The New Beginning

The Hesitation

Deok Sun called Sun Woo as soon as she woke up, but he wouldn't tell her anything. He told her to talk to Taek instead. She hesitated and decided to take shower first before calling him. Taek picked up at the first ring.

"Deok Sun-ah?" the way he called her name never changed, even when they fought.

"Taek-ah, I'm sorry," Deok Sun didn't even know what she apologized for, but Taek made her felt like she was cheating on him and she didn't want him to think that way.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't shout to you."

"Are we going to talk about this?" she asked him and Taek didn't say anything for a while. He was hesitating and she would wait until he's ready to talk to her.

"Let's talk when you get back," Taek finally told her.

"Okay."

"You're going to take a bus?"

"Yes, I'll leave after this."

"Will you meet Jung Hwan there?"

Deok Sun didn't know what to say. The five of them wouldn't stop seeing each other even when they fought. Their relationship didn't work that way. They would see each other no matter what, like a family.

"You don't want me to?" Deok Sun finally asked him back, the safest option.

"No, go see him. It's fine," Taek didn't sound fine. Deok Sun sighed and Taek heard that. "He didn't do anything wrong. Don't avoid him."

"Okay," Deok Sun answered.

Her friend actually was going to marry a fighter pilot. Even the wedding would be held in the air base. She would see Jung Hwan even if Taek didn't want her to, but he didn't have to know about that.

"Call me when you get back to Seoul," Taek hung up the phone before she could say anything. Deok Sun scoffed and hung up the phone too.

She checked her watch, only an hour before her bus leave. She took her bag and put on her coat. She better get to the terminal on time.

...

Deok Sun arrived in Sacheon just before the wedding and called Jung Hwan from the bus terminal. It was so weird having to talk to a telephone operator before she can talk to him. He used to live upstair and she could go knock on his door anytime to talk to him.

"Halo?" Jung Hwan finally picked up the phone.

"Jung Pal-ah, it's Deok Sun," she told him and he was silent for a full ten seconds. God, this guy was a pro of making things awkward.

"Oh, what's up?" he finally recovered.

"I'm in Sacheon for a friend's wedding. The wedding is in the air base, so I thought I'll see you after that," she blurted everything out right away before she chickened out.

"Ooh..." he hesitated and Deok Sun almost died out of embarrassment. She was cursing herself in her mind. How dare she ask a guy whom she rejected to see her? Would it be too weird?

"You're friends with Jun Hee-ssi?" Jung Hwan finally asked her. Jun Hee was the bride and Deok Sun's classmate during her flight attendant training. They were assigned together for almost a year before she was reassigned to the domestic flights.

"Yes, you know her too?"

"The groom is my friend," Jung Hwan laughed. "I'm going to that wedding too."

"Really?" Deok Sun tried to laugh with him but she didn't sound like herself. Things are awkward between them before but never to this extent. Her fight with Taek only made it worse and Jung Hwan didn't even know about it.