Chapter 7: You’re Back

                Seoul airport was crowded. People were bustling and bumping each other to get to where they needed to go but Bongcha was standing still, her eyes glued to where Jiyong should be walking out any minute now. Foreigners were filing out, some looking completely lost and tired while others appeared more familiar with the place. A few Koreans were there as well, but not the one she was looking for. Finally, he walked out of the gate, looking around over the top of his sun glasses.

                “Oppa!” Bongcha exclaimed when she saw him. He immediately turned towards the sound of her voice and ran over. She ran towards him and the two embraced before he quickly let go.

                “I missed you,” he said, switching his carry-on bag to his other shoulder, “How have you been?”

                “Fine but… your hair!” She reached out and ran her fingers through his bright pink locks. It hadn’t been that color when they last video chatted. He must have just recently got it done.

                “Like it?”

                “Not sure yet,” she admitted with a laugh before taking a step back, “It certainly makes a statement though.”

                “Exactly what I was looking for,” he said before walking with her to pick up the rest of his luggage. They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked towards the car Bongcha had agreed to be chauffeured in. The elderly man got out and put Jiyong’s bags into the trunk before returning to the driver’s side.

                “How was studying abroad?” Bongcha asked once she had fastened her seat belt.

                “Fun and a little frustrating. Well, it was a lot of things,” he began. He babbled on about what it had been like living in a foreign city where he knew only the basics of the language. Now, he was fluent and a respected fashion student at said school. He even had some of his designs in one of his bags. Despite how fascinating all this was, Bongcha just wanted to rant about Haejung. She held her tongue though. It was his turn to speak.

                “Is she really bugging you that bad?” he suddenly asked seemingly out of nowhere.

                “Huh?”

                “Normally you’d be asking me tons of questions and jumping around excitedly. Instead, you’re all quiet and pouty. So, is she really that bad?” he asked as the car pulled up to his apartment. He got out and grabbed his bags. Bongcha followed him up into the complex, waving the car off before the door closed behind her.

                “I don’t know,” Bongcha sighed, carrying one of his bags, “She’s all flirty with him and they seem really cute together. It just pisses me off; like ‘back of ’ or something like that.”

                “Really?” he chuckled as the elevator arrived.

                “And then she’s all cute and sweet so I can’t hate her! Damn it, if she was a guy I could just punch her in the face.”

                “You could still do that.”

                “Seungri would be upset,” she sighed when they finally arrived at the right floor.

                “He would,” he agreed, “but does that really matter?”

                “Yes,” Bongcha chuckled, “It does.”

                “Well then, play nice and don’t let her know it’s annoying you. People like her feed off that stuff, you know,” he said, ruffling her hair before unlocking the door to his apartment. The two stepped in and it was like he hadn’t left. Everything was in place except for his dogs and the food in the fridge.

                “Time to unpack,” he frowned as he carried the bags towards his bedroom. Bongcha trailed behind him. She offered to help but instead sat on the middle of his bed and supervised. Everything was put away in an organized and thoughtful manner- so unlike what she did. Even when the maids tried to pick up after her, there was no rhyme or reason to where things went in her room. So, it was nice to see someone so organized.

                “You should help me clean my room,” she remarked, watching him refold a shirt because it wasn’t done right the first time.

                “What’s the point when you’ll be moving out soon anyways?”

                “Bonding time?”

                “We’re already bonded,” he chuckled, “Besides, we’ll have plenty of time to hang out since I’ll be helping you with the wedding preparations. We’ll have a lot of work to do.” He said the last part in almost a sing-song voice while smiling. He really was looking forward to helping her.

                “Good because I with things like this.”

                “I know,” he sighed. Bongcha laughed and threw a balled up pair of socks at his head. He deflected the blow before tossing them back at her. They played this for a while but Jiyong returned to unpacking. By dinner time, he was done and Bongcha was starving.

                They went out to their favorite café. Bongcha ordered what she always got and so did he. It was like he had never left. She smiled at the thought as she sipped her sugary coffee. She had added four packets to one small cup, but she loved sweet things.

                “When did you become so addicted to sugar?” Jiyong asked, smiling at her over his own cup of coffee.

                “When coffee became so bitter,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed; normally the sound would have reverberated through a small space like this, but the café was already so packed that his added noise made little difference.

                “How late do I get to keep you before you turn back into a pumpkin?” Jiyong asked after they had finished eating. Dessert was on its way, but the meal was quickly coming to a close.

                “Midnight, just like Cinderella.”

                “Got a date with Seungri tomorrow?” he asked.

                “Yeah but Haejung might show up,” she sighed, “At least I get him alone for a little while.”

                “Then play it cool, like we talked about,” he replied. Dessert arrived, it was chocolate cake, and was consumed almost immediately. He dropped her off at her house before taking off. He had to restock his fridge and get things ready for his dogs to return home the next day, so he let her go at nine instead of twelve.

                When she returned home, Bongcha crashed on her bed and decided she wanted to sleep instead of doing anything more productive. She needed to mentally prepare herself for tomorrow and sleep was the perfect way to do just that.