Jung Yonghwa was predictable, especially for Seo Juhyun who had been engaged to him for almost ten years. When she couldn’t find him in her living room, supposedly waiting for her getting ready for their date, she knew that, of course, he was in her father’s study room, checking out her father’s new collection of business books. And when they had settled inside his car, she knew that, of course, he would gift her a box of chocolate. It was their white day ritual afterall. And unsurprisingly, he gave her choco au lait, the most common type of chocolate, just like the previous five years.

Not only Jung Yonghwa, even their date was predictable. She knew how their date would go. He would take her to another posh restaurant, chatted a little about their life, and that would be it. She also knew that their drive to the restaurant would be in silent.

Jung Yonghwa was all about routine and order. Jung Yonghwa was also boring.

But for their date that night, Juhyun had prepared a surprise event.

~o0o~

Yonghwa gripped the steering wheel tighter because the uncomfortable silence between them was getting more suffocating. It was getting even harder to spend time with her. He just didn’t know what to do, or what to talk about, when they were together. They had fallen into a routine, a tradition, after ten years of engagement. Yonghwa knew they needed a change, they needed to change, but somehow Yonghwa wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

They began too early, too young. He was 14, and Juhyun was just a little girl. They didn’t know better back then and was just obeying their elders. Both of them hadn’t known anything about engagement, or relationship whatsoever, moreover about love.

But she was pretty, and so he agreed. Only to regret it the moment he fell in love for real, sadly, with another girl.

Yonghwa knew Juhyun was spoiled and childish, but he had always tried to understand her. She was the only child so it couldn’t be helped because she was pampered and dotted like a princess by her parents. Juhyun was also younger than him, so he had always tried to be the bigger person that he was and to be patient with her. But then he met her.

Her, Gong Seung Yeon. A part-timer extraordinaire he happened to meet more than two years ago.

Seungyeon was a year younger than Juhyun, but despite her young age she was independent and tough. She came from humble background, yet she had a big dream and worked hard for it. She was intelligent and knowledgeable. With Seungyeon, he could talk about everything under the sun. With Seungyeon, silence never happened.

But Seungyeon was just a friend. Yonghwa never dared to go further than that. In spite of his growing feelings for Seungyeon, he knew that his commitment lied with Juhyun. He knew what he shared with Juhyun wasn’t love, but still, he had committed to her since a decade ago. And so, to bury his unnecessary sentiments, he went to the army.

However, just like people said, distance did make the heart grow fonder. Instead of getting over his feelings for Seungyeon, his longing for her was getting even stronger. And when he came back to the real world, he couldn’t stand by Juhyun’s side even more. He wanted to leave her. He wanted to break up. Yet he also felt guilty, for having those feelings.

~o0o~

Juhyun was telling him about the coming summer festival in her university when the dessert arrived. They fell into another silent as they enjoyed their ice cream. She knew it was the right time, and that it might be her only chance, but her doubts arose again.

She took a deep breath in an effort to brush off the doubts and muster her courage back up.

“I have another thing to tell you, Oppa,” she broke the silence. Yonghwa looked up from his bowl to look at her.

“What is it?” he said. Now that she got his whole attention she took another deep breath before staring at him straight in the eyes.

“I want to break up,” she announced, trying hard not to stutter. She noticed how his eyes grew rounder and bigger due to the surprise.

“Why?” he finally said after a stretched silence, his brows furrowed. Juhyun gulped and looked down.

“I-I’m in love with someone else,” she muttered, “I have been for awhile now,” she added.

~o0o~

Yonghwa was taken aback.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but Yonghwa could hear it clearly.

He wanted to scoff. What a coincidence, because he felt the same way. He should have been relieved, he should have been celebrating even, but somehow her statement just didn’t sit well with him.

Who could this guy be? It had been awhile, she said. Probably when he was in the army. Sorry, she said. Really, he should have been laughing by now.

Yonghwa stared at his fiance sitting in front of him, with her head low.

Yeah, he was sorry, too.

