Shinhye

Seoul…

“As friends then.” She smiled.

“Arasseo. I can pick you up? I’m sure you would like to freshen up.” Yonghwa was walking with her as they left the studio.

“Yes, please.” She suddenly felt the atmosphere become awkward.

“Let me walk you back to your place.” He held out his hand for her to lead the way.

“You don’t have to do that. I can walk there alone.” She waved her hand to politely dismiss him.

“Ani. I can’t let a beautiful lady walk home alone. Besides, I need to know where you live if I’m picking you up later.” He laughed then grinned. “I’m new to the area so I might get lost.”

She laughed with him. “Real smooth Yonghwa. Arasseo, I’ll let you walk with me.”

Just like that, their awkward atmosphere turned to friendly and joking. They laughed together as Yonghwa shared a funny childhood story with her. Before, it pained Shinhye to share and think about a happy childhood memory because all her happy memories were with her parents. But with Yonghwa, she felt at ease to share one memory and not feel sad.

She thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt nor be burdensome to let another friend in. She liked Yonghwa. His aura was not only attractive but comforting. He was certainly the chatterbox as she realized she was already in front of her apartment building.

“You live in a nice neighborhood.” He was taking in her surroundings. “Well, I’ll be by in an hour to pick you up.”

“Oh, gomawo. I’ll see you later.”

She watched him walk back towards the direction they came from and smiled to herself.

♦

“Where are we going?” Shinhye sat beside Yonghwa with some distance between them as Yonghwa’s driver chauffeured them.

“With that athletic figure of yours, I figured we could sightsee Seoul. I have yet to see Seoul. Have you?”

“With Semi. But we just managed to see all the historical sites. More like a history field trip.” She chuckled.

He laughed with her. “A real history nerd I see.”

“Yah.” She lightly nudged his shoulder. “There’s no denying that every city you visit, you must learn and actually see the history.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He smiled to her but she could feel his eyes on her as she soaked in the Seoul city.

“We’re here Mr. Jung.” The driver parked right in front of Namsan Park.

Yonghwa helped her out of the town car. She liked his gentlemen mannerism and probably wouldn’t get used to it. She was blushing again.

“So Namsan Park, huh?” She said once she composed herself.

“Ne.” He looked to the north and pointed to the highest peak. “I heard the best way to see all of Seoul is from Namsan Tower. Plus, the park is always good.”

“Joha.” She was beside him as they casually walked through the park.

“So, what brings you here to Seoul besides opening a yoga studio?”

She hesitated a little, not wanting to share much. “Well, I wanted to start a new life in the city. The city is where more opportunities are available. Nae halmeoni pushed me to live my own life. But I miss her every day.”

“Why didn’t she just move with you?”

“She runs one of Gwangju’s popular restaurants. She’s owned it since I was born. It’s her pride and joy.”

“I see.” She noticed a change in his tone. “Seems like our grandparents’ business mattered more to them.”

“What about you? If I remember correctly, neoui harabeoji left you his coffee shop.”

“Well, I’m not sure why he left me his coffee shop to run. My parents moved to the US when I was 8 and I never was close to him. I hardly remember him. But, I wanted to change ownership from me to one of his own trusted friends.”

“Ah, so you are here temporarily?”

“Ne.” His tone sounded sad. “3 weeks to be exact.”

She felt sad he would be here only for 3 more weeks. But she couldn’t show her disappointment so she tried changing the subject. “So what do you do in New York?”

“I work for a big investment firm as their accountant. More, I am gradually making my way up the ladder to be a true investor. Nae abeoji is a successful investor and nae eomoni is a board member of a prestigious academy.”

“Waah… your parents are very successful and daebak. New York must be an adventure.”

“Gomawo. You should come to New York sometime.”

“I will take you on that offer.” She smiled.

“I will take you to all the historical sites in New York. Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Grand Central Station, and the likes.”

“Waah… I’m excited already.”

Shinhye was sincere about her feelings. Even though he was going back to New York, he would still be a friend to her. Before they knew it, they were already in line to get on a cable car at Namsan Tower. Luckily, there weren’t many tourists so they were able to get on a cable car quickly.

Shinhye and Yonghwa took in the great scenery of Seoul. All the beautiful green landscape behind the packed buildings. The weather was perfect. Seoul was a truly beautiful city. She couldn’t help but look to Yonghwa. He was enjoying this as much as she was.

She was staring towards the mountains when someone unintentionally pushed her trying to take a selca. But Yonghwa quickly placed his protective arm around her shoulder, she slowly studied him, and saw him glare to the person responsible. The man quickly apologized but Shinhye kept her eyes on Yonghwa. He sure could make her heart beat unevenly and make her blush brighter.

“I believe that’s 3 times now.” He looked at her teasingly. She was at a loss for words.

But he didn’t remove his arm around her and kept her close to him. She enjoyed the protectiveness and closeness of him. She liked the smell of his musky yet sweet cologne. Her heart was at stake especially with him leaving in 3 weeks.

♦

After their long afternoon exploring Namsan Park and viewing Seoul from a cable car, they both were famished. Shinhye didn’t take Yonghwa as the kind to enjoy street food. But he was excited about it when she suggested street food over a restaurant. She always wanted to shop in Myeongdong too so they walked the distance from Namsan Park to Myeongdong.

“Halmeoni, bibimbap and yakisoba juseyo.” Shinhye ordered for them.

“I have to say. I’ve never tried both dishes. Nae eomoni never cooked Korean food as much. As I became older, I strayed from Korean food and only ate American food.”

“Jinjja?!” She looked at him with wide eyes. “While you are here, you are only eating Korean food. You surely missed out.”

He laughed. “Arasseo. With you, I’ll try anything. I would like to eat at neoui halmeoni’s restaurant before I…”

Shinhye sensed a hesitation from him to finish his sentence. “Arasseo. I will invite you over to try nae halmeoni’s cooking. It’s neomu neomu matda!”

They both laughed and became wide-eyed when the elder lady placed their food in front of them. They were so hungry that they immediately dug into their food and both gave the elder lady 2 thumbs up. She complimented them for being a beautiful co