December 1, 2016

Gwiboon woke up that morning unsure of what she’s feeling. The night before was kind of a blur for her. But, she was so sure that it involved a guy with a blinding smile, lots of wailing, and two arms pulling her close to calm her down from her emotional breakdown. She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, or how she reached her bed because as far as she knows, they stayed in the living room that night. But, that was none of her concerns as she was hearing someone making a ruckus in her kitchen. She sighed and rolled out of bed.

Various elements hit her senses when she exited her room. There was the smell of pancakes, and the coldness of her apartment, and a beautiful voice singing which was definitely coming from the kitchen. She was greeted by the sight of Lee Jinki with messy hair and the same clothes he was wearing when he arrived the night before. He was now humming a melody, and Gwiboon wondered how someone could be so energetic in the morning. Then she remembered that she used to be like that as well, before things went downhill.

He finally noticed her presence and immediately stopped washing the utensils he used for cooking, pulled the chair for her and sat her down, and letting out a cheery, “Good morning, Gwi!”

Gwiboon was slightly amazed with the enthusiasm of the guy in front of her. And she had to admit that what was placed on the dining table looked appetizing enough. If she wasn’t so devastated still.

“How do you want your coffee?” Jinki asked while reaching for a mug.

“Strong, please.”

Jinki smiled and immediately started making her coffee. She was still not eating by the time Jinki brought her mug of steaming coffee. He inwardly sighed, but he can’t show her that. He had to help her in one way or another.

“What are you waiting for? Dig in,” Jinki exclaimed as he took a seat across Gwiboon.

He could feel the heaviness in the atmosphere between them. And he had to find a way to make Gwiboon speak up, so he started asking her questions about herself.

“So, how did you start taking a liking with fashion design?”

“Uh, I watched those television shows back then,” Gwiboon said monotonously. Jinki wasn’t fazed.

“Was it really your first choice? Fashion designing, I mean.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Oh! How long did you and Taeyeon know each other?”

“Since we were born.”

“So that’s why you know each other very well..”

“Yeah.”

Jinki decided to stop at that. He understood that Gwiboon is going through a rough patch. He was thankful that she was trying to eat though. It was so obvious that she was neglecting herself. Jinki didn’t want that. Gwiboon started to collect the dishes when Jinki insisted that he do it, claiming that Gwiboon still has to get ready to go to work. She reluctantly agreed, and went to her bedroom to prepare.

Jinki waited patiently in the living room for Gwiboon to come out. He tried his best to arrange the place, because he knows that even the simple tasks like those were hard to accomplish when you’re going through something.

Gwiboon finally left her room, and she was dressed better than the last time they had dinner with Taeyeon. The bags under her eyes were still prominent, her cheeks were still hollowed. She still looked tired. It was evident in the way she moved. The grace was missing, the fierceness was nowhere to be found. But he supposed that her dressing up better meant something. And he knew that she would recover from this break-up.

“Oh, you’re still here,” Gwiboon said with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“Yep. I was wondering if you wanted me to drop you at work? Well, Taeyeon asked me to drive you to work, but of course only if you agree,” Jinki said while rubbing his nape.

“Of course she’d tell you to do that,” Gwiboon said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“So?”

Gwiboon stared at your eyes for a minute. Despite the tiredness and sorrow in those beautiful eyes, one can see the scrutinizing gaze she’s giving you. And after a long moment of silence, she finally says, “Okay. Let’s go.”

And Jinki couldn’t help but smile. He lead the way to his car. Gwiboon raised an appreciative brow to the choice of automobile. The faint sound of music was playing in the car, and it was then only thing filling the silence. Jinki let Gwiboon be this time. But, he also couldn’t help but admire the fine girl sitting on his front seat. He wondered how someone could be so beautiful, and he also wondered why anyone would chose to hurt her. It was quite unexpected though, when Gwiboon spoke.

“May, I ask you something?” She said a she stared out the window.

“Of course,” he said without hesitation.

“Why did you come to my apartment last night?”

Jinki kept his eyes on the road, “Taeyeon called me yesterday. She mentioned to me that you were going through a heartbreak. She even asked help from me. And that was the help that I could give; being there for you.”

“And, how did you know where I lived?”

“I asked Taeyeon for it.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t be mad at her. She was against my idea too. But I insisted that having someone there for you would help. And she couldn’t be that someone because she’s busy,” he said with a pleading tone. He didn’t want to break their friendship.

“I’m not mad. I appreciate what you did for me last night and today,” she said while glancing at him, “but I’d appreciate a warning sometime.”

“Well, sorry for that,” he said with a sheepish smile.

Gwiboon just nodded her head and continued to stare out the window. They spent the rest of the ride in silence. Jinki could still feel the melancholy radiating from Gwiboon. And he wanted to shake off all the negativities from her life so badly. And Jinki inwardly sighed again, because he couldn’t.

They arrived Gwiboon’s office shortly. Gwiboon didn’t move from her seat immediately. Instead, she leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes once again. She felt Jinki’s hand wrapping around hers. She looked at him and he gave an encouraging smile.

“You can do it, Gwiboon. I know that we’ve only known each other for a short while-“

“A very short while,” Gwiboon said.

Jinki chuckled, “A very short while. Okay. But I hope you know that I am a friend, too. You can talk to me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Gwiboon said while trying to show a smile.

Jinki let go of her hand. She sat upright, and said something before exiting the vehicle, “Thank you, Jinki.”

And with that, she left the car and headed for the entrance of the building while Jinki was left on his own. He had to deal with his rapidly beating heart, which was aching as well for Gwiboon.

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finally had the time to write and update! so sorry for the delay :(

comment below xx