~Chapter Song: Henry 'It's You'~
"Will you be my girlfriend? WILL you be my girlfriend? Will you be MY girlfriend? Will you BE my girlfriend? Ah what are you doing, you sound like an idiot!" A frustrated and nervous Seung-Ho was staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror of the restaurant he and So-Hyun were at trying to formulate a way to ask So-Hyun to be his girlfriend.
After she had left his house that night, he set out a date for the next weekend where he wanted to make things official between them. During the whole week he had been debating with himself on whether to ask or not, he didn't want to do it partly because their relationship was already a risky one and he somehow thought if they added a title to it, she would be even more burdened.
But he also wanted to ask her because he knows that So-Hyun is also a woman and he wanted to make sure she knew he was all hers officially.
He had it all planned out in his head; candle-lit dinner, a little wine and romantic music to top it off. But the closer the day came the more nervous he got and the more he realised that all that wasn't So-Hyun's style.
"Google said it would work on anyone though" He muttered, fixing his hair in the mirror.
But then again Google doesn't know So-Hyun like I do.
He walked back into the private room that he had booked for them and took another moment to look at the beauty in front of him. She was wearing a black lace dress with her hair bone straight and lips lathered in red lipstick, enticing him. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" He asked approaching the table.
"Yes, about ten times already" She said making fun of him.
"Ah, is that so" He said giving a nervous smile, "Well it's true"
"Thank you"
"So-Hyun-ah, do you know that?" He started, trying to gather his words into something understandable.
"What?"
"Do you know why we want who we want?" He asked, his attention now fixed on the steak in front of him. "Attraction can creep up on us unexpectedly, and we think that we have no dominion or control over who we like purely based on the idea that someone is good looking. But that's not true"
"We can actually overcome any form of attraction at first sight, just look at you. I'm sure you were attracted to me at first but forced yourself not to give in" He said with a smirk, carefully looking at her reaction.
"Wrong, I really wasn't attracted to you" she said with a smile.
"Anyway" He continued brushing it off, "The real determiner is the chemistry between two people, it's all biology, looks can only get you so far, so-"
"Seonsaengnim" So-Hyun cut him off with a little laugh
"Hmm?"
"Am I taking Psych101 or am I on a date?" Her eyes staring at him in amusement.
"Ah sorry"
"No, I like it, but you seem different today, like you're nervous" she observed.
"Ah really, was it that obvious?"
"Seonsaengnim, what do you really want to say?"
"So-Hyun-ah, I've probably thought of about a thousand ways I could ask you this question and I still failed to find one. I'm carefully falling in love with you and I don't know how you'll take it, you don't even have to give me an answer but I just- "
"Seonsaengnim, what is it that you want to say" So-Hyun asked carefully, taking his hands in hers.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" There, I said it.
So-Hyun let out a sigh of relief, at least it wasn't the question she thought he was trying to ask. Holding his hand tighter she teased him, "Seonsaengnim, why is it that you lose your cool around me? It's a relief that I get to be the only one to see you like this"
"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend". She grinned and watched as he pulled out a silver pendant necklace from his pocket and placed it in her hands.
"Seonsaengnim" Her eyes widened in surprise
"In this secret that we've both entangled ourselves in, I'll be your safe haven. When I'm not with you, you can speak to that necklace and think of it as me knowing that you're not alone. I know it's a bit corny, but I genuinely mean it, I'm serious about you" He whispered with nervous eyes.
"Seonsaengnim..."
"I'll always be on your side" He added.
"Thank you" Words couldn't form how she felt, perhaps it was a combination of being touched and coming to the realisation that this was all real.
^^^^
The next morning So-Hyun stood in front of her mirror staring at the necklace Seung-Ho had given her. This was the first present she'd ever gotten from someone that wasn't her mother or brother and rubbing it softly she spoke to it. "Seonsaengnim, I'm not quite sure what love is yet, but because of you... Because of Seonsaengnim, I think I'm getting closer to finding out".
She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her mum calling for her. Approaching the bottom of the stairs, she saw her mother sat by the kitchen table with legs crossed and arms folded waiting for her.
