Remember When

I Can't Erase Your Smile

"Tonight's the night, isn't it?"

Somin pressed her lips together. She was drinking coffee with Tae-hyung in his brand new office.

"I hope he just calls it off," she mumbled. Even though she had ramen with Woo-jin a night ago, he had been careful not to bring anything about their date and neither did she.

Tae-hyung leaned towards her, bracing his elbows on his desk. "I know you still love him, Somin."

She clenched her teeth and took a sip of her coffee to calm herself down. This was Tae-hyung. He was her friend. She knew he only meant well but didn't she already tell him to mind his own business?

"I don't," Somin finally said.

He sat back, looking unhappy with her. "That's a load of crap and we both know that. Remember when after we dated, you'd only last a month with those other guys? You never were serious with your relationships."

"That was because I want to focus on my career," she defended herself.

"But you already have it. You already have a stable job, your dream job. Yet you haven't dated anyone."

"You just told me I was a serial dater. I'm trying not to be anymore."

"What really happened, Somin?" Tae-hyung's voice was heavy with concern and his eyes were worried as they stared at her.

Her fingers started tap dancing around her mug.

"That night, what really happened?"

**********

Somin was breathless when she reached the apartment building. She stopped and bent down to take deep breaths. She was sweating, she knew, and she didn't want to be sweating like a pig when she sees Woo-jin. She needed to be pretty, wanted to be pretty when she finally confesses her love for him.

Her hands were trembling when she checked her make-up under the light of a lamp post. She was both nervous and excited. It didn't really hit her then that anything could go wrong, that he might not even be in the apartment, that he might be pining for Jisun or worse, that he might even reject her, no. She held quite a lot of faith in the works of serendipity tonight because after all these years of separating her and Woo-jin, it wouldn't refuse her this desire to be with him anymore, right?

But fate still didn't acquiesce.

Somin happened to glance up at Tae-hyung and Woo-jin's balcony.

Then her fingers loosened and her compact mirror fell as every inch of her body froze.

Woo-jin was standing on the balcony.

And in his arms was a girl.

Not Jisun but another girl.

She took a step back, shaking her head in disbelief.

Woo-jin was shirtless. The girl was wearing his jacket. They were talking and Woo-jin had the gentlest expression on his face, something she'd never seen in all the times they've spent together.

He led the girl back into the apartment. And that was when Somin finally was able to move.

Turning around, she brushed the tears that had fallen silently down her face and walked away.

Later, Tae-hyung would call her to ask if she went to see Woo-jin.

Later, she'd tell him she'd changed her mind and disconnected the call, never telling him why.

  **********  

"I went home..."Somin started to lie but was interrupted by Tae-hyung.

"You know your hands fidget when you lie."

Somin immediately put her hands down her lap.

"We've been friends far too long for me to know when you lie,"Tae-hyung went on. "And dating you made me more attuned to you than anyone else."

"Even Na-eun?" she smiled.

"Even your crazy best friend.And don't change the subject."

She looked at her hands. "I..."

"Tae-hyung, I have your reports — oh."

Thank heavens for Jiwoo.

"Duty calls."Somin instantly stood up. "See you later, Tae-hyung."

"Somin—"

She didn't know what expression she was wearing on her face but from the worried look on Jiwoo's face it must be bad. Nevertheless, Somin gave her a small smile as she walked past her and out of the office.