Chapter 5
The Beginning of Something Unexpected
Belle Époque
18th February 2018
9.00 a.m.
Yoon-sunbae exited the bathroom, wearing a feminine sky-blue dress. She painted her face with light makeup and let her shoulder-length hair down. She approached the fridge to check the contents. Unlike the day before, the fridge was full with home-cooked food.
She smiled and pulled out some containers from the fridge to heat them up and went over to the kitchen island to transfer some kimbap rolls she personally made early in the morning into two separate containers. Her expression showed satisfaction
10.00 a.m.
As headed out of Belle Époque’s front door, she saw Eun coming out from the room downstairs, who was making her way out as carefully as possible.
Eun jumped in shock as she was Yoon-sunbae and said,
Eun: Yoon-sunbae, you scared me!
Jinmyung: What were you doing?
Eun who got asked that, put on an awkward expression while whispering something to Yoon-sunbae’s ear.
Flashback
Belle Époque
17th February 2018
11.25 p.m.
Eun curled up on her bed, looking sullen. She was staring at her blank phone screen when a call suddenly came in,
Janghoon: Eun-ah, what are you doing?
Eun replied right away,
Eun: Nothing. Why?
Janghoon: Wanna have some snacks downstairs?
Eun agreed willingly and said,
Eun: Eo, I’ll go down now
Janghoon: Okay!
When Eun went downstairs, Janghoon guided her to the small living room in his place.
Janghoon: Let’s eat tteokbokki together!
Janghoon handed over a pair of separated bamboo chopsticks to Eun. They both started eating with silence in the air.
After a while, Janghoon opened a conversation,
Janghoon: Eun-ah…
Eun cut Janghoon’s words and said,
Eun: I know. Just keep eating.
Eun knew. She knew Janghoon was about to tell her that he’s returning the next day. So for about 10 minutes, Eun and Janghoon ate the spicy rice cake silently.
Eun commented,
Eun: Aaah, so delicious!
Janghoon offered her a cup of water to wash down the heat from the spice. When he saw sauce smearing all over Eun’s lips, he chuckled to himself,
Eun: Why?
Janghoon didn’t reply and kept laughing to himself
He took a ply of tissue to wipe the sauce off her lips, but their faces were too close for them to resist each other’s lips.
Janghoon leaned forward to kiss Eun, but Eun retracted shortly. Janghoon was confused, so he asked,
Janghoon: Is something wrong?
Eun didn’t respond to Janghoon’s question.
Janghoon who felt that something must be wrong, pulled Eun towards his body to hug her tightly. He knew all too well that Eun will miss him so much after he returns to the base.
Without notice, Janghoon carried Eun to his bed, thinking Eun might feel better if she was lying down.
Despite Janghoon’s height that’s a little shorter than Eun, he’s strong. Eun was a bit startled at Janghoon’s spontaneous act, but it all faded when she was lying on Janghoon’s soft mattress.
The two lied down to cuddle and Eun said,
Eun: Seo Janghoon.
Janghoon: Hm?
Eun: Promise me.
Eun continued,
Eun: Promise me you’ll never forget to call me once a week. Promise me to not drool over girl group members who come to perform at the army base. Arasseo?
Janghoon who heard Eun’s cute request, just laughed and didn’t comment anything to Eun’s remarks.
To this, Eun responded,
Eun: Why are you not saying anything?
Janghoon: Aigoo aigoo… Yes, Ma’am! PRIVATE SEO-JANG-HOON WILL ACCEPT AND EXECUTE YOUR REQUESTS.
Eun smiled brightly when Janghoon replied in his military speech style. Eun who already got comfortable with the position that she’s in, asked,
Eun: Can I sleep here just for tonight?
Janghoon was surprised to hear Eun’s question, but he replied open-endedly with a hint of shyness,
Janghoon: Well… If you want and are sure….
Eun closed her eyes to sleep, while Janghoon held her in his arms.
Janghoon murmured to himself,
Janghoon: Right. Let’s spend the night together just once.
Truthfully, Janghoon also felt extremely sad when he had to leave Eun alone for his departure to the base 5 months ago, but he kept it to himself until he even had to shed his tears during showers so that his fellow army mates wouldn’t notice that he was crying.
The thought that he had to leave Eun for the second time felt even harder, but the last 4 days that he spent with Eun – from their sweet date riding the Ferris-wheel, getting themselves a couple necklace, and now, cuddling together to sleep on his last day in Seoul, are all precious.
It made Janghoon even surer that his feelings for Eun is only going to get stronger when he’s away later.
To end his midnight thoughts, Janghoon adjusted his position and tightened his embrace on Eun, before kissing Eun’s forehead sweetly to wish her goodnight.
Seoul Train Station
11.35 a.m.
Yoon-sunbae was waiting inside the train station to pick Jaehwan up from his train journey from Busan.
She texted him earlier,
As Yoon-sunbae could see a tall and handsome figure in front of her, she approached and gave him a light peck before wrapping each other’s arms to walk out of the station.
Jaehwan voluntarily took the paper bags that Yoon-sunbae were carrying and asked,
Jaehwan: So, we’re going for a picnic date?
Yoon-sunbae nodded,
Jaehwan looked at the contents inside the bags and wondered,
Jaehwan: wow… you prepared all these by yourself?
Jinmyung: Eo. I woke up at 6 today to prepare all these… You’d better eat them all! Well actually, some of them are from my mom, so…
Jaehwan: Mom? You went to see her?
Jinmyung: Yup, I went home yesterday.
Jaehwan: That’s great!… Jinmyung-ah, can I ask you something?
Yoon-sunbae thought for a while first and suggested,
Jinmyung: Let’s head over to the park and talk about it over there.
Jaehwan agreed with ease on that one.
Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan chose Banpo Hangang Park as their picnic destination.
The view from that park was nice as they could see Namsan Tower, The Hill and Seoul Cityscape all at once.
As they sat down on the picnic mat, Jaehwan helped Yoon-sunbae to unpack the food that she brought. Yoon-sunbae asked,
Jinmyung: So, what did you wanna ask me?
Jaehwan: When… are you going to introduce me to your mom?
Yoon-sunbae looked down and smiled a little,
Jinmyung: Why?
Jaehwan: Well… you know, we’ve been together for a while now and I wanna get to know your mom more than just hearing her from your stories.
Jinmyung: Hm…. Good news, then. My mom also wants to meet up with you soon.
Jaehwan smiled sweetly and hugged Yoon-sunbae before suggesting,
Jaehwan: what about next month? When I visit you next?
Yoon-sunbae sulked a little when Jaehwan said ‘next month’ was going to be his visit. ‘1 month is a long time,’ Yoon-sunbae thought to herself. Jaehwan noticed Yoon-sunbae’s expression and said,
Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, how?
Yoon-sunbae came back to her senses and smiled while replying,
Jinmyung: Of course, let’s set the date!
Yoon-sunbae took a roll of cut kimbap and fed it into Jaehwan’s mouth.
Jaehwan: Hm! It’s yummy! Yeokshi, you’re so reliable.
