Lost - A Jung Hana Series

Seohyun threw a sly grin at him before running up the stairs. Yonghwa watched with interest before following her up. He grinned in understanding.

Earlier, the minute Seohyun told him that Minhyuk and Jungshin were going to take Hana out shopping, he already knew. She had been hinting to him to imagine the time they would have to themselves later without Hana's presence. It was crystal clear, he just knew.

A few hours before that, he noticed her changing their bed sheets to a wonderful gold colour (which was his favourite), with soft paddings. They had used it once during their wedding. And a few days ago, he saw her buying some sweet-scented candles and she had them placed on her dressing table.

Eversince Hana entered their lives, they had very little time to themselves. Every hour and every minute of their lives was all about Hana. Every morning, the moment they opened their eyes, the first person they would look for was Hana. Every night before bed, the last person they had to bid goodnight to was Hana. In short, Hana was their everything, until recently when MBC decided to play a re-run of their ever popular program, We Got Married starring a few popular idol couples which included them, the YongSeo couple.

The moment Yonghwa and Seohyun started to watch themselves again in the program, they were suddenly missing each other. Even though they were just a few centimetres apart, they longed for each other badly. Of course, Hana was always there, right in between them.

So Seohyun, being the smart one as always, had arranged a day for Jungshin and Minhyuk to take Hana out for a few hours for a shopping spree. And being the forever doting uncles to Hana, they had readily accepted the offer. And the moment Jungshin, Minhyuk and Hana were gone, Seohyun suddenly changed herself to be a flirtatious and seductive goddess causing Yonghwa to gape in response.

And at that point of time, he was running up the steps towards the second level, in order to catch up with Seohyun. He heard her laugh, almost similar to the melodious sounds of bells. Yonghwa stopped running as he sniffed the air. Indeed, Seohyun had lighted up the scented candles and Yonghwa thought he had never felt so stimulated before.

"Are you coming or not?" Seohyun's voice echoed down the corridor. Yonghwa turned around to find her but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Of course I'm coming. Where are you?" Yonghwa asked as a grin escaped from his lips.

"Find me!" Seohyun giggled as she quickly placed a sleep mask over Yonghwa's head from behind him to cover his eyes. Yonghwa was taken aback and quickly stretched out his hands behind to reach for Seohyun's body but she was fast enough to get away from him. "Don't remove the mask! If not, no treat for you later!" Seohyun warned.
"Ahrasso my dear goddess." Yonghwa answered obediently. "But how do you expect me to find you when I'm blind-folded like this?"

"Use your instict." Seohyun shrugged before giggling again.

"I have good sense of hearing." Yonghwa told her. "You'll never get away from me."

"We'll see!" Seohyun exclaimed.

Yonghwa could sense Seohyun was lingering around somewhere so near to him. At times, he could feel her soft gown at the edge of his fingertips. He knew she was teasing him and he knew just how to tease her the same way she had done to him. Finally, after a few minutes of blind man's play, Yonghwa got hold of Seohyun. He had managed to catch a whiff of her perfume and without wasting anymore time, he quickly hugged her from the back.

The moment she was safely in his arms, Yonghwa quickly ripped the sleep mask off his eyes. He stared at the beautiful woman in front of him, his wife whom he had missed so much. He buried his face into her hair to capture that scent of her which he had admired for the past few years.

"Yonghwa-ya..." Seohyun whispered his name with closed eyes the moment she felt his lips running down the back of her neck towards her bare shoulders.

"You drive me crazy you know that?" Yonghwa murmured in between kisses. Seohyun turned hurriedly in his embrace to fully face him, before pressing her lips onto his. Yonghwa willingly opened up his mouth when he felt her tongue prodding his lips. Yonghwa deepened the kiss drawing a low moan from Seohyun. Slowly he moved to kiss her neck, prompting Seohyun to move back slowly until they reached the bed where Yonghwa gently laid her down.

Yonghwa felt hypnotised. The combined fragrance of Seohyun's hair and perfume was exhilarating. He slowly licked the length of her neck with the tip of his tongue, causing her to audibly exhale the hot air of her lungs through her mouth.

"I love you so much, Yonghwa-ya..." Seohyun breathed.

"I love you too, so much!" Yonghwa murmured huskily. Each seconds passed with loads of romance, with the pair allowing themselves to get tangled up and never wanting to let go of each other anytime soon. Yonghwa moved up to kiss Seohyun's lips again when the phone rang. Yonghwa cursed but never leaving his lips off Seohyun's lips.

"Phone!" Seohyun gasped. "Need to answer it!"

Yonghwa reluctantly let Seohyun free from his grasp to allow her to answer the phone which was just located on the night stand beside the bed. He watched as Seohyun answered the phone with her flushed face and her unruly hair. He grinned. He thought she never looked as beautiful before.

"BO?!" Seohyun screeched causing Yonghwa to jump up at once. A worried and scared look was emerging across her face which made Yonghwa felt a bit disturbed.

"HOW LONG HAD SHE BEEN MISSING?" Yonghwa heard her asked the person on the other line.

"Who's missing?" Yonghwa tried asking but Seohyun ignored him plainly.

"YOU'VE BEEN OUT NOT MORE THAN AN HOUR! HOW COULD YOU LOSE HER?" Seohyun continued shouting with tears running down her cheeks before pushing the phone towards Yonghwa.

Yonghwa watched as Seohyun climbed off the bed before heading towards their closet to change into something decent. Yonghwa seemed to have guessed what had happened actually but he decided to be cool and asked for more information with the person on the line.

"Yeobosaeyo?" Yonghwa said.

"Hyung! Hyung! I'm so sorry! We lost her! I mean, we're really really sorry!" Jungshin's voice was on the urge of crying. "Minhyuk's looking for her now. I'm doing the same thing as we're talking!"

"Where are the two of you now?" Yonghwa asked, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his temper in check.

"W-We're at the park, near to your house." Jungshin answered obediently.

"I'll be there soon. You two had better be ready. She's going to eat the both of you alive." Yonghwa informed with a growl. "And I'm not joking about this."

Yonghwa quickly stood up to get dressed. He walked over to Seohyun who was crying hysterically to calm her down. He was feeling troubled as well but he could not show that side of him to her. He needed to be strong for the both of them.

"Yonghwa-ya, what are we going to do? Uri Hana! They lost her!" Seohyun cried as she buried her face into Yonghwa's soothing embrace.

"We'll find her. I promise."

******

Yonghwa and Seohyun met Jungshin near the entrance of the park. Before anyone realised it, Seohyun was already attacking Jungshin's chest with her hittings. Jungshin just stood there accepting the beatings without much of a defence. He felt wronged towards his friend. He knew he should be more alert. Yonghwa was the one who pulled Seohyun back and coaxed her to calm down.

