The New Beginning

The Truth

December 1995

Deok Sun woke up at the sound of bell and checked her clock. God, how long has she been sleeping? She got up immediately and felt a sharp pain in her head. This damn jet lag.

She's been assigned on the flights to London for a month now and the jet lag was terrible. She had trouble sleeping and massive headache every other days.

The bell rang once again. She walked to the door while massaging her head. Taek stood in front of her door when she opened it, frowning.

"Sorry, I was asleep," Deok Sun smiled weakly. She kept massaging her head and walked to the kitchen. She made herself some tea while Taek sat on the couch, watching her.

"You have a headache?" he asked.

"Yes, because of the jet lag," she answered.

"Take some painkiller," he told her. Deok Sun scoffed. She wouldn't go anywhere near painkiller except when she had no other choice. She could get addicted like Taek did.

"I'm not you," she said, rolling her eyes. Taek frowned again.

Deok Sun took her tea and sat beside him. She turned on the television. Speed was airing and she decided to watch it.

"Did you eat?" Taek asked.

"No, I just woke up," she answered.

"Do you want to eat something?" Taek stood up and check her refrigerator.

"There's nothing there," she told him.

"Do you want me to buy you some food?" Taek asked.

"Sure," Deok Sun nodded her head without even turning her head, still admiring Keanu Reeves on the screen.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Anything's fine. Just buy something close," she wasn't too hungry anyway.

"Or do you want to eat outside?" he asked again.

"But I want to watch this," Deok Sun finally looked at him, pouting. Taek laughed and nodded.

"Okay, I'll buy you something," Taek walked to the door right away.

"Taek-ah, just buy jajangmyun downstair," she told him. That jajangmyun restaurant downstair was her favourite, too bad they didn't deliver. Deok Sun always told Taek to buy it for her if she felt too lazy to go.

"I got it," Taek answered before he got out. Deok Sun realized he didn't put on his coat and she just shrugged her shoulder. It was just downstair, he wouldn't be too cold.

She's been dating Taek for a year now, her longest relationship yet. Nothing really changed since before they started dating and at this point, she didn't know if it was a good thing or the opposite.

Taek was comfortable. He accepted everything and she didn't have to pretend to be something she wasn't. It just wasn't as exciting as she thought a relationship should be, like relationships she read in novels or watched in films. Sometime she envied them. Meeting new guys, getting all excited on their first date, worrying about their second date. She never really experienced that.

She could guess everything with Taek. Nothing ever really surprised her. She knew he loved her and never doubted him for a second. She knew it was something to be happy about. Her friends always scolded her when she whined about it.

Yah, be grateful that he loves you that much. I would do anything to meet a boyfriend like yours.

Is it something to be envy about, though? She sighed, annoyed at herself for even thinking that way. She focused on Keanu Reeves again, trying to shake out those thoughts.