Jaehwan complimented Yoon-sunbae’s kimbap making skills to cheer her up a little. He continued to try the side dishes that Yoon-sunbae’s mom cooked, and his eyes widened in wonder,
Jaehwan: Wah… your mom is an amazing cook! Did her skills pass down to you?
Jaehwan teased Yoon-sunbae and laughed as he realized how cringe-worthy his statement was.
Jinmyung: By the way, how’s the restaurant doing?
Jaehwan: Well, it’s doing pretty well. We have a lot of customers coming in every day, and nice words have spread about the restaurant for the handsome chef who cooks the menu.
Yoon-sunbae hit Jaehwan’s shoulder as she heard his over-confident statement, but he’s not exactly wrong, though… because he really is handsome to the point that somewhere deep inside her, she’s scared that another woman might take Jaehwan from her.
Jaehwan uttered,
Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, I have something I wanted to tell you. Well, I’ve had this thought for quite some time now, but I think it’s best that I tell you now.
As Jaehwan completed his sentence, Yoon-sunbae’s heart suddenly pounded uncontrollably. She thought, ‘is he gonna propose?’ but she tried not to show any excitement on her face and answered back coolly,
Jinmyung: what is it?
Jaehwan: I…
Yoon-sunbae’s expression got more serious as she tried to hold her anticipation.
Jaehwan continued,
Jaehwan: I want to…
Just then, Yoon-sunbae couldn’t hold herself anymore and blurted,
Jinmyung: Yes, I do!
Jaehwan who didn’t understand what Yoon-sunbae was talking about, asked,
Jaehwan: Do what?
Yoon-sunbae had so many question on her mind as she replied,
Jinmyung: Weren’t you going to… propose???
Jaehwan had a good laugh and said,
Jaehwan: Hahaha, I’m so sorry… but that wasn’t what I was about to tell you.
Right at that time, Yoon sunbae could feel her cheeks getting hotter and it turned so red that it could pass as a boiled shrimp.
Jinmyung: Then what was it?!
Jaehwan: I’m planning to move back to Seoul. In June. I’m setting up a restaurant business with a colleague of mine who’s an investor mainly in publishing, but he offered me this amazing opportunity, so I think I’m gonna go for it. What do you think?
Yoon-sunbae whose cheeks were red in embarrassment, suddenly blanked out and responded,
Jinmyung: Jaehwan-ssi, are you not kidding me?
Jaehwan: Of course not. Why would I lie about such things?
It was such a good news for Yoon-sunbae. It was even more ideal than getting proposed right at that point. To properly answer Jaehwan’s question, Yoon-sunbae replied,
Jinmyung: I’m absolutely behind you back for this one. I’m putting on my full support for you.
Jaehwan’s lips stretched widely as he heard Yoon-sunbae’s reply. There’s a reason why he agreed to open his own restaurant in Seoul .Well, number one is because he wanted to make his own authentic menu and build freedom in his own kitchen kingdom, but there is one core reason underlying that – he wanted to bring his relationship with Yoon-sunbae to the next level.
Belle Époque
9.56 a.m.
Eun opened her eyes as she woke up from her good and long sleep. She noticed that the room she woke up at wasn’t hers.
After a while, she remembered telling Janghoon that she wanted to sleep with him for the last time before he returns to the base.
Eun looked right and left, but couldn’t find Janghoon anywhere, so she headed out from Janghoon’s place to go back to her room upstairs.
She didn’t want to be found out by anyone that she spent the night at Janghoon’s, so she carefully watched her way out.
As she closed the door and turned her back to climb the stairs, she got scared by Yoon-sunbae’s presence who looked extra pretty that morning.
Yoon-sunbae asked her what she was doing, and Eun made a white lie to save herself,
Eun: I was just checking whether Janghoon was home, I wanted to go ask him out for lunch before he goes.
Jinmyung: oooh… really? Is he inside?
Eun shook her head to respond Yoon-sunbae.
Eun: By the way, why are you dressed so prettily like that?
Jinmyung: Aah, Jaehwan-ssi is coming to Seoul today, so we’re gonna go on a picnic date.
Eun: Ah, that’s right! How can I forget about that, you told me about it before last Friday when we met outside the courtyard. Arasseo-yo! Have fun! Please tell chef-nim I said Hi.
Jinmyung: Eo, thank you. If you see Janghoon, tell him I say goodbye, ok?
Yoon-sunbae made her way out of Belle Époque and Eun exclaimed,
Eun: Arasseo-yo. Bye! Be careful on your way!
As Eun saw Yoon-sunbae disappearing from her sight, she touched her heart and sighed in relief.
Come to think of it, Eun still wondered, ‘where is Seo Janghoon?’
Before giving up to return to the share house upstairs, someone shouted Eun’s name. She knew whose voice it was. Janghoon’s.
Janghoon: Eun-ah!
As Eun turned back, she could see Janghoon holding a few plastic bags. She asked,
Eun: What are those bags?
Janghoon: These? I just went to the market to buy some ingredients to make lunch.
Eun: Make lunch? You can cook?
Janghoon felt a little offended, but he didn’t take it seriously,
Janghoon: Eo, of course I can. How do you think I survived all these time living alone downstairs? And do you know we have cooking duties at the army base? One of the reasons why I got awarded this precious holiday is because of my cooking. My seniors loved it so much.
Eun who just found out about Janghoon’s hidden talent, nodded in acknowledgement,
Eun: Arasseo. So, what are we having for lunch?
Janghoon replied with a smile,
Janghoon: Budae-jjigae
Eun scoffed after hearing Janghoon’s reply,
Eun: Yeokshi. What else can you cook
Janghoon, who felt irritated, ruffled Eun’s hair and said,
Janghoon: Euuugh, is that what you have to say to your boyfriend who’s returning to his base in a couple of hours? Let’s go!
Eun who heard Janghoon’s sensitive reply, commented while laughing,
Eun: I know I know, I was just joking!
As the atmosphere brightened, the two went inside Janghoon’s place to start cooking.
Eun helped Janghoon unpack the ingredients from the plastic bags. Her eyes widened as the things she took out from the bags didn’t seem to come to an end. Eun blurted,
Eun: Why are there some many things in here? How can you remember all these ingredients?
Janghoon: Why? Are you amazed?
Eun scoffed,
Eun: ANI! Why do you have to answer it like that?
Janghoon was taken aback and said,
Janghoon: Eun-ah… what’s wrong with you today?
Eun didn’t say anything and proceeded to the basin to wash the ingredient she took out.
Honestly, she couldn’t stop thinking about having to say goodbye with Janghoon in a few hours-time. She wanted to stop the time so badly, but she knew it’s impossible.
As the air was silent and both Eun and Janghoon kept quiet, Eun took a kitchen knife to cut some sausages, spam, raw vegetables, and spices for the stew. Her mind was still overwhelmed by the idea of farewell. She hated separation ever since she was young. Learning how her parents separated really traumatized Eun until now that she’s become a college student.
