#np IU's Knee

2018

Shin Wonho.

He’s every girl’s dream, including mine. Seeing him after all these years… He’s still a handsome man, nothing ever changed. The way he spoke, his laugh, they were all the same. Before I came to the restaurant tonight, I wondered if my heart would change tonight after seeing him.

It was supposed to but it frustrates me that it turns out that he is the exact same guy who stole my heart many years ago.

Yes, truthfully, I forgot about him when I was in Japan, I was too busy studying. It was a right decision in my efforts of trying to forget him. It was an abrupt one, just like my stupid confession to him that day. I couldn’t even face him after that, I never talked to him since and he never had the effort in doing the same as well.

I guess he also didn’t know how to face me after the embarrassing incident and it went on until tonight. 8 years, that’s how long I haven’t talked to him or saw his face.

And I’m surprised that he hasn’t changed at all.

Well, time did helped. Facing him didn’t feel as bad as I thought it would compared to 8 years ago but that dinner was totally bad. The atmosphere was so awkward that I thought I was going to suffocate to death. He even called me by my real name which is a very rare occasion!

But when he told me he still has no girlfriend, I somehow couldn’t believe him. How it is possible that such a successful and handsome lawyer like him still doesn’t get himself a girl? That’s a bit absurd, right?

If not, then maybe he’s an infamous player who hooks up with different girl every weekend nights?

Maybe, who knows…

I snap when we passed through the same supermarket 100 meters away from my house. I glance at him and it seems that he’s also lost inside his own thoughts.

“Wonho-ssi.”

No answer.

“Wonho-ssi.” I raise my voice up a bit.

“Eh? Yes?”

I gather my courage and speak my mind.

“Whatever happens, let’s just oppose this stupid marriage, okay?”

“Okay.”

Soon, his car stopped in front of my house. Yes, that’s the only thing I wanted to say to him since our parents mentioned this absurd marriage during dinner at the hotel earlier. Neither of us wants this. I’m sure he doesn’t want this more than I do.

My feelings… It is nothing but a stupid teenage crush which literally destroyed our relationship 8 years ago. I’m an adult now, I’m sure I’m already over him. Even if I still like him, it’s useless since he doesn’t feel the same way. Besides, I still have my future, my dreams that I want to achieve, not stuck in a commitment that neither of us wanted.

***

“How’s dinner, sweetheart?”

“Bad.”

“Come on, don’t be like that… I’m sure you guys managed to catch up with each other after all these years…” My mother says so sweetly, as if nothing bad had happened between us.

“Omma, how can we talk comfortably with each other if we just knew that