Chapter 8. Fate

Hyomin holds up her paycheck feeling proud of herself, today it’s payday and she’s so happy, she planned to use her own money to get something for Eunjung’s Birthday.  

As her daily routine, she finished her four hours part time job at 11 a.m, went back to the apartment and prepared lunch for Eunjung and then left for her university.  Today after the last class ended, Hyomin decided to call Eunjung.

“Unnie, today I’ll be home a little late, I’m going somewhere with a friend” Hyomin informed the latter so she wouldn’t be worried and waited for her before leaving for work.

“With friend?  who?” Eunjung asked curious

“Sunny, do you remember her?” Hyomin replied

“Oh I see, ok, then take care, but don’t be home so late, I’ll call you later” Eunjung instructed.

“Yes, unnie, bye” Hyomin hung up her phone.

“Eunjung unnie is a very caring person huh, who gets her a girlfriend should be so lucky”, Sunny who was sitting next to Hyomin said dreamily. Hyomin smiled at her shorter friend’s behavior.

“Hyomin , by any chance, can you properly introduce me to Eunjung unnie?” Sunny still didn’t get over her dreamy mode and Hyomin could only shake her head.

“Please, beautiful Hyomin, please” Sunny playfully pleaded her friend

“No”, Hyomin answered before standing up

“Why, are you jealous? , aish this kid” Sunny complained

“Stop it and let’s get going before it’s closed”, Hyomin pulled her friend up before leading her to subway.

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

Hyomin looked through a display glass excitedly, “Can I see this one please?” Hyomin asked a sale person. As requested, the sale person took out a wristwatch from display cabinet and passed it to Hyomin.

“I’ll take this one” Hyomin decided and told a sale person.

“ Miss, would you like to pay by credit card or cash?” A sale person asked

“By cash please”, Hyomin answered before taking out money from her wallet

“Is it for Eunjung unnie?” Sunny pried in

“Yes, it’s her birthday gift” Hyomin said happily.

After Hyomin was done with her shopping, she treated her friend an ice-cream before the two friends bid goodbye, and headed back home.

………………..

At Hyori’s Pub ( Night Club )

Eunjung was talking on the phone inside the VIP Rest Room

“Did you get home?” Eunjung asked

“ Yes, unnie, don’t worry”

“ Ok, don’t forget to take your medicine, Hyomin ah, ” Eunjung said caringly

“ Yes, unnie, take care, drive safe and see you tomorrow”

“ See you bye” Eunjung hung up smiling.

Suddenly a door of a toilet unit opened, a lady in her short black dress revealing her beautiful legs came out , walking toward a sink next to Eunjung, she looked at Eunjung’s reflection in a mirror

“I wonder who is that lucky person who holds our Eunjung manager’s heart” The lady said forcing her fake smile, Eunjung remained calm showing no emotion.

“Is that the reason why after all these years you never accept my feeling?” she continued

“Qri-si” Eunjung said hinting that she didn’t want to continue this conversation

“What does that person has but I don’t have Eunjung?” she asked raising her voice a bit

“Qri-si, I think you‘re already drunk” Eunjung tried to end this conversation  

“You know what, I won’t give up on you, Eunjung” Qri said determinedly before walking off to exist door. Eunjung could only sigh at her boss’s sister stubbornness. 

Eunjung’s POV

After an unexpected conversation with Qri unnie in the rest room, I see her again in VIP lounge drinking with her model friends. As a younger sister of the owner of this pub, Qri unnie grants high privilege to come here whenever she wants. I met her for the first time when I was accepted to work here, back then she was still an innocent college girl, I treated her as one of the people I owned my debt of gratitude to since she was my boss’s sister, but I never expected she would fall for me.

FLASHBACK  

Two years ago

“Eunjung, can I ask you something?” Qri started

“Shoot it, Qri-si” Eunjunged said busy checking on beverage list in the office

“Are you dating someone?” Qri asked shyly

“No, I’m not dating anyone” Eunjung replied nonchalantly. Qri smiled upon the answer.

