"UGH!"

Saera jumped up in surprise because of the man who was lifting weights. Siwon was still in the locker room getting changed while she sat on a bench, waiting for him.

“미안 (Sorry), have you been waiting long?” he asked as he came out wearing a tight-fitting shirt that showed off his abs

“Huh? Oh, no not that long” she was caught off guard because she was staring at his biceps

“Shall we go running first?” he asked, not noticing where she was looking

Saera followed Siwon to the treadmills that were all lined up looking out the huge last glass window that overlooked the city below. They stood on the running machines that were next to each other and started to walk.

“So, do you work out often?” Siwon asked with a friendly smile

“If you count running after grandfather’s tractor when it gets away then I guess you can say that”

“Well the commute to and from the airport is like a workout” she said with a nervous laugh

Siwon just laughed even though there was nothing funny about it. He was starting to run while she tried to follow his pace.

After 30 minutes, she felt that her legs were going to give up on her so she quickly jumped off causing her to lose balance. Within a split second, Siwon jumped to catch her before she hit the floor. He extended his arm to the middle of her back to catch her just in time.

“괜찮아요(are you okay)?” he asked

Her eyes were closed tight and she slowly opened them and the first thing she saw was Siwon’s perfect face. He was sweating and it was dripping on her but wiping it off her face was the last thing she was thinking of.

“어 최성해요 (oh I’m sorry)” she apologized suddenly

She stood up and fixed her shirt which was Siwon’s body fit white tee that he lent her. He scratched the back of his head when he realized the position they were in.

“Those are pretty fast” she said

“Maybe we should stick to something simpler” he said, trying to make her feel less embarrassed

Before she knew it, she was following him back to his car even though they barely spent an hour in the gym. She was praying that the gym nightmare was over and they were going home.

“We’re here” he said

She looked around and was a bit confused. The breeze from the Han River was cool as she noticed a few people jogging and riding their bicycles.

“수영 (Are we going swimming)?” she asked, referring to the Han River

He laughed as he walked towards the cemented pathway were other joggers were. Couples’ slowly running side by side, a few people with their dogs and a lot of senior citizens doing their early morning exercise, the pleasant atmosphere was laid-back.

“가자 (let’s go)!” he said as he started to jog

Saera ran after him and they raced each other. They were both laughing and enjoying themselves as they let the cool air brush through their hair. After running for a while he lay down on the grass and she did the same thing.

“You have a lot of energy” he said as he looked up at the sun

“You too, I mean you don’t look like you’re tired at all” she said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead

He sat up and looked down at her as she continued to pant and try to catch her breath. Up and down, up and down. The movements of chest were the only thing that Siwon noticed. She was looking elsewhere and didn’t realize that he was staring at her s.

“괜찮습니까 (Are you okay)?” she asked

She noticed what he was doing but didn’t take it as an offense. She didn’t know why but she felt safe around him even though they just met.

“Huh? I was just---“

*ring*

He took out his phone from his pocket and it was an unidentified number.

“여보세요 (hello)?”

“오빠? 나야 (oppa? It’s me)”

It was a voice he hasn’t heard in a while but he instantly recognized the calm voice. It was like a warm cup of coffee.

“어 (oh okay)”

“I’m…in Seoul…can we meet?”

Siwon stood up and walked a few feet away while Saera still lay on the grass, trying to gather some energy to stand up. She watched him slowly walk away with the phone on his ear. She noticed his smile slowly vanished.

He walked back to Saera who was now sitting up but her legs were still spread out on the grass.

“Sorry about that” he said as he sat back down next to her on the grass

“About what?” Saera asked

“Nothing…so I have to go to work soon. Do you want to go back to my place to freshen up?” Siwon asked

Saera nodded because she realized that she left her things back in his place. His expression looked a bit grey compared to earlier and she wondered if the phone call had anything to do with it.

They sat in silence. It has been about half an hour since they took their seats and neither of them knew what to say. Even though she asked to see him, as soon as they met, she lost all her words.

“How long will you be in town?” Siwon asked

“About a week, I have to meet with some people here for the article I’m writing” Stella said as she curved her long fingers on the cup in front of her.

She still looked as beautiful as ever. Her long wavy hair was in a clean ponytail and her porcelain skin looked like it was too delicate to touch.

“So work’s doing well?” he asked

She nodded as she sipped on the glass of water that was in a wine glass. He just looked at her. This was the first time they’ve spoken since New York and he didn’t know what to say or feel.

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