Though the breeze brushed, and the sun shined without any discretion, it was a morning that has never dawned like this. Is it the mattress, blankets and sheets or his embrace that made the difference? Sohyun’s thoughts ran as she woke up in his arms. Her head was wrapped in his arms and inclined over his chest. Seungho was sleeping soundly resting his head on hers. She was in his cuddle. When she lifted her head to check on him, he positioned his head in sleep to ease his comfort. Thankfully, she didn’t disturb his sleep. She gently moved, slipping away from his arms. She was careful enough not to disturb his sleep. She successfully moved the blankets away from her and placed her hands beside her on the mattress, as a support to get up. When she tried to stand up, she heard a ripping sound of clothes and lost her balance. In his attempt to make her stay, he grabbed the back collar of her sleepwear gown, but his strength overpowered the cloth’s and it tore revealing her upper back. He didn’t expect to turn out like this as he thought she would fall on him and he would catch her, like in the movies. But, she safely landed on the mattress away from him. She turned towards Seungho who was now lying on his back looking at her while throwing a cheeky smile. She scowled at him, “Look what have you done?!”, she said angrily.

He gave her a sheepish smile and said, “You look y!”

She immediately turned away from him. His reply swept away her anger, but she ran out of the room in embarrassment holding on to torn clothes.

Unable to read her expression since she faced away, he assumed that she is angry from the way she ran out of the room and shouted, “I’ll take the responsibility!”

Since it’s the weekend, he was lazy to leave the bed. When he managed to drag himself, he rolled over to get up, but, something pricked him. It was Sohyun’s wedding ring stringed to the necklace. He smirked; took the necklace and hid it in his pocket.

Since, Sohyun’s hands should be free of accessories while interning in hospital, she continued to wear the necklace instead of wearing the ring on her finger. But soon, both decided to wear the necklace regularly, because they were tired of answering questions on marrying early which will end up in announcing the world about their situation with their parents.

He got out the room and roamed around the house in his vest and casual loose pants while waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. When Sohyun came out after her bath, dressed up in her tees and shorts, he went in and started brushing his teeth.

After a while, Sohyun was found walking around the house, searching for something. She went to the bedroom and looked under the blankets and pillows, into the creases in the couch but in vain. He noticed her roaming around the house in squirm and continued applying the foam on his face for shaving. She came into the bathroom and searched the laundry basket anxiously pulling out all the clothes. He realized that she was searching for the ring, but he pursed up his smile and asked while shaving, “What are you searching for?”

She floundered, “Necklace…”, said hesitantly while rummaging through the clothes.

“You lost the ring!”, he pretended to get shocked.

“You are the one to blame. Last night, you took it off because it poked you, remember?”, she retorted.

He raised his brows asking, “Me? You are blaming me after losing it?” and added, “they say it’s bad omen to lose the wedding ring. If something happens to me, my wife will be responsible for it!”

“Don’t scare me!”, her eyes trembled considering his words, and her hands were looking through the clothes that were pulled out of the basket.

He walked up to her and cupped her face. He said in soft voice caressing her face, “I’m here in front of you, all handsome, …”, and then finished the sentence in a loud vocal, “… But, you’re here, searching for that ring instead of me!”.

She shoved his hands away and said, “I want the ring now, not you!”. Seungho grimaced and immediately left the scene with a pinch of hurt. When she wasn’t looking, he hung the necklace in the key holder on the wall beside the main door and entered the room. She winced sighing as she realised her words might’ve gone overboard. So, she followed him to room, but something caught her sight before she could reach the room. She saw the necklace hanging. “It must be his work!”, she mumbled holding in her anger. After getting it, she hurried to the room and found him playing the victim.

He sat on the bay window seat and looked out poising like a forlorn person. She decided to play along. She sat beside him, hugging the square pillow and nudged his shoulder. She said mumbling softly, “I’m sorry!”

“What? I can’t hear you!”, his sly words slipped wanting to hear that again.

“Nothing!”, she replied in a straight tone.

As soon as the words escaped , “Apology accepted!”, he said promptly, as if he uttered those words before hers reached his ears.

Sohyun let out a quick smile.

He raised his chin again asking, “About the responsibility…”, as soon as seeing the ring on her, he pulled in his chin and his eyes wavered searching for an escape.

