“But why?” A teary eyed girl asked her boyfriend of four months. He was seated across from her  in a cafe he had asked her to meet him at, because he had something to say. She expected something better, no more like... the complete opposite of this. But she supposed she forgot to expect the unexpected. He was breaking up with her.

“I’m sorry, Min Ah.” He apologized and looked at her briefly with apologetic eyes. “I just… I don’t think it’s working out.”

“What is it? What’s wrong? Can’t we just talk it out?” She begged and took his hand into hers. He gently pulled back and shook his head.

“There’s really nothing to talk about. I’m sorry that I let it go on for so long… that wasn’t fair to you, I’m sorry.” He apologized once more. There was pure guilt in his expression, it was clear he felt bad.

“What are you saying?” He didn’t reply and just stared at the table, he was avoiding her tear stained face. He hated that he was breaking her heart… he never wanted it to be like this. “Hong Jisoo, answer me!” She cried out a moment later.

“You did nothing wrong. It’s not you, it’s me… I just… don’t feel anything towards you anymore. I don’t think it’s fair to try and ‘make it work’, it’d only be one sided…”

“I don’t care! Maybe you’ll fall in love with me again, it’d take time bu-”

“No. I’m not going to wait for something that I know won’t happen. It’s better that we just part ways here.” He interrupted before he sighed. “I hope you’ll find someone better than me, someone who will give you more love than what little I did…” he bit down on his bottom lip when a memory surfaced in his mind… he had said that last part to someone before, someone he truly cared about..

“Jisoo…”

“It’s over.” He said in a final tone.

“You’re making a big mistake!” She suddenly stood up and her sobbing expression turned into a glare. “You’ll never find someone like me again!” She added before she grabbed her purse and she stormed out of the cafe.

“I sure hope I don’t…” Jisoo muttered, a faint chuckle escaped his lips. She went from 0 to 100 so quick he felt lucky she didn’t whack him with her bag like some girls do when not handling a breakup that well.

“My goodness, what was her problem?” A soft female voice asked at the table next to him. She had just taken her seat after retrieving her order at the counter, her laptop set up moments before that mini drama.

“Ah, you know girls…” it only took him a split second before he realized what he had said and covered his mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. That was rude of me, I’m sorry.” He apologized and turned to face her and froze.

In that moment, he thought perhaps he was imagining things, hearing things… he had thought that soft voice was familiar.

“J-Joshua?” The girl stuttered out in English, she was mirroring his stunned expression.

“... Hi,” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he also replied back to her in English, “Hye Jin.”

“Wow… I didn’t think I’d run into you like this.” She said with a small smile. She was glad to see a familiar face for once since she came back to Seoul. “How.. have you been?”

“Good, and yourself?” He turned in his seat to giver her his full attention. “I didn’t know you came back to Seoul?” He added with a small tilt of his head, he seemed confused.

“Ah, well… I suppose I got a little homesick.” She explained and also turned in her seat. “I came back last month. I was uh… wondering where you were?” She gave a small laugh. “I thought you were still in L.A all this time?”

“No. I came to Seoul two years ago.” He held back a laugh when he saw her jaw nearly drop to the floor.

“Really? Oh my goodness… here I thought you were just really good at avoiding me.” She gave a weak laugh. “I didn’t think to ask about you to your family, wasn’t sure if they were still mad at me or something.”

“I’m sorry.” He frowned after hearing that, he felt bad for the girl. “They’re not mad at you, don’t worry. I came to Seoul to study music further, I guess word didn’t get around.”

“It’s okay, at least I know now.” She looked down to her fidgeting hands in her lap, that indicated she was nervous. Jisoo remembered the sight far too well and smiled to himself. He had always found it adorable when she did that.

After all… they dated for 3 years before breaking up and he moved to Seoul shortly after.

“You okay?” He decided to ask.

“Oh?” She quickly looked up at his question.

“You’re fidgeting… something going on?” He looked around and wondered what could be making her act like that? He wasn’t going to be conceited and think it was him that made her nervous, but it did cross his mind.

“Ah… it’s just, been so long since I last saw you,” she said softly, “kind of… worried if things will get awkward? You know… since we used to…” He only just smiled at her and that made her fidget more. “What?”

