Jiwon scoffed, pressing his lips together, he don't want to be that love sick person, he used to hate those kind of people. But love happened.
He was struggling when he drives home, trying to not open the box of shoes Lisa designed when she's thinking about him. Thinking about him. And when he got inside his apartment unit, he did nothing but sliding into the floor, impatiently pulling the box off the paper bag, and open the lid of the shoe box.
Jiwon admiring the line of the perfect black with yellow swosh Air Jordan, the swosh of logo that changed into hangul of Han-kook or Korea. He went to the back detail and found line of Korean currency icon, ₩.
He studied the leather, the lace, the sole.
In the sole he found the J from Jordan along with big ₩.
J.W.?
J.Won?
Jiwon???
He gasped. His eyes hurt from trying not to be some lame people who easily crying from such silly event.
"Damn it, Jiwon, he made a limited edition Nike Jordan with your fucking name on it! Damn!!!"
he took his cellphone, pressing Lisa's number.
"Hello?" Lisa picked up.
"Lisa..."
"Yes, Jiwon...?"
"I saw the shoes."
She paused, "h-how is it?"
"I—" he gulped, "I don't know what to say..."
"Do you like the color? I mean... I took the safest color... that might be the reason why I didn't win the summer camp." She snorts, "you should see the color of that Phillipines dude, he made it like—"
"I love—" you , Lisa, I love you! "it..."
"Oh." Lisa paused. "Thank God."
"And uh... is it just me or, this Jordan and Won symbol on the sole..."
"It's your name." Lisa said.
"Ah, I see..." he chuckled.
They left a moment not saying anything, pieces of hearts that once shattered are back into the place.
"Thank you..." Jiwon whispers.
"Hey," Lisa said, "I'm sorry..."
"What for?"
"For choosing not to trust you..." Lisa said, "for choosing to hurt you..."
"Lisa, no..." Jiwon said, "I was the one to blame, and you're just, just being a normal human being."
"Why you have to be so sweet?" she chuckles.
"You made me like this." He caresses the shoes. "I can't wait to see you this weekend."
"Me too..."
+
"Jennie..."
Jennie startled to see Hanbin standing before her. She immediately stand off and trying to leave.
"I'm not gonna eat breakfast forever if you stop sending me food!"
Jennie stops.
Seriously, Hanbin, is that the best you can say now?
"Really?" she asked.
Hanbin nodded.
Jennie weakly smiles, "Hanbin, come on... don't make it hard for me."
Hanbin handed her the note she wrote, "You said you're in a good term with Chaerin noona, then why you're leaving?"
"Because..." her mind flew to the day when Chaeirn came to the boutique.
-
It was all coincidence, Chaerin was as stunned as Jennie when their eyes met, but then she told Jennie to sit with her, and she began to talk. First she told Jennie that Hanbin went to see his mother, it was the first time after years he decided to get rid of any rage occupied his heart and forgive his mother. Before leaving, Hanbin went to Chaerin's house and talk to her and Jiyong.
"I wanted to forgive anyone," he said, "but I want to forgive myself more than anything, I want to forgive myself for being pathetic, for blaming others when I got pebbles on my way. I want to forgive her..."
Jennie still remember how Chaerin reach for her hand, "if Hanbin open his heart bigger to forgive you, maybe I should too."
-
Hanbin stepped forward and it drew her back to present.
"I met my mother..." he said.
Jennie lift her head. Her eyes wet.
"She cried a river... and then I realized that, I missed her."
Tear falls from Jennie's eyes.
"I know your past, and you know mine too... we're just two people with a bending heart, but it's not broken Jen, and I hope we can fix it... with trust."
Jennie inhaled, "I'm afraid that you won't see me as the same person anymore, Bin..."
"I'd still see you as the Jennie I knew, maybe even better... because now you're simpler." He smiles, "I don't have to worry about how much money I should have to buy you those luxurious things, because you look good in jeans and unbranded sweater like this."
Jennie can't help but smiling.
"And thank God you have a pretty face... I don't think you need make ups."
She squints her eyes, "don't even think about me giving up on make ups!"
Hanbin chuckles. "Now please comeback and promise me to make sure I have my breakfast every morning."
"Are you serious? Do I really have to come across the city to get you food every morning?"
"Ah... so you didn't do it sincerely, did you? I knew it..."
"No, Hanbin, I did it with my whole heart, but I have exams waiting, and—"
"Then stay with me."
"Huh?"
"You're welcome to stay with me as long as you want."
"You mean..." Jennie clears her throat, "you want me to move in?"
"You can pay rent or sleep on the couch." Hanbin shrugged.
Jennie bite her lip, "can I not paying rent and sleep in the bedroom if I cook you breakfast everyday?"
"Hmm..." Hanbin rubbed his chin, "I can consider it..."
+
The weekend Jiwon and Lisa been waiting for is one of the best day for them, it was filled with honest conversation, when Jiwon hold her hands for the first time after months of suffer, it feels like miracle do happen.
These are hands I'll never let go.