Eun suddenly hissed in pain as she accidentally cut her left thumb while chopping off the sausages. Janghoon who thankfully was paying attention to Eun, deftly took the first aid kit to apply some ointment and paste a plaster around Eun’s lean thumb. Eun couldn’t stand the mixture of feelings inside her and started crying. Her face was red.
Looking at this, Janghoon consoled Eun,
Janghoon: Eun-aaaah…. Be careful next time, okay? And I know you’re sad too for having to say goodbye to me. I’m sorry okay I was a little harsh on you earlier.
Eun’s sob subsided as she heard Janghoon’s comforting words.
Janghoon: Now can you wait and sit on the chair over there until I finish cooking this?
Eun nodded in response as she still didn’t have the energy to produce a sound due to the lump she felt in .
In about 30 minutes, Janghoon turned off the boiling hot pot of Budae-jjigae that he successfully cooked. He tasted his cooking with a spoon and let go a sigh of satisfaction and praised himself,
Janghoon: Ahhhh, it’s perfect!
He grabbed the pot handles with a pair of mittens and brought it to the dining table. He set up the table with two bowls and two pairs of cutlery before joining Eun who was waiting since her thumb got cut.
Janghoon instructed,
Janghoon: Eun-ah, take some!
Eun scooped down the stew that was filled with numerous ingredients with a ladle and transferred it to Janghoon’s bowl first, before taking her share.
As Eun tasted the dish, her facial expression lightened up and Janghoon who noticed it smiled and started eating his own share.
Janghoon: Is it good?
Eun swallowed whatever was inside and said,
Eun: Eo. It’s amaaazing.
Inside, Janghoon felt really happy and proud that his food can bring his girlfriend happiness. ‘Yeokshi, food is the medicine to a girl’s sorrow.’
Janghoon realized how much he’s learnt about relationship, despite it being his first relationship and the fact that he had to be away from Eun to serve in the military. But without long-distance relationship as an obstacle, he wouldn’t be able to cherish every second that was given for him to return from the base.
There was one thing Janghoon wanted to tell Eun before going,
Janghoon: Eun-ah,
Eun who was slurping the tasty soup, looked up at Janghoon who called her,
Eun: Why?
Janghoon: I only want to tell you this before I go.
Eun’s gaze was still locked at Janghoon.
Janghoon: Please be a strong woman. I want to you be strong as long-distance relationship and not being able to see me whenever you want to will be a difficult hurdle to jump over.
I want you to be strong if anyone ever hurts your feelings. I know all too well how you can put on a straight face when in fact your heart is torn into pieces.
And I want you to be strong, in protecting the key to my heart, because without that, I wouldn’t be able to return back to you.
Eun’s eyes that still felt sore were suddenly teary again, but this time, she openly wiped it with a ply of tissue and tried to control herself. Eun then replied,
Eun: Ya Seo Janghoon. I can’t believe you can make a girl cry like this… I’ll do it. I’ll be a strong woman. But don’t you forget what you promised me, okay? What did you promise? Do you even remember???
Janghoon chuckled and pretended to forget.
Janghoon: … what were they? Uhm… aish I can’t remember.
Eun who thought Janghoon was being real, almost hit him with the back of her spoon, but before she could hit him, Janghoon shielded himself and said,
Janghoon: Call you every week and not to drool over girl group members. I remember it all, Eun-ah.
Eun repelled her motion and put the spoon down as she heard Janghoon’s answer.
As they both finished eating, Janghoon and Eun parted ways for them to get ready.
Eun wanted to properly send him off this time. She’s not going to repeat the same mistake by staying cool like the last time.
Eun: I’ll come down when I’m ready
Janghoon: Okay. See you!
As the door closed behind Eun, she ran upstairs to pick her favorite outfit.
Jiwon and Eunjae who were enjoying the food that Jiwon’s parents delivered the day before, had their eyes on Eun who seemed to be ecstatic.
Jiwon asked eunjae a random question,
Jiwon: What date is it today?
Eunjae peeked at her phone before she answered,
Eunjae: 18 February.
Jiwon: 18 February… 18 February?!
Eunjae nodded.
Jiwon: Isn’t Janghoon supposed to return to his base today?
Eunjae: Oh ya! How can I forget about that?
Jiwon: But how strange, how come Eun looked so cheerful?
Eunjae who wondered the same thing, shrugged and shook her head at the same time.
Jiwon and Eunjae got shocked when Eun suddenly barged out of her room, asking,
Eun: Jiwon-sunbae, Eunjae-ya… Do you want to come and accompany me to send Janghoon off?
Jiwon and Eunjae shared a glance and Jiwon said in a shock state,
Jiwon: Eo… alright, I’ll go I’ll go
Eun looked over to Eunjae and expected an answer from her,
Eunjae: Yeah… I’ll go too.
Eun looked excited as Jiwon and Eunjae agreed.
At Belle Époque’s Courtyard
12.45 p.m.
Jiwon, Eunjae and Eun went out of the main door and saw Janghoon who was ready with his bulky army backpack, dressed in his army uniform plus cap, and not to forget - the lock necklace was there, hanging under his shirt.
Seeing this, Jiwon teased Eun,
Jiwon: Oooo, Seo Janghoon! I didn’t know you can look this cool! Eun-ah, don’t you want to kiss this boyfriend of yours every single second?
Eun who got embarrassed, said shyly,
Eun: Aniyo, Jiwon-sunbae. Please stop it!
Janghoon looked at the digital watch he was wearing on his left wrist and said,
Janghoon: Alright, let’s go! I’ll be punished if I don’t arrive by 3 p.m. today.
Janghoon reached his hand over to Eun, while Eun offered her other hand to Jiwon and Eunjae. The 4 people walked hand-in-hand as farewell this time was full of light-heartedness.
Army Bus Depot
1.10 p.m.
As Janghoon sat on the bus seat near the window, he opened the window to kiss Eun for the last time.
Jiwon and Eunjae who witnessed the scene could only imagine themselves doing it with their own partners – Sungmin and Chungwon.
Suddenly, Jiwon and Eunjae stared at each other. They couldn’t believe the crazy thought they both had in mind. They wanted to persuade their boyfriends to go to the army. Just to get the bus kiss.
As the bus went off, Eun waved goodbye at Janghoon. Jiwon and Eunjae did the same from behind.
Han River
6.22 p.m.
Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan were having their final stroll around the Han River banks. The location was originally where many couple have their dates too, and it’s their turn to be like those other couples.
Jinmyung: Jaehwan-ssi…
Jaehwan looked over to Yoon-sunbae as she called his name,
Jaehwan: Hm?
Jinmyung: I know I shouldn’t be thinking about this, but I can’t help but to do so, because we rarely see each other.
Jaehwan: What is it?
After pausing for a while, Yoon-sunbae said whatever was inside her mind.
Jinmyung: Have your heart wavered for someone else besides me?
Suddenly, Jaehwan stopped walking. He was quite startled at Yoon-sunbae’s honest query, but he knew exactly what his feelings were.