~o0o~

Juhyun suddenly regretted it. She knew she wanted it, she knew it was better this way. She had convinced herself that it was for the best. How could they hold on to a relationship that was not based on love when that relationship was for a lifetime? How could she continue doing something when she realized that it was wrong? How could she walk down the aisle to the man she didn’t even love? How could she, when she finally found the one?

But Yonghwa’s expression made her want to take back her words. Something seemed off. He shouldn’t have looked like that. She knew he didn’t love her either. She thought he had wanted it, too. Was she wrong? Should she have given him more time? Or maybe she should have prepared him for this moment, maybe she should have showed him signs first. But she thought-

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he finally said, stopping Juhyun’s train of thoughts.

“To be honest, I am, too, in love with someone else,” he added, and it was Juhyun’s turn to be surprised.

~o0o~

Juhyun stared at him as if she was trying to read his mind, so Yonghwa stayed still as they locked eyes. When nothing changed in his expression, Juhyun scoffed. She then reached out to get her glass of water and finished it in one gulp.

“Wow,” she finally said after she put down her glass.

“Who is it?” Juhyun asked, ayes staring at him pointedly.

Yonghwa gulped, “Does it matter?” he replied, eyes steady.

Juhyun looked away, then stared back at him, “No, it doesn’t.”

Their drive back was even more suffocating. All the relief and joy Yonghwa should have felt never came. He felt restless instead. He reasoned that it must have been because he still had to find a way to break the news to their family. He guessed that it must have been due to the fact that he just disappointed his grandfather. And he was curious. He was curious beyond belief, about the identity of the other guy.

Was she telling the truth? Was it true that she fell for another man? Could it be that she knew about Seungyeon, and so before he broke up with her-

Yes, Juhyun was prideful. She would certainly choose to leave before being left behind.

But what if she was honest?

~o0o~

Yes, it’s better this way, she convinced herself. She was grateful for that moment when Yonghwa refused to tell her about the other girl. It was because of her curious nature, she almost dug her own grave. If Yonghwa had told her about the other girl, then she would have to come clean to Yonghwa about him. And that would not be good. Juhyun knew Yonghwa would find out eventually, but not that night, not that soon. She had planned to reveal everything slowly.

And besides, she needed to make him fall in love with her first.

Him, Lee Jonghyun. The most fantastic guy on earth, who happened to be Jung Yonghwa’s bestfriend.

Juhyun met Jonghyun when she was 16, and it was Yonghwa who introduced him to her. And instantly, Juhyun was mesmerized by his dimpled smile. Jonghyun was adventurous and spontaneous. Never a day had been boring when spent with him. Jonghyun could make her heart beat faster, and he could also make it stop. Jonghyun made her anxious, yet also excited at the same time. Jonghyun made her feel things she’d never felt before, things she never felt when she was with Yonghwa.

But Jonghyun was Yonghwa’s bestfriend. So close they were, that when Yonghwa suddenly decided to enlist in the army, Jonghyun followed after. Considering their friendship, Juhyun had never done anything about her feelings for Jonghyun and just waited patiently in his absence for her feelings to go and disappear. However, when Yonghwa came back from the army, alone, her days got even bleaker. She couldn’t wait for Jonghyun to come back and just be with him instead of his bestfriend, her fiance.

And so Juhyun decided, when Jonghyun came back from his service, she would make him fall for her. But first, she needed to break her engagement. She needed to leave Yonghwa. And she did it.

She did it, and it was for the best. For the both of them. Juhyun kept convincing herself that.

Juhyun woke up late the next morning because she couldn’t sleep, tossing and turninig, thinking about the best way to tell her parents about her break-up. She was also thinking about Jonghyun, her plan to make him fall for her. She was also thinking about Yonghwa, and the girl that he was in love with.

She was supposed to attend a morning class so she got ready in a hurry. She planned to skip breakfast and instead grab sandwich in the convenience store on her way to school. As she walked past the living room, she spotted her mother sitting limply in the big couch still in her pajamas.

“Omma,” she called out as she stopped a few steps before the door. Her mother turned her head to her. Having her mother’s full attention she continued, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“Juhyun-ah...” her mom whispered as tears glistened her eyes.

 (to be continued)

please be nice to me~