Jieun squinted when the light from the window hit her face. Her left arm felt stiff, probably because she slept on it the entire night, so she stretched, and tried shaking off the sleep from her eyes.

It was then that she noticed that the other side of the bed was empty, although it was obviously slept on. 

She craned her neck to observe the room,noticing empty dishes neatly stacked on the table. The neatly arranged empty water bottles on the bedside reminded her of last night. This rush of memories made her look at the empty spot on the bed again and her cheeks burned from embarrassment.

She was in the middle of overthinking things when the door opened, showing Jihoon in.

“You’re up. We’re leaving for Sunrock in an hour. Get ready if you don’t want to be left behind.” He said, matter-of-factly. 

Jieun studied him as he took his back and rearranged some things.  There was no trace of awkwardness at all. 

“Okay.” She answered. 

Should I ask him, or not?

Last night, she was supposed to ask him what that kiss was about - although deep inside she already knew. The feelings are obviously not one sided, as she initially thought. The question should be, what is this about? Is this just one of his summer flings? The ones he’s so famous for these last couple of years?

“It’s too early for this. I need coffee.” She thought to herself. 

She went to the bathroom to wash her face and make herself look decent. When she got out, he was still in the room packing his things. 

There’s no use walking on eggshells, she’d better go and talk to him about it. 

But first, coffee.

“Oppa, I’m gonna get coffee, do you want anything?” She asked.

Jihoon looked at her, his facial expression unchanging; watching her a little too long before thanking her and saying that he’d like an Americano.

“Okay. When I get back, you and I should talk.” 

Since it was still early, the restaurant was almost deserted and she didn’t have to wait long to get her order. When she got back to the room, Jihoon was seated on the bed, folding a few shirts. It looks like he’s almost done packing his stuff.

“Here.” She said, handing Jihoon’s his cup of hot Americano.

“Thanks.”

She nodded, sipping from her cappuccino. She didn’t have much stuff to pack except the clothes she had hanging on the closet and a few toiletries in the comfort room. 

She started removing her clothes from the hangers, folding them, while also gathering her courage to talk to Jihoon about last night.

“Uhmm…oppa..”

“Hm?”

“About last night..what was that about?”

Jihoon unabashedly stared at her, cocking an eyebrow - his way of asking “which part?”

She rolled her eyes, swallowing hard, hoping her nerves wouldn’t show, before adding, “The part where you kissed me.” 

There. She finally said it without self-combusting.

“Oh.” He shrugged, then glancing at her, he added.”I was just answering your question. You kept bugging me about it the entire night.” 

His answer didn’t make sense to her at first, but when he added that she was spouting nonsense and whining about him treating her like the most unattractive woman alive. 

She winced, remembering some of the things she did when she was drunk. 

“But you should tone it down, Jieun. Your boyfriend might not like it if he finds out.”

Boyfriend? 

Jieun stared at Jihoon who was busily concentrating on neatly folding his shirt. He didn’t even look at her when he told her the details of a certain “Teo oppa” calling, then sending her a message, and how he used her face to unlock her phone just in case it was urgent and he needed to call the person back. 

Wait. He thought Dr. Yoo was her boyfriend? Why?

Dr. Yoo has been trying to get her accustomed to calling him “oppa” whenever they’re outside of his clinic or not having a session. Maybe Jihoon read that in Dr. Yoo’s message, but how did Jihoon deduce the idea that he’s Jieun’s boyfriend so quickly?

Jieun studied Jihoon closely. His face looked unaffected, but the area around his mouth and jaw are tense. Or maybe she’s just reading too much into it. 

Because maybe, in her heart of hearts, she wants Jihoon to not like the idea of her having another man in her life. Even if it’s not true. 

“How’d you know that he’s my boyfriend?” she challenged, playing along with the lie that keeps snowballing, she might soon find it out of her control. 

There was a short silence. Jihoon stood up, giving her a meaningful look that she tried to decipher. He seemed to be doing the same, trying to figure her out too. 

He took his bag from the bed, and slung it over his arm and Jieun watched nervously as walked towards her, closing down the distance so that he’s just 2 feet away from her. 

