(A/N: Timeline: currently night time, flashback takes place during the day before the start of the play)

 

 

 

(Taec)

 

(A/N: This is a dialogue between an actor and actress in a miniature play that Taec was watching.)

 

Actor: Recently, I have been collecting stamps. Can you write me a letter?

Actress: I have never written a letter before. How about you write me a letter? And then I’ll write back one to you.

~

Actress: I thought you said you were going to write a letter to me? (Pouts)

Actor: I only know that your name is Kim Soojin, but not your home address.

 

I laughed along with the audience.

 

Actor: Hey! Skinny monkey’s my nickname! You have to write my real name, Han Jaejung!

Actress: Skinny monkey~~ hehe, I’ll make the correction next time.

Actor: Thank you, Cry baby Soojin.

~

Actor: Soojin-ah. I hope you received my letter with joy. The weather today is really good. It’s slightly cloudy. The temperature is around 20 degrees, as we yearn for the sunlight to dawn upon us. It has been already a year since I’ve written a letter to you. How are you?

 

I watched the play intently, even though I already had a rough idea of what the ending was going to be like.

 

Actor: Last year, I wasn’t in time to attend your funeral. By the time I reached, I was already late by two days. Your younger brother gave me the cardboard box that you left behind. I brought it back with me to Gwangju, intact and unopened. The entire time, I couldn’t muster the courage to open it, until an hour earlier. Just as I expected… the box contained all the letters that I wrote to you… Each and every one. The letters that you had left behind.

 

By now, I had started to sniffle, tears threatening to form.  

 

Actor: I re-read the letters carefully once again. I even saw a pencil that had seemed as though it was only sharpened once. I love you. (Actor starts to cry)

Actress (ghost): Thank you Skinny monkey~~!

 

*

 

‘Hey Taecyeon! Why are you still around?’

I turned around and smiled, ‘these are for you, Uncle Pat. From you know who!’ passing him a bouquet of flowers.

‘How was the play?’

I shook my head, ‘the ending was pretty… tragic.’

He chortled, ‘yes I can’t help but agree with you. It is pretty tragic. Anyway, you wanna join me for a drink?’

‘It’s alright, another day perhaps. I think you have someone waiting for you,’ I grinned.

He took a look down the stairs only to see my widowed aunt waiting for him.

‘Alright! I’ll catch up with you another time yeah Taec?’

‘Yes, alright. Have fun!’ I winked at him as he turned and went to look for her.

 

I slipped my hand into my pocket and pressed the speed dial.

‘Do you have any leftovers?’ I asked.

 

*

 

(Khun)

 

‘Are you that desperate to drop by and boast about your results?’ I demanded as I washed the dishes so they could be filled with the leftovers for Taec.

‘I’m here to supervise you and ensure that you can catch up with my progress alright!’ he rebutted cheekily.

‘Nichkhun! Is the soup heated up?’ my mom questioned as she walked into the kitchen.

‘It’s still heating up,’ I replied.

‘Oh… okay alright. Let me cook up another plate of vegetables,’ my mom offered to Taecyeon.

‘Eomonim, there’s really no need to do that! It’s really enough,’ he declined politely.

‘Aigoo but these are leftovers from our dinner.’

‘Eomonim, please. If you do, I wouldn’t dare to drop by next time.’ He pouted.

My mom sighed, ‘alright alright, you go take a seat first, I’ll bring the food over.’

‘Thank you Eomonim~!’

As he sat down, my dad approached him.

‘Taecyeon Taecyeon. Did you managed to hold his hands?’

‘Erm… not yet?’ he replied.

‘Come, let me teach you,’ my dad started. ‘Hitching a guy is all about good timing. Timing is everything. If delayed for too long, the relationship will burn out. Just like what happened between you and Khun.’

My eyes widened, ‘DAD!’

‘Okay okay,’ he raised his hands to ‘surrender’ to me.

‘This example isn’t good, you guys are forever friends.’ My dad continued. ‘I just feel that holding hands is the most important step in dating.’

‘Bingo!’ Eomonim took a seat next to Taec and agreed with my dad.

‘Firstly, once you’ve verified the guy’s feelings towards you. Once you hold hands and the guy didn’t return you a slap, you’re on the right track.’

My jaw dropped at how ridiculous my dad sounded, as I continued to boil the soup.

‘Secondly, if you hold his hands, and you get an electrifying jolt right through your brains. Aigoo, then that’s even more right!’

I rolled my eyes and face-palmed myself. Poor Taec, he had to listen to all the weird advice from my dad.

‘Thirdly, for the second and third stage of dating, having good timing is even more important. Repeat after me. Timing. Is. Everything.’

‘Timing is everything.’ Taec chanted.