"Hitting Jungshin isn't going to help us find Hana. Let's look for her together! The park is quite big, she's around her somewhere, trust me!" Seohyun just nodded her head weakly as she allowed Yonghwa to pull her hand so that they could look for Hana.

Halfway through the park, they saw Minhyuk who was running towards them. He had tears in his eyes and he was not able to say out anything the moment he saw Yonghwa and Seohyun. The only thing he was able to mumble was the words of forgiveness. He felt extremely wronged.

"Just help me look out for her." Yonghwa said, shaking his head.

"Hana-ya!" Seohyun cried as her eyes looked left and right, making sure not to miss any spots.

"Hana! Appa's here!" Yonghwa called out helplessly.

"Hana! Omma's here as well!" Seohyun exclaimed. "Let's go home now!"

On the other side of the park, Jungshin was also searching very hard. His spirits was low and he just felt the energy ran out of him. If he was not so careless earlier, Hana would surely still be safe, playing in front of him. He and Minhyuk were busy buying some ice cream from the ice cream stand earlier that they did not realized Hana slipping away slowly from them. It was the most stupidest thing they had done. Thinking about it again just made Jungshin even more angry at himself.

******

Somewhere in the park, a young toddler at around the age of two was wondering alone in the park. She was squealing happily before breaking out into a run towards the thing which had attracted her attention, the lake. She clapped her hands excitedly the moment she saw the ducks swimming by. She was feeling a bit too fascinated with the excitement around as she walked slowly towards the lake, oblivious to the danger of it.

******

"I want my daughter now!" Seohyun whined as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks again. "I need her in my arms now!"

"I know, I know. I want her too." Yonghwa sighed. He continued walking through the park with Seohyun close beside him, his arms wrapping her small frame protectively.
"The lake!" Seohyun mentioned suddenly as she turned to look up at Yonghwa. "She might be at the lake! She loves watching the ducks! Oh no! The lake! It's too dangerous for her! She could..."

Without waiting for Seohyun to end her sentence, Yonghwa quickly sped off towards the direction of the lake. And like what Seohyun had mentioned earlier, Hana loved watching the ducks swimming in the lake and there were high chances of her being there. The most important thing now was, not only Hana loves watching the ducks, she also loves pretending to be a duck too and would always tried to get to the lake for a 'swim'. Yonghwa shook his head, not wanting to imagine his daughter in the lake at all. He ran as fast as he could, all the while chanting some prayers to keep his daughter safe, always.

He stopped the moment he reached the lake. Although he was panting hard, trying to catch his breath, he quickly scanned through the perimeter of the lake to see if he could spot any kinds of small movements of a toddler. Seohyun arrived shortly after, panting as well. She did the same thing like what Yonghwa was doing, looking around cautiously.

"HANA!" Seohyun screamed as she pointed towards a weird looking green bush which was moving towards the lake across from them.

Yonghwa was high on alert now. He realised that the green bush was actually his daughter crawling and true enough she was heading towards the lake. Yonghwa jumped and sprinted towards Hana who was getting closer to the water. As he continued to run, Yonghwa thought the lake was definitely huge and he moaned thinking that he might not be able to reach her on time.

"HANA! ANDWAE!" Yonghwa could hear Seohyun screaming behind him. He knew she was scared. He was scared too, for this concerned Hana's life, their beloved Hana.

Suddenly, Yonghwa saw a figure approaching his daughter. Without waiting for another second, the stranger lifted Hana up and hugged her tight. Yonghwa heaved a sigh of relief. He clutched his heart tight, feeling his heart beat stabilized itself. Seohyun ran past him. The only important thing at that moment was her Hana. She needed to hug her daughter first.

******

Jungshin heard Hana's name being called from a distance. And he was sure that the voice belonged to Seohyun. He looked ahead to see that he was approaching the park's lake which was always famous for its ducks. As he neared the lake, he saw Yonghwa and Seohyun across from it. He found it a bit weird as they were suddenly running towards something, but he was not sure what.

"ShinShin chingoo!"

Jungshin looked up fast when he heard the squeal. He knew that squeal perfectly well enough and he was sure the owner of that squeal was somewhere near him.

"ShinShin chingoo!"

Jungshin heard it again and looked towards the place where the sound came from. Jungshin nearly fainted when he saw Hana in a crawling position just in front of the lake. She threw him a toothy grin while nodding her head excitedly.

Jungshin gulped. Then he did what he knew he was supposed to do. He leapt forward, half running before grabbing hold of Hana's tiny body and hugged her tight. He could not believe how close she was to the water who knows how deep it could get.

"Hana! I'm so sorry!" Jungshin said as he planted a kiss on top of Hana's forehead.

"Omma's here!" Hana squealed causing Jungshin to jump in response. He turned to see a crying Seohyun holding out her arms. He reluctantly passed an over-excited Hana over to Seohyun.

"My baby!" Seohyun cried, embracing her daughter tightly, without failing to drop heavy wet kisses all around Hana's face.

Jungshin watched the mother-daughter reunion in silence. Then he felt himself being pushed to the side as Yonghwa entered the scene. Jungshin watched as Yonghwa pulled both his wife and daughter into his arms, hugging them tight. He planted a soft lingering kiss on his daughter's head. Jungshin bit his lips when he noticed his hyung had tears in his eyes as well. Jungshin sighed dejectedly as he took the cue to leave.

"ShinShin chingoo?" Hana called out as she emerged her tiny head from her parents' embrace.

"Jungshin-ah, thank you so much." Seohyun said softly with a tender smile. "And I'm sorry for getting all violent earlier. I was just angry."

"Aniya. It's my fault. Minhyuk and I should have been more alert." Jungshin replied with his head bent down.

"We could have made the same mistake too." Yonghwa interrupted. "Thank you Jungshin, really really thank you."

"Hyung, I'm really sorry about what had happened." Jungshin said. "I promise you, this incident will never repeat itself. I swear!"

"Hyung!" Minhyuk called out as he ran towards his friends. He spotted Hana at once and smiled instantly. "Thank God she's alright!"

"Well, the thing was she almost went for a swim out in the lake." Jungshin told him.

"BO?" Minhyuk was stunned unable to believe what Jungshin had just told him.

"Let's just go home first. I’m sure all of us need the rest." Yonghwa said as he gestured for Jungshin and Minhyuk to follow him to his car. They sighed as they knew Yonghwa will be giving them a long talk later on.

******

"What I don't understand is, I thought you two are supposed to bring her for a shopping spree, but how come you ended up in the park?" Yonghwa asked his two dongsaengs with a slight frown.

Jungshin and Minhyuk were sitted across from him and Seohyun in the living room. Hana was busy playing with her cooking set just on the floor beside them. Seohyun was not going to let her play alone in her nursery anytime soon.

