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If even one person bothered to open up that crumpled ball of paper, they might have been able to read the letter with the truest feelings inscribed into it. If they got lucky, they also might have been able to make out the two words at the end of the letter the writer had desperately tried to erase with no success.

The paper had said:

“Taeyang oppa, don’t just disappear like that without telling anyone. It almost scared me to death when Suzy told me you had disappeared and told no one to look for you. Don’t kid around with me...I think I’m worthy enough of a friend for you to tell me when you have troubles or when you want to return home. Next time you feel down, come to me first, araso?

Oppa, saranghaeyo.

-Lee Ji Eun

Chapter 12:

“Make sure to deliver the kimchi and the side dishes to her mom, okay?” His mom called out.

“I got it!” Taeyang called out as he closed the front door behind him.

Taeyang was ready to go back to the company after running away from his schedule. He was sure he caused a huge ruckus within the company. He didn’t even tell his Big Bang members where he was going, and knew GD would give him the talk. He smiled to himself.

If GD didn’t, he wouldn’t be the leader, would he?

As he rounded the corner, he came face to face with IU’s house. He was hesitant to go in, but with one look at the huge boxy package of kimchi and side dishes he was holding, he knew he couldn’t just leave without delivering them.

Should I just leave them at the front door? Or...give it to her mom and then make a run for it?

He shook his head frantically.

No, that would be too impolite. The best choice is to just open the door, get invited in, give her mom the food, and talk to IU. Yes, that’s it.

Taeyang slowly walked to the door, pulling his feet up from the ground with every step. When he reached the front door, he halted again. His finger was hovering over the doorbell, but he couldn’t muster enough courage to do so.

“Taeyang, you can do this. Taeyang, you can do this,” kept on repeating in his mind.

“Taeyang?” A woman’s voice asked from behind.

Taeyang nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the voice behind him belonging to a neighborhood ahjumma.

“Omo, omo, omo saesangie, it’s Taeyang, it is you!”

The woman rushed over to the front door and fiddled with her set of keys. She was wearing used gardening gloves covered with dirt and an oversized T-shirt along with yoga pants. On her head was a visor to block out the sun and she was slightly sweating along the sides of her face. Taeyang slowly stepped to the side to look at her. When Taeyang finally got to see her face clearly, his eyes widened.

“O-oh my gosh, Mrs. Lee!” He exclaimed right away.

He instinctively bowed down 90 degrees.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier. I’m seriously really really really sorr_”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Mrs. Lee chuckled, “You haven’t seen me in so long, it’s natural for you to not have recognized me at first glance.”

She finally turned the knob to the front door and the door swung open.

“Come in!” She smiled as she stepped into the house and held the door open for him.

“A-ah, n-no it’s okay, I was j-just planning to go to the company right now!” Taeyang immediately panicked.

“You’re such a bad liar..” Mrs. Lee laughed as she took the food Taeyang was holding. “Tell your mother I said komowo! I’ll treat her next time.”

She walked into the house, leaving the door open. Taeyang took this as a sign to follow her in.

“Did you eat breakfast yet?” Mrs. Lee asked.

The smell of fried eggs and sausage was evident as Taeyang stepped into the kitchen. He stood there awkwardly as he met eyes with IU who was munching on a sausage.

“Good morning!” IU gave Taeyang a smile before continuing to eat.

“G-good morning,” Taeyang stuttered, suddenly blushing at the casual greeting IU gave him.

It felt like years since IU last wished him a ‘Good Morning’ before he left his house, and he definitely wasn’t expecting it today.

“Come on, sit down!” IU said, patting down on the seat next to him. “I know you didn’t eat yet, so just wait and let my mom cook breakfast for you.”

“E-eh?!” Taeyang overreacted. “No, no, no it’s okay, you don’t have to cook breakfast for me_”

“There always is a reason to why my daughter tells me to do things, and I am also pretty sure you didn’t have breakfast yet. I can’t let a starving child go back to work in this condition, can I?”

Mrs. Lee winked and motioned for him to take a seat next to IU.

“Your breakfast is almost ready!”