Yoon-sunbae turned back to see Jaehwan who was standing before her. She waited patiently to get an answer from Jaehwan.
She wanted to know his answer because whatever it is will determine whether she can trust him to be her lifetime companion.
As Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan both looked into each other’s eyes, Jaehwan explained,
Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, I understand where you’re coming from. I know our long-distance relationship makes you worried a lot, but I just want you to know that there’s no other woman who can make my heart waver besides you.
I have to admit how many times the customers in my restaurant have tried to get close to me purposely, but I always rejected them and said “I have a woman that I love back in Seoul.”
Some of them even left negative reviews about the restaurant because of that. But I personally don’t mind that a lot, because I think it’s the right thing to do.
I love you. And I always will.
Yoon-sunbae almost shed tears as she heard Jaehwan’s words, but she kept it in.
For once, the suppressed anger and confusion that she had towards the long-distance relationship with Jaehwan subdued.
From then on, she knew that the relationship wasn’t just about mutual love, but it’s also about trust and commitment.
Jinmyung: Arasseo-yo, Jaehwan-ssi, and thank you. It must’ve been equally difficult for you too. Being away from me, although Busan and Seoul aren’t that far away.
I’m so sorry that I’ve been selfish all these time. You were the one who always visit me in Seoul, and I never once had the initiative to visit you in Busan. I know I should be happy that you’re going to move back here in a few months, but I don’t know how I can repay you back, Jaehwan-ssi-
All of a sudden, Yoon-sunbae couldn’t hold her tears anymore. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to explain her complicated heart.
Jaehwan who watched Yoon-sunbae from the start, pulled her tight in his warm embrace and let the chilly night breeze of Han River calm the sorrow of his love’s heart.
Seoul Train Station
7.22 p.m.
Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan are at the station. They were ready to say goodbye to one another, but this time, Yoon-sunbae was sure that she didn’t have to worry about her situation anymore. Everything was all clear, and she trusted Jaehwan fully.
Announcement: Passengers heading to Busan, please board the train through platform 3. Thank you.
As Jaehwan and Yoon-sunbae heard the call, Jaehwan pulled Yoon-sunbae closer for a quick peck, before he waved goodbye and uttered his parting words,
Jaehwan: I’m going first. I’ll miss you a lot. See you!
Those words of goodbye were short and sweet, but it gave Yoon-sunbae the assurance that they were gonna meet again in the future.
University Newspaper Club
Friday, 28th February 2018
2.10 p.m.
Jiwon was sitting beside Sungmin in the club room. Sungmin was trying to focus on the planning of the first quarterly newsletter of the year that will be published at the end of next month, but Jiwon’s presence hindered him from focusing.
It’s not because he couldn’t control himself from not kissing her or to simply stare at her, but Jiwon was back being herself. Completely.
Since the morning, Jiwon had been following Sungmin everywhere. She even followed him to the bathroom when he had to answer the call of nature.
Outside the restroom…
Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, why are you following me even here?!
Jiwon: Why? Why can’t I?
Sungmin: It’s seriously so weird. Please go back to the office. It won’t take long.
Jiwon: Aaaaanggg, Sungmin-ah…
Sungmin tried to ignore her to go inside the restroom, thinking that Jiwon wouldn’t follow him inside, but she did, so Sungmin headed out of the restroom and scolded,
Sungmin: Jiwon-ah. Please. It’s urgent.
Jiwon: Why can’t I follow you? I’ve seen you without anything anyway.
Sungmin: Aish!
Just then, Sungmin’s life was saved when a group of guys went inside the restroom, and Sungmin followed through. He could see Jiwon’s lips putting in disappointment.
Sungmin knew Jiwon wanted to tell him something, but he couldn’t understand why she couldn’t just say it.
At the office table…
Sungmin: Why do you keep looking at me like that? I can’t focus
Jiwon: Sungmin-ah
Sungmin: Hm? Why?
Jiwon: Can’t you go to the army?
Sungmin: What? What are you talking about? Why all of a sud-
Before he could finish his words, something came up on his mind,
Sungmin: Why? Are you tired of me already? Are you bored seeing my face already?
Jiwon shook her head.
Sungmin: Then what? Why, Jiwon-ah?
Just the, Chungwon who’s been listening in to their conversation, jumped in,
Chungwon: Isn’t it because of the bus kiss?
Sungmin who knew nothing about it, asked,
Sungmin: Bus kiss?! What the hell is that?
Chungwon: You know, hyung. It’s that cheesy thing guys do with their girlfriends before they go off to the army. They kiss their girlfriends through the bus window.
Jiwon nodded and her eyes widened.
Sungmin understood Chungwon’s explanation, but he was curious,
Sungmin: but by the way, Chungwon… you… how do you know about all these?
Chungwon sighed.
Chungwon: Because Eunjae asked me the same thing.
Hearing that, Sungmin shook his head in disbelief, but inside, he was dying of Jiwon’s cuteness. He asked Jiwon to come out for a while with a hand signal.
Outside the office…
Sungmin: is it that? You want me to go to the army because of that cheesy bus kiss?
Jiwon: what do you mean, cheesy? It’s so romantic.
Sungmin couldn’t help but smile.
Sungmin: Hey. Don’t you forget that I’m your boyfriend already? If you want to kiss me, do it, then… I thought you were always that forward.
Jiwon: I know, but it’s different.
At that moment, Sungmin sighed and grabbed Jiwon’s hand to go back to the office.
3.42 p.m.
Sungmin went home together with Jiwon. This time, they took the bus together. It was the first time, but Sungmin wanted to feel how Jiwon goes to and off campus to Belle Époque.
Since the bus also goes to his apartment too, Jiwon told Sungmin that he didn’t have to walk her home.
As Jiwon alighted at the bus stop to Belle Époque, she waved goodbye at Sungmin.
Just before the bus went off, Sungmin asked the driver to hold on for a while. He sled the bus window on the right side and shouted,
Sungmin: Jiwon-ah!
Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s voice, looked back.
Sungmin: Come here!
Jiwon who thought maybe she forgot something, ran back to towards the bus.
But suddenly, Sungmin protruded his head out of the window and said,
Sungmin: This is what you want, right?
Jiwon smiled and tip-toed to touch her lips on Sungmin’s. They closed their eyes for a while and felt each other’s soft lips before the driver spoke loudly,
Driver: Young man, are you done with your business?
Sungmin who heard the driver’s words, quickly finished his job, and he waved goodbye at Jiwon once more before the bus started accelerating.
Jiwon who couldn’t believe Sungmin just fulfilled her dream kiss, grinned while touching her lips.
Back at the bus, he felt relieved for accomplishing Jiwon’s wish, but there’s one thing he didn’t realize.
His kiss with Jiwon went viral on the internet the next day, as a few passengers and people who were waiting at the bus stop took the video of the heartfelt sight. It was since then known as the ‘nation’s bus kiss’.
Glossary
Budae-jjigae = Army Base Stew
Spam = Canned ham
Belle Époque
18th February 2018
9.00 a.m.