“ Eunjung, I wonder if you would accept my feeling for you and be my date” Qri asked waiting patiently for answer . Hearing this question, Eunjung lifted her head from document surprised with sudden confession

“ Qri-si” Eunjung was still surprised. She kept quiet for some minutes but it was like a forever for Qri.

“I’m sorry Qri-si but I can’t accept your feeling” Eunjung said calmly with tinges of quilt in her voice

END OF FLASHBACK

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

The cool breeze of winter in December didn’t affect Jiyeon a bit, instead a name engraved in gravestone in front of her sent chill down to her spine, she was feeling cold inside. She kneeled down and put a banquet of white Lily on cold marble.

“Mom, how are you ?” Jiyeon tracked her finger along the marble stone “Did you see appa over there, I guess you were back together and looked at me from above right?” she held back her tear and tried to smile “Please don’t worry about me, uncle Rae Won and aunty Ryeo Won have been treating me well, I want to thank you for sending them to me” she paused longer “I missed you mom” Jiyeon said sadly.

After Jiyeon visited her orphanage home and took a trip down to her memory lane going places she used to go with her two best friends. She wanted to search for them but she didn’t know where to start so she flew to Busan to visit her mother who rest in peace in her hometown. She decided to stay in Busan longer to have a detour of her mother hometown, where her mother grew up, school that her mother went to and most important the university that her parents met.

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

 At One Page Café

“May I take your order please?” Hyomin asked her customer politely, a woman in white sweater lifted her head to sweet voiced waitress, for unknown reason she felt like she met this woman before, she looked into her eyes, there was something about those eyes that looked familiar and she seemed to lose in them.

“Miss, may I take your order please?” Hyomin repeated

“I’ll have a cup of hot caramel, please” the customer answered after she brought back to earth.

Jiyeon could never take her eyes off the waitress, she found herself keep looking her every movement.

“Here is your caramel coffee Miss, please enjoy”, Hyomin put down her order smiling at the customer.

Jiyeon kept ordering a few more cups until the waitress checked out

“Have a nice day Hyomin” a male co-worker called after Hyomin when she was about to exit the door

Suddenly the name caught Jiyeon’s attention, she felt shiver, when the door closed, Jiyeon was back to her sense, she took a bill from her wallet, paying for coffee and ran out of the door. She saw the back of the woman so she followed her to bus stop, and got on the same bus.

At first Hyomin sat two low ahead of Jiyeon, when an old lady got on the next stop, Hyomin offered her seat and she stood instead. After a few stops, Hyomin got off, Jiyeon quickly followed.

Hyomin walked along the alley leading to a fresh market, Jiyeon still followed her, she found herself smiling at the woman way to negotiate the prices, and how happy she was selecting material.

Jiyeon didn’t look where she was going and failed to see a man carrying a fruit box then he clashed on her.

“I’m sorry Miss, are you injured?” The man asked

“I’m alright” Jiyeon hastily got up on her feet, trying to scan for particular woman but didn’t see her. Jiyeon nervously walked around to keep track with the woman, but she couldn’t find her.

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

EunMin Apartment

December 12, at 03.05 a.m

Eunjung tiredly walked into her apartment after a long a busy night at work, when she walked into the room everything went dark, she switched on the light and walked to living room to find Hyomin sleeping on the couch. She smiled upon the scene, and kneeled down to wake up the younger woman

“ Hyomin ah , why are you sleeping here?” Eunjung asked the younger woman adorably

“Oh, Eunjung unnie, you’re back” Hyomin suddenly sat up rubbing her eyes , Eunjung helped to brush the latter’s hair

“Why didn’t you go and sleep in your room? Eunjung asked again and that reminded Hyomin why she was waiting here for Eunjung. She planned to surprise the older woman with birthday cake when she entered the apartment in early morning that she turned 24 but Hyomin ended up falling asleep in the couch.