‘Bingo, timing is the most important part. Under the moonlight, you look into his eyes and then give him a kiss.’

Then both my parents starting giggling like high schoolers. Oh great, this is so embarrassing.

‘Alright alright, you eat, Taecyeon, you eat.’ My parents then remembered that he was here to have his dinner and finally left him alone.

 

After they both left for bed, I sat down opposite him and started to pick out the vegetables I knew he didn’t like to eat from the dish.

‘That’s why you don’t even need my parents to teach you. You’re doing very well by yourself,’ I .

‘Who told you I went on a date huh? Am I such an easy person?’ he asked.

I smirked, ‘heh, you don’t say? Every time you start dating, you’ll disappear for few months or so.’

‘Hey, I just didn’t come to your house and accompany you to eat late-night snacks. That doesn’t mean I disappeared, okay Khun?’

‘Plus,’ Taec continued, ‘whenever you were in a situation, didn’t I show up immediately?’

‘Hey, when you were in trouble, I did my duty too kay?’ I argued playfully.

‘Oh really? I remember every time when I fall out of love, I had to heal my own wounds.’ He mentioned.

‘Hmmm, when Jihyen and your mom had a massive argument. When you had a car accident. When was I not by your side?’ I asked, reminding him of those times.

‘Here,’ I pushed the plate of vegetables to him, after removing the ones that he didn’t like.

He smiled at me, finally admitting defeat over that conversation and carried on eating.

 

*

 

(Taec)

 

‘So… we have to be friends for life.’ I said as I washed the dishes while Khun was drying them, ‘otherwise, we’ll be very lonely.’

‘That’s right,’ he agreed, taking a dripping, cleaned plate from my hand.

‘You…’

‘Hmm…?’

‘You… did you find your bank book?’ I mentally cursed myself for being a coward.

‘I will definitely find it!’ he hissed, throwing the towel into the sink. ‘But, even if I don’t find it. You’ll still be here with me.’ He giggled.

I raised a brow, and then it hit me.

 

~ Earlier that day (Khun’s pov) ~

 

‘I have absolute confidence in Khun. He’ll certainly find it.’ Taec’s voice sounded as I jolted up from my nightmare.

‘Oh you speak about it so lightly. It would be better if you both became a couple. Isn’t that good?’ my mom suggested.

I raised my arm and ran my fingers through my messy bed hair, slightly disorientated and puzzled over what I’d just heard.

‘No way,’ he said.

‘What no?’ my mom asked.

‘How can good friends get together?’

‘It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. How about this, tell me very softly kay? Have you ever liked Khunnie? Even just a little bit.’ my mom prompted him.

‘Hurry, say it softly.’

I got up and stretched myself before stealthily walking down the stairs.

‘Come on Taec! Tell me softly.’

‘No Eomonim, we really ar-’ he stopped suddenly as our eyes made contact.

‘You just have to click ‘send’ and you can share your recipes and your thoughts with your friends.’ He turned to my mom as he showed her how to use the networking site on the desktop.

‘Oh really? Okay okay, so click ‘Send’.’ My mom repeated after him.

‘Good morning.’ He greeted me.

‘Morning,’ I mumbled as I slumped into the chair that was in front of the table.

‘Why did you come to my house so early today?’ I frowned.

‘Er…’

‘Mr Horvejkul. It’s not very early you know. It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon.’ My mom stated.

‘Plus, yesterday I promised your mom that I’ll teach her how to use Facebook. And your employee’s flight seat, I have already settled it for you.’ Taec added.

‘Thanks.’

‘You’re… welcome’ he replied.

‘Wait, you took leave today too?’ I asked.

‘At least he utilizes his entire day. And did many many things. Not like our family’s Mr Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul. Aigoo, the day before the holiday, he was happily watching the Korean dramas through wee hours, and happily slept till 2pm the next day. Isn’t the whole day wasted just like that?’ my mom lamented.

I glared at her. My mom made a ‘zip’ action across the lips, silently understanding my glare.

‘Eh, Taecyeon. Want to accompany Khunnie to eat my specialty, soba noodles with gravy?’ my mom offered.

‘Eh, yeah why not? Just a small bowl will do!’ he nodded, accepting the offer.

I immediately raised my arm and smiled my widest smile, ‘big bowl.’

My mom eyed my body, as though she was reminding me how fat I already was, and stood up to prepare our food.

As she walked down the stairs, she did some hand signs to Taec, probably thinking that she was out of my sight, and he did the ‘okay’ hand sign in reply to her. I shot laser beams at both of them, signalling them to stop all this secretive sign language.

 

After my mom left, there was this awkward silence between us. Taec supported his face with his hand and stared at the computer. However, I knew his eyes drifted off the screen to look at me.

