A present for you all: 2 updates in 24 hours. 

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Seoul, 1 January 2009

I tighten my arms around Ga-In noona and put my hand on her tummy. She leans the back of her head on my right shoulder and tilts her head upwards, looking at the fireworks in the sky. She covers my hands with hers and whispers, "Ji-Yong ah, gomawo..." I look at her face; there are tears trickling down her cheeks. I take off my gloves and wipe her tear stains before I hold her again in my arms. We enjoy the rest of the show in our quietness.

"I'm hungry," she mumbles after the fireworks end. I chuckle and pull away from the back hug. I grab my backpack and it, "ta-dah...!" Her eyes light up immediately when she sees the snacks and drinks inside. "Whoa... So this is why you have such a big bag with you, huh?" she laughs. "I know you'll be hungry because we didn't have dinner. Here, eat this," I hand her a box of a leftover sandwich from this morning. She takes it and cuts the sandwich in half, "you should eat, too." I smirk and open my mouth, signalling her to feed me. "Aigoo... such a kid!" she chuckles, but feeds me anyway. "I got your favourite, too," I pull out 2 cans of coffee. She smiles happily and sips on her drink. 

"Are we going back to the hotel now?" she asks. "Nope. You see these people around us? The amount will double up soon," I tell her. More people will come here to watch the first sunrise later. She shifts her body and gets up, "I need to use the toilet again." Well, that's expected. It's really cold out here. But I'm not going to let Ga-In noona go alone, the toilet is quite far and there are too many people around. I stand up, "ok, I'll come with you." "Eh? But who's going to look after our spot? Someone might take it," she says. Tch... this girl worries too much. "No, it'll be fine, noona. We won't leave our valuables here. Who would want to steal a beach towel and a bunch of snacks?" She pouts, "but what if someone comes and sits here? This is a good spot, Ji-Yong ah..." I giggle, "but I need to use the restroom, too, noona. What should we do, then? Should I just pee around our spot to mark our territory?" She stomps her foot, "yah, that's not what I meant! Ish... Arasseo, let's go now, I really have to pee!"

My guess was right. It takes us more than 5 minutes to reach the toilet. Ga-In noona moves funnily while walking, probably trying hard to hold it in. "We'll meet here later, ok? Don't talk to strangers," I tell her as we part ways. The queue in the mens' room is long. It makes me worried if Ga-In noona is finished before me and she will have to wait for long at our meeting point. While waiting in the line, someone pokes my shoulder from behind. Oh, crap! Please don't let anyone here recognize me... My eyes widen when I turn around and see Ga-In noona. "Ji-Yong ah, the line in the ladies' room is too long! I'm going to pee in my pants soon! Eotteokhae?" she whispers in panic. Her face looks pale and her legs are shivering, most probably not just due to the cold.

I hold her hand and take her to the front of the line. I bow at the old man who's standing there waiting for his turn, "excuse me, sir. Err... Do you mind if my... Uh... my wife goes next? She's pregnant and her bladder control is a bit..." The old man chuckles, "of course, son. I can't really see your faces, but you both look like you're too young to be a married couple. It reminds me of me and my wife when we just got married." He then turns to look at Ga-In noona, "congratulations on your pregnancy, young lady. You can go in before me." Ga-In noona's expression is priceless; is ajar and her eyes almost pop out of their sockets. I want to laugh so badly at her but I suppress the urge. "K-Kamsahamnida, ahjussi," she bows deeply and runs inside the toilet. 

"That's so sweet of you, young man. Don't let go of her," the old man nudges me. "N-Neh? I won't, ahjussi. We're already married, so--" "Do you think I'm stupid? You're not wearing any ring and I know what a pregnant woman looks like," he smirks at me. , I am busted. What should I tell him as an excuse? He speaks again before I can say anything, "it's good to see a young guy like you taking care of his girlfriend, so I'll let it slide." I throw him an apologetic look, "thank you for that, ahjussi. She's not my girlfriend, though..." Oh man, Kwon Ji-Yong! Why do you need to tell him that? Do you think he needs to know? A voice in my head scolds me. The old man chuckles, "then make her yours." "Y-Yeh?" "I said make her your girlfriend, young man. You two look good with each other," he says. 

"I'm done," Ga-In noona says, startling me out of my musing. "Thank you so much, ahjussi. Happy new year," she bows at the old man. "No problem. I hope the baby will take after his father and be a gentleman when he grows up," he winks and smiles at us as we walk away from the toilet. 

"Do I look fat?" Ga-In noona asks when we get back to our spot on the beach. "No. What made you ask?" "Because you told the old man I was pregnant," she pouts. I laugh heartily, "I couldn't find another excuse, noona. I didn't mean to imply that you look pregnant. Or would you rather pee in your pants?" She sighs, "ani! But... Thank you, Ji-Yong ah, it was a really close one." I laugh again at her remark. She's just too cute. We sit down on the beach towel with our position like earlier. Honestly, this position is kind of unfavourable for me, if you know what I mean. To make matters worse, I didn't get to use the toilet and now my junior is screaming with frustration. 