“Why would it get awkward? We didn’t part on bad terms, did we?” He asked with a kind smile still on his face.

Two Years Ago…

“I’m sorry…” 19 year old Jisoo muttered quietly as Hye Jin stood before him, a dejected expression on her face. “I’m sorry.”

They were currently at a local park and the sun was setting. Hye Jin had called Jisoo to meet her… they needed to talk. He had hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was, but it was.

“I know…” she replied and stared at the ground while holding back her emotions. “I’m sorry, too. I wish I was more patient… but…”

They were breaking up.

For a while, Hye Jin had been feeling a little neglected in their relationship. He had a passion for music growing up, and she was aware of it when they first met and when they first got together in high school.

But she had no idea how passionate he really was until she started seeing him less and less because of underground gigs, he was invited to concerts by friends when they were supposed to go on a date, he was always distracted on the internet looking up other artists, he was always tired from staying up late composing music or writing songs.

She had put up with it because she wanted to support him and his dream. When she started to notice how it seemed like Music was more important than her… she decided something had to change. Because she had hoped to hear he wrote her a few songs during all of it, but it never happened. She wasn’t expecting it, of course, but it showed he wasn’t really thinking of her, was he?

“I understand.” Jisoo broke the small silence.

“I tried… for a long time. I really did… I know you’re a good person and you never meant for this to happen. I know it, I believe it. I just…” Hye Jin trailed off, her eyes were still focused on the ground. “I’d ask for time, but I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep. I think it’s just better that it ends here.”

“Okay.” Jisoo nodded, his face was mostly calm, but hints of heartbreak could be seen in his eyes. “If this is what you want… okay.” He added on with a weak smile. “Thanks for the past three years… I’m sorry I didn’t treat you better, I’m really regretting it now, but… thanks for supporting me despite it all.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you succeed in your passion and dreams… perhaps right now just wasn’t the time to be in a committed relationship, and that’s okay. Don’t let it discourage you in the future. I know a lot of people say do things when you’re young or you’ll regret it later… but I say just focus on your dream for now. And who knows, you might find someone who shares the same passion and you’ll have your happy ending with her.” She had a smile on her face, but he could hear the heartbreak in her tone.

He wanted to so badly say that he’d wait for her… but just like her, what if he can’t keep that promise?

“Thanks, Hye Jin.” He managed to give a genuine smile. “I hope you’ll find someone better than me, someone who will give you more love than what little I did…”

“Thank you…” her voice cracked just a little and the tears she tried to hold back finally fell from her teary eyes. “Eh, I didn’t think it would be this difficult.” She gave a sad laugh.

Without fully thinking, Jisoo pulled her into one last embrace and gave her one long tight hug, muttering a soft ‘I’m sorry’ into her ear. She could hear the hurt in his voice clear as day. After the hug lasted a few minutes, they parted. Hye Jin looked up at him with a conflicted expression while he thumbed away her tears. He gave her a sad smile.

“I guess this is goodbye, Hye Jin.” He said before leaning down and giving one final kiss to her lips.

It only lasted a few seconds, but felt like an eternity to them both, it had to be the most passionate kiss they had shared in their three years together. It made it that much harder to leave, but Hye Jin forced one last smile before leaving him.

Present Day…

“There you are!” Suddenly, someone came over to their table and interrupted the two’s growing silence. They were reminiscing that very day. “What’s taking you so long? Everyone’s at the studio waiting on you!”

“Oh, crap! I almost forgot!” Jisoo jumped up and apologized to his friend before turning to Hye Jin. “Uhhh…”

“I’ll be here tomorrow, same time.” She smiled. “Go ahead.” Hearing the word studio brought a smile to her lips. She wondered how far he got in pursuing his dream? She definitely hoped they could catch up tomorrow.

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Jisoo said with a delighted smile. He had worried he wouldn’t see her again after this unless they bumped into each other. They hadn’t exchanged contact information yet and he honestly didn’t have time to at the moment… this was good. They could meet again tomorrow. “It was nice seeing you again… get home safely!” He called out to her as his long haired friend started to drag him out of the cafe, leaving Hye Jin sitting alone at her table, amused.

