Yoona drummed her fingers on her lap as she sat on a couch at one corner of the service shop. It was the only thing she could leave off trembling, since Jong Woon was holding her other hand, the best part of her that she should keep composed. The service shop was reeking of diesel, grease, and rusting metal, Yoona could smell them altogether; but it took only one person to make her feel a bit uneasy.

“Are you okay?” Jong Woon asked as he gently rubbed Yoona’s hand, hoping it would be enough to snap her out of whatever she was thinking. Yoona smiled, her lips rather twitching, and she tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

“Sure, sure. It’s just that, the smell here is—“ Yoona said, wrinkling her nose, “I guess I’m not used to all the manly stuff that mechanics do on TV.”

The guy in blue jumper suit, who was fixing the wipers of a vintage car, must have heard her, because she saw him trying to hold in a burst of laughter. Jong Woon leaned in towards Yoona and pressed a kiss on her right temple.

“Hope that makes you feel better, for a while,” he whispered. Yoona simply bit back a giggle and pinched Jong Woon’s cheek. 

“That kiss makes me feel better forever.” she lied, letting out a wide smile at him. Jong Woon gave her hand a light squeeze before one of the head mechanics in the service shop walked out of his office and motioned for Jong Woon to come over.

He was about to stand up when Yoona pulled his arm. “Wait, I need to ask you something.”

“Hm? Did you say anything?”

Yoona felt a lump on —she wasn’t sure if it was saliva, a sudden throat infection, or the words that she wanted to twist just because she loved Jong Woon so much. 

“I—I think the guy is calling you out already.”

“Are you really okay? Or do you want another kiss?”

“No, I’m fine now.”

When Jong Woon disappeared into the office door, Yoona began fidgeting with her fingers. She struggled to calm down again when she heard a door open, only to find out that it was the mechanic a while ago.

“Need something? Water?”

Yoona shook her head. “No, I’m okay.”

“I can see that. What’s the matter?”
Yoona insisted it was nothing by shaking her head. The mechanic understood—he walked towards one of the vehicles, a Grand Prix, and started searching for his toolbox under the car. She thought it wouldn’t hurt to while away the time by sparking up a conversation.

“Full-time worker?”

“No. I work a lot of jobs.” the scrawny lad’s face stuck out from under the bumper of the car.

“Then this must be the best job?”

“Well, besides trying to court this one girl, yeah, this could be the best.”

Yoona sighed. “I thought guys would hate the whole courting process. My boyfriend used to be a bit rude and snob while we were starting out as friends.”

“Well, they could sometimes lose their minds even before that dating period,” the mechanic said smartly, “I tricked her to thinking that we were buying something for one of my relatives, when in fact she was buying this thing for herself. It’s a crazy idea, really.”

“More like predictable,” Yoona scoffed.

“Well, you don’t look like you have problems with your boyfriend, right?”

Yoona bit back a laugh. She traced the line patterns as she tried to keep the conversation casual. The more she did so, the more the struggle became unbearable.

“It’s funny because I think I’m the only problem, and it already kills me.”

The mechanic merely shook his head. It was the only comfort he could give, let alone an excuse for them not to delve deeper into the issue. Yoona stared at the sitting silhouettes in the frosted windows, wishing that Jong Woon would already come out.

Silence ensued in the shop; she soon heard nothing but the twists and turns of screws and metal under the Grand Prix nearby. The couch she was sitting on was now becoming more and more uncomfortable for her.

“Does it always have to be this silent?” she mumbled, addressing the question to no one in particular.

After a moment, the mechanic’s head again surfaced from under the car.

“You know, this baby is more difficult to fix than a sickly man in the hospital gurney,” he said, wiping the sweat on his forehead, “It looks nice and cozy on the outside, but it hides a leaking gas pipe.”

Yoona stared at the mechanic for a while, and she began to understand what he might have meant. She nodded her head, and stood up from the couch she was sitting on the moment she saw Jong Woon open the door.

When they got out of the service shop, Yoona decided to break the silence that the two of them have created.

“How’s the motorbike?” Yoona asked. She could see the look of concern and worry in Jong Woon’s eyes, and it was enough for her to hold Jong Woon’s hand again.

“Still not in a good shape,” Jong Woon replied, his gaze avoiding Yoona, “I think I have to buy another one.”

Yoona said, “Well, it’s not a big problem, right? I mean, we can still have it fixed. Maybe we can first get you a bike or something—“

Jong Woon quickly kissed Yoona, because he wanted to think sanely—he was trying to ever since he had learned that it wasn’t just a spark plug damage that had crippled his motorbike. He swore he wouldn’t ride a bike again, and from what he had just done a day ago, he swore it would have nothing to do with Yoona.

“You know I can’t ride one, ever again,” he replied when he broke off the kiss. “I swore I won’t.” He cupped Yoona’s face as he tried to rid the past off his mind. He hated bikes; he broke his rule once, and he wasn’t going to break his rule again.