"Are you alright? You seem jittery," she asks after we talk for an hour. No, noona, I'm not alright, I need to pee! "Is it because you didn't get to use the restroom?" she continues, as if she could hear what I said in my head. I smile sheepishly at her. I want to go, but I don't want to leave her alone here. "Ji-Yong ah, go to the toilet. You're going to kill yourself. I'll be fine here," she nudges my waist. "Are you sure, noona?" "Yes, I'm sure. So, go now," she pushes me lightly. I stand up and run to the bathroom. I think it'll be good if I give her some alone time, so she can think about what I asked her in my note. I've been feeling nervous all day because of that. Will she say yes to me? I'm not asking her to be my girlfriend, I'm just asking her to open her heart and stop pushing me away. 

"Feeling much better, right?" she smiles when I come back to our spot. I smile widely and nod my head. I sit down and look around; as I expected, more people are starting to arrive and the beach is more packed than before. Ga-In noona and I talk and joke around while we wait for the first sunrise of 2009. 

"It's coming!" I hear people murmuring around us. True enough, the sun is setting up. Like everyone else on the beach, we both stand up to get a better view. It looks so beautiful. People start to clap and hug their loved ones. I stand next to Ga-In noona and wrap my hand around her shoulders. She has a huge smile on her face, making her look so pretty. We enjoy the sunrise without saying any words.

Suddenly, I feel an arm wrapping around my waist. I look down at Ga-In noona, her head is bent down, her hand is gripping my coat tightly. Oh God, is this it? She's going to give me the answer now? Why is she looking at the sands? She's going to say no, isn't she? I knew I should've done better! While I'm still scolding myself silently, she clears . I let out a heavy sigh. This is it, Kwon Ji-Yong, prepare yourself... Her grip on my coat tightens and she tilts her head up, looking deep into my eyes, "Ji-Yong ah..." I muster up my courage and smile at her, "hmm?" She smiles back, "my heart is open now..."

My heart beats so crazily as I listen to her words. I'm not hallucinating or hearing things, am I? That means she will really give me a real chance this time, right? Right? I give her a warm smile and pull her head closer to my chest. I don't care if she can hear how fast my heart is beating, because it's beating like that for her. She wraps her arms around my waist tightly and leans her head on my chest. I her head with one hand, while my other hand rubs her hands. "Thank you, noona..." I whisper softly.

After a long silence, she pulls away, "Ji-Yong ah... I'm sorry for the way I acted that night. I was afraid... I was afraid to fall for you. I was insecure that you only saw me as a companion. I couldn't think straight. I mean... you're surrounded by pretty girls almost everyday, and I won't be able to compete with them. You're Kwon Ji-Yong, THE Kwon Ji-Yong... And I'm just Son Ga-In... So I thought that it would be better for me to just stay away from you... But, I was wrong. I've been miserable since that day you ignored me at Music Core. I've been thinking of you a lot. I didn't drink coffee so much anymore, because it would remind me of you... I don't want to keep running away from my feelings, but... you wrote in the contract that you will leave me alone after this all ends, so even though I will be sad, I'll still be happy because these 24 hours have been amazing... If you don't--" Before she can finish talking, I seal with a gentle kiss. I've kissed other girls before, but this feels... different. Instead of just one butterfly fluttering in my stomach, it feels like there is a million of them...

She opens her eyes as we both pull away from the kiss. "You talk too much, Ga-In noona," I smile at her. Her face is in deep shades of red, and then she looks away. Damn, did I make her mad? You pabo, Kwon Ji-Yong! She might think that it was disrespectful instead of romantic! Man, what should I do now? She keeps looking away and I can't see her face. I mentally slap myself. 

"That... was my first kiss," she mutters under her breath. I look closely at her and her face is still blushing. Is she mad? Please tell me she's not mad... My anxiety vanishes when I see a shy smile creeping on her face. I sigh in relief. She slowly turns her head to look at me. I brush my thumb on the corner of her lips. "Did it hurt?" I ask her. Her eyebrows crease, "did what hurt?" I smile, biting my lower lip, "when you got your lip pierced here. Did it hurt?" 

"YAH! How can you still remember that?" she throws light punches on my chest. "You looked too cute for a lip piercing, noona," I say jokingly. "You stole my first kiss! That means you've breached your condition! I'm going to call my lawyer!" she punches me harder this time, but to me, each punch feels like a caress...

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Author's Note:

Remember that Ji-Yong saw Ga-In's selca picture when he went to her apartment to get his scarf? Hehehe...

It took me 33 chapters just to get to 2009? Tsk tsk... But anyways, I hope it's not too mushy for you readers because I wrote the couple's first kiss from Ji-Yong's point of view, kekeke... It's because of what I wrote in Chapter 31, get it? ^^

See y'all on the next update! Paipaiii~