“Wait here” Hyomin told the older woman, shortly she showed up with a birthday cake.

“Make a wish unnie”, Hyomin told Eunjung while holding the cake. Eunjung closed her eyes and made a wish

“You don’t really have to but thank you Hyomin ah” Eunjung said with smile written all her face.

  “I wanted to give you a surprise but I felt asleep before you came back”, Hyomin confessed sadly

“Pabo yah, who would fall asleep in the middle of their plan” Eunjung laughed ruffling the younger woman’s hair , Hyomin pouted  which Eunjung found it very adorable, she hugged Hyomin and thanked for her effort to make this little thing so special for her.

“I’ve got something for you” , Hyomin released the hug and ran to her room, she returned with a small box in her hand.

“Happy Birthday Eunjung unnie”, Hyomin handed a gift to Eunjung

“It’s so nice”, Eunjung opened the box and put a wristwatch around her wrist. “Thank you Hyomin ah”

Hyomin wished the older woman happy birthday before going back to sleep while Eunjung was smiling like a crazy laying on her bed “Thank you Hyomin ah , sarang hae”, then she drifted to dreamland because of her tiredness.

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

At One Page Café

The next day Jiyeon returned to the coffee shop hoping to see “her” again, she ordered coffee after coffee but so sign of the woman she was waiting at all.

“May I help you, Miss?”, a young waitress asked when she found Jiyeon kept staring at the coffee counter

“Hmm, I wonder if err, Hyomin will come to work today?”, Jiyeon asked trying to make it sound like she was close to the woman

“You mean, Park Hyomin?, oh she took her day off today” The waitress replied

Jiyeon’s ear was deafening by the full name of the woman, the world around her just stopped, her heart was racing like a crazy and her hand was wet with cold sweat.

“ Miss, are you alright?” The waitress asked concerned when there was no response from the customer for a short while.

“Oh, I am ok, thanks” Jiyeon replied.

Jiyeon’s hope was raised up, she would come back here again tomorrow. She paid for coffee and off to visit a university that her parents first met.  

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

Pusan National University

Hyomin’s POV

“Hyomin, did you see our new lecturer, he is so handsome” Sunny squealed

 I shake my head with my friend’s obsession, today we had new lecturer and Sunny seemed to be alert throughout the class.

“What’s about my Eunjung unnie?” I teased Sunny.

“Eh, will you allow me to date her?” Sunny smiled from ear to ear

“Let’s me think about it” I pretended to be thinking 

 “You are hopeless” Sunny playfully pushed my head before collecting her stuff for her next class. Sunny was off to her class and I’m preparing for my class that about to start in 20 minutes. I get up and about to walk off to an art building when I feel someone suddenly back hugs me. I’m taken back at first but the hug gives off a familiar sense.

“I know it took me so long, but I am here now, Hyomin ah, I missed you” a woman said , and my eyes start burning with tears, I don’t know what comes to my mind but I ask

“ Jiyeon ?”

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

Jiyeon’s POV

I was having a detour around Pusan University when a particular woman caught my eyes, she was walking with her friend, I decided to follow them, they ended up sitting at a campus bench, I sat down on the opposite bench back facing them and listened to their conversation

“What’s about my Eunjung unnie?”

“Eh, will you allow me to date her?”

“Let’s me think about it”

“You are hopeless”

This can’t be coincidence, my instinct is telling me that I was right, it’s really her.

She is about to walk off again but this time I’m not going to lose her, I suddenly stand up and hug her from the back. I don’t care if you would turn around and slap me thinking that I am crazy.

“I know it took me so long, but I am here now, Hyomin ah, I missed you” I said what my heart wanted to say

“ Jiyeon ?” She asked hesitantly, her voice cracked

Thank you for all comments , your feedback is valuable for me so I can improving story. As for EunYeon shippers, I'm sorry to disappoint your guys, I ship hard on JiMin aka Minyeon and I love EunMin as well , however EunMinYeon are the best . Please stay tuned