Yoon-sunbae exited the bathroom, wearing a feminine sky-blue dress. She painted her face with light makeup and let her shoulder-length hair down. She approached the fridge to check the contents. Unlike the day before, the fridge was full with home-cooked food.
She smiled and pulled out some containers from the fridge to heat them up and went over to the kitchen island to transfer some kimbap rolls she personally made early in the morning into two separate containers. Her expression showed satisfaction
10.00 a.m.
As headed out of Belle Époque’s front door, she saw Eun coming out from the room downstairs, who was making her way out as carefully as possible.
Eun jumped in shock as she was Yoon-sunbae and said,
Eun: Yoon-sunbae, you scared me!
Jinmyung: What were you doing?
Eun who got asked that, put on an awkward expression while whispering something to Yoon-sunbae’s ear.
Flashback
Belle Époque
17th February 2018
11.25 p.m.
Eun curled up on her bed, looking sullen. She was staring at her blank phone screen when a call suddenly came in,
Janghoon: Eun-ah, what are you doing?
Eun replied right away,
Eun: Nothing. Why?
Janghoon: Wanna have some snacks downstairs?
Eun agreed willingly and said,
Eun: Eo, I’ll go down now
Janghoon: Okay!
When Eun went downstairs, Janghoon guided her to the small living room in his place.
Janghoon: Let’s eat tteokbokki together!
Janghoon handed over a pair of separated bamboo chopsticks to Eun. They both started eating with silence in the air.
After a while, Janghoon opened a conversation,
Janghoon: Eun-ah…
Eun cut Janghoon’s words and said,
Eun: I know. Just keep eating.
Eun knew. She knew Janghoon was about to tell her that he’s returning the next day. So for about 10 minutes, Eun and Janghoon ate the spicy rice cake silently.
Eun commented,
Eun: Aaah, so delicious!
Janghoon offered her a cup of water to wash down the heat from the spice. When he saw sauce smearing all over Eun’s lips, he chuckled to himself,
Eun: Why?
Janghoon didn’t reply and kept laughing to himself
He took a ply of tissue to wipe the sauce off her lips, but their faces were too close for them to resist each other’s lips.
Janghoon leaned forward to kiss Eun, but Eun retracted shortly. Janghoon was confused, so he asked,
Janghoon: Is something wrong?
Eun didn’t respond to Janghoon’s question.
Janghoon who felt that something must be wrong, pulled Eun towards his body to hug her tightly. He knew all too well that Eun will miss him so much after he returns to the base.
Without notice, Janghoon carried Eun to his bed, thinking Eun might feel better if she was lying down.
Despite Janghoon’s height that’s a little shorter than Eun, he’s strong. Eun was a bit startled at Janghoon’s spontaneous act, but it all faded when she was lying on Janghoon’s soft mattress.
The two lied down to cuddle and Eun said,
Eun: Seo Janghoon.
Janghoon: Hm?
Eun: Promise me.
Eun continued,
Eun: Promise me you’ll never forget to call me once a week. Promise me to not drool over girl group members who come to perform at the army base. Arasseo?
Janghoon who heard Eun’s cute request, just laughed and didn’t comment anything to Eun’s remarks.
To this, Eun responded,
Eun: Why are you not saying anything?
Janghoon: Aigoo aigoo… Yes, Ma’am! PRIVATE SEO-JANG-HOON WILL ACCEPT AND EXECUTE YOUR REQUESTS.
Eun smiled brightly when Janghoon replied in his military speech style. Eun who already got comfortable with the position that she’s in, asked,
Eun: Can I sleep here just for tonight?
Janghoon was surprised to hear Eun’s question, but he replied open-endedly with a hint of shyness,
Janghoon: Well… If you want and are sure….
Eun closed her eyes to sleep, while Janghoon held her in his arms.
Janghoon murmured to himself,
Janghoon: Right. Let’s spend the night together just once.
Truthfully, Janghoon also felt extremely sad when he had to leave Eun alone for his departure to the base 5 months ago, but he kept it to himself until he even had to shed his tears during showers so that his fellow army mates wouldn’t notice that he was crying.
The thought that he had to leave Eun for the second time felt even harder, but the last 4 days that he spent with Eun – from their sweet date riding the Ferris-wheel, getting themselves a couple necklace, and now, cuddling together to sleep on his last day in Seoul, are all precious.
It made Janghoon even surer that his feelings for Eun is only going to get stronger when he’s away later.
To end his midnight thoughts, Janghoon adjusted his position and tightened his embrace on Eun, before kissing Eun’s forehead sweetly to wish her goodnight.
Seoul Train Station
11.35 a.m.
Yoon-sunbae was waiting inside the train station to pick Jaehwan up from his train journey from Busan.
She texted him earlier,
As Yoon-sunbae could see a tall and handsome figure in front of her, she approached and gave him a light peck before wrapping each other’s arms to walk out of the station.
Jaehwan voluntarily took the paper bags that Yoon-sunbae were carrying and asked,
Jaehwan: So, we’re going for a picnic date?
Yoon-sunbae nodded,
Jaehwan looked at the contents inside the bags and wondered,
Jaehwan: wow… you prepared all these by yourself?
Jinmyung: Eo. I woke up at 6 today to prepare all these… You’d better eat them all! Well actually, some of them are from my mom, so…
Jaehwan: Mom? You went to see her?
Jinmyung: Yup, I went home yesterday.
Jaehwan: That’s great!… Jinmyung-ah, can I ask you something?
Yoon-sunbae thought for a while first and suggested,
Jinmyung: Let’s head over to the park and talk about it over there.
Jaehwan agreed with ease on that one.
Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan chose Banpo Hangang Park as their picnic destination.
The view from that park was nice as they could see Namsan Tower, The Hill and Seoul Cityscape all at once.
As they sat down on the picnic mat, Jaehwan helped Yoon-sunbae to unpack the food that she brought. Yoon-sunbae asked,
Jinmyung: So, what did you wanna ask me?
Jaehwan: When… are you going to introduce me to your mom?
Yoon-sunbae looked down and smiled a little,
Jinmyung: Why?
Jaehwan: Well… you know, we’ve been together for a while now and I wanna get to know your mom more than just hearing her from your stories.
Jinmyung: Hm…. Good news, then. My mom also wants to meet up with you soon.
Jaehwan smiled sweetly and hugged Yoon-sunbae before suggesting,
Jaehwan: what about next month? When I visit you next?
Yoon-sunbae sulked a little when Jaehwan said ‘next month’ was going to be his visit. ‘1 month is a long time,’ Yoon-sunbae thought to herself. Jaehwan noticed Yoon-sunbae’s expression and said,
Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, how?
Yoon-sunbae came back to her senses and smiled while replying,
Jinmyung: Of course, let’s set the date!
Yoon-sunbae took a roll of cut kimbap and fed it into Jaehwan’s mouth.
Jaehwan: Hm! It’s yummy! Yeokshi, you’re so reliable.
