"You don't look very PTA in that."

"I know. But I'm more confident in my work clothes." Eri said, on her laptop doing some final checking. Her presentation to the school board was at eight, and she wanted to look professional. She's really going all out in her bid to win over the board.

"You're nervous?" Kii asked. "I thought you've gone past going back to Bunhong High and the people involved in bullying you before. Not to mention, you've never been this nervous with work even with meeting foreign clients.

"Regarding my work, I have a degree for that." She replied. Speaking of work, she actually had a good night last night. She was able to talk with her boss and she was allowed to extend her leave after explaining her situation. Her boss is relatively more flexible and friendly compared to others. He'd seen her grow from an intern to where she is now. He is intelligent, professional and reliable. And she has all the respect for him. He's a wonderful man with principles. And he'd reminded her of her own father. Besides, she rarely take days off from work. "But this is different. The whole town is depending on me to save the school."

"You're the head of your department back in Seoul, so can't you just think of it as your department depending on you?"

"No. If something doesn't go my way at work, our entire company won't be closing down over that. That's kinda how this situa... are you listening to me Kii?"

He was staring out the glass doors. Kii held on to her shoulders and made her turn towards the doors as it opened.

Seokjin walked into the shop.

Eri was sure Seokjin said something but she couldn't be sure because it's back, the theme song from Boys Over Flowers 'Almost Paradise' drowned out everything else.

Seokjin had on a black suit and white dress shirt with its top button undone.

"If he asked me to move in with him, I wouldn't say no." Kii murmured behind her.

Seokjin heard him and his mouth lifted at the corner.

She really had to stop sharing everything with Kii now that they currently live in the same town and can run into everyone. “Hi.” She said. Though it sounded more like a breathy sigh. She cleared . “You look dashing.”

Seokjin smiled and rubbed his head. “Glad you think so. Joon says I need a haircut.” Like always, his slightly longer hair looked y. “It’s been a while since I’ve worn a suit.”

“You totally look like a power couple.” Kii praised, then said to Seokjin. “Now, can you talk to my bestfriend here to be confident for her presentation later? She’s afraid her heart will act out.”

She stared at Kii. “Kii how could you?!” She can’t believe he’d ousted her to Seokjin. Kii knew why she hadn’t mentioned this to Seokjin, and he knew why. But her stare didn’t seem to bother Kii and he kept talking.

“He needed to know. You’re letting your fear rule your life again and it’s not healthy. You weren't like this in Seoul. And if there’s someone who can get you to listen to reason, it’s Kim Seokjin.” Kii added, as he was also doing his own last minute check on the shop before turning it over to Ahyoong. He’ll be leaving her in-charge this morning because he will also be at Bunhong High to support her.

“Kii you!” She took Seokjin’s hand, leading him towards the huge mirror. “I don’t think you need one.” She said referring to the haircut, avoiding the concerned look in his eyes. “We just need to style it a bit so the strands won’t fall on your eyes.”

“Kibum, I’m going to use your office for a minute.” Seokjin said, then tugged Eri after him.

“Seokjin we don’t have time for this.” And she didn’t want to talk about it to him or anyone else, other than Kii.

Ignoring her, Seokjin opened the office door and pulled her inside. Once he’d closed the door, he lifted her onto Kii’s desk. He crossed his arm. The fabric coat pulled tight across this broad shoulders and toned arms.

When he was about to talk, she reached up and gave a gentle tug on his sleeve. “It’s a little tight. It’s really been a while since–“

“Eri we’re not here to talk about my damn coat. Do you remember what we talked about at dinner last night?”

She drew her hand away.

They had their first official dinner date last night. Where Seokjin opened about the topic of seeing a psychiatrist again. It was brief because she shut down the suggestion and moved on to a different subject. Other than that particular point in the conversation, she had a wonderful time. So wonderful that when he made a case of her moving in with him at his place, she'd almost said yes. But as difficult as it had been, she'd held firmly to her convictions. If she moved in with him, there would be no reason for him to put a ring on her finger. As old fashioned as it might seem, she wanted to be at least engaged before she agreed to live with him. And if she was ever moving in with him, it's not going to be in the hanok. For a reason she's not yet ready to share. 

Seokjin released an impatient sigh, bringing her back to the conversation at hand.

"Yes, I remember everything we talked about." As she made her point, his throat worked on a quick swallow. It didn't look like he'd be proposing to her anytime soon. And she didn't want to be like any of her past exes. There's no reason to stay in Bunhong after all. She pushed her disappointment aside. "And I told you the truth. I haven't had an anxiety attack since that day in the school's parking lot. And like Kii said, I'm not like this in Seoul. I just needed to adjust to the new environment. I don't need to see anyone."

"So Kibum is lying?"

When she was about to raise her thumb to nibble on it, Seokjin removed it from . She gave him a grumpy look. "No, he's not lying. But the whole town is depending on me so of course I'd be like this."

"I care more about your heart than anything else, even the school, so it's something we have to talk about."

"For eleven years, I've believed my heart was defective Seokjin. And I've lived my life accordingly. It takes time to unlearn that behavior and change that belief system. I'll get there. You of all people, I expect to be patient and understand."

"You're right, it will take time. But you don't have time to deal with this on your own. You shared with Kii, but you didn't tell me, and I'm gonna be honest, that worries me a bit."

He was right. She should have talked to him about her fears just like he'd opened up to her about his frustration with his injury and how much he disliked being pitied. In the past two days whenever it was just the two of them, he'd been comfortable enough to share those things with her. He'd even started taking his meds. Not all the time as he didn't want to be dependent on it, but he's no longer so stubborn to let it get so bad that the pain showed on his face. It wasn't fair she hadn't been as open with him as he was with her. Maybe that was the reason why he kept pushing to see a psychiatrist because she wouldn't talk to him. "I'm sorry. It's just... with Kii, I know even if I'm being silly or weak, he'd still love me like he always done since we were kids. I know our friendship will never change