“Come on, Sungie, it’s not like you’re kid enough to be scared of riding them.”

“You don’t understand, Yoona. It’s not about me being a kid.”

“Is this about the past, then? About her?” Yoona asked, her voice starting to echo across the walls of the service shop. “Don’t you trust me, or yourself? How many times do I have to tell you to trust—“

She remembered Siwon, and the date; she suddenly cut off her words and breathed out the next few words. Jong Woon struggled to keep Yoona’s hands within his reach, but failed.

“You should grow up and out of it, Jong Woon. You have me now, right now. What makes it difficult?”

“It’s not about her!” Jong Woon shouted back. “It’s not about her.” He repeated in a softer voice.

“Then what?”

Yoona realized she wasn’t the only one having a relationship problem. Jong Woon bowed his head down, and he gave off a sigh of resignation. “I love you, Yoong, nothing’s changed.”

“I love you, too.” Yoona replied. “But it hurts to know that a part of you is still two years behind.”

They couldn’t say anything more. Both of them endured the silence as they walked to Yoona’s apartment. Yoona wanted to walk out, but if she did, it was more likely she’d ditch Jong Woon for a date with Siwon the next day.

“I had enough of today. I’m tired.” Jong Woon mumbled. He walked closer to Yoona and kissed her again, hoping it would sort things out between them right then and there. Sometimes a kiss isn’t enough.

“I’m tired, too,” Yoona repeated. 

“Then we should call this a day. I love you.” Jong Woon gave her a light peck on the cheek.

“I love you. So much.”

Yoona watched Jong Woon walk away, rather slowly—a sight that she wasn’t used to, because she was almost always the one who’d leave him at the apartment for work—and she sighed again as he crossed the other side of the street.

When he disappeared in a corner, she figured out that sometimes, even words aren’t enough.

“I’m sorry,” Yoona whispered. Really, it was all that they wanted to say.

---

Jong Woon went home tired and stressed out. It was a petty argument—no, to him it was a big deal, so he had to be that tired. He opened the door to the garage where his motorbike once was, and he pondered about just commuting or walking to work the next day.

After all, he couldn’t ride a bike. Well, he rode it once a few days ago, but he’d never ride it again. He swore he wouldn’t. He walked over to one of the shelves and saw an old picture of him and Yoona, and he was about to forgive himself for that damned afternoon when they fought over the past.

The cedar oak frame that held the picture: Jong Woon could clearly remember it used to hold the picture of him and his former best friend. He quickly flipped over the frame, took off the picture, and threw the frame at a nearby box.

As he watched the frame fall into the box, he suddenly noticed the old, rusty bicycle that he used to drive through the streets when he was still dreaming of the motorbike. It’s the same bike that took his best friend home, the same bike that he crashed into the wall, the same bike to which he swore he wouldn’t ride a bike again.

He realized that if he had to fix a broken friendship, he had to make a compromise on his part. Yoona was right—he had to grow up and out of it.

That could’ve been easy, right?

---

Yuri was tired of looking at her clipboard. She couldn’t stop eyeing the art director’s excuse letter clamped on top of the papers. It was, well, full of excuses when all he wanted to say in the end was he was going to Thailand for a holiday spree. She finally pulled away the letter and shoved it under the pile of papers in her clipboard. It was the day of ingress of the exhibits, and she had to substitute the art director. 

She was an events manager, and she knew that she and the art director shared the different views. The art director thought of vacation; she thought of how important the charity event would be and that a small glitch in art direction would be a disaster for the guests and the staff. 

Yuri looked up and examined the line of panel boards standing across the floor of the hall. “That one’s a bit skewed,” she announced, pointing to the frame at the left end of the line. One of the company interns heard her and came to the rescue.

“Okay, that’s it, I mean, no, move the frame to the left, no—“

Yuri scoffed. She put down her clipboard and walked towards the skewed panel board, pushing the intern away a bit, “You should turn this from here to—“

Yuri suddenly felt a hand on hers as she tried to twist one of the wooden frames of the panel board. Before she could breathe properly, she found herself standing face to face with Jong Woon. She wondered why the panel board had to be empty at that moment.

“Um, this is, well, I can do this.”

“Next time, call someone who’s better up for the job,” Jong Woon remarked, his grip on Yuri’s hand tightening as he slowly turned the frame to the left. Yuri breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure, because Jong Woon had never been that close to her before. She huffed and glared at him.

“Next time, don’t be late. What took you so long, Jong Woon-sshi?”

Jong Woon shrugged his shoulders; he removed his hand from the frame, but Yuri could still feel his breath, and she thought it wouldn’t hurt for him to stay that way for a while.

What was she thinking?

“I just had a bad day yesterday.” 

“Yesterday is different from today.”

“Doesn’t matter. What shall we work on now?”

Yuri looked over her checklist on the clipboard and tried to make out the unchecked items on paper. “We’ll set up the contents of the panels, and the floodlights. The bulbs will be delivered soon. After that, we’ll bring in the other exhibit materials.”