‘Why are you looking at me?’ I suddenly snapped, catching him off-guard.

His eyes widened, and he quickly looked back at the screen before defending himself, saying that he wasn’t.

‘I added you as your mom’s friend,’ he said sheepishly.

‘Oh my gawd, Taec! Don’t!’ I begged, ‘you’re so meddlesome, ugh.’

He turned the roller chair away from the monitor and faced me.

‘You really are a ‘man that has nothing to do’!’ I muttered as I snuggled the cushion.

Taec only laughed in response.

 

*

 

‘Beansprouts, soy sauce, soba noodles…’ I mumbled as I read on the list of ingredients my mom had requested us to purchase for tonight’s dinner while Taec pushed the cart.

‘Soy sauce, soy sauce,’ I pointed out as we walked past the shelves of assorted soy sauce.

‘Mhmm alright,’ his right arm stretched out to reach for the soy sauce before placing it into the cart.

‘After that… olive oil…’

‘It’s over here,’ he said, pushing the cart faster.

‘It’s there?’

‘Hey, its buy one get one free eh?’ he picked up two bottles of olive oil and turned to me.

‘Always after petty advantages!’ I scoffed as I headed to the detergent section to get the soap for the dish washer.

 

I stared intently at the different kinds of condoms.

‘Dammit. Which ones do I get?’ I murmured to myself.

I started taking out the different varieties and brands of condoms, turning them around and analysed the different features.

‘Studying so seriously?’ A low husky voice from behind, startled me.

I turned around with the boxes of condoms in my hand to face Taec, only to find myself trapped between his sturdy body and the shelf.

‘Smart shopping is about being able to analyse clearly the price and features of a product.’ I stated.

‘They are all the same to me… what is there to analyse?’ he stared at the boxes of condoms.

‘Which eyes of yours see that they’re the same huh?’ I rolled my eyes, baffled at how dumb he was with things that he probably used quite often.

‘There’s the flavoured one, comfort one, extra safe one, fetherlite one, the tingle one and fetherlite ultima,’ I continued.

He leaned forward, until our lips were almost touching. I held my breath at how close we both were. Just a tiny bump and his lips would have met mine already.

He smirked at my flustered look, turned his head slightly and whispered into my ear, ‘get the strawberry flavoured ones. I know you like those.’  

‘Yah Ok Taecyeon,’ I pushed him away and slapped the grocery list onto his chest.

‘Go… go get those at the bottom,’ I stuttered.

He grinned and whisked off with the cart to get them.

My hand clutched the right side of my chest. My heart was thumping so hard right now. I took in deep breaths, trying to dilute the adrenaline and also to slow down the racing heart. What is this thing that I’m feeling? Taecyeon was my best friend. That was what we have promised from the start.

 

*

 

I approached the tall man who was busy texting away while waiting for me. I dropped the condoms into the cart and tried to take a peek at whom he was messaging.

‘What kind of guy is he?’ I asked nonchalantly.

‘Who?’ he turned to look at me, puzzled.

I pointed at his phone.

‘Ah, no one,’ he muttered, quickly locking his phone and placing it into the back pocket of his jeans.

‘Don’t be so petty! C’mon, talk about it,’ I nudged him, trying to get him to talk.

‘A ground staff intern.’

‘Oh? That means he’s quite young eh?’

‘I didn’t ask him though… around 23? Or 24?’

‘Then may I ask, how’s your progress? Holding hands? Kissing?’ I stepped closer and closer to Taec as he moved backwards, crashing into the display shelves.

He cleared his throat, moving away from me.

‘Or THAT?!?’ My eyes widened in horror.

Taec looked at me as though I went mad. ‘There’s completely no progress.’

‘Ah, that’s so lousy.’ I replied.

 

 

*

 

‘So you’re his love at first sight?’ I asked as I unpacked the groceries.

‘Or it may be possible that I misunderstood his feelings.’

‘Huh?’ I replied, completely not understanding what he was saying.

‘He called me Taecyeon hyung. And I don’t know his display of affection was rather direct and… fast.’

I laughed at his situation.

‘Eomonim, Abeonim! I have to go.’ He called out as we finally unpacked everything.

‘No! Taecyeon ah! I bought so many vegetables it because of you eh!’ My mom called out.

‘I really want to eat the food you are going to make, but I really have to go,’ he pouted, trying to make my parents understand.

‘Ay, cancel it! Drink a bit with me!’ my dad suggested.

‘Aish, both of you. Don’t make things difficult for him already. He has to go on a date.’ I teased, finally putting a stop to my parent’s excessive pleads for him to stay for dinner.

 

~End of flashback~

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Sorry for such a long flashback, tryna... build the story up abit. Don't really want Taec & Khun to be having in every other chapter lol

So yes, thoughts? (: