She can't believe how her fates can be worst than what she already had, but it happen anyway. She kicks the tire of her white Honda and groan in anger when the pain crept in. Now she was a bit frustrated, driving in a highway with her old car definitely not the best decision she ever made. This is exactly the reason why she rarely going home to her hometown in Busan.

 

She sighed when she found not even a single car passed by and her dead phone was not helped at all. If it wasn’t for her little sister wedding in the upcoming week, she won’t go back home, not when she just got fired from her job. It was a compromising job as a junior marketing in a big company if only her boss won't seduce her and asks her to be his mistress.

 

Apparently, life went by never as you wish.

 

A car passes her by, not even took a single glance at her. She grumbles and starts to actively stopping the car for help but failed miserably. Seems no one wants to stop in such a speed highway. She doesn't have any choice then, she thought. It's been an hour since she was stuck and the sun was about to set. She saw a red car passed and doesn't want to lose any chance, so she quickly jump to the road, hand open wide, as if she was about to commit suicide. Her eyes was shut tight, silently prays that the driver has a very good driving skill to avoid the accident to happen. She was crazy and desperate indeed.

 

She can listen a screeching of the tire and when she open her eyes slowly, she just saw the car turns left and stop weirdly to avoid crash with the median fence. She was panting despite no rapid moving she did. The car door open and a young man with a surprised face is out. That surprised expression doesn’t stay long since it was suddenly change with anger.

 

"What the hell are you thinking you're doing? Are you crazy? Do you want to die?" He shouts.

 

Seohyun got startled when she heard a loud sound when he throws down the car door with rage. “I'm sorry, but I don't have any choice.” Seohyun pointed to the car left in the edge of the street. “My car there, I don’t know what’s wrong with it, but I think the radiator. It’s an old car anyway. The sun almost set and no one passed by so I start to panic and can only came up with that crazy idea. Can you give me a ride to the bus stop near the city, ahjussi?” Seohyun blabbered tried to convince him.

 

“So you need a ride not trying to commit suicide? Wait, what did you just called me? Ahjussi? Yah.. I'm not that old."

 

"Ahrasso..ahrasso.. I'm sorry, give me a ride please?"

 

"Let me see it." He walks to her car and check on it. Seohyun watch his figure for a moment. He was wearing a white t-shirt and ripped jeans with a sneaker. Totally not a style of a decent guy for her opinion, but hey who are she to judge people when her own boss who looks decent enough in her eyes was act like a prick bastard. But she still felt a bit aware since she will ride in a car only with this stranger guy.

 

Suddenly there are a loud thud from her car and eruption of fumes comes from the machine cover his face with a dark stain. Seohyun was startled, half of it feels guilt but hilariously funny so she bit her inside lips to prevent the laugh that almost surface.

 

He coughs a couple times before looking up at her smiling face. "I think you should call a tow car for it."

 

"Yes, I will call it when I reach my home." She explained. Deliberately, not telling him that her phone was run out of battery, too.

 

"Where are you heading?"

 

"Just took me to the nearest bus stop please?" She said.

 

"Okay."

 

He wait for her inside his car, she was taking a big trunk from her car. It looks heavy by the way she struggle to drag it inside his car. "Where are you heading exactly to bring that big trunk?"

 

"Busan." She blurted unconsciously while panting after she succed to put the trunk inside the car.

 

"Really? I'm heading there, too. If you want, I can take you to Busan. It will be nice to have company in such a long ride."

 

She hesitates for a while, still feel a bit cautious to go with a stranger. "Oh come on, you don't think I will do something bad to you, right? Even if I have something in mind, I definitely will choose my target." He looks at her figure from head to toe with a disgusted look. She definitely pretty but he don't know why she should wear such a horrible outfit like the one she was wearing right now. It is a white oversized sweater with baggy pants and sneaker that looks like never get a chance to be cleaned.

 

Feeling his stare to her outfit, she felt a bit embarrassed. She really didn't think much when she grab everything she wear from her closet this morning, even the worn out shoe that she often wear to hike. "Okay, let's go?"