“Well, isn’t he?” He challenged back, looking her in the eye.

Beads of perspiration started forming at the back of her neck - if it’s from Jihoon’s proximity or the fact that he’s catching up on her white lie, she’s unsure. She was rattled, unable to give a quick reply before he shook her head and breathed audibly through his nose, adding, “Whether he is or he isn’t it’s none of my business anyways.”

“Yes, that’s right. It shouldn’t be your business.” 

Something about him saying that pushed her buttons. She’s annoyed at him and at herself for being such a lousy liar.

Jihoon pursed his lips, nodding his head as if thinking about what to say. He smirked, then said,“I really shouldn’t ask, but I’m confused, Jieun.How can you have a boyfriend and eagerly flirt with Hiro? Not to mention, that kiss we shared..”

She saw his gaze lingering on her lips, a playful expression painting his face. That look told her that he knew she wanted him..and not just at a normal amount. He knew she’s down, bad. 

Jieun felt embarrassed, remembering getting stood up that night, then readily getting into Jihoon’s kiss. How does she explain all of this? She thanked her lucky stars that it’s her last few days on this island. Given that, there’s no other option but to stick with it. There’s no way she’s going to tell him that she’s been single for three years, fighting off her inner demons, and now, realizing that she’s not over ex. . 

I’m not going to see him anytime soon after this anyway. it up, Jieun. 

Gathering up enough courage to summon actress Lee Jieun, she nervously her dry lips then gave Jihoon an arrogant, lopsided grin. 

“I don’t need to tell you why, oppa.” Then, she tiptoed and whispered in his ear. “It’s been three years, I might not be the same Jieun that you knew.” 

She saw a deep crease form between Jihoon’s eyebrows. 

Good.

That probably threw him off. 

Satisfied, she turned her back on him then went straight to the bathroom, taking her time to take all her toiletries, organizing them inside her pouch. As she was doing this, she heard Jihoon’s voice from outside.

“Pack your things quickly, Grey texted me; the bus is already here.”

Then the sound of footsteps and the door closing soon followed. Jihoon probably went out to go to the bus ahead of her. 

She stared at her reflection on the mirror, feeling relieved, but disappointment soon made itself felt. 

How can he kiss her like that and say those things? 

None of his business. He’s right though. 

Jieun closed her eyes and tried to breathe in and out to steady her nerves. 

She has two more days in Greece left and that’s probably a good thing. Being around Jihoon feels like trouble every single time, and so far she’s dealt with him miserably. 

**

A day after….

Routines - Jieun wanted to go back to her vacation routine right before Jihoon appeared and started taking over.  And now is a good start; it’s still 5 am and she’s already getting dressed for a run. Phoebe, who was at her usual spot nodded at the receptionist’s desk nodded at her and smiled.

After her run, she went back to the hotel to freshen up before going to town to grab breakfast. She sighed, looking at the vespa she’s rented for this trip. She’s going to miss not having to worry about going out, having random rides whenever she feels like it.

Jieun then took the familiar road until it led her to town, parking the bike in front of Earth cafe. Since it’s going to be her last time at the place, she also ordered a plate of pasta aside from her usual pancakes and coffee. When the food’s all finished, she sighed a satisfied sigh. Feeling a little lethargic, she hung around for a bit as she sipped the last of her coffee, admiring how the sun filtered perfectly through the open windows. 

Two women soon came in, taking the table in front of her. They seemed to be non-locals since both of them were speaking in english. The brown-haired lady started telling her friend about a bracelet she wanted to get, which prompted her to look at the one she’s wearing. 

On a whim, she decided to drop by the shop as soon as she finished eating. When she swung the door open her eyes instantly roamed the cramped store, looking for the old woman she met before. She wasn’t particularly sure why she wanted to see the old lady, but she just went with the feeling. It’s her last 2 days in Corfu anyway.

Her shoulders sunk, as the empty corners of the store continued to meet her. About to turn on her heel, she was startled when a voice came from behind.

“You met him, didn’t you?” 

Before Jieun even saw her face she knew who it was. Her voice and her heavily accented English was too memorable for her to forget.

