2 years forward, the present…

He drove past the winding streets in the middle of the night. It was dark; the moon was half covered by the clouds, and the stars were hardly visible in a busy district like Gangnam, set so close to Seoul. The city lights were reflecting off the windshield of the parked cars on the street adding splashes of light in the dark. The weather had turned chilly within a few days, signaling the turn of seasons. But people were still milling about the main roads, coming home from work, from doing last minute errands, or simply from meeting up with friends. He turned off the main street onto a smaller side road without much thought, as if his hands have a mind of their own, propelling him onwards onto familiar paths, even after those long years of absence.

She lives quite close by, not even 30 minutes away; her apartment tucked farther down the street away from the maddening rush of cars and people.

After another turn, more trees line the sidewalk marking the start of the residential area. He parked underneath one of the birch trees near her house. He could see a sliver of light visible from one of the top windows. He knew from memory it was not Bo Young’s room, but a spare room upstairs for guests to use. Her room was set on the other side, where the windows look out towards Han River, giving her a lovely view of the skyline to the north. Her bedroom was smaller compared to her dongsaeng’s but it had an alcove along one side of the window. He recalled the many times they sat there, looking out trying to see the stars against the bright lights of the city. Many times they just sat together in companionable silence, hands entwined, eyes more frequently directed at each other than elsewhere. No words were needed; their eyes and lips could fill pages of a book with their poetry.

.

.

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He reached the doorway and rang the bell. Once, then twice. He can hear the bell echoing inside the house.

He stepped off in mild confusion, wondering where she is.

“Ya, oppa!”

He turned and saw *****, Bo Young’s younger sister. She had a choco fudge on one hand, enjoying it quite heartily.

Her dongsaeng is slightly taller than Bo Young, and not quite as small boned. She greeted Hyung Sik as if he had never been away. He felt relieved. She sat on the stoop and continued eating her ice cream.

“What are you doing here?” “Oh, my eonnie is not here now.”

He’s always had a good rapport with her, so he sat down amicably. Disappointment flashed in his face at the thought of her back in Jeju for her film. “I was hoping to see her before she left.”

“Oh, don’t worry she’ll be back. Are you dating again?”

Hyung Sik coughed in surprise. He remembered how cheeky she is, not timid about speaking her mind. “I’m not sure if your eonnie will take me back. What do you think?”

She laughed, “Ooh, you’re trying to get information from me aren’t you? It’s not free, by the way.” She . “But I can be bribed with a signed picture of Seo Kang Jun.”

He can’t help but laugh at her cheekiness, “But I’m surprised to see you. I thought you’d still be in the university.”

“Ahh, it’s mid autumn break. But I have exams soon, so I came home to study. Besides, if I weren’t here, who would be the chaperone then, hmm?” she added saucily, “you think I didn’t know you two were sneaking around before? Hmmph.”

Hyung Sik grew flustered at that, “You are just too much, little sister!” He grew quiet. “That was a long time ago. I might be too late now.”

She wiped daintily and said, “Well, she wouldn’t have turned away that marriage proposal if she has moved on already, would she?”

“WHAT?!”

“Oh yeah, you weren’t here. I forgot.” She got up to dust herself, making a move to go inside.

“Wait, what? What are you taking about?” This was news to Hyung Sik. Of course he thought about her moving on, perhaps maybe even seeing someone, but never in all seriousness considered it a real possibility. In his mind, unrealistically, he had always thought she would be there.

Bo Young ‘s sister prattled on, “yeah, he’s my dad’s close friend’s son. A family friend. He likes her very much but she refused him.” “Mom and dad were hoping she would; get married, I mean, since she got more quiet after you left." She paused to look at him. “My Bo Young eonnie is good at hiding her real feelings. She thinks I didn’t notice, but I did. I prefer you. So you better make her happy this time.”

Hyung Sik stared at her speechless. His mouth agape after hearing everything she said.

“I..I…..where is she filming in Jeju? I need to find her.”

She had walked up the stairs towards the house, and was almost inside.

“What for? I never said she was in Jeju. Talk to her now.”

Hyung Sik turned and met Bo Young’s eyes.