“So, you’re back to minus a hundred I suppose.”

Jinyoung has drunk his third bottle of soju as Jackson giving his thought over his fight with Jisoo.

“You’re not helping me, Sseun-ah,” Jinyoung glares at Jackson.

“I wasn’t helping you,” Jackson sips his own drink, which is not alcohol, and smirks at Jinyoung.

Jackson has been Jinyoung’s box of emotion towards Jisoo or any other emotions for any matter, for the last ten years. Jackson would be the first one to hear anything about his relationship, about his feeling, about all the things Jinyoung isn’t proud and confident of.

“No matter how you see it, it’s all your fault,” Jackson states with a shrug.

“But she’s being ridiculous,” Jinyoung defends himself.

“I thought you love her,” Jackson replies.

Jinyoung stays put for a moment, trying to grasp what Jackson really means. Did he love her?

It’s true that he failed dating girls for the past ten years, and he thanked Jisoo for that. But all this time, he didn’t manage to find the sole reason why he loves her.

“Do you really think I love her?” Jinyoung asks, confused.

Jackson needs a few seconds to register Jinyoung’s words to his brain and processes them to a more meaningful statement.

“Is that question a joke or do you really don’t know the answer?” Jackson asks back.

“Well,” Jinyoung straightens his back and begins to give out his reason, “I never truly understand why I like her in the first place.

“I did tell her what I feel in the past and surprised to know that she felt the same way. She’s fun to be with, compliments my habit and hobbies. I mean, I probably only like her because she likes to read books. I never really learn how she is for real.

“Don’t you think it might just a short-term feeling?” Jinyoung ends his speech by having another gulp of Soju from his newly opened fourth bottle.

Jackson studies his good friend’s face a little closer, feeling like forgetting who is exactly talking just now.

“Don’t you think it’s going to be weird if I give you advice now? Doesn’t it always the other way around?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jinyoung squints, getting confused about what Jackson said.

“You always the reasonable person out of us, Jinyoung. And the only time you can be as childish as you could if it’s about her. Her. Kim Jisoo.

“And I always feel like you’re happy being your childish self because you’re trying to be the matured one every time, anytime. Be it within our group, your movie’s team, or anywhere else. It’s enough reason to show how badly she affects you.

“Don’t overthink it. I can’t tell you exactly the reason why you like her, but won’t it be enough a reason for you to stay with her because you’re happy? Didn’t you say she belongs to your future?”

…

27 missed calls, 120 messages, 3 bouquets of flowers coming to Jisoo’s normal life from one guy she’s been avoiding for a week, Park Jinyoung. Jisoo was mad, for what he did, for what he said. She was mad for the first two days after their fight until it became another negative thought, anxiety over herself.

Deep down in her heart, she realizes how unreasonable she had become. It’s as if, she created her own prejudice, rather a calculated reason. Yet, she’s afraid of what the future may come, all of the harsh and scary situations she might have to deal with. And she really is not ready. She’s a coward and she doesn’t want Jinyong to know about it.

“There’s a package for you in the mailbox,” Sang Won snaps Jisoo back to reality.

Sang Won visits Jisoo every day following the big fight, or as she calls it, harmless encounter. She got a phone call from Jinyoung for the past week, ending in her log, unanswered, as per Jisoo’s request. Though she cares about her artist, she gets to her boiling point already this week, scolding her of how she’s becoming too much like a crybaby.

“Who is it from?” Jisoo reaches to the package and takes a peak.

“No idea,” Sang Won replies, uninterested.

Jisoo flips the brown covered package to find an address or any text, yet she finds nothing. She opens the package carefully, from the side, trying not to torn the brown wrapping paper. On the inside, there is a book, and a few sheets of paper, letter size. Jisoo takes a closer look at the book first, reading the title, that happens to be something very familiar to her. She then puts the book down, and flip the papers. It’s a handwritten letter, with a black pen.

Jisoo pauses a little bit as she reads the first line, and as she continues, a lump beginning to surface in her heart.

Annyeong,

It’s me, Park Jinyoung.

Not the old Park Jinyoung, the young and handsome one.

I bought this book yesterday.

You borrowed this book from me a long time ago and you haven’t return it. I was looking for it when I visited your house, but it wasn’t there.

I thought you might lose it, so I bought one, in case you want to read it again.

- Jinyoung

It hurts, every single word hurts Jisoo.

She puts down the first sheet and builds her courage to read the others. These papers different from the first one, the letters are all printed.

12:01

Jisoo, let’s talk about this

12:04

I’m sorry, can you please pick up the phone

1:10

You’re probably asleep, I’ll call you in the morning.

7:00

Are you up?

Jisoo’s tears begin to fill up her eyes, shattering the glass heart. It’s the printed version of all his messages she hasn’t replied.

10:00

Are you busy? Please reply

11:00

Jisoo, I’m sorry

It’s weird, it’s unusual. It’s nothing like a romantic story. It’s weird, and Jisoo doesn’t understand why would Jinyoung sent her this. But, she cries, with her chest tightening each time she finishes a line.

02:00

I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean to make you mad. I was overwhelmed by our condition, I forgot that you still have worries. I can cancel everything, it’s just my director, he won’t do anything if I don’t say anything.

The last line, the 120^th message, the last message she hasn’t read since she’s already asleep when the message delivered to her last night. It’s not that long, contains simple words, yet heartbreaking.

Jisoo reread the whole letter to find nothing out of the ordinary, a simple letter and a weird printed version of his messages. The book also contains nothing since it’s sealed perfectly when she opened the wrapper.

It’s not Jinyoung if it isn’t complicated, she thought. Just like her, a complicated mess.

“Unnie, can you leave me?” Jisoo stands up and stares at Sang Won. “There’s something I need to do, in secret.”

…

“Who the visit me on a Sunday morning,” Jinyoung grumbles as he walks slowly to his door, after waking up to the sound of his doorbell.

“Good morning,” a woman voice right after he opens the door.

Jinyoung doesn’t need a second to finally open his eyes. It’s more than a familiar voice, it’s his favourite. Jinyoung brushes her hair up and opens his eyes wider to make sure he was hearing her voice.

“I’m sorry I wake you up this early,” Jisoo smiles, feeling a little apologetic.

Jinyoung steps back, trying to compose himself.

“May I come in?” Jisoo shyly asks.

The door that Jinyoung is holding swings out wider, letting Jisoo in. He wasn’t expecting her to come, he didn’t even imagine it to happen. Yet, he sees her standing in her apartment, wearing an oversized beige sweater with a pony tail, looking like a goddess or an angel, he can’t decide.

“What are you doing here?” Jinyoung still tries to compose himself.

“Breakfast,” Jisoo raises her hand, feeling déjà vu all of a sudden. “And giving back your book.”

Jinyoung’s heart suddenly stops.

“Here,” Jisoo opens her bag and hands him his book. The book he gave her yesterday.

Jinyoung feels his chest hurt, so much he almost chokes.

“Why are you giving it back?” Jinyoung gathers his words to sound stronger, which ends up shaking.

“It’s yours, I suppose to give it back, right?” Jisoo smiles.

“It’s a gift, for you,” Jinyoung replies.

“Not this one, it’s yours, I borrowed it.”

“No, Jisoo. I gave it to you-“

“Not this one,” Jisoo cuts in. “It’s yours. Mine is in the house, safely sit on my desk.”

Jinyoung stares back at Jisoo, he then looks to the book she is holding and notices the meaning of what she said. It’s indeed not the book he gave to her yesterday. It’s the same book, but in a different cover, the older version of it

“It’s yours,” Jisoo smiles soothingly. “You didn’t find it last time because it wasn’t on the shelf. It’s on my bedside table, laying nicely with the rest of my favourite books.”

Jinyoung stays silent, breathing the warm air that surrounds the both of them.

“What are you doing here,” Jinyoung asks once again.

“I told you,” Jisoo replies. “Breakfast.”

Jisoo walks to the kitchen, leaving Jinyoung. He is confused, worried, yet happy at the same time.

“Wait,” Jinyoung runs fast to the kitchen and pulls Jisoo by the arm. “You’re not mad anymore?”

Jisoo stares back at Jinyoung, holding in her happiness. Fighting and staying away from Jinyoung, are bad for her life to tell the truth. Yet, she won’t make this easy.

“Depends,” Jisoo put on her serious face. “Depends on how are you going to answer these questions.”

We're almost there, but we all need a closure. And don't forget to check on my other story. An M rated story, so reader discretion is advised. I'll be updating it in two days