She smiled for a split second then sighed. “Do you ever feel like you just don’t belong anywhere?”

“Yes,” he answered.

Her head whipped to her left when she heard his answer. “You do?”

“Don’t we all?” He looked at her and gave her a small smile. “Now, why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

She hesitantly put her head down again, thinking whether it’s appropriate to tell someone she’s only known for a few weeks her innermost secrets. When she didn’t speak, Jong Kook took her tiny hand in his, and brushed his thumb against her skin. She doesn’t know what it exactly meant, but her heart suddenly felt comfort and a faint tingling sensation at the same time.

Ji Hyo tugged her hand away from his grip, and then rubbed her arms to make herself lose that tingling feeling. “Ji Hyo?” he asked her. When she glanced to her left, a pair of concerned eyes met with hers.

She smiled at him. “If I tell you what’s wrong, we’ll get too serious here. Really.”

“Well, some things in life tend to be that way.”

“I’ve been living in this world for twenty-seven years, and until now, I just can’t seem to forget that I’ve lived half of that in a lie.” She sighed, tucking another strand of loose hair behind her ear. She shook her head and her smile once again made its appearance. “But you know, I learned to just forget it. I learned to not mind the people who caused me all those heartbreaks in the past.”

He observed her profile— which is still as beautiful as he first saw her weeks ago. A part of him couldn’t believe that such a happy person could have been hiding such woeful secrets. “You can’t always run away from your problems, you know? You have to learn to forgive all those jerks so that you can completely forget them. You can’t always be crying over them like this.”

When she saw him making another move to touching her hand, she immediately bolted up and stood in front of him. “Hey, Kim Jong Kook! You shouldn’t be lecturing me in the middle of the street like this!”

He laughed at the sight in front of him— a pouty Ji Hyo with her hands on her hips. “You look exactly like a middle-aged lady scolding her son who went home late last night.”

A smile broke out from her lips, which then turned into a full on laughter. This man and his words, she thought. “You should really go home, Jong Kook.”

He stood up and wiped off the loose dirt from his cargo shorts. “I’ll go home once I see you’re okay,” he said.

“I’m good, see?” she said, pointing at the smile plastered on her face.

“I see that, but that doesn’t mean I buy it. Let’s go. Do your pictures and I’ll just shadow you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she said, shaking her head at him.

“But I want to.” He simpered, knowing that he’d won.

“Okay.”

~

It wasn’t as much of a shocker to him once he saw her in action. She was back to being the bubbly person he’s first met in only a matter of minutes from being down in the dumps before. He wondered how the woman in front of him does it. From what seemed like a meltdown to her animated state?

“Hey, are you still here?” she asked, waving a hand in front of his face. He might’ve been staring at her too long. “I got the pictures I aimed for tonight.”

“Really? You’re all done?”

“Yep,” she said, lifting the camera and looking through the pictures. “You should go home.”

“I’ll take you home first, then I’ll go,” he said.

“Uhm, I’m going to roam around first and look for food because I’m kind of hungry,” she uttered, smiling bashfully. Ji Hyo couldn’t believe that she’s embarrassed to even say that. Food? At almost midnight? And you say that your boss? Really?

She then told herself that yes, she was embarrassed because she told someone she works for that she’s craving for food in the middle of the night. That’s the only reason, and it’s not because she didn’t want to look like some starving dork.

“Over there!” Jong Kook pointed at the fried squid stand at the corner. “You go buy us some water or whatever and I’ll get us our food.”

Without waiting for Ji Hyo’s reply, he ran as fast as he could and immediately bought two; one for him and one for her. He asked the vendor if he could it hers up in tinier pieces, so she could easily chew it up, and he prepared it for Jong Kook instantly. He thanked the man and gathered the items in his hands.

Ji Hyo, who went to the nearest store, found herself looking through the section where the banana milk drinks were at. Like other adults, banana milks were something that remind them of their childhood. She smiled at the memory of her parents bringing home the drinks every time they get home from work, but then frowned when she remembered the years that followed. She picked one up, maybe just to refresh her memory of the better days, and picked up two bottles of water for herself and Jong Kook.

~

“What, no soju?” Jong Kook teased as Ji Hyo took out the contents of the bag. He smirked when he saw her eyebrow shot up alarmingly high on her forehead.

“Hey, Kim Jong Kook!” she yelled at him with a grin on her face. “I didn’t know you’re into drinking?”

“Well, you don’t know that much about me yet,” he said, showing her the food he got. “Here, try this.” He took a piece of the cut up fried squid and put it in front of her. She gladly took it with and chewed twice. She then looked at him, her eyes appearing as if they’re almost popping out of their sockets, and he laughed. “It’s good, isn’t it?” He asked, popping a piece to his own mouth.

“Whoa, it’s really good.”

Jong Kook made a move to grab the banana milk, but Ji Hyo stopped him, saying that it’s hers.

“You didn’t get me one? I got water from before, too.” He shook his own bag, which was from the convenience store from earlier that night.

She shook her head as she poked a straw on the top of the container. She took a sip and said, “I thought you didn’t like sweet stuff?”

“Well, I like it because it reminds me of my mom,” Jong Kook said, biting a piece out of his fried squid.

“It does? Where’s your mom now?” she asked him curiously.

“She’s been gone for years now.”

Ji Hyo looked at him, full of understanding. “I’m sorry, Jong Kook.”

He nodded at her and gave her a small smile. Ji Hyo placed the drink in front of him with a smile of her own.

Inwardly, Jong Kook wondered why such a small gesture could make his heart feel at ease; and Ji Hyo, she pondered her and Jong Kook’s similarities. Whatever, both thought. They were glad and that’s all that mattered.