She figured he’d be happy to see her again since she was actually the one who broke up with him, it wasn’t like he was the one who didn’t want to see her anymore, he was quite the opposite, he wanted to stay with her but she knew it just wouldn’t work out. It started to make her think back on it… the emotions of that farewell all those years ago… and the emotions she got when she saw him again just now. She placed a hand over her beating heart.

Just then, she heard something vibrating on the table. At first she thought it was her phone, but quickly noticed the phone buzzing around on the table Jisoo was at before he left. Ah, he left his phone! She frowned, reaching over to grab it so no one else could steal it. It was still buzzing in her hand as the caller ID read ‘Diva Boo’ in English. She decided to answer the call, assuming ‘Diva Boo’ is a friend of Jisoo’s, she could let them know she had his phone and will keep it safe until he could come retrieve it.

“Hello?” She answered… in English.

“Hello?” The voice asked back in English too, his Korean accent was heavy. “Hello? Who is this?” He asked while sounding utterly confused.

“Uh, my name is Hye Jin. I’m a … friend of Joshua’s?” She replied not realizing she should be speaking in Korean to his Korean friend!

“Joshua! You’re friend of Joshua?! Wait, wait, wait…” the guy said before shouting for someone. She recognized him speaking Korean and facepalmed. “Jihoon-hyung! Hurry, come over here!”

“What is it?” She heard another voice getting closer.

“I called Jisoo-hyung but an English speaking girl answered the phone, I don’t know what else to say!”

“Ask for Jisoo, idiot!”

Hye Jin held back a laugh. She was about to assure them she could speak Korean, but this was amusing so she decided not to and wanted to see what they’d do in the end.

“Hello? Hello? Still there?” Diva Boo asked quickly.

“I’m here.” She answered, still in English mode.

“Is Jisoo-hyu-uh Joshua there?”

“Ah, no. He isn’t, I picked up to say he left his phone at the cafe he was just at-”

“Too fast! Too fast! Slow down, please!” Diva Boo said frantically.

“Give me the phone!” She heard the other, Jihoon, grab the phone and clear his throat before speaking. “Yes, hello? Forgive my friend, he at English.”

“That’s okay.” Hye Jin chuckled. “So, I can assume you both are Joshua’s friends, right? He left his phone at the cafe by accident. I didn’t notice till Diva Boo called.” She could hear an eruption of laughter come from the other line, Diva Boo shouting ‘What?! What did she say?!’ in Korean over and over again. She could safely assume Jihoon was dying of laughter.

“Why are you like this! Aish… what to do?!” Diva Boo complained, taking the phone from Jihoon who could no longer speak from his laughter. Hye Jin decided maybe it was time to cut him some slack and use her Korean now until she heard another voice in the background asking what was going on.

“Here! Take the call!” Diva Boo had shoved the phone into the new person’s hand. The sound of Jihoon’s laughter started to fade in the background before the new voice finally spoke again.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Hello?” Hye Jin said back, testing if this friend didn’t know English that well either.

“Hello?”  He answered back, no accent whatsoever. “Who is this?”

“Ah, my name is Hye Jin. I’m an old friend of Joshua’s. I ran into him earlier at a cafe but it appears he left his phone when one of his other friends dragged him out in a hurry. I answered when Diva Boo called,” she heard him hold back a laugh, “to let you guys know that I have it so it wouldn’t get stolen. I told him I’d come back to this cafe around the same time tomorrow, but he really shouldn’t go without his phone for that long. I suppose, could you have him call his phone back so I can arrange some sort of meet up to return it?”

“Sure, no problem.” His friend assured her just as a door was opened. “Or actually, hold on a second, I think Joshua walked in just now.” There was some mumbling heard before the sound of the phone being passed off.

“Hye Jin?” She heard Jisoo’s voice asked quickly.

“Hey!” She greeted. “You forgot your phone!”

“I can see that.” He laughed on the line and sounded slightly embarrassed. “My friend Vernon told me what happened just now. Are you by any chance busy right now?”

“Depends, why?”

“I was going to ask if you could bring my phone to the studio… I kind of needed it today.” He replied, she could tell he was cringing and scolding himself for being so careless.

