Chaeyoung’s POV
“Finally! I’m done.” I cheered after keeping all the empty boxes in the storage. I just finished unpacking all my stuffs.
Now I can finally take a stroll outside. Yay!
Since I landed back in Korea this morning, I’ve been itching to wander around. But I was too jet lagged to go anywhere. So I spent the rest of the morning dozing off on my comfortable bed. Then I used up all my time in the afternoon to unpack my things.
There’s not much to unpack since my apartment was fully furnished. And when I flew here a month ago to look for an apartment in advance, I made sure that everything was left in proper order. But the perfectionist in me won’t allow things to be half-done. So I consumed my time doing menial yet comforting tasks, at least for me.
I walked around my neighborhood, trying to familiarize myself with the nearby establishments. It’s a different area from where I used to live before my family migrated to Australia. But I’m pretty sure that many things must have changed in this place within the seven years that I’ve been out of the country. So I wanted to know what were in my surroundings, especially the restaurants.
Voila! It’s a diner. And I bet they’re selling good food. Its striking exterior better not be deceptive.
I happily went inside the diner. I was greeted with the appealing aroma spread throughout the place. Then I walked to an empty table. It was near the door leading to the kitchen. I was given a menu by the waiter right after I sat down. Everything looked delicious that I was starting to feel myself drooling in anticipation. I ordered a clubhouse sandwich with fries and pink lemonade.
I was not disappointed at all when my food arrived. It already looked appetizing in first glance so my expectation heightened as I was taking a bite of my sandwich. I couldn’t deny the satisfaction I was feeling with my dinner. I could even already see myself frequenting this place in the near future.
And I was enjoying my dinner, way too much, that I belatedly noticed a man in a chef’s uniform looking at me. He was standing by the kitchen door with one hand resting over his mouth, looking surprised. His other hand was holding his phone directed at me.
Is he taking a video of me? Or . . . paranoid much? Why would he do that? I don’t even know the guy.
So I continued finishing my food. But I couldn’t help turning my back to the man.
When I noticed him going back to the kitchen from the corner of my eye, I sat more comfortably and went on eating my food, shutting out any more distraction.
Then I hurried outside after paying for my food. It was already getting dark and I wished I told the girls that I was back in Korea. But the thought of surprising them was more exciting. I told them I’d be back two days later than my actual arrival. And I was planning to surprise them tomorrow during lunch. They were all working in one company, the same company that I would start working for in the next few days.
The company was a women’s magazine called EVE. Jisoo, the one who recruited me, was the Editor-in-chief. Jennie was a fashion editor and Lisa was a professional photographer. And I would be a writer for a column called, Love like Ours. It would feature stories about different kind of relationships.
Back when we were in high school, the four of us dreamed of creating our own company. But we promised that if we fell short of that dream, we should all be working in the same company at the very least. And the three of them had been bugging me for years after they all managed to work in EVE about three or four years ago.
Oh! Is that . . .
I ran to a stall selling all kinds of newspapers and magazines. I picked the current issue of EVE and looked at the cover admiringly. I smiled knowing that my friends were a few of the people responsible for its gorgeous cover. When I put the magazine back in the rack, something caught my eye.
My hand hovered over it before I decided to pick it up. It was a business magazine. Their current issue was featuring ten of the most aspiring public relations specialists in the country. But my eyes were zooming in on the face of only one person. It was Jeon Jungkook, the man who had been living in my dreams for the past couple of years.
He was looking fine. In fact, he was looking too fine that I envied the woman standing next to him.
If only . . .
“You okay Chaeng?” Jisoo asked.
She asked me that question for about five times already since she came together with Lisa and Jennie to see me off. It was a school day but they didn’t attend their classes just to spend my remaining couple of hours in Korea together. We even had a sleepover in my house last night with the four of us sleeping in my room.
We were childhood friends who lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same school since kindergarten. Jisoo and Jennie were only ahead of me and Lisa since they were older for a few years. And the four of us eventually became each other’s best friends.
We hadn’t been separated since so this was all our first time. We already cried our eyes out last night after spending almost the entire night reminiscing the fun times we spent together. We knew each other very well, keeping no secrets from each other.
And that’s where I’m guilty of. I was keeping this secret from them for so long. It was about my longtime crush, Jeon Jungkook. I didn’t actually intend to hide it from them but it just happened to be so. I didn’t realize that I already liked him since three years ago when we were on our last year of high school. But at that time the whole school was shipping him and Lisa together after they paired for a dance number.