 

He chuckles and starts the engine. "My name is Jung Yong Hwa. You can call me Yonghwa, oppa or anything else. You seem younger than me so I will drop my honorific, okay? What's your name?"

 

"Seo Joo Hyun."

 

"Are you from Busan? I live there until seventeen before move to Seoul permanently. Do you come to visit your family?" He asked.

 

"I came to see my husband." She lied. He observes her ring finger and finds it empty. "You married?"

 

"N-ne, my ring is gone a few days ago when I had a business trip so yeah..hehe.." She knows she is a bad liar but she think he will stay away from her if she says so. "So what are you doing in Busan?" She grins awkwardly at him.

 

"Haha.. how can you lost such a precious ring.. I'm visiting my old friend there. It's been a while since I last come to Busan. I think it already change so much.."

 

He is a chatterbox. She was sure of it after 30 minutes they were together. He already told her the story about himself, his family, his hobby and his job. She snaps at him when she thinks she can't handle it anymore. "Are you usually this chatterbox?" She frowned. She was being rude, but she just can't endure it anymore.

 

"Oh..not really.." He stay silent for a second before continue. "Well, I only talk much when I feel comfortable with the latter. Do you mind?" He asked innocently.

 

"Are you already comfortable with me?"

 

"Don't  you? Are you feeling annoyed with me?"

 

She laughs awkwardly before turning on the radio. "May I?" He nodded when the radio play a song from her favorite band.

 

"Oh I love this song, do you know the composer..."

 

Seohyun slump in her seat and sigh.

 

Apparently it was his favorite band, too.

 

***

 

Seohyun didn't realize since when she was fallen asleep. When she wakes up, a jacket covering her body and it wasn't hers. Maybe he put it when she sleeps. They already reach half of their journey when she wakes up. The sky already dark with only the street light illuminated the path.

 

"You awake? Are you hungry?" He handed her a bottle of mineral water.

 

"Not really. Don't you tired? Do you want me to drive?" She asked while sipping the water quickly. She was thirsty apparently.

 

"There is something.." He said, pointing to his own skin beside his mouth making her gasped in realization.

 

She covers her cheek with her palms in embarrassment and quickly looking at the mirror.

 

She finds nothing.

 

"Mwoya?" Just then she heard him laugh out loud and it hit her that it was only a prank.

 

"Yah.." She shouts.

 

"I'm hungry. Let's stop and grab some food, shall we?"

 

So he stops in the nearest dining hall and quickly reserve a table in it. The place was quite small with only old people come by. There is a small corner with a microphone in it, the owner put it there for entertainment purpose, if there is a person who willing to sing or perform anything. There's this one old man who now sings his heart out with people inside the restaurant clapping happily and some of them even dancing, too. Yonghwa too, seems enjoying himself so much.

 

After their meal was served, an ahjumma grab Yonghwa's hand to join them dance. Yonghwa is following them happily. It was a good sight, Yonghwa really has a nice smile in his good looking face. He seems can be close to anybody just in a short of time. Seohyun shook her head, can’t believe at her own thought.

 

He asked her to join them but she shook her head in refusal. But he was determines to not let her sit and only watch. He grabs her hand and pull her until she stand up. The sudden movement makes her stumble and lose her balance so she ends up in Yonghwa's embrace. Breathing in his chest, she can feel his increase heartbeat and smell his cologne mixed with his sweat. Usually she will hate the sweat smell of a man but she finds the smell of him a little addicting.

 

The loud claps from the uninvited audience snap her back, realizing her weird position. She can hear them chanting something like how they were fit each other and makes them remember their younger days. He was grining when she looks up. "Do you really like being in my embrace?"

 

She gasped before push him away and stand awkwardly in the middle of the room, embarrassed to make a scene. He looks at her crimson face and wink seductively at her, a grin plastered in his face before continue dancing with the older people beside him.

 

A haraboeji give the microphone to Yonghwa and ask him to sing. He sings wholeheartedly and the other following the lyric while dancing.

 

"Omo, your husband really nice, I never saw a young man want to spent time to sing and dance to this haraboeji and haimoni. It's been a while since I saw how they were enjoying the music." An ahjumma tap Seohyun's shoulder while watching the crowds.

