Seong-Im sighed as she put down her phone. Her grandparents had asked her to bring back her boyfriend for the lunar new year and now she was stuck. She didn’t have a boyfriend to begin with, she just flab to her grandparents so that they won’t be worry about her living alone in the city. She was their only granddaughter and they treated her like a precious gem.

She messaged her best friend, she needed to discuss with someone. “Suzy, helped me! I needed to find a boyfriend ASAP”

“Seong-Im, how is that possible! Wait … maybe it is possible.” Suzy messaged back. “I have a ex-classmate, he always looking for ways to earn some extra income. Maybe he would want to earn your money over the lunar new year weekend.”

“Really! But how is his character” Seong-Im asked. She was to be a couple with him for a few days, one can’t be too careful.

“He is a miser but he is one of the most popular guys in class. He had the looks and the brain, haha. Just don’t have the money. Anyway, he is a prefect gentleman, that is why most of the girls was crazy about him” Suzy replied.

“Ok, help me asked him, ok? he should working now right?” Seong-Im asked.

“No, I think he got enlisted. Let me go check with him” Suzy replied. She came back with an answer almost instantaneously. “He said ok! Let me add both of you in the same chatroom. You talked to him ok?”

“Hi there, Jong Kook and Seong-Im. You both want to meet up before the actual thing and discuss about payment and stuff.”

“Don’t need, 1 day boyfriend would be $100, of course all the meals, gifts and transport you would need to pay.” Jong Kook was all business.

“Ok, I agreed.” He didn’t come cheap but still $400 and expense were something within her means “We need to have ground rules, we would only hold hands and do side hugs. No kisses. Don’t touch me anywhere else.”

“Of course, same for me too!” he agreed.

“We need to discuss how we met and how long have we been dating. I had told my grandparents that we were classmate but we start dating after we graduated. Luckily, I hadn’t told my grandparents much. So let me introduce myself. My name is Cheon Seong-Im, I studied accountancy and graduated with a second upper. I am now working in law firm handling their accounts.” She typed her data.

“I am Kim  Jong Kook, I am now serving the army, I only left another 1 month, after that I would find a job in interior design.”

Both of them shared some of their favorite things, they discovered they had a lot of similarity. For example, both of them like black. They loved to exercise, one in the gym and the other either cycling or wake boarding. They actually love the same singer, Kim Jong Kook and love his variety show, Running man. Their favorite actress happened to be the Ace in Running Man, Song Ji Hyo. They watched all her drama.

Before the actual day, both of them decided to meet up. They had been conversing in the chatroom almost everyday. From strangers initially, she now felt that he was an old friend, she could tell him anything.

She was waiting in the café and enjoying her cup of Americano. He came running, rushing through the door. He searched the café for her and finally saw her by the window in the corner. He quickly walked to her side. “I am sorry, something happened in camp and I can’t leave on time as planned.” He apologized furiously for been late. He hated to be late. She looked up and their eyes met. He felt himself lost in the mong brown orb. She saw a pair of earnest eyes, although small, was filled with energy.

“No problem, what do you like to drink?” she asked, preparing to buy him a drink while he cool down. He was all sweaty and hot from his run.

“It’s ok. I will just get a cup of water.” He stood up, and pout himself some plain water.

“It’s my treat.” Seong-Im offered again.

“Don’t worry about it. Finally we met after talking so long” he offered his hand. She shook it firmly. She like the feeling of her hands in his.

It felt like old friends meeting up after a long time, they found that there is no unfamiliar feeling. They talked about anything under the sun. After Seong-Im finished her Americano, they decided to go for cycling, since they are near Han Gang anyway. They had opted for two bicycles and raced each other. It was fun day for both of them. It was dinner time, they decided to go dutch. After which, Seong-Im left for home and Jong Kook went back to camp.

After the meeting, the last bit of unfamiliarity was removed from their relationship. They would message each other and report everything in their life. He was fun to talk too and she hadn’t felt so close to a man before. He was different. No wonder so many girls fell under his charm. She would too, she tried to guard her heart to make sure it kept sanity.

She was different from other girls, she do things differently. He found himself falling for her, hard and fast. His heart would throb fast when he was messaging her. But then he looked at himself, a poor chap who need to put his brothers through school. He even needed to earn money from her. He shook his head, no, he would just be a brother to her. He promised himself, he would forget her after the visit, erase her from his life. He felt his heart ache, but he knew he made the right decision. That night, he had difficulty in sleeping.

They met again as planned to take the train to her village, he wanted to keep some distance between them, he didn’t want himself to fall harder for her. She felt him was not the person she always knew, not the cheery person she had been talking too. She asked “Are you sick, you are not yourself today?”

How could he be? When she looked so pretty, when her voice was melody to his ears, no, he could only be a brother to her. A brother does not stick to close to his sister. He just gave her a weak smile. “I am nervous. First time, I am visit a “girlfriend” grandparent.” That was true, he never had a girlfriend before. There was no time for him to fall in love, all the girls were just a backdrop during his rush from one job to another.

She giggled, she was too. First time she was bringing a boyfriend to her home. “We are already friends right. Just relax, my grandparents are the nicest people. How’s your 2 brothers?” she wanted to distract him from the visit and asked about his family. She knew his parents had passed away in an accident not long ago and now he was looking after his 2 brothers. He was amazing really, beside putting himself to university on a scholarship, he was taking care of both his brothers.

“Well, as college kids, they are fine.” He sounded like an old man but he was only .

“Old man, enough, I know you are a mature old man already. Stop acting older.” She . They battered easily for a while, then she grew drowsy and fell asleep. Her head landed on his shoulder and he stiffened. He could smell her flowery shampoo and he felt his heart raced. This was how it felt to have your girl sleeping beside you. He took out his phone and took a photo of this moment. He smiled, something to remember her, then he remembered his promise to himself. He looked at the photo again, she was sleeping so sweetly and he looked so happy. He would need to delete the photo away.

He doing some freelance designing to earn his keep on top of the margin pay he drew from the military. His parents’ insurance payout went to finance the house and the utilities. They were a happy family even now, he tried to let his brothers had a complete family and happy they were managing well but he need to make sure they could finish their college and get a degree. Then he would think of his own happiness. He entered military at his brothers insistent, that would be better for his career. He loved his brothers who had cared so much for him.When he told his brothers he going to visit his girlfriend grandparent house, they were so happy for him. They even helped him pack and promised they were visited all their relatives by themselves. They had already offer their prayers to their parents the day before. His eyes grew tired and he too fell asleep beside her.

He woke up first, the nap refreshed him, it was the best rest he had for days. She was still sleeping beside him and he felt he was bliss. A man who had someone he loved beside him. He would treasure this moment, and every moments in this trip.

She felt rejuvenated from her nap, she loved the smell coming from her pillow. Wait, there shouldn’t be a pillow and her eyes opened. She saw she was lying on his shoulder and she blushed. “Sorry, I fell asleep on your shoulder. Did I sleep long?”

“Its ok, we are reaching soon. I am hungry.” He said, he alrleady missed having her been so closed to her.

“There’s a lot of nice things at the station, we could grab something with my grandparents. They should be waiting for us already.” She was excited to see her grandparents again, she missed them.

“Ok, I hoped they like the gift I chose for them.” He had chosen to give them some tonic, of course, she had paid the bill. She had said it was part of the agreement, he had let her but he also found some small gifts, he bought them wallets, they aren’t too expensive but it was part of his small token of appreciation. He was getting tense as the train drew to a stop.