A/N: surprise! Double update tonight ❤️
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Jin Ah didn't think she would find herself in this situation -- by the threshold of her front door, facing her ex-boyfriend hoping that the man would finish his monologue.
She couldn't help but realize how things have changed. There was a time when she wished for this exact thing to happen. For him to appear and beg her to come back to him.
Yet, here she was now pissed off about getting what she used to pray about.
"I still love you. I've known it for awhile but I just didn't want to give up on the relationship but it's really not for me. You're the one for me," Chul-soo was saying. "I've been telling you this for a while now. You know it's true."
Did I really fall for this crap before? How could I think him showing up after I explicitly told him he wasn't welcome is romantic? Jin Ah was thinking.
What is he saying? He's known for awhile that his relationship was wrong... was that with me? Or with his next girlfriend? I honestly do not care. Isn't he done?! Jin-woo is waiting for me!
"Chul-soo, I really have to go," Jin Ah said. She tried to step out but the man blocked her way. The first time he did that, they ended up in this situation because there was no way she was letting him in her place. He only caught her when she was about to leave to meet Jin-woo.
"I'll go with you."
"No," Jin Ah said. When he insisted and stepped closer, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't. One more step and I will twist your arm."
In her mind, she thanked Jin-woo for enrolling them both in self-defence lessons and insisted that she take the special course for women to learn to protect themselves.
Jin-woo.
She had to smile at the thought of him. She needed to see him now.
Pulling the door close, she started walking. "I have to be somewhere. You've already made me late. Please leave."
But Chul-soo's next question stopped her in her tracks. "Does he love you?"
She whipped around. "What?"
"Does he love you like I love you?"
Jin Ah scoffed, annoyed that he would dare compare himself to Jin-woo. "No, thank god! He respects my boundaries. If I tell him I am not in the mood to see him, he honors that. He's honest. He tells me when I've crossed the line or if I'm not doing something right. He's kind to me and to everyone and makes me want to be a good person, too, because he's been broken and yet he still wants to spread goodness in this world. He met me when I was at my most imperfect state... but he stayed. So no, he doesn't love me like you did because he is much much better. I don't even know if he loves me at all. But..."
I love him.
I love Jin-woo.
It was the first time she admitted it but she did not want to say it to Chul-soo. Jin-woo might be in love with someone else and she might not have the chance to tell him, but she did not want those beautiful words to be tarnished by having Chul-soo be the first witness to it.
So, looking at her ex for hopefully the last time, she said, "I have to go."
Then, she ran out and headed to her car.
"Please wait for me," Jin Ah thought.
But fate had other plans and her car stalled then died. Popping the hood, she saw the problem immediately. Unfortunately, she needed additional parts that she couldn't get quickly. Taking her phone, she dialled Jin-woo's number. "Hi!"
"Hey there. I'm here. Where are you?"
Jin Ah told him the issue she encountered. "I can call the towing company but I have to wait for them until they get here before I could meet you."
"Where are you?" he asked. When he found out exactly where she was, he said, "There's a coffee shop nearby. If the tow truck arrives before I do, I'll meet you at the coffee shop. If not, I'll meet you on the street."
As she waited by her car, she thought about the conversation she needed to have with Jin-woo. She would let him speak first, she decided and if she was sure that he was happy, then she would keep her feelings for him a secret. If he fell in love with that person, then she must be lovely because if there was anything she knew about Jin-woo it was that he was a good judge of character.
Still, things would have to change and she would have to distance herself because that was the right thing to do when someone was in a relationship. She would be okay, she knew that much, but she would miss how things are.
But she wanted him to be happy and she would be okay with this.
But maybe she'd cry a little.
As tears came unbidden, she tried to distract herself by looking around. There were students laughing with their friends, people out on dates, others on the phone still doing business while others rushing to catch the bus home, and a handsome pirate walking towards her.
Wait.
What?
Jin Ah straightened to stare at the pirate, who had a worried look in his face, briskly walking toward where she was standing. Women of all ages were gazing up at his tall frame -- some were in admiration and others were just curious.
"Jin Ah!" he called out and ran the last few steps to her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." Taking in his costume, she asked, "What is this?"
His worry now replaced with some embarrassment. "I had this whole script about the first time fate brought us together," he said, bashfully. "I thought that being in this costume would drive home my point."
"And what point is that?" she asked, her eyes smiling up at him, her heart feeling inexplicably light.
"That I'm the one for you," he said. "Fate gave us a nudge a few times when we crossed paths after respective break ups. But, after that, we chose to stay friends and be in each other's lives. Being away on the trip made me confront what I've known for quite awhile now."
"Which is?"
"Like I said, things have changed." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I've fallen in love with you. If you're not yet ready, I'd wait. I... just can't keep it in anymore."
"Me? You're in love with me?"
"Yes. I'm sorry I kept you hanging on the phone but I didn't want to tell you while I was away," he said. "And I wasn't sure I could get this costume on time."
Jin Ah laughed, the painful knot in her chest earlier finally untangling. "So, you're telling me you wouldn't have confessed to me if you didn't have a costume."
He thought about it. "I would have but it wouldn't have been this memorable, don't you think?"
She laughed again. "You do realize the fates helped us out again. It broke my car so that your confession would have maximum impact."
Jin-woo's face lit up. "Oh, that's right!" After a short pause, he asked, "So, do you think you could give me a chance? I still can't fix a car but I think I'd have other skills to offer."
Years ago, she wished the same thing for him — that he would be given a chance by the woman he loved. Today, he was asking her same thing.
To be given a chance.
By her.
"I don't need to think about it," she said. Leaning closer, she wrapped her arms around his waist which was made difficult because of the bulky costume. "I thought you were going to tell me you met someone and I was preparing myself to keep this for a really long time."
Resting her chin on his chest, she whispered, "I'm in love with you."
"You are?" Jin-woo asked, surprised. "Are you sure?!"
Jin Ah pulled back. "Do you want me to say no? I could change my mind!"
"No, it's just... really? You love me?"
"Yes! Only because I just found out you're cute as a pirate," she teased. Later, she would tell him everything— how she thought she had to stay away, how there were obstacles to their meet up and how she knew that she was desperately in love with him, too. For now, she leaned in closer. "Now, are you going to kiss me or what?"
Jin-woo chuckled and inched closer and closer to her until, someone tapped him. "Ummm excuse me? Is this the car that needs to be towed?"