"Mum, you called?"
"Sit down" Her mother said eyes following So-Hyun as she moved carefully to sit in front of her.
"W-what's wrong? What's with the mood, you're scaring me" So-Hyun said half-joking but scanning over hundreds of things she could have done this past week to upset her mother. Did I forget to defrost the meat?
"You" Her mother started "You're dating someone aren't you?" Her mother questioned, now smiling at her daughter.
"Huh?" was her response, flustered by the question. How does she know?
"So-Hyun-ah, I'm your mother it's called instincts every mother in the world has it and mine's telling me that you've got someone" she teased "Who is he? Is he good looking?"
"Mum! S-stop, I-I'm not dating anyone"
"Then w-why d-d-do you keep s-stuttering" Her mother probed further, teasing her "You can't hide it from me. My daughter, the most anti-social being in all of Seoul has suddenly started going out and made a new friend, staying out later than usual... and even sleep talking about love"
Sleep talking?! So-Hyun's eyes widened
"Ha! I was just testing you but judging by your reaction there must be someone. Is it Jin-Goo? Well he's a nice kid, a little dopey, but cute"
"Mum!"
"What?"
"It's not Jin-Goo" So-Hyun confessed
"So, there is someone! My instincts never fail me, so who is he? Don't worry I'm not going to ask you to introduce him... yet. It's okay to date So-Hyun-ah" Her mother grinned "I'm not asking you to get married or anything, I just want to make sure that you're happy"
Her mother walked to sit down by So-Hyun's side "Are you happy?"
"... I'm happy" she replied leaning into her mother's arms.
"Then that's all that matters."
"He's... He's also a little older" She confessed again
"Well, that's not a problem I guess. But he's not an Ahjussi right?" Her mum asked now peering at her daughter.
"No" So-Hyun said giving her mum a small smile "He's six years older..."
"Well... that's not bad. A lot of boys go to the army in the middle of their degree so I guess it's expected".
"He's" He's also my professor.
As So-Hyun looked into her mother's excited eyes she couldn't bring herself to say it knowing it would shatter every idea that she had about her daughter's first relationship. At least she didn't lie about one thing. She really was happy with Professor Seung-Ho, happier than she'd ever expected to be with him.
"He's a really nice guy" she finished
"I'm happy to hear that".
So-Hyun started to make her way upstairs but stopped halfway when her phone buzzed.
Jin-Goo:
>Come outside
"Outside?" she muttered in confusion.
So-Hyun:
>Outside where? My house?
Jin-Goo:
>Duh
So-Hyun climbed back downstairs and when she opened the door she saw Jin-Goo by her front gate holding a coffee and what she hopes was her favourite blueberry muffin.
"An apology for last week" He said waving the goods in a puppy-like manner.
So-Hyun pretended to ponder over it, knowing fully well she had nothing to forgive him for. He didn't need to be sorry, they were both weird that day and she could tell that the talk about his halmeoni had sparked something in him so like he promised, he'd tell her when he was ready. "So... is that blueberry?" So-Hyun asked directing her head towards the bag he was holding.
"Unfortunately, not, but they had the next best thing – Apple and Cinnamon" He said walking closer to the door.
"Well... I guess that'll do" She said and they both broke into laughter.
"I'm sorry" He said now sticking his bottom lip out.
"Don't do that" she said covering her eyes in pretend disgust.
"Why? But I look really cute" He joked
This was what So-Hyun missed, the Jin-Goo she had met last week wasn't the one she was familiar with. She doesn't know who the real Jin-Goo is yet, but she's willing to accept him for the goof he is.
"Do you want to come in? My brother keeps pestering me, saying how he was going to beat you this time"
Jin-Goo laughed "Yah, where's that little rascal, I'll let him know who his Hyeong is tonight" So-Hyun laughed, rolling her eyes.
Boys.
"But I have something I want to talk to you about first, could you spare some time?" He asked, still apprehensive about exactly how he was going to explain everything to So-Hyun, all he knew was that he wanted to start from somewhere.