Jong Woon nodded his head. Just then, without warning, Yuri’s boss barged into the hall, his eyes glaring and stern. Yuri almost dropped her clipboard the moment her boss saw her.

“Um, sir, what seems to be—“

“I just saw the exhibit photos today. You happened to be missing out on something.”

“What—“

“A model, Yuri!” the boss said matter-of-factly, though Yuri didn’t easily get what he meant. “The pictures were good, but you missed out on the company’s representation for this event.”

“But there are photos of company activities with the autism institution, so I don’t think we need it.”

The boss snapped his fingers in front of her. “We’re going to put up a standee at the entrance on my orders, Yuri. A model with an autistic kid.”

“Sir, don’t you think ‘autistic’ is an offensive word?”

Jong Woon didn’t know how rigid and unsentimental Yuri’s boss could be. 

“I don’t care. Just do this assignment within today so we could have the standee printed by tomorrow.” the boss replied. He smirked at them and headed for the exit. Yuri sighed heavily; she could feel the clipboard slipping from her weak fingers.

“I didn’t know your boss could be that rude,” Jong Woon said. “He’s hell alright.” Yuri ignored his comment and fished out the phone from her pocket.

“Hello?” Yuri spoke over the other line. “Yes, this is Kwon Yuri. Can I speak to Hyoyeon, please? Yeah?”

Jong Woon watched as Yuri listened attentively to the person on the other end. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. But, are you sure she couldn’t come? Oh, yes, I’m sorry. Thank you.”

Yuri ended the call and looked at Jong Woon, who was watching her hopefully.

“Well?”

“Hyoyeon’s our model, but her mom’s sick. She can’t come to the hospital. Her sis even badmouthed me by saying I should do her work instead.”

Jong Woon laughed at her. Yuri directed her eyes on her clipboard, otherwise she’d melt at Jong Woon’s stare.

“Look, let’s finish this exhibit set-up first and deal with that later.”

“Are you nuts? We don’t even have the model, Jong Woon-sshi!”

Jong Woon smiled. “I found one.”

The exhibit was only halfway done by lunch, but Jong Woon knew they could finish everything the next day—they’re still a few days ahead of schedule for the preparations—so he grabbed his things from his desk and headed for the exit of the building.

Yuri waited rather impatiently under the heat of the sun that afternoon. She couldn’t believe she had to go along with him for the assignment: again. Jong Woon appeared from the glass door and walked towards her.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Yuri said. “Screw my job.”

Jong Woon sniggered as he searched for something at the sidewalk of the building. “I told you, you’re not leaving your job without me. You got me back here in the first place.”

“How long do you plan me to stay here?” Yuri asked.

“I don’t know,” Jong Woon replied. “Maybe, three months more? One year? Maybe when I tell you to quit.”

“I am your boss.”

“My point. So why are you asking me that question?”

“Just shut up, Jong Woon-sshi,” Yuri remarked. “What are you even looking for?”

Jong Woon then walked to what Yuri saw as a bike tied to a post at the sidewalk. “This,” he said as he unlocked his bike and took the two handlebars in his own hands. He sighed as he uttered to her:

“Let’s go.”

---

Jessica couldn’t believe how Yuri had put her into trouble again. Jong Woon might sleep over a half-baked exhibit preparation, but Yuri was rather obsessive-compulsive, and so she had to give the clipboard, and the whole room, to her best friend after lunch. She blabbed about strictly following the clipboard, not entertaining calls from Yuri’s desk, and other reminders, and Jessica didn’t know if she could handle Yuri’s request this time.

One of the floodlights that day got busted when one of her assistants approached her. Jessica thought it wasn’t a good time.

“Somebody’s called from Yuri’s desk.”

“Yuri told me not to answer calls for her.” Jessica answered. She thought that was the end of it so she turned around and read the clipboard for instructions on broken light bulbs. True enough, she found them at the bottom of the paper. She was about to tell one of the staff to buy some of the light bulbs when her assistant tapped her on the shoulder.

“Actually, it’s not for Miss Kwon. It’s for you.”

“I told you—what?” Jessica exclaimed. She scratched her head. Truth be told, she didn’t know what to do first anymore, which is a bit unusual, because she should have gotten used to setting priorities. Something told her that she should answer the phone.

“Fine. Don’t you guys continue this exhibit set-up without me, or Yuri’s going to kill me.”

“Right.” The assistant mumbled.

Jessica ran to Yuri’s desk. The phone call could be her mom, her dad, her friend, but the more she got closer to the phone, the more she was given the assumption that it was…

“Hello?” she heaved as she picked up the handset.

“Hello, you said you needed help with the electrical connections?”

Jessica dropped her shoulders in disappointment. “Um,” she began, “I think so. Miss Kwon’s orders, right?”

“Yes. We’ve sent one of our men over there. We’ve just called to see if he’s already in your office.”