"Well, we thought of taking some fresh air first before heading off to Dongdaemun." Jungshin explained. "Since you mentioned before Hana loves the park so much, we thought we'd give a special treat."

"Aigoo!" Yonghwa sighed, rubbing his forehead. "How did you lose her then?"

"Well, um, we were queuing up to get an ice cream for her. When we turned around, she was just poof! Gone!" Minhyuk said, exaggerating some sound effects.

"The two of you are so never bringing her out ever again." Yonghwa concluded earning some exasperated sighs from Jungshin and Minhyuk.

"But hyung, we promise we will be more careful next time!" Jungshin pleaded.

"Yeah hyung! We'll be more alert next time!" Minhyuk added.

"I'm sorry. It has never been my decicion to make. It's hers." Yonghwa pointed to Seohyun who had an uncertain smile on her lips.

"I've made up my decision and I won't change it." Seohyun said. "But it's not like I'm never allowing you two to meet her forever. You can come and see her and play with her, but only indoors."

"As long as I can see her, it does not matter to me even if it's just indoor!" Jungshin grinned as he crept down the couch and headed towards Hana who was busy playing. She gave a wide smile the moment she saw Jungshin approaching.

"Drink!" Hana squealed as she offered a pink plastic cup to Jungshin to drink. Jungshin accepted the cup gratefully and pretended to drink the contents. Minhyuk joined in the fun soon enough and the three of them had a pretend tea-party drink.

On the other side, Yonghwa and Seohyun huddled together in an embrace as they watched their daughter continued to play with her two favourite uncles, Jungshin and Minhyuk. They both knew that Jungshin and Minhyuk loved Hana very much and they had never meant for the incident earlier to happen. They were sure the two men had learnt from their mistakes as well. Jungshin and Minhyuk, they were the ones they could trust, they were the best uncles for Hana, and trustworthy friends for them.

"What's that smell?" Jungshin asked suddenly as he sniffed around. Minhyuk, Yonghwa and Seohyun did the same.

Hana just copied their actions and kept saying, "Mm… Nice smell! So nice!"

"OMMO! I left the scented candles burning!" Seohyun exclaimed before running up the steps with Yonghwa following closely behind.

"I doubt they're going to come down anytime soon." Jungshin said with a sly grin.

"I think so too." Minhyuk replied with a smirk.

"Me too!" Hana added with a squeal causing Jungshin and Minhyuk to laugh.

Chapter 8 - Maybe I'm In Love With You...

It was morning again. Onew and Yonghwa had woken up earlier than usual. The moment they stepped out of their rooms, they were shocked to see each other. Both were freshly showered, neatly shaven, smartly dressed and almost ready for work. They eyed each other curiously.

“What are you doing?” Yonghwa finally asked his friend as he closed the door to his room, not wanting to let Onew see how messy it was with clothes which he had tried on and took off again when he felt it was not suitable. He just left them sprawled all over his bed and some carelessly thrown on the floor.

“You’re asking me? What about yourself?” Onew asked in return as he continued to eye Yonghwa from head to toe.

“Well, I’m going to work.” Yonghwa replied with a shrug.

“And I’m going to work too.” Onew said before heading towards the kitchen with Yonghwa following closely behind.

“But you’re earlier than usual today!” Yonghwa eyed Onew suspiciously.

“Speak for yourself.” Onew retorted, not wanting to make any eye contact with Yonghwa. He knew sooner or later, Yonghwa would be able to tell that something was amidst.

“Yah! Don’t you have anything to tell me?” Yonghwa asked again as he leaned his body against the kitchen counter. He watched as Onew poured himself a glass of orange juice before taking a sip from it.

“What? I have nothing to tell you!” Onew said. “Why did you ask me that for?”

“Of course I have to ask you! Have you taken a look at yourself?”

“Yah! What’s wrong with the way I look?”

“You’re not wearing your usual style!” Yonghwa pointed out.

“What? I’m still with my jeans and shirt.”

“Yes, it’s still jeans and shirt but what the hell is the blazer for? Are you going to interview someone formally today?”

“Well, I’m just accessorizing myself. Is it wrong?” Onew shrugged, not wanting to admit anything. But the fact was, he himself was not sure why was he dressing this way as it was so unlike him.

“You got a girlfriend.” Yonghwa accused with a slight smirk.

“Bo?”

“Admit it.” Yonghwa glared at Onew. “I know you better than anyone else. The reason for the almighty Onew to change is because of a girl!”

“Nonsense.” Onew said nervously.

“You’re blushing right now you punk!” Yonghwa grinned.

“You’re mad. I don’t know what the hell you are talking about now.” Onew tried to ignore Yonghwa, but he knew he was not able to hide anything from this friend of his.

“Just admit it.” Yonghwa said as he folded his arms across his chest, staring straight ahead towards Onew.

“Okay! There’s this girl okay! You happy now?” Onew exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Damn! I’m good!” Yonghwa praised himself.

“And you, what the hell is wrong with you? With the perfume, wait, did you pour the whole bottle on yourself or what?” Onew teased.

“You better stop with the teasing, if not I won’t update you on my love life anymore!” Yonghwa threatened.

“Ahrasso, ahrasso. Just tell me okay.”

Yonghwa smiled victoriously. “Well, I think, me and Seo Joohyun are dating.”

“Huh? You think?”

“Well, we decided to go out together, isn’t that the same as dating?”

“Ah, I see.” Onew grinned. “Finally, after all these time! Congrats bro!”

“Thanks!” Yonghwa replied. “Anyway, who is she?”

“Who’s who?”

“The girl who changed you.”

“Ah, her. Well, we’re nothing actually. Just that I am starting to think that she may be different than I thought she is, that’s all.”

“Don’t tell me it’s the transferred girl in your office!” Yonghwa gaped.

“Aish! How come you’re able to foresee all these things?” Onew groaned, unable to believe that Yonghwa was able to read him so well.

“Sinchia? It’s that girl! Aigoo! Daebak!”

“Don’t get too excited.” Onew said quickly. “There’s nothing between us yet.”

“So basically, there’s nothing serious yet?”

“You can say it that way.” Onew shrugged.

“Good luck then!” Yonghwa grinned before making himself useful in making the breakfast that morning. He decided to just make some simple sandwiches for him and Onew.

“Ah, I need to inform Tony hyung that I can’t drive him to work today. I left my car at the office.” Onew said suddenly.

“Wow! That’s the first. You never leave your car alone before.”

“It’s partly because of her too.” Onew winked before running up towards Tony’s room. As it was an all men’s house, it was normal for them to just walk in the other’s rooms without knocking. And that was what Onew did, turning on the door knob, pushing the door opened and straight away walking in without any hesitation at all.

