She stared at his face. The man was sleeping soundly like a baby. Jong Kook had a pair of small eyes, a sharp chin, and a thin clean lip because he wasn’t smoking. His brown-buttery hair was sort of curly. He got a smiling-eye whenever he was smiling. Ji Hyo loved to see that.

She motioned her eyes down towards the broad muscled chest that rose and fell with his silent breathing. He was too tired. After they went home from the beach last night, Minho and Siwon asked him to join them at the gym. Working out at late night was the best, they said.

She suddenly was being cheeky again. She touched under his nose and tickled him there and quickly hid besides the bed.

One… Two… Three…

Slowly she peeked out of the side of the bed but Jong Kook didn’t move. Not satisfied, she tickled again but this time no more hiding. Again, there was no sign of Jong Kook waking up. Finally she poked his tanned cheek. He didn’t move at all. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Oppa…! Wake up!”

Still in panicked, she put her hand under his nose to feel him breathing. No air. She then put her ears on his chest trying to hear the heartbeat but no sound could be heard.

Suddenly a pair of hand hugged Ji Hyo tightly.

“Yah! Song Ji Hyo! What do you think you are doing?”

“Aaaaaahhhhhh!” She tried to run away but the hand that was holding her was way too strong.

“You know how hard it is to hold my breath? I felt like dying!”

“Yah! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Yah! Don’t tickle me! And no poking too!”

He then ruffled Ji Hyo’s shoulder-length silky black hair and made it disheveled.

“Ah no!”

She managed to escape from his room and made him a breakfast. Jong Kook loved to have toast bread and sugarless green tea. But she always purposely put a small tablespoon of sugar because she just couldn’t stand how the non-sugar drink tasted like. And you could imagine the furious Jong Kook when he drank one and started to lecture about the bad of too much sugar and all that. Just imagine.

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“You look stunning, my princess.”

“Thank you. Well you’re not that bad too.”

He folded the collar of his white Polo shirt. The faded pair of black jeans he wore made him look so handsome. His outfit matched with Ji Hyo who wore same white Polo shirt too but she styled it with a knee-length black pencil skirt. Nobody would believe Ji Hyo had actually reached her 30’s. She looked just like a high school girl.

They both were going to visit Jong Kook’s village. That was the plan after they both were getting a day-off from work. Before leaving his house, he reached for his sunglasses and wore it. Ji Hyo too since they didn’t want anyone to recognize them. It could be dangerous.

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“Oppa, you said your grandmother stayed alone. What did she do?”

“She took care of her farm. She made soy bean too since it was our family business.”

“But you are not making soy bean. Who continue that?”

She seemed confused. Jong Kook laughed. Ji Hyo was too cute to resist.

“Remember my brother, the one in the baseball cap in the photo you saw in my room? He learned it.”

“But you said he is a surgeon.”

“Yes he is and he knows how to make soy bean too, not just fixing people’s face.”

“Why don’t you learn too?”

“If I could turn back time rewind, I really want to. It’s just me and the soy bean is not fated together.”

Ji hyo laughed whole-heartedly at the cuteness of Jong Kook’s words. The car drifted along the highway in the sunny day. It was warm but windy. They let the window’s car opened to take in the calm and cool village’s breeze. The scent was fresh and reminded them of their classical hometown. The sound was harmonious unlike the noisy city they lived in every day.  

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“Oppa, why don’t grandmother lives with you?”

“After my grandfather passed away, she refused to stay with us. The city was too busy and congested to her.”

“Grandmother must be a nice person. I can’t wait to meet her.”

Ji Hyo imagined a petite and strong figure of an old woman. One distinct feature that was similar with her grandson was the chin. Jong Kook had said that before.

When they almost arrived at Jong Kook’s village, she saw a hunched-back old man walking at the roadside. The old man looked mysterious. He was carrying a big black sack at his back.

At first they hesitated to stop. Trusting her instinct, Ji Hyo asked Jong Kook to stop by and offered him a ride.

The old man had a pair of narrowed eyes and wrinkles filled his face. His hair and eyebrows were white. A scar was on his left cheek. It was still new.

“Good day, sir. Where are you going?”

The old man grinned.