She changed him so much, from being the guy who think he'd be the last man standing, the one who think love never exist because lust is everything, to be the one who could appreciate every presence of one girl. Only one.
For Lisa, if she ever had to settle down, she prepared herself for someone as boring as her, never think of a guy who drag her into an adventurous ride, and bring the voyage to her. Moreover, he taught her that there is love for her, and there always be a reason to stay not because you have to, but because you want to.
And here, on their third date after the fiasco, Lisa praise God for not letting Jiwon giving up on her, and more praising to God for the way he made her feel.
"Oh God..." she wanted to praise God for everything but she gotta stop thinking about it when Jiwon is sinfully kissing her bare neck while peeling the last fabric between them. As if the temperature in the room increases, they sweat pulp.
She keeps her voice low, keep every moans inaudible when Jiwon trails her skin with kisses and biting game.
Jiwon ducked a bit, "you chew your lips again?" he pouts.
Lisa grinned.
"Moan for me..." he bite her neck, made her jolt.
"Ah!"
"Yeah... I like it like that..." he hums while hands trailing down her spine, mouth along the jawline, and how Lisa's legs hugging his waist is making him shiver, Lisa's hands tighten the grip on his nape and Bobby could feel sweat running down his back.
"Ah... I miss you..." Lisa whsipers, and she got her lips attacked by Jiwon right away.
"You have no idea, babe, no idea..." he talk between the kisses.
+
Hanbin straighten up himself, "I have time till noon... but imma taking shower now." He pull her chin up towards him and kiss her lips, "feel free to join me in."
Jennie bite her lips, keep herself from smiling too wide, "after you, sir..."
Hanbin kissed her naked shoulder when she finally joined him, his hands smoothing along her waist, pressing his body closer to her, the hot shower relaxing their muscles, and the kisses Hanbin planted on her skin make her joints weak.
When his soft lips heated her skin somewhere between the alley of her chest, she loses her mind. Arousal taking over and she's ready if he fuck her really hard until they both come and exhausted.
Jennie never ashamed of those thought before, but with Hanbin is a little different, somehow she wants him to do it really slow, romantic, with a lot of kissing, eye contacts, sweet nibbles and I love yous.
And this was always different for both, for Hanbin who never believe in loyalty, and for Jennie who think of money as love, they were not ready for each other. And all the turmoils are the path they should accept, a process to develop a bigger heart, about forgiving the past, about carry on.
Love is not a simple thing, it is not all the fountain of honeys, the walk hand in hand towards the sunset. Love is acceptance. Is patience. Is trust.
+
Hanbin took a tray filled with four drinks, he walked to the table in the corner of his coffeeshop. There sits three other people who just learn about the essence of fall into a tricky sweet thing called love.
He sat beside Jennie who take his coffee, smell it and crouch her nose to Hanbin, mouthing thank you and earn a kiss on her hair. Then Jennie gave two other cups to Jiwon who handed one to Lisa who still had her hand tangled on Jiwon's arm, clinging on him while listening to Jiwon telling him a story.
They were talking, smiling,
Moreover they laughing,
Laughing like they never cry before.
And that's what life promised you, no matter how many times it slams you down, get up and life will reward you with joy.
(END)
epilog
(Jisoo x Chanwoo)
Jisoo smiles to see four people at the corner of the coffeeshop reuniting with their happiness again. She wiped the counter while sighs a little.
"I apologized on behalf of my brother." Suddenly a voice surprised her.
"Chanwoo! You startled me." She chuckles.
He shrugged.
"I don't blame your brother, maybe... I was the one who think that there's something special between us..."
"No, he's a jerk."
"He's your brother." Jisoo raised her eyebrows. "And maybe I'm just not good enough."
"Stop saying that, you know you're better than just 'good enough', at least for me you're—I'll stop here." He look away but a blush on his ear is visible. "Because if I don't do it now, I might not able to stop." He murmured.
"Stop doing what?"
"Stop from praising of how wonderful you are, and what you do to my heart everytime you're smiling, and how much I hate my brother to brought you home and—" Chanwoo's gaze down on the floor.
Jisoo didn't know how to react to this.
"Sorry... this might be too obvious that I like you."
"But I'm way older than you..."
"Yeah, I know." Chanwoo look away.
Suddenly Jisoo placed her palm on both sides of Chanwoo's face, "just focus on growing up Chanwoo-ya... I might looking at you the moment you grew become a cooler person... you're super cool right now, I just can't get the baby image from you yet... maybe later..."
Chanwoo looking back at her, her eyes twinkling, "Are you gonna slap me if I kiss you, nuna?"
Jisoo laughing, "are you?" she leaned forwards and pecked his lips, only a few second before she pull back, "this is a secret, okay?" she winked.
(real END)
a.n/ is there any other word bigger than thank you? thank you for reading this till the end, i know my story is not perfect, but i hope everyone is happy while reading it. I'm sorry if you still feel there's a lack here and there, trust me i've been trying my best!^^ i really do like reading each comments from you especially when you really into the story, you have no idea how much i feel appreciated by it, i'll try to reply it diligently from now.
i'll see you very soon on 'DRIVE!'
love, EVE.