Chapter One 

IMPORTANT A/N BELOW

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To say she loved her job would be a lie, but she was thankful for it, no doubt. 

It was Yeon's only source of income, and lord knows she needed the money to keep a roof over her head. Living on her own, and therefore providing everything she needed all by herself, was no walk in the park, but she made do with what she had. Which truthfully wasn't much, but it was enough if you asked her.

Yeon liked to think she'd make a fine adult one day, once she turned eighteen and was legally considered one, of course. She had been on her own for quite some time now and considered herself to be pretty responsible and independent for someone her age. Most townfolk in Malhwa thought otherwise though. They refused to take a 'rebellious kid-orphan' seriously. But that didn't matter to her. Once she turned eighteen, whether anyone liked it or not, she was considered an adult by law and could do as she pleased. 

And that was to live life undisturbed.

Once she turned eighteen, maybe, just maybe, things will be different, a good different.

And since that was in two days, she figured she could wait and find out for herself.

She wondered if maybe this year she'll switch things up and actually bake herself a cake instead of buying one from the town's small bakery. Maybe she'll even put the right amount of candles on this time, because eighteen individual candles? Can you imagine? That'd sure be something. Maybe she'll light all of 'em up, and, who knows, make a wish for once. That surely tickle her fancy.

She was, afterall, going to turn the big one eight. 

Maybe things will be different.

The front door to Ruby's Diner swiftly swung open and the greeting bell rang, snapping her out of her reverie.

She blinked. 

That's right. She was at work, at the job she didn't love but was thankful for. And she was closing tonight for her co-worker Naly again.

"Welcome to Ruby's," she timely greeted, wiping down the counter she had been working on just a bit more before tossing away the used towel into a bin. 

Quickly wiping her hands against her apron, she then grabbed a menu from the menu basket and her yellow notepad before looking up to personally greet the customer. Her face blanked when she realized who it was.

"Wonho."

Dressed in all black, a pair of signature ripped jeans, and a leather jacket stood Shin Wonho in all his glory. He was Malhwa Hills' residential bad boy, and the image stuck with him even after he had graduated high school and started attending university a couple miles up north. He was nothing but trouble, all 178 centimeters of him, and it was just her luck that he had found some type of interest in her back in high school. All her efforts to avoid him were futile, and she eventually just let it be.

After two years, they became something like friends.

"God, I love the way you say my name, Red," he flamboyantly grinned, placing a hand over his chest. "Makes my heart beat a little faster every time."

Sort of.

Shin Wonho was like a moth to her nonexistent flame.

Wonho sent her one of his typical smiles, you know, the type that would sweep most Malhwa girls off their feet in one blow, but not her. Nope. Yeon liked to think she was  immune to his flirtatious ways by now or at least one hell of an actress at pretending to be unfazed. 

She simply shifted her gaze up.

"You're blonde," she pointed out. "That's new." 

"And you're beautiful. That's nothing new."

Yeon rolled her eyes but nonetheless nodded in honest approval. "Looks nice." 

"Ooph," Wonho chuckled, clutching onto his heart. "Did you just compliment me? Careful, love. If you go around saying stuff like that, I might just fall in love with you."

"Now that's nothing new," she muttered under her breath but he heard her anyway and laughed wholeheartedly. Shaking her head, she glanced up at him. "So, care to tell me why you're gracing me with your presence all of a sudden?"

"I missed you."

Taken back by the sincerity, she cleared . "What do you want, Wonho?"

"You, of course," he shrugged as if it was obvious.

"I'm serious," Yeon frowned. "What do you want? If you wanted food, you would've ordered something by now, and since you haven't, that means you either want something else or you have something to tell me. Which one is it?" 

Wonho seated himself on the stool adjacent from her and grinned. "You know me so well. That's what I like about you. Beauty and brains. How did I ever get so lucky?" 

Ignoring the comment, she patiently waited. A pregnant pause momentarily engulfed the diner, and it was silent. 

"I'm going away for awhile," he finally revealed with a smile smaller than his first.

Yeon furrowed her brows. "Another fishing trip?"

Wonho nodded, running his fingers through his hair. "Something like that." 

"What's with you and fishing?" she mumbled.

"It's a men thing. You wouldn't understand, Red."

"Not sure if I want to," she replied while taking off her apron. "How long are you gone for this time?" 

Wonho hesitated, and he looked away. "A month. Maybe two." 

Yeon stopped, slightly surprised. Wonho's fishing trips usually lasted two to three days, at most a week, and that was only once. But a month? Maybe two?

"A month," she repeated to herself. She shook her head. "That's a lot of fish, Wonho."

"You know the only fish out there for me is you, Red." 

Yeon chuckled, locking the register since it was now closing time. "If that's the case, then why do you keep going on these fishing trips every month?" 

Wonho raised a questioning brow at her. "Are you, by chance, indirectly telling me to stay, love?" When she didn't respond to him, his lips began to curve. "Holy crap. You're going to miss me, aren't you?"

"What? Keep dreaming. I'm just telling you to stop depleting the lake of its creatures," she corrected, grabbing her things and walking towards the entrance. 

Wonho followed her outside amused with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Leaning onto the doorway, he watched her turn off the lights, flip the 'Open' sign to 'Close', and lock the diner in a timely manner. It was such a Yeon thing to do, and the smile on his face grew. 

The moonlight gracefully shone on her face, accentuating every one of her facial features, from her high cheek bones to her plump lips to her very warm brown eyes. Yeon was so naturally beautiful. It was unreal. In his eyes, she was absolutely breathtaking. In every single way possible.

"What?" she blankly asked, snapping him out of his dream-like state.

Wonho shrugged innocently. "Nothing." 

She rolled her eyes and began to walk away, Wonho closely trailing behind