“Taxi!”

Gwiboon half running half breathing, struggling with box on her right hand and a cardigan on the left one. Her high heels are no help, they kept piercing her feet while she’s sprinting on the pavement. Once finally a taxi pulled over, she opened the passenger door and threw her belonging inside before she ducked her head.

What’s not in her expectation before is, from the other side, a man did the same exact thing with her and things getting a little bit awkward when they’re slamming the door closed at the same time. Or a little bit annoying.

“Excuse me? Who are you?”

“That’s should be my question. This is my cab, why are you here?” the man beside her tossing his bang up, looks exhausted by the sweat drenched on his temple. His side view looks amazing but it could wait later. She needs to go right now.

“Your cab?” Gwiboon chuckled cynically, “I’m the one who called first.”

“No, you didn’t,” he shifting a bit so his face right now completely facing Gwiboon, “I’m chasing down this cab from that coffee shop!”

He pointed to one particular direction Gwiboon doesn’t even care. She’s in hurry and has no intention to back off even a tiny.

“But you don’t call. People might mistake you for being sugar rush in the morning and need some exercise to tone it down. I was particularly crying in help howling this cab so the driver can pull closer.”

“Did you just say I was wasted?”

“Are you deaf? No one say that!”

This girl is indeed pretty, with long legs and smooth hair curled at the end, eyes both innocent and sharp like a fox, but her tongue and minds are not coherent to each other. Definitely screwed.

“Look, I’m not in the mood to argue, I’m in a hurry.”

“So am I. I suggest you to head out and find another cab. Thank you.”

“Why should I leave this cab? You’re the one who stole it from me!” he took her box and cardigan and placed it onto Gwiboon’s lap, “Here you go. I need to catch a party.”

Gwiboon’s eyes almost popped out and her cheekbones getting sharper, “Stop being an and get out of this cab. Party and drunken man like you need to get your sense first before claiming people’s cab.”

“What? Listen you wild witch! I saw this cab first and put dibs on it!  How dare you stealing my cab and accusing me a jackass?!”

Before Gwiboon able to slap the man with her purse, her hand hung on the air by the sound of the driver’s yawning.

“Are you done there? Mind telling me where are we going?”

“Sir, please tell this delusional young lady here that you saw me running to you first!”

“If I’m being delusional, this taxi wouldn’t pull over on the side of my road!”

“Every car supposed to stop at the left side, idiot!”

“What?! Sir, please! I’m the one who called you first, right?”

“Calm down both of you! I didn’t see anyone, I just pulled over and both of you get in at the same time! Now, where are we going?!”

“Get off now!” Gwiboon finally leashed out the inner devil she got.

“I’m staying! You, get out!” the latter turns out not as innocent as his look. His sharp jaw is obviously stiffen even though his eyes still as calm as before, “Please going to St—“

“Dude. I’m not ruining my heels for such episode like this. I’ve been sprinting like a dog and I am already 20 minutes late. So please. Leave this cab because clearly I’m the one who get it first!”

Speechless, the man next to her just locking his gaze to her eyes, boring through her soul like he tried to dig every single sin she ever did. Her pristine skin suddenly felt like burning, intimidated by his stern look.

“Spoiled !”

Gwiboon still can hear he grumbled under his nose when he stomped out the taxi. Outside the car, he got stunned seeing the vehicle head off right away after he close the passenger’s door behind him.

“Unbelievable!” he picked this phone while walking to the nearest bus stop, “Hey, where’s Taeyon? I think I’m gonna be late. Tell her I’m so sorry. I got stuck.”

“Are you alright?”

“It’s okay, an obnoxious girl just snatched my cab.”

Hateful laughter’s ringing on his ears, making him sulking more, “My bus’s coming. I’ll see you soon!”

***

Lots of kids in the living room but indeed, Jonghyun’s the cutest baby ever. His huge eyes and puffy cheeks are making everyone on this room surrender themselves to him. And Gwiboon’s not an exceptional.

“Both of you should have another baby soon. So I could take Jonghyun with me!” she sounds so jolly, almost forget that an hour ago she had fight with a stranger.

Minho looked so excited while his wife’s rolling her eyes, taking care the other guest on their kid’s birthday party. Some toddler need more milk, the others gotta use the toilet immediately.

“If only this man right here replace me to carry the baby for 9 months,” she said when finally flopped next to Minho.

“How could a man got pregnant?!” Minho raised his voice making Jonghyun jumped a little bit on Gwiboon’s laps.

“Exactly.”

This time Gwiboon burst into loud laughter seeing Minho’s smile falter a bit. His wife couldn’t help but join teasing Minho.

“My Jonghyun’s not usually quiet.”

He doesn’t care with his friends running around, throwing toys here and there. The three years old baby is busy munching the carrot cupcake on his hand, cream cheese is all over his face, making him three times adorable.

“Thanks to Auntie Gwiboon for her delicious treat.”

“Sorry I ruin almost half of them. An ungrateful jackass stopped me on the way.”

“Words, Kim Gwiboon. Words.”

Gwiboon bites her lips and muted ‘Sorry’ while covering Jonghyun’s ear. Fortunately, not many kids are around them. What do you expect with inviting some babies to a party? They’re going to be busy with their own problem.

“He just stacked the box on my laps without checking what is inside. The frosting that I worked so hard this morning wrecked without any mercy.”

“Where’s your car, by the way?” Minho’s wife asks her, looking confused, consider she’s always on the road with that black car she cherished a lot.