 

"He isn't my husband." Seohyun explained.

 

"Are you married?" Seohyun shook her head. "Then you should make him one. It's rare to see someone like that."

 

Seohyun smile awkwardly thinking if only this ahjumma knows that he was just a stranger she knows just a few hours ago.

 

***

 

"Tell me about yourself."

 

"Ne?"

 

"Tell me about you. You know you haven't told me anything beside your name and that you were married. Come on tell me, we are friends now. I already told you about me. Don't you think it's only fair if you told me yours, too?"

 

Like I ask you, she thought.

 

"Come on.. It will feel better when you have a ride with someone you know than just a mere stranger." He convinced.

 

"What do you want to know?"

 

He thinking for a while, "You married?"

 

"I already told you."

 

"Any child?"

 

"Nope."

 

"How about your age?"

 

"27."

 

"I'm 29, so I'm indeed older than you. Did your husband possessive type?" He asked.

 

"I-I don't think so."

 

"Good, so you won't get trouble by calling me oppa from now on." He laugh at himself when he imagine her to call him like that. "Try it."

 

She frowned when she heard an odd yet scary laugh comes from his mouth. "Just in case you doesn’t feel it yet, I'm not an aegyo type of girl. It's impossible for me to call you like whatever you had in mind." He keeps making the weird sound. "Stop it, it's scary. You make me goosebumps."

 

"Sorry, I just can't stop myself imagining it. Come on, try it."

 

"No way."

 

He sighs, it was his bad luck to met such a grumpy woman. "Ahrasso. Can't you joke? Or smile? Or laugh?"

 

"I can't. Satisfied?"

 

He chuckles. "Tsk.. nevermind. You are no fun."

 

***

 

"Aish.. the tire is deflated. I think because it hit the nail in the ground. Who would have throw away a nail in the street?"

 

Seohyun watch him grumble when he take a new tire inside the car. She got out from the car and took a deep breath. The cold breeze makes her shiver, she cross her hand to make herself warmer. "Yah, Joo hyun, why you go out with such a thin close? Do you want to freeze to death here?" When he got no response from her who apparently was daydreaming, he took his jacket from the car and wanted to put it on her. She was smiling while looking at the night sky, watching the first snow fall to the ground. Her hand reaches the snow who melt easily in her palm, wetting her finger. She doesn't realize there is a person who stands stiffly, observing her newfound expression.

 

It was the first time he saw her smiling, genuinely. Like it wasn't only snow that fallen but the star itself. She looks innocently happy, the eye was sparkling and her chubby cheek was showing up. No one will think that she was the grumpy girl who accompanying him to ride just a while ago. If someone said smile is contagious, that's truly what he felt right now, because unconsciously he was smiling, too.

 

He walks closer to her and put the jacket on her shoulder, startled her. Suddenly the eye that sparks some happiness change in to a glare when she saw him. Like she can only show her soft side to other object and turns grumpy again when she was with other human, or is it only to him? He laughs at her sudden change expression and he doesn't know why he finds it cute and funny. She is one of a kind. What kind of husband she has who could conquer someone like her?

 

"What are you doing?" She snaps.

 

"Hey, I'm giving you my jacket for you not to die freezing here while I'm changing the tire, and this is what I got? Tsk.." He complained although the grin still plastered in his face. "If I can give you advice, lady." He buttons the jacket for her, making her stand stiffly. "Smile more, you look pretty when you does." He wink before left her, back to the deflated tire that should be fixed immediately if they doesn't want to arrive in Busan at midnight.

 

She gasped wondering why there is such a man, who always flirting and act nice but such a chatterbox and busybody.

 

***

 

They arrive at Busan at night, Seohyun ask him to stop her at the bus stop but he insists to send her home. So here they are in front of the two story house, Seohyun's house. "Thanks Yonghwa-ssi for letting me to go with you." She politely bows at him. Just when she was about to get out, Yonghwa catch her hand. "Wait, won't you give me your number and treat me for at least a meal?"

 

"D-don't you know I'm married?" This is what she hate, a man will definitely won't do anything free for a girl. And she hates doing an empty talk just to pleasure people.