She gave a small nod, which the old lady returned with a warm smile. She gave Jieun a motherly pat on the upper arm, adding, “Don’t worry so much. Sometimes we think too much and it takes away our happiness. Be courageous.”

“I..I don’t know if being courageous is something I lack -”

The old lady’s forehead creased, as if in deep thought. She motioned with her hands, her face almost pained as she tried to relay something she just can’t pinpoint.

“Oh..maybe not courageous…but..” the old lady motioned still, finding the right word. “Risk..that it. Take them.”

Jieun stood frozen on the spot, puzzled. The old lady waved her hand at her, dismissing the question she was just about to ask. 

“No, no. Don’t think too much.” 

The old lady slowly turned her back after telling her to wait for a moment as she took something out from one of the shelves. 

“Here. It’s a nice match to that.” The old lady mentioned offering a small package to her, while her lips pointed to the bracelet she had on her wrist. 

Jieun shook her head, not wanting to buy something, but the old lady just said “gift” and told her to go, so she did after thanking the strange woman. She didn’t even have time to open the small packet and check what was inside but she guessed it’s an accessory. Instead of being freaked out about their second encounter, Jieun felt strangely encouraged by the woman’s words. The last few days were not great, but maybe the next few ones will be. Besides, it’s nice to think of Greece as the warm, exotic place that it is instead of focusing on other things that tainted her supposed to be fun vacation. 

After a few minutes of window shopping around town, Jieun decided to go to the beach since it was still early. Sitting by the waves would be a relaxing way to pass the time; she might even go for a dip if she’s in the mood.

After parking her bike, Jieun made her way to the beach side, choosing a spot close to a tree. She hummed as she spread out a blanket and took out her book. It surprised her that she’s almost done with the book of essays that she was reading and it lifted her mood even more. This vacation didn’t seem so bad at all; she was able to do a lot of the things she wanted to do and one of those is to get out of her reading rut. 

After an hour or so, Jieun felt a little drowsy, using the book to cover her face, protecting it from the sunlight’s glare. She was napping when the sound of people cheering woke her. Using her elbows to boost herself up and check her surroundings, she immediately noticed that the beach was a little busier than earlier. 

Ah, probably time to go back to the hotel, she thought. 

She was in the middle of stashing all her things inside her bag when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. Jieun’s features immediately soured when she saw that it was Hiro.

“Hey, Jieun.”

She didn’t answer, but only gave a polite smile.

“Uh…about last time…I’m sorry.”

She breathed audibly through her nose, half chuckling. “It’s fine. LCD Soundsystem didn’t show up anyway.”

“So you went?”

Jieun started feeling her cheeks get warm from annoyance with every prodding word from Hiro. It’s not that she was disappointed about their “date”; if anything, it’s more like a slap to her ego, but the memory of that night brought with it memories of Jihoon that she didn’t really welcome. 

Hiro, worried because she wasn’t paying attention, went into an entire speech about how he was excited to meet with her but then Jihoon got in the way.

THAT got her attention. Jihoon? Why is he even in this equation?

“Wait, what?”

Hiro looked startled when she suddenly interrupted him. “Uh, yeah. He was all ‘if you go I’d talk to my friends in LA and let’s say finding work in movies will not be easy’..Pshh as if..”

“Why would he even do that?” She asked.

“I don’t know. He stormed off after that.”

Jieun stood there, mulling over this new information. 

“Anyway, are we good? Let me make it up to you..let’s go get something to drink or maybe a bite to eat?” He asked, giving her his most disarming smile. 

Jieun stared at Hiro’s ridiculously ultra white teeth and his perfect features. She searched inside herself if she did want to keep talking to this man but she really didn’t. She’d rather go up to her room and take a nap. She realized that her excitement about their supposed meet up that night was fuelled by her desire to see LCD Soundsystem, not because she wanted to spend time with Hiro. Something doesn’t quite feel right about him.

“Uh..actually -”

As if the earth was saving her from making up a sorry excuse to leave, Gray’s friendly voice interrupted them.

“Heyyyy!!!” Gray was waving frantically towards her as if they hadn't seen e