Different Smiles

He couldn't explain how glad he was with the time he had spent with the rest of the gang a while ago. They gathered together like the way they used to be. Chats and teasing were all around the corners, he missed that so much, so very much. Everybody shared their personal deeds and updates. He was very glad to see them all again after a long time. It seemed that nothing had changed like he was not been away for long. As usual Junpyo and Jandi would bark at each other at random times. He couldn't help but feet envy of what they had become; both remained intact and glued at each other for almost eight years. Yi Jeong had wondered if what it would be like for him and Gaeul if he wasn't taken away by his grandpa. Would she become his girlfriend after that event he had planned at the kiln? Would they be as strong and glued at each other like Junpyo and Jandi? The answer to the question? He didn't know, but one thing is for sure, He’s doing all his best to keep things the way he wanted it to be. No matter what may happen.

They stuck around for quite sometimes at the lounge sharing each other’s update before Jiho called it a night. Both Jiho and Jandi went back to the hospital for their respective duties; Junpyo went with them while Woobin said he’d be heading somewhere. His best bud literally shoved Gaeul to him and asked him to take her home before he went away, and now it's just the both of them.

"Sunbae, aren't we leaving yet?" He heard Gaeul break the silence.

Yi Jeong was a little awkward around her even if he really wanted to have her with him. Seeing her close to him would always turn his heart hyper and he couldn't explain 'why'. Yi Jeong acknowledged the feelings he has for her, but the way those feelings turn him every time she's near, confused him. Is this how being fallen feels? Or is this more like head-over-heels? Yi Jeong was even more confused.

"It's still early. Let's go somewhere and have dinner first before I send you back at the patio."

"Where?"

Gaeul was just answered by a smirk before she felt being dragged out of the lounge and shoved inside the car. "I don't know why all of you do that." She said with a hint of irritation on her face.

"Do what?" He asked right after he settled himself at the driver's seat beside her.

"That 'dragging habit', Woobin Oppa, Jiho Sunbae and you... you all does that. Well, that's a little better than Junpyo Sunbae who habitually carriers Jandi on his shoulders, but even so... Why do you do that?" She ranted sporting her expressive eyes and her pout. She looked so cute when she's like that and Yi Jeong was keeping himself on pulling her in to hug her tightly. And so instead he simply smirked at her and shrugged his shoulders.

…

"Yi Jeong Sunbae, is this really yours?"

"For the nth time 'Yes Gaeul-yang', this is my studio. And you've been here for many times already… It was just renovated and modernized. I think that's why you can't recall."

"Your studio is a lot bigger than my family's house.” Her eyes were so wide and bright making him snickered at her amused face.

“Why aren't there any pots you have?"

"You know I make pots?"

"Hmm.” Gaeul nodded. “Oppa told me you're a great potter and a National treasure to Korea. Oppa told me you can do a piece that would cost a lot of zeroes."

"Oh... I see. I'll talk about that to you some other times. Why don't we start eating first? The food is already set at the table. Come on." He held her hand and dragged her to the dining area.

Gaeul was a little surprise of how Yi Jeong snatched her hand and intertwined it with his. It seemed so natural for him and also for her, like the act was mundane, but the way it turned her heart was quite interesting. It was speeding up; her heart was all hyper and unsteady.

…

In the dining area, they were then seated across each other with numbers of knickknacks on the table, newly prepared by Yi Jeong's personal chef who left three minutes ago.

Yi Jeong who's a little engrossed in eating his Choco-strawberry fudge with vanilla ice cream, never failed to notice the inquisitive look his companion was making him. The way she looked at him made him feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. He placed his dessert fork down, rested his elbows on the table and cupped his cheeks with both hands. He looked back at her straight in the eyes, but she seemed oblivious of his stares. It irked him a little that she did not even returned the gaze. She's looking at him, but not in the eyes, and to where he didn't know.

"Yah!? Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something wrong with my face or what?"

"Huh?" Gaeul furrowed her brows and tilted her head. "There's nothing wrong in your face, Sunbae."

Raising his left brow, he asked back. "Then why are looking at me like you wanted to bite my nose? Or anything that you're looking at?"

"I'm not going to bite your nose or anything." Now she's laughing carelessly.

Yi Jeong was confused to why she was acting that way. He remained silent in his seat with scrunched expression and watched her laughter die down. Gaeul noticed him looking at her with a small pout on his lips. His brows were furrowed together and his eyes weren't even blinking. He looked like a lost puppy and she finds him cute like that.

"I'm just confirming things, Sunbae." To end his misery, she revealed him what's running in her mind.

"Confirming what?"

"Things that Oppa told me."

"And what does that have to do with you, staring at me that way?"

Then she realized how rude, it was, staring at him like that. Her stares might have made him feel uncomfortable, so she gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry Sunbae, I know what I did was rude. It's just that Oppa told me a lot about you and I find it interesting to see and confirm it myself. I'm sorry." Gaeul finished bowing her head.

