Cheongdam Dong

September 2022

I stared at him, straight. My both eyes were so famous for being an eye-smile. But right now, there was no such thing. There was no such thing as an eye-smile. My both eyes could do nothing other than killing, specifically someone in front of me. I believed, they could kill anyone, anytime soon. Moreover, this one person in front of me.

Sooyoung excused herself and told us, she needed to go to the restroom.

Though I knew for real, we knew, three of us, she just came back from the exact restroom she was going back to.

She just did not want to involve in this. She knows for real which moment I got mad, real mad.

“Please say something…” and he had the guts to order me, what to do.

I sighed, “what do you expect me to say, oppa?”

“I don’t know, anything please?”

I looked at him, in disbelief. So much conflicting minds in my head. I know this was important. Not only for him, but also for me. So significant for me. The request he just told me, it was expected, though it was still surprising.

“You mean a lot to me, to her. And he also means a lot for me, you know that for sure. You should know it should be inevitable. You, her, me, and him. It was inevitable, you cannot avoid,” he said, in frustration. I knew for sure he was frustrated because he knew everything. But he cannot help but to ask me a favor.

“When?” I finally asked. “When are you going to do it?”

“I honestly already did it,” he answered with that giddy smile. This person in front of me really looked a fool. Ah, never once I imagined I had a chance to see this side of him.

“You did????”

“I am surprised, as an observant one you failed catching this,” he raised his left hand to show me off his fingers. I caught that ring in his fourth finger. “It is not a usual couple ring, Steph,” yes, I did not know since when he called me Stephanie, my real name, and why did I let him to do so. “I got down on my knee.”

Wait, I got confused now.

“Then why the hell did you need to do this?????? Why? And torturing me? You already did this in private? Why there is a need to do this one more time?” responding him with bickering was not in my agenda, but I cannot help because still cannot get it the need to do this if they had rings on their fingers.

“I forgot to pop the question, oh my God, don’t blame me, I was so nervous. And I just want to make it right by doing it again. This time, I want this to be more meaningful…”

I cut him off, “and by means, then with me joining.”

“I know how you mean so much for her,” he answered. “And not only you, by the way. Everyone’s responds already predictable, only yours, that is why, I asked you to meet in person. Cannot imagine if I just texted you, like I did to everyone..”

I continued his words in my head, and hi