"Sure, where are we going?" So-Hyun chirped
"You'll see when we get there" Jin-Goo smiled.
They had spent approximately an hour on the bus, quietly following Jin-Goo as he led her to their destination. When So-Hyun inspected her surroundings, she started to realise where they were.
"Oppa... Why are we here?"
"So-Hyun-ah, I'm sorry, I've not been telling you the truth?" He confessed. So-Hyun who had already figured this out, didn't show any sign of surprise, their little discussion at the coffee shop can attest to that. What she did want to know, however, was why he brought her to a cemetery.
"Here" He pointed to the two burial plaques in front of them and said, "This is where my parents are" So-Hyun's eyes scanned the words written on the headstones over and over again,
Yeo Jang-Seok & Kang Bit-Na
Died 20th February 2010
Loving Parents, Dutiful children and loved by all
R.I.P
"Oppa..." She stopped because she didn't know what to say, but deep down she knew that saying nothing at all could sometimes be the best comfort you could give someone else. When her father had died at a young age all she wanted was people to stop telling her how everything was going to be okay and how she had to be strong for her mum, she just wanted to be comforted by silence.
"Eight years ago, on the day we were supposed to graduate and move onto Middle School I woke up to the sound of the police at my door letting me know that my parents had been in a car accident" He was now kneeling before his parents "My mother was the first to go, she died instantly. They said that my father had managed to survive and was hospitalised, but he couldn't make it" He paused and continued when he saw So-Hyun's shadow lower to mirror his position. "They wouldn't even let me see him"
She remembered now, he was the only one out of their elementary class that didn't make it to school on the final day of and everyone kept asking her where he was because they were desk buddies. "Oppa, I'm so sorry"
"Why would you be sorry for something you didn't even know" He nudged her, letting her know that he was okay "Remember I told you I was going fishing with my father that one time? That wasn't a complete lie. Even though he wasn't there with me in the physical, I carried his picture with me and I still go whenever I really miss him"
"My... halmeoni" the word leaving a sour taste in his mouth "She isn't as nice of a person as she probably pretended to be" She's more dangerous than you can imagine "So you mustn't fall for anything she says and if she approaches you next time you should tell me okay?" He now turned to her eyes very serious.
So-Hyun didn't fully understand Jin-Goo's incomplete story, but she didn't want to pry because there must be a reason why he isn't telling her everything. She trusted him, so if he said to be careful she was going to damn well listen and be careful. She gave him a small smile to tell him she heard him and proceeded to give her greetings to his parents.
"Oppa, do you remember the words you said to me that time?" She asked "It's okay to cry because you're allowed to. You don't have to pretend to be strong in front of others or me of all people. I'll be your mirror, you can look at me and show me all the sides of you that you don't want anyone else to see"
"I won't judge you. Just like you promised to never leave me, I too won't leave Oppa. I pinkie promise" she peered up at him and stuck her little finger out, she waited for him to hook his own finger and when he did, they both smiled.
^^^^
"Cheaters never prosper"
"I did not cheat, I just bent the rules a little"
"You cheated" He deadpanned with arms folded
"You call it cheating, I call it strategising" She countered
They'd been sat on the floor of Seung-Ho's living room playing Scrabble for the past two hours and Seung-Ho was sure that So-Hyun had cheated during the time he went to the bathroom.
"So, you admit it!" The corner of his lips forming a smirk
"Do you have any evidence?" She rebutted
"I haven't got evidence... But I have a way of getting you to confess" he said, eyes now narrowed at his girlfriend.
"Give it your best shot" she said all too confidently, but her eyes soon started to waver as she saw Seung-Ho go on all fours, slowly approaching her.
Gulp.
He prowled towards her, like he was a lion and she was his prey. "Are you sure you didn't cheat? This is your last chance"
"S-seonsaengnim, what are you going to do?" She asked, shuffling back a little.
"1" He counted
"2"
She had shuffled all the way back until the back of her head hit his sofa.
"3" He made his attack and started to tickle her mercilessly.