“Then I’m not busy.” She smiled and turned her laptop off in front of her. “Just tell me where to go and I’ll be there.” After he gave her the address, she packed up her stuff and headed out to her car.

~❤~

“Hyung! Who was that?! Last I checked, Min Ah doesn’t speak English!” Diva Boo, real name Boo Seungkwan, asked his older friend with a confused expression. “You aren’t two timing, are you?!”

“No. No, of course not!” Jisoo shook his head with a small laugh. “And about Min Ah… well.”

“You broke up with her.” His long haired friend blurted out.

“How’d you-?”

“I saw her on the phone half a block to the cafe venting to her friends about what a jerk you are, yatta yatta yatta… She’s taking it very well.” Jeonghan said sarcastically.

“Really, hyung? You broke up with Min Ah?” Seungkwan frowned, he thought they were hitting it off pretty well.

“Yeah.” Jisoo sighed, but everyone could tell he didn’t look as heartbroken as he should be and that’s when they remembered the English speaking girl.

“So then what about that girl you were with at the cafe?” Jeonghan asked with folded arms and narrowed eyes. “You really aren’t two timing, are you?”

“I’m not! I would never!” Jisoo frowned at the accusation. “Do I look like the kind of person who’d cheat on a girl?” He asked, he was honestly curious. How do his friends see him?

“You definitely look like the kind of person who’d cheat on me.” Jeonghan joked to lighten the mood. “Okay, then… but really, who was she?”

“Uhhh…” Jisoo suddenly got quiet. Would they be shocked to hear she was his ex-girlfriend? He had never mentioned anything about her before, as far as they knew he’s only had 4 relationships since moving to Korea and they all were no longer than 6 months, his relationship with Hye Jin was for 3 years!

“A sibling?” One of their other friends butted in with a curious look. “Introduce me!” He said smiling brightly. “I’ll treat her like a princess!”

“Yah, Lee Seokmin, for all I know she’s probably related to you!” Jisoo chuckled. “Her name is Lee Hye Jin.”

“There’s no Hye Jin in my family! Or so I don’t think there is…” he looked up at the ceiling and seriously thought about it.

“Then introduce her to me, I’m a Kwon!” His friend Soonyoung butted in.

“No.” He said flatly. “I’m not introducing her to anyone to hook up with.”

“So protective of your sister, how cute.” Their taller friend cooed from behind him, his name was Mingyu.

“Idiots, his last name is Hong! Hong Jisoo is an only child, did you forget that?” Jihoon spoke up from across the room.

“Then if she’s not your sister, who is she?” Seungkwan asked and got even more curious to hear the answer.

All eyes were on Jisoo by now and he started to feel uncomfortable with the spotlight on him. Eventually, he’d have to tell them… so he took a deep breath.

“She’s actually… my ex-girlfriend.”

The room went silent.

~❤~

When Hye Jin arrived to the studio after using GPS to get there, she took a deep breath and got out of her white kia optima and proceeded to head into the building with the sign “Shining Diamond Studios”. She was excited since it looked like a legit studio. She entered through the front door and there wasn’t anyone in the front but she could hear noise coming from the back, which was probably the dance studio. Loud music was playing along with a male’s voice instructing others. “It’s pretty nice in here.” She muttered to herself and looked around the nicely decorated front area. It was simple and relaxing.

“Can I help you?” She heard a voice ask her and she was a bit startled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He gave an apologetic laugh. He wasn’t tall and she honestly thought he was just an older kid who was leaving early. He was about the same height as her, maybe he was a bit taller, she wouldn’t know unless she asked for his height. His hair color didn’t seem to be a particular one, as if it just faded from a maroon color or something. Despite it looked dull, she thought it looked very nice. Ajeu Nice.

“Uhmm…” she started and quickly pulled out Jisoo’s phone. “My friend Joshua told me to bring him his phone.” She said slowly and he had a look of realization on his face.

“Ah, you must be the girl from the phone call earlier!” He said in English, he had a hint of an accent but his English was fairly decent and understandable. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t much help.”  He added with a sheepish chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck because he felt bad.

