I told Byul everything.

I told her about Tiffany – from the day we met until the day I broke her heart. I was in tears again by the time I finished and Byul was kind enough to console me over and over; she was an angel.

“Why d-don’t you take a few days o-off?” she said after I had calmed down.

I lifted my head from her chest and frowned. “Is that a good idea?” I asked in doubtful voice. “She will think I’m avoiding her…”

Byul just smiled as she swiped away a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “It will give b-both of you space t-to recover,” she placed a hand against my wet cheek and I instinctively leaned into her touch, “you were h-hurt too, Wheein-ah…”

I blushed at her casual use of my name. I quickly hid my face in the crook of her neck and mumbled, “Okay…”

We discussed over lunch about what I should do during those off-days.

I was suddenly missing my parents, so I suggested going back to Jeonju to visit them and take Kkomo along with me.

“Oh, g-great idea,” Byul said while grinning so wide, even her nose dimple appeared, “I c-can come along with y-you.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I-I said-”

“I know what you said,” I quickly interrupted her, “but what do you mean you’re coming along? You have work, right?”

Byul shrugged, that delighted grin still plastered on her face. “I can work anywhere as long as that place has wireless internet.”

My cheeks warmed up at the thought of my parents meeting Byul. “B-But you’re going to meet my parents…”

Byul’s face fell. “D-Do you not want m-me to meet them?”

She sounded so vulnerable, I just wanted to reach over the table and pull her into a tight hug. But I thought that would be too much, so I just settled with covering her hand with mine.

“Of course I want to,” I assured her, smiling while looking into her eyes, “but they’re going to, um, assume things so…”

“Oh…”

We were quiet for a while, but Byul never moved her hand from mine. My heart slowly bloomed with hope as the seconds ticked by.

Suddenly, she moved her hand away and the hope inside my heart started to wilt. I was about to withdraw my hand when she suddenly captured it with hers and intertwined our fingers together.

I was surprised; my heart literally jumped with joy. I stared into her eyes, searching for answers to the questions inside my head and my heart. She just smiled in return, a beautiful blush colouring her pale cheeks.

“I-I like you, Jung Wheein,” she said softly as she gazed into my eyes and squeezed my hand gently, “I d-don’t mind your p-parents assuming b-because they would n-not be wrong.”

My face broke into a smile – a wide dumb grin, actually – and I squeezed her hand back, silently reassuring her that I felt the same way.

But when she suddenly paused and took a deep breath, there was a hesitant look on her face and my smile froze. I tried my best not to show it, but I started to worry and I wondered if it was my turn to have my heart broken.

“B-But I think it’s still too s-soon,” Byul continued, her lips curving into a sad smile, “I want you to h-heal first from this episode with your b-boss. After that, I w-will take you o-out on a real date.”

I sat in silence, my mind slowly digesting what Byul had just said to me. Then, I threw my head back and let out a loud laugh. I probably startled Byul because I felt her squeezing my hand tightly.

I quickly recovered, but a grin remained on my face. “You like me?” I asked.

Byul nodded shyly.

“Well, I like you too.”

Her eyes went wide and she was struggling to contain the smile blooming on her face; it still appeared and I was enjoying every second of her reaction.

“And you will take me out on a real date after we come back from Jeonju?” I asked innocently.

She stared at me with slightly opened, probably wanting to protest. But she quickly gave up and nodded; her face was already bright red and she was unable to meet my gaze.

I chuckled as I tugged at her hand until she was half-leaning across the table. “It’s a date,” I whispered as I leaned over and pressed my mouth against hers.

We decided to leave for Jeonju that evening.

It would be a four-day-three-night trip – we planned to come back on Friday to avoid the weekend traffic. I was hoping we could go on that date after we came back, but we would be too tired, so I relented to a quiet weekend at home with Kkomo.

I packed light – I could still fit into my old clothes at home so I didn’t need to worry; Kkomo also had some of his essentials at my parents’ house so I just needed to pack his favourite toys and treats. Then, I dragged everything, including Kkomo in his carrier, down to the lobby where Byul was waiting.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I looked around for Byul and I froze the moment I laid eyes on her.

Byul was leaning against one of the lobby’s pillars while scrolling through her phone, dressed casually in a black shirt that was half-tucked into her skinny jeans. Her long dark hair was tied in a loose ponytail and she had let her front bangs loose, falling over her square-shaped sunglasses. She was also wearing a red scarf around her neck, probably to hide her scar; it looked out of place and yet it fits with her overall look.

I couldn’t help ogling her – she looked very different from her usual homebody self; messy hair, baggy sweatpants and faded T-shirts. I suddenly felt a little self-conscious and started fussing with my hair and clothes, wondering if I looked good enough to stand next to Byul. Kkomo mewed at me from his carrier, probably telling me to hurry up.

“Wheein-ah…”

My head snapped up at the sound of my name. I looked over at Byul and she was grinning at me, beckoning me to come over.

“H-Hey,” I said shyly as I approached her.

Byul tugged her sunglasses down her nose and stared at me for a moment. My whole body felt warm as her eyes roamed my whole length – from the top of my long dark hair to my plain glasses, my dirky T-shirt underneath my plain coat, my torn-up jeans and my dirty sneakers.

I was nearly in tears as I chewed on my bottom lip, waiting for her to say something. Anything.

Stop taking your sweet time ogling me. I know I'm plain, dammit!

Then, we made eye-contact and my heart stopped for a moment – mostly because her eyes flitted briefly to my mouth before meeting my eyes. I blushed, recalling our kiss during lunch, and swallowed down the urge to pull her in for a repeat.

“Y-You look cute,” Byul said with a grin and a wink.

I nearly choked at her greasiness. Then, I burst out into a fit of giggles. "Where the heck did this greasiness come from?" I asked laughingly as I playfully hit her arm, still unable to process the cringe.

She just chuckled and took my hand in hers, lacing our fingers together. My heart skipped a beat and I was sure I had a dumb grin on my face. Then, she grabbed one of my bags and led me out of the lobby towards the parking lot.

I simply stood to the side and watched as she loaded everything into her car and carefully strapped Kkomo in the backseat. Then, she ushered me to the passenger side before taking her place behind the wheel.

“I didn’t know you drive,” I commented as she started the engine.

Byul chuckled. “There’s a lot a-about me you d-don’t know,” she replied as she took my hand and pressed it to her lips, her eyes gazing deeply into mine, “but I-I will slowly r-reveal them to you, o-okay?”

I just rolled my eyes and scoffed; a front to hide the blush in my cheeks and the thumping in my chest.

Damn this hamster woman. Why is she so good at this?!