Chapter 27 – Neomu Bogo Shipoyo! (I Miss You So Much!)

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#since1765

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Dolce Vita Pension House

Suburban Seoul, Gyeonggi Province

“Wake up missy. We're here.”

Kim Taeyeon was brought to life by Im Yoona's voice. When she opened her eyes, she realized the van was already empty, except for her and Yoona. Her tears caused her to feel sleepy, thus she fell asleep during the remaining drive. She knew it couldn't be that long, because her watch said it was only a little past seven.

When she got out of the van, a sight that wasn't their apartment, or anyone's home, or even anything work-related, welcomed her. It was the very place where she left her heart a week ago.

They were in Dolce Vita pension house.

“What are we doing here?” she asked the girls, who all seemed to know exactly where they were. Everyone, except Taeyeon, walked on towards the pension entrance. “This is... Jiyong's pent house...”

Tiffany turned around and walked back towards her, fetching her.

“Mama Kwon invited us for dinner. She knew how hard we worked all day.”

“The Kwon family's here?” Taeyeon asked, her voice shaking. Even if she spent all day in Songdo Village, none of the Kwons showed themselves to her.

“It's okay babe, they also want to see you,” Tiffany answered affectionately, holding her hand and dragging her. “Now come on, they're waiting.”

*

“What the?!” Kwon Jiyong muttered the moment Choi Seunghyun drove their van towards a familiar mountainous road entrance. Even if it was dark, he still recognized the trees in the surrounding area. “Why are we going to Dolce Vita?”

“Your mom invited us for dinner,” promptly answered Dong Youngbae, who was in the front passenger seat.

It seemed the answer wasn't satisfactory, and yet Jiyong was too tired to doubt anything. His body was beaten and blue from all the manual labor they did all day. He accepted Youngbae's response, and didn't ask anymore. They finally reached the pension, and the boys excitedly unloaded the vehicle.

But upon stepping foot on the parking ground, Jiyong saw that there was another van that was parked aside from theirs and the one he recognized as his parents'.

“Whose van is that?” he wondered, pointing at the unfamiliar Audi SUV. “Is someone else here? I thought you said my mom out the reservations.”

“Nobody's here but us, and some friends,” replied Seunghyun. It was only him and Youngbae who stayed to wait for the slow Jiyong. The rest of the gang hurriedly entered the premises.

“Friends? Which friends?”

“Chill. It's just the girls,” answered Youngbae coolly.

“But which girls?”

“Goodness Jiyong, let's just go and see!” exclaimed Seunghyun, turning his back on the man. “Hurry up, good food and good company's waiting.”

*

The moment the Nuthang and Big Bang men entered the front door, they were immediately welcomed by a set of women wearing outdoor clothing.

Lee Seungri, Kang Daesung, Lee Soohyuk, Yang Seungho and Hong Jonghyun didn't even try to hide their excitement at the sight of the beautiful crowd. They ran towards the group of ladies and all vocally and facially expressed their delight.

“Whoa, pretty ladies in the house yo!”

“Where's my rice cake, Yoona?”

“SNSD and Big Bang raise the roof!”

“Yo, don't forget Nuthang.”

“Hi Seohyun, how's my beautiful girl?”

The gang collectively voiced out their disgust of Seungri, while Seo Juhyun blushed immortally, hiding behind Kwon Yuri.

“How was the trip guys?” welcomed Kim Hyoyeon, who was one of the most comfortable in SNSD around men, stranger or not.

Sooyoung also inquired, “Forget the trip! How was the coal and wood delivery?”

“It was so hard. Look at my abs and chest, they're filled with cuts and bruises.”

“Man, we so wished you were there to cook for us.”

“We agreed to help because they said you'd be there.”

“I was looking forward to Yoona personally delivering my rice cakes.”

“How about you, Seohyun? Are you tired?”

“Dang, you all look haggard and worn out,” commented Kwon Yuri, pointing at the men's wounds and gashes from the woods.

Lee Sunkyu yelled, “Yah Kang Daesung, we believe you got injured. No need to show off your abs. You can wear your shirt now.”

The girls laughed, and Daesung unwillingly wore his top again.

“Are you sure you girls did manual labor all day?”

“Why do you still look so fresh and beautiful?”

“We can't say the same for you guys. You all stink!”

The ladies and gentlemen continued their small talks in the lobby, teasing, laughing, and joking together. For a few minutes, they bonded, and Kim Taeyeon just sat on one of the welcome benches. She was the sole one who didn't enjoy the sight of Nuthang and Big Bang. If the boys were here, surely...

That's when the front door opened again, revealing the remaining boys expected to arrive. Dong Youngbae first entered, and then Choi Seunghyun, and finally...

“Jiyong...” Taeyeon muttered, standing up at the sight of the man she hasn't seen or talked to in days.

“Taeyeon!” Kwon Jiyong also called out upon looking up. At first, he didn't see her from afar as his head was bowed, but there was no mistaking that voice.

By instinct, fueled by their longing for each other, as well as the tiredness of their bodies and minds, the man and the woman immediately ran towards one another. Never mind that their friends were all there. Never mind that the elders still haven't lifted up their punishment. At that precise moment, all logics were lost. All that mattered were the presence of each other.

When they reached one another, Taeyeon began crying. She couldn't believe that the man she was yearning for, and cooked the thousand rice cakes for, was finally within reach. She was glad that he quickly reached out to her, grabbing her body up close, and owning her so tightly. Jiyong took her and wrapped his arms around her weakened body, and her face was buried on his chest. She cried there, and Taeyeon felt him kiss her head first, then her ear, the side of her neck, until he finally homed his head on her shoulders, his mouth kissing the back of her neck.

“I missed you,” Jiyong whispered, breathing on Taeyeon's skin.

“I missed you too,” Taeyeon replied, her arms wrapped around Jiyong's wounded torso. “I can't not be in your life Jiyong. I just can't!”

“Ssssssh baby girl, it's okay,” assured Jiyong, parting their bodies, but keeping her close. He held her face with both hands, and looked her in the eye. “I'm here, you're here, and that's all that matters.”

But Taeyeon has reached desperation, because her days of longing has reached its peak. She was crying so hard, shaking her head, still in disbelief that he was already there, holding her.

“I need you in my life Ji,” she cried, holding Jiyong's hands that held her face. “I can't imagine life without you anymore.”

“I'm not going anywhere honey, because I need you in my life too.”

“I really missed you so bad it already hurt!” she sobbed, pouting unintentionally.

“It hurt for me too. I mean, how could I not see such a pretty face for that long?” teased Jiyong, now laughing at how the woman bawled her eyes out like a little girl. He chuckled, and pulled her in his arms again. “My poor baby girl, aigooooo...”

She continued sobbing in his chest, while Jiyong just embraced her tighter. Their hug lasted, until they were already swaying and turning their bodies around, as if dancing.

Then together, they both separated and looked at each other again. At the same time, they began to say words, and also at the same time, they hesitated...

“Jiyong I...”

“Taeyeon I...”

I'm in love with you.

While both were still finding the courage to say the words, they were cut.

“Ehem!”

“Cough, cough.”

For the minutes they danced and talked in each other's company, they completely forgot that there were more than a dozen other people around them. They parted ways, and looked back. Together, they flushed as they saw their friends watch them with happy faces.

“Kids, dinner is served,” declared Mama Kwon, who a