“It’s okay.” She assured him and gave him the same expression. “I’m partly to blame. I do speak Korean fluently.” She switched over to her native tongue and he looked surprised again.

“Sorry! I thought you didn’t when you spoke slowly a moment ago.”

“I’m just nervous.” She gave a nervous giggle.

“Why?” He frowned. She didn’t seem nervous to him.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. My name is Lee Hye Jin. It’s nice to meet you.” She said with a small smile and a slight bow.

“Lee Jihoon. Nice to meet you as well.” Jihoon flashed her a sincere smile and did the same bow. “Lee is such a common surname, isn’t it?” He added with a small laugh.

“It is.” She nodded in agreement. “I don’t have much family in my line, so it’s kind of surprising.”

“That’s interesting.” So, maybe the chances of them being related was slim. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t think the same thing Seokmin said earlier, about there not being a Hye Jin in his family. But he wasn’t sure why he would think about something like that, it wasn’t like he was interested in her, right?

“So… uh…” Hye Jin said quietly and looked down to Jisoo’s phone in her hand.

“Practice is in session, so you can wait in here for a bit.” He said while gesturing to the comfortable chairs near the wall. “Just until practice is over, which will be in… ten minutes. You don’t mind waiting, do you?”

“No, of course not.” She assured him with a bright smile before turning to take a seat. Jihoon stilled in his spot for a moment before he snapped out of it and returned to the practice room so he could inform Jisoo that Hye Jin arrived with his phone.

~❤~

Hye Jin sat in the corner of the practice room with her laptop resting on her crossed legs, the vibration on the hardwood floor of beats pulsed under her from the speakers on the other side of the room. It was a familiar song to her while she watched Jisoo stand next to a younger kid who may have looked a tad shy since she was there watching.

Jisoo and Jihoon said she was more than welcome to stick around now that practice was over since she seemed interested in Jisoo’s new life since three years ago. Their other friends had left for breaks and other tasks before she had even arrived, she wouldn’t get to meet Diva Boo today, or Vernon, but at least she got to meet Jihoon.

“Sorry…” the kid Jisoo was coaching mutter in the mic when he messed up the lyrics.

“That’s okay.” Jisoo assured the boy with a kind smile and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “Should we try something you’re more comfortable with?”

“Yeah…” his student replied before eyeing Hye Jin in the corner.

“Should I go?” She asked with a hint of worry. Perhaps the kid couldn’t focus with someone watching him yet.

“No!” The boy quickly exclaimed. “You’re fine! I’m just a little nervous is all… I’m not used to girls watching me.”

“Awh, you are just too cute.” She smiled which made him look away with a flustered expression.

A moment later, an instrumental of a song played and Hye Jin recognized it right away.

So Sick - Ne Yo

Jisoo started the song out before his student Samuel joined in. Hye Jin listened to them with a nostalgic feeling. It had been awhile since she listened to these kind of songs since she’s been a little more into Kpop recently. What she liked the most was how smooth and light Jisoo’s voice was, just like she remembered. I suppose some things never change?

When the song was over Jisoo gave Samuel a high five and praised him for his hard work. The sight was just adorable and left Hye Jin feeling all warm and fuzzy on inside from their cute interactions. By now it was time for Samuel to leave, his vocal lessons were over for the day. Jihoon, who had been observing nearby the speakers while controlling the music finally came over to praise the boy as well.

“You worked hard, let’s go get some cake as a reward.” He wrapped an arm around Samuel’s shoulder.

“Yes!” The boy replied excitedly.

“Coming along?” Jihoon asked to Jisoo before he remembered about Hye Jin.

“No, I’m good. Hye Jin’s still here and all…”

“She can come with?” Samuel asked innocently.

“Ah, I think what he meant was he wanted to catch up with his friend.” Jihoon smiled when Jisoo gave him a thankful look. “We’ll get cake another time.”

“Enjoy, you earned it.” Jisoo patted Samuel on the head before Jihoon led them out and gave a small wave to Hye Jin at the corner of the room. Once the two were gone, Jisoo headed over to her.

“You’re a vocal coach, too?” Hye Jin asked. It was just the two of them now as a playlist was playing on the speakers, but at a lower level this time. No more Boom Boom.