Jaehwan complimented Yoon-sunbae’s kimbap making skills to cheer her up a little. He continued to try the side dishes that Yoon-sunbae’s mom cooked, and his eyes widened in wonder,
Jaehwan: Wah… your mom is an amazing cook! Did her skills pass down to you?
Jaehwan teased Yoon-sunbae and laughed as he realized how cringe-worthy his statement was.
Jinmyung: By the way, how’s the restaurant doing?
Jaehwan: Well, it’s doing pretty well. We have a lot of customers coming in every day, and nice words have spread about the restaurant for the handsome chef who cooks the menu.
Yoon-sunbae hit Jaehwan’s shoulder as she heard his over-confident statement, but he’s not exactly wrong, though… because he really is handsome to the point that somewhere deep inside her, she’s scared that another woman might take Jaehwan from her.
Jaehwan uttered,
Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, I have something I wanted to tell you. Well, I’ve had this thought for quite some time now, but I think it’s best that I tell you now.
As Jaehwan completed his sentence, Yoon-sunbae’s heart suddenly pounded uncontrollably. She thought, ‘is he gonna propose?’ but she tried not to show any excitement on her face and answered back coolly,
Jinmyung: what is it?
Jaehwan: I…
Yoon-sunbae’s expression got more serious as she tried to hold her anticipation.
Jaehwan continued,
Jaehwan: I want to…
Just then, Yoon-sunbae couldn’t hold herself anymore and blurted,
Jinmyung: Yes, I do!
Jaehwan who didn’t understand what Yoon-sunbae was talking about, asked,
Jaehwan: Do what?
Yoon-sunbae had so many question on her mind as she replied,
Jinmyung: Weren’t you going to… propose???
Jaehwan had a good laugh and said,
Jaehwan: Hahaha, I’m so sorry… but that wasn’t what I was about to tell you.
Right at that time, Yoon sunbae could feel her cheeks getting hotter and it turned so red that it could pass as a boiled shrimp.
Jinmyung: Then what was it?!
Jaehwan: I’m planning to move back to Seoul. In June. I’m setting up a restaurant business with a colleague of mine who’s an investor mainly in publishing, but he offered me this amazing opportunity, so I think I’m gonna go for it. What do you think?
Yoon-sunbae whose cheeks were red in embarrassment, suddenly blanked out and responded,
Jinmyung: Jaehwan-ssi, are you not kidding me?
Jaehwan: Of course not. Why would I lie about such things?
It was such a good news for Yoon-sunbae. It was even more ideal than getting proposed right at that point. To properly answer Jaehwan’s question, Yoon-sunbae replied,
Jinmyung: I’m absolutely behind you back for this one. I’m putting on my full support for you.
Jaehwan’s lips stretched widely as he heard Yoon-sunbae’s reply. There’s a reason why he agreed to open his own restaurant in Seoul .Well, number one is because he wanted to make his own authentic menu and build freedom in his own kitchen kingdom, but there is one core reason underlying that – he wanted to bring his relationship with Yoon-sunbae to the next level.
Belle Époque
9.56 a.m.
Eun opened her eyes as she woke up from her good and long sleep. She noticed that the room she woke up at wasn’t hers.
After a while, she remembered telling Janghoon that she wanted to sleep with him for the last time before he returns to the base.
Eun looked right and left, but couldn’t find Janghoon anywhere, so she headed out from Janghoon’s place to go back to her room upstairs.
She didn’t want to be found out by anyone that she spent the night at Janghoon’s, so she carefully watched her way out.
As she closed the door and turned her back to climb the stairs, she got scared by Yoon-sunbae’s presence who looked extra pretty that morning.
Yoon-sunbae asked her what she was doing, and Eun made a white lie to save herself,
Eun: I was just checking whether Janghoon was home, I wanted to go ask him out for lunch before he goes.
Jinmyung: oooh… really? Is he inside?
Eun shook her head to respond Yoon-sunbae.
Eun: By the way, why are you dressed so prettily like that?
Jinmyung: Aah, Jaehwan-ssi is coming to Seoul today, so we’re gonna go on a picnic date.
Eun: Ah, that’s right! How can I forget about that, you told me about it before last Friday when we met outside the courtyard. Arasseo-yo! Have fun! Please tell chef-nim I said Hi.
Jinmyung: Eo, thank you. If you see Janghoon, tell him I say goodbye, ok?
Yoon-sunbae made her way out of Belle Époque and Eun exclaimed,
Eun: Arasseo-yo. Bye! Be careful on your way!
As Eun saw Yoon-sunbae disappearing from her sight, she touched her heart and sighed in relief.
Come to think of it, Eun still wondered, ‘where is Seo Janghoon?’
Before giving up to return to the share house upstairs, someone shouted Eun’s name. She knew whose voice it was. Janghoon’s.
Janghoon: Eun-ah!
As Eun turned back, she could see Janghoon holding a few plastic bags. She asked,
Eun: What are those bags?
Janghoon: These? I just went to the market to buy some ingredients to make lunch.
Eun: Make lunch? You can cook?
Janghoon felt a little offended, but he didn’t take it seriously,
Janghoon: Eo, of course I can. How do you think I survived all these time living alone downstairs? And do you know we have cooking duties at the army base? One of the reasons why I got awarded this precious holiday is because of my cooking. My seniors loved it so much.
Eun who just found out about Janghoon’s hidden talent, nodded in acknowledgement,
Eun: Arasseo. So, what are we having for lunch?
Janghoon replied with a smile,
Janghoon: Budae-jjigae
Eun scoffed after hearing Janghoon’s reply,
Eun: Yeokshi. What else can you cook
Janghoon, who felt irritated, ruffled Eun’s hair and said,
Janghoon: Euuugh, is that what you have to say to your boyfriend who’s returning to his base in a couple of hours? Let’s go!
Eun who heard Janghoon’s sensitive reply, commented while laughing,
Eun: I know I know, I was just joking!
As the atmosphere brightened, the two went inside Janghoon’s place to start cooking.
Eun helped Janghoon unpack the ingredients from the plastic bags. Her eyes widened as the things she took out from the bags didn’t seem to come to an end. Eun blurted,
Eun: Why are there some many things in here? How can you remember all these ingredients?
Janghoon: Why? Are you amazed?
Eun scoffed,
Eun: ANI! Why do you have to answer it like that?
Janghoon was taken aback and said,
Janghoon: Eun-ah… what’s wrong with you today?
Eun didn’t say anything and proceeded to the basin to wash the ingredient she took out.
Honestly, she couldn’t stop thinking about having to say goodbye with Janghoon in a few hours-time. She wanted to stop the time so badly, but she knew it’s impossible.
As the air was silent and both Eun and Janghoon kept quiet, Eun took a kitchen knife to cut some sausages, spam, raw vegetables, and spices for the stew. Her mind was still overwhelmed by the idea of farewell. She hated separation ever since she was young. Learning how her parents separated really traumatized Eun until now that she’s become a college student.
