Chance Encounters

Long Distance

A/N: Hi! I'm so  sorry this took so long. There was just too many things going on here. I hope all of you are well!

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A lot of people will probably agree: Long Distance relationships are tough. Ji Sung and Jin Ah had their fair share of doubters. Even if they were engaged with a wedding date coming soon, there were people on both sides, who meant well, but certainly had doubts with their current set up.

"You left her in Seoul after proposing to her? And then you'll fly back just a week before your wedding? Ooofff. Tough for Jin Ah!" Ji Won commented. "I'd give you hell if I were her."

"What? Why?" Ji Sung asked his sister.

"She's not even allowed to bask in the happy mood the engagement brought and then you already had to leave. That's not easy, I assume?"

"Yes, we dislike being apart but right now it's necessary," he explained. "Do you wish me to drop everything to be with her? I am not a child, Ji Won. We are not children. We have responsibilities, too."

"Hey. I'm on your side. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying it's a tough pill to swallow for your fiancée," she said.

Ji Sung nodded. "I know."

Jin Ah got the same feedback from her friends, who questioned why Ji Sung left so "suddenly" after their engagement. "It's not an abrupt departure. It was planned. He has work and so do I."

"I still wish, for your sake, he stayed a bit longer. Or at least come home sooner than a week before your wedding," Eun Ju said.

External voices were easy to push back from their minds though. It was the issues they had with the arrangement that became a bigger problem than they expected.

1. Conversing became a chore...

Sure, they agreed to always talk and let each other know what the other is feeling. However, when you're on different timezones it becomes a challenge.

When Jin Ah was facing a particularly difficult time at work and needed to vent, she picked up her mobile and dialled Ji Sung's number.

Then, immediately dropped the call. It was much too early in his place in the world and waking him up wasn't a particularly good idea. "I'll call him later." She decided to walk and get herself some coffee to sort her thoughts.

That night, when it was a good time for both of them to speak, she no longer felt like she needed to share. The moment had passed. "It's alright. Thank goodness my friends at work talked me through it," she told him.

It was similar with Ji Sung, having to be conscious about the time when he wanted to share some great news with her. It wouldn't be convenient to call. An additional challenge he found was having to set up the scene for her. 

Like when he was able to book a meeting with one of the big agents in the city. He found that he had to tell her the significance of every step he managed to accomplish, and after a while, he just got too lazy to go through all that. "I won't bore you with details. It was great. They agreed to work with us."

Soon, they found that their calls that used to be hours on end would get cut to 15-20 minutes max. It was just enough to say, "Hi. How was your day? Great. Mine too. Just checking in. I miss you." Maybe a few short stores on each side but that was it.

2. ... leading to Miscommunication

Being in a long distance relationship meant you missed the one you loved constantly. For Jin Ah, this meant most of what she did -- going out for dinner with friends, having coffee, walking along the river -- constantly reminded her of Ji Sung. As happy as she would be during the time out with other people or even running errands, she would come home and wish he was there.