“I don’t think so. We’re going to check later.” Jessica replied nonchalantly. “Thank you.”

Before the person on the other line could say goodbye, Jessica dropped the phone and sighed. She could hate herself that moment for being rude, a bit rude, but it didn’t matter now. She’s learned a lesson, and that was not to let Donghae in her thoughts.

She walked back to the exhibit hall, picked up the clipboard and instructed one of the staff. “Someone called from the electrical thingy. Is he here?”

“Of course.”

She turned around to where the voice was and couldn’t believe who she was face to face with. She smiled at him and asked,

“Could you fix up the lights? Like, now?”

Donghae chuckled and pulled out his toolbox from his bag. “I could turn them all on for you.”

Soon enough, Donghae wasn’t just able to fix the lighting for the exhibit; he had helped with the panel boards, the plant arrangements, heck even the food delivery. He brought back a box full of sandwiches and drinks. During the afternoon break, Jessica sat hesitantly beside him, and gave him an extra sandwich.

“Thanks for helping out, Donghae. We wouldn’t do much without you.” Jessica said, handing him the sandwich. He took half of it and gobbled it up.

“No problem.” He said between chews. “I’ve been through, well, a lot of jobs, so it’s a pleasure to help you out with a lot of things.”

Jessica insisted on giving Donghae the other half of the extra sandwich, but she finally ate it when Donghae gulped on a glass of iced tea. “We’re almost done,” she added, “It’s not much of the electrical connections or the stuff you do, so we could pretty much do without your help.”

“No, I don’t mind helping out with the rest. I’ve been here for the rest of the afternoon, so I might as well finish it.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

By about almost seven in the evening, Donghae was done with the last of the exhibit fixtures on the ceilings. He stepped down the ladder and looked for Jessica—he found her half-lidded eyes peering over the clipboard. She yawned and mumbled, “I think it’s the last of it.”

Most of the people have gone home; only a few have stayed to do the rest of their work in the office. Donghae pulled out a towel from the front pocket of his jumper and wiped the sweat and dirt on his forehead. 

“That’s it, then. Tell your best friend that she owes you a lot.”

Jessica sneered. “Well, I owe you a lot.”

“It’s nothing, Jessica. It’s my job.”

“Yeah right. But anyway, thanks for the purse, it was beautiful. I like it.” Deep inside, Jessica cringed for having off-handedly changed the topic. She bowed her head down and randomly looked over the notes that were scratched out on the clipboard.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just I keep doing things for other people, and now I feel like I’m always that safety wheel on bikes, you know.”

“Safety wheels are still worth it. Kids can’t ride on their bikes without them.” Donghae answered. He sat down beside Jessica and poured on a glass of iced tea from the pitcher nearby. “You’re worth more than what you think.”

“Yeah, and how am I supposed to believe that?”

“Ask your best friend, whom you had spent the whole afternoon taking on her job.”

Jessica breathed in deeply. “It’s what I’m supposed to do. God, I can’t even decide things for myself.”
She dropped the clipboard and put her hands instinctively under her chin. “It’s so easy to do things for others, and so hard to do things for myself.”

Donghae put down his glass and looked at Jessica. “Sometimes, you do things for others because it’s what makes you as happy as when you do things for yourself,” he explained. “But if you’re really giving up on it, then let go, if that makes you happier.”

“She’s my friend, ” Jessica said back. “Friends look out for each other, right?”

“Yeah. And I know friends understand each other. They know each others’ limits. It seems your friend could be a bit demanding, but I think she knows well that you’re more than just a proxy events manager.”

Jessica playfully pushed Donghae, and though it wasn’t enough to take him out of his seat, he pretended to be swayed by her fragile strength. “So you know these things! You must be a preacher.”

“Of course. I’m a reincarnated god.”

“You shouldn’t be staying for long here on earth then,” Jessica chuckled. “You’ve been out of your comfort zone for too long.”

“Nah,” Donghae exclaimed, “The god is happier here on earth, doing things for a mere mortal.”
“Really?”

Donghae smiled at Jessica, and before she knew it, they had stared at each other for too long. She broke off the gaze and laughed absent-mindedly.

“What’s funny?” Donghae asked.

“It’s getting late, we should get going.”

“Okay.”

When they got out of the building, Jessica bid Donghae farewell. “I guess I’ll see you on your next electrical connections assignment.”

“We’ll see about that. I still have my shift at an auto service shop.”

Jessica wanted him to say, “I’ll call you soon” or “Let’s have dinner some time” or “I’ll take you home”—what good boyfriends do—but she knew he was a very good friend, and she couldn’t simply ruin it by asking for some nonsense.

But, she had tried to imagine him saying those words to her. It wouldn’t hurt, right?

“Well, I’m walking this way. Think you’re going to be okay?”

“Yes, I think.”

But then, Donghae walked closer to her, and all the while, they stayed silent for the rest of the evening, standing beside each other, Jessica looking for words to say (but she couldn’t find anything, she was waiting for Donghae to say something), until a taxi pulled over in front of Jessica.