Eun suddenly hissed in pain as she accidentally cut her left thumb while chopping off the sausages. Janghoon who thankfully was paying attention to Eun, deftly took the first aid kit to apply some ointment and paste a plaster around Eun’s lean thumb. Eun couldn’t stand the mixture of feelings inside her and started crying. Her face was red.
Looking at this, Janghoon consoled Eun,
Janghoon: Eun-aaaah…. Be careful next time, okay? And I know you’re sad too for having to say goodbye to me. I’m sorry okay I was a little harsh on you earlier.
Eun’s sob subsided as she heard Janghoon’s comforting words.
Janghoon: Now can you wait and sit on the chair over there until I finish cooking this?
Eun nodded in response as she still didn’t have the energy to produce a sound due to the lump she felt in .
In about 30 minutes, Janghoon turned off the boiling hot pot of Budae-jjigae that he successfully cooked. He tasted his cooking with a spoon and let go a sigh of satisfaction and praised himself,
Janghoon: Ahhhh, it’s perfect!
He grabbed the pot handles with a pair of mittens and brought it to the dining table. He set up the table with two bowls and two pairs of cutlery before joining Eun who was waiting since her thumb got cut.
Janghoon instructed,
Janghoon: Eun-ah, take some!
Eun scooped down the stew that was filled with numerous ingredients with a ladle and transferred it to Janghoon’s bowl first, before taking her share.
As Eun tasted the dish, her facial expression lightened up and Janghoon who noticed it smiled and started eating his own share.
Janghoon: Is it good?
Eun swallowed whatever was inside and said,
Eun: Eo. It’s amaaazing.
Inside, Janghoon felt really happy and proud that his food can bring his girlfriend happiness. ‘Yeokshi, food is the medicine to a girl’s sorrow.’
Janghoon realized how much he’s learnt about relationship, despite it being his first relationship and the fact that he had to be away from Eun to serve in the military. But without long-distance relationship as an obstacle, he wouldn’t be able to cherish every second that was given for him to return from the base.
There was one thing Janghoon wanted to tell Eun before going,
Janghoon: Eun-ah,
Eun who was slurping the tasty soup, looked up at Janghoon who called her,
Eun: Why?
Janghoon: I only want to tell you this before I go.
Eun’s gaze was still locked at Janghoon.
Janghoon: Please be a strong woman. I want to you be strong as long-distance relationship and not being able to see me whenever you want to will be a difficult hurdle to jump over.
I want you to be strong if anyone ever hurts your feelings. I know all too well how you can put on a straight face when in fact your heart is torn into pieces.
And I want you to be strong, in protecting the key to my heart, because without that, I wouldn’t be able to return back to you.
Eun’s eyes that still felt sore were suddenly teary again, but this time, she openly wiped it with a ply of tissue and tried to control herself. Eun then replied,
Eun: Ya Seo Janghoon. I can’t believe you can make a girl cry like this… I’ll do it. I’ll be a strong woman. But don’t you forget what you promised me, okay? What did you promise? Do you even remember???
Janghoon chuckled and pretended to forget.
Janghoon: … what were they? Uhm… aish I can’t remember.
Eun who thought Janghoon was being real, almost hit him with the back of her spoon, but before she could hit him, Janghoon shielded himself and said,
Janghoon: Call you every week and not to drool over girl group members. I remember it all, Eun-ah.
Eun repelled her motion and put the spoon down as she heard Janghoon’s answer.
As they both finished eating, Janghoon and Eun parted ways for them to get ready.
Eun wanted to properly send him off this time. She’s not going to repeat the same mistake by staying cool like the last time.
Eun: I’ll come down when I’m ready
Janghoon: Okay. See you!
As the door closed behind Eun, she ran upstairs to pick her favorite outfit.
Jiwon and Eunjae who were enjoying the food that Jiwon’s parents delivered the day before, had their eyes on Eun who seemed to be ecstatic.
Jiwon asked eunjae a random question,
Jiwon: What date is it today?
Eunjae peeked at her phone before she answered,
Eunjae: 18 February.
Jiwon: 18 February… 18 February?!
Eunjae nodded.
Jiwon: Isn’t Janghoon supposed to return to his base today?
Eunjae: Oh ya! How can I forget about that?
Jiwon: But how strange, how come Eun looked so cheerful?
Eunjae who wondered the same thing, shrugged and shook her head at the same time.
Jiwon and Eunjae got shocked when Eun suddenly barged out of her room, asking,
Eun: Jiwon-sunbae, Eunjae-ya… Do you want to come and accompany me to send Janghoon off?
Jiwon and Eunjae shared a glance and Jiwon said in a shock state,
Jiwon: Eo… alright, I’ll go I’ll go
Eun looked over to Eunjae and expected an answer from her,
Eunjae: Yeah… I’ll go too.
Eun looked excited as Jiwon and Eunjae agreed.
At Belle Époque’s Courtyard
12.45 p.m.
Jiwon, Eunjae and Eun went out of the main door and saw Janghoon who was ready with his bulky army backpack, dressed in his army uniform plus cap, and not to forget - the lock necklace was there, hanging under his shirt.
Seeing this, Jiwon teased Eun,
Jiwon: Oooo, Seo Janghoon! I didn’t know you can look this cool! Eun-ah, don’t you want to kiss this boyfriend of yours every single second?
Eun who got embarrassed, said shyly,
Eun: Aniyo, Jiwon-sunbae. Please stop it!
Janghoon looked at the digital watch he was wearing on his left wrist and said,
Janghoon: Alright, let’s go! I’ll be punished if I don’t arrive by 3 p.m. today.
Janghoon reached his hand over to Eun, while Eun offered her other hand to Jiwon and Eunjae. The 4 people walked hand-in-hand as farewell this time was full of light-heartedness.
Army Bus Depot
1.10 p.m.
As Janghoon sat on the bus seat near the window, he opened the window to kiss Eun for the last time.
Jiwon and Eunjae who witnessed the scene could only imagine themselves doing it with their own partners – Sungmin and Chungwon.
Suddenly, Jiwon and Eunjae stared at each other. They couldn’t believe the crazy thought they both had in mind. They wanted to persuade their boyfriends to go to the army. Just to get the bus kiss.
As the bus went off, Eun waved goodbye at Janghoon. Jiwon and Eunjae did the same from behind.
Han River
6.22 p.m.
Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan were having their final stroll around the Han River banks. The location was originally where many couple have their dates too, and it’s their turn to be like those other couples.
Jinmyung: Jaehwan-ssi…
Jaehwan looked over to Yoon-sunbae as she called his name,
Jaehwan: Hm?
Jinmyung: I know I shouldn’t be thinking about this, but I can’t help but to do so, because we rarely see each other.
Jaehwan: What is it?
After pausing for a while, Yoon-sunbae said whatever was inside her mind.
Jinmyung: Have your heart wavered for someone else besides me?
Suddenly, Jaehwan stopped walking. He was quite startled at Yoon-sunbae’s honest query, but he knew exactly what his feelings were.
Yoon-sunbae turned back to see Jaehwan who was standing before her. She waited patiently to get an answer from Jaehwan.