The dance was intended for a school presentation where our homeroom teachers picked one student per class. Lisa and Jungkook only happened to be paired together. But even I myself couldn’t deny that the two of them looked good together when they were dancing.
Lisa seemed to be indifferent about the whole thing. But I can’t feel the same. It hurt my fragile young heart to like someone who was paired to none other than my best friend. So I, obviously, chose to get over my crush despite my struggle in doing so.
I did not tell anyone about Jungkook until recently. The only good thing that resulted from Lisa being continuously paired with Jungkook back in high school was that I became friends with Jungkook as well. And we became closer when we enrolled in the same major during college, Communications.
Jungkook and I talked more often than usual. We were texting and calling each other until we eventually started hanging out. And the girls began to suspect something going on between us to which I kept on denying because Jungkook had not mentioned anything. Nor did he show any other motive than just wanting to be friends with me.
But a few months ago when he was sending me home after we had snacks after class, he held my hand as we walked down the street to my house. I was shocked but it was a thrilled kind of shock. We walked in silence and ever so slowly. That was the longest 20-meter walk of my life. Then we bid goodbyes by barely looking each other in the eye.
I was giddy until I heard the heartbreaking news from Dad that same night. He told us that we were migrating in Australia in a few months so we needed to prepare everything. I was left in complete confusion. I was happy for Dad because he finally landed his dream job. But I was in misery for myself. Right after I found a flicker of hope for my feelings for Jungkook, it was instantly crushed down without giving me a chance to even celebrate my small victory.
With that in mind, I slowly detached myself from Jungkook. I didn’t want to start anything with him only to break his heart in the end. I might have been too assuming but it wasn’t possible for me to not be bothered since it was Jungkook.
And Jisoo cornered me last week to confront me about Jungkook. She got worried when she started noticing how I was avoiding Jungkook at all cost for the last couple of weeks. So I told her everything. And she tried to convince me to think twice about not telling Jungkook my real situation. But I was already set in my decision.
If only I did not leave like that.
I silently wished I did things differently. Heaving a deep sigh as I placed the magazine back down, I listlessly turned around to continue my evening stroll.
My mind was still racing back to Jungkook. His fine-looking face was etched to my mind that I can’t seem to think of anything else but him. I saw him in every corner and in each and every man’s face that I came across. And I stopped to look every time. I knew I was only hallucinating but I wanted to see him so bad that I wished I wasn’t.
Now I’m seeing him right in front of me. He was standing about five meters from me. Then I saw myself running in full speed to greet him with a tight embrace. It was one of my many fantasies. I had always hoped to do that when I saw him again. I’d hug him so tight he won’t be able to breathe. But I knew I couldn’t because I was too shameful to even show him my face.
But that isn’t him. Why don’t you give it a try? Hug him tightly and imagine that it was Jungkook himself.
I cannot do that. It’s a stranger.
That’s exactly why you’re doing it. You don’t know him so you can just apologize and walk away right after.
But . . .
You know you’re considering it. So go ahead before you change your mind.
AND the screw became loose. I was becoming a complete delusional by engaging in a conversation with myself. But I was right, I was highly considering it. So it’s now or never.
I did run to him in full speed, thinking of seeing Jungkook’s face on this man who was looking surprised as I got near him. I smiled while looking at how realistic his expressions were. He was wearing the same kind of shocked look on his face, exactly like Jungkook’s.
Adorable.
I felt as if I was actually running to Jungkook himself. My heart was beating erratically that I was afraid it would flew off to pretend Jungkook before I reached him myself.
Is this how running to Jungkook will feel like? I love it!
I felt happy and carefree, thinking of nothing else but the need to be in Jungkook’s warm embrace. In a split second, I encircled my arm around his waist and buried my face against his chest. Then I adjusted my head to turn sideways while keeping my eyes closed.
I was getting short of breath from the run until I evened my breathing together with his. Surprisingly, his heart was beating the same way with mine when I hugged him. Then he began breathing calmly at the same time with me.
But I was more surprised when I started to feel his arms going around me. He was hugging me as tightly as I did. And I was starting to enjoy our hug until I remembered the real situation we were in.
I was about to push him away when he spoke.
“It is really you.”
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So . . . what do you think? This plot had been on my mind for quite sometime now and I'm glad that I get to write it, finally. Yay! 😊😄
Please vote and leave comments.👌
And my apologies in advance because I'm not sure if I can update this book as much as I did on my previous ones because the plot is still all over the place. But I will try my best. 'Til the next update! 😘
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