Sohyun threw the pillow at him saying, “You, fraud!”, and started throwing punches on him. He shielded himself with his back. It didn’t stop her. After few punches, he stopped resisting, “Towards my left and a little above”, he directed her as if her punches were massages. She shoved him way and got up. When he grabbed her hand, she looked at him. As he got up holding the gaze, the doorbell rang. She smirked as he sighed.

Sohyun attended the door and Seungho followed behind. She opened the door and saw Mrs. Kang standing before them. Mrs. Kang was short, slim and her oblong shaped face always carried a smile, but at the time, she looked frail. “Come in, Aunty!”, she welcomed her in. But Mrs. Kang stood outside with the puzzled look and her eyes started searching for something inside the house. Sohyun and Seungho puzzled but soon Sohyun grasped the situation. Mrs. Kang forgot her reason for coming up. At once, Mrs. Kang couldn’t recollect how she found herself there. Thinking that she lost her way, as nothing seemed familiar, she asked, “Where is Chulmin? Do you know Chulmin?”. Sohyun held Mrs. Kang’s hands in hers and said, “Uncle is downstairs. Let’s go meet him”. Mrs. Kang looked like she might break down anytime, so Seungho stepped up and said, “I’ll go with Aunty. Help me to get my shirt, Sohyun-ah!”. She nodded knowing his concern and brought his shirt from the closet. He received it and noticed the worry in her eyes, so he held her arms lightly squeezing it, to assure her.

He accompanied Mrs. Kang downstairs. Mr. Kang who was watching TV, saw Seungho carefully assisting Mrs. Kang down the stairs. He immediately rushed outside; ran towards her and held out his hand to her. On seeing Mr. Kang, “Where did you go? I have been searching all over for you!”, Mrs. Kang berated and held on to his hand. “I have been here all along”, he replied calmly and escorted her inside.

Seungho was amused at Mr. Kang’s patience and looked at them in amusement. While he waited in the living room, Mr. Kang helped his wife to rest and got back to him.

A sad smile of affection and a look of admiration defined Seungho who was looking at Mr. Kang, who pampered his wife without sacrificing even an inch his sweetness.

Mr. Kang said, “She wanted to give you the dessert she prepared, but she went upstairs leaving it here. She couldn’t remember what she forgot and why she was there… She is aware that something is amiss, that’s why the occasional hysteria.”

As Mr. Kang explained, Seungho listened nodding to him. “How do you manage?”, he asked wondering.

Mr. Kang let out a smile and said, “When she calls me by my name with such affection the next morning, it makes it all worth it!”. He saw Seungho smiling unconsciously at his reply and asked, “I should be asking you that! How do you manage with start-up and marriage?”

Seungho’s eyes widened taken aback by his question. Mr. Kang asked him to take a seat on his couch and drew a bottle from wine rack. He brought two empty wine glasses and poured the wine into it while reframing his question, “Isn’t marriage in the way? Disturbing your career?” and handed over the glass of wine to him.

Seungho let out a quick laugh at his question. He received the wine that was offered and took a sip after the ‘clang’ of their glasses. After taking a sip, he said in low tone, “She is inspiring, she can’t be a disturbance”.

Mr. Kang raised his brows in surprise and nodded getting his words. He probed, “I heard your fathers aren’t on good terms. So, how did the hate transition into love?”

“It was love from the beginning”, a shy smile crept in his lips as the words left.

“I don’t get you!”, Mr. Kang said knitting his brows.

He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, while holding the wine in his hand. With his deep eyes, “I’ve seen many girls in my life, but, the moment I saw her, I knew she’s something else!”, he said with a proud smile and added, “At first, I didn’t bother to know who her father was, but…”

“But?”

“But even after knowing who her father is, it didn’t bother me!”

“Well said!”, Mrs. Kang exclaimed walking out of the room. “Then?”, she asked impatiently. Mr. Kang smiled in relief on seeing his wife lively again.

Seungho continued, “Whenever I was around her, the gap between the shirt collar and the end of the hairline in the back was on fire, with the thought that she was looking at me!”

“Your nape was on fire?”, Mrs. Kang asked.

Seungho nodded and continued with a look of ecstasy on his face, “When I saw her for the first time, a thought ‘what I have been doing all these years’, made me question the life I lived but, it also showed me that anything can happen in life, that included her coming into mine!”

A smile widened in the lips of Mr and Mrs. Kang on hearing him. Mr. Kang asked, “So, it’s infatuation on first sight?”

