PREVIOUSLY….

She started, “Why am I here?” Stalling for time, she asked him “Why do you think I am here?”

“Umm…I dunno? Maybe to see me because you miss me? Or because you have an answer to my confession?”

Nodding her head as though she is considering his answer as a possible reason to her being in Busan.

Chuckling at him, “Actually, it’s the second answer. I’m here because I already have made a decision. To be honest, I don’t have to come here to tell you about my answer. I can call you to tell you about it. Call me cruel, but I want to see your reaction when I say this to you.” Readying herself to tell him her decision.

She clears and said, “Yo~ng, I’m sorry... but I just realized I don’t like you.” biting her lips until it hurts because of the guilt she is feeling, she looks away.

Shocked with what he heard, he cannot utter any single word. He looks like a fish out of the water. Stricken with pain, he suddenly stands up and walked away. He needs to get away from her…it hurts too much.

CHAPTER 7

So, she stood up and ran towards Yonghwa who was walking away from the platform with a slumped form with a very down expression. When she reached him, she held tight his hand as he tried to move away from her.

“Yong,” shaking his hand to make him look at her. “Jebal, look at me,” she said pleadingly.

“I’m sorry…it was not really what I meant when I said those words a while ago. It came out so wrong that you misinterpret my meaning.”

Sighing… “I don’t know how to say it…but I don’t really have a clue on what I’m feeling right now. Can you analyze it for me? You know, it’s just that you give vibes that put a smile on my face, the laughs I get from talking to you and just the fact that you can make me think of you even if we aren’t talking. I cannot confidently say that I love you already, but I will say that you are the reason I am happy each and every day. I’m scared as hell to want you, but here I am wanting you anyway.”

“So, what do you think? Can we make long-distance relationship work?” Seohyun asked while shaking her hands to let out the tension she was feeling.

Still in shock, it took a while for him to digest what he had heard from Seohyun. Slowly, a grin appeared in his face and his eyes twinkle while nodding his head to affirm that they will give this LDR a shot. Finally, he pulled her to give her a hug while thanking Seohyun continuously for accepting to be his girlfriend.

As they pull apart, they started to walk back to where she left her things when she ran after him. They are now walking with intertwined hands, as if it so natural for them to hold hands, no awkwardness, no anything. Yonghwa’s smile has not left his face since he heard her admission of wanting to be by his side.

“Hy~un, we will make it, ahrasso? We will do everything to make this work even if we are not together all the time. Do you trust Oppa?” he asked.

She nodded, “Deh, Yo~ng.”

“We will find ways to be together as much as physically possible. If I have to go to Seoul weekly, I would do so just to be with you on weekends. I will try to finish all my work five days a week so I don’t need to come to the office on weekends. You know what, now that I have you my weekend won’t be such a bore anymore because now I have something to look forward to every weekend. If I can’t come to Seoul, will you go visit me here?”

“Sure, but of course it would depend always on my schedule whether I have to man the office that Saturday or not. You know that we get routine Saturday schedules to man the counseling center just in case somebody came in need of our help, right?” Seohyun continued, “So, we need to arrange that if it happens. Anyway, we will cross the bridge when we get there, right Oppa? But for now, I need to get on that train before it leaves without me.”

“and it would favor me a lot” mumbles Yonghwa.

“You were saying something, Oppa? I didn’t quite catch it.”

“Ani. I said it would not be favorable to exchange tickets if you missed it” he counters.

“Ahrasso.”

“Hy~un, do you really have to go back?” showing his duck pout which makes Seohyun giggle at the cuteness he is showing.

“Oppa, your aegyo won’t work for me. I need to be on this train or else Omma will have my head and will not let me come back if I stay another day. You know, parents are such conventional. She will think that if I stay here one more day that we will do inappropriate things.”

“Oh! We can do that if that’s what you want,” smiling evilly.

“Tch...As if! ert! I’m changing my mind already. I’m breaking up with you. Now that I know what a you are! You only want this gorgeous body of mine, so ciao! Don’t look for me when you are in Seoul. Forget that we ever met!” she said jokingly.

“Yeah right, as if you can forget this handsome namja…you will not meet any man like me. Yah, Seo Joo Hyun, I’m warning you…don’t look at any man, ahra? Don’t talk to them or even glance at them. If I happen to know that you look at any man other than me, there will be consequences, okay?”

“Yah! Jung Yonghwa-ssi, what do you take me for? I ogle men and fantasize about them? Neo michyeoss-eo! That’s it, I give up. It’s not even 10 minutes yet and you’re being possessive already? How do you think this will work with us miles away from each other? You just said trust, oppa, TRUST is a big word for both of us. You just gotta trust me. I will tell you right here, right now, I am a very loyal, one-man woman. I don’t go having crushes or consider other guys who are courting me when I have a man in my life…I’m not like that. I’m willing to make sacrifices to see if this relationship will work for us knowing that we a