Taming the Green Eyed Monster

When We Were Young

Jong In and Ye Jun's date did not occur until the following Saturday, when both their schedules allowed for it. They hadn't seen, spoken or even texted each other since the night of the group date except to decide on a place to meet. In the end, Jong In had asked Ye Jun to accompany him on several tasks he needed to finish for that day, much like what he had done with Si Woo.

"Sorry," he said when they met up at the corner located equidistant from both their family homes. "Mom asked if I could do some shopping for her." He smiled but it didn't quite seem to reach his eyes.

Ye Jun internally frowned as he gazed at the profile of his friend's face. Jong In seemed to be avoiding having too long of an eye contact with him, his normally straightforward gaze turned too quickly for Ye Jun to really assess his friend's feelings. Ye Jun had been not looking forward to their paired date due to the awkwardness that he knew would be between them but to think that Jong In was also feeling that way made him feel a bit uncertain. It was unknown territory for Ye Jun to meet a Jong In that obviously did not want to see him.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, trying to ease that apologetic on Jong In's face that only made Ye Jun feel guilty, as he took the shopping tote from him. "Anything to help your mom."

After several moments of walking in silence, Ye Jun spoke up, "Is Na Ra noona at home?"

Jong In started as though he had expected to walk the entire time without saying a word. Ye Jun frowned again, it was all too unfamiliar this awkwardness between them. "Ah, no she's out with her boyfriend today."

"Is she dating the same guy?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. Normally, he wouldn't have had to ask because he would have seen her boyfriend eventually, considering how often Ye Jun had spent an afternoon in Jong In's home. He wondered briefly if Jong In's mother and sister had found his absence strange. They may have even spoken about it to Ye Jun's family but he knew that they would not have to brought it up to either of them, opting to allow the boys' their space. They had always allowed them to figure it out themselves in the past even when Ye Jun and Jong In would fight, knowing that they would patch it up soon. But Ye Jun hadn't visited Jong In's house in several months, they must have known by now that something was up. Ye Jun suddenly felt the impact of the distance that was growing between them.

Jong In shook his head. "No, she broke up with that guy when she found out that he was using her to get with her friend."

"Ah," Ye Jun briefly closed his eyes. Of all things.

"She's okay now and the new guy, Dae Hyun hyung, is really good to her. He's also pretty interesting," Jong In continued, his tone suddenly perking up. "He's an automotive designer for H cars. He showed me his team's new designs when we got a tour of the factory." Jong In's eyes were bright and wide as he recounted that day.

Ye Jun smiled as he watched a rare animated Jong In talk. Ever since they were children, Jong In had had a surprising interest in cars, their mechanics and designs having fascinated him. It was one of the few topics that the calm, quiet Jong In would become so excited about that he would ramble. He was cute, Ye Jun thought idly as his hand subconsciously reached out to ruffle his hair.

Jong In froze and ducked away from his hand. He then laughed nervously. "Na Ra noona really likes him," he continued as though trying to act as if he had not just avoided him. "He's really good looking too and very nice. Next time, he said he would take me to the H car show."

Ye Jun's hand clenched into a fist, feeling oddly bereft and suddenly annoyed. It seemed as though Na Ra finally met someone great, someone who also was taking the time to get to know her family. And Jong In thought he was handsome... But what kind of guy would take around his girlfriend's twenty year old brother as though taking a kid on an excursion?

"Are you coming?" asked Jong In and Ye Jun looked up, having been lost in his thoughts. They were at the local market, a familiar place where they had spent many hours of their childhood eating street foods and running errands together for their mothers.

"Ah, mom wanted some zucchinis, dried anchovies, and some flour," said Jong In as he led them to the appropriate stalls, greeting the familiar women who worked there.

"Oh, if it isn't Ye Jun," said the lady who ran the pancake stall. "We haven't seen you in months. Your mom said you started university."

Ye Jun smiled and greeted the woman. "Yes, trying to be more than just good looks," he joked.

The woman laughed. "Good. Good looks will help you but a good mind is needed to reach your potential. Still it's nice that you're as handsome as ever. Gives this old lady something pleasant to look at." She laughed again then turned to look at Jong In when he stepped up beside Ye Jun and bowed his head in greeting. "Oh - Jong In, you came too! It's been such a long time since I last saw you two together here. You guys used to come by all the time, running around these stalls, doing errands for us and buying treats with the money we gave you." Her smile softened as she gazed as their bright faces. "I'm glad you two are still good friends. I remember when you were only about six years old, Ye Jun dropped his pancake and Jong In, like a little adult, asked me to cut his so that he could share it. Why don't you two have a pancake for old time's sake?"

"Oh then," Jong In said, fishing in his pockets for some change but Ye Jun beat him to it.

"Why would I take your money?" the woman chided, pushing away the money he held out to her.

He smiled charmingly. "Then just the one please. Can you cut it in half just like you did before?"

The older lady smiled and twittered on about old times as she handed them their food. They thanked her. Ye Jun handed Jong In his half as they said their goodbyes and continued shopping for the items on Jong In's list.

At some point Ye Jun began to lag slightly behind, watching as Jong In diligently selected his mother's groceries, checking to make sure that they were perfectly ripe for their intended use. There were not many students their age that Ye Jun knew who would spend their Saturday doing grocery shopping for their mom. But Jong In had always been like this, he reflected, responsible, reliable, and selfless ever since Ye Jun could remember. Though he had, until that moment, forgotten about the pancake incident, it had been one of the many times Jong In had displayed his selflessness even when Ye Jun had tried to knock his pancakes to the ground so that neither could have any. Jong In had responded simply by sharing his. Ye Jun had cried afterwards, having felt sorry for what he tried to do. And as always, Jong In had comforted him.

Ye Jun, still a few feet behind, watched his friend walk ahead of him, diligently focused on his task. Then suddenly, despite him being not even a foot away, Ye Jun missed him.

"Hey, Lee Jong In," he called out to him as Jong In paid for the final item on his list.

Jong In stopped and turned to look at him, a questioning look upon his face.

"Let's play today," Ye Jun said, his face serious and unmatching of his words. "Let's really play today, like we used to do, like we did when we were kids."

Jong In looked at him for a long moment and for some reason, Ye Jun started to feel nervous as though he would reject him. In the past, the idea of Jong In rejecting him would have never even entered his mind but now, he wasn't too sure. And that feeling that the distance between them was growing deepened. But then a moment later, Jong In gave him a small smile and Ye Jun let out his breath in relief. He shouldn't have been worried. This was Jong In after all and he loved him.

"Okay," Jong In replied finally, quietly, that small smile suddenly turning into one that Ye Jun did not recognize. It seemed kind of sad. "Let's play like we did when we were young."