“I think I’ll be okay here.” Jessica grinned at him. “Thanks for staying by me.”

“It’s okay. A god can do anything, Ma’am,” Donghae replied. Jessica stepped into the taxi, and she was about to close the door when Donghae cut her off by blocking his hand on the entrance.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I’ve been staring at the cutest sleepy eyes I’ve ever seen for the past ten minutes.”

Jessica couldn’t help but smile again, and she could feel the heat of her blush when she closed the door and watched Donghae stay there, in the same spot in front of the building, until the taxi turned towards a corner. For the first time, she cursed having imagined him saying all the endearment—or the crap—to her, because for the first time, every word he said mattered to her.

She pulled out the purse from her bag, a purse she didn’t even fill with money or credit cards, and she smiled to herself when she looked at it. She was, for now, happy, and she wasn’t going to need anything, not even a boyfriend’s remark, from him.

---

Lunch wasn’t a bad punishment for Yoona, who Jong Woon would always call a “shikshin”. It shouldn’t be hard for her to look for the neon signs on the food establishments around the streets in the town. What was difficult for her, though, is that the neon signs weren’t lit up. She couldn’t simply find the bar that Siwon was talking about for the past fifteen minutes.

She had to do this, she’s confident that it’s an ‘official business’, a punishment, and she didn’t want to lose her job. But then again, why is she even wasting her time on a punishment as “puny” as a lunch date?

Wait, why is she making a big deal out of this? She was never this ‘cheap’ before, but still…

Yoona was about to make a turn at one end of the sidewalk when she saw a hand wave at her. It was Siwon, and he was dressed down to his shirt and jeans, a far cry from the tux-wearing management trainee that he was.

“Here!” Siwon called. Yoona crossed the street and when she saw that Siwon was close enough, she stopped walking and bowed her head.

“I was a bit late, I’m sorry.”

Siwon smiled. It should have irked Yoona. “It’s okay,” he amiably remarked, “Mind if we go in?” He led Yoona into one of the restaurants in front of them, which she actually found was a bar.

“We’re dining here?”

Siwon smiled again; Yoona wondered if she should be amused by that. She began to make the sense out of his smile when he tied an apron around his waist and popped a notepad into his hand.

“Can I take your orders, please?”

Yoona chuckled. “Are you kidding me?”

“Or, do you want drinks instead?” Siwon started. “It’s almost a weekend, after all.”

“I can’t even—I should be doing that. I’m the one at fault.”

Siwon ignored Yoona and tapped the pen on his notepad. He cleared his throat and looked sternly at him, and Yoona had no choice but to look over the menu on the table. Siwon shook his head and led her to her seat. It took three minutes for Yoona to think of what she should eat, which she knew was a waste of time because she was still shocked over Siwon.

“Well?” Siwon said. “Don’t tell me you can’t pick out anything.”

“This is silly. I shouldn’t be doing this. You shouldn’t be doing this, either.”

“As a management trainee, this is what I should do.”

Yoona gave him an inquiring look. “I-I don’t understand. I was the one who left the papers at the hotel, and now you’re asking me to eat something from this menu?”

Siwon put down his pen. “Just do it, okay! I haven’t got all day.”

Yoona hesitantly nodded her head. “One bibimbap and soju. Please.”

How could she be just that resigned?

“Make that three,” Siwon said. “Be right back.”

Twenty minutes, or what Yoona called a century, later, Siwon came out of the kitchen doors fully dressed in his hotel uniform, and carried the meals with a tray. He served them on the table in front of Yoona and later sat on the seat across hers.

“Let’s eat.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Siwon grinned at her. “This is your punishment.”

“And how come it’s my punishment?”

“By doing work, we learn things. By skipping your work at the hotel, you miss out on a day’s worth of lessons. Got that? So eat up and don’t leave until you finish your food.”

Yoona was somewhat amused. “That’s deep.” She mumbled.

Siwon was about to raise his fork when Yoona noticed something wrong with the table.

“Wait,” Yoona began, “Why did you order meals for three people?”

The front door of the bar opened, and a tall, young woman walked in, her gaze in the area equally stern and seductive at the same time. Yoona thought she was Siwon dressed like a girl, only leaner, darker, and well, meaner. 

“Sis! What took you so long?” Siwon shouted. The young woman turned at them and swiftly walked towards their table, her steps echoing across the marble floor. She sat beside Yoona without even glancing at her.

“Yoona, this is my sister, Choi Sooyoung.”

“Oh, hello, I’m Yoona. How do you do?” Yoona asked out of due respect, though the young woman didn’t even bother raising a brow at her.

“I’m fine.”

“Sooyoung! This is the hotel receptionist I was talking about. The girl who got stuck in the shed on my first work day?”

Sooyoung finally looked up. Yoona felt disgusted at her stare, and she felt disgusted at Siwon’s remark. Really, was she just the girl who got stuck in the shed?

