her voice a little and Eunji could only gasp and looked at her mother.  “God, Eunji, can’t you spacing out at another time?” she sighed,” Just go to your brother.”

Eunji didn’t move from her spot but felt ashamed about her act, were they knew that she stare at them all the time? She sighed and scolded herself for being this silly and of course she would defense herself, “No, Omma I’m okay, I will help you here.” It made her earned a disbelief look from her mom. She didn’t get it, why her mom urged her to approach them until felt a hand grabbed hers as well and put a tray on. “Eunji, give this to your brother, now!” with that she looked at her hand and understood what she asked for. Sighed after sighed, she looked at their spot, slowly approached the young man with head hung low as she sighed a few time.

“Here,” Fortunately her brother was alone so she could pout at him because of their mom. Meanwhile Yonghwa chuckled about her act and tousled her hair. “Seriously Eunji, what gotten into your mind?”

“Stop it, Oppa,” she took the tongs and helped Yonghwa put the beef on grill. They were lovely sibling who always bickering and noisy but understand and take care each other, like when she had a fight or she was upset at something. Back then when they were on senior high school, Eunji suddenly disappeared after school and he found her who was hiding under the slide on the playground. Curled up her body, her head on the arm which was on knee and she was crying. Yonghwa didn’t said or asked anything but sat behind her, patting her back lightly as if he told her that it was okay to cry and he always there for her.

The beef and onion on the grill which smell so good made their stomach react with a growl sounds and they laughed at it. Just simple jokes could turn this sibling into something that we didn’t know. They couldn’t stop their jokes until Mrs. Jung called Eunji to take the plate from the kitchen.

“Oppa, watch the beef, I don’t want to eat burn beef.” She said to her brother like giving him a lecture.

“Yes, Mam,” and Yonghwa returned with a salute to her. They laughed again. She turned her body and to her careless bumped on something.

“Ouch...,” it was a man scent she thought. She put her hand on forehead and rubbed it a little. She knew it was an accident because she could heard he was surprised too and for the next second, she realized that it was Sunggyu, someone she avoided so hard but in a few hour after she came back he was here right in front of her. It was their fate, maybe, fate that they do not know and they cannot avoid.

She stayed still didn’t know what to do, she wanted to walk away and said it was okay but deep in her heart she wanted to stay still and even hug and tell that she missed him. She knew that, it was only her imagination and slowly stepped back. Then, God maybe had another plan for her, when Sunggyu put his hand on the side of Eunji’s head and touched her forehead with his thumb.

“God, Eunji, sorry I didn’t mean it. Are you okay?” he bend forward to study her face while Eunji just blinking confusedly. She could tell that her body wasn’t cooperate at all, when her mind said she should calm down, she felt her face getting warmer and mentally screaming on her mind asking for help because she knew that her face was red as tomato. She wanted to say something but looks like was sealed.

He retrieved his hand after Eunji nodded her head because in that state she couldn’t think anything else. “Ok then, I thinks your mom called you, Eunji.” He smiled and still give her a surprise by patted her head.

Eunji walked toward the kitchen to take the plate but still couldn’t believe what happened before. She pinched her cheek, proven it, that her heart still beating so fast like in the past though she decided to give up on him before.

She searched for the plate on the counter but the things there seem different after her last visited. She looked at every cabinet and found out the plate was above her. She tiptoed to reach the plate since the place was high enough for her. She stretched her hand until reach the plate side but only caused the plate shifted far enough from her hand. She cursed because she needs to stretch her body again. This time she tried as hard as she could but the plate moved far from before. She rested her hand on the wooden cabinet above while catching her breath, it merely about the plate thing but enough to use all of her energy. She looked up again and could see how far the plate had moved. While gathering her strength, she felt someone behind her back.

“You can ask me or Yonghwa, Eunji. You cannot reach this place.” Sunggyu who suddenly entered the kitchen, saw Eunji tried to reach something impossible within her height and initiated to help her.

She should feel relief but she wasn’t. It was good to help each other but not for Eunji on this kind situation. Eunji couldn’t move aside when Sunggyu helped her because he placed his left hand on the counter beside her while stretching another hand to take the plate, towering her from behind.  Eunji gripped the kitchen counter tightly as her heart beat stopped for a moment when his hand accidentally brushed her lightly while taking the plate.

“See that, I can easily reach this if you asked me earlier.” Sunggyu moved back a little but his left hand remained still.

It couldn’t be pleasant if she ignore him, so she braved herself to turn around and thanked him. She looked up at him, instead of thank him; she froze on her spot because their position couldn’t help at all. Their face just an inch closer. They stared each other, listened to their own breath. After a moment of silence Sunggyu knew what so wrong and cleared his throat, slowly pulled his hand and stepped back. Finally, Eunji was relief because she could think back as before and thanked him.

“Eunji,” he paused. “Can you help me?”

What it is again. “Hmmm?”

“I will bring this but can you help me with this?” he gestured his hand to the plastic on the counter, a plastic of strawberry. “I got this from a friend.”

A smile form on her face, she remembered that Sunggyu was addicted to strawberry thing, he didn’t change. Eunji nodded her head, agreeing what he asked and took the plastic to wash the strawberry.

“Ok, deal,” He took the plate and before walked to the backyard, he tousled her hair playfully, “Thank you, Eunji-ah,” he walked away and left her dumbfounded and probably blushed. For that moment she confirmed that her heart still beating for him.

sorry for the late update T-T