Photo credit as shown in photo

Chapter 9. Encounter

At Campus café

Hyomin’s POV

If this was a dream then I wouldn’t want to wake up, I’m now sitting in front of once a girl I longed to see who now has grown up as a sophisticated beautiful woman. There were a lot to ask and so much to say but when she’s here right in front of me, I can’t even form a sentence, comfort silence has fallen upon us; neither of us said anything since we entered the campus café.

“How have you been /How have you been?” Jiyeon and I asked the same time breaking the silence.

“You go first” Jiyeon said awkwardly

“I’m good and you?” I asked Jiyeon back

“Life is treating you well right?” Instead of answering my question, she shot me another question, I could sense quilt and worry in her voice

“Yeah, life has been great” I said trying to sound convinced

“I’m sorry for have been losing contact” she looked into my eyes pleading for forgiveness

“Please don’t be” I reassured her. If only she could understand it, I never got mad at her.

“Now that you’re here and that all matters” I added, Jiyeon smiled, a bright smile that I couldn’t forget.

Words seem not necessary, we let time pass by savoring the moment with each other, occasionally asked random things but past was not mentioned in our conversation.

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

FLASHBACK

“Jiyeon?” Hyomin asked the woman hesitantly, Jiyeon tightened her hug nodding at the back of the older woman.

Hyomin slowly turned around to see the woman face, inspecting the younger woman’s feature, she looked into the latter’ eyes and answered was there, it couldn’t be anyone else but Park Jiyeon

“Pabo Jiyeon” she hit the latter’s chest but the latter didn’t fight back, but smiled.

  “You know how long I’ve waited for you” Hyomin delightfully hugged Jiyeon, her tear of happiness started to run down her checks.

“I’m back now” Jiyeon reassured the older woman “and I’ll never leave you again” Jiyeon thought

“I missed you Jiyeon ah” Hyomin said

 “I miss you too”, Jiyeon smiled .

END OF FLASHBACK

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

Eunjung’s POV

I put a ring back inside my coat jacket after checking it one last time, I think now it’s time for me to confess my feeling to “her”, I’ve waited way too long and I’d not waste any more time. As my birthday, I planned to have dinner with Hyomin tonight, I don’t think I can find a better moment than this.

I’ve been waiting for Hyomin outside the university fence but after an hour passed I didn’t see her showing up, I decide to text her but message are not read, so I call her instead, still there is no answer, I’ve tried calling her several times after that but it wasn’t answered, finally it’s redirected to automatic voice mail service. I start to get worried and restless, Hyomin was never like this, it never takes more than two calls for her to answer my phone. Without thinking too much, I get off my car to go search for her inside her campus

“Hyomin ah, where are you?” I frantically run around the campus in the hope to find her but it was in vein, this place is way too huge. I sweat profoundly despite the cold weather, it’s getting darker and that doesn’t help at all.

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

Hyomin’s POV

I lost track of time and didn’t know how long we were chatting until the owner of the café comes to inform us that they’re going to close in 10 minutes, I look at the wall clock and realize it’s already 8 p.m 

I frantically search for my phone in my bag only to find that my phone screen turns black, I remember setting it in silent mode during the class and battery was running low.

“What’s wrong?” Jiyeon asked

“Ah, nothing” I answered, “Shall we leave now before the owner of this café throws us out?” I joked.

We left the café and Jiyeon is walking me to the bus stop, at first she wanted to accompany home but I declined.

“Eunjung unnie must be very happy to see you” I told Jiyeon while we are walking to bus stop

“I couldn’t wait to see her too” Jiyeon happily said

“But it’s a shame, she works at night time and she should be at work by now” I explained to her

“No, problem I’ll see her next time” Jiyeon said

“Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you home?” Jiyeon asked again

“It’s ok, Jiyeon ah, by the way your hotel is in different direction, I don’t want you to waste your time going back and forth” I reasoned and she finally gave in.

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

All the way on bus ride, I smile like a crazy that I pass my stop, and I have to walk back one stop . When I enter our apartment, I notice that Eunjung is still home

“Eunjung unnie” I called puzzled as why she is still home

 “ Hyomin ah”, she hastily stands up and walks to hug me, the sudden force makes me stumbled a bit

“ Unnie, don’t you go to work today?” I asked her 

“Don’t you dare doing this to me again Park Hyomin” Eunjung unnie outburst and hugged me tighter , I was puzzled at first but realized what I did to make her worry.

“I’m sorry unnie, I set my phone on silent mode and it ran out of battery” I explained feeling bad for making her worried again.

“As long as you’re safe, nothing matters to me anymore” Eunjung unnie finally released the hug smiling at me.