"Don't mind what I said." He offered, but what Gaeul told him made him curious of what Woobin had been telling her about him. "What are those? I mean the things Woobin said about me?"

Gaeul looked at him for a moment and with a smile she answered him. "There were a lot actually. He told me about your personality. Also certain behaviors you have. It's a pity that I actually know you more from his perspective than my own." She chuckled softly. "I don't mind though, since I guess all that Oppa said were true."

"And what are those?"

"Hmmm."

Yi Jeong watched how her eyes moved upwards as she unconsciously place her forefinger on her chin, particularly just below her lower lip then plastered a small pout. She's the same as before... With how she thinks He would never admit it openly, but he finds her cute like that.

"Oppa told me that your nose is really pretty and he envies you about it."

"Oh?” Yeah, he told me that “How do you find it then?"

"It's really pretty… Almost like a female's nose because it's thin and high." The way her eyes lit up in agreement with her head nodding at the same time, it's still the same. "What else? Tell me more?"

"Your eyes openly express what you really feel inside, although, your facial expression says otherwise. He sounded out when you’re angry, your facial expression remained stoic like Jiho Sunbae, but your eyes can burn just by looking. I haven't seen that yet though." He nodded at her signaling her to continue and so she did.

"You have different types of smile. Smiles that you give depends on who that smile is for." She lifted her right hand above and on top of the table and flicks her finger as she enumerates his types of smile.

"One. You smirk sideways while you raise your left eyebrow when you flirt with girls."

His eyes went wide like saucepan when he was able to process what she had said. WHAT? Seriously, Woobin... You don't watch what you say. You’re gonna pay for this later. He didn't want to look offended so he shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her lightly.

"Two. That smile you just have is the smile you give when something wrong was said about you and you were offended, but tried to just pass it through, that’s why you shrugged your shoulder."

Damn! Song Woobin

"Three. When you smile widely with your lips pursed together and your eyes were looking sideways, you're thinking of something mischievous like making pranks or teasing." Then Yi Jeong smiled at that. 

At least something decent

"Four. A light smile with crescent glowing eyes, you give that off to people you just met or know a little and you find them sincere at you."

"And lastly. Five. That smile you do with your lips curving upwards at the left making your dimples prominent and slowly showing off your teeth while your eyes crinkle like half-moon. It's your smile that only few people can enjoy, the smile that you grant sincerely to your friends." She smiled before she went. "The last part was actually from my own observation. Maybe Oppa is oblivious of it because he gets that kind smile from you always. And that is what I have always seen when you're with your friends, Sunbae."

Yi Jeong felt so elated with what Gaeul had told him. The Gaeul he knew was never been this detailed and observant, maybe it was what the accident made her into. She had to be studious enough with the people around her, so that she could give them her trust and be close to them. It's what her amnesia had caused her and it wasn't that bad actually.

What Gaeul said earned her that number five smile from Yi Jeong. He smiled at her sincerely; he plastered his infamous dimples and white teeth. As she looked at him and smiled back, she realized that his smile was not just sincere but also, heartwarming.

When Gaeul smiled back at him, he couldn't hold himself anymore, and he raised both of his hands towards her and pinched her now flushed cheeks.

"It's still you. All this time. My innocent but smart Gaeul-yang."

There... She blushes. She always does when I do little things on her. Aigoo Chu Gaeul.

…

Later that night, Gaeul was getting ready for bed and was brushing her teeth while staring at her reflection on the mirror. Her mind was clouded with so many thought about her past, her present and of course, with Yi Jeong. Gaeul was wondering how their relationship was, before she had forgotten almost everything about her life. She wondered if the old 'Gaeul' would also feel the surge of feeling she would experience when he’s around. Does the old me blush uncontrollably with just a mere touch from him?

Gaeul badly wanted to know everything, but she couldn’t make herself ask him. That's absolutely ridiculous. She thought. She would rather ask the earth to swallow her than openly ask Yi Jeong about it.

Grabbing the glass of water, she sipped some liquid, gargled then spit out after. She bent forward to clearly see her expression as she wiped her cheek with her towel. Gaeul let out a breath to the mirror; she drew a ‘smiley’ and wrote '소 이 정 ' beside it. 

I don't know why I feel like this when I'm with you. Seriously.

Just in sudden, things flashed before her eyes. It never sought any permission to get out of her in an instant, but there she remembered the second time she saw him again, the very incident at the patio. The flashed of memories were as vivid as how things had happened; the feeling of his palms to her face, the hug that caused her heart to panic and the kiss. Unconsciously, she traced her lips with her fingers. The kiss that almost melt her like jellies, the kiss that made her heart drum into frenzy, and the kiss that had blocked all her senses, making her head spin around and got dizzy.