“She’s a wise woman, Sooyoung, be careful.” Siwon added. “She’s a bit of a snob, but she’s smart.”

“Really?” Sooyoung raised a brow. “Let’s see about that.”

They soon started eating their food. Yoona was rather staring at it for a while, and Sooyoung noticed that. “Don’t you like the food?”

Yoona snapped out of her daze. “Oh, no, I mean, yes I like the food, um I was just thinking about work.”

“You haven’t even tasted the food. And please, stop thinking about work because it’s none of my business.” Sooyoung spoke back as she drank her soju from a wine glass. Yoona thought Siwon’s sis was PMS-ing.

Yoona’s eyes wandered throughout the place, and she felt as if Siwon owned it. She was convinced when one of the waiters approached him and called him “Boss.”

“You owned this place?” Yoona asked. “I mean, I didn’t mean to intrude, but--”

“Yes, I do.” Siwon replied confidently “I work night shift here, as a bartender.”

Yoona nodded pleasantly, pretending she was interested again. She then glanced outside and seemed to remember something from a faraway dream.

“The place looks familiar,” she remarked, “It’s very near the place where I met my boyfriend two years ago.”

“You have a boyfriend? But well, never mind that,” Sooyoung said. “How did she meet you?” she asked Siwon, in what seemed to Yoona as a mocking tone.

“Um, as he said, I was that girl who got stuck in the waiting shed on a rainy day,” Yoona jokingly answered for Siwon. “We were both on our way to work that day, and I didn’t know he was also an employee of the hotel.”

“Why were you stuck in the waiting shed?”

“Um, I think my boyfriend got stuck in traffic that day, so.”

Sooyoung let out a laugh. “Wait, so you have a boyfriend? And Siwon’s asking you out like this? You’re a bad girl!”

“Excuse me,” Yoona tried to keep composed as possible, “But he’s not asking me out, I mean, he asked me out now, but it’s my punishment for leaving behind a couple of important folders in the hotel. Don’t get me wrong.”

“Then why are you here? Do you think you’re doing the right thing? Would you easily give in to my brother’s stupid punishment? Gosh, how can you be so cheap?”

Yoona was getting confused. Sooyoung was indeed testing her temperament, but was she a laboratory rat to be tested out on? She glanced at Siwon, who was rather looking worried, yet assuring.

“And why are you looking at my brother like that?” Sooyoung almost shouted, her voice would have almost caused a commotion. “It’s like you like him but you’re holding back. Well, I know who’s holding you back. Then again, you chose to go over here and waste my time.”

Yoona stood up from her seat and almost kicked her foot on one of the table legs. Sooyoung’s remark snapped her into two; she was being nice, and this girl in front of her was being a complete .

“It’s nice talking to you Sooyoung, really, and I know I’m not doing what’s right. But it’s something I feel I should do, because it completely makes more sense, so,” she pushed her chair away and picked up her bag before heading for the door. “Adios, Sooyoung.”

She was at the door, when Sooyoung shouted for the last time:

“If that makes more sense, then stick with it. Own up to it. You don’t get to see many U-turn slots in a highway.”

The door slammed shut, and Siwon was left with her sister. Sooyoung got back to drinking her soju, while Siwon eyed her unyieldingly. As much as he wanted to come for Yoona, he also wanted to confront Sooyoung for what she has done.

“Why be so harsh, sis? She’s a nice girl.”

Sooyoung chuckled. “Yes, she’s nice, which is a bad thing.” She then shared a laugh with his brother, and when they stopped laughing, Siwon stared at his own glass of soju.

“I wonder if this changes what she feels about me.”

“She feels something about you? Tch, she doesn’t deserve a spine.”

“I can feel it, and like she said, it doesn’t matter if it’s right anymore.” Siwon shook the glass lightly, swirling its contents. “There’s still a way to make things right, but feelings are something only a few people can do something about.”

Sooyoung only finished half the plate of her bibimbap. She stood up and put on her wayfarers.

“Sheez, sis. I always thought you’re a pig.”

“I’m celebrating, Siwon-oppa,” she mumbled. “You don’t get to see girls like that every time. They don’t deserve to be loved, but people like them need love the most, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Sooyoung merely smiled at him and walked towards the door, in a more composed way than Yoona did. Siwon scoffed at her sister, not because he didn’t understand what she said. He soon heard a taxicab zoom away, and it was at that moment when he knew his sister had already gone off.

In fact, he did understand. He soon stood up, dialed on his phone, and sprinted out of the bar. His sister’s words empowered the beating of his heart that had only echoed for Yoona.

“Don’t let her go. Don’t let her go.”

---

“Jong Woon-sshi, I can’t do this.”

Yuri can eat an elephant, a blue whale, and she could walk on hot live coals, well at least she may do it—but she couldn’t possibly ask an autism-afflicted kid to take a picture with her.

“But you like kids.”

Yuri blushed. They stood in front of the orphanage, trying to keep the great Kwon Yuri together. Jong Woon didn’t want his model to be nervous at a shoot, not when everything is in a rush for the next day.

“I can’t just take pictures with them. People would think that I’m just doing this for show.”

Jong Woon scratched his head. “They don’t’ know you, Yuri. Just do it, okay?”

“No,” she said firmly. “I’m not doing this. Damn it, I’m an events manager, not a model!”

Jong Woon looked regrettably at his camera, and he soon put it back into his backpack. “Fine, fine, no cameras, okay. But since we’re here, and I drove my bike for an excruciating ten minutes, let’s pay a visit.”

Yuri thought it wasn’t a good idea, because they should be working on that standee soon. But she forgot all of that when Jong Woon grabbed her hand and pulled her into the door of the orphanage. 

It wasn’t all that difficult to get along with the orphanage staff, Jong Woon talked to them smoothly and asked about the orphanage, and Yuri couldn’t help but peep at the rooms and smile at the kids that have started to flock around them, toothy smiles on their faces.

“Don’t mind the kids, they’re always like this whenever someone pays a visit,” the manager explained as they walked through the corridors. Some of the kids followed them sneakily. “You know, they always needed care and attention, something that their folks couldn’t otherwise give them.”

“It’s actually endearing to see all their smiles, though,” Jong Woon replied. “It’s like they are a walking contradiction of some sort.”

“Why so?” Yuri asked.

“Because they smile, they seem so happy, and they’re ready to give their hearts out. But behind that smiles, they’re empty at the same time. They need someone to talk to, someone to take care of them.”

“And that, amuses you?” Yuri interrupted.

“Actually, it makes me feel like a walking contradiction too.”

“All of us are, aren’t we?” the manager said. Yuri met Jong Woon’s gaze, and they were about to stare at each other when the manager cut them off by clearing his throat. “Erm, not that I’m interrupting.”

Yuri then felt a hand pull on her skirt, and she bowed down to meet his freckled face.

“Unnie! You watch TV, right?”

Yuri smiled. “Yeah, I do watch TV.” She softly pinched the boy’s cheeks, causing him to giggle a bit. He looked around him once before returning his gaze on Yuri.

“Ever watched Pokemon?”

“Um, a few of the first episodes.”

The boy then began to cry, and it puzzled Yuri. How could a boy cry over a cartoon show? She pulled out her floral handkerchief and wiped the boy’s nose. “What’s the matter, why are you crying?”

“There’s th—this episode w-when, Butterfree—he walked away from Ash,” the kid sniffed and whooped as Yuri listened attentively, “He fl-flew away from him, t-to join the other Butterfrees, it’s a b-bit sad.”

The boy cried even more. Yuri hugged him and hushed him a bit by wiping more of the tears and snot out of his puffy cheeks. She couldn’t help but feel for him, too.

“Well, people, and things, they do come and go. There’s always got to be a reason, but still they come and go like Butterfree.”

“Why should it be that sad? I s-saw Butterfree flap its wings, and Ash cried—he said he’s okay, but he cried. Y-you cry when you’re sad, right? You cry when someone leaves you that quick?”

Sometimes, it pays to listen to a kid’s question, because it sometimes made sense.

“Maybe, we cry,” Jong Woon butted in, “We cry, because we know there’s someone else who can better dry our tears.”

Yuri felt a sharp pain in her chest, although she literally couldn’t feel it, and so she hugged the boy tighter. The boy’s sobs were reduced to a mere whimper when he asked.

“Hm, someone to better dry our tears?”

“Yes.”

“Like, her?” The boy innocently pointed to Yuri, who was just done wiping the dried tears under his eyes. Yuri momentarily stopped, cleared , and stood up. She pat the boy’s head and chuckled at him.

“I guess Butterfree’s happy after that. And I think Ash is, too. He’s got more Pokemon to collect.”

“Will Butterfree come back?”

“I don’t know.” Yuri said. 

“It did.” Jong Woon said. 

They both said different things at the same time, and it made them look at each other quizzically. 

“How can you be sure?” Yuri asked. “You don’t even watch Pokemon.”

Jong Woon slyly grinned. “I watch it all the time.”

The manager felt they were headed for an argument, so he tapped Jong Woon’s shoulder and asked if they needed to see the other places in the orphanage.

“Sure, let’s move on.” Yuri said. “And please do attend our exhibit. You’re one of the invited guests, and it would be an honor to help promote and fund your institution.”

It was late in the afternoon when both Yuri and Jong Woon were able to take in the summer breeze. They waved goodbye at the eager—they will always be eager—faces in the glass windows, and walked to where Jong Woon’s bike was. It was at that moment when Yuri suddenly remembered the job order that her boss has given her, and she felt regretting that visit. 

For her, it was fun. But still…

“What are we going to do with boss, now? Can we kill him?” she asked. Jong Woon took out a small camera from his pocket and, looking conniving, showed a shot of Yuri talking with the boy in the orphanage moments ago.

“Looks like it’s unnecessary,” he chuckled.

“JONG WOON-SSHI!” Yuri exclaimed.

---

Minutes later, Jong Woon heaved the pedals of his old bicycle for a couple of blocks or so. Yuri noticed it was his old bike, and she couldn’t help but ask where his motorbike was.

“Still in the service shop. The spark plug is due to be delivered in a couple of weeks.”

“Poor you,” Yuri said, almost laughingly. “You always wanted that Ducati. And now you’re back with this bike.”

The silence that enveloped them after that was stifling. Yuri stared blankly at the concrete that seemed to move below them, and cursed Jong Woon, maybe herself, for riding the old bike. Little did she know that Jong Woon was also shattering inside, for the sake of fixing their friendship again.

“You can’t afford a new bike? This looks… old.”

Jong Woon jeered at himself. “The motorbike repairs punched a lot of holes in my pocket.”

“Oh.” Yuri mumbled.

The bike wheels squeaked badly every time he took a turn towards a corner, and Yuri felt like the bike was going to fall apart. She should probably just walk.

“I just rode on it for the first time today.” Jong Woon suddenly enunciated.

“I can pretty much see that. When did you last drive this thing?” Yuri curiously asked. Jong Woon stepped on the brakes and slowed down the speed of his bike.

“Two years ago.”

“Oh, I see.”

A moment of silence reemerged, and both of them hated it. Jong Woon pedaled faster, making the wheels and axles squeak louder, because he didn’t want to hear nothing. Yuri could perhaps thank him for that.

They were almost at Yuri’s house when Yuri found it necessary to ask another question.

“Why did you disappear on me two years ago?”

“I didn’t disappear, okay,” Jong Woon replied, “I just felt bad being fired by the company two years ago. It wasn’t my fault. You and I both know that.”

Yuri clicked her tongue. “The last time I saw you, you were driving this damned bike rather groggily and fast. You never told me you were drunk when you accepted a job offer conspired against you.”

Jong Woon felt his feet speeding up the pedals again. “Look, it was a one-time thing, Yuri. Let’s just forget why it happened.”

“How can I forget something that you have kept from me for years?”

Jong Woon momentarily stopped the bike. He knew this was going to take them back, all back, but he didn’t care. If that’s the only way to fix things between them, so be it.

“Yuri.” Blast the formalities, he thought. “I’m okay now. I got someone to love, and someone who loves me. I got the job that I wanted. Now that I’m almost back on track, I want us to hang out like old friends again. I’m sick and tired of remembering bike rides like they were all daylight nightmares.”

Yuri felt hurt by Jong Woon’s words. There’s something that just wasn’t right, at least for her.

“I’m sorry.” she muttered, her voice cracking. Whether it was by a bad impulse or an intention—she didn’t know which was which—Yuri jumped out of the bike and stumbled into the concrete pavement, scratching her knees a bit. Jong Woon suddenly stopped the bike and turned around to approach her.

“Yuri-sshi! What the hell are you doing?!”

“I dropped my bag, I’m sorry,” Yuri chuckled apologetically. She could feel tears coming in from the back of her eyes.

“Why are your eyes watery? Are you crying?” Jong Woon couldn’t help but notice Yuri’s welling eyes.

“Y-You’ve been driving so fast, th-the wind stung my eyes.” Yuri laughed again, but she couldn’t hold the tears anymore, so she had no choice but to let them fall down her cheeks. 

“Is there something wrong, Yul? Did I say anything wrong?”

Yuri shook her head frantically, meaning to lie to Jong Woon. “No! No, really, there’s nothing wrong with you or what you said. I guess it won’t hurt to walk a few blocks now, my eyes really stung and it’s your fault…”

“Really, Yuri. Stop making lame excuses and tell me what’s wrong.”

“Well, stop making excuses and tell me what kept you for two years!”

Jong Woon fell silent. He walked closer to Yuri, insisting that she should just get back on the bike, but Yuri swayed her hand away and shooed him like she couldn’t feel the pain on her knees. They hurt like hell, she thought—she also knew that she deserved it one way or another.

“No, Jong Woon. Please. Leave me alone.”

She tried to stand up straight, buckled her legs and struggled as she walked away, but Jong Woon easily caught her by the hand, and he pulled her closer to him. He encircled his arms around her as she trembled—partly because of the pain on her knees, and mostly her heart wanted to burst out—and fell to the ground on her wounded knees.

It was the hug that Yuri had missed out on since two years ago, and though it felt warm, she knew she didn’t deserve it, not from Jong Woon. The moment made her realize the real culprit behind Jong Woon’s hiatus over the past two years. She lightly squeezed Jong Woon’s hand and pulled it out from her shoulders.

“It’s me, Jong Woon, I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

Because she shouldn’t have let him go.


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SUPER LATE UPDATE. But I hope this lengthy chap makes it up to you. Spread the love people! <3