“Eunjung unnie I’ve got something to tell you / Hyomin , I” , Eunjung unnie and I said at the same time

“You go first” Eunjung unnie said

“Unnie , Jiyeon is back, I met her today” I informed her   

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

Eunjung’s POV

I was at ease when Hyomin came back home safe, all worries were washed away as soon as I got to see her face, I hugged her as if she would disappear at an instance , I was about to confess to her when she came up with something to tell me, I let her say first

“Unnie, Jiyeon is back, I met her today” she said excitedly.

Park Jiyeon is back, it’s a good news , I’m happy to hear that , however on the other hand , for some strange reasons, I feel fear creeping into my heart but I can’t figure it out why.

“What were you going to say unnie?” Hyomin asked remembered that Eunjung had something to say

“Ah, it’s nothing” I decided to drop what I was going to say seeing how Hyomin’s already happy about Jiyeon’s comeback

“How has she been?” I changed the topic, then she recalled how she met Jiyeon and all the things about Jiyeon.

…………………………….

The following day, Jiyeon went to café to see Hyomin, she has been waiting for Hyomin to check out

“Are you bored Jiyeon ah?” Hyomin came to talk to Jiyeon occasionally when she wasn’t busy

“No, I’m ok” Jiyeon replied “Go back to your work before your boss kicks me out for distracting his staff”, Jiyeon joked looking at her boss’s direction. Hyomin went back to her work, and Jiyeon resumed reading, she couldn’t focus on what she read because most of the time she would look through her book enjoyed watching Hyomin doing her job.

“Seem like a someone here is going to have a date” Tae Woo teased his staff

“It’s not like that ajusshi, she is my friend”, Hyomin opposed shyly

Tae Woo looked at Hyomin and thought “From the way she looks at you, it’s telling more than that Hyomin ah” then he smiled

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

Hyomin led Jiyeon to the living room of EunMin apartment, Jiyeon looked around, it was homely decorated with few furniture in light tone and several paintings hung on the walls.

“I painted them” Hyomin said when she noticed that Jiyeon kept staring at the paintings, proud of her work of art

“They are amazing, Hyomin” Jiyeon praised the latter. Jiyeon never doubted Hyomin’s art talent, still she couldn’t help but amazed at her work, she stopped at one painting, it was a water color painting of three girls, two girls were in swing and one who seemed to be the eldest push the swings, it didn’t take long for her to figure it out who they were, it was “them”, she fought back her tear that threatened to fall, younger years memories rush back to her.

“Jiyeon ah, wait here, I’ll wake Eunjung unnie up” Hyomin sensed that Jiyeon was exceptionally quite so she spoke.

Hyomin walked to a room, opened it without knocking. Jiyeon took a photo frame from TV stand, it was photo of Hyomin and Eunjung smiling straight to camera happily, she felt jealous of how close they were, how they could spend time together and see each other every day, at the point she imagined how it would be if she didn’t leave but stayed.

“Unnie, please wake up, I have something for you to see”, Jiyeon heard Hyomin cute voice from another room. Hyomin pulled Eunjung to living room where Jiyeon was waiting. Eunjung’s hair was messy and she wasn’t fully awake, Jiyeon smiled at the sight

“Eunjung unnie, I have someone for you to meet” Hyomin said excitedly

  “Hello, Eunjung bear unnie” Jiyeon said laughing, Eunjung widened her eyes, she almost forgot this nickname that only certain someone called her

“Jiyoen !” Eunjung shouted loudly then she ran to hug the younger woman and Jiyeon hugged back

“Hyomin ah, look, our little stubborn Jiyeon grew up as tall as us” Eunjung exclaimed , three of them laughed at Eunjung’s remark.

The eldest and the youngest sat in the living room happily chatted while Hyomin was cooking for them. Jiyeon decided to sleep over at her friend’s apartment but Eunjung had to leave for work so it was only Hyomin and Jiyeon

“Jiyeon, you can sleep in my room, I won’t be back until 2 or 3 am in the morning” Eunjung told Jiyeon before she left for work

“It’s ok unnie, I’ll sleep on the mat in Hyomin’s room so it won’t disturb you when you come back” Jiyeon reasoned

“If you say so” Eunjung said “Catch up with you guys later” then she left for work

When Eunjung returned from work, she checked on her two younger friends, she found Jiyeon sleeping on the mat on the floor while Hyomin slept in her bed , what caught her eyes was their hands holding each other in their sleep, it caused unknown bitter feeling in Eunjung’s heart before she closed the door.  

Thank you for all comments, I love hearing from you my dear readers. I hope this chapter explains more about EunMinYeon's feeling toward each other but it's still to soon to conclude the couple but for sure I make it as triangle love between EunMin and JiMin . Enjoy reading and stay tuned.