She wanted to know his answer because whatever it is will determine whether she can trust him to be her lifetime companion.
As Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan both looked into each other’s eyes, Jaehwan explained,
Jaehwan: Jinmyung-ah, I understand where you’re coming from. I know our long-distance relationship makes you worried a lot, but I just want you to know that there’s no other woman who can make my heart waver besides you.
I have to admit how many times the customers in my restaurant have tried to get close to me purposely, but I always rejected them and said “I have a woman that I love back in Seoul.”
Some of them even left negative reviews about the restaurant because of that. But I personally don’t mind that a lot, because I think it’s the right thing to do.
I love you. And I always will.
Yoon-sunbae almost shed tears as she heard Jaehwan’s words, but she kept it in.
For once, the suppressed anger and confusion that she had towards the long-distance relationship with Jaehwan subdued.
From then on, she knew that the relationship wasn’t just about mutual love, but it’s also about trust and commitment.
Jinmyung: Arasseo-yo, Jaehwan-ssi, and thank you. It must’ve been equally difficult for you too. Being away from me, although Busan and Seoul aren’t that far away.
I’m so sorry that I’ve been selfish all these time. You were the one who always visit me in Seoul, and I never once had the initiative to visit you in Busan. I know I should be happy that you’re going to move back here in a few months, but I don’t know how I can repay you back, Jaehwan-ssi-
All of a sudden, Yoon-sunbae couldn’t hold her tears anymore. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to explain her complicated heart.
Jaehwan who watched Yoon-sunbae from the start, pulled her tight in his warm embrace and let the chilly night breeze of Han River calm the sorrow of his love’s heart.
Seoul Train Station
7.22 p.m.
Yoon-sunbae and Jaehwan are at the station. They were ready to say goodbye to one another, but this time, Yoon-sunbae was sure that she didn’t have to worry about her situation anymore. Everything was all clear, and she trusted Jaehwan fully.
Announcement: Passengers heading to Busan, please board the train through platform 3. Thank you.
As Jaehwan and Yoon-sunbae heard the call, Jaehwan pulled Yoon-sunbae closer for a quick peck, before he waved goodbye and uttered his parting words,
Jaehwan: I’m going first. I’ll miss you a lot. See you!
Those words of goodbye were short and sweet, but it gave Yoon-sunbae the assurance that they were gonna meet again in the future.
University Newspaper Club
Friday, 28th February 2018
2.10 p.m.
Jiwon was sitting beside Sungmin in the club room. Sungmin was trying to focus on the planning of the first quarterly newsletter of the year that will be published at the end of next month, but Jiwon’s presence hindered him from focusing.
It’s not because he couldn’t control himself from not kissing her or to simply stare at her, but Jiwon was back being herself. Completely.
Since the morning, Jiwon had been following Sungmin everywhere. She even followed him to the bathroom when he had to answer the call of nature.
Outside the restroom…
Sungmin: Jiwon-ah, why are you following me even here?!
Jiwon: Why? Why can’t I?
Sungmin: It’s seriously so weird. Please go back to the office. It won’t take long.
Jiwon: Aaaaanggg, Sungmin-ah…
Sungmin tried to ignore her to go inside the restroom, thinking that Jiwon wouldn’t follow him inside, but she did, so Sungmin headed out of the restroom and scolded,
Sungmin: Jiwon-ah. Please. It’s urgent.
Jiwon: Why can’t I follow you? I’ve seen you without anything anyway.
Sungmin: Aish!
Just then, Sungmin’s life was saved when a group of guys went inside the restroom, and Sungmin followed through. He could see Jiwon’s lips putting in disappointment.
Sungmin knew Jiwon wanted to tell him something, but he couldn’t understand why she couldn’t just say it.
At the office table…
Sungmin: Why do you keep looking at me like that? I can’t focus
Jiwon: Sungmin-ah
Sungmin: Hm? Why?
Jiwon: Can’t you go to the army?
Sungmin: What? What are you talking about? Why all of a sud-
Before he could finish his words, something came up on his mind,
Sungmin: Why? Are you tired of me already? Are you bored seeing my face already?
Jiwon shook her head.
Sungmin: Then what? Why, Jiwon-ah?
Just the, Chungwon who’s been listening in to their conversation, jumped in,
Chungwon: Isn’t it because of the bus kiss?
Sungmin who knew nothing about it, asked,
Sungmin: Bus kiss?! What the hell is that?
Chungwon: You know, hyung. It’s that cheesy thing guys do with their girlfriends before they go off to the army. They kiss their girlfriends through the bus window.
Jiwon nodded and her eyes widened.
Sungmin understood Chungwon’s explanation, but he was curious,
Sungmin: but by the way, Chungwon… you… how do you know about all these?
Chungwon sighed.
Chungwon: Because Eunjae asked me the same thing.
Hearing that, Sungmin shook his head in disbelief, but inside, he was dying of Jiwon’s cuteness. He asked Jiwon to come out for a while with a hand signal.
Outside the office…
Sungmin: is it that? You want me to go to the army because of that cheesy bus kiss?
Jiwon: what do you mean, cheesy? It’s so romantic.
Sungmin couldn’t help but smile.
Sungmin: Hey. Don’t you forget that I’m your boyfriend already? If you want to kiss me, do it, then… I thought you were always that forward.
Jiwon: I know, but it’s different.
At that moment, Sungmin sighed and grabbed Jiwon’s hand to go back to the office.
3.42 p.m.
Sungmin went home together with Jiwon. This time, they took the bus together. It was the first time, but Sungmin wanted to feel how Jiwon goes to and off campus to Belle Époque.
Since the bus also goes to his apartment too, Jiwon told Sungmin that he didn’t have to walk her home.
As Jiwon alighted at the bus stop to Belle Époque, she waved goodbye at Sungmin.
Just before the bus went off, Sungmin asked the driver to hold on for a while. He sled the bus window on the right side and shouted,
Sungmin: Jiwon-ah!
Jiwon who heard Sungmin’s voice, looked back.
Sungmin: Come here!
Jiwon who thought maybe she forgot something, ran back to towards the bus.
But suddenly, Sungmin protruded his head out of the window and said,
Sungmin: This is what you want, right?
Jiwon smiled and tip-toed to touch her lips on Sungmin’s. They closed their eyes for a while and felt each other’s soft lips before the driver spoke loudly,
Driver: Young man, are you done with your business?
Sungmin who heard the driver’s words, quickly finished his job, and he waved goodbye at Jiwon once more before the bus started accelerating.
Jiwon who couldn’t believe Sungmin just fulfilled her dream kiss, grinned while touching her lips.
Back at the bus, he felt relieved for accomplishing Jiwon’s wish, but there’s one thing he didn’t realize.
His kiss with Jiwon went viral on the internet the next day, as a few passengers and people who were waiting at the bus stop took the video of the heartfelt sight. It was since then known as the ‘nation’s bus kiss’.
Glossary
Budae-jjigae = Army Base Stew
Spam = Canned ham
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