 

"I know, but we are friends now, aren't we? Will your husband mind?"

 

"Yes, he will. I'm sorry to let you down, Yonghwa-ssi. I'm really thankful for your help but I should come in right now. My family is waiting for me." She opens the car door and get out, took the trunk in the back seat and struggle to let it out until Yonghwa come to help her. He easily took out the trunk.

 

"I don't think we will meet again after this. Thank you." Just like that she walks inside the house with Yonghwa watching her back.

 

***

 

"Unnie, I'm so nervous. Ottoke? What if Jonghyun oppa will walk away from the altar?"

 

Seohyun was seating beside her sister, Yoona who is busy fidgeting in her seat while her face get some make up. "Aniya, he won't do that to my pretty baby."

 

"You think so unnie? He is such a nice man, isn't he?"

 

"Ne, I think he is." Seohyun smile, felt her sister happiness as her own. Just one more problem, when she walks out of the room, she will get many questions for her own married from her older relatives. It irk her, how can she get married when her boyfriend just dump her for another woman not too long ago. Maybe it was really not her lucky year.

 

After her sister got dressed, Jonghyun walks in. The other girl in the room was surprised to see him there. "The groom wasn’t supposed to see the bride before the ceremony." The other girls was try to convince him to leave but he just standing there, stood stiffly while looking at Yoona with his loving eye, amaze at how beautiful she was in her wedding dress.

 

Yoona stand shyly, embarrassed at how Jonghyun was staring at her. No one say anything since the bride and groom was drowning in each other eyes, not minding another people in the room. Stylish unnie just laugh and walk out from the room to give them space. Just when Seohyun’s about to leave, someone walks in, blocking her path.

 

"Yah, Jonghyun-ah, you already saw her, right? Now get back to your own waiting room and wear your... tux." His eye grows wider watching the girl in front of him. "You?"

 

"You.. Why are you here?"

 

"You know each other?" Jonghyun asked.

 

"She is my friend." Yonghwa said, grin excitedly.

 

"No, I am not." Seohyun’s denied leave Jonghyun and Yoona curious. They glance at each other before looking at the two, suspiciously.

 

"It's seems there is something happen between them, oppa."

 

"Ne, I also can sense it. Must we find it out?"

 

Seohyun can hear her sister and her soon to be husband whispering behind her back. Yonghwa was still grinning and seems can't read Seohyun’s annoyed feeling when he add. "We have a special connection with each other. We even come to Busan together, right Joohyun-ah?"

 

"Mwo? Really? But unnie, why you never told me?"

 

Oh my God, just let me out of here, Seohyun’s thought. She clearly embarrassed because she knows her sister will not stop teasing her about this matter.

 

"Ani, Yoona-ya. It wasn't like what you think. It was just a coincidence." Seohyun explained.

 

"So, she is your sister, Yoona-ssi? What a coincidence. Well, it's true what she said, it's not like what you think, we just happen to meet when she tried to suicide." Yonghwa deliberately add fuel in the fire.

 

Seohyun glare at him in anger. "Yah, I'm not trying to suicide."

 

Yoona gasp when she heard her sister try to suicide. "Omo, unnie, why are you doing something so stupid? Is it because Kyuhyun oppa cheating on you?"

 

"No it was not because of that jerk, and I'm not even trying to suicide." Seohyun massage her forehead, suddenly feel headache.

 

"Who is Kyuhyun? Is that your husband?" Yonghwa asked her than glance at Yoona direction. "Is that her husband?"

 

"Ah mwolla.." Seohyun walks out of the room, half annoyed half embarrassed for her lie will soon get reveal.

 

She avoids her sister and the groom and especially Yonghwa as much as she can until the ceremony starts. She saw her sister walk in the aisle with her dad holding her hand and got teary all of the sudden. It will be her if not for his boyfriend cheating on her. She sighs thinking how terrible her life this days.

 

She felt somebody took a seat at the empty seat beside her, but not minding to even take a glance until a voice break her bubble. "Beautiful, eh?"

