Chapter 8: Snow and Coffee

Ji hyo sat behind the wheel. Jong kook was on the driver’s seat. It snowed outside, while they tried to keep warm inside the car. In front of them was Han River boasting its beauty, its lights romantic against the darkness. The night was cold but beautiful, still, it failed to fully capture Ji hyo and Jong kook’s attention.

Jong kook was feeling really stupid as time drags by but he couldn’t deny that he’d rather be there than anywhere else. A while ago, he got inside her car. She drove off quietly without a word. He shows her the warm coffee with an apologetic look in his face. They continue wallowing in the silence. She busy driving and him busy trying to calm his heart, watching the snow fall but not really seeing anything.

 “Thanks for the coffee.” She says softly after an eternity, to which Jong kook acknowledges with a shy smile of his, biting his lower lip. Ji hyo saw this and wondered how a grown-up man like him could act like that sometimes. “You met Jin?”

“Huh?” That was his first word inside the car with her. Why was he so skittish and tongue tied now around her? It’s not as if he’s not used to being with her… she was the only woman he’s comfortable having in his room even if there’s only them. When did it start to change? Why did it have to change? He misses how it used to be and even if he somehow knew why he was acting like that, he just couldn’t admit to it. Not yet.

“She’s on shift during the nights on that café, great kid.”

“You go there during odd hours.” he said unable to shake the awkwardness. “Seems like you like wandering around Ji hyo?” That also sounded wrong and he mentally chastised himself.

She chuckles, takes a sip of coffee and says, “working so late… it’s a nice treat. Good coffee, good people and their pasta's the best – can’t ask for more.”

He stares at his own cup cooling in his hands. She eyes him as if daring him to drink. Jong kook turns to her, his gaze pleading but the look in those brown orbs made him sigh and comply.

“It’s warm…” and surprisingly, he thinks, it didn’t taste bad at all.

“I can’t believe I’d see the day the health nut fitness guru will drink caffeine.” She takes another sip, eyeing him from the corner of her eyes. He was blushing!

She gets him to drink coffee, he got drunk some nights ago, she sees him blushing – surely, Christmas has come early, she even gets to . Ji hyo chuckled, brown liquid dribbling down her chin.

Jong kook sees this, he grabs a tissue from the paper bag and dabs it on her chin. She was staring at him, almost leaning, too close. He held his breath. He could feel their nervous breathing mingling. This was definitely not on his agenda but certainly not unwelcomed. But -- no…

“Because of you… the coffee,” he mutters as he pulls away. Again, they both went silent mode on each other while they think of the gravity of those words, both literally and implied. It was almost close to a confession and with their situation, all they could have are almost stuff – an obscure admittance, nothing definite but safer.

They are threading on thin lines and they need to dance the same tune so they wouldn’t fall and get hurt. Jong kook didn’t add anymore, content and proud for having said as much as that. It was enough for her too. There would be another time for the other important stuff and the other words that needed to be said could wait. For now even just being there was enough.

Both of them know what it is…

Both of then pretends it isn’t.

That’s just how it works between people like them.

“So, you’re filming your new drama?” he asks hopefully trying to veer into safer topics.

“Yeah, cold’s a though but it’s a fun set. Great people too.”

“Hell, when was the time it isn’t? Even my knees can’t take the chill sometimes,” she nods with all seriousness, makes a face that both sent them laughing for no reason, both of them falling back to their old ways.

“At least a hottie keeps you warm in there.” She bursts out into more laughter. He teases her more. This was familiar territory, not awkward anymore. “Could you imagine it if ever you’re with Lee Min ho and Choi Jin Hyuk? You’d be on flames. Sustainable and greener than electric heaters.”

She groans her face stretching into a comical misery before breaking into a smile. “I still want to live. I could use the heat but I don’t think I could survive the stampede of fan girls.”

“Eyy, they’re not the only one who has a lot of fans.” He made an exaggerated measurement od how many fans she has with his hands, drawing an invisible circle in the air. It was almost funny with how the sleeves of his coat threatened to burst with his efforts. “Your fan will protect you Ji hyo.” he added.

“Really?” she glanced at him and there’s this unspoken understanding between them again. She smiles and he does too. Even the silence had become comfortable already. Just like before.

The lingering questions, that night he got drunk – for a while it didn’t matter. They just needed to pick up the pieces and sort them out. They just needed a bit of their old ways before venturing out into new ones, just in case they get lost. So that they’d have something to go back into, a home they could run into if ever something goes wrong. So that if ever they cross the line, they’d still have their friendship.

The snow continued to fall. They talked of her drama then his songs. Threading on thin line they tried to find their footing, just as they did before.

“We should head home before we get buried in this snow.”

“I’ll drop you off to Anyang. And don’t give me that look oppa, you don’t have a car and you don’t have a choice.”

“But it’s too far while your home is just a few minutes away… and it’s snowing hard now and you’ve been working all day. You need to go home and rest Ji hyo-yah.” This was becoming terribly familiar and they both know it. It reminded them of that night they slept together. It was an innocent, accidental sleepover that they couldn’t tell the others. “Let’s do this like this –”

“You can camp out in my living room you know.”

He ignores her. Sadly, the things they didn’t mind before wasn’t so innocent anymore because of one drunken night, or was it because of the feelings and realizations involved?

“I will drive you to your apartment Ji hyo. Then I’ll borrow your car and fetch you for Running Man filming tomorrow… that’s what we’re going to do.”

His tone spoke of finality and he’s giving her a stern-coach-Kim-look. She nods after a while. If they could joke about it and refer to it like some punch line that means they’re doing okay, right?

I guess I'll just update and finish this rather than rust here without writing a thing. Thank you for reading ^^