“I forgot to ch—“

“Where’s the birthday boy?!”

A loud voice breaks the fine day and hearing the familiar sound, Jonghyun’s sprinting right away to the front door.

“Papa Jinx!”

“Jonghyun, be careful!”

“Gosh, finally he’s here. Now we can blow the candle,” Minho’s wife left to the pantry to take out the cake from the fridge.

“Papa Jinx you late!”

The toddler’s crashing a tall man who opened his arm wide to grab his nephew. He kissed all over’s Jonghyun’s face just to smear the cream cheese to his own cheek.

“I’m sorry, big boy! Look at you!” he wiped Jonghyun’s cheek and the excessive cream on his thumb, “God, what’s this? It’s delicious. There’s no way your mom made this, Lee Taeyon can never even making fried egg.”

“Eat!”

Little Jonghyun stuffed his uncle’s mouth with the cupcake and the latter almost choked, overload with his favorite nephew’s cuteness. He scooped Jonghyun in one arm, other hand used to eat the cupcake.

“Really, who made this wonderful cupcake? Is there new shop near here?”

Minho who’s now busy setting table pointing to the couch with his chin, overwhelmed with a little chaos near his feet, twins fighting over a plushy.

“What? I don’t get it.”

“That’s not for sale. Minho’s friend made that,” Taeyon bring the box with some cupcakes left in it, “Left some for Jonghyun, though. He loves it so much.”

“Minho! Tell your friend this is super good! I can eat three in a time easily! They should start selling this!”

“Why not telling her yourself?”

“Hmm?”

“She’s over there!”

Following Taeyon’s gaze, he almost dropped the baby on his arm. Gwiboon’s face’s mirroring the same horrific expression. gasping for air while on the other hand, Jinki bites his lower lips to control himself.

***

Jinki keeps looking outside while talking with Minho and Taeyon on their kitchen. A long haired girl seemed to outcasting herself after seeing him, she is currently playing with talking to a young mother with two kids.

“I never saw you stalking so hard like this. Finally, Lee Jinki turns into human,” Taeyon sing songs nonchalantly on his left, at last having moment to enjoy her meal.

“How can she’s here?”

“Who?” Minho turned his head following where Jinki’s gaze locked into, “Gwiboon?”

“Yeah, Gwiboon. Whatever.”

“She’s my high school friend. And currently we’re working for the same company.”

Through the window, Jinki can see wide smile almost all over her glowing face. Her hair placed in one side, making her long neck a great view from where Jinki sit. The first time he saw her in the cab few hours ago, he already realized those cheekbones are there for a reason. Even when she’s furious, her pretty foxy eyes can’t be hidden. She is indeed beautiful, he thought.

“Honey, where did you keep the first aid kit? Last time you used it when you cut your finger.”

“On the second cabinet. Are you injured somewhere?”

“Nah, it’s for Gwiboon. She said she got some blisters on her feet. Her heels scraped her off while she was catching a cab.”

Jinki choked on his ice tea. So she’s not lying when her feet were in pain?

“Yah! You need to be careful!”

He wiped the table with his hand before finally Minho hand him some napkins. When he saw Gwiboon sitting alone at the backyard, he jumped off the stool right away.

“Let me give that.”

Both Minho and Taeyeon perplexed with his words. He made an awkward grin before snatching the box from his sister’s hand and dashing outside.

“Well, your brother really a human now.”

“Who knows she does magic into lump of rock like him. You should introduce them sooner.”

***

Gwiboon almost jolted out from her daydreaming when a clear box suddenly appeared before her. And yes, she twitched a bit on her seat when she shot her head up and saw who’s holding it.

“Taeyeon said you need this.”

“Err?”

“The blisters?”

“Oh, yeah, the blisters. Thank you.”

She accepted the box and there’s complete silence hanging on the atmosphere even though not far from them bunch of toddler, including baby Jonghyun, running around.

“About the earlier..”

They can’t help but chuckled when they tried to break the ice at the same time.

“You can go first,” she gave him the sweetest smile he ever got from stranger.

“If I knew we were heading to the same place, I would never yell at you like that.”

“Me too.”

“And you wouldn’t need band aid like that,” he pointed to her feet which now perfectly taken care.

“I would need this nevertheless, what do you expect with running on the street like a criminal with heels?”

He laughs on that, remember how she said he’s the criminal one, a drunken master who stole her cab.

“I’m sorry I said you’re an .”

“I think I was being one. I’m sorry I said you’re delusional.”

“I couldn’t think straight when I’m in hurry, just so you know. I’m sorry I said you’re party .”

“I’m sorry I said you’re spoiled .”

“I don’t recall you’re saying that to me.”

“Well, I said that after I slammed the door and you ran away with your cab.”

Gwiboon cracked right away with his innocent confession. And seeing her laughing whole heartedly, he stretched out his hand to her direction.

“Lee Jinki, by the way.”

“I’m Gwiboon. Kim Gwiboon.”

His hand felt so warm when they wrapped hers, suddenly something flutters inside her chest, making it hard not to blush right away.

“I’m not really a fan of bunch human under six years old and honestly, I’m kind of freaked out right now. So. Would you like to have coffee and continue this conversation somewhere?”

She’s beaming into something blinding, he thought he was talking to the sun.

“I would like to.”

A year later, she would still not believing that the man that (almost) stole her cab is proposing to her right after she got inside the cab where Jinki’s waiting while picking her up from work.

***