“I wasn’t at first, but Jihoon suggested I take a shot at it after awhile.”

“It’s just like I remembered it.” She smiled at the memories of when she’d hear him practicing. “I always loved it when you sang…”

“Well, if you want to hear me sing, just drop by the studio whenever you want.” He grinned, he was happy to know she still remembered the time they shared before… most failed couples would have tried to forget by now, but he supposed they were different.

“What, you don’t have a CD I can listen to?” She joked and nudged him with her elbow. “I’d assume you’d have hundreds by now?”

“What’s a CD again?” He chuckled, he was obviously joking. “Everyone uses computers so much these days, we’re always sharing music digitally… Mp3, soundcloud, e-mail.”

“I suppose digitally, you’d have more than hundreds… perhaps thousands?”

“About 17, actually.” He admitted and scratched the back of his head with a shy smile.

“Wow, that’s more than me, I have zero!” She said with a cute pout.

“But you have a great voice, too… you should try out a cover some time, I’ll even help you.”

“I don’t sing.” She shook her head in protest.

“Liar, we used to sing together.” He laughed. “Don’t you remember?”

“I remember,” she nodded with a sheepish smile… she just didn’t think she was that good.

“Sunday morning rain is falling…” He randomly sang a line from the song they’d always sing together back in the day. Sunday Morning - Maroon 5. “Steal some covers share some skin…”

“Clouds are shrouding us in moments…” she softly continued the song. A smile spread across his face as he joined her.

“Unforgettable, you twist to fit in the mold that I am in.”

But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do

And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew

That someday it would lead me back to you…

That someday it would lead me back to you…

That may be all I need

In darkness she is all I see

Come and rest your bones with me

Driving slow on Sunday morning

And I never want to leave

Fingers trace your every outline

Paint a picture with my hands

And back and forth we sway like branches in a storm

Change of weather still together when it ends

That may be all I need

In darkness she is all I see

Come and rest your bones with me

Driving slow on Sunday morning

And I never want to leave

But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do

Sunday morning rain is falling and I’m calling out to you

Singing someday it’ll bring me back to you

Find a way to bring myself back home to you

May not know

That may be all I need

In darkness she is all I see

Come and rest your bones with me

Driving slow on Sunday morning

Driving slow

Oh, yeah, yeah…

There is a flower in your hair

I’m a flower in your hair

Oh, yeah, yeah, oh...

When the song came to an end the two had become lost in each other’s gaze. The lyrics spoke to them as they sung it. It brought up all those joyful memories they had when they were together… all the good times. It even brought up those strong feelings they once had for one another and even now…

Hye Jin didn’t know when Jisoo managed to get closer to her during their little acapella session, his face was only inches away from hers now and he was looking into her eyes with the all too familiar look of… love.

She could remember so clearly how he’d look at her all those years ago, and that look hadn’t changed while his face was inching closer and closer to hers. Her heartbeat picked up at their close proximity, it was obvious what was going on and she suddenly felt a wave of emotions wash over her.

The moment his lips connected with hers, she knew…

It started out soft and gentle and with time their kiss grew to be more passionate as he pulled her closer to deepen it, he had made a bold move and he wasn’t going to hold back. She had made no move to reject him yet and remained still before he brought her even closer, and that’s when her hands reached out and pulled him close, too.

Her right hand tangled in his hair while her left hand clutched onto the clothing of his chest as they shared such an intense moment. He had one arm around her while his left hand held her neck as he continued to kiss her passionately… his feelings were pouring into it.

How much he missed her smile, her laugh, her sense of humor down to her soft lips and gentle touch. He missed everything about her these past two years and now she was finally here, in his arms once again.

He still loved her.

After all this time… he still loved her. He never stopped loving her and he was sure he never would stop loving her because… she was the only one, his only true love.

3 years of being together…

2 years of being apart…

Things really hadn’t changed.

Chapter one!

Bam. Combined two chapters into one because I’m into long chapters lately lol

Hope no one will be disappointed this time around >< I’ll work hard to keep updating this fic and not neglect it so much again! ^^ Until next time!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years~!

Chapter 1 originally posted on: Oct 29, 2015

Happy Belated Two Year Anniversary to this fic~!