"Seonsaengnim stop!" So-Hyun squealed in between laughs
"Nope" Seung-Ho replied "I warned you"
"Okay, okay I give in"
"Uh-uh, what do you say?" Still tickling her
"Okay, okay I cheated, I- I reshuffled the letter tiles whilst y-you were gone" she admitted and felt instant relief when he immediately stopped tickling her. She looked up at him to see him smirking and she narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
"I told you, cheaters never prosper" His tone too smug for her liking.
So-Hyun who couldn't stand the proud look on her boyfriend's face, finally caught her breath and leaned a little closer to him. She smirked as she saw his eyes drift to her lips and catching him off guard she tickled him back. "Payback" she said, enjoying this way more than she needed to. So-Hyun clearly didn't know how petite she was because before she knew it his hands dropped to her waist and pulled her in closer so that their noses were almost touching.
"Let's play again" He offered as So-Hyun carefully climbed off him she nodded in acceptance. No cheating this time.
That same afternoon, So-Hyun had asked Seung-Ho to buy the ingredients she would need to cook them lunch and laughed when he responded with 'My kitchen is your kitchen... Unless you burn it down, then there's no kitchen at all'.
Her culinary skills were quite sharp from years of cooking for her and her brother when their mother had to work extra shifts. Her lunch menu was kimchi jjigae, because it seemed like Seung-Ho had been used to foreign dishes, which she'd had enough of if she was honest. Over dinner they had talked about how they wanted to go on dates that weren't confined to his house, not that she hated it because spending time with him was great wherever and whenever. But she couldn't help but want to date normally like others do, however they both couldn't deny that they weren't in any ordinary relationship and so didn't have the liberties to do so.
"Hey, how about we go out of Seoul for a day before next semester?" He suggested "That way we won't have to be too worried about running into people that we know?"
So-Hyun pondered over the idea, because it did sound enticing.
"We could call it our three month-iversary..." He added in hopes of persuading her.
"Hmm... okay, but where should we go?" she asked
"Since there's not long left of summer, should we go to the beach before the new semester starts?"
"Sounds good! I haven't been to the beach in... forever" she laughed, because the only time she could remember was when her dad was around but even that memory is quickly fading.
^^^^
In the day trip to the beach the following week, they had both woken up very early as they needed to get to the underground station early. They had decided that Seung-Ho would be the first to leave giving a 30-minute gap so that he would be ready waiting for So-Hyun. She decided to wear a pair of white shorts, that showed of her slender legs and a black t-shirt with a love heart in the middle. Her black cap was contrasting with her white sandals and looking back on it now, it probably wasn't the best idea to wear white if she was going to be anywhere near sand.
Despite almost getting the wrong train, she managed to meet up with Seung-Ho and they took a taxi from the station to the beach. As soon as she stepped out of the vehicle So-Hyun spread her arms out to bask in the sun, loving the warmth it brought her. Soon she felt Seung-Ho wrap his arms around her and it was then that she realised that the sun couldn't even compare to the warmth she felt being in the embrace of this man.
He was hotter than the sun and she was basking in his heat.
She turned around so that she was facing him and gave him a sneaky smile, before running off into the sea. Seung-Ho, who now learned that So-Hyun loved to play this cat and mouse chase game, fully obliged and took after her.
The sun had set, and night had fallen, both lay on the beach with hands intertwined listening to the crashing of the waves. Seung-Ho turns his head and stares at So-Hyun whose eyes are now closed, gently placing a blanket over her and he just stares at her. Her beauty never ceases to amaze him, and he still can't believe that she said yes to him.
I'm so lucky he thought.
He reflects on the day he first saw her, her petite yet innocent form walking into his class late. The corners of his mouth curl into a smile at the very memory. He lifts the hand that isn't holding So-Hyun and brushes off the loose curls around her face. He pauses when he feels So-Hyun place her hand on top of his and she opens her eyes to turn to him.
"Seonsaengnim" she called, voice raspy
"Thank you" she gave him a small smile, which he happily returned.
They were both so enamoured in their staring contest that they couldn't hear the sound coming from behind them.
Click.
.
.
Click.
A/N - Thank you for reading :D