"He said he loves you for several times that evening. And what will you do about that? You don't even recognize him." She said in a soft and low tone. Feeling defeated by all the things running in her mind, Gael only drew a deep and an audible sigh.

…

On the other side of town, Yi Jeong was recalling the whole outcome of the day, which he himself was surprised about. He’s not the type that would sit and daydream after having such a great day, but because he was with her a while ago, it came to him like a ritual.

"It's a pity that I actually know you more from his perspective than my own."

Her eyes were cast down when Yi Jeong heard her say those words. He could sense her frustration for not remembering him. Seeing her tugging the helm of her skirt the moment he told her he hadn't laughed heartily for a long time; it pinched his heart for the fact that she might have been blaming herself for everything that had happened. Yi Jeong saw her being bright and cheerful around him, but far from that, he had also noticed how Gaeul was observing his every action. Maybe she's trying to recall him in her memory or either, letting herself remember his every action and just maybe, so she could have a fresh memory of him.

"I will do everything for you to remember me again, Gaeul-yang." The last reflection in his head before Yi Jeong drifted down to slumber.

…

The next day, she awoke early and prepared herself and went to school right away. Her class had begun at 8 AM and would end by 2 PM. Her day had ceased almost instantly that she had not noticed it. Gaeul went straight to her photography class and found Junho, who was patiently waiting for her at the front door. They both entered the studio and had an hour in a half of lecture with Mentor Jung. After the workshop, they headed straight to the hospital to visit Woonie. And Gaeul had brought something she personally made as a gift. As they reached the hospital, Junho then brought her to the ICU and they were now standing in front of Woonie's room.

"He's here?" She reluctantly asked Junho, sounding unsure on what to say next.

"His condition worsens, that is why they need to transfer him here. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier... I wanted to, but I don't want you to get upset with it. I just can't make myself accept his condition." Gaeul saw how much pain the situation was causing her friend, she reached for his hand and pressed it a little, letting Junho know that she was there and ready to help.

"I have been in that place for a much longer time, Junho-yah. I can say that I am a living proof that miracles do happen. I believe Woonie will make it and wake up to stay with us again."

With a small smile Junho nodded at her and proceed to open the door which revealed a child at the age of seven, lying on the bed unconscious, and was attached to a lot of tubes and a life support system. With small and careful steps, Gaeul went near him and held the little boy's hand. Even if her emotions were at hitch, she never did let it overpower herself, as she swallowed the lump blocking her voice.

"Woonie-yah, 'Pabo' Noona came to visit you.” She smiled at him. “How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. Your Hyung brought me here to see you. I am really glad to see you again, but Noona would be very happy if you'll wake up and stand there to play with me. I'm upset that you wouldn't be able to see the gift I personally made for you. And so, you need to promise me you'll get better and then we'll open my gift to you together, arrasso?"

Junho did not hear her voice falter, but Gaeul's eyes were clearly shown the emotions she felt inside. She sounded normal, talking to the kid, but her eyes were shedding so many tears that it went all hazy.

"I'll just go outside a bit and come back later, okay. Noona will read a nice book for you later." Gaeul instantly stood up from her seat and went out of the room.

At that point, she let out all the emotions crowding up her heart. She couldn't help it; the tears just won't go away. And without her knowledge, the door behind her gently open and Junho went out. He held her hand and offered his shoulders for her to cry on.

"This is the reason why I decided not to tell you."

Flash

The world around her was spinning and her eyes were blurry. Her feet felt numb from walking. Her head was throbbing in pain and she couldn't think properly. The last thing she remembered was getting out of the house to get something she couldn't recall, and then along her way she halted. She wandered around her and she was frightened for how unfamiliar her surroundings were. She stood frozen on her track trying to remember her way back to the patio but she failed to.

People walking along the street paid her no attention, thus making her feel reluctant to ask. Looking at the street where cars were busily crossing each section. She shifted her gaze to the street lights indicating a green. Making her way on the street without any idea on why she had to cross. The time she lifted her foot to initially go on her way, somebody grabbed her hand and she stopped on her track. She whipped her head and was met by the gaze of a young man about the age of six.

"Noona, you can't cross anymore. Mister Green is now Mister Red."

The kid had been following her wherever she went. She hadn't talked to him even if he had just saved her from an accident.

Gaeul halted on her walk and turned towards the kid. "Why? Why are you following me?"

She saw the kid smiled at her and said. "Noona you are really pretty, but you're a pabo."

"Huh?"

"You definitely have no idea where you're going. You're even walking in the street with your house sleepers."

"Hehe... Really?"

"Hmm... want us to go to the police station so we can call your parents or guardian?"

"You really are going to do that for me?"

"Of course! Come on pretty but pabo Noona." The kid held her hand and dragged her to where he had directed. He looked back at her and sheepishly smirked. "By the way my name is Siwon, Lee Siwon."

End