“Neh, komowo, Mrs. Lee!”

In the end, Taeyang gave in, knowing himself that his stomach needed food and that he was indeed hungry after watching IU eat. He awkwardly sat next to IU for a minute or so, fiddling with his fingers and playing with a ring on his finger.

“Relaxxx!” IU sighed, turning towards Taeyang. “No one’s going to bite you here.”

Taeyang’s expression was unreadable for a moment until he realized that IU was cracking a joke. He gave her a nervous laugh, obviously still uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

“The public won’t mind about you ditching work since the company will cover for you. They already released a statement explaining your actions and apologizing. If you’re worried about criticizing from the employees at your company, I’ll follow you to work, araso?” IU said as she stabbed another sausage with her fork and took a bite out of it.

Taeyang sat there staring at IU speechlessly.

Did she change overnight? D-does this mean she’ll actually bring me to w-work?! I wasn’t really worried about this in the first place, but...if it means I get to spend more time with IU, then it’s worth pretending~!

Mrs. Lee watched the act as Taeyang and IU exchanged awkward yet seemingly friendly words to each other. She smiled.

These two are so foolish, unable to realize their own feelings for each other... Oh, young love. I wish I could turn back time and go back to when I was their age...

Mrs. Lee sighed.

I must be getting old, thinking about the past...To think that one day I’d actually want to be young again, huh.

~*~

YG Building

“Pick up the darn phone!”

In Na cursed as the phone rang once, twice, three times, and finally someone picked up.

“Yoboseyo?” The unknown man said through the line.

The phone was on speaker.

“Yah, Ji Hyun Woo! Why the hell did it take you so long to pick up the phone?!” In Na shouted.

She could just imagine Hyun Woo shy away from the phone on the other side.

“Noona, I was in the middle of filming when you called me. You should be lucky I actually picked up and the director let me off the hook!” Hyunwoo complained.

“Araso, araso.”

In Na rolled her eyes in acceptance.

“Whatever. That’s not what I called you about though.”

“I know. Noona, whatever you’re about to tell me right now, I’m pretty sure it’s not something good. I can even feel your aura from here, and that’s not a very good thing.”

Hyunwoo laughed.

“Cut the crap, Hyunwoo.” In Na said, pissed off. “I want you to do something about this girl who’s been testing my patience recently.”

“In Na, just because I’ve confessed to you already doesn’t mean I’m here to do whatever you want me to do. I hate being mean to other people just because you don’t like them, and I’m sure you know that.”

“Do what I tell you to do with this girl and I’ll owe you a date.” In Na said seriously.

There was a silence on the line. A shadow could be seen peeking through the crack of the open door to Yoo In Na’s office, but In Na failed to notice.

“I’ll do it.” Hyunwoo’s voice said through the receiver.

He sounded unsure, but In Na knew he would follow whatever she wanted him to do if it meant he would get a date from her. She was 100% sure.

“I knew I could rely on you.” In Na smiled, turning off speaker phone and putting it back to her ear.

“I’ll give you the details later. Be by your phone at all times.”

In Na hung up on him and put her phone down. She smirked, taking a pen out of the pencil holder on her desk. She played with it as she leaned back in her office chair, satisfied.

“Everything is going as planned..Lee Ji Eun, you are finally going to get payback for embarrassing me and disrupting my relationship with Taeyang.”

Luckily, In Na didn’t catch the footsteps by her door that backed off and scurried down the hallway.

~*~

A/N:

Hello, this is Kpopchicken back with a new update! Thanks to all the new subscribers and please continue to support, rate, comment, and subscribe to my stories~ Look forward to the next chapter and what In Na is going to do with Hyunwoo ;D Ah, and if you don't know who Hyunwoo is, he's the actor who is now dating In Na in real life..They were the main couple in "Queen Inhyun's Man"!

Love,

Author

P.S. I created a new foreword for a fanfiction called, “Playful Kiss: The EXO Version”. For all those EXO fans out there who ship Hunhan and/or love the drama/manga/anime, ‘Playful Kiss’, please check out my new fanfic! [Get out of reader mode at the top of the page in order to click the link]