“Tony hyung, I have no car today so…” Onew stared at the figures on the bed ahead of him. And he was sure he was seeing double; two heads looking at him from under the blanket. Then he felt a pillow being thrown towards him

“YAH! DON”T YOU KNOW HOW TO KNOCK?!” Tony shouted as he continued to throw a couple more pillows towards the man in front of him.

Onew jumped before running out of the room quickly. He ran straight towards the kitchen, towards Yonghwa who was looking at him with a confused expression.

“What’s wrong?” Yonghwa asked quizzically. He had heard the commotion earlier and was dying to find out the cause of it.

Onew was panting hard as he tried to compose himself after the shock he just had. “Hyung! He’s in bed with a woman!”

“BO?! Are you sure?” Yonghwa gaped.

“Of course I’m sure! I’m not blind you know!”

Just then, Wooyoung descended down the stairs sleepily. He was still in his pajamas and it did not look like he was ready for work yet. He walked towards Onew and Yonghwa before settling himself down on the chair at the dining area. He shot an annoyed look at both men in front of him.

“How come people are shouting early in the morning?” Wooyoung asked, stifling a yawn.

“Tony hyung brought a woman home!” Onew exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

“I know. I heard them last night.” Wooyoung answered coolly.

“Sinchia?! You mean you heard them, you know…” Yonghwa rubbed his neck nervously.

“Ani. I just heard them talking.” Wooyoung said with a raised eyebrow. “What were you thinking hyung?”

“Uh, nothing.” Yonghwa shrugged causing Onew to grin nervously.

******

The next minute Yonghwa, Onew and Wooyoung knew was that, they were forced to sit on the sofa in the living room by Tony. Tony glared at each one of the younger men in front of him before letting out a long sigh. On the opposite side of the sofa, a woman in her late twenties was seated down with an embarrassed expression plastered across her face. Soon Tony settled himself on the seat beside her, naturally wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Kids, I know you may think that I might be lying, but the truth is, we did not do anything last night.” Tony started saying. He kept his eyes focused on the three men in front of him. What Tony received was just knowing smiles and snickers from his three dongsaengs,

“I swear!” Tony stood up and exclaimed.

“Ahrasso hyung, we understand.” Yonghwa grinned mischievously.

“Aish! This kid!”

“Let them be.” Joori finally said as she pulled Tony down to sit beside her again. “There’s no point of you being angry at them.”

“But they don’t believe us!” Tony whined.

“What would you think if you were to see a man and a girl in a room, together in bed, buried under a blanket?” Joori asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Ahrasso, I get what you mean.” Tony pouted, causing Joori to smile at his obedience.

“Anyway hyung, care for introductions?” Wooyoung who was sitting in between Onew and Yonghwa finally spoke up.

“Ah, ne, this is Joori, my um girlfriend.” Tony introduced, his face turning an instant color of red.

“Ne, anniyohaesayo!” Yonghwa, Onew and Wooyoung instantly stood up as they greeted the guest in front of them. Joori did the same with a nervous smile.

“Joori-ya, Yonghwa is my brother. Onew and Wooyoung are our friends, each of them renting a room here.” Tony explained.

“Ah, I see. I thought Onew’s your brother yesterday.” Joori said.

“Oh yeah! We met each other yesterday! From the almost accident.” Onew mentioned causing Yonghwa and Wooyoung to give him a surprised look.

“Ne, I was with a housemate of mine yesterday. You know Hara right? I believe you two are working together now.”

“Hara?” Yonghwa asked questioningly. Wooyoung gave a strange look at Onew as well.

Onew smiled awkwardly. “Ne, we’re working together now. We’re partners.”

“Ah, so her name is Hara…” Yonghwa nodded his head in understanding with a teasing grin spreading across his face.

“Um, I want to stay and chat longer but it’s getting late and I really must go now.” Onew said suddenly as he stood up. Yonghwa peeked at his watch and stood up as well.

“I need to go too.” Yonghwa said as he followed Onew towards the door.

“Yah! Let’s have some breakfast first!” Tony shouted, trying to hold them back.

“Mianhe hyung. Sinchia! See you later!” Onew waved his hand before racing out of the door.

“Me too hyung! See you!” Yonghwa exclaimed as he chased after Onew out the door as well.

***
“So her name’s Hara?” Yonghwa teased as he jumped onto Onew’s back for a piggyback ride.

“Yah! Get off me!” Onew tried to shrug Yonghwa off.

“Andwae! Until you admit it!”

“You already know it yet you are still asking me!”

“Ah! So it is true then!” Yonghwa laughed before jumping off.

“Aish! Just keep it low will you.” Onew said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Sinchia! Let’s go, I’ll give you a ride to work.” Yonghwa pulled Onew by the shoulder to head towards his car. “But, I’m fetching Joohyun first, ahrasso?”

Onew stiffened. “Um, actually I already have a ride to work today.” Onew gulped, feeling so unsure on how to explain the situation to Yonghwa.

“Eh? A ride? With who?”

Just then, a red Hyundai Tuscani suddenly stopped just beside the two men. They were too engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice it making its appearance. A woman, dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a red sweatshirt came out from the car. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and a pair of red rimmed glasses to accessorize her small and flawless face. She was wearing a light tinge of make up and to complete her unique look was the red stilettos she was wearing on her feet. She grinned as she continued to approach them while she kept her eyes fixed on one of the men in front of her.

“Anniyohaesayo Onew-ssi.” The woman greeted, causing Yonghwa and Onew to stop talking. Both men looked up with frowned faces.

“Anniyohaesayo.” Onew greeted back with a slight nod. He stared at the woman a while longer before allowing his gaze to travel towards the car behind her. Then he suddenly realized who the woman in front of him was. “H-Hara-ssi?”

“Ne. It’s me.” Hara replied with a shy smile.

“Ommo! Are you sure it’s you?” Onew asked with raised eyebrows. “You look different.”

“Different?” Hara grinned. “To tell you the truth, this is how I usually dress up if I’m not going to work.”

“Ah, sinchia? Well, it looks good on you actually!” Onew praised as he took a look at Hara from head to toe. He gave an approving smile. He thought she looked better this way rather than she wearing those flashy outfits which may cause unwanted incidents just like the day before.

“Ehem! Ehem! Introductions please.” Yonghwa suddenly voiced out impatiently. Both Onew and Hara turned to look at him.

“Ne, anniyohaesayo, I am Hara, Onew’s colleague.” Hara introduced herself to Yonghwa as she held out a hand to shake his.

“I’m Yonghwa, Onew’s housemate.” Yonghwa replied with a knowing smile. He took another look at Hara again and this time he frowned. “You look familiar. Have I seen you before?”

“Oh, I live a few houses away.”

“Ah, I remember now!” Yonghwa exclaimed. “Are you friends with Seo Joohyun by any chance? I just realized you look exactly like her friend who goes jogging with her every Saturday!”

“Seohyun? You know Seohyun?” Hara raised an eyebrow.

“Ne! We just got to know each other recently.” Yonghwa explained. “Aigoo! Why am I so dumb! So you, Joohyun and Joori noona are housemates! You’re the ones we always see every Saturday, jogging together!”

“Bo? You mean…” Onew gaped, not wanting to believe what Yonghwa had just said. He turned to look at Hara who looked as if she was trying to digest Yonghwa’s words slowly.

“I’m right aren’t I?” Yonghwa asked again to make sure.

“N-Ne. But how come you know that we go jogging every Saturday?” Hara frowned, looking more confused than ever.

“I just know.” Yonghwa grinned shyly.

“Yeah, he knows very well, and dragged me in with him.” Onew accused. Then he glanced at Hara. “But I didn’t know you were one of them! Sinchia!”

“Oh! So you’ve been watching me all along.” Hara smiled wickedly towards Onew.

“Ani. Ani. You don’t understand!”

“Ahrasso. Get in the car. We’ll talk more later!” Hara said before turning around to head for her car. She managed a quick farewell towards Yonghwa who replied gratefully.

“Treat her well Onew-yah! She’s cute!” Yonghwa teased.

“Shut up!” Onew retorted before entering the car.

***

They rode the car in a sudden awkward silence. Hara continued to drive without initiating much of a conversation. The truth was, she was not sure what to start off with. Onew on the other hand decided to just play dumb and continued staring out of the window. Once in a while he would try to steal glances at Hara who was being oblivious to everything that Onew did.

Finally after several minutes of continued silence, Hara let out a sigh, loud enough to attract Onew’s attention. Onew looked up and tried to hide a smile.

“Um, so, um, your friend earlier, Yonghwa, he looked like a good person.” Hara said.

“Well, he is.” Onew answered, keeping his eyes now focused on Hara.

“He’ll fit well with Seohyun.”

“Ah sinchia? He would be so happy to hear that from you.” Onew grinned. “He’s been having that silly crush on her since forever!”

“Ah really? Wow!”

“He even sent a cheesy letter over to her a few days ago.”

“Ommo! So that letter was from Yonghwa?!” Hara gasped in astonishment.

“What? Did you by any chance read the letter?” Onew gaped.

“Oh yeah I did. And like you said, it is a bit cheesy, but otherwise romantic! I totally love it!” Hara grinned.

“Sinchia? So if I were to send a letter similar to that, do you think you would love it as well?”

“Aigoo! You’re impossible Onew-ssi!” Hara laughed as her hand were fast enough to hit Onew playfully on his lap.

“So, what made you dress up differently today?” Onew asked as he continued eyeing Hara.

“Somebody suggested to me to wear appropriately yesterday. I’m just heeding his advice.” Hara shrugged.
“Hm, that person is quite sensible I believe.’ Onew chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess he is.” Hara added while smiling shyly. “And sweet too.”

******

Yonghwa stepped on the brake pedal just outside of Seohyun’s house. He watched as Seohyun walked out of her house gate with a forlorn expression. Yonghwa frowned as he wondered if he had unconditionally upset her by any chance. His eyes followed Seohyun’s every movement until she entered his car and closed the door shut.

“Hi?” Yonghwa greeted, hoping to lighten up the mood in the car.

“Hm.” Seohyun replied with a sigh. Yonghwa bit his lips. He was not sure how to react in that situation.

“Is something wrong?” Yonghwa asked timidly. “Is it me?”

Seohyun sighed. “Ani. I’m sorry. I’m just feeling a bit worried.”

“Worried? About?”

“Joori unnie. I found out this morning from Jieun that she didn’t come home at all last night.” Seohyun sighed again. “I called her phone, but I was unable to get through. I’m so worried Yonghwa-ya.”

Yonghwa gaped at the woman in front of him before giving a sly smirk. “I think I know where she went. And she’s more than safe, I assure you that.”

“Ne? You know where she is then? How?”

“She’s at my house now. Long story.” Yonghwa shrugged before he started driving.

“Eh? How come she’s at your house? Aigoo. This is confusing!”

“Well, she spent the night over at our house with my hyung. I bet she didn’t tell you that right?”

“Ah? Sinchia? Ommo!” Seohyun exclaimed.

“Why?”

“They’re not married yet!”

“Ah sinchia. They didn’t do anything inappropriate.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, they told us themselves.” Yonghwa said with a smile.

“Oh, thank god!” Seohyun sighed, this time round with a smile.

“But, I don’t believe them though.” Yonghwa grinned wider causing Seohyun to slap his arm playfully.

“Joori unnie won’t be that careless. I know her.”

“Ne, whatever you say Joohyun-ssi.”

Seohyun smiled as she looked at the moving road ahead. “I like this.”

“Ne? You like this? What do you mean?” Yonghwa asked with a frown. He sneaked a glance at her. She had a sincere smile playing on her lips.

“I like the casualness of us talking. It feels natural and comfortable. I like it so much.” Seohyun said.

“Ah. Don’t you get this comfortable with other guys?”

“Ani. Not this comfortable. With you, I feel relaxed. I don’t need to force myself.”

“Hm, I’m glad.” Yonghwa grinned. “I feel the same way too.”

Seohyun blushed. “This is a good start for us.”

“I know.” Yonghwa said as his right hand slowly took hold of her left hand before placing it to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently.

Morning was fine once again.

Chapter 7 - Maybe I'm in Love With You

Chapter 7 - Maybe I'm in Love With You

Hara smiled to herself as she slipped into her pajamas that night. The day’s events kept doing the flashbacks in her mind. But the funny thing was, every single detail of the flashback included Onew in it, especially the part when she had practically jumped into his arms, embracing him. Hara’s smile got wider when she remembered how Onew’s arms instantly wrapped around her waist. Just thinking about the unplanned embrace made her forgot how she was almost taken advantage of earlier. And everything was thanks to Onew, who actually saved her day.

Hara walked over to her study table and fiddled with her phone before finally dialing Lee Joon’s number for the second time that day. After a few rings, Lee Joon answered the phone.

“Joonie! I’m so happy to hear your voice!” Hara exclaimed as she threw her body down onto her bed.

“Yah! That’s the first!” Lee Joon answered with a smirk. “What do you want?”

“Me? Hm, I’m just calling to talk to you…” Hara smiled.

“Aish! How come I find that you sound a bit different now? Your voice, it changed!”

“Ah sinchia! Whatever are you talking about?”

“Yah! I’ve known you since we’re kids, I know your voice tones very well.” Lee Joon said. “Anyway, how do you like my work on the tyres earlier?”

“You did great Joonie! I’m proud of you!” Hara replied, her face turning a bit sour. “But um, I have a request right now…”

“Request? What is it?”

“Can you call someone to change the tyres? I’ll pay for everything!” Hara said quickly.

“Yah! What is wrong with you? Whose car is it anyway? You are surely hiding something from me right?” Lee Joon was practically screaming over the phone.

“Just do it Joonie-ah! I’ll tell you everything once you have everything settled. I promise!” Hara said. “I got to go now Joonie. I have an incoming call here… BYE!”

Hara heaved a sigh of relief the moment her call to Lee Joon was off. But on the other hand, it was true; Hara really did have another incoming call waiting to be answered. Hara glanced at her phone screen; private number. She shrugged before answering.

“Yeobosaeyo?”

***
Onew continued pacing his room. He had his phone on his hand but he was not sure what he was supposed to do with it. He was nervous. Very nervous. He seriously had no idea what the hell was happening to him. But one thing he knew was, his heart kept beating faster the moment his mind swept back to the incident which happened earlier.

He was not trying to be a hero. But the moment he saw Hara struggling in the stranger’s arms, he could feel the anger seeping into his veins. So he did what his brains were telling him; he pulled that guy by the collar and pushed him away from her with all his might. He even decided on the spot to play the role of Hara’s ‘boyfriend’ in front of that perfect stranger. Then he heard her calling out his name in that most soothing voice and that was enough to make his knees go weak. He could not understand how that voice which he used to despise could make him lose his focus all of a sudden.

Then they made contact which really sent him off the wall. Her body molded into his perfectly. And Onew had no complains about anything at all. During the time when she was still in a state of panic, his hands managed to memorize her curves with his embrace. It was as if she was made for him. Adding to that, her scent was another factor which almost sent Onew to the edge. The sweet smell of her shampoo hypnotized him for a moment. And it still was doing its magic up till now…

Onew shook his head, as he tried to erase the memory of Hara off his mind. But it was indeed difficult to do so. Earlier when he parked her car beside her house, he suddenly felt glad that they were neighbours, totally the opposite feeling from what he felt this morning. And when she waved goodbye to him as he was leaving, the feeling was extraordinary and he just enjoyed the moment. It was like a wife sending off her husband away to work…

“Stop it Onew!” Onew exclaimed as he placed both his hands on his head. “This is not working for you. Focus Onew, focus!”

‘But it won’t hurt to give her a call to ask if she is alright right?’ A voice told him.

“Yeah! It’s an act of graciousness.” Onew answered. “I’m a concerned colleague, nothing more!”

And so, Onew looked through the names in his phone contacts. He searched it under the name ‘The Unwanted’. He grimaced before quickly changing it to ‘Hara’. Previously when he was given Hara’s number by Mr Park, he really did not want her as his partner, which was how the name ‘The Unwanted’ came up. But now, something just changed his perception on her.

Onew pressed the call button and bit down on his lips as he listened to the sound of the ringing tone.

“Yeobosaeyo?”

Onew gulped when he heard her voice on the other line. ‘What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to say?!’

“Yeobosaeyo?” She repeated when she heard the silence.

Onew cleared his throat. “Um, yeobosaeyo? Hara-ssi?”

“Ah, ne. May I know who’s speaking?”

“I-It’s me, Onew.”

Silence.

“Hara-ssi, are you there? I’m sorry to disturb you. Let’s just talk tomorrow then.” Onew sighed.

“Ne? A-Ani!” Hara said quickly. “You’re not disturbing.”

“Ah sinchia? Hm, that’s good to know.” Onew smiled nervously as he leaned against his study table. “Are you feeling better?”

“Thank you for asking Onew-ssi. I’m fine alright.”

“That’s good.” Onew nodded his head. He was suddenly lost for words.

“How is everything on your side?”

Onew gave a slight chuckle. “I’m fine too. You should worry about yourself more.”

“I’m just asking out of concern.” Hara grinned.

“Well, thank you then Hara-ssi.” Onew smiled. “Um, it’s getting late, you should get some sleep.”

“Same goes for you Onew-ssi.” Hara said. “We’ll see each other tomorrow then.”

“Yes. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“Um by the way, do you need a ride to the office tomorrow?” Hara asked, suddenly remembering about his car which was still at the underground car park under the office building. She bit her bottom lip in guiltiness.

“Ani. I’m fine. I’ll just take the subway.”

“Andwae!” Hara shouted before realizing it a bit too late.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, andwae…” Hara said it in a gentler tone causing Onew to chuckle on the other side.

“Wae-yo?”

“I’ll fetch you tomorrow morning. Please don’t worry. Since we’re on the same route.”

“But wouldn’t you be with your housemate?”

“Joori unnie? I’m not so worried about her already.” Hara grinned. “It seemed she has patched up with your housemate.”

“Sinchia? With Tony hyung?”

“Hm, I guess.” Hara shrugged.

“Wow! That’s fast for them.”

“From what I see, she’s still in love with him and she never did let go of that love. That’s why she remained single all these years.”

“Ah, I see. Wow! It seems like we have a lot of stories to catch up on even though we’ve been neighbours for quite a while now.”

“I know right?” Hara laughed.

Onew and Hara continued to talk for a while longer before saying goodbye. Onew smiled satisfactorily the moment he put his phone under his pillow before lying down on the bed. Now, he could get some peaceful sleep, and maybe if he was lucky, she might appear in his dreams.

******
Seohyun laid down in bed as she got herself ready for sleep. Accompanied by the night light, she fingered the anklet which Yonghwa had found just beside the oak tree earlier. She could not even describe the happiness she felt the moment Yonghwa had the anklet dangling in front of her face after finding it. Since yesterday, the anklet was like the most treasured possession which Seohyun could not seem to part with.

She sighed as she turned her body to the right, pulling the blanket higher towards her chin. Seohyun smiled as she watched the anklet shimmered under the dim light. It shone nicely that made the anklet glow in return. Seohyun then sat up and pulled her feet out from the blanket before placing the anklet back on her ankle. The bell to the anklet jingled sweetly causing Seohyun to smile broader. Whenever she heard the sounds of the anklet bell, it just reminded her of Yonghwa, her very own secret admirer.
Seohyun’s phone started to vibrate under her pillow and she quickly made a grab for the device. Without further delay, Seohyun immediately answered the call.

“Yeobosaeyo?”

***

Yonghwa sat on the chair to his study table while looking at his computer in front of him. He had promised himself to continue writing the love letters and have them sent everyday to Seohyun. That was what he was trying to do at that moment as he continued to stare at the screen. Even though it was a bit foolish of him to be writing all these letters when it was clear enough to Seohyun that he had develop serious likings towards her. But he loved writing and she loved reading, and so he automatically decided that he should continue doing this.

The blank screen continued to stare back at Yonghwa who was totally out of idea. He was not sure on what to start with and where to start with. He needed his inspiration. And so, he grabbed his phone and dialed the number he now knew by heart.

“Yeobosaeyo?” The person on the other hand answered softly almost to a whisper. Yonghwa smiled the moment he heard the voice.

“Yeobosaeyo? Seo Joohyun?” Yonghwa said as he let out a chuckle.

“Ne. Yong?” Seohyun giggled shyly as she called out his name.

“Ne, it’s me. You’re still awake?”

“Hm, I can’t sleep. Why?”

“Sinchia? Or are you waiting for me to call?” Yonghwa grinned.

“What are you talking about?” Seohyun pouted.

“You know what I’m talking about.” Yonghwa accused.

“Ani. Tell me what are you trying to talk about?”

“You jolly well know it Seo Joohyun.”

“What? I really don’t know!”

“Okay, okay. I give up. We can’t go on arguing this way.” Yonghwa surrendered.

“Ahrasso. I’ve won then.” Seohyun shrugged as she continued to grin cheekily.

“You just enjoy doing this don’t you?” Yonghwa said as he leaned back against his chair with a smile.

“Hm, actually today is the first time I do this sort of thing.” Seohyun said as she let out another laugh. “And it’s kind of fun, since I’m doing it with you.”

Yonghwa was not sure how she did it but just by talking, she had lifted his spirits up almost automatically. The ideas just came by unconsciously and suddenly Yonghwa had lots of things to write about.

“I love to hear the way you laugh, you know that?” Yonghwa said.

“Hm, so I heard.” Seohyun replied, nodding her head.

“It replenishes my strength after a hard week’s work.”

“Are you talking about the time you always peek at me from your balcony?” Seohyun teased.

“Hm, it was my most favourite pastime.” Yonghwa grinned.

“Just curious, how long have you been observing me again?”

“If I’m not mistaken, probably around six months plus?”

“Sinchia? That long? Why didn’t you approach me” Seohyun gaped.

“I was shy Seo Joohyun! I’m not as bold as you, to just come to a stranger and ask to sit beside him.” Yonghwa said, reminding her of their first meet.

“I didn’t ask to sit beside you okay, I asked if I could share the space.”

“Whatever you say my dear.” Yonghwa said in conclusion causing Seohyun to blush.

“Eyy! Since when did I become your dear?” Seohyun asked with a silly grin plastered on her face.

“Hm, I’m not sure. When do you think it started?”

“Aish! You’re teasing me! I don’t want to answer it then!”

“Aigoo! Are you sulking?” Yonghwa grinned.

“Ani.”

“Ja-shik!” Yonghwa laughed. “Seo Joohyun, do you know that I’m writing another letter to you.”

“Letter? What letter?” Seohyun asked curiously, her mock anger forgotten.

“Just another letter from your secret admirer.”

“Why must you do that? I already know that you’re the one who sent that letter. Is there a need for another letter again?”

“Well, if you don’t want it, then I’ll just have it deleted then.” Yonghwa shrugged.

“AH! Andwae! Don’t delete!” Seohyun shrieked in shocked.

“Aish! There’s no need to shout into the phone you know!” Yonghwa cringed.

“Mianhe oppa.” Seohyun said shyly.

Yonghwa gaped. “Excuse me, did you just call me oppa?”

“Ne. Don’t you like it?”

“M-Me? Of course I like it. It makes you sound more feminine.”

“Chet! So since yesterday you thought the way I talk was manly?” Seohyun raised an eyebrow.

“Aniyo. I thought it was masculine!” Yonghwa laughed mercilessly at his own rendition of jokes.

“Hah! Sinchia!”

“You know what, for the past six months, I’ve always thought of you as an angel.” Yonghwa started saying, his voice suddenly low and soothing. “Even only after a day of knowing you, you are still an angel to me. And I hope that you’d be the only angel for me, now and forever. And I dare say this to you, I think I’m falling for you. I’m falling for you hard that I’m afraid I’d be broken if I were to fall too deeply.”

Seohyun gasped turning her speechless for a moment. She was not expecting that kind of sudden confession from Yonghwa.

“Um, w-why are you saying this suddenly?” Seohyun started asking with that familiar tremble in her voice. “Didn’t we just agreed to go out together and get to know each other better?”

“Yes, we did. But I just want to inform you that I won’t be able to let you go after this.” Yonghwa said confidently.

Seohyun blushed even more. “I know.”

Yonghwa felt a sudden rush of joy claiming his heart. He had never felt this happy before. “Okay then, let’s start this tomorrow. A brand new episode for us.”

Seohyun chuckled. “I like it. A brand new episode of us.”

“Ne, a brand new episode of us.”

That night, after the long conversation they had, Yonghwa was finally feeling relieved. The ideas which dropped into his mind earlier were still lingering. And so, he stretched out his fingers on the keyboard and started typing those thoughts out, filling the blank spaces with memories of him and her.

Once upon a time, we met under the oak tree.
You said hi and I replied awkwardly.
I did not expect to meet you there, but I just did.
I believe it’s our fate to meet each other that day.
We talked and we laughed and we even shared some secrets unknowingly.
I knew who you were then, but you never realized it was always me.

The hardest part came when we had to part.
I braved myself to let go and started to walk away.
But you still stood there, calling out to me asking for my name.
I gave you a clue but you don’t seem to understand.

I watched from a distance as you left the oak tree with a hunch.
As the rain started to pour, I said out loud, ‘I was the Yong you’re looking for.’
But of course you can’t hear me, for you were long gone.

And so, fate came knocking again, against the door of my heart.
To meet you the next day, and that was how our story starts…

******

Wooyoung headed towards the bus stop. From a distance, he could see the familiar figure of a young woman he now knew well enough. He smiled as he approached Jieun who was deeply engrossed in reading her notes.

“It seems we’re fated to meet, again and again and again.” Wooyoung said as he sat himself down beside Jieun who looked stunned to see him.

“Wooyoung-ssi? Ah, are you going home as well?” Jieun asked as she quickly put away her notes.

“Ah ne. Where do you think I might be going?” Wooyoung grinned.

“I see.” Jieun nodded. “Don’t mind me saying this, but you look like the kind who would spend his night times in the club or something.”

“Bo? Yah! What do you think I am? A hooligan?”

“Ani. I was just saying.” Jieun shrugged, a smile playing on her lips.

“So, what were you reading earlier?” Wooyoung asked as he took a peek at Jieun’s hands which were now empty.

“Oh, some exam notes. I’m having my practical soon.” Jieun explained, stifling a yawn.

“Ah, I see.”

The bus arrived a couple of minutes later. Wooyoung and Jieun boarded the bus silently, neither one speaking any single word. They opted to sit separately as the bus was quite empty to begin with, Jieun on the right side of the bus and Wooyoung on the left. The bus continued to move ahead but stopped at the next bus stop to pick up the next few passengers. A few passengers boarded the bus and one of them was a man who seemed to be a bit drunk. He walked a bit too tipsily towards the seats and of all the empty seats he could have chosen, he just had to choose the seat which was beside Jieun. Jieun bit her lips as she felt the man slightly leaning towards her. He was not doing anything, just that he was getting a little too sleepy and his leaning towards her was making her uncomfortable.

Wooyoung continued to stare at the drunk man. The moment he saw the man leaning a little too close towards Jieun, he felt his heart skipped a beat. He saw her biting her bottom lips and that was enough to make him stand up for her. Before he knew it, he was pulling Jieun by her hand, up from her seat and slowly led her towards the empty seat beside his own. Jieun sat quietly without even daring to take a look at Wooyoung.

“Are you okay?” Wooyoung asked in a soft whisper.

“Ne, kwenchana.” Jieun nodded.

It was only a matter of minutes before the bus finally reached their neighbourhood bus stop. Jieun and Wooyoung got off the bus and as if it had been a daily routine, they started to walk up the road together towards their houses.

“It’s kind of cold huh?” Wooyoung asked as he placed his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“Hm, kind of.” Jieun replied, her eyes still glued towards the road ahead.

“So, how long have you lived here?”

“Me? I just moved in last Saturday.”

“Ah, sinchia? That’s why I’ve never seen you around before.” Wooyoung nodded in understanding.

Jieun chuckled. “And now, we’re often bumping into each other.”

“You’re right.” Wooyoung smiled shyly. “What made you move into this neighbourhood?”

“My appa made me. He said our house is too far away from my school.” Jieun explained. “But I think it is a good idea too. Since I like to spend most of my time in school that I totally forgot that I need to go home.”

Wooyoung laughed. “Sinchia? So that Seo Joohyun, you just got to know her?”

“Seo Joohyun? Seohyun unnie?” Jieun raised an eyebrow. “Why did you call Seohyun unnie by her full name? Do you by any chance know her?”

“Actually, I don’t know her that well. The only thing I know is that one of my housemates has a crush on her.”

“Oh, is it that oppa that I met this morning?”

“The one and only.” Wooyoung grinned.

“They seem to know each other.” Jieun said.

“Yeah. I noticed that too. But from what I know, he had never confronted her before, just merely watching her from a distance.” Wooyoung explained. “Yonghwa hyung is the shy kind of guy.”

“Hm, he looks like a good guy.”

“Yah! He is a good guy, a loyal one too. He’s been a secret admirer of Seo Joohyun for the past six months you know! ”

“Ah? Sinchia?” Jieun gaped, unbelieving before muttering something under her breath which made Wooyoung grinned wider. Surprisingly, he found her reactions quite cute.

For some reasons, Wooyoung felt comfortable being around Jieun. She did not act all crazed up like most female students of Yonsei University the moment they saw him. She was just relaxed, and seemed not bothered at all when she saw him. There was of course a tinge of shyness somewhere stretched across her face but truthfully girls who were shy were just his cup of tea rather than those bold ones. And the only reason Wooyoung did not inform her of his real job was just to look out for her reaction, whether or not she recognized him or not, or would she act similarly like the rest of the girls. But after a few times with the accidental meetings, he was quite sure that she never cared about the science laboratory assistant oppa whom the girls in Yonsei University fancied of.

“You walked me all the way to my home!” Jieun exclaimed suddenly causing Wooyoung to wake up from his reverie.

“Ah? Ne…” Wooyoung smiled guiltily as if he was caught doing something he shouldn’t.

“Jeongmal gamsahamnida Wooyoung-ssi.” Jieun said as she gave a bow towards the man in front of her.

“Ani, it’s the least I could do for a lady like you.”

“Aish! Sinchia!” Jieun grinned.

“How many of you in the house now? There used to be three right? Including you, won’t it be four already?” Wooyoung asked.

“Wow! You seem to know a lot about the girls who live here.” Jieun replied in amazement.

“Aniya, I was just guessing.” Wooyoung grinned.

“Yeah, there’re four of us now. And I’m the maknae in the house.” Jieun said with a wide smile.

“Sinchia? I’m the maknae in the house too!” Wooyoung exclaimed.

“Jeongmal? How many of you are there?”

“There are four of us too.” Wooyoung replied.

Jieun chuckled. “I just realized, everything about us are almost the same. It’s quite funny how these things works.”

“I know right?” Wooyoung said before an awkward silence surrounded them. Wooyoung looked at Jieun who was nibbling on her bottom lips. Even that simple action from her brought out a nervous feeling out of him.

“Um, I guess I have to go in now.” Jieun suddenly spoke up as she looked up to stare into his eyes.

Wooyoung gulped before nodding. “Ah, yeah. Um, good night then.”

“Good night Wooyoung-ssi.” Jieun gave a lingering smile as she headed towards the gate. “Walk safely.”

“Have a good rest.”

“Ne, you too.” Jieun said. She watched as Wooyoung walked backwards away from her house as he continued waving shyly towards her. Jieun was not aware that she was holding her breath until Wooyoung was totally out of sight. Then she inhaled deeply before going up to her room.

Meeting Wooyoung frequently had made Jieun addicted. It was like almost a remedy to her the moment she saw him. She had been having lots of stress with her upcoming exams that the moment she saw him, the stress in her was suddenly gone. He made her day and she enjoyed the short moments she spent with him. But she wondered what kind of feeling was that exactly. Was she developing a crush on him?

As she slowly walked past the rooms belonging to Hara and Seohyun, she could hear the faint sounds of talking coming from the respective rooms. She was just guessing that they were still up and might be on hogging onto the phone. ‘I didn’t know they have boyfriends.’ Jieun thought with a soft chuckle before she headed on towards Joori’s room. She had to report to Joori the moment she reached home from school. It was all because of the last night’s event whereby Jieun had come home so late, causing her to miss the last bus home. That made Joori worried.

Jieun gave a soft knock on Joori’s door. “Joori unnie, are you in there?” Jieun asked softly, but there was no answer. She tried a few more times, but still received no response. Finally, Jieun courageously opened the door to Joori’s room but found it empty. Jieun frowned, before shrugging. “Well, I’m sure she has informed Hara unnie or Seohyun unnie regarding her absence.” Jieun said to herself. She gave a last look at the empty room before finally heading on to hers to call it a night.