“Lee Jong Suk!” GaEul’s frown immediately turned into smile. She opened her arms to hug the tall young man and giggled the moment she realized that he had to bend his knees to match her height. “Is this a joke, when did you get this tall?” GaEul smirked as she released him from the tight embrace. 

The heck?  YiJeong opened his eyes wide. Who is this lamp pole? What is she doing, hugging him that way?

JongSuk was back for semester break from Mokpo University. Although the university was just one hour by bus, JungAh wanted him to stay at the dorm in order for him to focus on his study instead of worrying about transporting himself back and forth every single day.

“Finally you reach home.” GaEul tried to carry his luggage but was stopped right away.

“It’s okay. It’s not heavy” JongSuk smiled cheerily before realizing there was someone stoning somewhere behind GaEul. And that someone seemed really familiar.

GaEul who also realized that JongSuk was looking at YiJeong tried to distract him. “Come. Granma is waiting” GaEul pulled JongSuk away, ignoring YiJeong who was staring wide-eyed.

JongSuk on the other hand did not have any other choice other than to let himself practically pulled by GaEul. He bowed slightly when they walked passed YiJeong while wondering where he had seen him before.

****

“JongSuk ah, let’s go to Seoul.” GaEul said in an enticing tone. “I want to meet JanDi” she was trying to persuade JongSuk. They were sitting on the bench under the big old tree, with GaEul leaning on his back.

“I don’t know where her house is” JongSuk answered simply, trying to refuse her sudden request.

 “I can ask her for an address” GaEul was still absorbed in her coaxing plan.

“I’m laaazyy” JongSuk yawned.

“Hey!!! I was waiting for you to come home so that we could go somewhere. Do you even know how bored I was?” GaEul shifted herself so that she sat facing him and poked his forehead with her finger.

“Aisshh, noona STOP.” JongSuk held her hand, trying to stop her action which might really poke hole on his head.

Instead of stopping her intervention, GaEul pulled her hand away and cupped his face between her palms.

“YOU!!! Since when do you learn to object my words?” GaEul wrapped her arm around his neck, trying to choke him with a headlock.

“Arggghh. STOP it noona ! ! ! !!”

“Apologize first”

“Noona ! ! ! “

From within the house, apparently there was YiJeong who was boiling in his room prior to witnessing his wife’s intimacy with the lamp pole.  He had his teeth clenched as he was staring at the pair through the room’s window. From the moment he met GaEul, not even once had he ever seen her acting so clingy with any guy, with the exception only for her scary older brother and Geum Kang San, and seeing her being that lovey-dovey with JongSuk made his eyes sore as hell.

“Say aaaa” GaEul held a spoonful of rice, trying to feed JongSuk.

“No” JongSuk protested.

“How are you going to grow when you don’t eat rice? You still haven’t change from then till now. That’s why you are thin as skeleton” GaEul started to nag.

YiJeong couldn’t stand the scene he was witnessing from his seat across GaEul and JongSuk at the dining table.

He was on the verge of flipping the table when suddenly JungAh spoke.

“You two …. Eat silently. Respect our guest”

“JongSuk, Mr KimBeom is trying to get some inspiration for his pottery work. Maybe you can help him since you are an art student anyway” JungAh then said casually.

“Pottery?”  JongSuk asked, suddenly his brain thought of something. He smiled to YiJeong while trying to solve the questions revolving in his mind.

YiJeong on the other hand, decided not to smile back. He was inflamed, mad at himself for being the cause for all these things to happen. Instead, he engulfed his food like someone who didn’t eat for three days before he excused himself from the dining table escape from the irritating situation, not realizing that JongSuk’s eyes had been trailing him.

,JongSuk’s level of curiosity shoot up.

He swore that he saw that grouchy lad somewhere before.

*************

YiJeong was strolling arou