 

She watches Yonghwa with his signature grin that seems never disappears from his face ever since their meeting this morning. "What?"

 

"You.. I never thought you will be this pretty after you get rid that hideous sweater." Yonghwa chuckled. "So.. married, eh? I believe your husband wasn't a possessive namja, right?"

 

There's this tone of him that annoyed her. It clearly he was teasing her for her own lie. "What do you want?" She glares at him.

 

"You lie. Your sister told me you never married, heck.. You even had no boyfriend right now."

 

She gritted her teeth, if only she wasn't in her sister wedding ceremony, she will snap and leave this place immediately. "So.. what do you want, Yonghwa-ssi?"

 

His grin grows wider. "A dinner will be fine and I will forgive you for lying to me."

 

"Nope. I don't care whether you forgive me or not." She sticks out her tongue to him. He chuckles more. He doesn't know why but seeing her reaction has a funny impact for him. It was fun to see her get annoyed and funny to see her grumpy self. In short, he likes her company. And curious to find out how many layers she had behind her hard and grumpy exterior.

 

"Soo..you won't care if I tell your family that we met when you try to commit suicide?"

 

She glance at him, frowning, "We know it's not true."

 

"Is it? But they don't know it. I just can tell that you jump to my car and.."

 

"Okay..okay..stop that or you will make my Dad had a heart attack." Her hand hang in the air to stop him talk further.

 

"Cool. Your sister already gave me your number. I will call you tomorrow." He laughs, feel the victory of her giving up.

 

She hit her own forehead, cursing her busybody sister that she loved so much.

 

***

 

She can feel his stare even from a far. When she walks, talk to her friends or her family, his gaze never leave her. She thinks she just think too much and get over confidence, that maybe he wasn't even look at her but everytime she was looking up, she find his eye on her direction.. and smile.. and wink.. and grin.. and make her feel aware of her own gesture every minutes.

 

She doesn't know why her family even trying to match her with him. It must be her sister doing, telling people that they were have that kind of connection called fate. She took a chocolate dessert and put it on her plate when she felt his presence beside her. "So, where do you think we should have dinner? Any places that you like? It's been a long time since the last time I came, it will be nice if you can take me strolling around, too."

 

"I haven't come back here since I was graduating, so I myself have no idea where to bring you."

 

"Then we should find out together, how many changes that this place already had after years."

 

She wants to walk to the table when her feet twist due to slip from her dress, makes her stumble and unbalanced. She almost screams and falls when she felt a pair of hand catching her on her waist.

 

She felt light while waiting to fall but realized she wasn't even touch the ground. "Open your eyes, my lady, you are save now." He chuckles seeing her close her eyes so tight, the same gesture she had when she was jump into his car the other day.

 

It is his dark brown orbs the first thing she saw when she open her eye. It feels like she was in the depth of it, get hypnotist. "Are you satisfied?" His crack voice snaps her back from the reverie. "What?"

 

"Are you already satisfied staring at me? Because I might die.. by your choke.. any second." She realized she was holding his tie tightly and he was holding her waist even tighter. "Omo..I'm sorry." Seohyun let go of his tie and stand properly. Glancing at him shyly by her clumsiness, she saw how she makes his shirt crumple and distort.

 

"I conclude that you really like being in my embrace." He took a deep breath while brushing his neck.

 

They heard Yonghwa's name been called to come on stage. The groom asks him to sing something for them. He smiles at her and want to go on stage when she grab his hand. "Wait."  She fixed his tie and brushes his crumpled shirt before letting him go. "I conclude that you really like to sing, Yonghwa-ssi." She smile.

 

He grins widely enjoying her treatment. "Thanks. We will continue it later. Watch my performance, friend?" He winked at her before going on stage.

 

This time she doesn't find his wink annoying at all, it even makes her smile even only a little bit at how silly he was.

 

Well, maybe becoming his friend won't be a bad idea for now.

 

 

A.N : So this is just a story I wrote for fun in my vacation last week. I hope you like it. This is only a one shot and I will leave it here. I think the story still too long for a one shot. I just got caught up again when I write it. 

Feedbacks are appreciated.

 

Thank you ^^