Seungho shook his head in denial while clicking his tongue and continued, “All those times, I said the world is not beautiful, but she was the slap on my face!”

“How was it after marriage? No… after moving in together?”, Mrs. Kang questioned. Mr. Kang thought, they are probing into his life and patted gently on Mrs. Kang to stop her from asking.

“It’s alright”, Seungho said, assuring that he is ok with sharing. And carried on, “For 7 to 8 days, like a daily routine, we talked all-night. The T.V will be on, but no one was watching it! I still remember every word she spoke, I never thought I had such a good memory!”, he finished with a wide grin.

“Who took the first step in relationship?”, Mrs. Kang interrogated.

Seungho cleared his throat. As his eyes wandered, and words wobbled he said, “Of course, it’s her….”. A shout, “DON’T BLUFF!”, cut in his conversation. It was Sohyun. She wondered what took him long and came down to check on him but caught him in the act of lying.

She approached him all riled up, taking light but quick steps. She stood near him crossing her arms and asked, “Who confessed love first?”

He stood up and stared into her eyes, “Who proposed first?”

“Who followed me behind?”, Sohyun threw another question.

“Who asked for the number first?”

“Who initiated the kiss?”

“Who closed the eyes first?”

“Who?”, she asked him back. Her embarrassment made her unable to fend him off with another question.

“Who hugged me first?”, he fired another one.

“Who made it intimate?”, she found her way to tackle him and the momentum led her to probe another, “Who took advantage of the dust in my eyes?”

“Who suggested to take the elevator and stood closer to me in the vast empty elevator?”, he asked insisting on her initiation.

“Who stood locking lips even though the elevator doors opened?”, Sohyun stood on point.

“Who started the rumour about us?”

“Who spread the rumour about us?”

“GIVE IT A REST!”, Mr. Kang shouted closing his ears. It’s then, they realized that Mr. and Mrs. Kang were beside them. They were lost on their own world again. Sohyun covered her face in embarrassment while Seungho scratched his head giving a wide grin.

“Why are you jumping back and forth in the timeline? Start from the scratch!”, Mrs. Kang said in a lively tone.

Seungho and Sohyun looked at each other and directed their attention to Mrs. Kang. “Me!”, both chorused raising their hands.

“There are two sides to a story…. So, I’ll hear from both of you and do the appraisal”, Mrs. Kang said acting as the judge. Both nodded and took their seat on the couch. “Seungho can go first!”, she said. The alcohol in the wine might’ve started kicking in, so he’ll spill the beans. Mrs. Kang refilled his wine and poured into a new glass for Sohyun, because, soon it will be her turn to disclose.

He started narrating the story, “It was three months before I enlisted in the military. One day, after attending the party at my friend’s house, I barely made it on time to the last subway. Fortunately, the last train was running late, so it gave me some space to breathe after all that running. The station was empty with just me and the station head. After about ten minutes, the announcement said that the train will arrive at another platform different from the usual schedule. I sighed and took the foot over bridge climbing up the stairs because the escalators were closed down since it was way past the closing time.”

“When I walked along the platform, I saw a girl, a beautiful one! She was standing in the opposite platform. She looked at the dark tunnel expecting her train and at her watch twice a minute. But, then I realized I had been watching her for the past five minutes. For the first time since high school, I wanted to keep looking at a girl. When her train approached, she looked straight ahead… at me and smiled. Darn it! I saw her boarding the train through the glass windows of the coach. She was still looking at me. As the train moved, I walked on the platform along with her train, trying to keep her in my view. I didn’t want to break the gaze. But, she did, and I stopped. I did’t know what I was thinking. Maybe the alcohol did it to me. I swore myself that I’ll never drink again. But, I still remember, how I wished to be on same train as her. But, I also wondered, if my train had arrived first, would I have boarded it or missed it!”

Author’s note: 

Hello! Hope a great day ahead is waiting for you :) I heard Sohyun is in talks for a new drama! Let’s see if we have the luck to see her in a drama! I heard about the speculations for the male lead too! Glad to know that Shyshy couple is still fresh and sizzling in the memories of many :) Reunion or not, successful drama or not, is in the hands of many but, whether it is good for our couple or not, is in their own hands, I guess!

Coming back to the chapter, forgive the typos like you always do ;) Constructive criticisms are always welcome :) I’ve gathered some data (used here) and still collecting some on the POV’s of both genders. Hope you’d enjoy the chapters ahead :) See you later!